Free Tianna the Terrible (Anika Scott Series) by Karen Rispin Page B

female."
    "Yes," Mom added, "and did you know that Jesus used women as the first witnesses of his resurrection? That could be considered the single most important event in human history, and he chose women to be his witnesses at a time when they could not legally testify in court. Besides, as far as disciples go, there was a band of women who traveled with Jesus through his whole time of ministry. In fact, they were the ones who provided for Christ and his disciples. There were well-known women of God in the early church, too, such as Priscilla and Phoebe."
    "But—but…" I stammered, surprised at the force of their answers. "How come people get so upset about women being preachers now, then?"
    "People disagree about that," Daddy said. "Some think women should be free to take any position in the church. Others feel that some positions were meant for men. The disagreement has nothing to do with whether women are as good as men. It has to do with the roles God intended each of us to play. Men and women are equally important, but they are different."
    "I'm glad!" said Sandy. "I'm not the same as any dumb boy!"
    We laughed, but Mom said, "That's not the heart of the problem, you know. The real problem is attitude. God wants every one of his children to look for ways to serve. Instead, we grab for power and status. That's Kurt's problem, as well. Oth of bem in that thamily are doing that."
    We all grinned, and Mom looked frustrated for a second, then she laughed, too. I was still confused. It was hard to figure out all that stuff about different roles for men and women, and how one isn't better than the other. Even so, I felt better inside. One thing I did understand was that I was a person to Jesus. He didn't care if I was a boy or a girl; he loved me no matter what.
    When we landed at Nairobi Airport and got off the plane, the rush of African sounds and smells made me grin. Spicy dust, hot sunlight, the smell of diesel fuel, the song of birds, the sound of Swahili, the wide savanna sky—all of this seemed to be welcoming me home to the continent where I belonged.
    Back at the mission station, it was hard to think much about Tianna. The whole trip to Canada didn't seem real. In fact, everything about the Malcomes and their problems seemed far away and unimportant.
    All the other kids were back at school, so the station was really quiet. You see, most kids stayed at a boarding school in dorms for three months, then came home for one month. Sandy and I went to Valley Christian Academy boarding school because Mom and Daddy wanted us to have a good American education.
    "Sandy and Anika, are you finished packing for school?" Mom said a couple of days later. "Daddy will be up here from the office in a minute, and we'll be ready to leave."
    Just then, Daddy came up the hill from his office at a trot, waving something in his hand.
    "Kevin, what on earth?" Mom asked. "What is it?"
    "Anika, is this your doing?" Daddy demanded as soon as he got up to us.
    I just looked at him with my mouth open. What did he mean? I hadn't done anything.
    "This is a telegram from Kurt," Daddy said, waving it in my face. "It says Tianna will be here tomorrow."
    "What?" I blurted. "Tianna here?"
    "Yes. Kurt says that Tianna told him that we said she could come. Aunt Doreen left, and he has to go on a business trip, so he's sending her here."
    "Doreen left?" Mom said. "Oh no!"
    "Did you say that Tianna could come here?" Daddy asked again, staring straight at me.
    I looked down.
    "Well?" he demanded.
    "She was so sad, so I said she could live with us," I said all in a rush. Then I paused and said, "I didn't think she'd ever really come. I mean, how could she without any money or anything?"
    "What about Jake?" Sandy blurted.
    "Never mind the kitten," Daddy said and turned to me again. "Don't ever do something like this again without talking to us first."
    I hung my head and whispered, "Are you going to send her back?"
    "Of course not," Mom said. "We can't turn