X-Men 1st Redemptions

29: X-changes

The news about the church didn't stop there.

The next week saw even more donations coming in, even kids who heard the story collected change and allowance and sent it.

The church began to clear away the old rubble that very week.

Even more surprising was that a few churches around the country invited Billings to come and speak about what he was doing--even though it had barely been started, but a story of persecution was always sure to interest people in the church, and just the fact that his church had been burned down was enough to get him invited.

Billings accepted, but he asked Shine, Wally, and Kurt out to lunch with him to talk about it.

"You did so much of the work," he said, "and you've met the mutants more than I have.... I wouldn't feel it was right for me to speak on their behalf without some backup. If you'd be willing to risk it...we have to strike while the iron is hot. If we wait, all this will blow over. I've seen it before. You have to keep these things in front to people's minds."

"So where have you been invited?" Wally asked.

"One I've never head of; I think it's a smaller one, in Wisconsin." Billings showed them a list. "And one is in Los Angeles."

"I live by LA," Shine said, smiling. "Let's just say a mutant is hardly the weirdest thing you'd see in that area."

"The last one is in El Paso, Texas," Billings said. "So far, no one else has been brave enough, but the gentleman who called me from Wisconsin said they have too few people to worry about. The one in LA said that...actually, they said what you said, Mrs. West."

Shine choked on a laugh.

"And the one in Texas, cheerfully, told me that they'd all have guns in church if anyone tried to come in.... I'm not sure he was joking."

"It's Texas in the 80s. I doubt it," Wally said.

"Of course, there's risk to us if one of them does not like mutants," Kurt said. "It's hard to dodge a gun."

"I suppose that risk is present every time we leave our house," Billings said. "But it's very rare to be shot by people who asked you to come to a church.... I intend to go. I feel it would be a sinful waste not to. I wish we had more of a ministry to tell them about, but I'll have to focus on the need first."

"We need a plan." Shine put a finger to her chin. "How long do you have?"

"Till next month."

"We have till next month to have a more concrete idea," Shine said. "And like you said, the iron is hot.... If the ball gets rolling now, it'll be harder to stop it. Maybe impossible. But there will be resistance, for sure, even from mutants. Will they be invited to these meetings?"

"I doubt they could avoid hearing about it, but if they come or not is anyone's guess," Billings said.

"And you want us to join you?" Wally said. "We're not preachers."

"I know.... Just to help, perhaps answer questions," Billings said.

"I can talk, I mean, if necessary," Shine said. "I've had practice."

"I was afraid to ask, but if you're offering..." Billings said. "Perhaps we can share the time.... I don't know how each of these places feel about woman preachers, but you can 'share', can't you?"

Shine chuckled. "I'll stand outside the door if they don't want me on stage....  But we'll come separate from you, all right? Just give us the location and time, and we'll make it--with our own accommodations, don't worry. We can manage."