Minnie Goes to Heaven (117)

(a novel continued)

After that things in town began to change. First, Amie and the rest of the group who hadn’t been at the baptism were baptized. 
Then the group got down to serious business. Sixteen women including Shirley and Bea and Minnie's daughter Mary went to Minnie's dining room table to look at the maps John and Minnie had colour-coded almost two years earlier. There were 16 areas. 
“Originally we were thinking each church in town would get one of these areas to pray over.” Minnie said. “We even made maps of the individual areas to give to the assigned churches. 

“What happened?” Shirley asked.

“Nothing! We just never followed through,” Minnie said. “Now, if we each pick an area and saturate it with prayer, by praying over the map and walking the streets praying and doing whatever the Holy Spirit leads us to do and pray, this town will be filled entirely with people who know and love Jesus. No one will have to go to hell.”

“What about the churches? Aren't they supposed to be praying for these areas?” Bea asked.

“That would make it a lot more doable,” Nan said.

“It would,” Minnie said. “How do we get them on board though?”

“Let’s ask Jesus,” Amie suggested.

So they did. They prayed. They praised God for who He was and Minnie asked Him specifically to forgive her for not following through with this plan earlier. They thanked Him for everything He had done for them. Then they asked Him how to go about getting all the churches in Old Haven and New Haven involved. 
Then they sat quietly listening.

They waited.

And waited.

And they waited.

Finally, Shirley said, “I don’t know what this means, but I smell a rose.”

“It could be because there are roses on the sideboard behind you.” Nan said.

Shirley blushed. “I guess that explains it.”

“Anybody else, get anything?” Minnie asked.

“I see a man with his hands folded in prayer and he’s crying.” Amie said.

“I see a little girl in a hospital bed,” Brenda said.

“I see a woman standing at a tombstone,” Melissa said.

Bea said, “I see a man beating a boy.”

“A woman having a miscarriage,” someone added.

“A man having an affair.”

“A car accident.”

“A plane crash.”

“Lord, what do all these pictures mean?”

“I hear Him saying I am the Lord of all. Tragedy is tragedy for everyone,” Jill said.
“True,” Minnie said, “but how does that bring everyone together?”