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"We weren't so lucky with the helicopters," said Vern. "We lost seventeen and they lost only seven. In fact, the ship I flew was hit twice but didn't go down."
The talk about war faded out and Peterson looked at Murphy.
"Michael, you've got something up your sleeve, what is it?"
"I need your flying expertise. You have experience in flying at both high and low altitudes."
"So you want me to fly to Canada?" said Vern with a grin.
"A little farther than that." Murphy paused. "I want you to join my discovery team to search for Noah's Ark."
Peterson shot forward in his chair.
"You want me to fly over Ararat? You've got to be kidding!"
"Okay, Vern. Don't bite my head off." Murphy went on to explain how he needed Peterson to fly in supplies from the town of Dogubayazit, at the foot of Ararat, to the base camp high on the slopes of the mountain. He might not be able to land on the snow due to the steep slope, and he might have to air-drop supplies by cable. Peterson sat there and looked at Murphy.
"Well, I've done crazy things with a helicopter, but this would top them all."
Murphy assured him that the Parchments of Freedom Foundation would be funding the entire trip. He would make a very handsome salary and would be home in about three weeks after leaving. Peterson just shook his head in disbelief.
"You'll have to give me some time to think about it and talk it over with Julie. We haven't told you yet, but
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we're expecting another baby. I'm not sure how she'll feel about me leaving."
"That's great news about the baby, Vern. Congratulations. I'll understand if you don't feel you can do it."
"Not so fast," Vern said. "The baby coming means we need every cent I can lay my hands on. I could even build that extension Julie's always talking about. Anyway, Ararat's a pretty tough place to fly a chopper, but it's not like Kuwait. I mean, there won't be anyone shooting at us, right?"
"I hope not," Murphy said. "I hope not."
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EIGHTEEN
THE LUSH GREEN FOREST of Azer was a welcome sight after the long journey from the city of Noah. And when Noah, his sons, and their wives beheld the clear blue lake in the center of the forest, tasted its cool, refreshing water, and let their livestock graze on the rich meadow grass around its banks, many wondered why they had made so many sacrifices to defend the city in the dusty plain. Surely this was paradise, and this was where God meant them to be .
Soon Noah and his sons began the process of cutting timber and erecting shelters. The women were busy with catching fish from the lake and preparing meals, as well as tending the horses, camels, sheep, goats, and cows that munched contentedly on the gentle grassy slopes .
During a time of rest, Noah at last opened the box that Tubal-cain had given him. Inside he found weights and measuring devices and instruments for surveying land. There were also three bronze plates with instructions engraved on them. But 150 most intriguing of all was a golden chest with designs of leaves around the edges .
Carefully, Noah opened the golden chest. It was filled with various colored crystals, grains of what looked like sand, and small pieces of metal. He reached his hand in and scooped up the material. Instantly, he dropped the grains and pulled out his hand, which felt as if he had just put it into a furnace. He slammed the lid of the golden chest and ran to the lake, plunging his hand in the cooling waters. The fiery pain subsided gradually, but when he finally withdrew his hand, the skin was red and throbbing .
Returning to the box, he took out the three bronze plates and began to read. Each plate contained instructions for the use of the elements in the golden chest .
The first plate told how to identify rocks containing various types of metals. The second plate instructed how much of the elements should be used with each type of metal. And the third plate described the type of fire that would be needed to produce various metals .
Tubal-cain had a reputation as an inventor of metal artifacts and implements of warfare. And now, Noah realized, Tubal-cain had given him the secret of his singing swords .
During the next few months Noah and his sons built a forge and began to experiment with the instructions on the bronze plates. They collected various types of rocks and began a smelting process and added the elements from the golden chest .
They were amazed by the results .
Noah began to make axes, saws, and other tools for working with wood. He and his sons could not believe the strength of 151 the metal and the keenness of its edge, and soon they had built fine, solid houses beside the lake .
But Noah knew Tubal-cain's gifts had another, more important use. One day he declared, "Now we must begin the ark of safety."
The loud snapping sound made Shem swivel around. It only took a split second to realize the danger .
"L ook out! Run!"
Ham, Japheth, and Noah had also heard the fearful sound and had already started to move before they heard Shem's words. With a quick glance upward, they started running to the south .
It wasn't the first time they had heard the sound of a snapping rope giving way under the weight of the heavy beams. The horses were strong and could pull the weight, but the ropes would sometimes give out due to heavy use. It was becoming more and more difficult and dangerous to raise the beams as the ark grew in size .
Noah and his sons had begun their construction project in the middle of the forest of Azer. They had cleared a great space where the ark was to sit but had left the larger trees standing around the perimeter to use as hoists. By stringing ropes from tree to tree over the ark, and with the use of pulleys and horses, they could lift the beams into place .
But now one of the dark brown beams came crashing down to the floor of the ark. Besides putting a large gouge in the beams below, it knocked over two ladders and broke some of the bracing on the middle floor. If that weren't enough of a problem, it also knocked over the large barrel of pitch that they were using to help seal the cracks. The sticky liquid spilled everywhere , 152 covering some of their hammers and a stack of wooden pegs that they used to hold the beams in place .
Noah's sons looked forlornly at the scene of destruction .
"What are we going to do?" exclaimed Japheth, his head in his hands .
"A whole day's work ruined!" joined Ham .
Shem just stood there and shook his head .
Only Noah seemed to be unaffected by the accident. "Well, sons, no one was hurt. The Lord has protected us."
"At first I wondered why the Lord gave us one hundred twenty years to build the ark," said Japheth. "But even with Tubal-cain's amazing tools, it's going to be a lifetime's work."
"That may be part of it," Noah said. "But the real reason God is giving us such a long period to build the ark is to give us time to get His message out to as many sinners in this wicked world as possible. They, too, can be saved from the coming flood if they will only turn from their evil thoughts, their corruption, and their worship of false gods."
No sooner were the words out of Noah's mouth than the harsh sound of laughter reached them. The forest of Azer was far from any major settlements, but the rumors about the ark had spread far and wide, and many people had come to see Noah and his sons laboring to build a huge sea-going vessel over one hundred miles from the ocean in the middle of a forest. Some simply stared in awed amazement, but most entertained themselves by jeering at them or even physically harassing them .
"You'll never get that thing built!"
"It doesn't look like your God is helping you now! Perhaps a different god would help you more!"
More laughter .
Noah waited until they had finished. "You can laugh now , 153 but the day is coming when laughter will cease. God will punish evil men and women with a judgment of water," he said calmly. "The sky will break forth with rain, and wells of water will spring out of the ground. Every living creature that has the breath of air will die. The only plac
e of safety will be the ark of God's protection. Please listen and turn from your wickedness!"
The peals of laughter resumed and a few pieces of rotten fruit were aimed in Noah's direction .
One man in particular decided to challenge Noah. "You have been building that ark for years, Noah. You have been preaching to us for years. Nothing has changed. People are born and people die. Living a life of goodness does not pay as well as stealing for a living."
At this the laughter turned to cheers .
Noah turned his back on the hecklers with a sigh. "Back to work, sons. We need to repair the damage and continue. Some people only live for the moment and do not think about the future, but we know better."
"I'm tired of their ridicule. I'd like to give them some judgment before floodwaters come !" said Shem .
"Like we did to Zattu and his army," added Ham .
Japheth nodded in agreement .
Noah looked each of them in the eye and said, "We will leave judgment in the hand of God. Within the next two weeks we must try to finish the structure for the third floor. We will then need to spend the next month cutting down more trees. We still have a long way to go. But God will give us strength."
Naamah and her daughters-in-law had come running when they heard the commotion of the falling beam. Fear had struck all of their hearts, for they knew the dangers of working so high off the ground. Had one of their men been injured or killed?
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They were relieved to see that no one was injured, but the sarcastic comments of the spectators were deeply painful .
Bithiah broke into tears. "This is more than I can bear."
The other women gathered around to comfort her .
"Everywhere we go, people call us names and make fun of us. I can't go to the market without men making crude and suggestive comments. I'm afraid that they might attack me as they do the other women. My friends have left me and talk about me behind my back."
"I know it is hard," said Naamah as she gave her a hug. "Living a godly life is not an easy task. But when the devastation comes, they will not be laughing anymore. Whereas you and your sons will be saved."
Bithiah wiped the tears from her eyes. "But how much more will we have to endure before the flood comes? How long must we survive this torment?"
Naamah looked at Noah before replying. "Do not wish the day of devastation to come before its appointed time. Even for us, it will be more terrible than you can imagine."
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NINETEEN
WHEN THE BUS finally came to a halt at the end of the winding mountain road, Tiffany Baines and her friends Lisa and Christy practically exploded off it. "This better be good, Tiff," warned Christy, shaking out her jet-black waist-length hair. Tiffany took one look at the lake and felt certain it was going to be. The mile-long finger of emerald-green water was nestled in a small valley surrounded by pines and oaks, and the mountains rose on all sides, making the setting incredibly dramatic. How could anyone not have a good time here?
But even though Lisa and Christy were her two closest friends, Tiffany was beginning to wonder if bringing them here had been a good idea after all. When she first told them about the retreat, she deliberately didn't add the word church . She figured there was no point in frightening them off before they got here, and she just
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trusted that once they did, the experience would be so different from their normal lives that they'd quickly find themselves caught up in it.
After all, a month ago Tiffany wouldn't have believed she could be going to church regularly--but now she found herself looking forward to it all week.
Dismissing her doubts, she put her arms around her friends and they ran down toward the main building on the lake shore. Finding their dorm, they unpacked quickly, then started exploring.
"The cute boys you promised us must be round here somewhere, right?" said Christy with a grin.
Pretty soon they had teamed up with another busload of students and together discovered the recreation room with its table tennis and pool tables. By the time they heard the bell summoning them to dinner, Lisa had beaten just about all comers on the pool table, and the girls high-fived their way into the main refectory.
After the meal, a young man in faded jeans and a gray sweatshirt stood up and introduced himself. "Hi, everybody, and welcome to Lake Herman. My name's Mark Ortman and I'm the youth director here. You probably all have different reasons for coming here today, but I'm going to tell you something that may surprise you. I hope it will also inspire you."
The talking and joking faded out as everybody waited to hear what he was going to say
"You didn't arrive here by accident. God has a purpose for our lives--whether we've been paying attention to Him or not--and I sincerely believe He brought us all together now in this place at this time so He could reveal that purpose to us. Being young nowadays means
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you've got messages being beamed at you twenty-four-seven from every direction. You've got TV, magazines, music, video games--all trying to grab your attention. Sometimes it seems there's no time and no place to just be quiet and tranquil and listen to God's voice talking to you. Well, that's what Lake Herman is all about." Quickly he put his hands up, palms out. "Okay, Okay, there's going to be a lot of crazy fun stuff too. But in this beautiful setting, away from all that noise, we're going to see if we can find the time to close our eyes and listen. Just listen. And see what God says to us. Because, believe me, He has a message for you, and it's the most important message you're ever going to hear." He clapped his hands. "All right, guys. Enough of listening to me . Remember, lights out at ten o'clock. Breakfast starts at eight, and our first meeting is at nine. Looking forward to seeing you all there."
Christy and Lisa turned toward Tiffany, and she could feel a death stare directed at her from both sides.
"Okay, guys. Maybe I forgot to mention this was a church retreat, but--"
"You didn't forget," Christy said, cutting her off. "You knew if you mentioned the word church it would have taken a bunch of, like, totally wild horses to drag us here. So what is it with you, Tiffany? What's happened to you?"
Tiffany could feel herself blushing, and she suddenly felt completely tongue-tied, but she really wanted her friends to understand what she'd been going through.
"You know I told you my dad was making me go to church on Sundays with my mom?"
"Uh-huh." They nodded.
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"Well ... he wasn't exactly making me. I mean, it wasn't my idea at the start, but after a couple times I sort of got into it and started really listening to what the pastor was saying--this guy Pastor Bob--and actually it was kind of, well, cool."
"Cool?" they chorused in disbelief.
Tiffany nodded. "Yes. Cool. About looking at the big picture, and what's going to happen in the future, and why we're here."
Lisa rolled her eyes. "The big picture. Have some fun and then you die, girlfriend. That's the big picture."
Tiffany knew she might be losing her best friends, but strangely she felt more sure of herself the more they mocked.
"No it isn't," she insisted. "There's more to it. A lot more. And if you don't listen, then you're not just going to waste your life, but you're risking everlasting damnation. I don't want that to happen."
Christy and Lisa just looked at her, and Tiffany hoped against hope they weren't going to burst out laughing. But they didn't. They both put their arms around her and Christy said, "Listen, Tiff, just because we're best friends and we love you, we're going to overlook the fact that you brought us here on totally false pretenses, and we're going to tough it out and stay here through the weekend and do this quiet listening thing, and then, when we get back to Preston ..."
"Boy, are we going to get wasted!" said Lisa.
They all laughed and hugged one another and Tiffany closed her eyes as she felt the tears come and she said a quick prayer that Christy and Lisa would hear the voice before the weekend
was out.
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* * *
At the Saturday morning meeting Mark Ortman challenged everybody on their relationships with others. Did they have anyone in their life that they hated? Was there anyone that they needed to forgive? Were they obeying their parents and contributing to their families? Or were they just taking and never thinking to give back?
Tiffany was relieved that Lisa and Christy seemed to be listening intently, and afterward neither of them made fun of what Mark had been saying. Even so, all three gladly took the opportunity of burning up some energy in physical activity for the rest of the day--kayaking on the lake, playing volleyball on the beach, and hiking on the wooded slopes.
By the time they'd showered and got ready for the evening meeting, their minds were open to new ideas and new challenges to the usual way they thought about things.
This time Mark Ortman delivered a stirring talk on how Jesus suffered and died in our place. He did it because of His great love and forgiveness for all men and women, Mark told them. Something about the way he talked of Jesus as if He was a real person whom Mark knew personally made them feel that He really had sacrificed Himself for each one of them.
"Tonight, we are going to have a Discipline of Silence," said Ortman finally. "After the meeting, I want you to go outside and get alone for fifteen minutes. Just you and God. Without any of your friends. I want you to ask yourself this question: Who is running your life? Either you are or God is. Maybe tonight you need to do
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some business with your Creator. Please leave the building quietly."
Everyone silently filed out of the meeting hall. Tiffany lost sight of Lisa and Christy as they walked into the woods beside the lake, found a log by a stream, and sat down.
This is not a hard question to answer , she thought as the quiet sounds of the forest seeped into her consciousness. I've been running my life and it's gotten to be a mess .