Seeds of Hope
Page 27
John Byler owns a farm that has been in his family for generations. He’d hoped to pass it on to his son, but then his son left the Amish community. His only hope of keeping the farm in the family is for his grandson to take it over. Is there anything you own that you hope to pass on to someone in your family?
The Amish believe God sets aside a marriage partner for them. Do you believe this? Do you believe in love at first sight?
Miriam has had a crush on Mark, an Englischer, for years. She longs for him to take over John’s farm, but she’s torn because Mark loves his work in Philadelphia. Do you think she should have told Mark about her feelings for him sooner?
Mark thought he had his life all planned out, then he ran into a detour. Some say when one door closes another opens. What would your advice be to Mark?
Mark waits and waits for his firm to call him back to work. Have you ever become upset with God when His timing isn’t yours? What did you do?
John tells Miriam he hoped she and his grandson might become more than the good friends they’ve been for years. Do you think John was playing matchmaker by offering the farm to Mark?
Mark feels part of two worlds—both the Amish and the Englisch. Have you ever thought about joining a church or way of life different than the one you were raised in?
Miriam is the eldest child in her family. What is your birth order? How has it influenced your life?
Miriam loves her job as a teacher. Did you have a favorite teacher? Why was that teacher your favorite?
Mark discovers working on the farm—something he did as a teenager in the summers—is something he loves. Have you ever changed not just jobs but careers? Why? What happened?
The Amish don’t believe in pressing charges or suing. When someone in the community is hurt by an Englischer, Mark finds himself frustrated that he can’t use his legal skills to help them. Do you think the teen driver learned anything from what Mark did to help the Amish family?
What do you think will be the hardest adjustment Mark will face living the Amish life? What will be the easiest?
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
For the Pumpkin Cookies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cloves
2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 cups pumpkin purée, chilled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the Cream-Cheese Filling:
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin purée and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Stir flour mixture into pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated. Using a small ice cream scoop, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
For the filling:
Sift confectioner’s sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. Beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
Assemble the Whoopie Pies:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, spread filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.
About the Author
Barbara Cameron is a gifted storyteller and the author of many bestselling Amish novels. Harvest of Hope is her new three-book Amish series from Gilead Publishing.
Twice Blessed, Barbara’s two-novella collection, won the 2016 Christian Retailing’s Best award in the Amish Fiction category. Two of her other novellas were finalists for the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) awards. She is the first winner of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart Award. Three of her fiction stories were made into HBO/Cinemax movies.
Although Barbara is best known for her romantic and Amish fiction titles, she is also a prolific nonfiction author of titles including 101 Ways to Save Money on Your Wedding and two editions of The Everything Wedding Budget Book.
Barbara is a former high school teacher and has also taught workshops and creative writing classes at national writing conferences, as well as locally. She currently teaches English and business communication classes as an adjunct instructor for the online campus of a major university.
Barbara enjoys spending time with her family and her three “nutty” Chihuahuas. She lives in Jacksonville, Florida. Visit her website at
barbaracameron.com.