The Island

Dr. Forsman comes to the island to tell the islanders about Jesus. Emrarie is the only islander that speaks English. Can the doctor share Jesus through Emrarie?

-Chapter 1

 

            I had finished my chores and now I had completed the last of my lessons assigned from my mother.

            “I am going down to the cave,” I told my mother.

            “Be safe, Emrarie,” she said as she blew me a kiss.

            I ran out of the hut to the beach. Then, I ran along the edge of the water near the little kids until I reached the cave.

            The cave is where the older kids hang out. My mom wouldn’t let me come down here until I turned twelve. Even though we rarely go into the cave, it is far enough away from camp that we are not being watched by the adults.

            “Emrarie!” my best friend Amika called when she saw me.

            “So what are the plans for today?” I asked.

            “Do you want to make necklaces out of shells?”

            “Sounds fun. Then, this afternoon, we should go see Falon.”

            Falon is one of our friends. She was hurt a couple of weeks ago in a diving accident. Both her legs were broken and it has been slow recovery.

            “Emrarie!” A young kid from camp came running towards me.

            I didn’t know the kid. I also thought the kid was too young to be coming to the cave.

            “What’s going on?” I asked the kid once he came up to me.

            “There is a man here. He speaks English.”

            “And how do you know he speaks English?” I asked impatiently. “Not every unfamiliar language is English.”

            “You might as well go meet the guy,” Amika said. “You are the only one in camp that can speak another language.”

            I reluctantly headed back down the beach with Amika. There was a young man standing nervously on the shore near his boat. The younger kids were standing a distance away, staring at him.

            As I walked up to the man with Amika, I could see him tense up slightly.

            “My name is Emrarie,” I said in English as I held out my hand, just like I had been taught.

            The man sighed as he realized that I was friendly. “I am Dr. Forsman,” he said as he shook my hand.

            “What can I do for you?” I asked.

            “I am a doctor and missionary. I have come to this island to hopefully help your people as well as to share Jesus’ love.”        

            We have had visitors on our island before. Some of them spoke English, some did not. Others were shipwrecked; others came for the purpose of trading.”

            “Are you the only one on the island that speaks English?”

            “Yes. There was someone who came to the island several years ago. The Elders decided someone should know English to help with communication between traders. They only wanted one person to learn the language so that no one would try to leave the island.”

            “And you are that one person?” Dr. Forsman asked.

            “It really isn’t that demanding. I haven’t had to translate in a long time.”

            Amika was staring clueless at Dr. Forsman and me. I quickly explained what was going on before all of us headed towards camp.

 

Chapter 2

 

            “I am going to take you to the Elders first,” I told Dr. Forsman. “Then, they can let everyone know why you are here.”

            I knocked on the Elder’s Hut’s door.

            “Come in!” someone called.

            I pushed open the door and Dr. Forsman and Amika followed me inside.

            “What’s going on?” Timron asked me when he saw Dr. Forsman. “Do we have a visitor?”

            “This is Dr. Forsman,” I said.

            Dr. Forsman held out his hand but the Elders looked at him in confusion.

            “Shaking hands is a custom,” I told the Elders. “Shake his hand and tell him your name.”

            “Timron,” he said as he awkwardly shook Dr. Forsman’s hand.

            “Cheki.”

            “Malone.”

            “Kintra.”

            “What is his purpose?” Timron asked me.

            I translated the question to Timron.

            “Tell them how I have come to the island to heal the sick and to share the love of Jesus.”

            “He is a doctor,” I told the Elders. “He wants to help people. He also wants to share the love of Jesus.”

            “And who is Jesus?” Malone asked.

            I translated the question.

            “You have never heard of Jesus?” Dr. Forsman asked.

            “No,” I answered.

            “Jesus is the Savior. He was sent by God to die for our sins.”

            I told this to the Elders.

            “He can stay,” Kintra decided. “Please tell him that he must not interfere with Meleka though.”

            “You may stay,” I said to Dr. Forsman. “You must not bother our healer Meleka though.”

            “Thank you,” Dr. Forsman said.

            “Please take Dr. Forsman to the visitor’s hut. Then, show him around the island.”

            “Ok.”

            Amika, Dr. Forsman, and I exited the hut.

            “I am going to tell people about Dr. Forsman,” Amika said before she ran off.

            “This is where you will stay,” I said as we came up to the visitor’s hut.

            “I get my own hut?” he asked incredulously.

            “You are responsible for getting your own meals though. If you are unsure about cooking on the island, you can join my family for meals. You are expected to help out though.”

            “I can do that.”

            We went inside so that Dr. Forsman could drop off his bags.

            “Are you ready for a tour?” I asked.

            “Absolutely.”

            I took Dr. Forsman up and down the rows of huts. If we saw anyone, I made sure to introduce them to Dr. Forsman.

            “Do you have a hospital?” Dr. Forsman asked.

            I led him behind Meleka’s personal hut.

            “This is the Healer’s Hut.”

            “Can we go inside?”

            “Sure.” I pushed open the door.

            “Emrarie!” Falon said excitedly when she saw me.

            “How are you doing, Falon?”

            “I have been better. Who is that with you?”

            “This is Dr. Forsman,” I said. “Dr. Forsman, this is Meleka, the healer, and Falon, my friend.”

            I thought Meleka would be offended that this guy was trying to invade her domain. Instead, she looked excited to see him. Even though they didn’t speak the same language, Meleka took Dr. Forsman’s hand and led him over to Falon. I imagined they would get along just fine.

 

Chapter 3

 

            Later that afternoon, Amika and I went to the Healer’s Hut to see Falon. The second we walked in, I could see that Falon was feeling much better.

            “What did Dr. Forsman do to you?” I asked.

            “He gave me medicine through a needle,” Falon replied.

            “Are you sure the medicine didn’t affect your thinking?” Amika asked with a laugh.

            “I am being serious! He had this thing that held medicine. Then, he put the needle in my skin and pushed down on it so that the medicine went into my arm.”

            “Didn’t it hurt?”

            “A little.”

            “Are you crazy? Why would you let him do something like that?”

            “I have been in so much pain that I was ready to try anything.”

            “And Meleka was ok with it?”

            “She said I could do whatever I wanted.”

            Falon has always been adventurous. He parents died when she was young and Falon has been raised by various people throughout camp. She has always been independent though and it never really worked out. Just recently, the Elders have decided that Falon does not need to have a guardian. She celebrated her freedom by jumping off the cave into the ocean. That is why she ended up here.

            Just then, Dr. Forsman came inside.

            “Emrarie, I have been looking for you everywhere.”

            “Did you need something?” I asked.

            “Well, I wanted to talk to Falon and Meleka but I needed someone to translate.”

            “Do you know where Meleka went?” I asked Falon.

            “I think she went home to grab a quick dinner.”

            “I will go get her,” Amika replied.

            “How are you doing?” Dr. Forsman asked with a look at Falon.

            “Even though Falon could not speak English, I could tell she understood what he was saying. She nodded her head and smiled.

            Amika returned with Meleka.

            “What’s going on?” Meleka asked.

            Falon shrugged her shoulders but then smiled.

            “I think Falon would benefit from surgery,” Dr. Forsman began.

            “Surgery? What are you talking about?”

            “I believe that Falon’s injuries are so severe that it would be beneficial for her to have surgery to correct some problems.”

            I quickly translated what Dr. Forsman said. Neither Meleka nor Falon looked all that pleased when I got done.

            Dr. Forsman started explaining the benefits and what the surgery involved. In the end, Falon looked eager to proceed.

            “You seriously want to be put to sleep so that Dr. Forman can do something to your legs?” Amika asked.           

            “Believe it or not, I actually want to be able to use my legs. My chances aren’t very good with what Meleka has done.”

            “But you know nothing about this guy!” I protested.

            “His medicine made me feel better earlier. Maybe this will have the same effect.”

            Meleka was on the other side of the room, studying a diagram of what Dr. Forsman wanted to do. I could tell that she didn’t approve of it, but she couldn’t stop Falon.

            In the end, it was decided that Falon would have her surgery in the morning.

 

Chapter 4

 

            As soon as I was done with chores and lessons, I rushed to the Healer’s Hut to see Falon.

            “How is she doing?” I asked when I met Dr. Forsman just inside the entrance.

            “She is unconscious but doing fine,” he replied.

            “When will she wake up?” I asked as he led me over to her bed.

            “She should be waking up soon. I would give her the day to rest though.”

            Amika burst through the door. “Have you seen Meleka?” she asked, gasping for breath.

            “Why? What is going on?” I asked.

            “My mom is in labor!”

            “Where is Meleka?” I asked Dr. Forsman.

            “She was going to see a patient somewhere close by. She wasn’t planning on being gone long.”

            “Go tend to Amika’s mom. She is going to have a baby. I will go find Meleka.”

            Dr. Forsman and Amika rushed off and I ran to the nearest hut.

            “Have you seen Meleka?” I asked Perine when she came to the door.

            “I’m sorry; I haven’t. Can I do anything to help?”

            I didn’t answer. I rushed off to the next hut.

            After going to ten different huts, I finally found Meleka.

            “Amika’s mom is going to have her baby!” I shouted when I saw her. “Dr. Forsman is with her now.”

            “Come and see me later today,” she told the patient she had been visiting.

            We rushed to Amika’s family hut.

            “Dr. Forsman may know his stuff but it’s not for me,” Meleka said.

            “He has been taught differently. It’s not that either of you are wrong. It is just your opinion.”

            “I guess,” she said as she entered the hut.

            “Thank goodness you are here!” Amika cried when she saw us. “My mom wants nothing to do with Dr. Forsman.”

            Dr. Forsman was standing some distance from Amika’s mom and doing breathing actions. Amika’s mom was ignoring him. She did not look pleased that he was there.

            “I can take it from here,” Meleka said as she pushed Dr. Forsman away.

            Dr. Forsman did not need to know the language to realize that he needed to get out.

            “I’m sorry,” I said as we left the hut.

            “It’s ok. I don’t want to push Meleka away. This is her job and her island. I still feel good about helping your friend, Falon.”

            “You aren’t leaving yet, are you?”

            “No.”

            “Then there is still plenty of time to complete your mission.”

 

Chapter 5

 

            “Have you seen Amika’s mom?” I asked Dr. Forsman when I saw him that evening.

            “I have heard from Meleka that she has given birth to a girl. I can’t remember the name.”

            “That’s great!”

            “Yeah, God is amazing!”

            “Do you only worship one god?” I asked curiously. Dr. Forsman hadn’t yet talked about his religion even though that is one of the reasons he came to the island.

            “Yeah. Care to tell me about what the island believes?”

            “We worship several gods. We worship the sun, rain, moon, stars, the sea, and numerous others.”

            “Why do you worship the stars?”

            “It is said that the stars hold the future.”

            “What about the moon?”

            “The moon gives us the opportunity to rest for another day.”

            “And what do you believe happens after you die?”

            “We believe that we come back to the island as a new life. You know, Terine died last week. I bet Amika’s mom’s baby is Terine, come back to life.”

            “Reincarnation,” Dr. Forsman said.         

            “I guess. Tell me what you believe.”

            “I believe in one God. I believe that He sent His Son to Earth to die for our sins so that we can spend eternity with Him in Heaven.”

            “You lost me after you said you only believed in one God.”

            “No person is perfect. Everyone sins. Because of that, we don’t get to live with God when we die in Heaven. But God sent His Son to Earth to live the life of a human. His name was Jesus. Jesus died to forgive our sins. Now, if we accept that forgiveness, we can live forever in Heaven.”

            “You mean you aren’t guaranteed Heaven? Where do you go if you don’t accept God’s forgives? Can you still go to Heaven if you are really bad?”

            “No, you aren’t guaranteed Heaven. No matter what sins you have committed, you will get to spend eternity in Heaven if you accept God’s forgiveness.”

            “Your religion sounds really complicated,” I said.

            “How can it be more complicated than trying to remember all your gods?”

            “Can you see your God? Did you meet Jesus?”

            “That’s why I have the Bible,” he said as he pulled out a thick book.

            “I can see our gods.”

            “How do you worship your gods?”

            “We have festivals. In fact, the moon celebration is next week. You should come. It is a lot of fun.”

            “Do you think people on the island will be interested in listening to what I just told you?”

            “If you take it slow and give lots of explanations.”

            “Would you be willing to translate?”

            “Of course. I still have a lot of questions about your religion.”

            “Like what?”

            “Like what Heaven is like and where you go if you don’t go to Heaven.”

            “Heaven is awesome. There, no one will be hungry, thirsty, or sick. In Heaven, everything will be perfect.”

            “It does sound great. Where do you do if you don’t go to Heaven?”

            “You go to the devil where there will be much weeping and gnashing of teeth, according to the Bible.”

            “Sounds horrible. I can’t imagine why anyone would even want to go there.”

            “Yeah, I don’t know anyone that would. That is why I came to the island. I want everyone here to go to Heaven when they die.”

            “Well, we had better get started!” I said excitedly.

            I didn’t know much about his religion, but I figured I had better give it a chance. I would much rather go to Heaven than to the devil.

 

Chapter 6

 

            A couple days later, I met Dr. Forsman on the shores so that I could translate his message. The last couple days, I had gone hut to hut, telling everyone to come. I was eager to hear what Dr. Forsman had to say.

            “What are you going to talk about?” I asked Dr. Forsman.

            “I am going to start in the beginning. The Bible is much too long to go through in one day.”

            “You are going to talk about the entire Bible? I asked incredulously.

            “I am not going to talk about the entire Bible. I am going to talk about the important events though.”

            “Are you nervous?”

            “No, God is with me and will give me the words to say.”

            “Will He give me the words to translate?”

            “Let’s pray about that right now.”

            “What does that mean?”

            “Prayer is how you talk to God. It can be done several ways. One way is to bow your head, fold your hands, and close your eyes. Then, you tell God whatever you want.”

            “And God hears it?”

            “Of course. God is everywhere all the time. He knows everything. He even knows how many hairs are on your head.”

            “Then let’s pray.” I awkwardly folded my hands and then bowed my head and closed my eyes. I thought it was amazing that God could know the number of hairs on your head and what you are thinking. The moon doesn’t know that.

            “Lord,” Dr. Forsman said, “I pray for Emrarie and ask that you help her translate what I am about to say. I also ask that you let the island people be open to what they are about to hear. Amen.”

            “That was easy,” I said as I opened my eyes.

            Several people were starting to gather around us so it was time to begin.

            “Welcome,” Dr. Forsman began, “I thank you for coming. I have too much to say so I am going to get started right away.”

            I quickly translated what Dr. Forsman was saying and then I translated his message.

            Dr. Forsman talked about how in the beginning, there was only God. Over six days, He created the Earth and everything on it. Then, on the seventh day, He rested.”

            “Is that why we rest on Sundays?” someone asked.

            “Yes,” Dr. Forsman said before continuing his message.

            Dr. Forsman talked about how the first person on Earth was named Adam. He was lonely so God gave him a woman named Eve. Adam and Eve lived in a place called the Garden of Eden. They were given only one rule: Do not eat the fruit from one tree in the Garden.

            One day, the devil in the form of a snake encouraged Eve to eat the fruit and she did. She also encouraged Adam to eat the fruit. Once they did, their eyes were open to all the evil on Earth. This was known as the first sin.

            “I’m going to stop there for today,” Dr. Forsman said. “I will be continuing tomorrow with the flood God created to get rid of most of mankind.

            “People got up from their spots, talking excitedly about what they had just heard.

            “Well, are they saying good things?” Dr. Forsman asked.

            “You might want to expect more people tomorrow,” I said. “I for one can’t wait to hear what happens next.”

 

Chapter 7

 

            Everyday, more and more people came to hear Dr. Forsman speak. He talked about how God wanted to end all of mankind except for one family because everyone was evil. He told Noah and his family to build an ark, which is like a boat. Then, he had to put two of every animal on the boat and then God flooded the Earth.

            “We have a similar story in our history,” I told Dr. Forsman.

            We learned about Moses and the Ten Commandments God gave to live by. Next, was Jonah, a man who was told by God to go to Nineveh to talk to some people about what they were doing wrong. Jonah refused and ended up in a giant fish for three days before he agreed to go.

            “Next, we are going to talk about how Jesus came to save our sins,” Dr. Forsman said at the end of one day.

            In the meantime, my parents were making plans to go on a fishing trip with some of the other islanders.

            “You are going to miss Dr. Forsman’s message about Jesus!” I said when they told me they were leaving.

            “You know this trip has been planned for many moons. You will have to tell us about what you learned when we get back.”

            “In the meantime, make sure you get some more coconuts.”

            So that morning, after I had finished lessons and chores, I met Amika to gather coconuts.

            Most of the islanders have been climbing palm trees since they were young. Amika and I had an easy time climbing to the top of two different trees and throwing down the coconuts.

            “Did you think about how we are going to carry these back?” Amika called from the top of her tree.

            “We are just going to have to make several trips,” I replied as I threw down a couple more coconuts.

            All of a sudden, the tree I was in started shaking dangerously.

            “What is going on?” I yelled.

            “Earthquake!” Amika yelled.

            I tried holding on tightly but the tree was shaking so much. I eventually fell out of the tree. I scraped along the trunk until I fell in the brush on the ground.

            The first thing I was aware of was that everything hurt.

            “Amika,” I said weakly.

            “Emrarie,” Amika answered.

            I did my best to look around and saw Amika crumpled on the ground.

            Amika locked eyes with me. When she realized neither of us could move, she did her best to call for help.

            “Emrarie! Amika! Are you all right?” Dr. Forsman came running up to us. “Meleka!” he called.

            A little kid came running towards us.

            “Meleka!” Dr. Forsman told him.

            The little kid ran off and returned a minute later with Meleka.

            “We need to get these girls to the Healer’s Hut,” Meleka said.

            I translated what Meleka said but Dr. Forsman put his finger to my lips.

            “Just rest,” he said.

            Meleka went and got a couple of stretchers and found a couple of guys to help lift us. Then, we were both taken to the Healer’s Hut.

            Dr. Forsman started tending to me and Meleka started caring for Amika.

            “How are you doing?” he asked me.

            “Everything hurts.”

            “Your parents are gone, aren’t they?”

            “Yes.”

            “Do you care if I use modern medicine or do you want to wait for Meleka?”

            “Just hurry up and do something! I feel like I am dying here.”

            “You aren’t dying. God saved you.”

            “Why would He want to save me?”

            “God has plans for you.”

            “Like what?”

            “They may be plans so big that only He knows.”

            Dr. Forsman began tending to my broken bones and cuts. While he worked, he told me the story of Ester, who became queen so that God could use her to save her people.

            Once he got done telling me the story, Dr. Forsman gave me something that made me tired and I fell asleep almost instantly.

 

Chapter 8

 

            I awoke the next morning to find Dr. Forsman leaning over me with one end of this necklace-like-thing in his ears and the other end on my heart.

            “What in the world are you doing?” I asked as I tried to move away from him. Unfortunately, the pain stopped me instantly.

            “I was listening to your heart. Do you want to listen?”

            “I’ll pass. How did my heart sound?”

            “Very good.”

            “What about the rest of me? Am I ok?”

            “Well, you are far from ok, but you will be fine once your injuries heal.”

            “What’s wrong with me?” I asked.

            Dr. Forsman strapped something around my arm.

            “Would you just relax?” he said after I tried pulling away. “I’m just taking your blood pressure and it won’t hurt!”

            “What’s wrong with me?” I repeated.

            “You broke both your legs and one arm. You also had a lot of cuts and scrapes. I had to sew some of them up.”

            “What about Amika?”

            “She had similar injuries. She is at home, resting.”

            “When can I go home?”

            “How do you expect to walk with two broken legs?”

            “But you let Amika go!”

            “She only broke one leg.”

            “What do you expect me to do in the meantime? I don’t want to be stuck here like Falon!”

            “Can you read English?”

            “Not really. Why?”

            “I was going to loan you my Bible. You would probably enjoy reading it.”

            “How do you expect to give your sermons when I can’t get out to translate?”

            “We’ll think of something.”

            “I thought you said God has plans for me. How can He use me when I am stuck here?”

            “Don’t you remember the story of Ester?”

            “God’s plans don’t always make sense. I would much rather be a queen than a patient though!”

            “Sorry, it doesn’t work that way.”

            “How does one become a Christian?”

            “Well, when a person decides to become a Christian, they decide they are ready to give everything to God. They also accept the forgiveness God gave for all sins through the death of His Son, Jesus.”

            “Yeah, you told me that before.”

            “Once a person makes that decision, they then decide to be baptized.”

            “What does that mean?”

            “Baptism is symbolic. A person is completely submerged under water. That represents the washing away of a person’s sins.”

            “And anyone who accepts God’s forgiveness can become a Christian?”

            “Yes, I am going to talk about baptism soon. First, I am going to talk about Jesus’ birth and then I will discuss baptism.”

            “Do you think many people on the island will choose to be baptized?”

            “I really can’t say. I know a lot of people are interested in what I am saying but I don’t know what effect it is having on their hearts.”

            “Maybe I will be baptized,” I said. “I want to be a Christian and have my sins forgiven. Then, I want to tell everyone about God when you leave.”

            “I hope you will have made that decision before I leave the island,” Dr. Forsman said as he stood up and exited the hut.

 

Chapter 9

 

            “How are you feeling, Emrarie?” Timron asked as the Elders came into the Healer’s Hut.

            “Pretty good; thanks to Dr. Forsman. He did some crazy things to me but I trust that he knows what he is doing.”

            “Then we are not of the same opinion, Emrarie,” Cheki said seriously.

            “Why would you think that? Dr. Forsman may have some different techniques than Meleka but that is ok! Meleka says I am doing fine because of his work. Falon is doing fine because of his work.”

            Why were the Elders so hurt by Dr. Forsman? He is great!

            “Emrarie, Dr. Forsman’s ways are very unorthodox. Whatever he is doing to save people’s lives, we don’t like it. We think it is dangerous.”

            “But…” I tried to protest but the Elders didn’t give me a chance to get another word in.

            “Emrarie, he is also trying to get the people to worship his God. If we become divided in our beliefs, who knows what will become of us.”

            “We have the whole island to think of, Emrarie.”

            “How do you know that he isn’t right and that we are in the wrong?” I asked.

            “Are you saying that you don’t believe in our gods, Emrarie?”

            “I don’t know what to believe,” I admitted. I had the feeling that a lot of people on the island probably felt the same way I did.

            “So you are saying that you don’t believe in our gods, which you can see?”

            “Why should we worship the stars?” I asked. “What do they ever do for us?”

            “The stars tell our future, Emrarie. Do you need a refresher course in religion?”

            “Dr. Forsman has a book that talks about his God. God created the Earth and everything on it. God does amazing things through His people.”

            “There are lots of different religions, Emrarie. We are lucky that we have been sheltered on the island and have been able to worship our gods in peace without any interference until Dr. Forsman arrived.”

            “You just need to give him a chance. Let the people decide what to believe.”

            “I am afraid that we can’t allow that. As the Elders of this island, it is our job to decide what is best for everyone. We have decided that Dr. Forsman’s beliefs regarding religion and medicine are dangerous. We have decided that anyone who follows his beliefs will have to leave the island.”

            “You can’t be serious!”

            If a person is forced to leave the island, they are put in a boat and left out in the ocean without food, water, or paddles. It is up to the gods to decide whether you get to live. It is pretty rare for a person to be punished this way. The last time it happened, a guy had killed someone. This happened several years ago.

            “I thought you always encouraged us to worship in our own way!” I protested.

            “Our gods you may worship as you see fit. You are going to have nothing to do with Dr. Forsman’s beliefs though.”

            “We will let you get some rest, Emrarie. I will send Meleka in to check on you.”

            The Elders left me feeling depressed. I actually thought Dr. Forsman was onto something. He is not a bad man. He is a great doctor just doing the work his God sent him to do. What could I do to convince the Elders of this?

 

Chapter 10

 

            “Are you feeling all right, Emrarie?” Dr. Forsman asked in concern as he came to visit me later.

            I told Dr. Forsman what the Elders had decided.

            “So what do we do?” I asked.

            “We pray, Emrarie. You know, my experience on the island has been easier than I imagined it would be. I had no idea that there would be someone who spoke English. I didn’t think that the people would be so receptive to what I had to say.”

            “But all your work will be for nothing if no one here can listen to what you have to say!”

            “Emrarie, this isn’t the first time Christianity has been banned by leaders.”

            “So what did those people do?”

            “Take Daniel from the Bible. He continued to pray to God, even though he was supposed to pray to the king. He was thrown into a den of lions. God saved him though.”

            “Instead of a den of lions, we are left to die in the ocean,” I said.

            “If the Elders put everyone in the ocean, there won’t be an island left.”

            “But not everyone comes to hear you speak. And those that do might be afraid to keep coming because of the Elders.”

            “You need to have faith, Emrarie. Remember the amazing things that happened in the Bible to God’s people.”

            “Look at what God did for me.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “God is the one that saved me in the earthquake. I could have died when I fell out of that tree. I know it was God that saved me though.”

            “Why the change in heart? Why do you believe in God rather than the gods of the moon and stars and sun?”

            “Because your Bible tells stories about what your God has done. It is like a history book. Our gods don’t have stories. We worship our gods for shining bright or telling our futures. Really, what have our gods ever done for us?”

            “Are you saying that you are ready for a relationship with God?”

            “I am saying exactly that. I can see that I need God. I almost died because I fell out of that tree. Where would I be right now if that had happened?”

            “Let’s not think about that,” Dr. Forsman said.

            “Yeah, let’s pray and tell God that I am His servant, just like you!”

            “Go right ahead, Emrarie.”

            I folded my hands and bowed my head, just like Dr. Forsman taught me to do.

            “Lord, I want to be Your servant, just like Dr. Forsman. I want to have my sins forgiven so that I can live with You forever in Heaven someday. I also want the people on the island to come with me but that will be difficult now because of what the Elders said. Please make them change their mind. Also God, thanks for bringing Dr. Forsman to the island. I don’t know where I would be without him. Amen.”

            “Welcome to the family, Emrarie,” Dr. Forsman said when I got done.

            “When can I be baptized?”

            “I am afraid you are going to have to wait until your legs heal,” he said with a laugh.

            “But that could be forever!”

            “Just be patient, Emrarie. It will be soon.”

            “In the meantime, I will just have to tell people what just happened.”

            “But what about the Elders?”

            “Who cares about them? God will save me if I am forced to leave the island. Besides, peoples’ souls are at risk here. This can’t wait.”

            “Just don’t overexert yourself. You need rest.”

            “I will be fine. I have God on my side.”

 

 

Chapter 11

 

            Dr. Forsman insisted that I take a nap. I don’t know how long I was asleep before I was awoken by people talking.

            “Please let Emrarie rest,” Dr. Forsman was pleading.

            Since the islanders don’t speak English, they were just ignoring him. They were pressing close to my bed, saying my name.

            “What is going on?” I asked the islanders.

            “We just heard the Elders’ decision and we wanted to know what you were going to do about it,” Cheray said.

            “What do you mean?” I was confused.

            “Surely you feel the same way we do,” Leneya said. “We think that Dr. Forsman is on to something. We believe in one god. We don’t want to worship the sun and stars anymore.”

            That had to mean that everyone in the Healer’s Hut right now were believers. Everyone wanted to be followers of God.

            “What is going on?” Dr. Forsman asked.

            “It appears that everyone in here believes the same way I do,” I said with a smile.

            “Are you serious?” he asked excitedly.

            “So what do we do?” I asked. “It appears that no one wants to listen to the Elders.”

            “Who says we have to let the Elders know?”

            “Since no one but me speaks English, it is going to be difficult to hide a bunch of Christian believers.”

            “You need to have some faith, Emrarie. I have a plan.”

            “And what does this plan include?”

            “Baptism.”

            “Baptism?

            “Sure, baptism is the answer to everything.”

            “But I thought you said I had to wait until I was better.”

            “Yeah, but once you are better, everyone here will be baptized. There will be so many people that the Elders won’t be able to send everyone away. In fact, there will be more believers than unbelievers here on the island. If necessary, we will be able to stop them from doing any harm.”

            “I like it,” I said.

            “So what is the plan?” Mirkan asked.

            I told them what Dr. Forsman just said.

            “So can we still hear more about the Bible in the meantime?” Mirkan asked.

            I translated the question to Dr. Forsman.

            “How about right now, if you aren’t too tired, Emrarie?”

            “Works for me.”

            So Dr. Forsman started telling another fascinating story about how amazing God is.

 

 

 

Chapter 12

 

            At last, I was better and able to leave the Healer’s Hut. The first place I went was to the beach, where I and many of the other islanders would be baptized.

            “Shouldn’t we do this down by the cave so the Elders don’t see?” I asked Dr. Forsman as he was telling me the plan.

            “Don’t keep your faith hidden,” Dr. Forsman answered. “Let people see that you are a Christian.”

            The islanders all cheered when they saw me and Dr. Forsman coming to the beach. They had been waiting for this moment for quite awhile.

            “Emrarie,” Dr. Forsman said once we were in front of all the other islanders, “do you accept the forgiveness given to you through the death of Jesus Christ, your Savior and Lord?” I had taught Dr. Forsman how to say this in our native language so that no translation would be needed.

            “I do,” I answered.

            Dr. Forsman took me a little ways into the ocean and dunked me completely under.

            “Hold it!” I heard someone yell when I came up.

            The Elders had assembled on the shore.

            “You realize you are in violation of our decree, Emrarie?” Timron asked. “The punishment for following Dr. Forsman’s beliefs is the canoe.”

            “Then you are going to have to send all of us,” Mirkan said, “because we are all about to be baptized.”

            “Not if I forbid it!” Malone said.

            “You aren’t going to be able to stop us,” Cheray insisted. “We will leave the island if you don’t allow us to practice Christianity.”

            “You wouldn’t last very long,” Malone said. “No one else speaks our language.”

            “That’s why Emrarie will be with us. She will help us learn English.”

            “Why does it matter what we believe?” Mirkan asked. “Our faith isn’t hurting anyone.”

            “It could drive our island apart.”

            “Look around you,” Mirkan insisted. “Almost everyone is here. They believe in one God.”

            The Elders seemed to be at a loss. They didn’t know what to do.

            “Conference, Elders,” Malone finally insisted.

            The Elders got in a circle away from all of us and started talking.

            I turned to Dr. Forsman and explained what was going on.

            The Elders finally returned to us.

            “We have decided that you can continue practicing Christianity as long as you don’t cause any problems for the island.”

            Everyone cheered. Dr. Forsman didn’t need to understand our language to realize that the Elders had decided in our favor.

            “So go ahead and carry on with what you are doing,” they said before they walked away.

            “Who’s next?” I asked.

            Cheray stepped forward to be baptized next.

Epilogue

 

            “Are you sure you need to leave?” I asked Dr. Forsman.

            “I am only going to be gone for a little while. But I will come back someday to see how you are doing. I want you to learn to read English so that you can share the Bible with your tribe.”

            “I realize that God has blessed me with English so I have decided to share this gift with others. I am teaching the islanders English.”

            “That’s great!”

            “We are working on writing down the stories you told us from the Bible in our language.”

            “That’s going to be a big project.”

            “Yeah, but if we don’t, some of the stories might be lost.”

            “I will come again soon to tell you more,” Dr. Forsman promised as he got into his boat.

            “Thanks for everything, Dr. Forsman! Please come again soon!”

            “Good bye!” Dr. Forsman called in our native language as he waved.

            “Good bye!” the islanders cried in English. “Good bye!”