"I Am a Missionary to Mars"©️ by Ruth Hauck
Chapter 1: Preparations
Dear Journal,
My name is Simon Stephenson and I’m 13 years old. Grandpa Abrams gave this journal to me for Christmas and he said that I should write about all of my exciting adventures on Mars. He doesn’t plan to go to Mars so he thinks that reading about it will be like enjoying it vicariously. (“Vicarious” is one of my vocabulary words this week.) My parents are going to help prepare for the colonists who are flying there in 2095. Dad is going to do some vertical farming experiments and Mom, actually I don’t exactly understand what Mom does but it has something to do with maintaining a livable habitat for humans and she works with computers and other types of technological gadgets. She’s an engineer. At one time she planned to be an astronaut engineer but then she met dad at church and, as she says, “God changed the trajectory.” Aaron and Olivia aren’t going because they’re in college. Anyway, I don’t think that they want to go. Do I want to go? I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it until now. It seems like I always go where Mom and Dad go-at least on vacations. But this isn’t a vacation. This is a month of work. For me, it’s a chance to go to school. I’m usually homeschooled but Mom and Dad will be too busy to help me much on Mars and there’s a small school there for the other kids who come with their parents.
Dear God, please help me shine Your light, Your truth and love, at the school. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
The kids at the school might not be Christians. They have probably never heard that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins. They’re walking in the darkness and can’t see the light of His lordship and sweetness of His salvation. We can’t take much on the trip, but I’m going to bring my Bible and my old children’s Bible in case someone wants it. It’s not really my old Bible. My old Bible is falling apart because I read it so much. Grandma Stephenson bought me a replacement but, around the same time, Mom and Dad gave me this new unabridged Bible so I didn’t really use the children’s one much.
Today at church we learned about how Jesus broke Sabbath laws to help people. Mr. Andrews pointed out that something like that happened in Acts when it was against man’s rules to tell others about Jesus. It’s more important to follow God’s rules. At the end Mr. Andrews talked about how I’m called to go to Mars.
"If your parents are called, you are called too.”
He said that I will have many chances to help people. The help they really need is to hear that Jesus can be their Lord and Savior. They must believe. Everyone came around me and prayed for me. Maggie told me that she will pray for me every morning when she wakes up and every night when she goes to sleep. She put a small silver ring in my hand. It says,
"And surely I am with you.”
It’s what Jesus said at the end of the book of Matthew before he went back to Heaven. Journal, I think that I’m going to miss Maggie.
Chapter 2: A Bumpy Beginning
“And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders…” Luke 15:5 WEB
Dear Journal,
So much has happened and we haven’t even arrived on Mars yet! Let’s see, where should I start? Well, one thing is that I’ve been thinking of Psalm 8 where it says,
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
4 what is man, that you think of him?”
I keep staring out the windows of our hypersonic shuttle, but let me back up.
First, we went on a speedplane to get to our launch site. The snacks on the speedplane were super scrumptious-pupizzas (pupusas that are like pizzas)! Dad talked with me in his really serious way. He basically has two modes: serious and silly. Anyway, he reminded me that God blessed Abraham so he could be a blessing and the one who has been given much-well, from him much is expected . He encouraged me to shine light like on a hill so that it can result in praise to our Heavenly Father-all that sort of thing. Mom was reading Psalms.
When we launched there was some kind of delay so we started singing old songs like “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” and “Blessed Assurance.” We also made up songs like “God Made Mars And Me Too” and “If There Were Martians God Would Be Their Creator.” Those songs sounded better with percussion.
On our 5th day on the shuttle I was eating with my parents in the food court area when I saw a little girl on the upper deck. No one ever exactly said that the upper deck is only for adults, but it’s the kind of rule that you can figure out by paying attention. There are a lot of control panels and other important things up there.
So I looked around to see where the girl’s parents were and it seemed like they were managing some of those controls up there. They were focused on discussing a problem of some sort. She seemed curious, almost as if she was planning to turn some of the dials up there. “I will be back soon.” I said to my parents. They were savoring their steak and must have thought that I was going to the restroom.
I climbed up the narrow steel spiral staircase to the girl to keep her from touching the shuttle instruments and then I noticed that she had tears on her cheeks.
“Why are you crying?” I asked.
“I miss Sammy.” She said in a whisper kind of voice.
I asked the obvious, “Who is Sammy?”
“Sammy is my cat and we had to leave him with my cousins so we can fly.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Sammy. Did you know that there’s a ‘Samuel’ in the Bible?”
She shook her head.
“The Bible also talks about how God is always with us, even when we fly. It says that Jesus paid for our sins, our wrongs, by dying on the Cross and rising again. We can have forgiveness. We can follow God. We can have peace with God.”
Some people like to talk about spiritual warfare. Our family isn’t one of those. But maybe what happened next was spiritual warfare. There was a big bump, a jolt. And then, to my shock, a flame leapt out of a panel next to the girl’s head. Alarms went off and an oxygen warning siren wailed.
I didn’t think. I barely even prayed, “God, help!”
Super fast, I swung her over my shoulders and scurried down that metal spiral staircase. It must have been God who acted because I wasn’t thinking about what I was doing; I was just moving.
Someone screamed. It might have been her mom.
In a few minutes the adults had everything under control again and her parents were in the food court thanking me and talking to my parents about the specifics of the malfunction on the upper deck.
My heart was beating loudly and I felt like I might vomit or pass out or something, but I also felt surprisingly calm- on the outside at least.
Wow, remembering that makes me feel kind of tired. I will tell you more later.
Chapter 3: Silent At School
“But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil.” Romans 16:9
Dear Journal,
Let me quickly wrap up that last entry. The girl’s name was Zoe, which means “life” in Greek. Pretty cool. Her parents threw a party on board to honor my “heroic actions” and “quick-thinking efforts” to protect Zoe. At the party I got the pinmicrophone and shared about God who has delivered me from darkness and transferred me into the kingdom of his beloved son in whom I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 3). I think that even my parents were not expecting that. After a few minutes of talking I gave the pinmicrophone back to Zoe’s dad and he smiled and said, “Now we know what fuels his courage!” He winked at my dad. That was an awesome experience and it’s glorious for me to remember that time on the shuttle on a day like today. Today was hard.
It started when I first sat down in my new classroom.
“Where’s your tablet?” the teacher asked.
“I don’t have one because the content is mostly inappropriate.” I explained.
It seemed like the teacher was laughing at me.
“I assure you they’re perfectly appropriate for my class!” Then he mentioned some strange things about especially enjoying shows about (the Lord’s enemy and other highly inappropriate subjects).
That was how it began.
It didn’t get better.
The others used tablets to take notes but I used an old fashioned lap board and dry erase marker. But I didn’t take notes.
The teacher-I don’t even want to mention his name-spoke for a very long time jumping from one topic to the next. He spoke about worthless things and wicked people-Darwin, Marx, Freud, and more. It took every ounce of self-restraint I had not to speak up. That would be arguing, which would be bad. I also felt the impulse to jump out of my seat and out the door. Perspiration trickled down the sides of my face. Finally I had an idea.
I started using my lapboard. At first I drew a shepherd and sheep. Then I wrote out Bible verses, like all of Psalm 23…”The Lord is my shepherd…” At last I wrote fragments of verses that I remembered that directly addressed the lies and confusion the teacher was teaching those poor kids. Every inch of the lapboard was covered.
When the teacher was finished, I was the first one to leave the room and go to the dining area. I didn’t feel hungry at all nor did I really want to sit and talk with my classmates. I was silently praying and asking the Lord what He wanted me to do. Then I saw Zoe. A boy from my class was bothering her hair and upsetting her. Sitting down next to her, I looked up at him. He backed away without a word.
“My mom says that you’re my guardian angel.” Zoe said.
“I’m just a kid like you,” I replied.
She actually needed a lot of help eating because she had trouble opening food containers and maneuvering her spork. I cut her broccoli up into smaller bits too.
I turned to Zoe and said things that I had been thinking during my horrible time at school.
“Zoe, the point of life is to know God and glorify him. We are all sinners and we will all die someday. We must ask Jesus to save us. He is the only one who can save us. Jesus is fully God and fully man…”
“Are you mad at me?” Zoe asked.
“Oh no, Zoe. I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I’m just excited. And maybe a little mad- but not at you.”
“Bye bye,” she said as she went to her Mom. She smiled at me and spoke kindly.
“Thank you so much for helping her. This is the first time we’ve brought her with us on our shuttle missions. Usually we leave her with other family but we’re thinking of bringing her again in a couple of weeks so you might be seeing her around. Tonight we’ll be flying back to earth. Thanks again, Simon!” She gave my hand a little squeeze and took Zoe through the exit tunnel.
Somehow all of that helped me calm down a little. (Thank you, dear Lord, for Zoe and her mom. Please help Zoe to believe in you and so be saved.)
After everyone was done eating it seemed like we were supposed to go back to the classroom to collect our belongings before returning to our living quarters.
I was the last person to enter the classroom and I’m thankful for that. My entire body felt cold and numb when I saw the teacher holding up my lapboard and laughing with the other students. “It looks like someone has been busy making pictures for babies in Sunday School, hmm?” That smile was the most evil smile I have ever seen in my whole life.
Dear Lord, please bless the teacher and help him know your goodness and love. Help him know your forgiveness because he definitely needs it…
I’ve been thinking about those Psalms called “imprecatory” Psalms-the ones that are about cursing God’s enemies. Of course, we’re supposed to bless our enemies and pray for them. The teacher is probably an extremely unhappy person.
How can I tell the truth about Jesus in a classroom that’s so full or darkness?
Dear Journal,
Today was, in some ways, like yesterday, but a little better. On the one hand, the kids are mean now too. On the other hand, I’m more bold about proclaiming truth to them-during lunch and even in the classroom.
When I walked into class the first thing that happened was that the teacher- I will just tell you now that his name is Dr. Duke- asked me if I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
“Yes,” I said.
He spent the rest of the day teaching us about Science and occasionally poked fun at me and “others like” me.
It all spilled into the eating area too.
“Don’t eat that chicken-it was fathered by God!” Julius said.
Amber added, “It’s a sacrifice!”
I thought about the verse that says that man’s anger doesn’t make the righteousness that God wants. But I was still eating angrily, if you know what I mean. Chewing and chewing, biting off hunks of chicken…I think that being furious made me less able to salivate or something because I started choking on the chicken.
I prayed earnestly, “Dear God, I’m so sorry for being angry. Please oh please don’t let me choke in front of these kids.”
God, in his mercy, heard my prayer and the chicken slid right down after that.
“God bless you,” I murmured to Amber.
“What?” Julius asked.
I cleared my throat.
“May the Lord bless you,” I said clearly to Julius.
“He made you and, and he loves you-enough to send Jesus.”
Amber and Julius looked at each other but didn’t say anything.
When I went into the classroom for my lapboard, Dr. Duke announced that we’re going to “shadow” our parents at work tomorrow. May God be praised that I won’t be in the shadows of Dr. Duke’s darkness.
Chapter 4: Shadowing
Dear Journal,
Something interesting happened this morning. When I glanced in the mirror I saw something . The mirror here is more clear than the one in our old 2003 home on earth. It could be the lighting. Anyway, there was my pale, freckled, longish face with large hazel eyes, dark brown bangs, and a mouth that, like my mom’s, sometimes has a “Mona Lisa” smile. But there was something else-on my cheek. There, as plain as could be, was a cross imprinted on my skin with pink lines. It must have come from my sheet or cushion while I was sleeping. Of course it faded later in the morning. If I check the cabin safety surveillance logs I can see it again and show it to my parents.
It caused me to think about Jesus. Jesus wasn’t angry at the people who put him on the cross. He knew they were oblivious, completely unaware of their sin. Jesus petitioned our Heavenly Father for their forgiveness. How much more should I intercede for Dr. Duke, Julius , Amber… sigh.
Let’s get to the fascinating part of the day. I will explain some background info first (for Grandpa because I know you will read this sometime).
There are currently only ten settlements here and they’re called “Sets” for short. They have names from the letters of the Greek alphabet. We mostly stay on Set Gamma but Dad travels around to other sets for day trips. Often he’s at Set Theta because that’s where much of his work is.
Set Gamma is built like a wheel with enclosed concentric circles and a fairly large hub in the center. Mom works in the center where the Chief Science Officer, Lieutenant Shapiro (who is really nice and is the first pregnant woman on Mars), and some other people serve.
The outermost rim is for our water reclamation machinery.
Set Gamma is the largest Set and is also the oldest set that is functional.
Much of the inside is white, silvery, or gray, but there are also accents of vivid green, deep royal blue, and light yellow and orange. Our family’s living quarters includes a small fish tank in the wall. It’s tempting to get distracted and just stare endlessly at the shiny, peaceful fish instead of praying, reading the Bible, or doing something useful like exercising, so I try to ignore the tank.
Let’s see, what else?
As I mentioned, the food on the speedplane was delightful. The food on the hypersonic shuttle was slightly less so. The food here is much less so. Don’t think that I’m complaining though. I’m just being factual.
So, where were we?
First, I shadowed Dad and then I briefly shadowed Mom.
Dad showed me around a cramped, bright room in Set Gamma that has corn plants. At one point he counted all of the leaves on each plant. Later he examined roots through the transparent containers where they’re planted. He thought that the root architecture of one in particular was noteworthy. He examined silks. Using a magnifying glass he inspected one ear of corn. He counted how many ears are on each plant. All of this monitoring and recording data could be done by others he said, but he prefers to do it himself for quality control. Later he will interpret his data and draw conclusions. To be honest, I relished being with dad even if the activities were, well, corny!
OK, so next, after eating with dad in our quarters, Mom came and took me to The Center. We had to enter a password and pass through biometric surveillance first. Mom had to enter me into the system so the machines would let me in. She put forth so much effort just so I could come in one time for half an hour. It felt special to be let in and to think that, now that I’m in the system, I could come again to visit her sometime if it’s allowed. That’s just wishful thinking I know.
You may be curious what it was like in The Center. It seemed much smaller than I would have guessed. The place was covered in buttons and dashboards and devices of all kinds. There were VR headsets too and a holoboard.
Mom sits in the center of the room in a white chair. She has a small personal holoboard where she does some of her work but she also has a physical monitoring panel with dials to change habitat settings.
She pointed to the far right,
“Look at that, Simon. That’s the temperature control for Set Gamma. I must overcompensate every day because of a misreading on the control panel.”
“Why is there a misreading?” It seemed like a logical question.
“See this hairline crack here? It’s affecting it enough to throw off the readings.” She sounded almost sad.
“Can they fix this panel?” I asked naively.
“Yes, they can, but they don’t. Someone is trying to make my job more difficult here, and this is one of the ways that it happens.”
“But why?”
“Because there is evil in this universe, Simon. But there is also God, on his throne, reigning on high. And his word commands us to overcome evil with good. It was hoped that someone’s sister would get this post this month, but I’ve received more training and have more qualifications. I didn’t realize what kind of work environment I was signing up for when I applied to accompany your father.”
“Can we fix it ourselves?”
“Oh, son. You don’t know how many times that same thought has crossed my mind. You see this little screwdriver I keep under here? I know exactly where the replacement panel is. It’s in that shelf near the bottom by the corner.”
Mom motioned to a wall of shelves. They were all behind a glass that had a lock on it.
“Nearly everything in this room can be replaced-including me.”
“No, Mom, there’s no replacement for you!” I protested.
She put her hand on the back of my head.
“I’m grateful for your love, sweet Simon. And I love you too. Please pray that Chief Science Officer Fuller will replace this panel before the crack grows and affects other habitat controls- like the oxygen.”
Mom pointed and showed me that the Oxygen monitor is adjacent to the Temperature monitor.
Somehow finding out that the circumstances are difficult for Mom too helps. I guess I was getting pretty self-absorbed thinking about my little classroom drama. Mom’s problems seem weightier.
Dear Lord, please help the Temperature panel get fixed. Please don’t let Set Gamma have oxygen issues. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Chapter 5: The Little Ones
“One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them.” Luke 18:15a
Dear Journal,
Something kind of bitter has happened and something kind of sweet has happened. But if I understand the word “bittersweet” correctly it’s not really “bittersweet.” I should apologize for my absence. I realize that I haven’t written in more than a week or so. At first it was because I felt too upset, and then it was because I was too busy- in a wonderful way.
Here's what happened (I will try to remember as many details as I can.):
Oh, and there’s one other interesting day I should also mention so let me include that first.
The adults were going through old storage from Set Beta and they found items that were kind of historical. Our class got to see them and I even got to keep some. I don’t remember everything but there were these really large old solar panels. Those panels were how people collected solar energy in the old days. Also, there were some oxygen masks that people fitted over their faces a long time ago if something went wrong. I got to keep a few of those. You might like to see them, Grandpa. Sorry, I don't remember the other things but I will definitely write them down if I do later. For now, I’m eager to get to the story of what happened.
Well, it started with a test. We didn’t know that we were going to have a test. In fact, I heard Mom and Dad talking in the middle of the night when they thought I was asleep. Dad told Mom that it’s possible that I was the reason that Dr. Duke made the test.
The test was about the things that Dr. Duke likes to talk about.
For instance, the first question was about how old the earth is. I answered, “about 6,000 years old” even though I knew that he would say that was not the answer he was looking for.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I “failed” Dr. Duke’s test.
I had sort of gotten used to him though so it didn’t really bother me. Until I walked into class the next day and there was a girl in my desk. I had never seen that girl before. She must have come from another Set.
“Oh, Simon,” Dr. Duke said in a mockingly kind tone. “You might find that some other, different classmates are more, how shall I put this, on your level?” He smiled a wide Cheshire smile.
“Julius, would you be willing to help our friend here find his way to a more suitable class?”
With that, large, tall Julius stood up and passed by me out the door. It seemed I had to follow him.
I did follow him. I followed him to green pastures. Seriously, there’s literally a substance almost like grass in the tiny room where the little kids meet. There’s also light blue paint on the ceiling, a huge bright yellow painted sun on one of the walls, and cushions on the floor instead of desks.
I saw a man who had a kind, wise face and twinkling eyes. He seemed a little startled but also welcoming. He stood.
“Hi there, son. I’m Dr. Golden. Truly, I’m a doctor. (He might have been referencing the fact that Dr. Duke has a Ph. D in Far Eastern Studies.)
“I’m a medical doctor but, thankfully, there’s not much work to do on Set Gamma so they’ve given me extra duties- or shall I say, ‘opportunities?’” he smiled at a child who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old.
Children under ten are only allowed on Mars for two weeks, so it’s rare to see any. In this room there were three: Greg, Tobias, and Elizabeth. Greg is an active 9-year-old and Tobias is his sweet, shy little brother. He's 5. Elizabeth is 7-year-old and she’s super smart. Her parents are teaching her New Testament Greek by the way.
“Did someone send you here?” Dr. Golden asked.
It was at that moment that I realized the truth.
“Yes, Sir. I have been sent. Sent through my family and with the prayers and blessings of my church. I have been sent by God.”
“I guess that makes you a missionary then, son. What’s your name?”
“Simon, Sir.”
“Simon the Missionary, do you have any ideas for activities?”
I talked with the little ones for a few minutes and discovered that they all loved music.
“We can make up songs!” I suggested.
After improvising some instruments and practicing for a while, we came up with the song, “Jesus Has Won And He’s the Only Saving One!”
The kids took the assignment very seriously and were also giddy as they praised the Lord together. I directed it and helped each to know when it was time to play or sing.
“Perhaps we can perform this for your parents when they come this afternoon,” Dr. Golden announced.
Basically everyday is amazing now that I understand my calling to be a missionary to these precious kids.
I sing Jesus songs and make up motions. I tell Bible stories and help them act them out. I pray with and for each child by name.
May You be glorified, oh God of my days here, God of all of my days and nights. Thank You so much for leading me to Dr. Golden’s classroom. Please help Dr. Duke to know Your goodness and mercy. Save Him, Lord. And save Julius and Amber and…
Oh, sorry, I think that I fell asleep.
I am honored and humbled to serve here by God’s grace and through his strength in me. This is so deeply good!
Chapter 6: Lost Sheep
Dear Journal,
This entry is going to be shorter because I’m making instruments tonight to show the kids tomorrow. This means that I’m asking people around Set Gamma if they have any surplus items that I can engineer into sound machines. For example, I’ve turned a plastic pipe into a pretty decent wind instrument and have a large collection of drums and shakers.
This is what happened yesterday: I went to Dr. Golden’s class as usual. Elizabeth was there and she was sort of singing to herself while Dr. Golden stood in the doorway to greet me and the others. But the others didn’t come. Dr. Golden beeped the boys’ parents but they had already left for Set Epsilon. According to them, they had escorted the boys as far as the eating area that is next to the three classrooms. What happened next, we wondered?
I had never seen Dr. Golden seem concerned before. He generally vacillates between being profoundly calm and gently joyous.
I prayed.
"Dear Lord, please lead us to Greg and Tobias.”
Before I had even concluded the prayer I remembered something that Tobias said once.
“If you stand right where the water (reclamation) machines end, you can see Sets Delta and Epsilon.”
“Is there a way that they could get to the water reclamation rim?” I asked Dr. Golden.
“I believe so. That area is not considered dangerous or classified.”
“Let’s go!” I said.
Dr. Golden sighed a bit reluctantly but he, Elizabeth and I ventured into a corridor that had five doors, two on one side, two on the other, and one at the end. We could hear their voices. Tobias sounded excited but Greg sounded nearly bewildered.
“Are you sure that’s Set Epsilon? I don’t see them.” He was saying.
“Epsilon, epsilon!” Tobias squealed.
He seemed happy to share his view with us too when we emerged through the door.
“Epsilon!”
I glimpsed a bit of shiny white but that was all. Next, I looked at Dr. Golden. He sure seemed relieved.
He beeped their parents to tell them what happened and hastily returned us all to our assigned classroom so no one would be worried about us. (No one ever comes to our classroom anyway.)
Dear God, just as you rescued Your precious lost sheep today, please also rescue Dr. Duke, Julius, Amber, Mariko, Tyler, Ali, Eric, Sabrina, Howie, Lily, Jude, Anh, and Michelle. May You be praised for leading us to the boys this morning. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
I better get back to creating instruments. The next time I write I will try to remember to tell you what the little ones thought of them.
Chapter 7: Gifts from Home
I didn’t even know it was possible to receive personal packages on Mars, Grandpa! Imagine my surprise when I got the gifts from you all: a child-sized djembe drum, diminutive hand bells, cymbals, a recorder, and a small keyboard. Real ones, not holographic ones! Mom says that we should leave them here for kids who come in the future. I guess that’s what Jesus wants. Oh, and the music that’s literal sheet music like, “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” I taught the hand motions for that to the kids a couple of days ago so that one is fresh in their minds. These will help with the concert we’re planning before Greg and Tobias have to leave.
Dear God, Thank you for wonderful grandparents who not only gave me this journal but also gave gifts to help the children worship you. Thank you for all the ways that you equip me to be a missionary for your glory. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Chapter 8: Some Trust in Chariots
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20:7 WEB
Dear Journal,
People around here are understandably proud of how far humanity has come in terms of scientific progress in the last century or so especially.
That is, people are often bragging about how impressive the Sets are. It doesn’t sound humble.
I think that, for the record, I should write some details down. Who knows, maybe my grandchildren will be reading this journal someday and they may be curious.
Here are some facts:
Sets Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Eta, Theta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, and Mu are functional but Alpha and Beta have been abandoned/retired.
Children are in Sets Gamma, Iota, and Mu.
Sets Kappa and Lambda are special and no one talks about what happens there. If you ask adults they act evasive and strange.
Set Delta is related to the military. They say that “training” happens there.
Set Epsilon has supplies of all sorts.
Sets Zeta, Eta, and Theta are for research. Set Theta is full of plants and that’s where most of Dad’s work is done.
Set Mu is a miniature version of Set Omega, which is going to be a full-sized, self-contained city. I told my parents that I would like to see it and they said, “Maybe someday.” I wasn’t sure if that meant like “next week” or “in the next decade” or “never.” I decided not to press the issue.
Life here is simple in a way. On the weekends our family goes to holochurch services- one on Saturdays and two on Sundays. I pray, think and walk around the living quarters’ exterior ring. Through the skylights I look up at the Martian sky from time to time. Thoughts of home often fill my mind, but it’s always intriguing to remember that I’m actually on Mars.
The spaces feel small and sterile, but it’s also super clean. When I get home I plan to run barefoot through a vast grassy field somewhere as I inhale the fresh scents and feel the breeze.
I do love the opportunity to be a missionary to Mars, and it’s kind of fun to be squished together in a tight place with Mom and Dad. Such close proximity makes it almost seem like we’re practically hugging all the time as we bump into each other in our 10 x 15 shared room.
Dear God, Thank you for my loving parents. Thank you that we can pray together. Thank you for everything. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Chapter 9: Missionary to Mars
Dear Journal,
I have SO MUCH to write about yesterday.
First I will comment that the day before yesterday we performed our music for a huge number of people-at Set Mu!
I told the gospel clearly- that Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life on the cross to pay for our sins and then He rose again. I invited everyone to turn from sin to follow Christ as Lord and Savior.
People responded positively. One mom said that she “needed to hear that.” I think that Lily might have been crying.
Even Dr. Duke congratulated me afterwards and said that he was glad I found my calling.
There were snacks. The parents of the little kids expressed appreciation and Dr. Golden’s wife also said congratulatory words.
Then I went to bed, blissfully unaware of what was awaiting me the next day (which was yesterday) except that I knew that it would be the last day on Mars for Greg and Tobias.
My first clue was when I walked into the classroom and Mrs. Golden was there because Dr. Golden wasn’t feeling well. Zoe came to our class as well. A few minutes later we heard a horrendous sound coming from two rooms down (my former classroom). Mrs. Golden agreed that we could go investigate. It was Dr. Duke! He was losing his lunch-er, um breakfast- in front of the class! That must have been too much for Mrs. Golden because then she was sick too.
The kids all started looking around at each other awkwardly. Because of being with the little ones, I was used to taking charge. Perhaps it was a kind of “leadership development.” So, well, I told the others, “Follow me.” My intention was to go to the teacher of the oldest teenagers, but at that moment a siren sounded, long, and loud, and shrill.
As a result, I decided to take the kids to The Shelter, a place that’s been designated for such situations. Dr. Duke and Mrs. Golden followed too, though slowly.
The problem was that Elizabeth and Zoe stayed behind, kind of hiding behind a desk. I went back for them after telling Greg the way. I briefly wondered if I was laying down my life in a way, like Jesus.
“Come on, girls,” I smiled. “Let’s go find our Mommies.” I suggested.
“Scared,” Zoe said.
“Please?” I asked. “God wants us to be good listeners.” I added.
“OK,” Zoe said. Elizabeth hesitantly joined her. I put Zoe on my shoulders as I had done on the shuttle and carried Elizabeth imperfectly in my arms.
We reached The Shelter.
The adults there didn’t look so good.
I knew that Dad had gone to Set Theta.
But where was Mom?
Chapter 10: Better To Save Life
Sorry, Mom said that I had to take a shower. I’m back now so I can continue telling you what happened yesterday.
So, I saw that Mom was missing!
Under normal circumstances an adult would likely have told me to stay in The Shelter They were all trying to connect to their own kids. Something was changing in the air and it was making us all feel ill-not to mention that it was clear that something was obviously wrong with all of the adults.
I ran. I ran to The Center as the sirens screamed and the air disappeared. My arms were doing a lot of the work but then I relaxed them when it was time to jump through hoops to get inside The Center. I felt the pocket of my sweater.
“YES!” I gasped as I hurriedly placed one of those old oxygen masks over my face in a clumsy way.
It felt so good to breathe.
Those masks were gifts from Him.
By God’s grace I was able to get in and I saw Lieutenant Shapiro at Mom’s station. Mom was on the ground passed out. I’m utterly ashamed to admit that I thought that Lieutenant Shapiro had hurt Mom. The Lieutenant looked frantic. I put a mask on Mom.
“I don’t know why the oxygen isn’t working!” I’m moving the lever; why isn’t it working? Save us, oh God!” Lieutenant Shapiro cried out.
I had never seen an adult behave this way except in movies. Her prayer somehow wakened my memory. I offered her a mask and rushed to the control panel.
“See this crack?” We have to replace the panel.” I shouted over the sirens and gestured towards the corner of the wall with all of the replacements behind glass.
“Please get the keys from Chief Officer Fuller,” Lieutenant Shapiro shouted pleadingly. “I would get in trouble for it.”
I saw his body on the floor and gently put a mask over his face.
The keys were on a lanyard around his neck. They sat on his chest.
I realized that I was possibly committing a crime.
“Oh, Lord,” I whispered through my mask. “Help.”
Fast forward after I successfully opened the wall, got the right oxygen panel replacement, located Mom’s screwdriver, fixed the problem, and then even did the temperature control panel too-
“Why aren’t you sick like the others?” I asked Lieutenant Shapiro.
“I’ve been wondering that too, and I think I’ve figured it out. Because I’m pregnant, I take different nutritional supplements than everyone else. Also, we’re supposed to take those in the morning but I prefer to take mine in the evening.”
I remembered that Mom and Dad had opened new bottles that morning because they had finished the previous ones.
Later in the day the info got leaked that someone had allowed his child (I know that it was Julius.) to help prepare the supplements during the Shadowing experience earlier this month. Julius put in way too much glucose. Was it an accident? Was it intentional? Only the Lord knows.
What’s really important about this story is that Dr. Duke visited our living quarters in the afternoon.
He said that he recognized that he won’t live forever and, when his time comes, he would like to have peace with God. I led him in prayer,
“Dear God, Thank you for Jesus. I know that I’m a sinner. I know that Jesus paid for my sins. Thank you for forgiving me. I want to follow you. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.”
Mom took me to the dining area and Dad continued talking with Dr. Duke. Later we switched places and they came to the dining area and talked and prayed until after I went to sleep in our living quarters.
This morning someone called, “The Director” came from somewhere and commended me for my “clear-headed response during a time of unprecedented adversity.”
May you be glorified in all this, Lord.
Chapter 11: Praying and Packing
Dear Journal,
Zoe’s parents thanked me again. Julius visited and wanted to talk. Actually he seemed to need comfort. He had questions about sin and salvation and such. Even Amber sat down with me in the dining area and said that she has started listening to Bible recordings.
Now it’s time to bid farewell to magnificent Mars.
Packing doesn’t take long when there’s not much to pack.
Dear Lord,
I give you thanks and praise, Creator of the heavens above and the planets, and all who have ever lived or will ever live in this universe. Thank you for all of those who prayed for me and prepared me to be your hands and feet here. Thank you for letting me serve you, good God. I love you. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Chapter 12: Home Again
Dear Journal,
Today our family spoke at church and then there was a big luncheon to celebrate our safe return.
Maggie was there.
I thanked her for her prayers and told her that she was part of the work I did on the trip because God heard and answered those prayers she prayed.
She said that she hoped that she will be able to go there someday.
“I hope so too,” I said softly.