“You may call me Naomi.”
“Why not Mrs. King?” Danika wondered.
“We don't use fancy Englischer titles. Just a simple name is fine.”
“Fancy Englischer?” Danika questioned. “Oh, I'm not English. I'm half Hispanic, actually.” She chuckled. “And I'd hardly call my jeans and t-shirt fancy.”
“Englischer means non-Amish and Englischers are fancy compared to the Plain people.”
“Okay, so I guess I am a fancy Englischer. I've never fancied myself fancy,” she said, giggling again. “So, tell me why all the lights are off, Aunt Naomi. I may call you Aunt Naomi, right?”
“Yes, Aunt Naomi will be fine. We don't use electricity. We use God's light, the sun, for our light during the day,” Naomi answered, “and at night, we use lanterns.”
“Wow,” Danika said under her breath. “You mean like lanterns for camping? I'm always afraid to light those things.” She remembered a recent camping trip with Dad, before he'd been diagnosed with cancer. He'd asked her to light the lantern and gave her instructions on how to do it, warning about a possible explosion if she did it wrong. So, shakily, she lit a match and stuck it into the opening. The mantle inside the globe lit, while she held the match with eyes closed, and it gave out a 'poof' sound. Danika had screamed, thinking she'd blown something up. When she opened her eyes, the lantern burned brightly and Dad was chuckling. She told herself she'd never want to light one of those things again.
“Jah. I guess they're similar to those.”
“What does 'yah' mean?”
“Jah is 'yes'. Would you like me to show you to your room now?” Naomi grinned.
“Jah,” Danika answered, then giggled.
Naomi smiled. “Before you know it, you'll be a regular Amish girl.”
“A what?”
“An Amish girl,” Naomi repeated. “That's what we are – Amish.”
“Oh. Well, let's not get the cart before the horse!” She smiled at her intended pun. “I'm still a fancy Englischer, jah?”
“Jah.” Naomi smiled, enjoying her playful spirit. When Philip had explained the situation about his sister Rebekah's daughter needing a home, Naomi hadn't hesitated to welcome their new guest. But she did have reservations about bringing a teenage Englisch girl into their home, though. Philip had assured her that everything would work out according to God's plan.
Naomi couldn't help but think about the twin daughters she had lost, along with her first husband. They would've been the same age as Danika is now. Was God bringing Danika into her life as way to comfort her for the loss of her daughters? He'd already blessed her with Philip, who was the finest husband she could ever ask for, and then of course, little PJ and the babe she now carried in her womb. She could never have imagined her life would turn out like this. It seemed as if life was a cycle of heartaches and joys, mostly mountains and valleys with a plateau here and there.
As Naomi showed her niece to her room upstairs, Danika looked around taking everything in. She noticed the walls were mostly unadorned, except for a scenic calendar from Beiler's Hardware Store. “Where are your family pictures?”
“We don't take photographs. The Amish believe that they are graven images and do not allow them.”
“Really?” Danika gulped. Her hand moved to her chest and clutched the heart locket that hung from her neck. It had been a precious gift to her from her parents on her eighth birthday, and contained a small wedding photo of her mother and father. I could never part with my necklace, she thought to herself worriedly, as tears sprang to her eyes.
<><><>
After unpacking all of her belongings, Danika tried to figure out where to put her laptop. Oh no, I don't have anywhere to plug it in, she realized disappointedly. She sat the computer on the small desk and pushed the button to turn it on. The battery still had a full charge, so she'd be able to use it for a couple of hours. She quickly sent an email to her friend Cindy:
Hey Cin,
Just thought I'd let you know that I made it here safely. You would not believe this place. It's like I stepped out of the real world and into Little House on the Prairie!! Remember that show my dad used to want to watch all the time? And I'm not joking, either. It's weird. I'm trippin' out a little bit.
Hey, if I don't email you back it's because my computer battery is dead. No electricity here! I told you, it's like I'm living in a different century. So, could you send me a letter via snail mail? I know it's kind of a pain, but it might be the only way for us to communicate. Oh, and my phone's dead too, but I think my uncle might let me charge it in his health food store. My aunt and uncle seem pretty cool – so far.
Chat later,
Dani
Danika closed her laptop and headed downstairs when she heard Naomi's call. She guessed it was probably time for dinner.
“Will you take the plates from the hutch and set the table?” Naomi requested.
Danika noticed a couple of different China sets. “Which ones?”
“Well, since it's a special day, let's use the pink floral set,” Naomi remarked, as she set a delicious-smelling pot pie on the table with freshly-squeezed lemonade.
Philip came into the house with PJ toddling close behind him. He washed his hands before giving Naomi a brief peck on the cheek and rubbed her rounded belly. He picked up the little boy and put him in his lap as he sat at the table. PJ immediately bowed his head and waited. “Not just yet, PJ. Katie's still in the kitchen,” Philip instructed and the little guy lifted his head.
Katie dried her hands, and made her way toward the table. When all were seated, Philip bowed his head signaling he was about to pray. The family all bowed as well. Danika frowned, confused at first, but eventually caught on and bowed her head also. Praying before meals had not been the norm in her childhood home. The silent prayer finished, Philip cleared his throat and everyone raised their heads, except Danika. She kept her head bowed. Philip cleared his throat again. Still, Danika's head was bowed in silence. Finally, Philip declared, “Amen” and Danika raised her head. Philip and Naomi briefly smiled at one another.
<><><>
After dinner concluded and the dishes had been washed, dried, and put away, the family gathered in the living room. Katie sat primly on the loveseat beside her new house guest, and PJ sat next to his daed and mamm on the small tan sectional. “So, what do you guys do here without a TV?” Danika questioned, breaking the silence.
“What's a TV?” Katie asked.
“Oh, it's so cool! You can wat –” Danika began to explain, but was abruptly cut off when Philip held up his hand to silence her, sending a look of warning.
“It is verboten, Katie. You need not know of wicked Englisch devices.”
“We spend time with our family. Such as playing games, reading books and talking,” Naomi said, recovering the conversation.
“Games? Cool, I'll go grab my Game Boy!” Danika hopped up, headed for the stairs.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Philip called. “Game Boy?”
“Yeah.” Danika halted near the bottom step, looking at them as if they were aliens. “You do know what a Game Boy is, right?”
Philip and Naomi looked at each other and both shook their heads, adorable PJ mimicked them.
“Wow.” Danika couldn't get over their deliberate ignorance of modern technological devices. “I know you know what a computer is. It's kinda like a small computer with electronic games on it.”
“We don’t play those kinds of games. We play board games,” Philip clarified. “Danika, how much did your father tell you about us?” Philip asked curiously.
“Not much at all. I mean, I really didn't even know you guys existed until, like, a couple of weeks ago,” she answered. “And I had no clue about the whole Amish thing. I just thought you guys were like regular normal people. No offense.”
Philip sighed, scratching his chocolate-colored beard. “I expect this will not be an easy transition for you. We have certain standards that we live up to.”
With mouths agape, Philip and Naomi looked at each other trying to make sense of what was just said. Danika definitely spoke a different language than what they were used to. Naomi spoke up, “We were hoping you could make some new friends here.”
“You mean Amish ones? I guess that might be sorta cool,” Dani answered imperviously.
“Naomi can take you to town tomorrow to get some fabric for your dresses,” Philip stated.
“Dresses? Oh no. I can't wear dresses, I look terrible in them. They make me look too fat,” Danika protested.
Naomi and Philip glanced at each other again, puzzled. Naomi reassured Danika, “Nobody here will think you're fat. We all dress the same, so you don't need to worry about being made fun of. Besides, you're not fat at all.”
“You will begin school on Monday, so you'll need to get started making the dresses as soon as possible,” Philip suggested.
“You want me to wear dresses to school?” Danika asked in disbelief. The last time she remembered wearing a dress to school was her first day of kindergarten. “And you want me to make them?” Her eyes widened.
“Naomi will help you if you'd like,” Philip offered.
“Help me? Do you guys think that I can, like, sew or something? I've never touched a sewing machine in my life.” Panic mode was setting in.
“There's not much to it. You'll learn quickly. I will show you how to do it step-by-step. No need to worry,” Naomi comforted.
“Whew! Thanks.” Danika sighed. “You guys were, like, totally scaring me there for a minute.”
“Well, enough scaring Danika. Let's read for a while, then we can play some games,” Philip stated.
“Oh, I love games! Dad and I used to play Checkers all the time.” Danika perked up.
“Philip loves to play Checkers too.” Naomi smiled at Dani. “It looks like you're going to make it here just fine.”
<><><>
Chapter 3 – Adjustments
“Let all bitterness...be put away from you.” Ephesians 4:31
As Naomi maneuvered the shopping cart around the store, Danika seemed to take a keen interest in the Englisch clothing. She knew this transition was going to be terribly difficult for her niece and hoped that somehow she could make the adjustment more bearable for her. A girl Danika's age already had enough to deal with without adding on the extra burdens of losing a parent, moving to a foreign place, and having to adjust to an Amish lifestyle. Considering everything, Naomi knew Danika was handling things amazingly well. She prayed that God would give her and Philip patience with the girl.
“Naomi King. Well, I haven't seen you out lately,” Esther Fisher greeted her friend.
“Hullo, Esther. I'd like you to meet my niece, Danika. She'll be living with Philip and me now,” Naomi stated.
“Ach, gut to meet ya. This here's my Jonathan. He's our youngest.” Esther patted Jonathan's back. “Jonathan, say hello to Danika.”
Jonathan peered at Danika under his straw hat, pushing his bangs to the side. He nodded to Danika, then said, “Guess what? I got me six aldis at school!”
Naomi and Esther both suppressed a chuckle.
“Aldis?” Danika asked.
“It means girlfriends in Englischer's talk,” Jonathan informed her.
“How many girls are there at school?” Danika asked.
“Eight. But one's my sister, so she didn't want to be my aldi.” Jonathan shrugged. “The other one is Susie Hostettler. She said she won't ever be my aldi, but I don't believe her. She's my best girl, but she don't like me none.” Jonathan's shoulders now sagged.
“Oh, I'm sorry,” Danika offered, feeling sorry for the boy.
Jonathan's eyes perked up. “Would you like to be my aldi too? I ain't never had an Englisch aldi.”
Naomi abruptly spoke up before Jonathan was able to continue his shenanigans, “Esther, I think Danika and I should get over to the sewing section now. We've got some dresses to make if Danika's going to make it to school next week.”
After bidding the Fishers farewell, Naomi and Danika quickly found their desired area of the store. “Well, here's the fabric. Go ahead and pick out a few colors.” Naomi stepped back so Danika could view the myriad of fabrics. Animal prints, calicoes, and television cartoon characters seemed to dominate the wall space, but many solid colors were present as well. “Wal-Mart usually has a decent selection.”
“Yikes, that's a lot of material to choose from. Oh, here's a nice one,” Danika exclaimed, pulling out a bolt of pink and white floral material.
“I'm sorry, but we only wear plain colors - no designs,” Naomi stated apologetically.
“I could stick with red or fuchsia.”
“We wear burgundy, dark green, dark blue, and purple.”
“I guess it's purple then.”
“You may get some of each if you'd like. I'm sure you don't want to wear the same color every day. We'll also need some black for your aprons and some white organdy for your prayer kapp,” Naomi stated, pointing to her own.
Oh, wow. I'm going to look so lame in one of those things, Danika thought to herself, then said in contrast, “Yeah, I guess that might be sort-of cool.”
<><><>
As Naomi sat at the treadle sewing machine, Danika leaned over her enthralled, watching every stitch. “Hey, that's pretty awesome. Do you really think I can learn to do it?” Dani asked, now thoroughly interested in the sewing project.
“Jah. It's really not that difficult once you get the hang of it. Would you like to try?” Naomi offered, as she stood up and moved the chair back.
“Sure, but what if I break it?” Danika said apprehensively as she sat in front of the machine.
“You won't,” Naomi assured. “Okay, now place your feet on the treadle.” Naomi pointed to the floor. “Now, put your right hand on the wheel and turn it toward you.” Danika did as told, and the material started moving under the needle. “Now keep it going with your feet and guide the material with your left hand. Try to keep it straight. You're doing gut,” Naomi said, as Danika effortlessly moved the fabric and pumped the treadle simultaneously.
“Hey, I think I'm going to like this. It's kinda fun.” Danika smiled.
“It usually takes a while to get the hang of it, but you appear to be a natural. You're pretty good at it too. Look at those stitches,” Naomi encouraged.
By the end of the day, they had already completed one of Danika's dresses and an apron. Surprisingly, Dani was excited to try on her new threads. “Hey, I guess I don't look too fat in these after all,” she said, as she modeled one of her dresses for Naomi and Katie.
<><><>
After dinner that evening, Naomi and Danika washed, dried, and put the dishes away. Philip, Katie, and PJ waited in the living room for the ladies to finish up the chores. When they finally arrived, Philip began reading from the book of John. Danika listened intently, trying to understand every word. Although there had been a Bible at her home in California, she had never really read it for herself. “Jesus answered and said unto him,” Philip read. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
“Uncle Philip,” Danika asked genuinely, “what does that mean – except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God? Even if my mother was still alive, it would be physically impossible for me to be born a second time.”
Philip chuckled. “That's what Nicodemus tried to tell Jesus – that physical rebirth was impossible. But Jesus wasn't talking about physical rebirth; he was speaking of spiritual birth.”
“Spiritual birth?” asked Danika, eyebrows mirro
ring her perplexity.
“Yes.” Naomi joined the conversation. “Verse five says, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
“Oh, I see – being 'born of water' means getting baptized,” Dani said.
“No, not at all. Being born of water is to be born physically. Have you ever heard someone ask a woman in labor if her water broke?”
“No, but I've seen it on TV.” Danika added, “So, that's the water this is talking about?”
“That's right, the physical birth. And being born of the Spirit obviously means being born spiritually. Jesus explains this in verse six. When you are born of the Spirit, you are born again. When you accept Jesus as your Saviour, that's when you are born a second time – that's when you become a Christian.”
Danika appeared baffled at Naomi's words. “But I was baptized when I was a baby, and Dad said that you become a Christian when you are baptized – at least, that's what the priest told him.”
“Baptism doesn't make you a Christian; it shows you are a Christian.”
“Oh, it's like Mom's and Dad's wedding rings – the rings didn't make them married, they just showed that they were married.”
“Right. Heaven is God's Kingdom and to go to Heaven, Jesus said we must be born again.”
“But the priest said that we must keep the sacraments. You know: go to mass, confirmation, partake of the Holy Eucharist, pray the rosary, and all that stuff, if we hope to make it into Heaven.”
Philip and Naomi looked at each other in bewilderment. “We kind of used to think that way too. I mean, that by doing the right things we could earn our way to Heaven. But we were wrong. I'm afraid those things are all referred to as 'works of righteousness' in the Bible. Those things can never get us to Heaven. Isaiah sixty-four says that 'all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags', they are detestable to God,” Philip explained.
Naomi added, “If we try to make it to Heaven with our own works, that means that we've rejected God's gift – his precious Son – the only acceptable payment for our sins, and we're trying to pay for them ourselves, which is impossible.”
Danika's Journey (Amish Girls Series--Book 2) Page 2