Chapter 26
That week, the followers all gather into the auditorium to discuss the events happening around the country. Will describes what he did and then asks the group, how they should proceed.
“Sir, you need to be more visible, use the media to your advantage,” someone speaks up.
“You should hold press conferences, attend the larger church services where they televise the services,” says another.
“Go to the United Nations,” shouts another.
With that, cheers are heard from the group. Will stands up at the podium.
“My friends, those are all great suggestions. I have never been one to seek the lime light, but perhaps it is time that I learned. I have a very important mission and it is no longer about me but what I need to do. Thank you.”
Everyone in the room stands and cheers.
That night, Will and Amy are in their little apartment. Will is feeling depressed and Amy wants to know what is wrong.
“Will, what’s that matter? You have met with the President of the United States, the Governor of Colorado. You will be speaking with both seats of government. Your mission for God is coming together. Most people would be ecstatic.”
“I don’t belong here anymore. I need to be out there with the people that I am supposed to help.”
“Then, let’s go. We have the RV. We can move or go where ever you need to be.”
“Yes,” was all Will could say.
The next morning, Will told Jennifer, John, Bruce, and Bob that he was going on a road trip. He needed to get out to the people. Later that day, he and Amy leave on the road trip.
With no special destination to go to, they just head south. First stop is Albuquerque, NM. They found a campground just north of town. After setting up, Amy and Will walk around the campground. Will is at peace. He has a smile on his face. As they walk around the campground, they come upon a small chapel. Will leads Amy inside.
Will walks to the front of the chapel. No one is there, but he sits in the first row and closes his eyes. After a few moments, several others file into the chapel and walk up front. They too take a seat. Within 30 minutes, the chapel is full. Everyone is looking at Will. The chapel continues to fill overflowing. As Will stands up, a young family walks through the doors. The mother is carrying a young girl about 2 years old. The father is helping his son get through the doors on crutches. After entering the church, the young boy, who is about 8 years old, looks up and sees Will at the front of the chapel. He smiles and struggles up the aisle. When he reaches Will, he looks up and him and says,
“Mister, can you help my baby sister?”
Will looks at him and says, “Your sister?”
“Yes sir, she is sick and needs your help.”
The family has walked up the aisle and is standing there watching their son talk to this stranger. Will walks up to the family.
“Why is your son asking for help for his sister?”
“She is sick. She has water on the brain which is creating pressure. She needs an operation to be able to walk again. My husband has been laid off for the last 8 months and we don’t have insurance to take care of them,” says the mother, tears coming to her eyes.
The father has his head down and cannot look at Will. Will reads the young father’s mind and can see nothing but pain. The father feels like a failure. He cannot provide for them nor can he get the help his kids need to be healthy.
First, Will tells the father that all will be taken care of. Then Will turns to the sister.
“Please pray for this family. They have suffered so much and now have two children that need God’s healing hand.”
Will takes his hand and places it on the little girl’s head. A warm glow fills the young girl, her mother eyes tear up and run down her cheek. As the glow disappears, Will turns to the son. He kneels down and places his hand on the boy and another glow fills the room this time. The boy drops into Will’s arms. As he comes too, he asks Will.
“Were you able to help my sister?”
“Yes, son, your sister will be fine and so will you. Your desire to help your sister has resulted in your helping your family and yourself.”
The boy goes to get up and grabs his crutches. Will takes it from him and tells the boy to stand. He stands up and the biggest smile ever comes across his face. He starts to walk towards his father, one tentative step at a time, by the time he takes a few steps, he is practically running to his dad. There is not a dry eye in the chapel.
As people start to leave, several notice something different. This is an older group of campers, many have illnesses that come with age, arthritis, bad hearts, breathing issues, etc. as they leave the chapel and their ailments seem to disappear. Within hours, there is talk about the events in the tiny chapel in a campground outside of Albuquerque. News stations are interviewing the young family whose children are playing outside of their RV. The parents tell a story of a man who healed their children with a touch of his hand. Others stop by and tell how they have been healed as well. The newscasters’ signs off with a question, “Could this be because of the Second Coming of Christ?”
Amy and Will leave the campground and head to Denver, CO to meet with a joint session of the Representatives and the Governor. Along the way, they pick up Jennifer, John, Bruce, and Bob. The six of them travel in a little caravan. They decide to stop at their old campsite outside of Denver.
Although Will has tried to stay out of the lime light, he realizes that he needs to reach as many people as possible to get the message of peace to spread worldwide. He turns to Bruce for some assistance.
“Bruce, being a retired reporter, maybe you can help me.”
“Sure, how can I help?”
“I need to get as many people as I can to get the message out. When I talk to the Colorado Assembly in a few days, I want to make sure we have live coverage by TV. How can I do that?”
“Send a Press Release. Do it today, telling the news outlets that the Second Coming of Christ will be addressing the Colorado assembly on Tuesday at 3 pm. Better yet, I’ll take care of it. I still have some of my old contacts in the Press Release business. I can make sure it gets done right away and with top priority.”
“Thanks, Bruce. I hate using the title, but if it helps to get the word out, I will.”
True to his word, Bruce works his old contacts and Tuesday afternoon, when the group drives up to the capitol building, the streets are packed with TV, radio, and newspaper people from around the world. All the major news outlets are streaming the coverage live. Inside the assembly hall, it is standing room only. It is estimated that over 10 million people will be watching the speech.
At 3 pm, Will is introduced to the assembly.
“Governor, Honorable Representatives, people of Colorado, the United States and the world, Thank you. I promise this will not be a long speech.” Will smiles.
“About 7 years ago, something strange and wonderful happened to me. The Lord gave me a great gift. For many years, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with it. Today, I know what my mission from God is, to bring peace to the world. Today is the first step in the process. We live in a world of distrust, a world where people don’t have the common decency to respect for their fellow man. A world where God by whatever name you know him by, is not in our daily lives. Starting today, that will change. By the grace of God, I will use the powers he has given me to bring Peace to all of mankind. Colorado will be the beginning of that process. Within 30 days, all major crime will be reduced. The people of Colorado will live in peace with their neighbors around the world.”
Will stops as the assembly stands and begins to applaud. Will takes that time to send his message. By the end of the speech, criminals around the world start to turn themselves in. Asking for forgiveness for what they have done. The biggest change comes over the next 30 days, with the people of power. They begin to help their fellow men and women. Food and money that was earmarked for aid begins to make it to the villages and small towns most in need. Businesses begin to grow; unemployed workers are finding jobs. Families have food on the table. Church attendance is up around the world. At the end of the month, Colorado State Police report that there has been no major crime in the last week, anywhere in Colorado. Will and the group head toward Washington, DC for his second speech.
The message to Congress and the House of Representatives is basically the same. The audience around the world is much larger with an estimated 75 million people watching the live broadcast. The message may be the same, but the results are much more dramatic. Within days of the speech, third world countries are receiving aid. Major terrorist groups just seem to disappear almost overnight, the message of ‘kill infidels’ no longer on any anyone’s lips. Within a few months, military forces are drawn down and sent home. Families are back together again, kids have their parents at home. Church attendance increases. Word is received of more followers from around the world, the number of followers exceeds 100,000 and many are in high government positions.
That night, Will and Amy meet with the rest of the group. Jennifer and John are told to head back to Paradise. They will be in charge of the apartment complex. Bruce and Bob will head to Florida with Will and Amy.
“Before we separate, I have a question. Supposedly we have reached over 100 million people. We have heard that we have over 100,000 followers with some of the same capabilities as we have. I cannot reach all the people of the world, so I will need help. How do I contact the rest of the followers? We have already discussed this and I have to know about them in order to communicate with them telepathically. I can’t talk to 100,000 people one at a time.”
“Why not do it via groups? Select someone in each country to talk to and then they can talk to someone in their country, etc. Something like the United Nations,” offers Bob.
“That just might work. Except, how do I find the one person in each country?”
“Will, you will have to trust that the Lord will find a way,” says Bruce.
“Aargh. Why does everything have to be so hard! Okay, if I am to do this, then He will have to help me figure it out.”
“So where in Florida are we heading and why?” asked Bob.
“Winter is just around the corner, so I figured we would go to Disney. Besides I want to stop by the church in Kissimmee. We are also going to stop in Atlanta. There is someone there I have to see. She has suffered enough.”
“You’re going to see Susan?” asked Amy.
“Yes, she is in a mental hospital in Atlanta. Time she was set free. She can no longer hurt me. It’s time to forgive her.”
“I don’t know, Will, she tried to have you killed,” responds Amy.
“She got caught up in a lie while trying to protect me. She had told the FBI Director that I had died so that no further action would be taken. When he saw us on TV in Colorado, she had to make sure I wasn’t found, so she had a couple of FBI agents try to kill me to save face. Yes, it was wrong, but she was in a bad spot and only human.” says Will.
The next day, the groups splits up. Jennifer and John head back to Colorado and the rest of the group head to Kissimmee, Florida via Atlanta, Georgia.
Will and Amy arrive at the mental hospital and after a while are directed to a common area. Susan is escorted in about 10 minutes later. By looking at her you can tell she is drugged. Her clothes are a mess and probably haven’t been changed in a week. Her hair is a mess and she has not been bathed in a while.
“Hello Susan, do you remember me?” asks Will.
“You look familiar, do I know you?” replies Susan.
“We worked together in the past. Susan, I am sorry for what I had to do back then. I am going to make it up to you,” states Will.
With that, Will calls over the attendant.
“Can you have the staff doctor come in to see us?”
“Sir, the doctor is very busy. He is on his rounds and does not like to deviate from them. You will have to make an appointment.”
Will simply plants the instructions into the attendant’s mind and he runs off to find the doctor. While they are waiting for the doctor, Will places his hand on Susan. There is a warm glow and her eyes become clear and a look of recognition comes to her face. Before she can say anything, the doctor comes into the common area.
“What is the meaning of this? I am a very busy man.”
“Doctor, calm down. This woman has been in here long enough and needs to be released. Please get the paperwork together and have it signed by 3 pm, so she can go home with us.”
At first, the doctor is dumbfounded. Then he gets up and starts to leave the room. As he gets to the door, he turns and says, “right away, you can wait here if you want, it won’t take long.” and he is gone.
Susan looks at Will, “What just happened? How did you find me? Why am I here? I stink!”
“Susan, do you remember our meeting in Louisiana?”
“Not really, I am not even sure where I am at the moment,” she says.
“You used to work for the FBI. You were an agent assigned to assist me. When we parted ways, you knew I wanted to be left alone so you told the FBI that I died. When I surfaced a few months later, you tried to have me killed so that you wouldn’t lose your job. From the stress, you had a breakdown and were sent here.”
“How long have I been here?” Susan asks.
“A couple of years.”
“How come you are here?”
“It is time for you to get out of here. You don’t belong in this place. Let’s get you cleaned up and ready to leave. You have a lot to catch up on. Amy, will you take Susan to her room and help her? Susan, this is Amy, my wife. She will help you get cleaned up and packed. We don’t have a lot of time, so, please hurry.”
Amy and Susan leave the room and Will waits for the doctor.
The doctor returns, following Amy and Susan into the room. Susan looks much more confident and alert. The doctor gets right to the forms. Susan signs herself out of the hospital. As they leave the hospital, Susan stops on the steps. There is a light rain coming down and she just looks up at the sky while the raindrops fall. There is a childlike smile on her face. After a few minutes, she comes down the steps and gets into the back seat of the Jeep with Amy.
“Susan, you don’t have a place to stay at the moment. Is there any family we can contact?” asks Amy.
“Not really. I have never been married and my parents are long gone. As far as I know, I don’t have any money, furniture, clothing, or a job, but I am out of that place!”
“Susan, I own an apartment complex in Colorado. There is plenty of room for you there. I am sure we can find some work for you once you get settled. Would you like that?” asks Will.
“I have never been to Colorado. What is it you do, Will?”
“It is kind of hard to explain. Amy, do you want to fill Susan in on the details?”
While Will drives them to the campsite, Amy fills her in on Will’s mission from God. Susan begins to remember more and more about her work with Will. By the time they get to the campground, she is amazed that this man is so down to earth and willing to help her after all she tried to do to him.
“Will, I am sorry for what I tried to do to you. I don’t understand how you can be here, helping me start a new life. Of course, I would love to help any way I can and an apartment would be great.”
“That’s great, tomorrow we will get you to the airport and arrange to have someone pick you up and take you to Paradise.”
“Paradise?”
“That is the name of the little town where the apartment complex is and the others of our group. Don’t worry; we won’t try to convert you or anything. The people at the apartment complex are from all walks of life and stay there until they can get their feet on the ground. Jennifer and John run the place for me. One of them will help you get settled. When you are ready, they can help you find something to do.”
“Amy says you have some special powers. What kind of powers?” asks Susan.
“I can read and control minds and bodies.”
“Control, how?”
“Anyway, I want. The two agents you sent to kill me, died because of a heart attack that I gave them. You will hear a lot of things that I have done when you get to Colorado. Most of it is true. I want to assure you that I do not use my abilities to force people to do things against their will. I simply change their minds when I have to. It is only when I have to protect myself that I resort to physical force. I prefer to heal to get the message across rather than harm.”
The next morning, Amy and Will drop Susan off at the airport. Jennifer will pick her up in Denver and make sure she gets settled in.
Sunday morning, Amy and Will attend a good size Baptist Church on the outskirts of Atlanta. There are hundreds of people in attendance. Amy and Will find seats up front. Shortly after the service starts, there is a commotion to their right.
A young man begins to screams, “God does not care anymore. God must pay for what he has done to my family and you people will pay the cost for God, just like Jesus paid for your sins, you will pay for God’s sins.”
The young man runs to the front of the church and reveals that he has a bomb and as he gets ready to detonate the bomb, Will stands up and walks to the young man.
What the others don’t see, is the thoughts that Will is placing into the young man’s mind. Instead of detonating the bomb, the boy begins to cry uncontrollably. He sinks to his knees and asks the Lord for forgiveness. Will picks him up and leads him to the altar. Together they pray and they are joined by the pastor. Shortly thereafter, the police arrive and the young man is taken away. After the service, the pastor comes to Will.
“I want to thank you for what you did today. That Jimmy could have killed a great many of these people. But luckily God was watching out for him. I don’t recognize you as a member of the church. Is this your first visit?”
“Yes, my wife and I are just passing through and needed a place to worship before continuing our journey.”
“I’m Pastor Bob.”
“My name is Will Smythe and my wife is Amy.”
“Well, Will, thank you for your help today. Jimmy will appreciate what you did, someday.”
“Pastor, do you know the young man?”
“Yes, Jimmy comes from the other side of the tracks as they say. He has been the breadwinner for his family since his father took ill about 8 months ago. I will have to stop in to see if there is anything that the church can do for them.”
“Are you busy now? I would like to go along. Perhaps I can help them.”
“I’m sure that is not necessary. You have done a great deal already today. Have a safe journey.” the pastor turns to some of the others standing nearby.
While the conversation is going on, the pastor is trying to remember where he has heard the name Will Smythe, then he remembers, the Second Coming of Christ!
“Will, WAIT!!” The pastor runs after them. “I am so sorry. I didn’t recognize the name at first. Please forgive me! It is such a great honor to have you here. Of course, this all makes sense now. Pour Jimmy had no idea that God was listening and had sent you to our church to help him. He is truly blessed to have had you here.”
Pastor Bob, is kneeling in front of Will, holding his left hand in both of his. His head is slightly bowed and a tear can be seen rolling down his face.
The remaining people who stayed after services are all kind of bewildered. They have no idea what their pastor is talking about nor why he is kneeling in front of this man.
The pastor looks up and sees his parishioners, then says to them,
“Bow before the Second Coming of Christ!” he demands.
For some, it is an immediate response as they kneel down before him, others take some thought but within a minute all are kneeling before Will.
Then, two policemen, an older woman, and an old man come into the church. None of them are prepared for what they see.
The old woman comes forward to the pastor.
“Pastor, I beg your forgiveness for what Jimmy tried to do. He lost his job last night. His car was stolen from work and he just could not take any more. He is a good boy.”
“Madam, my name is Will Smythe. Your son will be fine. God has forgiven him. Is this your husband?” asks Will.
“Yes, sir. Who are you? Are you with the church?”
“No, I am a visitor who helped your son today.” Will turns to the officers, “Officers can you bring Jimmy back here? His parents are here to help him.”
The officers look at each other and then one gets on the radio to request that he be brought into the church.
As they are waiting for Jimmy, Will walks up to the older man, who is being helped by one of the officers.
“Sir, I understand that you are having some health issues.”
“There is nothing that you can do. The doctors say my injuries are permanent. I am a cripple for life. This is all my fault, a son should not have to support his parents.”
Will puts his hand on the old man’s shoulder. Everyone is watching Will and they all see the warm glow fill the man and disappear. The man stands upright, moves his head left and right, raises his arms one at a time and then bends over at the waist. He turns and looks at Will.
“I can move without any pain! How did you do that? The doctors said there was nothing they could do.” He begins to cry.
Pastor Bob comes over to Will and the old man and announces to the group that they have seen the healing power of the Second Coming of Christ. That night the evening service is filled to overflowing. Will stands with Pastor Bob. Jimmy, his mother, and father are in the front row.
“Some people have said they witness me performing a miracle here today. I disagree. I was a tool used by God to heal this man and save this young man from doing something he would regret for eternity. God wants you to live in peace with your fellow man, regardless of where they are. It is my mission from God to spread that word. Now it is your turn to live up to God’s will.”
The choir sings and Pastor Bob preaches about loving thy neighbor and the rest of the 10 Commandments. News of the events makes the news in Atlanta, another miracle from the Second Coming of Christ. Before leaving the church, Amy gives Pastor Bob a check and instructions to make sure that the family is taken care of and that a new car is given to Jimmy so he can continue to work. The next day, Amy and Will head to Florida.
Winter is pretty quiet in Florida. Amy, Will, Bruce, and Bob visit the parks and enjoy visiting the various churches. Will has a special place in his heart for the church in Kissimmee and they attend it often. This is one place where Will’s fame is not well known. Even when attending the church of his wedding in Kissimmee, his face has been forgotten.
The last Sunday before they are to leave for Colorado, Amy and Will are sitting in church and Will experiences a blue haze episode. It lasts only a few minutes but does drain him like it used to. Amy has sensed that something happened and holds onto Will as the service comes to an end. They sit there while the church empties out and then make their way to the car.
“What happened in there?”
“I had another haze episode.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I wonder what new capabilities I have.”
“Do you feel anything different?”
“I don’t know. Whatever it is, it will come to me. It always does.”
Amy drives back to the campground. During the drive, Jennifer contacts Will telepathically about an issue back at the apartment. It seems that they are running out of rooms. As Will starts thinking about the problem, several voices come to him with suggestions. He continues to think about the suggestions and more voices respond, including Amy, Bruce, Bob, Jennifer, and John. They begin to hold a conversation with more people joining in. Everyone understands what the issues are as they join in. Over the next hour, Will is able to communicate with dozens of his followers at one time. All he has to do is think of a subject and anyone related or involved response. The answer to his dilemma has been provided. He has the ability to communicate with a group of people without knowing them as long as the topic is common.
That night Amy, Will, Bruce, and Bob are sitting around the campfire relaxing with some drinks and talking about Will’s latest ability and Will is watching the fire. He is watching a log burn and thinks about rearranging it; the log begins to move to his thoughts. Slowly Will raises his left hand and thinks about relocating the log and twisting it to catch the other side on fire. The conversation stops as the group watches Will play with the fire without touching any tools. Over the next hour or so, Will, plays with his new ability. He opens the ice chest and gets drinks for everyone, he keeps the fire going. Will actually enjoys moving things around.
Before heading to bed that night, Will thinks out loud, “God has answered our prayers. I now have a way to communicate with a group of people that I may or may not know and I have telekinetic powers. Lord, what do you have planned for me?”
Next morning, Amy asks Will “What are we going to do about housing?”
“I have been thinking about it, I am going to send out a message to all that can hear me to stay in their own country. I was going to ask John to see if there is any land in Paradise that we can build another apartment complex, but I think I will ask Bruce and Bob to do the research. The school building worked out well and is making money. I have enough for the construction cost; we just have to find a place to build a new set of buildings on.”
“The school came with a good bit of ground, why not just expand there?”
“That is an idea, I’ll have Bruce or Bob look into it.”
Later that morning Amy, Will, Bob, and Bruce get together.
“Guys, I want you to head back to Paradise. Jennifer contacted me about the apartment complex. They are out of the room. I want you two to figure out where we can build a new complex. Amy thinks the school property might have enough space on it for an addition. Would you mind checking it out?”
Bob answers, “We would rather stay with you, but if that is what you need us to do, of course, we will.”
“We will be staying in this area for the winter. If you want, leave your rigs in storage and come back when you figure out where to put the new apartment complex.”