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wait until we have that and contact the Co-op before we commit.”
    Judd nodded. “You’ve risked your lives for us, and we both appreciate it. We’d be lying if we said we wanted to stay, but we’ll wait as long as we need to.”

    Vicki worked at the cottage the next day with a feeling she couldn’t describe. Everything seemed lighter. Her heart felt freer, and she hummed as she painted. She had always hated the chores her mother gave her. “When you live in a small space you have to keep things clean,” her mother would say.
    â€œThen let’s live in a real house like other people,” Vicki would say. These conversations usually became heated arguments that wound up getting Vicki grounded. Now she wished her mother could see her efforts.
    Maybe Mom can see me , Vicki thought. I wonder what she thinks of Judd. And what does Dad think?
    Vicki imagined a conversation between Judd and her parents. She had always thought of Judd’s family as high-class, from a different income level with expensive cars, houses, and friends. But the disappearances had leveled the playing field, both for those left behind and those taken. There was no difference now between Vicki’s parents and Judd’s. All four were in heaven where even the poorest person on earth was rich.
    I wonder if Mom and Dad have actually talked with Judd’s parents .
    Shelly arrived with more paint and asked Vicki why she was smiling.
    â€œI’d never be able to explain it in a hundred years,” Vicki said.
    Vicki had asked Maggie Carlson to sew curtains, and the woman had them completed later that evening. Conrad helped secure them over the windows, and Maggie fluffed the corners. “Do you think she’ll like them?”
    â€œShe’ll love it,” Vicki said, slipping an arm around the older woman.
    The next morning at breakfast, Vicki could barely contain her excitement. Almost everyone in the group knew what Vicki and Shelly were up to, but all had kept the secret. Before the morning meeting, Marshall asked Colin and Becky Dial to accompany him outside. Vicki glanced at Shelly and giggled as they followed.
    When Colin and Becky arrived at the cottage, Marshall turned. “One of the qualities of believers who are maturing is self-giving love. People see a need or become aware of another person’s pain and they decide to help, not because they are going to get points in heaven or pats on the back, but because they know it’s something Jesus would have done.”
    Colin cocked his head and looked around as others joined the small group. “What’s this about?”
    Marshall smiled. “You two lost your house and everything in it. For men that’s a hard thing, but not the end of the world. A house is a roof and a place to sleep. For wives, it’s different. Becky, you lost a home and all the ways you tried to turn those four walls into a place of refuge for your family and friends.”
    Becky nodded and wiped away a tear.
    â€œWe know it’s been hard on you, so a couple of younger people suggested we try to make the transition a little easier.” Marshall motioned for Vicki and Shelly. “Will you do the honors?”
    Vicki stepped forward and opened the door. Though the outside of the cottage had remained the same, the inside had been transformed with the paint, curtains, and cleaning the others had done.
    When Becky looked inside, her mouth opened in amazement. She glanced at her husband, who simply smiled and nudged her inside.
    â€œIt won’t replace your old home,” Vicki said, “but we hope you like it.”
    Becky sat on the bed, put her face in her hands, and wept. She reached out a hand to Vicki and squeezed, then did the same to Shelly.
    Then everyone but Colin and Becky moved outside.
    Charlie furrowed his brow and squinted at the newly washed window. “Doesn’t she like it?”
    â€œMore than she can say,”