Eric Flint: Grantville Gazette .Volume XXIII

His face serious again, Terrell answered, "Absolutely, Reverend. Art is a real good guy and definitely knows his stuff. He's really taught me a lot since I transferred over in January. This point to point communication relay system he's devised is going to revolutionize coordination between the major hubs and VOA's broadcast facility."

Leaning forward, Terrell looked very earnestly into Fischer's eyes. "Keep it to yourself, Preacher, but this war should be over by July at the latest. I can't say a lot, but it's no secret that the fleet is getting ready to make its move soon. That means that Hamburg is still in the way and only Christian's capital at Copenhagen is between it and our army under siege in Lubeck."

Terrell paused. "I don't see how either of those strongholds can stand up to Simpson's navy. From there, it's game, set, match."

Fischer was stunned that the war that had been the background of his entire life could be so close to being over, but Terrell's analysis made sense. All those years of wandering, all the towns struggling with displaced refugees and plague and marauding mercenaries and armies stealing their food and supplies… all of it was almost at an end. It was truly a miracle. If he had not already seen the power of these people from the future to force their will on the world around them, Fischer would never have believed it.

After Halle, only two more stops at Kloster Mansfeld and Stassfurt and then, the Magdeburg revival that they'd been looking forward to was at hand. Fischer marveled at God's timing, bringing His message to the capital at a point in history like this. Peace at last at the end of sixteen years of war. What was God trying to tell him?

May 1634, Grantville,

State of Thuringia-Franconia,

United States of Europe

The early morning light illuminated the hilltops, creating the illusion of islands in the dark mists of the valleys below. Fischer couldn't sleep, so he got dressed and made his way up to his favorite spot by the old logging road overlooking the roofs of Grantville.

He was anxious about the journey he was to make today. Perhaps coming up here to pray and study would relax him before boarding the RV to Magdeburg.

The view had certainly changed since the first days he brought his notes up here to learn this up-timer doctrine rooted in the earliest days of Christianity. Then, it had been a collection of twentieth century, flat roofs downtown surrounded by nineteenth-century house roofs and spires. Now, most of the cheaper up-time houses, along with the previously vacant lots, were filled with seventeenth-century two- and three-story brick or daub and wattled half-timbered townhouses with good Thuringian red tile roofs.

Even the Five Hollows weren't the same. Where he had once only seen the steeple of his church below, now he also saw the barn that they had built, then converted to a Sunday School building and playground. The remaining part of the missing hollow cut by the Ring of Fire was now filled with a new lake. It was where Fischer himself had been ordained. Now, it was an outdoor amphitheatre built to handle all the new members flocking to the church.

So much was happening. So much was changing. Like the leather bound book Fischer held in his hands. In the last century, when Martin Luther had published the first edition of the Bible written in German, only a thousand copies had been printed. Now, this commentary that Fischer had translated into German from Chalker's lessons was already in its third printing.

Father would have been proud. His only son leading such an important movement.

It had overwhelmed Fischer when the revival first started to travel up and down the rail line after the Jena revival. The driver had called him to the window to see peasants in the fields stop their work and place their hands over their hearts, then raise them to the sky above as the caravan passed by. From the impromptu idea he had come up with at Jena, this new gesture was turning into a symbol of the "Born Twice, Die Once" doctrine that was gaining ground throughout the cities they traveled through. Another change was evident in the way that the USE as a whole was beginning to refer to itself just as "Germany." He heard this phrase more and more often.

Then there was the money. Not only did contributions continue to stream into the church coffers, but they were also hearing reports of Lutheran parishes also receiving greatly increased offerings. Offerings accompanied by the ever-present raised hands during prayers. If he knew his former colleagues in the Lutheran clergy, Fischer suspected it was driving them crazy to see the impact this little tent meeting of his was having amongst their congregants.

Later this morning, Fischer would be leaving for the national capital for nine services over ten days with one being carried live on VOA. For the first time, instead of having to ride back to Grantville in the middle of it all, Terrell and Maria had worked out how to do a live remote broadcast of the Ole Timey Radio Hour from Hans Richter Square.

Even Reverend Chalker was excited over the potential of the next two weeks to spread the word. He had decided that he was going to be at the first night's revival in Magdeburg and would take the altar next Sunday here in Grantville, so Fischer could spend the weekend spreading the Word in the capital city.

"That's final, I won't be talked out of it." Chalker had practically screamed at the Elders who gathered to dissuade him from taking on the grueling task of conducting all five Sunday services. "There's no reason I can't preach from this wheelchair one Sunday. If we're to continue to grow, eventually we're going to have to build a new church in Magdeburg. The more souls we bring to us this first trip, the sooner Brother Fischer will be able to lay the cornerstone of that church."

Fischer had eventually convinced Reverend Chalker to just hold three services, two in the morning and one in the afternoon, for that Sunday only. While this compromise didn't totally please the Elders, they reluctantly agreed that there was no stopping Chalker from killing himself if that's what he wanted to do.

It was Chalker's vision of Fischer founding a new church in the national capital that had obsessed Fischer ever since. Moving from his protected life here in Grantville to a town that had been burned to the ground only three years before. Not only that, but it had also experienced an unbelievable fire which burned even the river itself. He was nervous at the challenge of living in such a dangerous place, away from his friends.

Then there was Constanzia. Over the last few weeks, he saw her in a whole new light. Susannah was right. Fischer now knew that he had been blinded, not seeing her as a potential wife and soul mate. He'd met her older brother, Johann Martin Luther Sulzer and his family. Her brother was a little stiff, but "good people" as Roy Copenhaver would say. Constanzia also let Fischer know that she expected a visit from her father who still lived in Augsburg in a month or so, and asked Fischer to meet him.

Fischer wondered what it would have been like to grow up in such a large, well-established family. So unlike the life that he'd experienced with his father, fleeing Tilly's armies all those years ago.

The bright first rays of the sun breaking over the hills and directly in his eyes caused Fischer to wince, breaking him out of his contemplation. No matter. God has a plan and he's chosen me to accomplish it. So whatever happens will happen and I must accept it.

Then, opening his commentary, he started writing down additional ideas and revelations before getting ready to leave on his pilgrimage to Magdeburg.

May 1634, Magdeburg,

Magdeburg Province,

United States of Europe