ARISE!

Part 2

I looked around and quickly climbed the tree, climbed out on a branch, and then jumped on to the roof. I sat there for a moment and looked the roof over.

The roof was 20 feet off the ground. Six pipes protruded from the roof, for sewage vents and exhaust vents. Seeing these gave me an idea. I hooked up 10 sticks of dynamite to blasting caps and wires, and then dropped one each in six of the holes, and four in the large vent in the center of the building. I lowered them down about 10 feet to get the maximum impact, and then wired it all together to a timer. I looked at my watch. It was 12:30. I set the timer to go off at 3:30.

I cautiously climbed down the tree and walked back to my truck without incident. I drove slowly to 5th and Calvin to the "Women's Care Center". I drove by and looked the place over.

There was a parking lot in the front and on the right side of the building. They were covered with lights and security cameras. To the left, connected to it, was an empty building. An alley went behind the two buildings. There was a camera in back, but the alley light was broken, and darkness reigned there.

I parked the truck a block away again, and grabbed my gear. I started to walk to the mill. I passed by one fenced-in business when two monster German Shepherds came out of nowhere and crashed into the fence in their zeal to eat me alive. I must have jumped three feet straight up into the air, my heart jumping out of my chest.

They didn't even bark. They just looked at me, and then at each other, and then lazily sauntered off. I imagined they were sharing a good dog-laugh at my expense as I regained my composure and sauntered off, myself -- still shaken, though.

I approached the clinic behind the adjoining building. I climbed onto the roof of that building and hopped over a three foot divider between the two roofs. The roof had a raised edge going all the way around the outside, which gave me three feet of cover to work in.

There were 7 pipes rising from the roof of this building, so I gauged the distance and figured this roof was 15-1/2 feet off the ground. So I dropped down one stick each in 6 holes and four in the last. I wired everything together and checked my watch. It was 1:15; 45 minutes had passed since I set the last charge. I set the timer again for 3:30. I had to wait for a few moments, because a few people were walking by, talking quietly among themselves. I then quietly climbed down and walked back to my truck, avoiding the dogs who had scared me so much.

I grabbed 15 sticks and related gear and walked the couple of blocks to the next place, called "A Choice for Women". This clinic was a two story converted colonial style house. This place seemed very high class compared to the others. There was lavish landscaping with lots of beautiful flowers, as if in desperation they wanted to make up for the horror that went on inside.

I had to try a new approach. So as I was walking by, I noticed a removable section that provided access to a crawl space below the building. It was almost completely hidden behind a row of flowering shrubs. I looked around and quickly walked behind the bushes, opened the cover, and climbed inside.

There was almost three feet of crawl space under the building, but some places had a lower clearance because of pipes and vents.

I wired the sticks of dynamite to the floor joists and spaced the 15 sticks well apart. I wired everything together and checked my watch. It was 2:00, so I set this timer for 3:30 as well.

I was out from under the building, covered in dirt, dust and cobwebs, and crouching behind a bush, when a spotlight lit up the side of the building. I could see a patrol car slowly going by and looking at the building. I breathed a sigh of relief as it drove on by, turning the light off as it left.

I looked around, and quickly walked the 25 or so feet to the sidewalk, and then slowed down a little as I got to the sidewalk, and strolled off. I was soon back at my truck.

I arrived back home around 2:45. I was very tired, so I left the truck under the tree in the yard, not bothering with the garage. I stumbled up the stairs to the porch, unlocked the door, and walked into the kitchen for a snack.

I was shocked and surprised to see Tracy sitting at the table, arms folded, head on her arms, fast asleep! I walked to her and just listened to her breathing. I noticed a folded-up piece of paper with my name on it, lying next to her on the table. I grabbed the paper and unfolded it. I was afraid to wake her, not knowing if she had undergone the procedure. It was a letter to me.

It began, "Dear Henry. I am so sorry that we had that fight the other night, and I am sorry that I just took off and didn't call or visit. I heard how you tried to find me, and how worried you were, and I felt ashamed. I went to stay with Jennifer, a friend from college. I told her about what happened, and she talked me into going to a Crisis Pregnancy Center. While I was there they showed me a video called 'The Hard Truth' which really showed me the horror of abortion.

"They also showed me a video on the development of the unborn child in the womb.

"After I found out the truth, I knew I couldn't go through with it, and I understood why you got so mad. Thank you for letting me know that you would stay by my side. I just hope that you still feel that way now. Tracy."

I was so relieved and filled with joy, that God had answered my prayers to bring Tracy back, and to save the life of my child! I bowed my head in prayer to thank God, as tears of relief and joy began to fall. I prayed for Tracy's salvation, and for our child as well.

When I opened my eyes, she was awake and was watching me intently, with apprehension. When our eyes met, she saw my heart, stood up, and gave me a bear hug, crying tears of relief that mingled with mine!

We held each other for awhile, and then we sat down to have a heart to heart talk.

Before I knew it, the alarm on my Ironman wristwatch went off and I remembered the bombs that I had set. It was 3:30 and the time was up! I did not feel sorry for going so far, and prayed that other children would be saved as a result of my actions.

Tracy asked, "What was that?" A very faint sound penetrated the still, quiet night. A sound you could almost feel.

As soon as the words were out a stronger peel rattled the dishes and tilted a poorly balanced picture hanging on the wall.

It wasn't thunder. Thunder rolls on and on a few seconds, with crescendos and decrescendos, creating a wonderful symphony, a complex variety of sound. This was a single sound, a single thunder clap, a thunder fragment, though one with great force. Neither was the movement like that of an earthquake, which lingers on several seconds, rattling dishes and making floors seem to slide back and forth. This was like a very brief earthquake, with a very brief peel of thunder. It was a sound you could hear.

Dogs began barking.

Horrified, Tracy looked at me, to see if I shared her horror. But I showed only concern for her. I said, "Sounds like something I heard in Panama." It was the wrong thing to say, for one whose purpose is to set a mind at ease. Tracy ran outside to look. I followed. In the ugly orange aura of downtown lighting, we saw a cloud rising miles away.

As we watched, a third rumble, more distant, sounded below, far below, and unhampered by, the sound of barking dogs. Then, from miles away, came the sound of sirens, one after another, as if wakened from sleep and coming from different directions.

Tracy hugged me, trembling, like a child in a storm. After the past couple of days her reliance upon me to stave off fear was so refreshing, so wonderful! I laughed gently, partly because of my relief at her trust, and partly because of the needlessness of her fear. "Don't worry", I assured her. She looked at me, puzzled at my laughter, but reassured that I appeared to know something she didn't, which I appeared ready to explain.

I grabbed something to eat, and we talked on for a few more hours. I told her everything that had happened to me after she left, and how I had become a Christian, and what I had done at the abortion clinics. She was mad at first, but cooled as I explained why I had done what I did.

I showed her what Mike showed me in the Bible. I shared how Jesus changed my life and made me a new person. She was surprised, and listened eagerly, as I told her about God's plan and love for mankind. She, like myself, felt that all you had to do was live a good life and hope that the scale with your "good" deeds will outweigh the scale with your "bad" deeds.

I shared with her about the path she was on, and how God had sacrificed so much so we could avoid destruction and find true life.

We got to bed around 6:00 am. We had agreed that we would not sleep together again until we were married. She slept in one of the guest rooms down the hall for the night.

I woke up at 10:30 to the aroma of coffee and hot food. I got dressed, splashed some water on my face, and walked into the kitchen and dining room. Tracy had gotten up half an hour earlier and had started to make some sausages and omelets. We had some english muffins, milk, juice and coffee, which really hit the spot.

After breakfast we went in her car to see what was left after my visit the previous night. We went first to "A Choice for women", or more correctly, what was left of it. The only sign that a house had been there was the concrete pilings that the house sat on, and even those were damaged. There was debris everywhere, and milling around were police, people in suits, emergency workers, the bomb squad, and lots of cameramen and reporters, all jostling each other.

We drove slowly by, and then on to the remains of "The Women's Care Center". Only one wall remained standing, and it looked as if a strong wind would topple it. The scene was pretty much the same, with the same cast of people milling about.

We drove lastly to Planned Parenthood, where the ruins were still smoking and firefighters were still busy. I found out later that a large natural gas pipe had broken under the building and turned the place into an inferno in seconds. It took a few hours to discover and turn the gas off and put out the rest of the fire.

Reporters filmed the ruins, the authorities, bystanders, and each other.

We drove on back to the house.

I felt good that my knowledge had come in so handy and that those people would not be killing any babies for a long, long time.

Michael and his wife surprised us by stopping by and asking us if we wanted to go to church with them. I looked inquisitively at Tracy. She nodded yes. We were ready in a few minutes and were off -- following Mike's car to their church called, simply, "The Assembly Point".

We drove in and found a parking space not far from the entrance. We walked in with Mike and Bernadette. There were a lot of people already taking their seats in the sanctuary, and we found a seat next to the Henry's. He told me their church had over 500 members.

The service soon started, after some beautiful music by the choir. The congregation sang a great song called "Awesome God" which really lifted my spirits.

The sermon was on the Book of James, about how we are to show our faith through ministry. That faith results in the fruit of Good Works. The pastor spoke of a person who only talked, and produced no fruit, being deceived and still lost.

After the service, we invited the Henry's over, and talked to the pastor (affectionately called "Pastor Matt") about our decision. Much to my joy, when the altar call had been given at the end of the service, Tracy, with two others, had given their hearts to the Lord. Now we wanted to be baptized as well, to show our obedience.

We got back to the house around 1:45 and were getting some snacks ready for the arrival of the Henry's. They came soon afterwards. I had Tracy sit them in the living room as I broke open a couple of boxes of doughnuts to go with the coffee. Tracy brought out a couple of Carmen videos, of music with a gospel message.

But before we could relax Mike asked me if he could speak with me privately.

I told him to grab his cup and doughnut and follow me to my study where we could be alone. As soon as we had sat down, he shocked me by saying that he knew what I had done at the "Murder Mills", as he called them.

Next issue: Recruited!