Chapter Text
The children were running around the empty field. Say for a few trees, the bare grass laid claim to multiple adventures. Some were recreating famous stories from the bible, even the more gruesome one. There were three kids playing as Noah, right before the flood. Two more as David and Goliath. Four as Adam and Eve, two different groups. Other kids were pretending to be animals, running around with the same ferocity as those that were simply playing tag. Others were sitting quietly on the grass, talking, laughing. In hushed voices and shouts, the field before the church was filled with the delight and laughter of children.
They each had few clothes to their name, to the extent where new pastors would be better off trying to match a kid to their outfit, instead of learning each of their names. There were around 100 orphans there, after all. The pastors would try to mend their clothes whenever possible, and as the kids passed you can see the worn-down patches. A few of the kids wore hats given to them by their parents. Others would have trouble parting with their shirts, a final reminder of the life they had that was lost.
On the stairs sat one of the priests, the youngest out of the church staff. With a slight smile on his face, he watched as most of the children ran past the stairs, keeping an eye on the very edges of the field, making sure none of them ran off. He was not the only one supervising the event,
He would do anything for them.
He wore a thick robe and started to sweat in the heat. Drinking from a plastic bottle he grabbed from a table set up for all of them, he noticed that the robe was being dragged down, specifically the sleeve.
“Father Uehara?” One of the older kids was the culprit pulling down his arm.
“Do you need anything?” Kinji responds, caught slightly off guard.
“I can’t stop thinking about them…” The child says, beginning to run away from Kinji. He can see in his eyes that he’s beginning to cry, at the memories of his old home.
“Come, let me show you something,” Kinji responds, standing up and dusting himself off, then taking the child’s hand. Together they took a few steps towards the door of the church. Kinji opened the heavy doors with a bit of strain. Technically he was supposed to be watching the kids in the field, but that doesn’t matter to help one of them. Besides,
He would do anything for them.
They walk past the door and into a beautiful cathedral, decorated with paintings and stained glass. They depict the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the flood of Noah, and other such bible stories. The pair find a small corner to talk, a bench in the main hall of the church, near the dormitories built to house the children they take in.
“Do you remember our lesson from the previous Sunday?” Kinji asks the child.
“It… was hard to remember,” The child truthfully responded. “Something about the gate of heaven?”
“We were discussing Romans 10:9” Kinji said, opening the bible he always carried with him. “It says here, ‘Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ I have seen your parents at my previous sermons, and I’ve heard great things about them. Surely you will meet them again.”
“But… I miss them…” The child says
“It is quite alright to feel sad that they are gone. But you are here now. And through your good works and your faith, you will see them again in the kingdom of heaven.”
“But… how can the lord both love me, and take them away from me?”
Kinji hesitates for a moment. He knows what he would tell the adults, that the lord is mysterious and does not reveal his plans to us. That is what he had told himself over the years during moments where he questioned his own faith. But for a child, would that response be satisfying? Comforting?
“The lord…” Kinji starts, not having found his words completely. “The lord likely has a purpose for your parents. We may never know the reason, but we can trust that in the lord’s guidance and wisdom.”
The child raised his hand and wiped away the tears from his eyes. “But what if we never know why?”
“There are many things in life that we will never understand. Perhaps this is one of those things. But look at what your loss has brought you.”
The child looks up at Kinji, “Father Uehara, what do you mean?”
“We the leaders of the church are responsible for administering the will of the lord. You were brought here because you are a child of the lord. Let us read.” Kinji points to the book and flips to a specific page, “Psalms 68:5 ‘Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.’ You have come here, and now we can help you do great things. You have met all the other wonderful children and joined our lovely family. And while I suspect your parents would have taught you well, you are now one of us. Your sadness towards your parent’s passing may never go away, but eventually you will use it to do great things.”
Kinji closes the book and takes the child’s hand. He stands up, and the child follows him after. The kid is sniffling, trying to keep down his tears. Kinji looks down at the child, then gets down on both of his needs, folding his robe down underneath them.
“It is alright to be upset, come here,” Kinji says, opening his arms, motioning for the child to come forth. He does so, crying, into Kinji’s arms. He embraces the child, letting him cry for a few moments. Eventually however, there is silence after a while.
The child pulls back, “I… I feel better.”
Kinji gives a slight smile as he comes up from his knees. “Then come, let us join the others in the field.”
Kinji once again takes the child’s hand and leaves the bench. Eventually reaching the grand door, Kinji takes a deep breath standing before it.
After all, He would do anything for them.
And Kinji the same.