The Monday night of Thanksgiving week, Faith began praying more earnestly that her sweet Serenity wouldn’t lose her confidence in prayer or in God. The thoughts were a consistent stream through her head, when the ringing phone interrupted her constant worry. She didn’t recognize the number.
“Hello?” Faith asked cautiously.
“Is this Faith Davis?” An energetic male voice was on the other end of the line.
“It is. Can I help you?”
“Congratulations, Faith! This is Logan Sinclair from Radio 97, your news and weather radio station, and you have been selected to win a Thanksgiving turkey—if you can answer three questions correctly.”
Faith began to be hopeful that Serenity’s prayers could be answered. “Three questions? I don’t know….” Faith’s voice trailed off.
“For your first question, what’s the capital of Ohio?” Logan instantly regretted the question, realizing that not everyone had learned the state capitals like he had in elementary school.
“Oh, I should know this.” Faith stalled. “Toronto?”
Logan buried his head in his hands and realized he had to lie. He assumed that Faith meant to say “Toledo,” but the answer he had hoped to hear was Columbus. Regardless, he excitedly shouted, “You’re right!” Logan’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Faith seemed cautiously optimistic that she might actually answer all the radio DJ’s trivia questions.
“For your second question, from the Harry Potter books, who was Harry’s arch enemy?” Logan wished he had put more thought into the questions, but he was comfortable that Faith couldn’t mess this one up.
“Oh, I haven’t read all the books, but my kids love them.The only name I can think of is Dulbledore. Yeah, I think that’s it.
Dumbledore? This answer was not what Logan expected, but he wasn’t going to let Faith lose the turkey. “Perfect! You are correct again. And now, for your final question: How many quarts in a gallon?”
Faith felt the pressure mounting, and she confessed to the caller that math was not her strength. She closed her eyes and threw out the number that seemed right. “Six?”
Logan suddenly felt a wave of compassion for this woman. He knew from Uncle Steve how hard she had worked for him, and he knew a little about her story, including the recent death of her husband and her struggle to raise four young children. He choked up slightly and softly replied, “Yes. You are right.” After a brief pause to collect his emotion, Logan continued with the same enthusiasm he had before. “Congratulations, Faith! You are now the proud owner of a fresh Thanksgiving turkey! Our staff will drop it off at your home later this evening. Congratulations again, and have a happy holiday.”
Faith hung up the phone and sobbed. Perhaps she underestimated God’s willingness to hear and answer the plea of a child. She readied her kitchen to receive the bird.
Thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Faith rushed to answer it. She opened the door to find a crate with a live turkey inside. Faith smiled, grateful for the unexpected blessing. She offered a quick prayer of gratitude for having grown up on a farm, where she learned how to prepare a turkey for cooking. A few minutes later, she was pulling the feathers off the dead bird, seemingly unaware of how unpleasant the task was. She didn’t notice the unfamiliar car drive by with two laughing high school students inside.
Logan recounted to Jackson the details of his call with Faith. He felt some sympathy for Faith, but he was amazed that somehow she guessed all three of his questions wrong. The two, glad to finally be rid of the foul-smelling fowl, waited an hour before driving by Faith’s house to make surpaue she had found their delivery. When they saw her plucking the limp turkey, the humor of the situation was overwhelming, and they laughed until they cried. As time passed, the experience was quickly forgotten.
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Almost six months later, Logan was wrapping up another high school year. He returned to his cousin’s home for a short vacation before starting his summer job. During the brief visit, the two met for lunch and they talked about the past year’s events. They reminisced of their younger years, and eventually the turkey story came to mind. Logan laughed as he remembered details of the dance, the phony giveaway phone call, and the delivery.
Jackson smiled, but he seemed preoccupied. Logan asked, “What’s going on? Don’t you remember the turkey?”
“Of course, I do. I was just thinking, though. Did I ever tell you what happened? I don’t think you ever heard the rest of that story?”
Logan was confused. “The rest of the story? What more is there to tell?”
Jackson settled in his chair and pushed the potato chips around on his plate. After an uncomfortable pause, Jackson explained, “You remember Faith’s story—that she used to clean my dad’s house?”
Logan nodded. “Yeah, I remember. We decided to give her the turkey because she was having a tough time, right?”
Jackson continued. “I didn’t know how tough until recently. Her little girl just died a few weeks ago, and I went to the funeral. Faith gave the eulogy, and she told a story.”
Logan was stunned into silence. He didn’t know the girl, but he sensed Jackson’s sadness. “What’s the story?”
“She told of the fight her youngest daughter, Serenity, had with a horrible disease. She talked about how her name, Serenity, described her perfectly, and then she told an amazing story about how Serenity taught Faith to know that she was important to God. It was one of the most beautiful stories I’ve heard.”
From his short phone call with Faith half a year before, Logan felt a small connection with this family. His desire to hear the story was magnetic.
Jackson looked down at the table, and he rubbed the corner of his eye. Logan couldn’t tell if it was a scratch or if Jackson was trying to dab a tear. Jackson explained, “Last year, times were really tough. Faith was struggling financially because her husband had died in a mining accident, and she told about how one of the concessions she’d make was to forego a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Her daughter, Serenity, didn’t like the idea and prayed for a turkey.”
Logan sensed that he had been a part of something important.
“Serenity prayed like only a four-year-old can pray that they would have a turkey for Thanksgiving. Faith knew there was no way she could get one, and she was preparing to break the news to Serenity that God doesn’t answer prayers. No, He does, but just not their prayers. It was heartbreaking.”
Logan nodded, and Jackson continued, “Then, she explained that when she knew there was nothing that could be done, a nice man from the radio called. She said, ‘I don’t know how I did it, but I answered his questions right. I won a turkey. I don’t know how God did it, but he let my sweet Serenity teach me to believe.’
Unashamed, Logan wiped a tear that was rolling down his cheek. Jackson was silent, and Logan thought about the prank with a renewed perspective.
Jackson wondered aloud, “Why did we pick Faith? I’ve been replaying that night over and over. What made us decide to give her the turkey?”
Logan pondered for a moment. “I have no idea. Your dad mentioned her, and it seemed like a good idea.”
Jackson concluded, “The bottom line is, Logan, that what we did that night changed the lives of this family. It was important enough that Faith mentioned your turkey story at her little girl’s funeral.”
Logan sat back in his chair. “I wish I could take some credit. We were just a couple of kids goofing around. I had no idea our prank would actually be an answer to a little girl’s prayer.”
The two sat without saying anything for a long time. Logan finally broke the silence. “I want to do this again.
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