Then came the silent kneeling prayer, followed by Deacon Reuben’s reading of the first two chapters of Luke. Bishop Shetler preached on the miracle of Christmas and the salvation it still offered them centuries later. What with Hiram decreeing that she should never again see Andy, and bearing up under the guilt of showing her affections for an English fellow, the season’s joy had nearly passed her by this year. Next Thursday was Christmas, and the Thursday after that Mamma would marry Ben. Oh, how she hoped her family’s happiness wouldn’t be spoiled by whatever punishment she received today.
As they stood for the benediction and the closing hymn, Rhoda’s throat was so parched she couldn’t sing. But Hiram sang out with his customary gusto. Only a few moments more . . .
“We shall now begin our meeting,” Enos Mullet announced in his reedy voice. “All who are not baptized into the fellowship are excused.”
Older children led their young siblings toward the room with the coats, so they could play outside. Rhoda recalled such outings when she and Rachel were small, when Matthias Wagler’s older sister Ruth had taken charge of them so Mamma could attend the meetings. Such a sense of belonging had surrounded her all her life, and now she faced the possibility of separation during a shunning—
“Rhoda, we shall begin with the matter of your riding in a car with an Englishman and being seen kissing him,” Jeremiah Shetler announced. “Have you come to confess?”
“Jah. Jah, I have,” she murmured. Oh, what a blessing to have this matter handled by the bishop from Morning Star! Rhoda went to her knees before him and Enos Mullet, Preacher Tom, and Preacher Gabe, overcome by relief and remorse all at once. “I knew I was goin’ against my vows, puttin’ myself in temptation’s way,” she continued contritely. “So I spoke with Preacher Tom about it, and I stopped workin’ for that family.”
While she confessed to behavior that went against the Ordnung, and said she regretted bringing shame to her family, Rhoda did not say she was sorry for the affection she felt for Andy and his family. That would be a lie, and God would hold that against her. As tears streamed down her face, her words came out in such a rush she wasn’t certain what-all she said. But when she finished, Rhoda looked up to see quiet compassion on the four preachers’ faces. She felt the freedom of releasing her burden, even if she didn’t yet know what penance the members might require of her.
“If you’ll step outside, Rhoda, we’ll call you in when we’ve reached our decision.”
She walked quickly down the aisle between the closely packed pew benches, meeting no one’s eye. Grabbing Esther Riehl’s coat from a peg by the kitchen door, she stepped outside into the bright sunshine. I did my best, Andy, she thought. Maybe someday, if ya really do take your instruction, we’ll look back on all this troublesome stuff as God’s way of makin’ us strong enough to mesh together as a family.
Whoops went up on the other side of the buggy-lined driveway, where two teams were running a relay race carrying huge snowballs back and forth. Rhoda watched the children’s pink-cheeked exuberance, too caught up in her own concerns to step off the porch and cheer them on.
Behind her, the door opened. Annie Mae grabbed her in a fierce hug. “C’mon in, Rhoda! You’re home free!”
Could it be? And so fast? Rhoda rushed back inside, pausing only to hang up Esther’s coat. Back down the aisle she walked, daring to believe the smiles she saw on everyone’s faces . . . the quick clasp of a hand as she passed the pew where Mamma sat. She knelt before the four preachers to hear their verdict.
“Rhoda, we believe your confession was heartfelt and sincere. The members have voted unanimously to accept it without need for further repentance,” Bishop Mullet announced. “You may resume your place amongst the members while we take up the other matter before us this morning.”
Rhoda’s hand went to her mouth to keep a loud whoop! inside. She found Rachel’s radiant face several rows back and then squeezed onto the end of that pew after the other girls made room for her. Her twin reached across Annie Mae to grab her hand, and from all around her came pats on the back and a silent grasping of hands while the bishops proceeded with the meeting.
“Six weeks ago we placed your bishop under the ban for his ownership of a car and his possession of a driver’s license—a highly unusual and unfortunate event,” Jeremiah Shetler said solemnly. “I remind all of you to prayerfully consider what you hear now, and how you respond with your comments and your votes. While a bishop is human—as prone to falling short of God’s expectations as the members of his flock—it’s a matter of great concern when his sins come between him and the people God has chosen him to lead.”
Hiram came forward to kneel. “I again admit the error of my ways when I accepted a car as payment for a debt and then procured a license,” he stated. “It was wrong of me to hide that car and to drive it, as well. And for those times these past six weeks when I appeared to forget the separation I was to maintain as part of my shunning, I am also sincerely sorry.”
Folks mumbled, shifting on their pew benches. Was that all Hiram was going to say? The two bishops and the preachers gazed at him as though they, too, had expected more.
“All right, Hiram, if you’ll step outside,” Jeremiah said, “we’ll call for discussion and the vote on—”
“I have something else of great urgency to say,” Hiram interrupted as he rose from his knees. He looked out over both sides of the whispering crowd, waiting for the chatter to stop. “First, I wish to thank you for your prayers when my sons were rushed to the hospital Friday after their sleighing accident. I was determined to bring them home that evening to allow God’s healing to take place, but as I sat between their hospital beds, entreating our Lord’s guidance, He came to me with a revelation so amazing I could scarcely take it all in.”
Rhoda gazed at her sister and then at Annie Mae. The bishop’s daughter seemed as surprised as everyone else to hear about this. They all gazed intently over the rows of kapps in front of them.
Hiram cleared his throat. “God has instructed me to start a new colony, saying that my mission here in Willow Ridge is finished.”
Gasps rang out among the women. The men looked at each other in disbelief.
“Again, I was stunned to hear this, but in the stillness of that hospital room where my sons lay sleeping, there was no mistaking the Lord’s voice.” Hiram clasped his hands in front of him, somber yet visibly excited. “When I asked how this was to be accomplished, the Lord pointed out that our district has grown to about twenty-five families, which is the upper limit of what a bishop and two preachers can attend to.”
He paused, raising his arms as though invoking the Holy Spirit. “And when I asked Him where I was to go and what I was to do next, the Lord promised to lead me along the path He had mapped out. And by Saturday afternoon—just yesterday,” Hiram proclaimed, “He showed me a large tract of land coming up for sale. And God told me how I was to go about procuring it for His Plain people.”
Oh, but heads where swiveling and whispers filled the air! Annie Mae grabbed Rhoda’s hand as her father’s announcement shook her to the core. “Of all the—oh, but I’m not even believin’ this,” she muttered. She gawked at her sister, a couple of pews behind.
Nellie, too, looked pale. As stunned and scared as Annie Mae.
“I will have more details when we meet again in two weeks,” Hiram went on in a rising voice. “For now, I have been instructed to place an ad in The Budget, calling for families to join me in this holy venture. I invite any of you to assist me, as well. A fledgling community requires committed families willing to reestablish themselves in occupations that will support a colony and foster its growth.”
“And just where is this acreage you’re talkin’ about?” one of the men demanded. “Seems to me—”
“I will disclose its location at our next meeting, when the details are firmly in place,” Hiram replied. “This is an undertaking of a magnitude none of us has ever known—or funded,” he added pointe
dly. “But the Lord has spoken. The way so many details have fallen into place in such a short time compels me to believe that this is indeed our God at work.
“And now, if you’ll excuse me, I must visit my sons,” Hiram continued before anyone could interrupt him. “I’m eager to assess their healing. Excited about the possibility that more heavenly messages will be revealed.”
Hiram left from the front entrance rather than through the kitchen, probably so folks couldn’t pester him with questions. The bang! of the door reverberated in the crowded room, and then pandemonium broke loose.
“Do ya suppose God Almighty honestly spoke to Hiram?”
“Ya can’t tell me he’s playin’ us straight, comin’ up with this cockeyed—”
“Well, if that don’t beat all!”
“Let’s come back to order, please,” Bishop Shetler called out above the noisy crowd. “Please, folks. Quiet yourselves. Plenty of time to visit over the meal, after we adjourn our meeting now with a prayer.”
Rhoda’s head was spinning as she bowed it. Who could have guessed at this development? Was it a coincidence that their bishop, often the subject of criticism these past weeks, had received such divine guidance now, when it seemed he might not be voted back into the fold?
Silence reigned for longer than usual, which was probably Bishop Shetler’s way of allowing folks to pray earnestly about Hiram’s unexpected revelation. “Amen,” he murmured.
Everyone stood at once, talking in a frenzy that filled the room. The women rushed toward the kitchen, all chattering, as the men began arranging the pew benches for the common meal.
Rhoda stood up, dazed. She was still holding Annie Mae’s hand, which was shaking. What must the poor girl be thinking of her father’s announcement? Bad enough that their family had been shaken by Josh and Joey’s accident. As Nellie joined them, both Knepp girls looked as pale as the snow that had fallen in the night.
Annie Mae exhaled sharply. “I’m not goin’ with him. That’s all there is to that, and I don’t care what Dat or anybody else says,” she declared in a vehement whisper.
“I’m stayin’ with you, Annie Mae.” Frightened tears splashed down Nellie’s face.
“Will ya help us, Rhoda? Don’t ya see how it is?” her friend entreated. “He’s up to somethin’ and I want no part of it. Please promise you’ll keep this under your kapp, though.”
What could she say? Rhoda understood perfectly why the girls didn’t want to follow their father. But families were meant to stay together, just as daughters were to obey their dats. And what might Hiram do if he learned she had gone against the Old Ways—and him—to shelter Annie Mae and Nellie?
“Jah, we’ll figure out something,” Rhoda heard herself reply as she gripped their hands. “Mamma will see your side of it. Don’t you worry about a thing.”
The women streamed toward the kitchen to set out the meal, but Miriam made her way against the current. When she reached Ben, she pulled him close so he could hear her as the men talked of Hiram’s announcement.
“Better ask Jeremiah if he’ll marry us,” she suggested. “I’m not likin’ the way Hiram’s betwixt and between—not voted back into the membership. Who knows if he’ll even stick around Willow Ridge for the wedding?”
“Jah, you’ve got that right, perty girl.” Ben’s eyes glimmered as he stole a kiss. “Truth be told, I was wonderin’ how things might go if Hiram was still ridin’ his high horse when he married us, anyway.”
Hearing the snatches of the men’s conversations as they shifted tables into place, Miriam sighed. “What on earth do ya think Hiram’s got up his sleeve? And where’s he comin’ up with a tract of land big enough to start a new community?”
“Time’ll tell. I’m sure the folks here have their own ideas about all that.” He flashed her a grin that made her shimmer all over. “Don’t worry, we’ll have the best wedding ever, Miriam. I’ll see to it.”
Wasn’t that Ben’s way, to smooth out the rough places in her life? With a satisfied sigh, Miriam headed back toward the kitchen. Reuben’s wife, Esther, their hostess, had butchered several of the chickens she raised and then baked the pieces in seasoned broth. She had also made up platters of deviled eggs sprinkled with paprika and parsley, the red and green of Christmas.
“Esther, the smell of this chicken bakin’ made me want to get up during the sermon to be sure it was cookin’ just right!” Nazareth teased as she handed the metal pans out of the oven to her sister. “Back in Lancaster, our district had cold cuts or sandwiches, mostly, so it’s been a real treat to join you folks for your common meals.”
“Oh, and would ya look at this perty pink stuff Hannah and Naomi brought,” Jerusalem said. “I haven’t yet tasted it, but I can already tell ya I’m gonna have seconds.”
Hannah Brenneman grinned as she handed big glass bowls out of the fridge. “Jah, this is one of those fruit salads ya could just as well eat for dessert. Made it with cherry pie filling, cream cheese, pineapple, and—”
“Ach, I’ve gotta have that recipe! Something different to serve for Christmas dinner,” Lydia Zook remarked. “And would ya look at these wonderful-gut cookies Rhoda made for us today? I’d think you’d be so busy bakin’ for your mamm’s wedding, the cookies would’ve gone by the wayside this year.”
Rhoda looked ever so relieved after her confession, and it lifted Miriam’s spirits. These women had welcomed her daughter back, had understood how a girl’s heart could sometimes lead her off the narrow path of the Old Ways. It was a blessing to be among these longtime friends, knowing everything had been set to rights again.
“Mamma’s cakes are in the deep freeze, waitin’ for Rachel to decorate them,” Rhoda replied. “And it wouldn’t be Christmas without cookies, ain’t so? My favorites on those trays are the brownies with a layer of raspberry jelly under the frosting.”
“And aren’t we mighty glad that Jeremiah Shetler didn’t press for a ban like Hiram probably would’ve done?” Miriam’s sister Leah slung her arm around Rhoda’s shoulders. “Would’ve dropped a wet blanket on Christmas Day and your mamma’s wedding, I can tell ya.”
“So what do ya suppose put the bee in Hiram’s hat about startin’ up a new colony? I sure didn’t see that comin’.”
Jerusalem Hooley’s remark brought the conversation back to the topic they had been discussing at the service’s end. Miriam noticed how Annie Mae and Nellie Knepp kept quiet as they unwrapped the relish trays they had made.
“I was thinkin’ you might have the inside story on that, Jerusalem,” Naomi remarked. “Hiram was dead set against keepin’ the boys in the hospital, and now it seems he was there gettin’ messages from God. He made it sound like when the Lord was talkin’ to the prophets in the Old Testament, where everything was spelled out just so.”
“Ya could’ve knocked me off the pew bench with a feather,” Jerusalem said in a low voice. “Ever since he came home Friday night, declarin’ he’d leave the twins there until at least tomorrow, things have smelled . . . fishy, if ya ask me.”
“He’s spent a gut deal of time at the hospital, too,” Nazareth added. “Yet when we ask how our boys’re doin’, he has to think about it before he answers. He’s told us to stay at the house with Timmy and Sara.”
Miriam’s eyebrows rose. While everyone here believed that God had spoken directly to the prophets in the Bible—and that there was no reason He wouldn’t still be directing His people that way—the whole situation was taking an odd turn.
But there had never been any predicting what Hiram might do, or what he might choose to reveal. She could see how the Hooley sisters would be especially concerned about what the bishop—or was he still their bishop?—might be cogitating. After watching over his family these past six weeks of Hiram’s ban, these dedicated women probably wondered if they should find a different place to live.
Or would they head back to Lancaster County? Originally, they had come to help Ira and Luke settle in, saying it was only a temporary s
tay. As Miriam carried a big platter of baked chicken out to the waiting tables, it seemed Ben had answered a lot of questions with his observation: time will tell.
And between now and then, Lord, I ask Ya to keep our hearts and minds open so we don’t miss whatever messages You’re sendin’ us. Willow Ridge is all ears, waitin’ for Your guidance.
Chapter Twenty
When they returned home from the meal at the Riehls’, something compelled Rhoda to call Andy. Maybe it was the news about Hiram, or maybe she just needed to hear his voice—and when she entered the phone shanty and found a voice message from him, her heart fluttered. He had been thinking of her, just as she had been wanting to contact him!
“Rhoda, I hope you’re okay after witnessing the twins’ accident,” his mellow voice came through the message machine, “and I hope your confession went well today. You’ve been in my prayers. I want to talk to you about an idea I have, whenever you find time to call.”
Her fingers danced over the numbered buttons on the phone. She held her breath as it rang. “Jah—Andy?”
“Rhoda! I wasn’t sure when you’d be back from church. How did everything go?”
“Oh, it was a lot more than preachin’ we got today,” she exclaimed. “My confessin’ went quick and easy—”
“Glad to hear it. If you’d been shunned—”
“—but Hiram didn’t even wait for the members to vote about lettin’ him back into membership,” she continued in a rush. “He said God sent him a revelation while he was at the hospital, about how he was to find a tract of land big enough to start a new Amish colony! Now that got everybody talkin’, I can tell ya!”
There was a pause before Andy said, “Is that the way new colonies are started? Somebody finds land and declares he’s leaving the community?”
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