Mia's Miracles

CHAPTER 1

It was a hot summer afternoon. Mia was sitting by the pool with her best friend Chloe enjoying the sultry summer day. Her three year old twin brother’s Nathan and Noah were splashing in the shallow end as Mia’s mother watched vigilantly. “Gosh it’s hot today” Mia said. “Let’s dive in and cool off” Chloe said. They both removed their wraps and dove into the deep end of the pool. The water felt cool and rejuvenated both girls. They swam around for a bit, enjoying the water and the exercise.

Mia’s father walked onto the patio and greeted his family “hey everybody. I had a great day today. Why don’t you guys get out of the pool, we have somewhere I would like us to go tonight.” Mia looked at Chloe and said “well, I guess you better go home, it’s time to find out what my Dad is up to. I will see you tomorrow.” Chloe got out of the pool, grabbed her things and walked out of the back gate. Mia’s mother dried the boys off and Mia grabbed her towel and dried off while she was walking through the house to go and get changed.

When Mia came down the stairs her parents were sitting in the living room. “Mia, I was talking with your mother and something wonderful happened today. I was talking with this gentleman who came into the shop. He needed an oil change. While the boys were getting him taken care of this man was telling me about Jesus. I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior today! He invited us to his church tonight and I would really like us to go.” Mia’s father was so excited and she just couldn’t understand why. I mean she knew some Jesus freaks but, her family had never practiced religion of any kind. “Awe Dad, why now? I thought we didn’t do the church thing” Mia exclaimed. Mia’s mom said “now Mia, I know we normally don’t do the church thing but, this seems really important to your Dad so let’s just give it a shot ok.” Mia nodded her head and her Mom said “Now go upstairs and find yourself a dress to wear.”

Mia went upstairs to rummage through her closet to see if she even owned a dress. She just didn’t understand why they had to waste their evening going to church to listen to a man talk about Jesus. “I mean how many things can one man say about Jesus” she thought. She really didn’t know what to expect from church. Her Aunt Lisa attends church every time the doors open and she has asked Mia to go a few times, but Mia had never been forced to go to church with her and she had always declined the invitation. She finally dug a dress out of the back of her closet. “I haven’t worn this thing since my Great Uncle Lewis died” she thought. Mia was not pleased with the dress so she decided to put a blouse over it that she liked and decorated herself up with some jewelry.

She went downstairs and asked “when are we leaving?”
“As soon as I get the boys dressed we are going to leave” her mom replied. “Your Dad wants to stop by a book store and buy a bible before we go.” “Mom, I’m really hungry” Mia said. “I don’t think we will have time to eat before church but afterwards we will get something to eat. I will pack a snack for you guys to eat in the car, I know you and the boys are both hungry.” As Mia’s mother continued to wrestle the two boys into their best clothes

Mia walked into the living room to turn on the television. She turned it on the music video channel and sat there rocking out. Her father entered the room and said “hey Mia, turn that off, it’s time to go.” She flipped off the television and drug her feet as she walked to the car.
Mia had to sit in between her two brothers because if she didn’t, they would fight the whole time they were in the car. This put her at risk for getting food or drink spilled on her if the little urchins got something to eat or drink in the car. “We need a bigger car Dad, I can’t sit in between these two in a dress like this, they will get me dirty” Mia whined. “Right now, we just have to deal with it ok Mia, we can’t afford a new car right now” he replied. Mia sat there quietly as her two brothers made farting noises by blowing on their arms. They cackled and laughed and it drove Mia crazy! “Why did they have to go and have more kids” she thought.

Her Dad pulled up to a bookstore Mia had never been to before. “Mia would you like to go in” her father asked. “Yeah I guess so, anything to get away from these two” she said. She and her father walked into the store and they were greeted by a friendly employee. “If there is anything I can help you find, please let me know” the clerk said. “Actually you can help me; I am looking for a bible for me, my wife, and my daughter.” “I can definitely help you find what you are looking for sir” the clerk replied. She walked us over to a big wall full of books in boxes. “Do you know what type of bible you are looking for sir” she asked. “Isn’t there only one type of bible” he asked. “Oh no sir, there are different versions. The original King James, the New King James, the New International Version, and the New Living Translation to name some of them.” The clerk looked expectantly at my father and said “are you a new believer sir?” “Yes I am” he replied. “Well, let’s start you and your family out with the New International Version. I think it will be easy to understand. I think you will need a study bible sir, and what about your wife and daughter, are they new believers as well?” “Not yet” he replied “but I hope they will be soon.” The clerk picked out the bibles she thought they needed to have and Mia’s father went to the register to pay for them.

Mia and her father got back into the car. Her father handed her mother the shopping bag and they headed to the church. When they drove into the parking lot it seemed to be about half full. The church was of adequate size. It wasn’t enormous like some of the churches Mia had seen driving down the highway but, it was no small country church either. All of the families walking in seemed pretty happy to be there. Children and their parents alike all had smiles on their faces as they quickly walked into the church. There were a few men standing outside talking, but not many. It was still hot and muggy that afternoon as Mia and her family got out of the car. With her father holding one of the boy’s hands and her mother holding the other one; Mia and her family walked into the church.

When they entered the first thing that hit Mia was the cool air conditioning. It hit the little bits of perspiration on her face. It did feel good inside and everyone seemed so happy. They were all conversing with one another and having a good time. As they made their way to about the middle of the church Mia’s father was greeted by a portly gentleman in a gray sport coat. “Hey Mark, I’m glad you could make it tonight, this must be that great family you were telling me about” he exclaimed. “Honey this is the man I was telling you about. Dina, this is Andrew.” “It is very nice to meet you Andrew. My husband came home very excited about what you shared with him today” Mia’s mom replied. “God is amazing Mrs. Lowry and your husband accepting Christ as his personal savior today is something to really celebrate” Andrew replied. “So, you must be the three great kids your father was telling me about.” Andrew looked at Mia with a beaming smile and said “Mia, I have a girl about your age. There is a youth group meeting tonight and she will show you where to go when it is time.” Mia, with a fake smile on her face, nodded. Mia and her family sat on the pew to their right and everyone began to take a seat, it was almost time for the service to begin.

As Mia sat on the hard pew waiting for everything to begin she had several voices or thoughts playing around in her mind. She entertained all of the thoughts roaming around in her mind as the preachers voice was muffled in the background. “This is horrible, boring, and a complete waste of time” one voice said. Another said “this is awesome; something good will come from this visit today.” “No it won’t, this sucks!” “This is wonderful!” Mia cracked a smile as the voices in her head seemed to hash it out over how good or bad the whole church thing was. She thought to herself “I am going crazy!” After the congregation finished singing the pastor dismissed the youth to their groups. An average height girl with strawberry blonde hair came over to Mia and said “it’s time to go to youth group.” Mia got up and followed her up the stairs.

“I’m Marty” the strawberry blonde girl said. “I’m Mia” she replied. The two girls sat at a table as everyone else clamored into the room and played around. “How old are you Mia” Marty asked. “I will be fifteen this Saturday” Mia replied. “I will be sixteen in October” Marty said. “I think I might have seen you at school before. Do you go to East Jackson” Marty asked. “I do” Mia replied. Mia hadn’t had a new friend in quite a long time. It might be fun to have someone new in her life. A man walked in who seemed to be in his late twenties. “Hey guys, it is awesome that you are here today. Before we get started I think I see a new face in here. I am Pastor Evans, but you can call me Pastor Mike, and you are?” Mia blushed. She didn’t like to be called out in front of a group of people, especially in a place that she felt so uncomfortable in. She stood up and glanced around the room and said “I’m Mia Lowry.” All of the kids in the room greeted her enthusiastically. She kind of felt welcome and accepted so far.

Marty was wonderful about helping Mia find scriptures in the bible that Pastor Mike referred to during the lesson. Although Mia felt completely lost at all of the teaching going on that evening, she was enjoying her new friend Marty. When church was over Pastor Mike approached Mia and said “It was awesome having you here today. I really hope to see you back next Wednesday night.” “Thanks Pastor Mike” Mia replied. The voices she had heard earlier started their arguing again. “There is no way that we are coming back here” one said. “I thought it was a blessing” the other replied. “I can’t believe these voices are arguing again” Mia thought. “Oh yeah, I must be going crazy.” Mia collected her things and Marty handed her a piece of paper. “This is my phone number. Maybe we can hang out sometime if you want to.” Mia smiled. She really did like Marty. She was different from Mia’s other friends. The difference wasn’t bad, it was refreshing. “I am having a party on Saturday, like I said, I will be turning fifteen. If you want to come, here is my address and phone number. You will have a good time, wear your bathing suit, it’s a pool party.” Mia handed Marty a piece of paper with her address and telephone number. “Thanks Mia, I will ask my Dad if I can go. I would love to come,” she replied. Marty and Mia walked downstairs to find their parents so that they could go home.

As the Lowry family piled into the car; Noah and Nathan whined about being hungry. “We are going to get something to eat right now.” her Mom assured the boys. Her Dad took them to a local Mom and Pop restaurant that they frequented as a family. When they walked in the door they were greeted by their favorite waitress Tina. “Hey Lowry’s, since when did you guys become part of the after church crowd,” she asked. “As of today actually,” Mr. Lowry replied. Tina walked them over to their favorite oversized booth. She handed them the menus and walked away to get their drinks. She returned and placed the drinks on the table. With note pad in hand she said “What will it be tonight?” They each placed their orders and Tina walked off to let the cooks know what to prepare for her favorite family.

“What did you think about the church honey?”  Mark asked his wife.  “It was ok, I mean it’s kind of a foreign concept to me, you know I wasn’t raised in church.”  She replied.  “Neither was I, but I think this is going to be great and I’m really excited.”  He said.  “Mia, did you make any new friends tonight?”  Her Dad asked.  “That girl who walked me to youth group, Marty, she’s pretty cool. I invited her to my birthday party this weekend. I hope that’s ok?”  “That is great Mia, of course it’s ok. So are you excited about this weekend?”  He asked.  “I am, but what I am most excited about is getting my learner’s permit,” she boasted.  “Exciting for you, scary for me,” her mother said.  Mia just gave her mom a look and said “oh please.”  They giggled and they were having a good time.  The boys were busy stuffing their faces with the carrots Tina had brought them to snack on before their meal, so they were keeping pretty quiet.

Tina brought their food to the table and the boys were so excited to finally eat that they could hardly contain themselves.  She had a moment in between orders to chat with her favorite family and so she grasped the opportunity.  “So, have you guys become part of the church crowd now?”  She asked.  “We have Tina; we went to Faith Community Church tonight.”  Mr. Lowry replied.  “We get a few folks from that church here each Wednesday.  They are pretty nice people.  So what made you decide to start going to church?”  “Well Tina, today I met a man who told me all about Jesus and his love for us.  Of course I have heard it all before, but never quite the way he described it to me.  Something inside of me stirred, I knew what he was saying was true, and I accepted Jesus as my personal savior today.”  “That’s great Mr. Lowry.  I am very happy for you.  I need to get back to my other tables Lowry family, if you need anything, let me know.”  Tina bounced off to tend to her other customers.

When they had finished eating Mia’s dad pulled out his wallet to leave a very nice tip for Tina.  This time he left something extra for her.  As her family got up from the table Mia glanced at the little pamphlet lying under the tip and the bold print read Accepting Jesus as your personal savior.  Mia just rolled her eyes and walked toward the door.  “Dad is taking this Jesus and church thing really seriously,” she thought.  The entire family was exhausted and not much was said on the way home. When they pulled into their driveway and the car was turned off, each member of the Lowry family walked inside and got ready for bed.

Over the next two days Mia noticed a very big change in her father.  It wasn’t a bad change; he was even more full of joy than usual.  Her Dad was always an upbeat and happy guy, but this was more than that.  She had really never seen her Dad this happy.  He seemed to carry his bible everywhere he went and he had it open and reading it in every spare moment he could grab.  Mia would see him spending quiet moments in prayer.  She wondered what he had to pray about or pray for.  She had never really prayed and didn’t understand the concept of it.  I mean she had heard people say “I have prayed and prayed for this and I finally got what I prayed for.”  Is God a big magic Gene up there who grants wishes to people down here?  Mia decided to ask her father.

Mia walked into the den where her Dad had his glasses on and bible open.  He was reading diligently and he didn’t even hear her walk into the room.  She walked up next to him and said “Dad.”  Mr. Lowry seemed to almost jump out of his seat.  “Mia, you startled me, what do you need sweetie?”  “I was just wondering about some things.  Here lately you seem to be spending a lot of time in prayer about things.  I was just wondering what you have to pray about.  What kind of things do you ask God for?”  Her question was very childlike and innocent.  At that moment it was hard to see her as a fourteen year old girl.  “Mia, prayer is talking to God about things.  If I am worried about something or there is something we need, I talk to him about it and ask for his help.  I also want people to see how wonderful God is, just as I have, so I pray for their salvation.”  “What exactly is salvation,” Mia asked.  I’m going to tell you a little story, and hopefully it will explain what salvation is to you.  Now, I’m new at this, so I may not get everything right, but I’ll try.”  Her father replied.

“God made the earth and everything in it.  He created man to rule over the animals of the world and he made woman to be his partner.  When he made man he made him in the image of God, both male and female.  He loved his creation so much and wanted a deep and meaningful relationship with man.  When God made man he wanted to protect him.  Man was made only knowing good.  He only knew what God told him.  But since man was created like God, he placed a tree in the middle of the garden and commanded man not to eat from that tree because if he did, he would surely die.  God would walk with man in the cool of the day and talk with him. I’m sure God loved spending that part of his day there with man.  The woman was tempted by a serpent, which is the devil.  He told her that if she eats from the tree she will not surely die.  He told her that if she ate from it she would be like God.  She decided to eat from it and when both she and her husband ate from the tree they both knew good and evil.  Because of this, the first sin, it separated them from God.  God’s one desire is for man to again be his children.  Man couldn’t do it on their own, their hearts were far from him and full of evil thoughts and desires.  God sent his son Jesus from heaven to be born of a human woman and to live as we do, but without sin.  God sent Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. Because of Jesus’ death, our sins are forgiven and we get to spend eternity with God in heaven, just as he had planned from the beginning.  I’m sure that doesn’t make a lot of sense to you right now sweetie, but I pray some day it will.”

Mr. Lowry sat there looking lovingly at Mia.  She had the look of absolute confusion on her face.  “I’m not sure why God had to send his own son to die, I mean he’s God, he could just do whatever he wants right?”  She asked.  “He could Mia, but there is a natural order to things and God works in certain ways.  This was just the way it had to be done.  Let me say this, God has to love us more than we can imagine if he would send his only son to earth to suffer and die for us. It would be like me sending you to die for the rest of the world.  I’m not sure if I could do that.”  Mia was still confused but, bored with the subject at this point.  “Thanks Daddy, I love you,” she exclaimed.  “No problem Mia, I love you too.  Tomorrow is your party.  I think you are really going to like what your Mom and I have planned.”  “I know I will Dad, you guys are the best!”

Sitting by the pool in the afternoon sun, Mia thought a lot about what her father had said to her.  She knew she was a lucky girl.  She had a father that adored her and would do anything that he could to make her happy.  She just didn’t know if she could really accept the fact that Jesus and God were real.  She didn’t understand how an invisible God could talk to people.  As she thought about these things the thoughts or voices in her head starting having their own conversation again.  “Your Dad is right, God does love you and you can hear him and talk to him.”  The other voice replied “Your Dad is full of Crap, God does not love you and he doesn’t talk to you.  He sits up there and plays with people’s lives.”  “That is just not true, he loves you Mia.”  Again she wondered why her thoughts were having conversations with themselves but of course she wasn’t too worried about it.  She’s not going crazy or anything, she just assumed that she had an over active imagination.

CHAPTER 2

Mia woke up the next morning utterly excited.  Today she was fifteen years old.  Today she would have an amazing party with all of her friends and she couldn’t wait.  Her parents had planned this extravagant pool party with all of her friends.  They promised to stay out of the way as much as possible and just let her and her friends have the time of their lives.  She rolled out of bed, tripped over a shoe, and went downstairs to see what her mother had fixed for breakfast.

“Good Morning you guys,” Mia exclaimed as she sat at the table with her two younger brothers.  Nathan and Noah had already been served and they were making a mess feeding each other pancakes.  “Good morning Mia and happy birthday!”  Her mom said.  “Are you excited about today?”  She asked.  “I am, but please tell me you are going to do something with the two monkey boys here?  I swear if they had fleas they would be picking them off of each other and eating them.”  “Aunt Lisa is coming to pick them up in about an hour, so don’t worry, and don’t talk about your brother’s that way sweetie.”  her mom replied.
When Mia had finished eating she went upstairs to get dressed.  She looked through her closet and in there hung the most amazing new bathing suit with a bow on the hanger and a card attached.  The card read “Happy birthday Mia, I knew this is the bathing suit that you wanted, and there is a cover up to match.  I hope you like it!  Love, Aunt Lisa.”  Mia snatched the bathing suit out of the closet and snuggled it in her arms.  “I will look absolutely fabulous in this at the party,” she thought.  Mia threw on some clothes and raced downstairs to see if her parents needed any help with the party preparations.

When she walked into the living room she heard the voice of her father say “Hey Mia, come outside for a minute.”  She walked through the living room and into the sun room. Looking through the glass she could see that everything was decorated and ready for her guests when they arrived.  Walking out of the door and onto the patio, she almost felt like she was in a tropical paradise.  Around the pool were pots here and there filled with hibiscus and other exotic flowers.  There were torches, ready to be lit when it started to get dark.  Her father had set up a little drink shack, where her guests would be served non-alcoholic drinks with little paper umbrellas in them.  When they walked out onto the patio her mother would greet each guest with a lei.  “It looks amazing Daddy!”  Mia exclaimed.  “I thought you might like it. Listen, I’m going to pick you up after work on Monday if you think you are ready to take the test and get your learner’s permit.”  Her father said.  “Of course I’m ready!  I have been studying for months.”  Mia exclaimed.  She gave her Dad a really big hug and kiss and went back inside to see if her mother needed any help with the food preparations.

Chloe showed up about an hour before all of the other guests were scheduled to arrive. “Hey girl, let’s go upstairs and get you ready.”  Chloe exclaimed.  The two girls went upstairs. Mia rushed to her bed to grab the fabulous new bathing suit that Aunt Lisa had bought her for her birthday.  She held it up to show Chloe how amazing it was.  “Oh my gosh, you are going to look fabulous in that.”  Chloe exclaimed.  “Who knows, maybe Tyler will notice how fabulous you look and ask you to dance tonight!”  Mia blushed.  Yes she had a really big crush on Tyler, but she definitely didn’t have the guts to tell him.  “Oh Chloe, we don’t even know if Tyler will come to my party.”  Mia said.  “I guarantee he will be here.”  Chloe replied.  The two girls got dressed in their pool gear and did each other’s hair and makeup.  Neither girl put on too much makeup, after all, it was a pool party and they didn’t want mascara running down their faces. When they were sure they looked their best, they headed downstairs to prepare to greet Mia’s guests.

At the bottom of the stairs Mia’s mother was waiting with two beautiful flowers in her hands.  She placed one in each of the girl’s hair and put lei’s around their necks.  “You should see what Mom and Dad have done with the backyard, it is amazing!”  Mia exclaimed.  “I think I’m going to have the most amazing party of anyone this year!”  Mia and Chloe walked to the patio.  The day was hot and sultry, just like the tropics.  Mia’s Dad handed the girls each a drink with the little paper umbrella’s in them.  The girls sat in the lounge chairs by the pool as other guests started to arrive.  Mia’s parent’s played host and hostess very well, without interfering too much with her party.

In about an hour’s time all of Mia’s guests had arrived including her new friend Marty. “Hey Marty, I’m so glad you could make it.”  Mia exclaimed.  “Hey Chloe, this is Marty, she’s a sophomore that I met recently.”  “It’s nice to meet you Marty. Where did you guys meet?”  Chloe asked.  “At church,” she replied.  “I didn’t know you guys went to church Mia.”  Chloe said.  “Remember when my Dad came home all excited last Wednesday and he said we were going somewhere that evening?  We went to church.”  “Oh,” Chloe said.  “Want something to drink?”  Mia asked Marty.  “Yeah, that would be great,” she replied.  When Mia had gotten Marty something to drink the three girls walked around and mingled with the crowd.

Chloe spotted Tyler across the pool and she started working her way towards him.  With Mia and Marty in tow she walked directly up to him and said “Hey Tyler, how’s it going?” “Happy birthday Mia” he said.  She blushed and said “thanks Tyler.”  There was awkward silence for a moment and then all of a sudden the music changed to a slow song.  Chloe picked out one of Tyler’s friends and said “hey Darren, want to dance?”  “Sure” he replied.  Chloe grabbed his hand, nudged Marty to ask the other friend to dance, and drug Darren to the dance floor.  “Would you like to dance?”  Marty asked the other kid.  He nodded and the two of them headed to the dance floor.  With just Mia and Tyler left standing there he didn’t ask, but he grabbed her hand and gracefully walked her to the dance floor as well.

By the end of the evening the whole party was a success.  There were plenty of pictures taken and plenty of memories made.  Mia even got her first dance with Tyler, the boy she has been crushing on since the fifth grade.  Her father had slipped salvation tracts in each of the kid’s party favor bags.  Mia’s mom just couldn’t believe that her little girl was growing up.  “Life is really going to start changing for Mia now.”  Her Mom said.  Her Dad looked over at her mother with a little sadness in his eyes.  “Yep, pretty soon she will be driving, having a boyfriend, getting a job, hanging out with her friends all the time.  We’ll just be a distant memory.”  Mrs. Lowry swatted at her Dad and said “oh don’t’ remind me Mark!”  They both laughed and as the last of the guests were picked up by their parents Mr. and Mrs. Lowry started to clean up the after party mess.

Sunday was always family day at the Lowry house.  If Mia wanted anyone to spend the night, it had to be on a Friday because Sunday was just for the family.  Mia’s father woke her up early and said “get up sweetie; we are going to church this morning.”  “Seriously Dad? After last night I’m so tired, can I please stay home and sleep.”  She begged.  “No, it’s family day, and this is one of the things we are doing as a family today.”  He replied.  Mia, having a very difficult time getting out of bed that morning, laid there, wishing she could go back to sleep.  The smell of bacon finally coaxed her awake as her stomach growled.  She clamored downstairs and sat at the table with her family.  She went to dig in when her father said “hold on their speedy, we need to ask God to bless this food first.”  She looked at her Dad, hoping he would be quick so that she could eat.

When breakfast was eaten and the boys were taken to the bath tub, Mia went upstairs to try to find another outfit to wear to church.  She dug through her closet and finally came up with something that she was sure was suitable.  She grabbed her bible and went downstairs to see if everyone else was ready to pile into the car and go to church.  Her mother was wrestling Nathan to put his final shoe on and they were ready to leave.  The Lowry family piled into their car and headed to Faith Community Church.

Marty greeted Mia as she walked in the door.  She had been standing by the front entrance waiting for her.  She had something she wanted to tell her.  “You will never guess who is here today Mia.”  Marty exclaimed.  She pointed her finger toward a group of boys standing in the corner and amongst them was Tyler.  Mia gasped and pulled Marty around the corner.  “I didn’t know he went here.”  Mia said.  “He and his family come most of the time.  When I found out that was the boy you liked last night, I didn’t want to ruin the surprise that he attends this church too.”  Marty said.  Marty walked Mia to Sunday school class where they were going to be taught by none other than Pastor Mike, the youth pastor.

When Tyler walked into the room Mia tried to hide her face.  It didn’t work though; he spotted her from across the room and walked right over to the table where Marty and Mia were sitting.  “Great party last night Mia, I had an awesome time.”  He said.  “Thanks Tyler, I’m glad you could make it,” she replied.  “I thought I might see you here this morning, so it was a little easier for me to get up and come to church.” Tyler said.  “Why would you even think that I might just be here this morning?”  Mia asked.  “Well, I found this tract in the favor bag your parents sent home with each of us last night.”  Mia snatched the tract from his hand.  She was so embarrassed.  How could her father have placed those in her favor bags?  Mia was all for his new found faith, and she was glad it had changed his life, but it almost seemed like he was becoming a pusher of Jesus instead of a witness.  “I am so embarrassed.”  Mia said.  “Ah, don’t be,” Tyler said.  “Your Dad just wants everyone to know how awesome God is.”  Mia smiled and didn’t say another word as Pastor Mike began the lesson.

When Sunday school was over, each of them started to gather their things to head into the main sanctuary for church.  Tyler grabbed Mia’s bible to carry it for her, and she smiled. Then he grabbed her hand to walk her to the sanctuary.  Mia’s stomach was filled with butterflies!  Did this mean what she thinks it means?  I guess it did, Tyler likes her.  He really likes her. They sat down on the same pew with her parents. Her Dad looked over at her and gave her a very questioning look. “This is Tyler” she said to her Dad. “It’s nice to meet you Tyler” he replied. Mr. Lowry gave Mrs. Lowry a look and said “I told you so.” She nudged him and put her finger to her lips as the pastor began to speak.

The pastor announced that there were some people in the congregation that morning that wanted to profess their new found faith in Jesus Christ. He asked all of the individuals who had accepted the Lord to come up to the altar. Her father stood up and proudly walked to the front but to Mia’s surprise, Tyler also stood up and walked to the front of the church. Everyone in the congregation cheered and welcomed each new member to the family of Christ. When this small celebration was complete, each person was taken to the baptism tank behind the stage. The pastor baptized each new believer. He said it was a profession of their new faith and it symbolized the washing away of all of the person’s past sins. Mia really didn’t understand the whole ceremony but she watched both her father and Tyler vigilantly as each took the plunge.

As the last person went under the water the entire congregation stood up and applauded. Music played and everyone seemed to be clapping, raising their hands, and praising God. When her father and Tyler returned to them they were dried off and in fresh clean clothes. Mia told Tyler goodbye and congratulations and she and her family walked to the car. “We are going to see Ms. Tina for lunch today boys” her father exclaimed. Noah and Nathan both clapped their hands and shouted “Yay!” They drug their parents to the car and once everyone was strapped in, they headed for the dinner.

Tina saw the Lowry family come in the door and she rushed over to them to set them at their table. “Somehow, I knew you guys would be here, so I saved your favorite table just for you” she said. “Thanks Tina” Mr. Lowry replied. As always Tina knew what they wanted to drink and had it ready in a flash. “Mr. Lowry, I want to thank you for the really special tip you left me last Wednesday. You have no idea how much I needed that and how much of a blessing it was for me. Because of the gift you gave me, I too have accepted Jesus as my personal savior.” “That is wonderful” Mr. Lowry exclaimed. “If you are looking for a church, I know a good one” he said. She smiled, took out her note pad, and took their orders. Sunday afternoon was spent with family fun by the pool. They all relaxed, played games together, and really enjoyed each other’s company. Mr. Lowry knew how absolutely blessed he was to have such a wonderful and loving family.

The next afternoon, just as he promised, Mia’s Dad picked her up and drove her to the Department of motor Vehicles to take her test for her learners permit. On the thirty minute drive to the DMV Mia carefully thumbed through the book making sure she would be able to answer every question on the test. The lines weren’t too long and before Mia knew it, she had a blank test sitting in front of her. When she finished this test, she would be able to get behind the wheel of a car and learn to drive!

Mia’s Dad was waiting in the lobby when she came out beaming. “I passed, I passed! I’m going to take my picture and get my permit. Can I drive home Dad” she asked. “No, but when we get home I will let you drive for the first time” he replied. Mia stood behind the plain blue backdrop and smiled the biggest and prettiest smile she could conjure. When the permit was handed to her she looked at it in amazement. The picture even looked fabulous. No one has a great looking photo on their ID but Mia was the exception to the rule.

When they got home Mia bolted out of the car and ran inside to share her victory with her mother. “I did it Mom, I got my learner’s permit” she said. “Let me see” her mom said. She handed the smooth, cool card to her mother who looked at it with pride. “You look so pretty in that picture Mia” her mom said. Mia took it back from her mother and decided to call Chloe. “She would want to be the first person to know” Mia thought. After screaming with excitement over her new conquest Mia hung up the phone, ready to bug her Dad into taking her for her first driving lesson.

Mia’s father had gone out to the back patio and was skimming some of the trash off of the top of the water. “Hey Dad, are you ready to go” Mia asked. “Yeah sure, let’s get this started” he replied. They went to the car and she sat behind the wheel of the car. She adjusted the seat and mirrors just as she had read in her book. Her father looked at her and said “what is the first thing you are going to do?” “I’m going to put my foot on the brake and start the car” she replied. “Very good, you are giving me confidence already” her father said. Mia put the car in reverse and slowly let off the brake. The car rolled slowly down the drive way and when she came to the end; she applied the brake once more. She looked both ways and backed out into the street. She put the car in drive and headed for the stop sign at the end of their street.

“Ok Mia, we are going out on a busy road. I am going to want you to take a right and head down the street. This is kind of a tricky spot because of that curve back there” her father said. She looked to the left and no cars were coming. Mia stepped on the gas and everything went dark. It happened in the blink of an eye. Mr. Lowry could not believe what had just happened. One minute he was inside his Nissan Altima and the next, he was standing outside of his mangled car. He wanted to frantically search for Mia. Was his daughter ok? He looked down to take a step and saw his damaged, lifeless body lying on the ground. “Mark, it’s time to go home” a man said. When Mr. Lowry turned around he saw his angel who had come to take him home. He looked quickly back at the car and noticed five angels near Mia. He said “Hey, you angels over there please promise me that you will protect her and keep her safe.” The small group looked at Mr. Lowry and nodded. “We will take care of her, don’t worry, the Lord is waiting for you, so go on home” one of them replied. An excitement welled up inside of Mark Lowry. He knew they would watch over his daughter and soon the cares of the previous world drifted away and Mark Lowry went home to be with the Lord.

Mia’s body was trapped inside the car. Fire fighters had he Jaws of Life trying to cut her limp body from what was left of the car. The five angels stood there, talking amongst themselves. “This is going to be a tough case” Micah said. “The poor girl, she is going to be devastated when she finds out what happened to her father” Anna said. All of them stood there, waiting to fulfill the orders given to them once she was freed from the car. Micah was there to protect her, Anna was there to comfort her, Levi was what they call her conviction angel, Daniel was her conversion angel, and David was her battle angel. Their orders were clear and simple at this point, to stay with Mia at all times.

When Mia’s body was free from the wreckage the fire fighters put her on the stretcher and placed her in the ambulance. Her leg was terribly mangled and bleeding profusely. She had a few lacerations on her face and a very deep gash in the corner of her eye. Paramedics worked to keep her stable until they reached the hospital. Upon arrival she was immediately rushed to a trauma room. She had not regained consciousness at this point and that was a concern for the doctors. As the doctors were examining the extent of her injuries Mia started to move. She was waking up. She could not open her eyes but she heard a lot of people talking quickly and a lot of beeping and telephone’s ringing. She tried to open her eyes again but no matter how hard she tried they would not open. She started to breath heavily and attempted to feel around with her hands. As her breathing got heavier she heard a voice say “Calm down Mia, you are in the hospital, everything is going to be ok.” The voice was sweet and angelic, but it did not tell her what was going on.

The five angels stood there, looking around to see if any more of their brothers had been called to the scene. “I can’t believe it” Micah exclaimed. “I’m pretty sure she is going to be just fine.  I just received orders that she is going to be able to hear us speak, one on one conversation, not just the whisper in her ear kind of thing.” Each of the five received the same order and they were beside themselves. This is the first time they had ever been authorized to interact with a person on a one on one basis.

Mia tried to lift her hand to feel in front of her. She couldn’t speak. There was something keeping her from talking to the people around her. The last thing she really remembered was being in the car and getting ready to turn out onto the main street. She would raise her arm and then she would feel a hand push it back down. She heard another voice speak directly to her. “Look Mia, my name is Dr. Sanchez and I am here to help you. You must keep your arms down or I can’t help you. You are in the hospital and there is a tube down your throat to help you breath. Please, I don’t want to have to tie you down. You will be ok but you need to let us do our job and take care of you.” She realized at that moment that she must have been in a car accident.

As Mia laid there a thousand thoughts started flooding her mind. Why couldn’t she open her eyes? What about her Dad? Where is he and is he ok? She lay there straining to hear a sound conversation through all of the medical jargon. In the distance she heard a few voices talking. “Why weren’t you able to protect her from this Micah?” “I didn’t get permission to interfere. There was nothing I could do. I’m just thankful that it looks like she is going to be ok. I don’t see Samuel coming to get her.” Mia was so confused. Who was Samuel and where would he be taking her? Mia became more and more frustrated as time went on. In the midst of her despair Dr. Sanchez said “we have to take you to surgery Mia, but you are going to be ok.” Mia heard those strange voices getting fainter and fainter until she fell into a black nothingness.