The Claudia Brown

It was August 6, one year after we lost Rachel. I was sitting in the parking lot of Smoothie King when a message popped up on my phone from one of Rachel’s family members. They had just seen my post about my walk on the Ma and Pa Trail in Rachel’s memory, and asked if I could pick up the one remaining photo if I was still on the trail.

I was happy to help, so I put my car in drive and returned to the trail. As I pulled into the parking lot at the William Street entrance, I looked at the sky. During my drive back, the sun had gone down and darkness was quickly  approaching.

A group of men huddled together in prayer in the parking lot as I put my car in park. I took to the trail, this time at a fast pace. It would be a bit of a walk before I came upon Rachel’s photo and the light was fading fast.

Then I heard voices behind me. Two of the men approached with big smiles, handing out literature from their church in Aberdeen: a pamphlet that quotes John 3:16 on the cover.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

I thanked them and continued on my walk.

Then, two more men from the same church approached me as I got closer to Rachel’s photo; and we began a lengthy conversation about God.

It was their first time on the trail. They were familiar with Rachel’s story — but they had not realized it was the anniversary of her death.

Eventually, we found her photo, and I asked my new friends to pose for a shot. This was a moment I wanted to remember forever.

The light held out for my photo, but once we turned around to walk back to our cars, darkness enveloped. One of the men struggled to catch his breath as we journeyed on, sharing he had injuries to both his achilles.

I told him that my friend Rachel would run the entire trail on a regular basis with ease and he shook his head in admiration.

The other man shared his history of addiction and explained how he had turned his entire life around in just the past year, with the help of God.

My new friends stuck by my side the entire walk back to the parking lot.

“We came here to protect Claudia Brown!” one of the men said. “We will be your light through the darkness!”