Kids of Faith Online Magazine

Three figures burst in the door with paintball guns, dressed in dark clothing and masks. The cabin was sparsely finished, except for a lone lantern on the table. Seeing no one around, the figures cautiously entered and placed their guns on the table.

One of them peeled off his mask, revealing a mop of brown hair. “That was close.”

“Tell me about it,” another said, collapsing into a rickety wooden chair.

“Seth, you could have put us all in danger,” the third person said to the one without the mask.

“I tripped,” Seth said defensively.

The figure in the chair removed her mask, her long auburn hair spilling out. “Mac, lay off. It was an accident.”

“Accident or no accident, it was an issue,” Mac retorted.

“It may have been an issue, but the point is, we got away with it this time.”

“But who’s to say we won’t get away with it next time? The future of us, of all of the Followers, hangs in the balance!”

“Mac, I’m sorry,” Seth said, his eyes sincere.

Looking around warily, Mac also took off his mask and slammed it on the table, holding Seth in his steely gaze. “Don’t let it happen again.”

- – -

Seth whooshed out a breath and stacked the books he needed for his next class on his outstretched arms. He turned around and almost barreled into…

“Lacy!”

She smiled but didn’t speak. Instead, she handed him a post-it note.

“What’s this?”

“It’s the location of our next assignment,” she replied in hushed tones.

Seth nodded and stuck it in his pocket.

“Single mom, three kids. In short, they’re running out of food.”

“Ooh. That’s bad.”

Lacy nodded, tucking a lock of her ginger-colored hair behind her ear.

“We’ll meet after school to assemble the baskets and then proceed on our mission.”

“Okay.”

She smiled, something she did often as evidenced by the many laugh lines on her face. “So, see you after school?”

“After school.”

- – -

Seth watched as Lacy tied a crimson ribbon around the folded gray blanket and slipped a scrap of paper beneath the bow. The note had been penned in Lacy’s careful hand and composed by the three of them. It read, A gift from friends. Soli Deo Gloria.

Lacy straightened the bow and stepped back to admire her work. She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Seth and Mac. “Well?”

Seth nodded, quite pleased with the result. “It looks great as always, Lacy.”

Mac eyed the basket, as sullen and unreadable as ever. Finally he nodded too, seeming satisfied. “Yeah, it does.” A trace of a smile crossed his lips.

Lacy was the last to smile, obviously relieved that her work was approved. She glanced at the basket and went over the contents again in her mind. It was primarily food—canned goods, powdered milk, and a huge frozen ham among other things. Fleece blanket, of course. A little cash. Lacy only hoped it would be enough for this family in need.

She turned back to the others, now all business. “We’ve got to get going.”

Mac agreed. “Seth — Lacy and I will scope out the area. Meet us at Centennial Park at 8:00. It’s two blocks from our destination, and Lacy and I will be waiting with the car. Wear the necessary apparel.”

“Got it.”

Mac shoved a crudely drawn map across the granite-topped island in the kitchen. They were at Lacy’s house, primary headquarters.

Seth stuffed the scrap of yellow paper in his pocket and consulted his watch.

“Gotta go. Dinner.”

“Okay. See you at eight o’ clock,” Mac reminded. “Don’t forget.”

“I won’t.”

Seth started for the back door but turned at the sound of Lacy’s voice.

“Seth?”

“Yeah?”

Her eyes twinkled. “Don’t forget your paintball gun.”

He grinned. “Not a chance.”

- – -

“Okay, so here’s the plan,” Mac said. “At dusk, we move in – ‘we’ meaning you two. You take the basket, drop it on the doorstep, alert the recipients, then get back here as fast as you can. After that, we book it. We can’t take any chances.”

“Copy that, Chief,” Seth said with a smile.

“It’s almost dark. Our mission will commence in a very short time,” Mac told them, a trace of a smile on his lips. With his brawny and hard exterior, it was hard to see him as anything but serious. Any of his attempts at humor were unexpected and often failed, but they almost always brought a touch of lightheartedness to the situation.

“Do you think we have enough cover?” Lacy asked a few minutes later.

Seth looked out the backseat window of Mac’s beater car. The air was completely still and tinged with a dusky blue. He could only make out dim shadows in the world outside, but from what he could tell the park was deserted.

Mac drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, apparently in deep thought. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

Lacy grinned as she stuffed her thick hair into the collar of her black hoodie. All three of them slipped the masks over their heads.

“You realize how conspicuous we look in these?” Seth laughed, muffled by the heavy knit fabric.

“Or how unfashionable?” Lacy added.

“The point isn’t whether we look fashionable; the point is that we aren’t seen. Or, if we are seen, to be unrecognizable.” Mac was the one who was so intent on keeping their identity a secret.

“You do realize we could be mistaken for troublemakers, right?” Seth said.

“Yes, but that’s the risk we have to take to keep from being found out.”

“What’s so bad about them knowing our identities, anyway?”

“If we are discovered and mistaken as vandals or whatnot, do you realize what that would do to our lives? Our careers? It would be a blemish on our personal records.”

“So the masks are helping us?” Lacy questioned.

“As long as we don’t get caught.”

“Right. Something we want to avoid altogether for other reasons, I presume.” Lacy laughed.

Something about what Mac had said didn’t seem right to Seth. He knew that what they were doing was for the good of other people, but he wondered if all the measures they’d been taking were a little over the top. When it came down to it, did they really need the masks and paintball guns? He felt like their purpose had been lost amidst their infatuation with becoming top-secret do-gooders.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Mac’s gravelly voice. “Let’s pray. Lacy, would you?”

She dipped her head and a moment later her voice rang out in the silence. “Dear Jesus, thank you for allowing us to do what we do. Thank you that you’re right beside us when we’re doing it. Keep your hand on whatever we accomplish tonight, and may it be only for your glory. In your name, Amen.”

Lacy smiled. “I’m ready.”

Mac nodded. “Let’s move in.”

Twisting around from the driver’s seat, he thrust his hand backwards. Lacy put her hand on top of his hand. Grinning, Seth placed his hand on top of the pile.

“For Him!” Mac declared.

“For Him!” Seth and Lacy shouted.

In a flurry of fingers, all three hands exploded upwards.

“Let’s go,” Seth said, excitement beginning to swell within him.

“Proceed with the delivery as usual?” Seth asked Lacy, and she nodded. He could tell all three of them were equally hyped up.

“Ready?” she asked.

Seth nodded, gripping the handle of the basket with one hand, his other poised over the door handle.

“Get set,” Mac said.

Seth raised himself on his haunches and readied himself to spring out the door.

“Go!” he shouted, and he and Lacy moved into action at the exact same split-second. He felt the air whoosh past him as he raced across the lawn. He reveled in the adrenaline now coursing through his veins.

Seth and Lacy reached the doorstep and continued moving through the plan like clockwork. Seth placed the basket on the doorstep as carefully as he could in his haste, trying to stay out of the glowing pool of light surrounding the porch. Lacy reached from behind him and pressed the doorbell, then jumped into the shadows in a sudden burst of speed.

Sprinting across the lawn, Seth heard the door open behind him. The determination of not being seen propelled him, and he desperately hoped his form had been swallowed by the darkness.

Lacy and Seth threw themselves in the car, and Mac slammed the gas pedal. The tires squealed as they made their risky getaway.

Seth couldn’t resist a look back. A woman stood on the porch, her eyes searching the darkness. Three little ones clung to her legs, and all four members of the family looked bewildered. She fingered the note they had left in her hand, reading it again in disbelief. Taking one last look around her, the woman turned to go inside. Only then did Seth see the tears that glistened on her cheeks.

Joy filled Seth’s heart. He felt a renewed sense of purpose, and all at once he remembered why he was doing this. The gratitude illumined on their faces had shown him that it was all worth it.

- – -

With his restored intentions for helping people, Seth couldn’t wait to do it again. He nearly jumped for joy in the hall at school the next day when he found his next mission in his locker, in the form of a yellow sticky note.

Seth,

We found another family to target. Meet us out at the playground during your free period.

–Mac.

- – -

Seth rounded the corner of the building only to stop dead in his tracks. The school’s vice principle, Ms. Nolan, stood there, as cool and composed as ever. Mac and Lacy sat on a bench in the shadow of the school building. Seth could tell something was horribly wrong.

Ms. Nolan looked up, smiling. Seth wondered how she could be smiling at a time like this.

“Hello, Seth. Good of you to drop by.”

Seth swallowed. Lacy’s expression was helpless, and Mac looked like a cornered animal.

“What’s this about?” he asked, finally finding his voice.

Ms. Nolan brought an object from behind his back. “Maybe this would be a clue?”

Seth panicked.

It was the paintball gun.

- – -

Lacy sipped some water, exhaustion sweeping over her in a huge wave. She, Seth, and Mac had been sitting in the principal’s office the whole afternoon, answering questions and awaiting their parents’ arrival. All three knew they needed to tell the entire story, so they had revealed all without holding back. The only question now was what would happen next. Up until an hour ago, the room had been busy with various people running in and out. Now the room was quiet, except for the dull hum of the florescent lights that were beginning to give her a headache. She glanced at Mac and Seth, sitting side-by-side in chairs across the room. Mac was scowling. She couldn’t deny that he had been right about the need for secrecy, but on the other hand, the masks and paintball guns had also played a part in blowing their cover. She wondered what was going through Seth’s head right now, but he only stared at the ceiling, eyes blank.

She looked up at the entrance of Ms. Noland and the school’s principal, Mr. Smithens.

“Hey, kids,” Mr. Smithens said. Lacy had always liked the easy-going man.

“Hi,” Lacy mumbled, feeling a bit nervous. She knew they had good intentions with their missions, but who was to say that Mr. Smithens and Ms. Noland would believe them? Even if they did, Lacy really doubted whether they would get off easy.

“It appears you’ve got yourself into a little trouble here,” Mr. Smithens said, sitting down behind his desk. Ms. Nolan sat beside Lacy and put her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“Um… well…” Seth started, but Lacy cut him off.

“Sir, we weren’t meaning to make trouble.”

“Would you like to explain what you were trying to do then?”

Lacy paused and licked her lips. How could she explain this to the man who probably wouldn’t understand, and who also had the power and gumption to give them two weeks detention? How could she explain her desire to do good in a world of evil, to bring light to the darkness, and bring hope to the lives of others?

“Mr. Smithens… I’m not sure how to explain this, and I’m not sure that you’d understand. But the reason we want to do all these things behind the scenes is because of Jesus, sir.”

She paused, expecting him to be outraged at the mention of Jesus. He remained calm though, which she took as an invitation to continue.

“Jesus has given us the ultimate gift, the gift of his love. Because of his gift, we have hope. And we want to share this hope with others.” She took a deep breath. “That’s why we decided to give little gifts to people secretly. Now, I know the masks and paintball guns look silly, and really, it’s over the top. But when it comes down to it, there’s really one reason we do this. It’s because of Jesus.”

Lacy felt a flood of relief. She knew she had said what God wanted her to say, and what happened next was up to Him.

Mr. Smithens’ face had softened considerably, and when he spoke, his voice was quieter than usual. “You’re right, I don’t fully understand, and I don’t expect to, but one thing I do know. This school needs more kids with hearts like yours.”

Ms. Nolan nodded, appearing touched by the speech. She patted Lacy on the back in a motherly way. Lacy looked at Mac and Seth. There was hope in their eyes again.

Mr. Smithens inhaled deeply. “That said, I don’t think we can allow this secrecy to go on any longer. It’s against the school’s code of conduct, and we can’t risk anything damaging our reputation. Rules are rules.”

Seth’s face fell, as did Lacy’s hopes.

“I don’t want this to be the end of your giving though. I’m sure you can find plenty of ways to give back when you’re not looking for it. Just keep your eyes open.”

Lacy nodded. “Thanks, Mr. Smithens.”

“My pleasure. Your parents are waiting outside. You’re free to go.”

“What? No detention?”

He looked at Ms. Nolan, who nodded.

“No. We’re letting this one slide, as long as you promise not to stop giving.”

Lacy smiled. “Oh, thank you so much!”

The young principal smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

She followed Seth and Mac out of the room. Things were looking up again. Although the end of their missions made her a little sad, she knew Mr. Smithens was right. She could give, no matter what position she was in. She would look for opportunities to serve… one day at a time.

Starting today.