Day Five: Palm Springs, Part 2
No doubt about it, this book is heavily connected to Palm Springs. I have no idea why God wanted this, but it became more and more obvious as we assembled the pieces of the book. About a year after our first excursion to the Palm Springs bungalow, we were presented with another opportunity. This time Skylar's parents would be there, along with 2 couples who were long time family friends. By this time I was around 6 months pregnant, and to be honest, taking a trip to the sweltering temperatures of Palm Springs did NOT sound delightful in the least! But the house was beautiful, restful, and most importantly air-conditioned, so I figured I could manage.
I was also excited because Skylar told me about one of the couples, the Johnstons. They were from Ohio, and Skylar's family had been friends with them since before he could remember. Pam Johnston also happened to sit on the board of a well-known publishing company, and Skylar's mom had mentioned my book project to her. So I thought I'd bring a copy of the manuscript in case the opportunity arose to present it for reading.
One afternoon Pam and I found time alone and began talking about everything under the sun- my childhood, my dreams, her family, her job. We spoke about the book and what my vision was for it. She seemed to jump on board with the heart of the story immediately. Then the coolest thing happened. We spent what seemed an eternity just praying for each other. I for Pam and her influence at the publishing company, for her heart for prayer and intercession to be made manifest among the others on the board. She for my book and the story of Ricky's life to affect as many as possible. It was SUCH an amazing time, and if it ended there it would have been enough.
But she then asked if I had a copy of the manuscript with me. Of course I did, and I ran to my room to retrieve it, all fluttery with excitement and nervousness that someone who was a relative stranger was about to read my words. She then excused herself and convened to her bedroom where she sat and read the entire manuscript, not allowing any interruptions, even from her husband! I was floored.
While she read, Jonathan and I put on our chef's hats and cooked dinner for the crew. That's part of our standing job when we go to Palm Springs- we get to stay for free, but we have to cook dinner for everyone. We think it's an unfair trade because J and I LOVE to cook. But if they're happy with the arrangement, so are we!
About halfway through dinner preparations, Pam came out of the room, bee-lined it to me and gave me an enormous hug. She said she knew God had powerful things in store for this story and that she couldn't wait to see what happened. She also told me that she was going to put it on the president's desk and request that he read it. But she made no promises and was very forthright about the fact that it wasn't the typical book that they published and there was a high possibility that it wouldn't go through at their company. But she told me not to be discouraged. She was confident that God's direction had gotten it this far and would take it to its determined end.
We all left the next day at some point, back to our respective homes and lives. That was the last time I saw Pam. We've emailed back and forth, but nothing more. She took with her the very untidy mess of papers that made up my manuscript. It was a hard copy. The only hard copy I had. No digital format whatsoever. That sorta makes the chances of it getting passed around to the right people pretty slim.
But that's what makes the rest of the story so incredible...
Tune in tomorrow. :)
Lord, I'm brought to tears even now as I recall the time of prayer with an almost complete stranger, and how unified in heart and vision I felt with her as we sought You and Your greatest good. I pray for this kind of unity among my friends and family... and strangers alike. I pray that we spend time seeking You together for Kingdom impact in this world. Where two or more are gathered- may we do more of this kind of gathering. Amen.
- C