“Then,” John said, “pray this prayer with me: Lord Jesus, I believe that You died for my sins. Lord Jesus, I believe that You rose from the grave and that You are alive today. Lord, I turn from my sins and I turn to You. I open the door of my heart to You, Lord. Come into my heart. Live Your life in me. Save my soul and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord, for hearing my prayer. Amen.” They both prayed from their hearts. A miracle was taking place.

John Edwards rose from his chair and walked to the sofa where Carl and Lori were sitting. He placed his right hand on Carl’s head and his left on Lori’s. As he began to pray for them, both Carl and Lori felt something like a bolt of electricity coursing through their bodies. They raised their heads spontaneously in praise to God. Then, from deep inside, a dam of confusion, doubts, and uncertainties broke, and they poured out their hearts in praise to their newly found Lord.

For the first time in either of their lives, Carl and Lori Throneberry began to understand the purpose for their existence. Little could they imagine the adventure that now lay ahead of them.

John walked over to Charley, now standing and beaming from ear to ear. “Charley,” he said, “now that Carl and Lori have committed their lives to the Lord, I would very much like for them to stay on with me for a few days, if they’ll agree to it. I feel that Carl and Lori will be the first of many, and their knowledge and skills would be very helpful here. The tragedy we have seen so far is just the beginning, and I believe strongly that our government, especially with Ted Rust at the helm, can’t survive the next two years. We both know what will happen next.”

Putting his hand on Charley’s shoulder, John Edwards said, “Old friend, I need your help too. Can you get me some surplus tents, some rations, and a lot more diesel fuel? I’m also going to need a radio expert—a broadcast specialist—who can handle all this communications gear. Do you think you might be able to help me find somebody?”“You name it, Jack,” Charley said, embracing his old friend, “and you’ve got it. Leave it to me.”

After explaining his plans to Carl and Lori, the two new believers said they were delighted to be asked to help and that they very much wanted to stay on and continue to learn.

After a quick bite to eat, Charley and Dave took the two big trucks and set off for Albuquerque. There was so much to do . . . and precious little time.