Happy Mini Doll Monday! Sorry this post is posted so late in the day… I took a very long, much-needed nap for my fighting-off-allergies-body after lunch and errands. Then I worked on this post, but it took longer than expected because I got distracted making the cutest outfit for Celina. I decided she needed a little attention after Emma got a new outfit, too…

I am feeling better, than you so much for praying! I hope to be feeling MUCH better by tomorrow, when I take dance and gymnastics…

So, what did Emma pick to do out of the suggestions you all commented? Wait and see!

~Now told in the POV of Emma~

IMG_0033It was after lunch, and it was decided we all do a bit of cleaning up. My bed had arrived, along with a special treat for the other mini dolls, too – new teal bedsreads and fluffy pillows!

That’s not the only thing that arrived, that day – so did a yucky overdose of pollen in the air which Jessa is allergic too. Don’t allergies stink? Here you see her in the background lying on the bed, resting, with a good excuse not to help clean up.

IMG_0034There I was, fluffing my pillow.

IMG_0036Behind me, Celina was folding some… hehe, a pair Jessa’s underwear!

IMG_0037Jocelyn was making her bed that she shared with Molly-Anne. She spent extra time smoothing her hands over it. She loved getting a new bedspread.

IMG_0038And sweet Molly-Anne was taking care of poor Jessa. “Would you like a glass of cool water? You’re running a fever,” She murmered to her gently.

“I’ll get her one,” Celina offered. Cold as she was to me, she was very kind to everyone else.

IMG_0039Hurriedly finishing fluffing my pillow, I turned around to go finish folding the laundry. Maybe a small act of kindness would help to smooth things between Celina and I. Perhaps she would even thank me for folding the laundry while she went to get a glass of water for Jessa.

But as I turned around, Celina was walking right towards the door. My shoulder collided with hers, slamming right into her!

Oh no, I groaned inside my mind.

IMG_0040“Would you watch where you’re going?!” Celina barked at me. “I’m not a landing pad, you know!”

“I am so sorry,” I apologized quietly. “I didn’t see you.” A soft answer turns away wrath, the Bible verse formed in my head.

IMG_0041“I offer to do something nice for Jessa, and THIS is what I get?” She yelled at Molly-Anne, pointing to something.

IMG_0042I traced my eyes along her arm and found her pointing to me!

“Celina, it was an accident. Just step aside and get her water, will you?” Molly-Anne asked, annoyed.

IMG_0043“Step aside, Brittish brat!” Celina muttered as she pushed past me.

I sighed, looking down at the floor. I’d been here for a couple of weeks now. Would I ever fit in here? Would Celina always be like this to me?

IMG_0044“How long has Celina been upset with you?” Jocelyn came over to me and asked gently, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. Despite my hurt feelings, I smiled a little bit. Jocelyn was so sincere and nice.

“I – I think just after I arrived,” I answered. “I’m not sure why.”

“Maybe you should go talk with her,” Jocelyn suggested.

“Oh, no no no!” I shook my head quickly. “Oh, I don’t ever think I could be brave enough to go confront her. It might make things worse.”

Jocelyn nodded her head understandingly. “I understand. It’s alright. But just know that Celina isn’t saved yet – she doesn’t feel the peace that we’re able to feel. She doesn’t cast her care upon the Lord. She hasn’t recieved Jesus as her Savior, so she’s not bearing the fruit that we are.  I’m sure she doesn’t act that why because she hates you.”

“Oh,” Was all I uttered. “I didn’t know.”

 “She prays and knows the true meaning of Christmas but just doesn’t know if she wants to accept Christ or not. But with the patience of Job, we’re working on her,” Jocci winked at me.

I had to smile again.

“I think I should go talk to her,” I suddenly spoke.

“I think so too,” She nodded, and gave me a hug. “Good luck!”

IMG_0045When I had gotten to the kitchen, Celina was nowhere to be found.

IMG_0046

IMG_0047There was a cup of cold water in the sink, but no Celina.

IMG_0048Then, I saw black boots and heard sniffles.

IMG_0049I turned the corner of the refrigerator and found Celina there, crying!

IMG_0050

IMG_0051When she saw me, she stood up defensively and swiped away her tears. “What do you want?” She snapped.

I couldn’t do it. I chickened out! I opened my mouth and tried to say something, but I simply wasn’t brave enough.

IMG_0052Celina rolled her eyes and pushed past me. “Better get this water to Jessa,” she mumbled, starting to climb up the big dolls kitchen to get the water cup she had filled earlier.

I’m not brave enough, I sadly realized. But I know Someone who is. God, give me the courage I need to talk to Celina!

Just then, before I knew it, I opened my mouth and boldly told Celina,

“Celina, please come down. I need to talk to you.”

Celina froze, then reluctantly came down.

IMG_0053“What do you want?” She asked. I looked into her eyes. I noticed how red and swollen they looked and how tearstained her cheeks were. She looked really sad, but I just didn’t know why! How I wanted to help her and ease the tension between us. But how?

“Celina,” I began, “Why don’t you like me?”

Celina avoided my now-courageous gaze and looked at her feet. I waited.

Finally, she looked up and sighed. “It’s not that… that I don’t like you,” She told me. “I just… I dunno, I was sorta jealous of you. I don’t even know why, really, I just… well, you see, at the Christmas get-together, everyone else had really pretty dresses and I hadn’t spent much time on mine. I felt a little envious that everyone looked so nice. And then you came, and everyone flocked over the ‘new girl’. But you refused our gift we made for you! You acted like you didn’t even want to be here, but still everyone was so nice to you. I didn’t get it, but I was still jealous of you. So I acted kind of mean. I was so envious of your perfect hair, your ability to make everyone like you almost instantly because of your sweetness and humility, and even your Brittish accent!”

At this, we both laughed.

IMG_0054“But I was jealous of you!” I told her. “You and everyone else, really. You all looked so happy and content together, like a big group of girls that I wasn’t apart of. You all had inside jokes and secrets, and understood each other well and were such great friends, I at first though you were all sisters!”

“Jealous of me? Of us? But we’re all crazy!” I laughed when Celina told me that, and she did too.

“I’m sorry I didn’t accept the necklace,” I sighed. “I was so scared that day I came here. I didn’t know when I would see Emelie, my owner, again. I felt safe with her and I didn’t know what to do. The only comfort I had was my necklace which Penny had given me, and the fact that God was with me.”

IMG_0055Celina’s smile faded a little. “I wish I felt like that,” She said aloud, almost without meaning to.

“You can,” I mentioned brightly. “I believe in the One True God, and He is with me wherever I go. He never leaves me!”

“I’m not sure what I believe,” Celina sighed, shaking her head. “I love God, but I just don’t understand all this accepting-Jesus-in-your-heart-stuff.”

“Oh, but I could explain it to you,” I told her quickly. I was so excited! Maybe Celina would finally get saved!

“Would you?” She asked, looking very relieved. It’s like she had wanted to get saved all this time but just didn’t know how!

“Well, you know that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, right?” I asked.

IMG_0056“Yes, everyone else in this household is Christian!” She giggled, and I did too.

“Do you know for sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if you died this very second, you would go to Heaven?”

Celina thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m a good person, but I’m not saved.”

“Well, the Bible says that ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’, and ‘the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’. It also says that ‘whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved’. And you’re a whosoever, right?”

“Right,” Celina grinned. “Whosoever is a funny word.”

“Yeah,” I laughed. “We’re all whosoevers! I am going to say a quick prayer for you.”

IMG_0057I grabbed her hands.

“Lord, bless Celina with a long and healthy life. Jesus, make Yourself real to her and do a quick work in her heart. If Celina has not recieved Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, I pray she will do so now. Amen.”

I looked up. “Celina, if you would like to receive the free gift that God has for you today, say this after me with your heart and lips out loud.”

Celina nodded, her eyes all wet again. I led her in the Sinner’s Prayer.

“Dear Lord Jesys, come into my heart. Forgive me of my sin. Wash me and cleanse me. Set me free. Jesus, Thank You that You died for me. I believe that You are rised from the dead and that You’re coming back again for me. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me a passion for the lost, a hunger for the things of God and a holy boldness to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m saved; I’m born again, and I’m on my way to Heaven because I have Jesus in my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

When we looked up, it was happy tears, not sad ones that trickled down her cheeks. “Oh, thank you so much, Emma!” She cried. “I’m so happy to finally be saved!”

IMG_0058She gave me a big hug while she sniffled. She apologized for being so mean to me.

Later on, she told me that the reason she was crying when I found her was that she was really scared she would die before getting saved and would go to hell and didn’t know how to accept Jesus. And then I came along, and, well, the rest is history.

IMG_0059After our hug, I scrambled up the counter and came back down with two big mugs and hot chocolate mix packets. “Feel like having some cocoa with me?” I asked, smiling.

Celina nodded yes, and we both smiled at each other.

I have a feeling we are going to be really great friends.

THE END!

If you want to accept Jesus into your heart, you can pray the prayer above, too!

Love,

Emma

P.S. Thank you, AGcmg, for suggested what I should do! Celina is so happy to finally have Jesus in her heart and I am so happy to finally be friends with her.

P.P.S. You should have seen the look on Jocelyn and Molly-Anne’s faces when we finally came back with the water for Jessa. We had hot-cocoa mustaches, linked arms and were giggling and laughing and telling stories. When Jocelyn shot me a silent “What happened to her?” Look, I grinned, pointed to my cross necklace, and she seemed to understand.

Jessa was so happy to see us finally friends, that she felt so much better she even asked for some hot cocoa!