SURVIVORS

CHAPTER 01

The day started like all the others, the morning was always rushed at Rose's house, who always got up earlier to have a time of prayer, then she read a chapter of a biblical book always scheduled beforehand, she got up from the floor where she was kneeling finishing her conversation with God, but still thinking about her, things weren't easy, even within her own, the world was bad and very expensive and the world seemed to want to steal her family, her peace, her life her. She sat on the couch, that day her heart was more than tight, she felt immense pain along with an inexplicable sadness, she grabbed her bible, it was time to start reading, she couldn't waste time, because time is a valuable currency that never goes back, a coin that always moves forward, I didn't go back and in a world so full of information, she made an effort not to be swallowed by social networks, she went on to read:

"Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.

For there will be men who are lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to fathers and mothers, ungrateful, profane,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, slanderers, incontinent, cruel, despisers of those that are good,

Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God,

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. From these turn away.

For of this number are those who sneak into houses, and lead captive foolish women laden with sins, led away from various concupiscences;

Who are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, being men of corrupt understanding and reprobate concerning the faith.

They will not, however, go forward; for his folly will be manifest to all, as also was theirs.

You, however, have followed my doctrine, way of life, intention, faith, longsuffering, love, patience,

Persecutions and afflictions such as happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, and in Lystra; how many persecutions have I suffered, and the Lord delivered me from them all;

And also all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

But evil men and deceivers will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it,

And that from your childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

That the man of God might be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 TIMOTHY CHAPTER 03

Rose took a deep breath, that word was overwhelming, the news proved that she was already living in that time, such a cruel time where self-love was more important than solidarity and people killed and died to prove how important they were. How many crimes and suicides were reported defending individualism, self-loving people who thought they were more important than the rest of the world, or people who do crazy things for the sake of money, to enjoy their dark and satisfying desires even if just for a moment, bad people scattered everywhere, doing their crazy things, loving themselves above all others, breaking the most important commandment, which was to love God with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, that is, to love to God with everything.

Rose got up embarrassed because that word had moved her a lot, she had been suffering a lot in her marriage, in the hands of her husband, she was exhausted, but she steadied herself in the word of God, placing all her trust in it, and having the full certainty that it was God who engendered this trust in her, he was her sustenance; still the suffering was great, but she waited hopeful for the end of the pain. They had three daughters, two four-year-old twins and the oldest nine years old, it was time to wake them up to go to school, at that time her husband was already in the shower, and the girls who had just woken up were already talking without stop, while they jumped from one side to the other, Marta, the eldest, had gotten ready quickly, she was her mother's friend, her confidant and always left her things tidy a day before so she could help her mother with the moaning.

After a lot of struggle, they were all dressed up and ready to go, her husband Carlos didn't help with those tasks and he was calm in the car, he was the one who took the twins, because school was the way to work, Marta studied in the neighborhood, her school was nearby so she went with her friends, soon the huge house was empty and silent and Rose had little time to get it in order and leave for work.

On the bus again that heart squeeze, she closed her eyes, asked God to keep her family and I started thinking about the word she read.

It was in the morning, thinking about recent times.

The day went on as usual, at lunchtime she sat outside the company, in a park, allowing the sun to warm her skin, it seemed like a caress made by God, a caress with the feeling of love, which she didn't receive for a long time from the people with whom she lived, that feeling was good and real, Rose felt her heart overflow with joy and a peace took her completely, she could stay there for the rest of her life, feeling that wonderful feeling taking over her being, but it was soon gone. interrupted by her coworker who as always was energized talking nonstop and laughing at her own words, Vanusa was a good humored and funny person, Rose really enjoyed her company and the two together had a lot of fun, Vanusa always said they were connected by soul, sisters in Christ Jesus, even though they were so different, they respected each other and enjoyed walking together.

After lunch, both returned to their tasks, happy for the experience Rose had lived at the bank, happy to be employed in such a humane and caring company, from then on life didn't seem bad for Rose, everything seemed prepared by God.

CHAPTER 02

It was early evening, traffic was starting to take shape and slow down, Bruno was driving stressed, he had had a day at work like everyone else, but he hated being stopped. He had not yet adapted to the sudden growth in the flow of cars, nor did he understand how, in a country where gasoline and the cost due to it grew so much, there could be so many people leaving public transport to rent or buy cars, because before the pandemic, at the beginning of the night the flow was less, and he was able to get home without stress. He lived alone and had learned to like solitude, born in the south of Brazil, he left the cold city as soon as he finished college with a dream of investing in himself and he went after that dream to become real, working, improving himself , passing needs until the immense empire took the form it now has; he chose to fight alone because in the beginning he suffered a lot of deceit, but that time had passed, now he was a great tycoon in the city of São Paulo, known and respected within the business sector, a fifty-year-old man, rich and humble, treated people with respect regardless of class, he barely saw his family, but he always sent his parents much more than was necessary for them to have a good life, for a while he even insisted that they live elsewhere, in a large and luxurious house, with staff to take care of and help them, but they refused, they preferred to remain in the same house where they raised their children, without much luxury, they liked the simple life they had, they valued what they had built and their roots, they believed that this culture that had influenced their son to be the great man that he was.

Bruno got home, he wasn't married, he didn't even have children, he chose to be lonely and if he didn't die before old age, he had already prepared everything about how he would be taken care of, he wasn't religious, he didn't have vices, he was a person who did what he wanted wanted and when he wanted.

He greeted the employees he found wherever he went, some he even knew, but others he didn't, because he had a housekeeper to take care of these things, then he went up to his suite, it didn't take long to take a snack for him to eat and left it in the room while he was preparing it. the huge bathtub for the year, going over in his mind all the day's work, turning on the huge television that he had on the panel in front of the bathtub, bath time was to relax, he put on relaxation music and closed his eyes trying to empty his eyes. thoughts, so he tried to keep his sanity even carrying such a professional burden, he didn't complain, he had the life he fought to have, but he knew the risks and impact that a high level of life could cause on the mind and body, so every day he did his own relaxation sessions, he also valued physical conditioning and good nutrition.

After the shower, the night went on as normal when he began to observe a huge movement among the employees, he thought about ignoring it, but that remained, he looked from above, Vilma, his housekeeper trying to calm everyone down, but it was clear that she was also very nervous, what would have happened was something serious, it was better to intervene before the situation got even worse.

- Vilma - he called her worriedly, waiting for her to approach - What's going on?

- The sun - she said with eyes full of tears trying to contain the emotion, but not succeeding, hugging him and starting to cry.

He called another girl who was in the place, ordering her to bring something to calm Vilma, trying to guess what had happened to that person Sol, was it a relative of hers or an employee of the house?

She drank some water with sugar that the girl had brought, and she was taking a breath and calming down little by little, everyone else remained there, everyone had astonishment on their faces, Bruno was scared and didn't even know what, the suspense was shaking him.

- The sun Bruno - she said with a trembling voice - it hasn't set.

Bruno stood motionless looking at her, he was a person easily stabilized to contain reactions, but in his heart he felt angry that everyone had gathered there to play a trick on him, he did not understand the reason for that and already imagined that some clown on the internet, who was the way he referred to current entertainment, was there in his mansion trying to pull such a ridiculous prank, he ran through their minds all the ways he could process it.

-I didn't understand Vilma- he said- Who is the sun?

The little lady took him by the hand and accompanied him to the window, it was eight o'clock and he didn't believe it when he looked outside seeing the night as clear as day, that didn't seem possible, he went to the street where the neighbors were talking about the event. Bruno couldn't believe what he was seeing, he entered quickly with his parents in mind and dying to know the immensity of the event, calling direct to real sources while letting his employees follow through the newspaper, on the huge television that he almost never used. He ordered someone took care of Vilma, he had the affection of a son for her, they had worked together for a long time, while he received updates from his contacts, he spoke with the parents, he called with the intention of reassuring them, but ended up being calmed by them.

No one knew how to explain what was happening, the news was already worldwide, no scientist and no newspaper had concrete information on why the sun did not go out and why the rest of the world was normal except for Brazil. The situation left Bruno terrified and he knew that it was true that no one left, because his money bought the information. He wasn't the only one who was like this, desperation took over many, the great movement was all over the country, an entire country was without direction and scared away by fear, the religious claimed it was the end of the world, but nobody, but nobody admitted that it was a strange end to happen in Brazil and not in the United States of America, the Brazilians did not accept it or the possibility of starting to experience catastrophes, because they were not prepared for that, they did not have attics or basements in their houses, no stocked up on food, didn't know what to do.

CHAPTER 03

Rose was tired of walking from one place to the other, she was nervous and felt selfish, the sun had stopped and she felt in her heart an immense sadness that at a time like that her husband did not answer the calls or return the message, it was maddening, she felt he was with his mistress, probably offering her the protection he was supposed to offer her and her daughters.

The children didn't stop for a second, that moved everyone, Rose sat on the sofa calling them closer, waiting for her friend Vanusa to arrive at her house, she felt insecure with everything that was happening, feeling afraid for her and her daughters , because of all the events she had experienced, none of the unknowns were as impactful as what she was experiencing now and in the city Vanusa was Rose's only family. Sitting on the couch, she wasn't paying attention to the news but was talking in her mind with God saying: "Father, Joshua prayed and the sun stopped, the sun didn't go away, it stayed still until Joshua won (Js10-13), not rushing to for almost a whole day, maybe that's what's happening now, maybe somewhere a warrior in the name of Christ battles for the honor of God and the sun is standing still, but Father what do I do at this moment? I confess that I trust in you, the Lord is my rock and fortress, but I am scared, please direct me, remove all the carnality that impeded my spiritual vision in the name of Jesus, help me, even to rest in you, I need you, of his infinite mercy".

Rose's prayer was interrupted by the arrival of Vanusa who arrived confused with big stuffed bags, she ran and hugged her friend and the children at the same time, her heart was heavy and she tried to contain her tears so as not to scare the children, wiping quick some tears that escaped without his permission.

-Don't cry Aunt Vanusa- said one of the twins- everything will be fine, now we have more time to play.

Vanusa ran her hand caressing the girl's hair and then wiping her tears, she didn't feel lost, she had nothing to think about or what to do, that was too confusing for her.

Rose put the children to sleep, talked about Joshua's passage with Vanusa, the two together with the members of the churches that congregated joined in prayer, each in their home, to intercede for that moment and remained so until the cell phone woke up in the morning, Rose felt her heart heavy, but peaceful, Vanusa was also much calmer. They thought that this could be the beginning of the end, they believed that the return of Christ was near and in such a bad world, such news was comfort for their hearts that joyfully yearned for the salvation offered by Christ through the Gospel, which they led in their lives and acts with so much love, often denying their own wills so that Christ might be glorified; and now they thought they were close to God's greatest gift.

Rose decided it was best that the children not go to school, both she and Vanusa were given permission to do their chores around the house.

They took Vanusa's car and went to a supermarket near the luxurious condominium, the place was in chaos, people ran and fought madly to buy food and store it, from one corridor to the other they always found people arguing with each other, both were scared with people's reaction to the sun, they didn't even know if that night they would go through the same, but they acted desperate, running like crazy to meet their needs, not measuring price, nor effort and if it was necessary to let it be taken from someone who could die of hunger like they would do, Rose was saddened by that scene thinking about the most humble people, those who did not have conditions to supply, she thought in agony about what was going to happen to this class of people, her heart ached in such a way that she even cried bitterly for them, being immediately consoled by Vanusa who said:

- Blessed are the humble, for they will receive the land for inheritance.

They returned home bewildered by what they saw, on the way they saw the same situation in pharmacies and other establishments. When they arrived, without the girls realizing it, they checked the news that showed that behavior and the high price of things all over the country, something incomprehensible to them, who did not understand how "such inflation" had risen so much in a few hours. Newspapers also warned about robberies made across the country, from small businesses to large car agencies, now living there was not so safe; Rose and Vanusa felt a very strong oppression trying to imprison them in fear, as well as those people, but they remained firm, seeking to be spiritually sober, they made an effort not to go along with the mass, it was difficult to swim against the tide, but they had they had done this all their lives because of the Gospel and it was not at that moment when they believed in the coming of Christ that they would bow to the situation.

Rose ran to her room, opened her bible looking for a specific text and went back to the room gathering them all and reading:

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from.

My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot waver; he who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, the Guardian of Israel will not slumber or sleep.

The Lord is who keeps you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

The sun will not harm you by day nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will guard your soul.

The Lord will guard your entry and your exit, from now and forever. PSALMS 121".

She took a deep breath and said:

- What we are living was lived once by Josué and after that day the sun never stopped, so it is normal that we are so apprehensive, but we know that no matter what will happen from now on, help comes from the Lord, he he is more than protection, he is the life that exists in us and no one here should forget him, that he is the main objective and also the creator of everything, as he is in control of all things, maybe we will be persecuted because of the cross of Christ, we may be in need, but Christ is our very present help in times of distress, we cannot fail to trust, because he is the rock, our structure, without him we will do crazy things like these people are doing, without them we will be blind.

The small children did not understand very well what their mother was saying, but the oldest and Vanusa understood and felt reassured by the action of the Holy Spirit being transmitted in Rose's words, she felt safe, they did not see God but they believed with all their forces in his action in their lives and so they could remain calm, while they waited for dusk to see if the sun would not go away again.