36 Boxes

'Because of the service of which you have proved yourselves, 
others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of Christ, 
and your generosity in sharing them with everyone else... 
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!'
~2 Corinthians 9:13; 15~            

         
              "They're here!"
              Rex's attention was pulled form the current verse at the rushed squeal of excitement that rang through the hut. Had it come from Nadine or Leslie? The girls had slowly been growing stir-crazy this week, where the littlest thing convinced them of adventure. Rex blamed the new novels that Chloe had them reading for school. This time however, a moment after the squeal, Rex heard the coughing engine of the supply truck. He was up from his desk chair, immediately sharing in the girls' excitement.
             Throwing the rusty-red shirt over his tank top, Rex hurried out of what doubled as his study and his and Chloe's bedroom. Their hut was one of the few luxury homes that sported three rooms; and one of those rooms was the sanctuary out back. Rex turned the other way however, breaking into the gleaming sun. It had grown gentle with the late afternoon hours, a relief as the shadows never reached this side of their house. They had chosen it for the abnormal flat land it stood on. Subsequently, it also allowed his family a view of the only road in and out of the village. Anything else were worn paths, dusty on the hot days and muddy on the rainy ones... and traveled on all of them.
            The twenty some homes spanned along the lip of the valley, following the sweep of the land towards the lake. This was an area where, while the soil was rich, it had proved finicky over the years. Chloe and the other women, it had become their project, cultivating the land to bring food to the village, and a trade for its families. Rex gave a deep inhale, enjoying the familiar air in his lungs; recalling a time when it was more scary then familiar. My wife supplies the food... I supply the hope? 
            Boy, that sounded conceited! But his upcoming sermon was on purpose so he was being more analytical then usual. He had been dwelling heavily on his family's purpose- their life- here. It wasn't unlike the soil, unsure whether it could grow something or not. More then once, both Rex and Chloe had been positive that nothing would. That they had swept their son and daughter to a distant and dangerous country for no reason other then a misguided whim. But then a miracle would lend itself and the unlikely crops would sprout. Giving Rex as much hope as his neighbors.
            He couldn't take credit for the carving God had done... nor for the joy that was roaring up the road in the back of the supply truck. Rex stepped farther out as a crowd began to gather in their 'front yard'. He glimpsed Nadine swinging and jumping with Tinah, a new mother this year. Nadine doted over the baby when she wasn't in school with the other children. The children who would be receiving boxes this year! After so much waiting, letter writing, praying... Chloe!
            "Leslie!" Rex swept a glance over the crowd. His twelve year old whipped her head around, her merry golden braid falling over her shoulder. "Daddy, they're here!"
            So it had been her who squealed. Rex smiled, then pointed towards the fields. "Go tell your mother."
            Leslie beelined away, feet kicking up the dirt; she was barefoot again!? They had told her how many times not to-
            "Baba!" Nadine shook Rex's arm, her eyes and smile just as bright as her sister's. Her vocabulary switched from English to Swahili as she danced around him... to where he had to pull her back to avoid the path of the truck. Akello honked the horn over the rising voices as more and more families gathered. The older children jumped and grabbed at the wooden sides as he passed the house and braked. It was the equivalent of a roller coaster to them.
             "Welcome back!" Rex called out as Akello climbed out, his smile matching the chatter of the village. He immediately met Rex in a tight hug. Akello squeezed Rex's shoulders before turning his smiles to the villagers. "Krismasi kila mtu!"
             Everyone returned his yuletide greeting, following Akello to the tailgate and undoing the straps. Rex followed to where all attention was on the truck bed, stacked high with crates held fast by ropes and tarps. From within those crates, the red and green of the Christmas boxes peeked through. Eight-year-old Denis tried scrambling up for a closer look, but his father scooped him back.
             "If everyone can find their place in the circle!" Akello raised his voice, pulling Rex up beside him.
             "Akello! Rex!" Chloe popped around the engine, her hair in sweaty curls across her shoulders. "Leslie's screaming through the brush like the town crier!"
             "Baba's alway talking about patience." Nadine crossed over to hug her mother's arm. "She has none."
             Rex tried to give her a nogie. "And you have no humility."
             She squealed again, jumping out of reach. That delightful sound of energy and carefree confidence. Rex loved hearing it from all his children.
             "She and Bradley will want to be here for the blessing." Akello glanced around the circle that was forming. And soon enough, their son Bradley appeared with his teenage friend Janani- likely deciding whether or not to betray their excitement. Leslie had become anchored between the wrinkled hands of Edith and Gopou. The second grandparents of their second home. Rex's eyes followed the line of the townspeople as more faces and eager postures joined their circle. Tinah and her husband, Ochleng. Dembe and his little sister, Medrine. They eyed the boxes hungrily. As they had the year before... the first year that the boxes had come. Rex slipped his own hand into Chloe's; they are rough with soil, but remained tender to the touch. Chloe passed a knowing look to him. Could either of them believe how five months had turned into eight years? How these faces were now their neighbors and friends, selling along the trade road and sending their kids to school... and how their two children had become three with Nadine's adoption.
              "I say the prayer now!" Nadine squeezed Chloe's side, eyes shining. Rex laughed, holding up his free arm."Sifa zu Mungu tena! God's praises once again."
              It was a greeting the village had adopted some time ago. In one of their darkest times, it had become their cry of hope, perseverance, and a reminder to who reigned and loved them all. The response was immediate across their faces as they raised their fists and voices- literally swelling the air with elation to God. Rex waited.
              "I thank out Heavenly Father for these smilies," Akello suddenly called out. "We have walked through the dark deserts and valleys together... sometimes feeling alone and rejected." He swallowed hard, pointing skyward. "Now we know; God is always with us... and I am in awe."
               Rex glanced at his friend, but Nadine's beginning of the blessing stopped his questions. Many times, he allowed his congregation to speak as the Spirit moved them. Akello... was not often one of those people. But his rarity was easily overcome by Nadine's heartfelt voice. She sounded so much like Chloe, stripping down the pretenses of an almighty God and talking like she was on a father's knee. Bradley and Leslie were more formal like him. Rex didn't argue the difference however, letting her finish. He eyed Akello, then the back of the truck, where the boxes waited in their crates. One for each child that he and his family were watching grow, learn, and laugh. Rex could sit at the front of their classroom and name every boy and girl's strengths, what they wanted for Christmas and why. It was his wish that he could fulfill those wants... a wish he couldn't grant.
              But for a moment, when the lids were ripped off, the children's eyes would widen. Smiles would burst on their faces. And their hearts... their hearts would open a little more to the unsurpassed love of Christ.

THE END

This story was short, but that didn't make it any easier to write... this is the fourth draft, which is why it took so long to post! The shorter the story, the harder it is to write it correctly. Mainly because it's about capturing a moment from your mind and projecting that moment into full view for your readers. A moment that you want to mean as much to them as it does to you.

Birthdays, Easter, Anniversaries... 4th of July, Christmas... they're all about moments. Some of them joyous, hilarious, or eye rolling. Many others are heartbreaking, tearful, and angry. Sometimes, when you're writing, you stumble across how intricate God's work is and how He builds every kind of moment atop one another.

The moment Joseph decided to heed his dream and still marry the pregnant Mary.

That moment three thousand accepted Christ's message and were baptized after Pentecost.

The moment the wise men saw the uncharted star... and felt the need to follow it.

That moment Herod ordered the innocence of Bethlehem to be slaughtered.

The moment Mary choose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen.

Those moments where Jesus went willingly with the Roman soldiers.... waited... kept quiet... and allowed himself to die in slow pain on the cross.

When writing out my 'moment stories', I hope to honor God's significant work in life's moments- the good and the bad. Those moments that come before Christmas, after New Years', and during every weekday and weekend in between.