Wings of Refuge by Lynn Austin Page B

.” she whispered to the empty room.
    One of the things she missed the most was having someone beside her to share the sunrise. She and Mark were both early risers, and dawn had been their favorite time of day—especially during the summer months on their family camping trips when they would dress in thick flannel shirts and sip strong coffee together outside the tent, watching the forest nudge itself awake.
    She turned from the window. Getting dressed this morning would be simple, her only option Ramona Voss’s sunflowered clothes. Abby’s reflection in the mirror embarrassed her, especially when she recalled Ari Bazak’s blunt analysis.
    “I do look terrible,” she said aloud. She tried on Ari’s blue shirt over the top, tying the shirttails around her waist and rolling up both sets of sleeves. It looked a little better, but since she didn’t want to encourage Ari’s friendship, it seemed overly presumptuous to continue wearing his shirt. She took it off again.
    Breakfast wouldn’t be served for another half hour, so Abby settled back on the bed with her Bible and the small book of devotions her daughter had given her for the trip. Abby hadn’t realized how far she had drifted from God until her marriage sank and she discovered she was without a life-boat. Now it seemed like a long journey back to shore, but she opened the devotional, entitled God of Refuge , and began to read.
    After skimming through the introduction, she reached for her Bible to look up the first Scripture reference. She remembered how reverently Benjamin Rosen had held the small black book as he had paged through it, comparing it to his own. She quickly blinked away her tears and turned to the book of James. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything .
    Abby slammed her Bible shut. Consider it joy to suffer the betrayal and loss of her husband? She almost decided against reading the devotional, but then she recalled Hannah’s words from the night before: “I also had to suffer pain and loss before I found rest in Christ.” Drawing courage from her new friend, Abby opened the book and continued reading.
    Twenty minutes later, she had just finished praying the printed prayer, asking God to use her trials to draw her closer to Him, when someone knocked on her door. The moment she opened it, Ari Bazak thrust a shopping bag into her arms.
    “Here. I thought you could use some decent clothes.”
    Abby didn’t know how to respond. His manner was gruff, as if he was forced to perform this act of charity against his will.
    “Um . . . thank you. Where did—?”
    “You are closer in size to my wife than to Dr. Voss’s wife.”
    “Please tell her thank you for me.”
    “Sure.”
    He returned to his own room before Abby could finish. What a strange man! She doubted if she would ever understand him, but at least she would feel more comfortable around him now that she knew he was safely married.
    Abby took the bag inside and dumped the contents on her bed. There was a sheath dress of pale yellow linen, white slacks with a lightweight navy blazer, several pairs of shorts with knit tops or blouses to match, and even a bathing suit that looked brand-new. Ari’s wife was also a size ten—and she had excellent taste in clothes. These were nicer than the clothes Abby had brought from home. Feeling lighthearted, she changed into one of the blouses and a pair of shorts, then took the elevator downstairs to breakfast.
    An hour later Abby was seated on the tour bus, listening to the excited chatter of the other dig participants as they rode to the first lecture stop: King Herod’s seaport capital of Cae-sarea Maritima. She noticed that everyone sat in pairs except her: husbands with wives, students with roommates, a few student couples snuggling and holding