A Miracle of Hope (The Amish Wonders Series)

by Reid, Ruth

  She leaned closer to the bed. “You’re nett going to ask me why I like those names?”

  “I am a little surprised. I thought you would name her after your mother.”

  She shook her head. “I placed mei hope in the Lord and he made mei joy complete.”

  “I think either name is perfect.” He paused a moment and gazed into her eyes. “I love you, Lindie. You’ve filled mei heart with joy too.”

  She stood, bent over the railing, and kissed him. “You have to get better soon so you can see your new dochder.”

  He raised his head a couple of inches off the pillow, looked beyond her toward a built-in cabinet, then plopped back down.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “Mei clothes,” he said.

  “You can’t leave nau.”

  “Will you find mei pants?”

  She didn’t budge.

  “There’s a letter for you inside the pocket.” He lifted his head once more, but dropped it back down on the pillow. “Mei clothes are probably in that closet.”

  Lindie found his pants on a hanger and dug her hand into the pocket. She removed a small envelope with her name scrawled on the front. “Did you want me to open it nau?”

  “Later,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure you had it.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  FIVE MONTHS LATER

  The bedroom’s blue cotton curtains fluttered in the morning breeze, a refreshing break from the August heat wave. Still, Lindie couldn’t sleep. She tossed the covers back and crawled out of bed. She padded barefoot down the hall and into the kitchen. It wouldn’t be long before Hope woke up. Since the infant started teething, she hadn’t slept through the night.

  Lindie set the kettle on the stove and stood by the window as she waited for the water to heat. They needed rain, just not today. Within a few hours, buggies would line the lawn, and the members would gather for Sunday service. Lindie didn’t want anything to spoil this day. She also didn’t want anything out of place. She turned away from the window and scanned the room. The floors were spotless, the curtains pressed. She gathered the Budget from the table and walked the newspaper into the sitting room. For now, she would shove it in one of the desk drawers.

  Inside the drawer, Lindie spotted the envelope Josiah had given her in the hospital. Although she didn’t need to reread the letter, she could recite every word. She sat down at the desk and pulled the tattered pages out of the envelope.

  My Dearest Lindie,

  As I take this moment to gather my thoughts, I cannot help but recall the feeling of breathlessness I had the first time I saw you. You stepped off the bus, pretending to be more interested in your rumpled dress than at looking me in the eye.

  I never told you, but I was just as nervous. I’m not sure my hands had ever been so clammy. You must’ve noticed when Bishop Troyer told us to join hands at the ceremony. All I remember is how soft your hand felt in mine. And how frightened I was that I could never make you happy.

  I regret now that you didn’t have the wedding of your dreams. But I don’t regret marrying you. If I live one day or a hundred years, I’ll always be grateful that you’ve come into my life.

  In the first letter I wrote to you, I said I would give you my name, but I could never give you my heart. That was a lie. My heart belongs to you. God has blessed me in that he’s made my joy complete by giving me you.

  I say all this because we don’t know the plans of God. Should tomorrow never come, I don’t want to miss telling you how much you mean to me. How much I love you.

  Your husband,

  Josiah

  Lindie dabbed the corners of her eyes with her hankie. Josiah’s letter moved her to tears every time she read it.

  The floor creaked behind her and strong arms came around her shoulders. “Mrs. Plank, you’re going to have a houseful of people in a few hours. What are you doing rereading this old letter?”

  She looked up and smiled at Josiah. “Your love letter will never be old to me.”

  Josiah brought her into his arms. “I need to write you a note every day and tell you how much I love you.”

  Lindie rested her head on Josiah’s chest. “I’m so glad God gave me you.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “And in a few hours, God’s going to give you a houseful of people, Mrs. Plank.”

  Lindie gasped. “I still have things to get ready.”

  Hannah yawned as she shuffled into the sitting room. Already dressed for church, she was closer to being ready than Lindie was.

  Lindie gave Hannah a morning hug. “I’ll make breakfast after I get changed.” Lindie thought that since today was the first time she and Josiah were hosting the Sunday services, she would wear the pretty blue dress Simon had given her for Christmas.

  Lindie quickly changed and headed into the kitchen, pinning her kapp in place. She reviewed the mental list of things still to do. Yesterday Josiah and Simon had cleaned the workshop, arranged the benches, and set up long wooden tables outside. She had the tablecloths pressed and ready. Josiah had found her a few rocks by the edge of the garden to help keep them from flapping in the wind. She still needed to make up the vegetable dip. Yesterday she and Hannah had gathered, washed, and cut broccoli, carrots, celery, and zucchini from the garden.

  “Guder mariye.” Simon entered the kitchen.

  “Mariye,” Lindie and Josiah said in unison.

  Lindie poured him a mug of kaffi. “I’ll have breakfast done in a few minutes.”

  Hope started to fuss just as Lindie cracked the first egg into the skillet.

  “I’ll get her,” Josiah said. When he returned, the boppli reached her arms out toward Hannah.

  Lindie glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Hannah, Josiah, and even Simon were all doting on little Hope, trying to keep her from crying long enough for Lindie to finish cooking.

  Hope didn’t stop fussing until she reached up and grasped Simon’s beard. That made her smile.

  Hannah laughed.

  “You used to do that too,” Simon said to Hannah as he worked to free his beard. “Mei new granddaughter doesn’t want to let go of me.”

  Josiah helped Simon, but it wasn’t until Hannah clapped her hands and said, “Hope,” that the baby released Simon’s beard, turned to her sister, and spread out her arms for Hannah to take her.

  Laughter filled the room as Lindie placed the food on the table. She smiled. This was her dream come true.

  Josiah stood at the window and watched Simon and Hannah walk hand in hand across the green lawn. Several of the members had arrived and other buggies were pulling into the driveway. He hadn’t realized how excited Lindie was to host Sunday services until he watched her and Hannah buzzing around the house the past few days, cooking and cleaning. It made him happy to see them excited. He was a blessed man. He wasn’t sure if it was Hannah’s laying hands on him or the miracle of Hope’s stem cells that God used to heal him. Maybe it was Lindie’s faith. It didn’t matter. God had given him his life back.

  Lindie came up beside him, Hope cradled in her arms. “Now that she’s fed, she should sleep for a while.” She craned her neck to see out the window. “Ach, I’m late. I wanted everything perfect before the others arrived.”

  He placed his arm around Lindie’s waist and kissed her temple. “Everything is perfect.”

  Reading Group Guide

  1. Lindie and Josiah entered into a marriage arrangement that didn’t include falling in love. Do you think it would be easier, about the same, or harder for a non-Amish couple to make the same arrangement? Why?

  2. Lindie believed she had nothing to offer a husband but a marred life. How did the enemy convince her she was unworthy? What role did her family and community play in reinforcing these negative beliefs?

  3. How did Hannah respond to her father’s remarriage? What eventually brought Hannah and Lindie closer?

  4. Why was Josiah upset when Lindie rearranged the kitchen cabinets? Was his reaction reasonabl
e? How did he try to mend the situation?

  5. How did Lindie discover Hannah’s God-given gift? Were Lindie and Josiah skeptical or supportive?

  6. In what ways did God use Hannah’s gift?

  7. Although Hannah was deaf, she said she could hear God’s voice. What are some other ways God uses the weak in the Bible to accomplish his purpose?

  8. Do you think Lindie’s struggle to accept her pregnancy was unrealistic given that most Amish women are thrilled to be pregnant? How did she accept Josiah pointing out she wasn’t eating enough for two?

  9. Lindie prayed for her situation to change, but to no avail. Later, she was grateful for her unanswered prayer. Have you prayed about a certain situation only to question if God was really listening?

  10. How does Romans 8:28 apply to Lindie’s situation?

  11. How did God use what the enemy meant for evil as a blessing that gave God the glory?

  12. Can you think of any situations in the Bible where God used a difficult situation for His glory?

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to thank my friends and family for their ongoing support and encouragement. I thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to work with a wonderful publisher, Daisy Hutton, and her staff.

  I could never fully express my gratitude for my editors: Natalie Hanemann and Becky Philpott. You’ve blessed me tremendously, working with me from development through line editing. Thank you!

  About the Author

  AUTHOR PHOTO BY LEXIE REID

  Ruth Reid is a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life.