The Armory (First Look)

Chapter 5: The Orphan's Tale

I was sitting there waiting to hear what Justin was going to say next and because he waited, I decided to take the chance to say something.

"So, you live with your Grandparents. What happened to your parents if you don't mind me asking." I asked and Justin looked and me and thought about it for a second.

"So um, my story is a bit of a tear jerker so if you have trouble dealing with terrible things, then I promise you, you don't want to hear it." Justin explained and I shook my head.

"Don't worry about being too much. I've dealt with a lot in my life too. My mother was murdered." I tried to relate and Justin shook his head.

"My parents were murdered right in front of me. Granted, they didn't know that I was there. They thought I was at the babysitters and I had ran home because I thought they were leaving me there. I hid in the closet and my Uncle Clyde came bursting into the doorway and he shot both my mother and my father. Thank God he didn't know I was there because I probably would be dead as well." Justin bluntly responded to me and I sat there in slight shock. His life had been so hard.

"Did you get your powers when you were just a child?" I felt the words fall out of my mouth and Justin smirked and shook his head.

"No. Why would the Lord give me power at the age of 7?" Justin asked this and all I could think was DANG. "That's not the end of my story Delaney. I'm sure you're aware that the Lord tests us in ways that are crazy. Well, I didn't speak a single word for the majority of my life after that and then when I was adopted by my grandparents they slowly got me to open up. I started singing for the church and continued to praise the Lord through my trials. I wasn't great but I loved the Lord, so I praised.." That seemed to be a common theme here. Or at least I had a feeling that it was a common theme.

"Yeah, I grew up with my grandparents and two years ago I was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Apparently the neglectful use of my lungs led to a really bad thing. My lungs deteriorated and they were never the same again. I was immediately put on a list for a lung transplant and I am the very first case of a double lung transplant. I was cured and I am still cured to this day, but on the table while they were operating.....I uh..." Justin got choked up and then calmed down. "I died on the table and I saw Christ." Justin started crying. "I saw the Lord's beautiful stunning face and, he said to me," Justin was clearly beside himself trying to breathe under the struggle of explaining how incredible this moment was. It reminded me of my own faith. "He said to me, for those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. He is everything and more than I thought he could be Delaney. There are no words to describe the way I love the Lord for what he did. I awoke, cured and then saw that I had this bracelet. I didn't know what it meant at the time. But when I awoke I had a stunning voice. I couldn't sing before and then I could and I swear I haven't stopped praising the Lord since then." Justin explained and he looked to me. "Do you sing?"

"Sometimes." I admitted. "But for the Lord....always."

Justin grabbed his guitar and then sung a stunning rendition of How Great Thou Art.

"O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow'r thru-out the universe displayed!"

I joined in with him when he got to the chorus because I wasn't sure I knew the rest of the lyrics.

"Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;