Chapter 10
Olivia looked around the activity room. There was a corner with tables and chairs set up, where she assumed people were welcome to sit and eat.
Boxes of paper plates and plastic silverware sat underneath the table.
Sleeping bags were stacked in one corner, and there were several cases of bottled water along one wall.
As she investigated further, she saw totes full of snacks, and more totes full of toys that ranged from toddler age to board games that entire families could enjoy.
There were blankets that smelled like they'd been freshly washed, and she also saw several tents and camp chairs stacked against the far wall.
She couldn't imagine anyone needing anything else, although on a hunch, she walked into the kitchen and opened up the refrigerator.
As she had suspected, there were gallons of milk, along with bags full of vegetables and fruit.
It seemed like Pastor Mark had thought of everything.
When had he had time to do all of this in addition to all the other things he was doing?
He certainly was taking his job of pastoring his flock seriously.
Okay, Lord, I thought that getting a flat tire was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to me, but I have to admit coming in here and seeing how prepared Pastor Mark is for the people who might need a place to stay during the storm has been eye-opening.
Obviously the man is dedicated to his job, and truly cares about the people.
I'm also really impressed at his foresight, and the thoughtful things that he stocked in order to make being away from their home as pleasant an experience as possible.
On a hunch, she walked to the restroom and saw that it too was well stocked with extra bathroom tissue, as well as paper towels and soap.
She smiled a little when she noticed that there were no extra feminine products. Pastor Mark probably hadn't thought of such a thing, but she supposed that she might be able to raid her own bathroom closet and cover that deficiency without mentioning anything to Pastor Mark.
As she walked out of the restroom, she saw Mark coming in the door, his eyes sweeping over the room, lingering for a moment on her boys, who were playing with a couple of the toys from the totes, until they continued on until he found her over against the far wall.
"I'm here," she said, thinking that he was acting a little bit like he was afraid that she was going to skip town after he had left her alone for three minutes.
No, that wasn't fair. He just wanted to make sure that she was okay. Obviously, the man had a spiritual gift of helping. Or he just truly was concerned about people. She couldn't fault him for that. Especially when his job almost demanded it.
"What do you think?" he asked as he started across the large room.
She started walking to meet him, and they stood in the middle of the room, side by side, naturally turning to where her boys played in the corner.
"I'm impressed. I have to admit it."
"Really?"
"Truly. I think you've thought of everything."
"I had a little bit of help. I called Mrs. Tucker and asked what Pastor Johnson had done when they used the church several years ago for an emergency shelter."
"I bet her insights were invaluable."
"They were. They had just put the generator in, according to her, because that winter was the worst on record, and the first snowstorm put power out for three days, and the church wasn't able to help out much, since there was no power here either."
"I have to admit, putting a generator in was a really wise decision. That's pretty expensive for a normal family to be able to afford. I know I don't have one."
"I've never priced them, but I do know I've never lived in a house that had one."
"I priced them out several years ago when we lost electricity. And yeah, it was way too much. But... it feels a little bit like charity coming here too. You know?"
She didn't want to admit that much. She definitely didn't want to put a damper on what he was doing.
She wanted to encourage him. She just didn't want to be the kind of person who needed handouts from anyone, including the church in a snowstorm.
Although... she knew that it was a perfectly normal thing.
"There's no shame in needing help once in a while," Mark said, as though he could read her mind.
She nodded, and then pointed at the sleeping bags.
"Are those the ones they bought for camp a couple of years ago?
" She wanted to change the subject, because she didn't want to think about all the things that she owed everyone who had ever helped her.
She wanted to be able to stand on her own two feet.
To provide for her family herself, without depending on anyone else.
But was that really the way God intended it?
"They sure are. And while I'm thinking about it, Tom said he'd be right over. He's gearing up, figuring that he'll be busy during the storm, and he wanted to get that tire changed before the snow started coming down."
"Thank you. I appreciate you making the call."
"I had ulterior motives. I told you. I reminded him that the church is open on Sunday, whether there's electricity or not. I happen to know someone who is rather good at making candles, and I think I might be able to pull a few strings in case we need extra."
"Are you serious?" she asked, laughing.
"I sure am. I don't see any reason why we can't use the candles that we ordered for the Christmas Eve service, if you have any of those ready."
"I actually have a few that were left over from last year.
I was going to include those in the order this year.
I always make a few extra, just in case some don't turn out.
" She lifted a shoulder. "I also have some candles set back in my storage room.
The ones where the label was crooked, or the wick wasn't centered properly, or I even have a few that didn't smell quite the way I was expecting, and I haven't quite decided how to label them.
I mean, 'chicken poop' is not exactly a selling point. "
"No. How bad do they smell? Maybe we don't want to use those in an enclosed area where people can't escape for possibly days."
"True. They smell pretty awful. Not everything I try is a success." Boy, wasn't that the truth. She figured she'd probably failed more than she'd succeeded. But wasn't that true for everyone?
"I have a bunch of candles that I've been experimenting with, some more successful than others, but you're welcome to as many of those as you'd like."
"What do you usually do with them?"
"Sometimes I give them away as gifts. Sometimes I end up selling them if I deem them successful, and I'll include them in a variety pack, or as a special at the counter, but they always go for less than I normally charge, just because I never have a whole bunch of them."
"I see. Well, I'm pretty sure I can get the church to pay for it. After all, if we're going to be a shelter for people, we should be able to provide light at the very least."
"You don't have to do that. I’ll donate them. I should've offered to begin with. I was thinking about all the things that you have ready, and how organized and thoughtful you are, and I never even thought about candles for light."
"We can argue about what I owe you later, but I'll take whatever you're willing to give."
"All right. Once Tom has my tire fixed, I'll grab a couple of boxes and drive them back over."
Just then lights flashed in the window, and she turned toward them.
"I think Tom's here."
"That was quick. I'm impressed."
She shifted uneasily, feeling a little bit like she was imposing.
"If you were doing something and you need to keep working, don't let me get in your way."
"Not at all. I wasn't doing anything important. I just finished washing the last of the sleeping bags. But don't forget, part of my job is talking to the people in town and getting to know them. So technically, I'm on the clock right now."
He made it seem like it was no problem at all for him to be standing there talking to her. But if she were in charge of the church, and she was expecting a whole pile of people to be coming to shelter there, she would be running around like a chicken with her head cut off.
"Are you sure there isn't anything you need to do yet?"
He waved an arm around the building. "Do you see anything that needs to be done?"
"No. Other than picking up the toys that my boys have gotten out. I did caution them to only play with a few things."
"I figure about two seconds after the first kid gets here, the toys will be out and a mess from then until everyone leaves and someone picks them up. That's just kind of the nature of children, isn't it?"
"How do you know so much about kids when you don't have any of your own?"
"Maybe someday I will. I feel like God has a family for me somewhere, but... it hasn't happened yet."
"So you want to get married?" She didn't know why she was asking that. What did it matter to her? But she found herself unusually interested and hanging on his answer.
"Yes. I feel like a pastor is more effective when he has a wife beside him. Someone who can help him. And not to be sexist, but..."
"That's not sexist. The Bible clearly says that the woman was created to be the man's helpmeet. Which I always understood to be a helper that's fit for him. So it's up to the woman to shape herself and adjust herself to be a helper in whatever her man does."
She couldn't help the sadness that had entered her voice.
That's what she had always believed. She had helped Cam however she could.
Of course, being that he was in the military, it wasn't like he had his own business that she was helping him with, but she tried to make their home a haven, to make sure that whatever he was facing with his job or his deployment, talking to her was an oasis of peace and love and laughter.
She felt like that was the best way she could help him.