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At three o’clock on Saturday afternoon, the doorbell rang its two note ‘ding-dong’. Church leaders filed in, arriving in ones and twos. They hung up their assortment of coats and came into the warmth. Esther stood in a corner, and Nick came over and squeezed her hand. Then he took the tray off her mother and offered the guests an assortment of drinks.
The leaders talked in muted voices until the room held around twenty people. Once everyone had arrived, her father clapped his hands twice.
“Thank you for coming. As each of you know, Esther has just been diagnosed with cancer. And why should we be surprised? The enemy hates what we’re doing at Victory, and the easiest way to discourage us is to strike hard.”
Dad’s confidence gave Esther courage. She hadn’t considered Satan might be li
