Jacob arrived with his family in Goshen not long after our work began there.  They would all be received with open arms by Pharaoh.  It was a shocking thing to witness.

Israel held the prized lands of Egypt and also became stewards over all of Pharaoh’s livestock.  The family would begin to grow roots and expand.  While the family reunion was magnificent, the joy would last for seventeen years.

After this Jacob would become sick.  He knew his time was short.  He gathered his sons and blessed them according to God’s desires.  After hearing the blessings of each son I further understood why Joseph would have no need of retribution.

God had accounted for much concerning the actions of the sons.  The blessings that were received seemed to be according to the sum of how they lived their lives.

Jacob did ask me to remain with his family after his passing.  I told him that I could not do so.  He insisted that God had promised him that they would be made a great nation and would one day be brought up out of Egypt.  This I did not deny.

I simply could not remain to be a slave.  I never liked Egypt to begin with.  More turmoil came from them than good.

Jacob’s Burial At Machpelah Near Mamre

The burial of Jacob was one to see.  A journey would be made from Goshen to Machpelah where Abraham and Isaac were buried.  Yet it would be more than Jacob’s family that would come.

Before the funeral there would be seventy days of mourning in Egypt.  All in the land went into mourning, this was beyond anything I had ever imagined.

The funeral procession itself included all of Pharaoh’s house with the exception of Pharaoh himself.  They mourned for Jacob just as Joseph and his family did.  The people in Mamre gave a wide berth for this funeral.  No one in their right mind would challenge a Pharaoh.

Here I stood once again in the place where I saw Abraham bury Sarah.  Then I saw Isaac and Ishmael bury Abraham.  For me, it wasn’t that long ago that I was here with Jacob and Esau when we buried Isaac.  Now it was Jacob.

I was exhausted.  While watching them place Jacob within his tomb I was looking at the other tombs of their fathers.  My heart wrenched.  I just couldn’t take any more.  It was here I said my silent goodbye’s to them all.

My Final Goodbye To Joseph And His Brothers

Later that evening I found Joseph.  The moment his eyes met mine he knew what I was thinking.  I didn’t have to say a word.  He invited me to sit with him at his tent.

“You will be leaving us now Clay?” He asked.
“Yes.  It is time for me to go.  I just cannot go any further.” I replied.
“I believe you are making the wrong choice.  Nevertheless I do understand.  Can I ask where you will be going?” Joseph inquired.

“East to a land that these people do not yet know exists.” I said as I placed the old name placard sealed with Chen Tang’s name into Joseph’s hands.  He looked at it and the inscription with its royal seal.  After staying silent for a moment he handed it back.

“I do not believe you will remain there.  I believe that one day you will return here.” Joseph was confident.
“You may be right.” I said in agreement.
“So why go there?” He asked.
“I really have no where else to go.” I stated as I was thinking of my real family in my time.

“If you change your mind, come back here.  We will always welcome you Clay.” Joseph was almost pleading with me not to go.
“Thank you Joseph.  Your family means everything to me.  I have lost too many friends here, have seen too many things.  Now I am expected to see them go into slavery.  It is just too much.”

“I will give you anything that you need.  Whatever you wish to take is yours, including men.”  Joseph said as hugged me and thanked me for the things I had done.

My Second Journey To The East

Jared and Nathan would go with me.  There were a few adventurous Egyptian souls that decided to go with us.  They were voluntary as I refused to press anyone into service.

The men that chose to go with us were Egyptian slaves which had been forced into military service under Pharaoh.  At my request to Joseph, they were released to me.

I actually had no idea what I would find in China.  I am sure by now the shift of society had changed to a point my placard would have no meaning to anyone.  I admit, I was running.

Crossing what would be modern Afghanistan and Pakistan through newly formed deserts was testing.  All of this land was once grasslands and hills filled with trees.  The glaciers were gone, the drought now was our pressing concern.  I pressed on, still running, unable to see within me what it was I needed to see.

Looking Forward Into Time

I got up early, I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried.  After the conversation with Pastor Carl, I went home to try and rest.  Emotionally and physically, I was just gone.  I believed I was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Arriving back at the hospital I found Clay laying in bed, his heart still going, and all seemed okay for the moment.  I set some new toys in the room for the girls and snacks I brought from home.  I knew it would be another long day.

A couple hours later mom dropped the girls off and we began our routine.  There wasn’t much hope that Clay would last long.  It seemed his condition was deteriorating.  At some point things would come to a head and his body would give up.

Pastor Carl’s Visit

The knock at the door was Pastor Carl.  The hospital had a little chapel which Carl had made arrangements for us to use privately.  He wanted to pull us into a place to talk where we would not be disturbed.

The girls brought some of their toys which at first I protested.  Pastor said it was fine and could actually help the process.  Sitting he would begin slowly.

“Did you girls get any sleep last night?” He asked.
“Yes a little.” Both girls agreed.
“What’s your favorite toy Noelle?” Carl asked.
“All of my dolls.  They are my favorites.” She exclaimed.

“How about you Kate?”
“I like stuffed animals.” Kate replied.
“Do you ever talk to your dolls and animals?” Carl asked.
Both girls shook their heads yes.

“So, how are they feeling about everything that has happened with daddy?” Carl asked.
“Sad.” They both said.
“Do they ever tell you that they are angry too?” Carl asked.
“No.” Kate replied… “Not angry, but they feel bad.” Noelle replied.

“Kind of like their feelings are hurt?” Carl continued.
“Yes.” Both girls acknowledged.

“Do they ever tell you what is going on with daddy?” Carl began to dig a little.
“No.” Kate said confidently.
“Its not my dolls that tell me things about daddy.” Noelle said.
“Then who tells you things about daddy?” Carl questioned.

“Jesus.” Noelle replied.
“How does He do that for you?” Carl continued.
“I see it in my head, like a movie.  Then Jesus will tell me what things mean if I am scared.” Noelle explained.

“That is very interesting.  You know that a lot of people wish they could talk to Jesus like that.” Carl reinforced the confidence in communication.
“Yeah.” Noelle replied.

“How often do the things you see scare you?” He asked.
“Hmmm, like when I know daddy can die, or when I know he is fighting against God.” Noelle tried to explain.
“Can you tell me more about how he fights against God?”
“Right now daddy was supposed to stay in Egypt with Joseph, but he is running away.” Noelle began playing with her doll as she was explaining.

“Then, before that, Jacob was wrestling with God and daddy was wrestling with Death.” It was the best she could do in her explanation.
“Can you tell me what kinds of things Joseph may have told your dad, or maybe what Death said?” Carl asked a bit concerned.

“Joseph said that daddy would go back to Egypt, and he thought leaving was a bad idea.”  Noelle was making her dolls hands point like it was trying to help talk.

“Then Death said that daddy had too many chances and he wasted them all.  It was his time to die.” Noelle started to cry a little and hugged her doll.
“But your daddy isn’t dead.  For right now, he is in the room and still trying his best to live.  So what changed?” Carl asked.

“Someone came to daddy.  I think I know who it is, but I am not sure.” She said.
“Can you describe what he looked like?” He asked.

“Before Death could take daddy, the dawn came.  At dawn the persons hair was white like snow.  His eyes looked like fire.  His feet was like metal when it gets really hot and they glowed.  His voice sounded like a waterfall. He looked scary but he saved daddy.” Noelle was starting to calm down a little from crying.

“So right now you said daddy is running away.  Is he going somewhere or is it like inside his heart running away?” He asked.

“Both.  When Jacob died they buried him beside Isaac.  Daddy was crying.  He said he couldn’t take anymore.  All of Pharaoh’s people were with them and Joseph.  Daddy explained to Joseph that he couldn’t go back to Egypt.  So, he left with Jared and Nathan with some men they took with them.” She explained.

“Where is he going?” Liza jumped in upset being caught up in the story.
“I think China.” She said.
“China?” Liza exclaimed in disbelief.
Pastor Carl motioned to Liza to relax some and allow him to continue.  Liza sat back in the chair and wiped tears from her eyes.

“All of this is happening really fast to your daddy, isn’t it?” Carl began to go work slowly to regain control.
“No, it’s really slow for him.  He has to live one day at a time.  For us it is really fast.” She said plainly.
“For your daddy it is like living real life here one minute at a time?” Carl questioned.
“Yes.”

“He is really there seeing things really happen?” Carl asked to confirm the understanding.
“Yes.  He can get hurt, he gets hungry, it is just like being here.” She tried to explain as best she could.

“That is so interesting Noelle.  So you get to see some of his day to day normal life there?”
“Yes.” She said shaking her head with enthusiasm like she enjoyed that part.
“What parts do you like and have fun seeing?” Carl continued.

“I saw daddy take plant fibers and he used bee wax and mashed it together.  He did it with a bunch of fibers and he would twist and braid into a rope.  Then he would sneak some of the fiber and make braided hair for dolls.  He would give the rope hair to the kids so they could have more fun.” She said smiling and then laughed.

“What other things did you see?” Carl asked.
“When Jacob was working for Laban, the goats take five months to have babies.  They were faster than the cows.  The cows took nine months.  But the babies were always so cute!” She was smiling really big now.  Who doesn’t like baby animals?

Pastor Carl Speaks To Liza Privately

Pastor Carl informed the children that he needed to speak to their mother for a few minutes.  Carl motioned for Liza to come with him into the hallway just outside the chapel door.

“Do you see what I mean?  It’s really specific.” Liza said in a hushed tone.
“Yes I do see.  I would normally suggest a therapist for anything like this but…” Carl hesitated.
“But what?” Liza asked.

“Its in the details.  For example the description of the person she saw, eyes of fire, hair white as snow, the entire scene is a description from Revelation.  Now that could be explained by her remembering something from a sermon… But..” Carl continued.

“When it comes to things like Jacob being buried it makes me pause.  It’s the details knowing where and who was there.  It is all recorded in Scripture but these are highlights that almost never get spoken of from a pulpit.” Carl finished explaining.

“So do you think it is real?” Liza asked.
“If we allow ourselves to look at the evidence, Noelle has given us detailed descriptions going back from Noah and in sequential order through time to Joseph.  It’s really hard for me to not look at this as being real.” Carl explained.  “A child should not be capable of what she is doing.”

Liza walked back into the chapel where Noelle and Kate were playing together.  She knelt down in front of them and wrapped her arms around her girls.  She didn’t want them to see her cry, but maybe crying with them was what everyone needed.