Taking Care of Moses by Barbara O'Connor Page A

baby in the cardboard box on the front steps of the Rock of Ages Baptist Church.”
    But he couldn’t.

10
    â€œ I know y’all will want to join me in congratulating Miss Maddie Shadd on her fine, fine performance in the Junior Bible Drill last night.” Preacher Ron smiled down at the beaming girl. She pushed her shiny red hair behind her ears and waved a gloved hand at the congregation. Everyone clapped. Someone called out,”Thatta girl, Maddie!”
    Randall looked back at the Gilleys. Althea was slumped so far down in the pew that only the top of her head was showing.
    Preacher Ron nodded at Maddie. “Why don’t you recite those verses about the sluggard?” he said, then turned to the congregation and added, “That was the final question that made Miss Maddie here our Junior Bible Drill champion.”
    Maddie jabbed the toe of her shiny white shoe into
the floor and did a little curtsy, holding her long, yellow skirt out like butterfly wings. Then she stood up straight and stiff, lifted her chin in the air, and called out, “‘Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.’”
    She paused while folks clapped. Then she cleared her throat and added, “Proverbs 6, verse 6.”
    From the back of the church came loud, thunking noises. Everyone turned to look at Mrs. Gilley glaring down at Althea.
    Maddie smoothed her hair again and recited, “‘As vinegar to the tooth, and as smoke to the eyes—’”
    Althea jumped up and pumped her fist in the air. “‘ Teeth ’!” she hollered. “‘As vinegar to the teeth .’”
    She grinned at the congregation, then added, “Ha!” before sitting down again.
    Randall felt a twinge of excitement. Church was usually so boring it was fun having something out of the ordinary happen. All around him, folks were whispering and shaking their heads and wagging their fingers at Althea. Randall’s father chuckled, and Mrs. Mackey poked him.
    After Preacher Ron gave Maddie her shiny gold Junior Bible Drill medal, he told her she was now the official helper for Baby Moses.
    Mrs. Jennings smiled and bounced Moses on her lap.

    Then Preacher Ron motioned for Maddie to sit down and he began to preach.
    â€œI call today’s sermon ‘CHILDREN Are Our TREASURED Gifts.’”
    He was using his preaching way of talking, hollering out the important words and saying the others real low and soft so everybody had to lean forward a little to hear.
    â€œI know because the BIBLE tells us so in the Book of Psalms, chapter 127, verse 3,” he said.
    â€œIn fact,” Preacher Ron continued, “did y‘all know that the word ‘HILDREN’ appears in the Bible FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-TWO TIMES?”
    He pounded his fist on the pulpit with each word, then paused.
    Randall wondered if Preacher Ron had actually counted all those words in the Bible.
    â€œTHAT is how important children are to this church,” he went on.
    A couple of folks hollered out, “Amen.”
    â€œTheir souls are precious to us,” Preacher Ron said softly. “They are the FUTURE of this church.”
    â€œYes, brother,” someone called from the back of the church.
    â€œAnd so I say to you that we must stand firm and accept our role as FAMILY to a child who was given to us by a troubled soul.”

    Uh-oh. Randall felt that worry knot tumbling around inside him. He squeezed his eyes shut and recited to himself, “Don’t talk about Moses. Don’t talk about Moses.”
    But Preacher Ron did talk about Moses. On and on and on. And then suddenly he was talking about troublemakers.
    â€œWe must AVOID the troublemakers,” he said. “The Second Book of Thessalonians tells us so.”
    Mrs. Jennings nodded and called out, “That’s right.”
    Then Preacher Ron started pounding the pulpit loud and hard and saying how troublemakers were