•Amyra's POV•

Throughout my designated time for water games, I couldn't help but think about Aden's words. How understanding he was, and how much he knew what I was going through. I couldn't shake it. I needed to talk to him more, without any creeper listening in.

It wasn't until right before chapel the rain let up. It was somewhat cloudy, but at least it had stopped raining. I was sitting alone on a bench. I couldn't stand to be next to the girls, or Hunter or Alex, right now. I even saw Odessa and I didn't care. She was with Kaely and her boyfriend. I couldn't stand them. Right now, I just wanted to talk to Aden, learn more about him.

I saw him walking alone, except, he seemed to be talking. He had his Bible open, pacing. I decided to walk over to him. He noticed me before I reached him, he smiled.

"Well! If it isn't Ms. Amyra herself. What do I owe this visit?" He asked gentlemanly when I got close enough to hear him.

I smiled, but quickly tried to hide it. "I need to talk to you."

His kind eyes compassionately looked at me. "Meet me by the lake after chapel."

I nodded and walked away. I was still wanting to know more. I felt kinda giddy, but why? I didn't like boys..

~~

After a session of opening worship, Pastor Sean came on the stage.

"Hello all!" The sanctuary erupted in claps and cheers. "Let's continue on our series of Who Is God? You with me? Alright, so far we've talked about Faith and how that effects our way to relate with God, and being confident that he's real. Then, last night we talked about God being the potter of our lives, shaping and molding us. Tonight we're going to be talking on the compassion of his heart.

"To preface this, I want to tell you a story. So, I told you a bit about my life last night, and how I wasn't really a Christian until I was a senior in high school. Well, around that same time, my mom got married to a man I had known for a short while. He wasn't my father, why should I care right? I hated him for so long, even after they had gotten married.

"I had conversations with my mother about him, I told her I didn't like him. But I saw in her eyes that she loved him, and no matter what I said was going to change my mind. It wasn't until I had graduated, and had a terrible accident when I realized, that through all my hate, my step-father still loved me. I never knew that I could find love for anyone but my mother after my father had passed. It was traumatic for me. His compassion helped me to soften up to him. He went on to be the biggest influences, and leaders in my faith to this day. Well, that was until I met my wife."

The room filled with laughter and cheers.

"Now, I bet you're wondering what this has to do with God's compassionate character. Flip your bibles to the Gospel of John chapter two. This is the story of the wedding of Cana that Jesus and his disciples were invited to. They were having so much fun at this wedding, drinking wine, and probably dancing, when the servers ran out of wine. They were worried, so they asked Jesus's mom Mary about it to ask Jesus. Let's read from verse three to 11.

"When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now." This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him."

‭

"Now look at verse four. Jesus clearly says that his time hadn't come yet. He wasn't ready. But clearly, Mary thought otherwise. She told the servant to do what Jesus told them to do! Even though Jesus had clearly told her that he wasn't ready, his mother thought otherwise. But the best part about this, was Jesus showed his love and compassion for the people that He did the miracle and gave the people the best wine! Now that is incredible compassion. Just like my mother, Jesus's mother knew what was right, and even when Jesus thought it wasn't right. Jesus was still one-hundred percent God, he still was human, he obeyed his mother."

These words tugged at my heart strings. I thought about my life, and how meeting Gran was scary, but it ended up being the best thing that had happened to me. And I thought about how Jesse and Marcus told us we were going to camp, and didn't ask, it ended up being a bigger blessing than I thought.

Soon Pastor Sean's sermon was over, and worship started. I had been sitting with the girls, and they had all ran to the front as fast as possible, but I felt no need. I put my head in my hands and ran over the words in my head. I never felt worthy to be loved, I thought about all the moments when I had felt this way, and tears started to flow from my eyes. Not because Jesus touched me, but because I felt hopeless.

~~

After worship had ended, I immediately went to the lake. Not looking behind me, I needed to talk to Aden.

I was the first one to where I thought we could meet. There was a bench close to the water so I sat on it and waited. I watched as what little of the sun was left drown into the water.

Finally after a while I heard footsteps. "Man! You would never believe that line, it's always that crazy after chapel though." Aden's peppy voice was music to my ears.

"I was beginning to wonder if you were gonna show up." I laughed as I watched him carry two cups of ice cream in them.

"I'd never blow you off. Plus, I was the one who told you to meet me here." He sat next to me and handed me the cup of ice cream. "For you."

"You're too kind." I smiled, taking it from his out stretched hand. I took a spoonful and ate it. It was a taste I wasn't very fond of, but gave me good memories of long ago.

After a couple moments of listening to the lake, in between bites of the cold sugary confection, Aden finally spoke. "So, what's been on your mind?"

I took one last bite and set it on the ground. I tried to speak, but I felt tears welling up. I tried to hold them back but they came anyways. In a wimpy voice I said, "I just wanted to know how—" The tears caught in my throat, I couldn't speak. There was so much I wanted to know, but I couldn't say. Aden sat next to me as I cried. There was so much on my mind, and he was so kind to me. The crying slowed, and Aden was patient. "I'm sorry." I apologized.

"Don't be." He said in the kindest voice. "We don't have to talk if you don't want to. I'll sit here as long as you need."

"No, I want to." I wiped away the remaining tears from my puffy eyes. I took a deep breath, and finally said what was on my chest. "How did you find love in Jesus, when you felt like you couldn't love yourself?"