Flirting with Disaster (16 page)

Chapter 33

Joe waded into the flat brown water with me, my flip-flops suctioning for all their worth in the silty riverbed. Once we were a few feet out, he said loudly enough for everyone on the bank to hear, “Based on your profession of faith and your desire to follow Christ wherever He leads you, I baptize you, Savannah Smith, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

I closed my eyes as he put his arm around me, but it didn’t feel like Joe’s arm—it somehow felt like God’s. He was holding on to me, and there was nothing that could separate me from Him.

“Two are better than one.”

When Joe lifted me out of the water, everyone on the shore clapped, and I made my way to the edge. My mom held out a towel and dried off my face before handing it to me to wrap up in.

A few others were baptized. Tommy gave me a little wave good-bye and then slipped silently up the bank again to the parking lot, where his grandfather waited to take him to his game.

My mom pulled me aside and handed me a jewelry box.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Open it,” she said.

Dad and Louanne came alongside me too; Penny and Supriya were talking with some of the others. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Supriya introducing Penny to them.

I turned my attention back to the jewelry box and cracked it open. The hinges moved smoothly. Inside was a beautiful gold cross.

“Turn it over!” Louanne said.

I did. On the other side was etched today’s date—making a matching set, in a way, with the cross on my wall. “Thank you,” I said and kissed each of their cheeks. “I’m kinda cold. I might go see if Penny is ready to go.” They said they’d meet us at the car.

I walked up to Supriya and Penny. “Hey!”

“That was lovely,” Penny said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“I have a gift for you, Savvy,” Supriya said, “but it’s not something I can hand to you.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Well, thank you. But what is it?”

“I know the problems you’ve had with the forwards and the texts and all. And, you know, I’ve been tempted by them myself. So each week I’m going to find a Bible verse and text it to you. That’ll be the encouraging text for the week instead. You can even forward it, if you want.”

At that, the three of us started laughing. We said good-bye, and Penny whispered, “You know, Savvy, I wouldn’t mind if you forwarded it on to me.”

“I will,” I said, seeing the possibility of a new branch shooting from the Vine.

“Savvy, can I see you for a second?” Joe called, waving me over.

I nodded and asked Penny if it would be okay if she went to the car ahead of me.

“Nicely done,” Joe said. “Have you prayed about playing on worship team?”

I smiled broadly. “I have—and I’d love to.”

“Good.” Joe turned to go, but then he stepped back toward me, a serious look suddenly replacing his grin. “I’ll be sending you a packet of information via e-mail tonight or tomorrow, just some follow-up Scriptures and thoughts. You know, sometimes things actually get more difficult for a bit after baptism. I just want to warn you.”

I looked at him, slightly alarmed. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he started, “it’s like a new car.”

Inwardly, I groaned. Was there no end to where
Top Gear
and speedy cars interrupted my life? But I said nothing, allowing him to continue.

“You do the design, you unveil the new model—and then you do several test-drives to see how it handles real-life challenges and where adjustments might need to be made.”

“Tests?” I said. “Challenges?” That didn’t sound like a slow country drive down safe, straight roads.

“Even the Lord was led into the desert for testing shortly after His baptism, Savvy,” Joe said. “Testing will come. Probably right away.”

Chapter 34

Supriya’s first text came that night, right after I’d slipped on both my new cross and my pajamas. I was really excited to get the text, till I looked up the verses: Isaiah 43:1-3.

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters,

I will be with you.

When you go through rivers of difficulty,

you will not drown.

When you walk through the fire of oppression,

you will not be burned up;

the flames will not consume you.

For I am the L
ORD
, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I figured she’d picked that passage because I’d just been baptized in a river and the words had some similarities. But she had probably prayed about which verses to send too. Part of me felt encouraged. Part of me moaned,
But I don’t want deep waters or rivers of difficulty or fires of oppression!

Chapter 35

Sunday at church I met with the worship team. Everyone was welcoming, and I knew I was going to fit right in. I got the music for the next Wednesday and took it home to practice. I agreed to come early on Wednesday nights so we could go over the songs once or twice before hanging out.

So far, so good.

Then at Sunday school, Tommy pulled me aside. “Hey, are you interested in going to a film next Saturday?”

“Um, sure,” I said.

“Oliver is asking Penny, and my friend Bill and his girlfriend, Maddie, are coming too.”

I exercised amazing control over all forty-three of my facial muscles so I wouldn’t smile. Three couples. It’s not like we were official or anything, but these were definitely couples. And since it wasn’t a one-on-one date, I knew my dad would let me go.

“I’d love to.”

“Great.” He grinned. “I’ll get you the details later in the week.”

If this was the testing, bring it on!