A Christmas Gift Read online

  “I love how Kathi Macias’s books take me away to exotic places on an adventure. But that adventure unfolds to reveal secrets and social injustices her characters have to navigate and expose. Through the eyes of Macias’s fictional characters, I grow as a person. I love the rich settings and deeply moving situations in A Christmas Gift.”

  —ANGELA BREIDENBACH,

  Christian Authors Network president,

  author, and national speaker

  “What if a widow steps out of her comfort zone to serve in the volatile world of Mayan Mexico only to find that God’s plans for her are far different than hers—and seemingly far more dangerous? This page-turning, cultural thriller is packed with compelling and sobering truths about the broken and sometimes evil world around us as well as the reality that God’s plans are, ultimately, good. Kathi Macias delivers a heart-stopping and intriguing story of redemption that you won’t soon forget.”

  —SUSAN G. MATHIS, author of

  The Remarriage Adventure and Countdown for Couples

  “A Christmas Gift shines with endearing characters, in particular, Julia. She will sing your song—of the loss one cannot bring back, the adventure that beckons, the adjustment that is inevitable. But through the heart-tugging journey, A Christmas Gift plays the melody of hope. The never-ending hope for a new life, a new land, and the sweetness of a new beginning.”

  —JANET PEREZ ECKLES,

  author and international speaker

  “The La Paz mission compound in southern Mexico could be exactly the change of scenery that high school teacher Julia Bennington needs. Certainly, they need her. But more awaits her in the remote jungles than wildlife and beauty. A sinister grappling for her very life forces her to consider the reality of God’s promises—and whether He will save her from imminent death.

  “In A Christmas Gift, Kathi Macias takes her readers to the stunning rain forests of southern Mexico where American teacher Julia Bennington tries to do the right thing. The very thing that may end up taking her life.

  “In the tradition of Kathi Macias’s life-changing fiction, A Christmas Gift grips the heart as one woman’s effort to do the right thing lands her in the clutches of unspeakable evil.”

  —DAVALYNN SPENCER,

  author of The Snowbound Bride

  “A Christmas Gift drew me in from the first page. I’ve been on over a dozen short-term missions trips in Mexico. I’ve not been to Chiapas, but I have been to areas much like the one that is the setting for the story. I love missionaries, and I love the Mexican people. All of these elements in the story were so true to the life that I’ve personally seen and experienced. I fell in love with the main characters, and the suspenseful storyline kept me turning pages until the end. I highly recommend this book.”

  —LENA NELSON DOOLEY,

  award-winning author of the “McKenna’s Daughters” Series,

  and screenwriter for the Higher Ground Films movie,

  Abducted to Kill

  A

  CHRISTMAS

  G I F T

  Can a simple man and his

  faith be enough for her to stay?

  Multiple Award-Winning Author

  KATHI MACIAS

  New Hope® Publishers

  PO Box 12065

  Birmingham, AL 35202-2065

  NewHopeDigital.com

  New Hope Publishers is a division of WMU®.

  © 2014 by Kathi Macias

  All rights reserved. First printing 2014.

  Printed in the United States of America.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Macias, Kathi, 1948-

  A Christmas gift / Kathi Macias.

  pages cm

  ISBN 978-1-59669-416-3 (sc)

  1. Christmas stories. 2. Christian fiction. I. Title.

  PS3563.I42319C45 2014

  813'.54—dc23

  2014021838

  ISBN-10: 1-59669-416-5

  ISBN-13: 978-1-59669-416-3

  N144122 • 1014 • 3M1

  To my husband, Al,

  and our family,

  who always give me a reason to sing . . .

  And to my Lord, who gives me the Song.

  PROLOGUE

  THE DARKNESS THAT ENVELOPED HER was more than simply the natural darkness that came from being blindfolded or even the realization that at any moment she could be killed and catapulted into an eternity she wasn’t certain she was ready to face. Rather, it was an all-consuming darkness, so heavy and oppressive and terrifying that she struggled just to breathe. And, unlike the darkness of her worst nightmares, there was no hope of awakening to the sunlight streaming through her window or the songs of birds or even monkeys greeting the dawn in nearby trees. No hope of laying eyes on her beloved college-age children or parents. Those were sights and sounds she despaired of experiencing ever again.

  Julia thought back to the minutes immediately preceding her kidnapping. She had felt so peaceful and serene, basking in the noonday sunlight that penetrated the thick trees and relishing the beauty of the colorful ti plants in the lush rain forest that surrounded the La Paz Compound. She had come to La Paz a few months earlier to teach children who otherwise had little chance of an education or of escaping the poverty that was so prevalent in the ancient Mayan culture of southern Mexico. If only she’d listened to her family’s warnings and stayed in the States, where her life had been predictable and relatively safe, even if less than exciting. More importantly, if only she’d listened to the cautions of those within the compound, all of whom had been here much longer than she, and not ventured out alone beyond the compound’s walls. Yet she’d done it several times before, though never on her own, and had never had a problem.

  This time, however, the worst-case scenario had become a reality. She had been kidnapped—how many days ago she wasn’t sure—and was being held for ransom. She had heard her captors say they were asking a million dollars for her safe return, much more than her middle-class parents or grown children could ever raise. Oh, how she regretted the anguish this must be causing them! How much worse when they received word of her death? For there was no doubt in Julia’s mind that death was the only realistic end to her situation.

  She’d already heard her captors talking about her, saying that if her family couldn’t come up with the money, they might be able to sell her to the local curanderos, or shamans, for a human sacrifice. As terrifying as that thought was, she couldn’t help but hear the question echoing in her heart: Then what? How shaky was her relationship with God? Would He forgive her many years of ignoring Him, of turning away from Him to pursue her own plans and purposes? And what if He didn’t? Despite the ropes that bound her hands and feet to the hard chair where she’d been sitting now for longer than she could estimate, she trembled at the thought. Fresh tears flooded her eyes, wetting her already damp blindfold. Through a dry throat and cracked lips, she begged once more for mercy, but the only answer was laughter and a sneer about mercy not being part of the plan.

  “Por favor,” she whispered. “Please! Just some water . . .”

  Instead of receiving even a drop of water, a fist slammed into her left cheek, knocking her head to the right. Before she could cry out, welcome relief came in the form of unconsciousness.

  CHAPTER 1

  JULIA LAWSON BENNINGTON had a wonderful childhood. An only child, she was raised by loving parents in a small but tidy two-bedroom home in the San Diego suburb of Imperial Beach, just a few miles from the border of Mexico and blocks from t
he seashore. But then, during her sophomore year of high school, her father had lost his job. Finding one that paid slightly more than he’d made at the previous one, he was thrilled to accept it and move his family an hour north to the thriving community of Temecula, where it was hotter in the summer, cooler in the winter, and an hour from the beach. That had been the hardest part for Julia—being too far away from the ocean to be able to walk there. The only thing worse was leaving her friends behind and trying to get reestablished in a new social environment—no easy task for any teenager.

  But she’d managed, even adapting to the fact that she could no longer stroll the beach on a daily basis. Before long she made a few friends and began to enjoy the Old Town area of Temecula, as well as the lovely rolling hills—many of which were dotted with wineries—that surrounded the city of just over a hundred thousand. Upon graduating high school, she moved south again to attend San Diego State and to work toward earning her teaching degree. It was there she met Tom Bennington, one year ahead of her and also studying to become a teacher.

  How her life had changed! It was the proverbial “love at first sight” for both of them. Although their families encouraged them to wait until after they’d graduated and gotten jobs, they opted for a small wedding during Tom’s senior year and Julia’s junior. Finances had been tough as they struggled to balance school and part-time jobs, but Julia thought she’d never been happier than during the nearly three years they lived in that tiny studio apartment less than a mile from school.

  She smiled now at the memory, as she sat on the comfy leather sectional in her spacious family room, her mind sorting through snapshots of happier times. Tom had called this room his “man cave,” as he spent countless hours there watching college and pro football, munching on his favorite snack of caramel popcorn, and rooting for his favorite teams.

  Julia’s smile faded. Could she still consider this room a man cave, even though her man was no longer here? It had been two years since a heart attack claimed Tom’s life, leaving Julia a grieving widow at the age of forty-six.

  Two years. Two years of crying and telling myself to get over it, of avoiding well-meaning friends who keep wanting to set me up with someone else. Don’t they understand? I don’t want someone else. I want my husband back. Oh, Tom, why did you leave me? What am I to do with the rest of my life? How am I supposed to go on without you?

  She picked up Tom’s favorite sweater from her lap, burying her head in the soft knit and sobbing as she inhaled what was left of his scent. She knew she was being overly dramatic, that she certainly wasn’t the first woman in history to lose a beloved husband. She knew too that she had much to be grateful for—two healthy parents nearby who loved and supported her and two grown children off at college beginning their own lives yet both attentive and loving to her. And she had her teacher’s position, didn’t she? Every year she welcomed a new crop of high school students, some rowdy, some studious, some downright obnoxious, but all needing to learn and mature. She was blessed to be part of that process, so how could she complain?

  Her mind knew all that, but her heart refused to listen. She hated being a widow, hated living alone in a house full of memories that never seemed to let up, always tugging at her heart and her tear ducts. Would her life ever change? Would she ever experience laughter and joy again? Everyone assured her she would and she desperately wanted to believe them, But, right now, with her face buried in her late husband’s sweater, she couldn’t imagine how that could ever happen.

  “JULIA? JULIA, where are you?”

  The familiar voice eased her into consciousness, pulling her back from the fine line between daydreaming and actual sleep. She seemed to be spending more and more time there lately.

  “In here, Mom,” she called, clearing her throat. “Come on in.”

  Marie Lawson stepped into the doorway and stopped. “You’ve been crying again,” she observed, resuming her approach until she sat down on the brown leather couch beside her only child. Her scarcely wrinkled face showed her concern as she laid a hand on Julia’s. “You spend far too much time alone in here, thinking and crying.” She paused. “You can’t bring him back, you know.”

  “I know that, Mom.” She hoped the trace of irritation she felt at such a pointless statement didn’t come through in her words. She had no desire to hurt her mother, but there were times the woman overstated the obvious, and it got on her nerves.

  Marie squeezed Julia’s hand. “I don’t doubt that you know it; I just wish you’d do something about it. You need to get out more.”

  Here we go again! “I get out plenty,” Julia reminded her mother. “I have a job, remember? I go there five days a week.”

  Marie nodded. “True. But not in the summer. It’s the first of May. What are you going to do during those weeks after school lets out?”

  Julia’s head began to pound. “I haven’t had time to think about that yet, Mom. Right now I’m swamped with end-of-the-year school activities, grading finals . . .” Her voice trailed off. She knew it was a pitiful excuse for why she’d no doubt sit around all summer, weeping and feeling sorry for herself, but right now it was all she had to offer in hopes of staving off her mother’s unwanted advice.

  “It’s not enough,” Marie countered. “I know all that will keep you busy for a few more weeks, but then what?”

  Julia wanted to reply that she would lock herself in her house and hide, but she wasn’t about to open that can of worms with her mother. “The kids will be home,” she said, grasping at that thought as she pushed a short lock of unruly red hair from her forehead. “They’ll keep me busy.”

  Marie’s smile was tentative. “Of course they will—to some degree. But you know Tyler will be working at his old job, delivering pizzas, like he does every summer. And Brittney is such a social butterfly. She’ll spend most of her time catching up with her friends. So where does that leave you? What exactly are you going to do? Just sit around here, moping all day and waiting for them to drop in now and then so you can make them a sandwich?” She sighed and shook her head. “Honey, I know you miss Tom terribly. He was a wonderful man, and you two were so in love. But he’s been gone more than two years now. You really do need to begin making a new life for yourself.”

  “Doing what?” Julia demanded, angry with herself for exploding at her mother, who only wanted the best for her, and yet unable to hold her feelings in any longer. “What would you have me do, Mom? Seriously. I’m forty-eight years old. I have a good job, a nice home, great kids—and until recently, a wonderful marriage. Isn’t that enough? Why do I need more?”

  Marie’s gray eyes held a pained expression, but Julia knew it was for her daughter more than herself. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said, her voice softer now. “I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just—”

  “I know, dear.” Marie patted Julia’s hand. “I know you’re lonely and hurting and brokenhearted, and what you really want is to have your life back the way it was before . . . before Tom died.” She paused. “But that will never happen, sweetheart. And you can’t spend the remainder of your life living in the past.”

  Hot tears bit Julia’s eyes. It was one thing to know her mother was right, quite another to acknowledge it or to know what to do about it. “Don’t you see, Mom? I have no desire to do anything else—anything but what I’m doing already. I work, I have you and Dad and the kids. At my age that’s enough for me.”

  Marie shook her head. “I don’t think so. You know, Julia, my friend Carolyn Barnes—you remember her, don’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “She and her husband, Frank, are quite a bit older than you—in their early sixties—and they’re venturing out into something new. In fact, you won’t believe what they’re doing.” She smiled, as her words picked up speed, her enthusiasm showing as her eyes danced. “They’ve moved to Mexico—southern Mexico—where the Mayan culture is still very strong, and education and job opportunities are almost nonexistent. They’ve taken the position of directors at a small co
mpound in Chiapas State, just outside the town of San Juan Chamula and not far from the larger city of San Cristobal de las Casas. They live and work in the compound, running a school for the children there, as well as a small church. They’ve made a five-year commitment. Can you imagine? At their age! But they believe it’s what God has called them to do, so they rented out their house and just up and went. Isn’t that amazing? They’ve been looking for at least one more teacher to come down and help them, but so far, no takers. Still, they seem so happy and content, so fulfilled. Every time I get a letter from them, they talk about how much they love their work there . . .”

  Julia watched as much as listened to her mother’s animated monologue, not so much absorbing the words as processing what the Barneses had decided to do. Teach in a faraway land, where children had little or no chance at education or a better life? It was something she’d dreamed of doing for years, even when she was in high school, long before she met and married Tom. She imagined that dream had long since been buried, but suddenly the flame seemed to flicker back to life.

  “How did they find out about this place, Mom?” Julia asked, no doubt surprising her mother nearly as much as she surprised herself. “And what sort of teacher are they looking for?”

  Marie’s eyebrows shot up an extra notch, and she hesitated before answering. “I’m . . . not sure. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I . . . I think I just might be interested in something like that. Seriously, Mom. You know it’s something I wanted to do when I was younger, but I never imagined I’d have the opportunity. Besides, I met Tom and settled into my life with him. All other dreams went on the back burner then. But now . . .”

  Marie’s eyes were as wide as saucers now, and Julia knew her mother was regretting ever bringing up the subject. But it was too late. She’d already told her daughter about it and suddenly, inexplicably, Julia thought that just maybe there might be something more for her to do after all.