The Chest of Visions: New Pathways ‘cross Broken Highways. Tim Ferguson
your Caring Creator always provides us, his messengers, with all the information we need to carry out his requests. He told me your name when he sent me to speak with you. So . . . where were we?”
“You were telling me of Jonton and before that I was asking where that the beam of light took me.”
“Ah yes, you saw the Bear Mountain sign but, I guess you do not know where Bear Mountain is.”
“No, I do not.”
“And do you know what a bear is? Oh yes, God told me there are no bears in Caperston. A bear is like a big fat, very furry beast with sharp claws, who likes fish. I’m surprised there are no bears in Caperston because there are lots of fish.”
“My good man, God has taught me the value of patience, but I really am not interested in learning about a beast that does not live in Caperston. So please, what world was it that I was looking at?”
The man took a few seconds to reply. Then the sparkle in his eyes intensified. Chihaysu stated that, every time he relives that moment, it sets off a chill in his heart.
“Well, my friend, you were looking at . . . Earth.”
Chihaysu, who was sitting with his legs crossed, began to rise, leaning on his right knee. The messenger sat on a nearby rock. Several seconds of utter silence followed and Chihaysu sat down again. He looked up at the sky for a few seconds then at the man, who he deemed was a messenger from God.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the man spoke. “God sent me to you after your experience in the tunnel to give you the message why you were given the privilege of seeing and visiting Earth, if you chose to open the door.”
Chihaysu, still uncertain how to reply, looked at the messenger but said nothing. After a minute of silence, he replied, “because of Mattpaul and his friendship with the young people on Earth?”
“Well, true but . . . “
Chihaysu interrupted, “May I ask you your name?”
“Of course, you may. I am surprised it took you so long. My name is Gabby, short for Gabriel.”
“All right, my friend Gabby. Is it because of Mattpaul? I still feel guilty for not acting sooner.”
“Mattpaul’s fate was part of God’s plan for Caperston. In the future people of Caperston will look back and remember Mattpaul as the most important person who ever resided in Caperston. More important than any king or queen from Romas.”
Gabby continued, “In part your visit to get a glimpse of Earth was for Mattpaul but mostly it was for the young man Alex from Earth. Do you remember Alex? He lost his friend who was killed while feeding the homeless. In his letter to Mattpaul on October 29th he stated, ‘I need a miracle. I need an inoculation of hope’. God took that as a prayer. You know you do not need to be on your knees to pray. Anytime you sincerely call out for help, God hears you. He also heard Alex’s hope expressed in the letter of July 27th in which he wrote, ‘Chihaysu is looking for helpers. Full time? I wish I could be with all of you. I think I might sign up’. Do you remember?”
A long pause followed. “So Gabby, I was sent to Earth to . . . ”
Gabby filled in the request, “to be able to assure Alex, when he comes to Caperston, that it is safe to open the door. Would you find a place for Alex to join you?”
“I certainly will. When will this happen?”
“You need to meet with the youth Michaeling, who has been preparing prayer meetings with the Caperston youth. Have her schedule a special meeting but the purpose of the meeting should not be discussed. After the youth assemble let Michaeling lead a normal meeting, as she has been doing. Bring a candle with you. Partway into the meeting ask Michaeling if you can intervene. Light a candle and ask the youth present to watch the smoke of the candle. Then pray out loud for the welfare of all youth from Earth and especially for the youth Alex.”
Gabby continued, “As you pray, some youth will see a vision in the smoke and others will not. End your prayer and ask who saw the vision. These who saw a vision should be invited to a second, more intimate prayer session. Michaeling should then conclude the meeting.”
“I understand,” Chihaysu replied.
Gabby further instructed, “Afterwards some time will pass, which is not determined yet. I will again visit you in a dream. I will give you the time to hold the next prayer session . . . only with those who saw the figure in the candle’s smoke. They are the youth, who are truly praying. At this prayer meeting you will all pray for two things . . . a safe journey through the wormhole for Alex and a wise decision when he comes to the door with the window. He will be given the opportunity to come to Caperston. Like you, when he arrives at the door, he will be given the opportunity to peer through the window, but it will be at Caperston. After viewing he will be given the chance to open the door to enter. If the youth and you are praying hard enough that you want him to visit Caperston, then he will sense your prayers and open the door. If you are not sincere in your prayers, he will probably turn away.”
“We will very much want Alex to visit Caperston. For how long can he stay?”
Gabby replied, “The length of his stay has not been determined yet. It will be a visit and will continue until such time that Alex has a special message to bring back to the people of Earth. God has a plan for Alex in Caperston as he did for Mattpaul.”
Gabby rose to his feet and left. Chihaysu’s mind was buzzing. In four days, he had learned of Romas, met Princess Cle-as, dreamed of a visit to Earth and met God’s messenger, Gabby. He took a deep breath, pondering all these things for some time, then rose to his feet. He picked up his pack and planned to return to his ailing mother, dumbfounded but spiritually refreshed. After sharing his story, Chihaysu immediately went to his mother’s home. He did not bring anyone with him, not even Jonas. We only know of this because he spoke with Jonas and Marcus the next day.
Chihaysu told them that his mother asked him not to pray for her. She is ready to join her husband in the House of the Dead. She asked Chihaysu to ask the authorities if this is possible. She told him that she believes in God but also believes that she should be with her husband.
Chihaysu shared that this is a time of trial for him. His faith is being tested as never before and his days in the desert were revealing. He said nothing to us of Cle-as and we, of course, said nothing to him. He asked us to pray for Caperston, for his mother and for himself. We will meet again in a week and I am worried about Chihaysu. He is not the same since Mattpaul’s death.
Mattpaul’s father called me to his office. Pontos told him he can use me for special projects, but he is withholding a decision to make me the “Youth Representative.” I am sensing that Pav-ed is becoming more accepting of Chihaysu’s teachings, but he still refuses to believe in the God Chihaysu has spoken about.
Huchfee
February 27th
Dear Huchfee,
We had a youth meeting last night and several of us are reading your letters. They requested that I write to you.
First of all, let me talk about what a church is. Yes, it is a meeting place and it could be called a holy place. Our churches are often decorated with symbols of our faith and, when entering the building we call a church, worshippers receive the feeling of peace.
But a church can also refer to a group of believers. So just like we believers on Earth are considered to be a church, those of you in Caperston are God’s Caperston church. You do not have to have a building to be a church.
We have been talking about forgiveness at our youth meetings and how the ability to forgive releases us from anger. We learned about a group of faithful people who reached out to a woman, whose husband murdered several of the children in their village. It was amazing to us how forgiving they were. It has helped us accept Kevin’s death a little more.
We all look forward to hearing more of the events