July 7, 1899

Bisbee

This morning I rode into Bisbee and waved to Pet. She waved and I asked her if I was playing hymns for her service this afternoon. She said that she had a sermon planned but I could play if I wanted to. I told her about last night and she asked if I’d gone out to see the balloons yet this morning. 

Lawrence walked over and I lit up, smiling wide. “Well hey there!”

“Howdy do, Lawrence,” Pet nodded. 

“Hi Trin, Hello Pet,” Lawrence said and I leaned over to greet him with a hug. 

“How’s your mornin’ so far Lawrence?’ Pet asked him. 

“So far so good, yourself?” he looked surprised at me and I smiled at him with a wink. 

“Doin’ right nicely. I reckon. Any day I’m on the green side of grass is a good day.” 

“Well Pet, I’ve got some good news for you actually,” I slid an arm around Lawrence’s waist and smiled. “Lawrence and I...” I looked to him for permission and he nodded as I saw Pet sporting a big grin. “We’ve been kinda seein’ each other... gettin’ to know each other... Spendin’ more time together...”

“Ya mean courtin’?” she giggled, looking between us. 

“Are we?” I looked to Lawrence and winked. 

“Something like that,” he smiled. 

“You’re the first one to know,” I looked at Pet. 

“I’m so happy for ya both!” Pet clapped her hands. “I am truly honored! Thank you!” 

“You’re my oldest friend here, Pet...” I smiled. “Well... longest time friend,” I winked and corrected myself. 

“Ya just call me me old, woman?” Pet chided me. 

“I said longest-time... Darlin’ help me here...” I chuckled and looked to Lawrence for help. 

He just laughed and so did Pet. “I’m just teasin’ ya. And well, compared to most, I reckon 32 is old. Could be why I ain’t courtin’. What do ya call a divorced woman.... She ain’t a spinster..... guess I’m just too OLD!” 

“I tell ya... I just can’t win,” I chuckled and shook my head as Lawrence continued to laugh. 

“Ya captured his attention. I say ya won the prize,” Pet smiled as she looked at Lawrence. 

“Mmhmm, I sure did,” I smiled at him and he blushed. 

“Sorry, I have some business to attend to,” he said then and I kissed him before he said goodbye to Pet and wandered off. Pet went on to Black Diamond and I wandered over in that direction for the service. 

Black Diamond. 

“Good morning ma’am, we will get started in a couple of minutes,” the reverand told me as I walked into the little church. 

“Oh good I’m not late then...” I smiled and waved to Gabe and Cora who greeted me with waves. Maggie greeted me as well and we waited as the man named David finished playing the organ before the service. 

“Good morning and welcome everyone to another Sunday at the Black Diamond Church of the Open Door,” Pastor Bryan greeted us all. “Ms. Rene, can you open the service with a short prayer. Remember the people in this county.” 

“Let us pray,” she started and we bowed our heads and closed our eyes to pray. “Father we come to you today at this little church nestled in the heart of Cochise County. A body of believers and we want to thank you for all that you do for us. We are so undeserving, yet you continue to shower us with your love. We ask that you be with our humble little church today. Be with all of those in attendance and all of those who could not be with us today. We ask that you lead Pastor Bryan as he delivers the message and put the words into his mouth that you would have him to say. We ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.” 

I opened my eyes and smiled at Kaden as he sat in beside me and then we listened to the message. 

“Thank you for that opening prayer. Our message this morning is titled, A Needed Revival! And from what I have seen in this area, a revival is needed!” Pastor Bryan narrowed his eyes and I muttered, Amen to that. 

“Todays scripture reading was from the book of Psalms: And as I live and breathe, this area is in need off a Spirit filled God powered Revival of His Word! I can say by experience—thank God, I can witness to you of personal knowledge—that nothing can convict of sin, condemn for sin, bring people faster and more definitely to a realization of their sins than a revival of religion,” he took a deep breath before continuing. “There has never been so much gambling, drinking, adultery, corruption in high places and in low as there is now. Immorality, indecency, infidelity are rife. How we need to expose the rottenness, the evil, the corruption in the hearts of all the people! The second purpose of a revival is to enlist souls. We must seek to enlist God’s people. We have to enlist God’s people. We must enlist those who are washed in the blood, who claim the Lord as their personal Saviour. We must enlist also the unsaved, bring them out of darkness into light, lead them from hell to heaven, from sin to salvation, from iniquity to righteousness. We must win them for the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for our fellow church members, pray for the backslidden, the indifferent, the unconcerned, the unconsecrated, pray for the pastors, pray for the evangelists, pray for the choirs and pianists. We must literally saturate our towns with prayers. If you believe the Bible is the Word of God, if you believe the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ, if you believe there is a God in heaven, if you believe God can give us a revival, if you want to see a torrential visitation of God’s Spirit, I challenge you, I appeal to you, I implore you, I beseech you,” he paused a moment to catch his breath. “From this moment on, without rest or cessation, let us—all of us, each of us—lift our cities to God’s throne of grace. Let us keep them there in the white heat of our prayers until God answers by fire and sends us a revival from above. Know God, or know hell. That is your choice. That is the most important choice of all.”

He took a deep breath then and examined the group of people seated. He looked with serious and said, “If you want to accept the free gift of eternal life with God—simply pray this prayer. For 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. Let us pray.” 

We bowed our heads again, and I smiled as he began the prayer I remembered praying as a child so long ago. When we finished the prayer he said, “As we continue today I want you all to ask yourself this simple question. Where would you, were would we all be with out God’s helping hand? I know God led me to my wonderful wife Rene sitting up front here.” 

I thought to myself and remembered so many times that I was close to death and knew that I wouldn’t have survived without God’s protection. 

“And God led me to father my three wonderful children with this wife of mine,” Bryan continued. “God protected me as a soldier in the Great War Between the States. He protected our family as we ministered in German East Africa. And he protects us know even here in Coshise County Arizona Territory. God is our strength and salvation. It is up to us to teach others. It is up to use to use our Salvation experience to teach others the same. You don’t need any special schooling, and special formula. Just tell your friends what you know and let the Holy Spirit within you guide your words. Yes a revival is needed in the Territory. A revival is needed in the country, dare I say it, a revival is needed in the world. Thank you God for all that you have done for us. Thank you for protecting the people of Tombstone from the outlaws and thank you for the doctors that tend to our wounds. And most of all Lord, we thank you on this Independence Day weekend. We thank your for the Great United States of America.” As he prayed, I prayed for the lawmen, specifically the lack of law. 

“That is our service to today; I thank you all for coming today. May God Bless you all. One last thing, if you prayed that prayer with me, wait until everyone is gone and please come talk with me. Glory to God in the Highest.” 

We stood and made our way out of the church and talked with each other once we were outside. I walked over to the pastor and his wife and smiled as I reached out my hand. “Pleasure to see you both again,” I said. 

“God Bless you Sister,” Pastor Bryan shook my hand as well as his wife walked away to get dinner ready for the family. 

“You’re so very right... this area needs a revival. It saddens me lately but we just try to keep on keeping on, right?”

“Amen sister,” he smiled at me. “Perhaps Pet and I should set up a tent on Allen street. That would surprise a few people.” 

“There’s an idea,” I smiled. “The bandstand is still there from all the festivities.” 

As more people filed out of the church and greeted the pastor, I looked around, deciding where to go next. Three people came over to talk with us and I didn’t recognize them. “Name’s Detective Trin Paige. And you folks are?” I smiled. 

“Hello, Miss. My name is Desire and this is my husband Side and my sister Jersey. And you are?” 

“There will be some festivities this afternoon. You should come join in them,” Ali told them. 

“Pleasure to meet ya’ll,” I smiled to them. The two sister’s looked almost identical and I wondered how I would tell them apart. 

Jessica asked if anyone could show her where the fort is and Ali led her down that way with Gabe. If it were any other day I would have been curious but the fort was where the festivities would be with the balloon contest winners being announced that night. I wandered off and headed back for my office to work on reports. 

That afternoon I went to the church service in Tombstone and then in the evening we went out to the grounds where they announced the winners of the balloon contest. When the trophies had been handed out, the fireworks went off and we watched in awe as the colors filled the sky.