who had been chosen by God to be their bishop was a true shepherd to their church and he had the heart and wisdom to care about something so important to one of the church’s children.
After he had carefully selected five cards, he stood and drew out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. Amy happily made change from her money box.
“Your wife might like to have some sassafras tea, too,” Jesse pointed out.
“And some fresh eggs?” Albert added helpfully.
“I am so grateful that you pointed these things out to me,” the bishop said. “I am quite sure my wife is in need of these things—and a jar of honey, too.”
“I make pot holders,” Sarah said, shyly.
“Oh, little one,” the bishop said. “I’m sorry. How could I have overlooked such fine pot holders? I know my wife would want me to bring her a couple.”
“Does she like fudge?” Maddy asked.
The bishop laughed out loud. “Yes, as a matter of fact, she likes fudge, and Maddy, unless I miss my guess, she’s probably in need of a new head covering as well.”
“I just finished two new ones.”
After paying for the other items, he told Jesse and Albert that the bass were getting big over in his pond and invited them to come catch some. Then he put his packages in his buggy and drove on. Claire marveled at the feeling of warmth and security he left behind. He had stayed no more than fifteen minutes, and yet the whole atmosphere in the room had changed. Their church was blessed indeed.
chapter N INE
E lizabeth was at church. Grace was working a double shift at the ER, and he wasn’t sure where Levi was. What he was sure about was that it was time for him to leave.
The old adage that fish and guests start to stink after three days was one he had seen played out in more than one culture. This morning would make three and a half days that he had stayed with these good people. It was time to go.
He found an envelope, put three hundred dollars in—a hundred for each night—and wrote a heartfelt thank-you note to go with it. Leaving would be easier this way. He did not want to go through the awkwardness of their polite insistence that he stay.
He still had unfinished business here in Mt. Hope, but he could do it just as well from Hotel Millersburg. He would stop back in a few days.
There wasn’t anything to pack. He was on his way to throw his duffel bag in the trunk of his rental car when he heard a loud yelp and a metallic thunk coming from a small barn. That did not sound good, and he hurried there as fast as he could.
He slid open the door and found Levi sitting, dejected, on a bale of hay, nursing one bloodied hand against his chest.Both hands were also stained with black grease, as was his shirt. Levi did not look happy to see him.
“What happened?”
“I just broke off a spark plug trying to remove it from the block. The motor has a bad miss and I’m trying to get some new spark plugs and wires on this motor. The man I bought it from said it ran good, but it might need a tune-up. But now I’ve got a major problem with this plug broken off in the block.”
“What’s that?” Tom pointed to a book lying open beside him.
Levi glanced down at bright-colored book. “How to Rebuild and Restore Ford Tractors.”
“You’re trying to learn tractor mechanics from a book?”
“How else am I going to learn?” Levi said, with a touch of bitterness. “The only people I know are Grace, Elizabeth, and some Swartzentruber men who will no longer speak to me.”
Tom’s heart melted. How he identified with the young man! He’d been in his nephew’s boots before, trying to enter the Englisch world with only 1800s technology knowledge to draw from. At seventeen, when Englisch boys were busy fixing up old jalopies, he was shoeing horses. Strangely enough, in spite of that, he had somehow scored high in mechanical ability on the aptitude test he took upon entering the Marine Corps. The mechanics of a tractor were nothing compared to the
After he had carefully selected five cards, he stood and drew out a twenty-dollar bill from his wallet. Amy happily made change from her money box.
“Your wife might like to have some sassafras tea, too,” Jesse pointed out.
“And some fresh eggs?” Albert added helpfully.
“I am so grateful that you pointed these things out to me,” the bishop said. “I am quite sure my wife is in need of these things—and a jar of honey, too.”
“I make pot holders,” Sarah said, shyly.
“Oh, little one,” the bishop said. “I’m sorry. How could I have overlooked such fine pot holders? I know my wife would want me to bring her a couple.”
“Does she like fudge?” Maddy asked.
The bishop laughed out loud. “Yes, as a matter of fact, she likes fudge, and Maddy, unless I miss my guess, she’s probably in need of a new head covering as well.”
“I just finished two new ones.”
After paying for the other items, he told Jesse and Albert that the bass were getting big over in his pond and invited them to come catch some. Then he put his packages in his buggy and drove on. Claire marveled at the feeling of warmth and security he left behind. He had stayed no more than fifteen minutes, and yet the whole atmosphere in the room had changed. Their church was blessed indeed.
chapter N INE
E lizabeth was at church. Grace was working a double shift at the ER, and he wasn’t sure where Levi was. What he was sure about was that it was time for him to leave.
The old adage that fish and guests start to stink after three days was one he had seen played out in more than one culture. This morning would make three and a half days that he had stayed with these good people. It was time to go.
He found an envelope, put three hundred dollars in—a hundred for each night—and wrote a heartfelt thank-you note to go with it. Leaving would be easier this way. He did not want to go through the awkwardness of their polite insistence that he stay.
He still had unfinished business here in Mt. Hope, but he could do it just as well from Hotel Millersburg. He would stop back in a few days.
There wasn’t anything to pack. He was on his way to throw his duffel bag in the trunk of his rental car when he heard a loud yelp and a metallic thunk coming from a small barn. That did not sound good, and he hurried there as fast as he could.
He slid open the door and found Levi sitting, dejected, on a bale of hay, nursing one bloodied hand against his chest.Both hands were also stained with black grease, as was his shirt. Levi did not look happy to see him.
“What happened?”
“I just broke off a spark plug trying to remove it from the block. The motor has a bad miss and I’m trying to get some new spark plugs and wires on this motor. The man I bought it from said it ran good, but it might need a tune-up. But now I’ve got a major problem with this plug broken off in the block.”
“What’s that?” Tom pointed to a book lying open beside him.
Levi glanced down at bright-colored book. “How to Rebuild and Restore Ford Tractors.”
“You’re trying to learn tractor mechanics from a book?”
“How else am I going to learn?” Levi said, with a touch of bitterness. “The only people I know are Grace, Elizabeth, and some Swartzentruber men who will no longer speak to me.”
Tom’s heart melted. How he identified with the young man! He’d been in his nephew’s boots before, trying to enter the Englisch world with only 1800s technology knowledge to draw from. At seventeen, when Englisch boys were busy fixing up old jalopies, he was shoeing horses. Strangely enough, in spite of that, he had somehow scored high in mechanical ability on the aptitude test he took upon entering the Marine Corps. The mechanics of a tractor were nothing compared to the
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