Prayer Trilogy. Kimberly Gordon

       ISBN10: 1-893729-14-1

       ISBN13: 978-1-893729-14-8

       Library of Congress Control Number: 2011941178

      Dedication

      Thanks to all my brothers and sisters in Christ who have supported my writing over the years. God bless you!

      A Christmas Prayer

      December 23, 1875

      Eastern Colorado Territory

      “Dear Lord, we need a miracle now,” Helen Jenkins cried out in prayer. With head bowed and hands clasped together, she knelt before the fire in their one room cabin. “Only you can save us, God. Please, hear my prayer, have mercy on these children.” The words came from her mouth as tears slid from her eyes. Helen thought of her three young ones, now asleep together in one bed. They had gone to sleep with only half-full stomachs. The food was nearly all gone, maybe one or two more meals worth left. The snow had them isolated, trapped. Even if they could have gone for help, only her husband would have been able to go. The children did not have warm coats to protect them from the cold. “Lord, I do thank you for our warm cabin. And I thank you that we are all together.”

      Helen heard a horse whinny out in the barn. Chad was out there now, checking on their two horses. Tomorrow, he would probably have to kill one for food.

      “God, thank you for the horses that we have left. But, you know we are almost out of oats, too.” New tears streamed down. Helen was overwhelmed with thoughts of doom for them all. Never in their nine years on the frontier had she and Chad been through anything so difficult. This entire year had been one disaster after another.

      “God, don’t forsake us out here. You said you wouldn’t in Joshua, chapter one, but this year...” Helen sniffed and wiped her nose. “This year has been so awful.”

      Helen remembered the stillborn child she had delivered last March. That was their first heartbreak. The second was the awful storm this past summer which brought with it an enormous funnel cloud. It had destroyed most of their crops. Lastly, was the barn fire this fall. Over half their animals were lost. Helen sobbed, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Oh, God, please hear me!”

      After minutes of quiet crying, Helen finished her prayer. “Amen.” There was nothing more she could find to say. Helen sat quietly, staring into the fire. Chad was taking an awfully long time in the barn. She knew that he, too, must be privately dealing with their current situation. He was probably praying as well.

      Helen wiped her eyes again. She heard the barn door slam closed in the wind. It was beginning to blow again, stirring up the powdered snow. She looked out the small window. The white flakes were coming down again, rather thick.

      Helen reached for her only wool shawl and went to the door. Chad should come back inside before the snow blinded his way. She stepped into the doorway and called his name. He was already bracing the barn door shut. He held up the lantern and swung it back and forth gently to light his way.

      “Halloo,” a strange voice called out from the darkness. Chad and Helen both turned toward the sound. A lantern glowed dimly through the snow.

      Chad held his lantern higher. “Halloo,” the voice called again. The light came closer. Helen heard the sound of sleigh bells.

      “Hello there,” Chad called out. He wondered who would be out in this snow storm. Their nearest neighbor was ten miles away.

      The light came closer as a minute passed. Finally, coming out of the darkness was an elderly man in his heavily laden sleigh pulled by two enormous horses, the biggest Helen had ever seen. Six pack mules, all burdened down with cargo, were tied behind the sleigh.

      “Greetings, friends,” the man said to them, all smiles. He was wrapped in a warm bear fur-lined coat. Thick gloves covered his hands and a gray beard sheltered his face. Snow rested lightly on his warm hat.

      “Hello, sir,” Chad answered. Helen was silent, wondering who he was.

      “Might I take shelter with you kind folks tonight?” he asked. “I'm a God-fearin' man. No harm will come to you for it, rest assured.”

      Chad motioned for him to come down from the sleigh. “Of course, you are welcome, sir. We have a warm fire inside. I can help with your animals.”

      “Praise the Lord for you both.” The man climbed down and shook Chad's hand. “The name's Gabriel, Gabriel Davidson.”

      “Chad Jenkins. Pleased to meet you. This is my wife, Helen.”

      She nodded, as did the man when he touched his hat brim.

      “Helen, go back into the house. It's too cold out here for you,” Chad told her. “We'll be in shortly.”

      As Helen walked back through the doorway, she heard the man begin to speak. “You folks sure are an answer to prayer. Never thought I would see the light of day again. Wasn't expecting to be traveling back in this storm.”

      The men led all the animals into the rough hewn barn. The cracks between the timbers were filled with dried mud to keep out the wind. It was a warm enough shelter for the animals. Small beds of straw were on the floor for each horse.

      Gabriel continued to speak. “Although, I should have known God had a plan for me. I wanted to turn around and go back, but the Lord kept telling me to keep going. He told the horses to keep goin' too, I guess. Glad I listened to Him though, or I'd no doubt still be out there somewhere freezin'.”

      “Where you headed?” Chad asked.

      “Just been over Fort Morgan way to find my daughter and her family. I was takin' her some supplies. It's a long story. But she wasn't there, nor her husband and my grandchildren. So I turned 'round and headed back to home. Denver, that is,” he explained.

      “That would explain all this cargo,” Chad commented.

      Gabriel unwrapped two bales of hay he had taken off one donkey. He placed them where all his animals could eat freely. He also noticed the Jenkins' thin horses. “I'd like to offer your animals some as well. I have oats, too, they can eat tomorrow.”

      Chad was thankful for his generosity. “They’d be pleased to have it, thank you, sir.”

      Once the animals were fed and all Mister Davidson’s crates and barrels were safely situated inside the barn, he grabbed one large satchel before heading to the house with his host. Chad carried his lantern high, as the snow still fell diagonally on the wind.

      Helen was inside the house as the stranger and her husband put the animals away for the night. She wondered who he was and why he would be out here in the middle of the plains during this wintry season. And traveling at night, too – he must surely be crazy. Crazy or not though, she wished she had something hot to offer him to drink. She doubted he had eaten either, and they had so little as it was. Still, the Lord said in Matthew twenty-five, verse forty, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Helen knew she must offer him their food.

      The men entered, bringing a cold wind and swirls of snow into the room. Gabriel Davidson noticed the three little bodies nestled together on one of the two beds. One quilt