WILDERNESS CHALLENGE - Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1



         Candi Martin was in the break room her Bible open in front of her when Marsha Wilson entered.  “Do you mind if I join you?”

         She looked up from her Bible before Marsha sat down.  She knew Marsha Wilson as well as she knew everyone else she worked with, as an acquaintance.  “No, not at all, have a seat.”

         “Do you always read your Bible on break?”

         “It’s better than some of the conversations that go on in here at times.”  Candi wondered if she was about to be part of one of those divine destinies her pastor had talked about just the previous Sunday as she watched Marsha place her bottle of water on the table before she sat across from her.  She had watched for opportunities, even though she preferred her solitary life.

         “What do you read?” Marsha said.

         “I read the Psalms.  They’re prayers David prayed whenever he was happy, sad, feeling rejected, in trouble, or in victory.”

         “I get the picture.  He always prayed.  How about you?  Why do you pray?  Or find it necessary to read someone else’s prayers?”  Marsha took a sip of water.  “I’m sorry it’s really none of my business if you don’t want to talk about your private life.  I understand.”

         Candi considered the question.  “It’s okay.  I really don’t mind.  It’s just that sometimes I get to the point where I’d like to just pack up and leave.  Move to a cabin in the middle of nowhere and never come back.”

         “Why?”

         “People.  They’re so inconsiderate!”

         “Where would you go?  What would you do?  How would you live?”

         “I don’t know.  It’s just a wishful thought.  I just get so fed up at times.  Sometimes when I go camping, I don’t want to come home.  I love the outdoors.  I take my dog, Rascal, with me everywhere I go: camping, hiking, and white water rafting.  Sometimes I go with a group, but mostly I go alone.”

         “You have a dog.  What kind?”

         “He’s a border collie.  The best companion I could hope for.”

         “And you prefer his company to people.”

         “Definitely, at least he’s not vindictive like most of the people I’ve met.”

         “So you hide from the world by reading the Bible, primarily the Psalms.”

         “I’m not hiding from the world.”

         “It always seems like it.  I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time.  You always seem so, well, knowledgeable about what you do, and I feel like I’m drowning at times, like I’m going to do or say something wrong.”

         Candi laughed.  “You are so wrong about me.  There have been many times when I read what people send us that I wonder if I’m ruining someone’s life by rejecting their work.  Sometimes it’s easy to give out the standard reject letter.  But then there are the few that show potential, and I want to just sit down and tell them how to make it better.”

         “What do you do?”

         “I send their work back to them, even though we aren’t supposed to, and I give them a detailed letter about their work and how they can improve it.”

         “You do?”

         Candi looked at her in wide-eyed wonder.  “Yes, I do.”

         “So if you feel so strongly why do you want to get away from people?  You don’t have to answer that, I’m just curious.”

         Candi thought about it for a couple moments.  “Those people I’m not connected to.  They are just names on manuscripts.  They haven’t done anything to hurt me, and I feel like I want to help them.  The people I meet every day, my neighbors, the people here I work with, I hear the snickers, see the looks, and feel their barbs.  I’ve been laughed at, made fun of, ridiculed, been the butt of jokes, seen the looks, and then I have to pretend they want my help when they ask for my opinion on what they are working on.”

         It was Marsha’s turn to be quiet for a moment.  She looked up at Candi.  “I hope you don’t think I’m one of those people.  I’ve never said anything.”

         “I know you haven’t.  You’re one of the few who haven’t.”

         “So when you take your breaks or lunch you read your Bible.”

         “I read it to help me be the kind of person God wants me to be.”

         “So you find yourself praying these Psalms, in order to deal with those times?”

         “Yes.  It helps.  It puts everything back in perspective.”  Candi finished her snack and threw out her garbage, then went back to the table to get her Bible and go back to her desk.

         “What perspective is that?  Please I really want to know.  I know this may sound silly but I’ve been watching you.  You’re different from everyone else here.  It took a lot of nerve for me to approach you.  I know you haven’t been at Taylor and McHenry Publishing for very long.  Yet I’ve noticed you aren’t the run of the mill person.  I guess what I’m trying to say rather badly is that I want to get to know you.”

         Candi sat at the table again.  Despite the fact she wanted to get back to work, she knew something momentous was about to happen, and she didn’t want to miss an opportunity or a divine appointment.  “God’s.  It’s God’s perspective.  He reminds me that He loves everyone, including my neighbors who irritate me, and that He is the one in charge of everything, not me.”

         “Interesting, so what you’re saying is that if I irritated you, you would pick up your Bible and start praying one of those Psalms?”

         “Or get down on my knees at home and pray for you, and God’s will to be done in your life.”

         “Do you do that?”

         “Yes.  I pray for all the people I work with everyday.  I pray for the company and its prosperity, and I pray that God would use me as an instrument for His glory, helping me to do the best job I can.”  She saw another person enter the break room, but gave it no thought.  She was tuned to what God was about to do.

         “You would actually pray for me.  I’ve never known anyone who actually cared enough to think about me enough to pray for me, and you said God loves me?  How do you know He loves me?”

         “He says so.  Let me show you.  John 3:16.”  Candi opened her Bible as she prayed a quick prayer that God would use her and she wouldn’t blow it.  She pointed the passage out to her.  “‘For God so loved the world,’ that means you too, ‘that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever,’ that’s you too, ‘believeth in Him, should not perish,’ that means go to hell, ‘but have everlasting life.’  That means you can go to heaven when you die.  You can know that, just reading that verse.  God loves you Marsha.  He loves you so much that He sent His Son to die a cruel death on the cross, and then God raised Him back to life after three days.  He’s in heaven waiting for you to say yes to Him.  If God loves you that much how could I do any less?  So, yes, I pray for you and everyone else here as well.”

         “But what about when people do bad things.  I’ve heard He just turns away from you.”

         “That’s simply not true.  Many people think they have to be super good to be a Christian, but you don’t.  And do you want to know why?”

         “Why?”

         “Because when Jesus died on the cross you weren’t born yet.  He died for someone who wasn’t even around.  Let me show you a couple verses.”  Candi turned to Jeremiah 1:5.  “See here.  It says ‘Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.’  Before.  Think about that.  God knew us before our parents knew us, or they knew each other.  He knew us before the foundation of the world.  He knew how good or bad we would be, and He still went to the cross, because He loved us.  Let me show you some other passages.”  Candi turned to Romans.  “Here Romans 5:6-8 says, ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’  Candi felt energized as she flipped to the next verse.  “Romans 3:23: ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;’ and Romans 6:23 says, ‘For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.’  We all deserve death, but God made a way for us to live.  He provided a way to be with Him forever in heaven when we die.  Let me show you one more verse.  Romans 10:8-10: ‘But what sayeth it?  The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’  Jesus loves you and me, and everyone else.  He made us to be with Him, but we blew it.  Back in the Garden of Eden, Adam listened to his wife, and ate the fruit she gave him.  Fruit God had told them not to eat, and because of it, He had to send the world a Savior.  Jesus.  God loves you Marsha.  That’s why I pray.”

         Marsha was stunned.  Tears started to trickle down her cheeks. 

         Candi saw and felt the softening in Marsha as the ground was prepared for her to receive Jesus as her Savior.  “Let me just show you one more reference.”  Candi turned back to the Psalms.  “Here in Psalm 24:1 it says, ‘The earth is the Lord’s,’ it doesn’t belong to anyone else, only God.  ‘And the fullness thereof;’ everything you see: trees, rivers, mountains, hills, valleys, everything.  ‘The world, and they,’ us, ‘that dwell therein.’  God made everything you see for us to enjoy.  People turned God’s creation into something it was never meant to be: worshiped.  We are to worship God only.  That is why God created us, to worship Him and have fellowship with Him.  He gave us so much.  Is it so much to ask for us to give something back to Him?  Our lives; who we are?  There is nothing He doesn’t know about us, and he still loves us anyway.”

         Tears streamed down Marsha’s cheeks, as she looked at Candi.  “I want to know I’ll be going to heaven when I die.”

         Candi was ready for that announcement, but she was still stunned that God would use her in such a way.  Inside she leaped for joy, for the birth about to take place.  “Are you willing to pray with me right now?”

         “One of those Psalms?”

         “No, I want you to repeat after me.”

         “Sure, I guess so.”  Marsha hesitated just a moment.  “Yes.  I want to know this God who loves everyone.”

         “Repeat after me, dear God.”

         “Dear God.”

         “I know I have done a lot of things You don’t like.  I’m sorry, and I want to know Your love for me.  I want to know Your Son, Jesus, who died for me.  Please make Yourself real in my life.  I accept Your work on the cross.  That it was for me You died.  I’m willing to be what You want me to be.  Live in me and show me Your purpose for my life.  In Jesus name, I pray, amen.”  Candi finished, and waited for Marsha to finish.

         Marsha looked up at her.  Candi saw tears in her eyes, and her first reaction was to give her a hug.  “How do you feel?”

         “Clean.  I feel like I just took a shower.”

         “You did.  Jesus blood washed you.  He cleaned you up and put a ‘not guilty’ stamp across your life.  Now whenever you face trials and temptations, you can go to Him and He will take up your case with Father God and make it right, because you belong to Him now.  Do you have a Bible at home?”

         “I think so, but I’m not sure.”

         “I’ll bring you one.  Also, here is the name of a good church.”  Candi wrote down the name of the church she attended.  “We have services Sunday morning, and night, and Wednesday night.  Also, here’s the name of a Christian TV station where you can also learn more about your new life.  It’s an international ministry based out of Colorado.”

         Marsha took the slip of paper and looked at it.  “Thanks.  I’ll be there.”

         Candi looked at her watch.  She had been away from her desk far too long.  “We’d better get back to work.”  Candi closed her Bible, carried it back to her desk, and placed it in her bottom drawer.  She was a proofreader at Taylor & McHenry, Printing and Publishing Incorporated.  She loved her job, and every so often, she liked people too, like at that moment.  A smile etched her lips as she felt the bond between Marsha and her just moments before in the break room.  She would never forget it.  It was the first time the Lord had used her to lead someone to Him.  She felt privileged and overcome by the awesomeness of what took place.

         It was no secret that Candi was dissatisfied with people in general.  Her values superseded those of many of her fellow coworkers, who could always find a listening ear and a ready smile.  Because of her faith and lifestyle, she was often the brunt of cruel jokes.  She was an honest woman, who expected honesty from her neighbors and the people she worked with.

         She was conscientious about her work.  Her attention to detail was her highest qualification as a proofreader.

           Candi was an energetic young woman, twenty-five years of age, who believed in good nutrition and exercise.  She had a natural buoyancy of life, and because of her outdoor activity was slim and well muscled.  Her good taste in clothes made her an easy person not only to talk to, but to look at as well.

         She stood five feet five inches tall, with long chestnut hair, and expressive green eyes.  When she was happy, they were a beautiful clear green.  When she was irritated, they were smoky green, and when she was angry, her eyes snapped.

         A week after her conversation with Marsha, she received a message to go to the president’s office.

         It was the first time Candi had been to the president’s office.  The gold nameplate on the door had ‘Mr. Mills, President, and CEO’ on it.  She knocked on the door and heard, “Come in.”  She opened it and found the room tastefully appointed with two dark leather mahogany chairs in front of the desk with a couch to her left.  A single floor to ceiling bookcase stood to her right, also in dark mahogany harmonized with the rest of the room.  The carpet beneath her feet was a shade of blue that looked gray as well.  Pictures of landscapes graced the walls, and a floor to ceiling window stood to Mr. Mills back as he sat behind his desk.  A desk lamp with a green rectangular shade was in the center back of his desk, and a large philodendron plant hung in the window and gave the office a relaxed atmosphere.

         Candi nervously moved forward.  “You wanted to see me, Mr. Mills?”

         “Yes.  Please be seated.”  Mr. Mills directed her to the chair in front of his desk.  He was a man in his mid-fifties, with a good masculine figure, dark hair sprinkled with gray, and dark framed glasses.  His desk boasted pictures of a beautiful wife and two grown children, along with pictures of his children with their spouses and children.

         Candi sat in one of the winged-back chairs, and waited for him to tell her why he had summoned her.

         Mr. Mills studied her for a moment.  “Do you like working with us?”

         Candi looked across at him, startled by the unexpected question.  “Yes, of course.  Why?”

         “It has come to my attention that you would like to relocate.”

         Candi’s expression went through various stages of puzzlement, to one of recognition.  “I was telling Marsha Wilson I’d like to get away from everyone.”

         “Then you’re not dissatisfied with your work here?”

         “Oh no, Mr. Mills, I love my work here.”

         “Something happened though, for you to voice such a strong statement.”  He studied her as she sat in front of him, tense, with her hands clasped in her lap.  “It’s all right.  I won’t bite.  I’m just curious about why you would want to move to the middle of nowhere.”

         Candi thought back to her conversation with Marsha.  She had forgotten that someone had entered the break room.  “Things happened.”

         “What things?”

         “Things disappeared from my yard and garage, my dog was turned in to the police for barking on numerous occasions, and someone actually let him go one day while I was getting ready for work and I ended up with a fine that wasn’t my fault, but I couldn’t prove it.  He has a habit of barking at everything, even snowflakes.”  She smiled at the thought.  “He’s completely harmless, at least when he’s with me.  He’s been known to be a good watchdog.”

         “I see.  You keep mostly to yourself then?”

         “I prefer it that way.  I’ve never been very outgoing.  I guess I’d just like to get away where people and things won’t hurt me.”

         “Is that why you often go camping alone?”

         She was surprised he knew about that.  “I don’t always go alone.  Sometimes I go with a group of people.”

         “But not very often.”

         Candi got defensive.  “I don’t see where my private life has anything to do with my work.”

         “Running away from people and life isn’t a good thing either.  You must learn to face the difficulties in life.”

         “I’m not complaining.”

         “But you keep it to yourself.  That is a type of running.  You don’t want to face your problems so you walk, or in your case, run from any kind of confrontation with them.”

         “People are cruel.  I’ve been the brunt of many mean jokes.”

         “From people or in general?”

         “Everywhere, here too.”  Candi looked down at her hands clasped in her lap, and wondered where the conversation would lead.  She didn’t want to lose her job, and she realized that what he said was true.  She had run all her life.  She hated confrontation.

         “There was a complaint about you proselytizing on the job.”

         She looked up startled.  “Proselytizing, sir?”

         “I was told you talked to Marsha about your faith and prayed with her.”

         Candi knew she had made a mistake.  She looked at him a defiant look on her face.  “I am not ashamed that my God allowed me to lead another person to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and if that is what this is about, then I am ready to face the consequence of my actions.”

         A look of admiration lit his eyes, along with a hint of a smile.  “Relax.  I am aware that if you would be ashamed of the Lord, He would be ashamed of you.”  He saw her look.  “I see you are surprised that I am aware of what the Bible says.  Don’t be.  I too am a Christian.”

         Candi relaxed in the face of his testimony.  “Then why did you call me here if you aren’t going to fire me?”

         “Tell me, how would you like the opportunity to fulfill your deepest desire?”

         “Sir?”  She looked up at him amazed that he would suggest such a thing in light of what he had just said.

         “How would you like to remain an employee with this company, but in a remote cabin in the wilderness where no one would bother you?”

         Baffled, Candi just stared at him for a short time before she found her voice.  “How could I do that?  Wouldn’t that be running away from problems too?”

         “I don’t condone running in anybody, but I think what I’m about to propose would prove beneficial both to you and me.”

         “How so?”

         “Let’s just say I’m willing to show you how valuable people are, and that we were not made to live alone.  Confrontation is a way of life, something that must be dealt with on a daily basis.”

         “I know God made Eve to be a help-mate for Adam, so he wouldn’t be alone.”

         “Yes.  God knew it wasn’t good for man to live alone, but you expressed a desire to do just that.  Get away from everything and everyone.  I’m offering you a carrot, if you will, the opportunity of a lifetime.  Of course, you would still do your work for us, but with a different twist.  I have a cabin in the mountains of Idaho that has been in my family since the early days of the west.  My great-grandfather from way back in the early 1800s first built it.  Over the years, it has become a vacation place or hunting lodge for my family.  It’s not large, just one room, but we didn’t need much.  I’m willing to send you there if you’re willing.  It’s had many uses over the years, now it can be your home for the next year, if you’re interested, of course.”

         Candi was startled by the information.  “That’s very generous of you.  The cabin isn’t used anymore then?”

         “Not in quite some time.  It’s been empty for at least thirty years.  No doubt, there will be a lot to do to make it livable.  However, it has one amenity, a hand pump for the sink, and indoor plumbing of sorts.  There is no hot water, but the good news is you won’t need to run to the river everyday to get your water.  My grandfather put it in at the insistent request of my grandmother.  It should prove an interesting project for you.”

         Candi stared at him, amazed by the offer, barely able to take it all in.  ‘I could live and work there?”

         “Yes.  The cabin is located on the Selway River whose only approach is by air.  It’s completely isolated.  The nearest city is Lowell.  What do you think?  Are you interested?”  Mr. Mills pulled out a map he had ready, and showed her where she would be going.  “This is the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area.  My cabin is located here, and Fenn Ranger Station, Moose Creek District is here.”

         “But isn’t that a national forest?  I didn’t think anyone could live in protected country.”

         “Not in this area, it’s true, but my grandfather built this cabin long before there was a U.S. Forest Service, ranger stations, or anything else for thousands of miles around.  The forest service was founded in 1881.  There had already been two generations of Mills’ in that cabin, rugged as it is.  Not a lot has changed about the cabin.  It’s still a one room cabin with the modern convenience of a hand pump put in by my great-grandfather at my great-grandmother’s insistence just after they married.  My grandmother insisted on some modern conveniences if she was going to live there for any period of time.  As for other towns and villages, you can see several to the north and south.  This area can be built up, though the lake where my great-grandfather built his cabin was never built up and continues to be free of civilization.”

         The thought of living in a cabin in the middle of nowhere appealed to her.  True there were cities to the north and south, but not where the cabin was located.  A smile touched her lips as she thought of the endless possibilities of such a situation.  “I would like that very much.  One thing, would I have free rein for any needed improvements, or does that fall under the guidelines of the U.S. Forest Service now?”

         “The Mills family has rights to fifty acres of forested land, some of it falling on the Selway River.  You can do whatever you need to make living there for a full year easier for you.  You’ll be completely alone, no one to talk to, except the rangers.”

         “That’s fine.”

         “You say that now, but I’m willing to wager that in less than a year’s time you’ll be feeling the effects of loneliness.”

         Candi’s eyes lit up at the prospect.  “I’m not a wagering person, but I’m willing to accept whatever terms you suggest.”

         “The terms are these: You will be required to stay at least a year.  I will drop ship your work to you, along with any mail you receive.  I suggest you have all your mail rerouted through this office.  You’ll need to set up direct deposit concerning your paycheck, if you haven’t already.  You’ll notify the ranger station when you need your work picked up.  The cabin comes equipped with a radio transmitter.  If you need supplies, contact the ranger station with a list and it will be drop shipped to you.  I will deduct all expenses from your paycheck.  If you can do that, your current salary will double on your anniversary date.  Since you’ll be in the middle of nowhere, you will be on salary instead of an hourly wage.  I’m also going to give you the company charge card to outfit yourself with the supplies and accessories you need.  Since no one has lived there for quite some time, I’ll go out there myself and see what repairs are required.  I’ll even supply the big pieces of furniture though it will be up to you to supply the accessories.  What kind of bed do you prefer?”

         “I think a brass bed would be just the thing for the cabin.”  Candi could picture a brass bed to one side of a single room cabin, partitioned off from the rest of the cabin by a curtain.

         “I’ll see what I can find.  What about the decor?”

         Candi liked the idea more every moment.  “Rustic, of course.”

         “You’ll also need clothes for every season.  It gets very cold in winter.  I will also require you keep a daily journal.  Write down every thought, everything you do.  What you spend on the company charge will be taken out of your paycheck over the next fifty-two weeks.”

         Excitement began to build at the prospect of being away from people for a whole year, except the rangers.

         “One other thing, don’t be afraid to contact the ranger station in case of emergency.  Everyone gets sick at one time or another.  You’re going to be in a very remote area.  If you’re injured, we’ll need to get help to you as soon as possible.  Anything can happen with the amount of wildlife in the area.  You will need to learn everything you can about the wildlife, and learn how to hunt and fish if you don’t already know how.”

         “I understand.”  Candi had always been healthy, but she was going into the unknown.  No doubt, the wildlife would be only part of any number of things she would need to prepare for.

         “Go to the bookstore and buy books that identify every type of wildlife, insects, birds, fish, plants, and trees.  You’ll need to know what is poisonous and what is good to eat.”

         Amazed by the offer Candi looked over the map he gave her.  “I’ll do that.  I’ll need time to prepare for this.”

         “Take all the time you need.  I’ve already talked to the ranger station, so they’ll be aware of your presence at the cabin.”

         “You were pretty sure I’d agree to this adventure.”

         “I was fairly certain.  I also know the quality of your work and your work ethics won’t allow you to go against the terms I outlined for you.  By the way, I mentioned that if you lasted the year out, I’d double your salary.  On the day you leave, I’m giving you a pay raise.  I’m also giving you your anniversary raise today.  You’ve done an excellent job for the company, and I know you will continue to do a good job in the future.  If you decide not to go through with this little venture, just let me know.”  Mr. Mills handed her a piece of paper for her to sign.

         When she looked at the amount she was further surprised.  She signed it and handed it back to him.  “And you’re going to give me another raise before I leave?”

         “It’s worth it.  You’ll be doing more than earning a paycheck.  You’ll also be conducting an experiment on human nature.”

         “How so?”

         “It will show how well you function completely isolated from civilization.  The raise I gave you is the company pay raise.  When you leave here for your adventure that raise will be based on a project you’ll be working on.”

           “Project?”

         “Yes.  I put this forward to a government agency, when I first learned about the conversation you had with Miss Wilson, and gained approval for this project.  So what you will be doing will have great impact.  The government project comes with a grant, which is the raise you’ll be getting, then there’s the work you’ll be doing for us.  Now I suggest you take this card, and tax number, and go shopping.  Go to Barnaby’s, they’re the best outfitters in the area.  They’ll be able to accommodate you for everything you’ll need, regardless of the time of year.  I also suggest you find accessories you’ll enjoy seeing everyday and won’t get tired of after a few weeks.”

         Candi took the card from him, and stood to her feet.  “Thank you, Mr. Mills.  I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

         “Let me know when you’ll be ready to leave, a plane will be available to take you and your belongings to your new home in Idaho.”  Mr. Mills rose to his feet, as she made ready to leave the office, and shook her hand before she departed.  “You can call this off at any time.”

         “I won’t.  I promise you that, Mr. Mills.”

         “Let me know when everything’s ready.”

         “I will.  Thank you.”  Moments later Candi stood outside his office stunned by the opportunity presented to her.  She would be alone for one year, away from all human life, with only a ranger station as a contact point.  The prospect excited her.  She couldn’t wait to get started.

         It was Friday.  She would start with Barnaby’s the next morning.  They were the most complete outfitter for outdoor living around.  She went to Barnaby’s whenever she went on a weekend trip.  She would have to write down a list when she got home so she would be sure not to forget anything.  One thing she would need to do, as much as she was opposed to it, was to buy a rifle, and learn to shoot it.  She would need to be better than good, if she were to survive.

         She went back to her desk awed by the opportunity.  She had to keep her focus on her work for the rest of the day, and that wasn’t easy as she thought about everything she would need to do in the next few weeks.

         She told Marsha about the opportunity Mr. Mills gave her at their last break of the day.

         “And you’re taking it?”

         “Of course I am.  I can’t wait.  Want to go shopping with me tomorrow?”

         “What about Rascal?”

         “He’s going with.  I won’t leave him behind.”

         “You’re going to need to learn to hunt.”

         The thought she would need to learn to fire a gun made her queasy.  “I’ll have to learn then, won’t I?”

         “I know how much you hate guns.”

         “I might hate them, but they also have their purpose, and I won’t be misusing it.  I just have to find the right instructor.”

         “I’m sure Barnaby’s can give you a good referral.”

         “I’ll ask them tomorrow.  So are you going with me?”

         “I wouldn’t miss it.”

         “Then I’ll pick you up around ten.”

         “I’ll be ready.  We better get back to work, or I won’t have a job.”

         “Mr. Mills knows we’re good friends, and I’m sure he’ll completely understand.  Do you know he did a complete background check on me before I went to see him today?  He knew all about my camping experience, and that I went alone more often than not.”

         “No.”

         “Yes, I’m telling you, and now I’m going to some          place in Idaho.”

         “I’m going to miss you.  I’m just getting to know you and those people at church.”

         “Don’t stop going just because I won’t be here.”

         “I wouldn’t think of it.”

         “Good.  We had better get back to work.  I just thought I would tell you what Mr. Mills proposed.”

         Marsha shook her head in amazement.  “I never would have believed anything like this could happen.”

         “It’s some kind of government project that I’m also going to be taking part in.”

         They went back to their desks and Candi’s thoughts were on the next day and the year ahead.