The Rule
The Children of the Faith will obey their Leader, for the Lord speaks through him.
IF RACHEL AND I HAD KNOWN what was in store for us at our first service of worship at the Nelson temple, we would have been ill with nerves. We certainly wouldn’t have looked forward to it as much as we had.
It began normally enough. We were sent straight to the kitchen, along with five other girls. The two older ones, Talitha and Kezia, were from Wanganui, while Abigail, Tirzah and another girl were from Nelson.
‘This is Drusilla,’ Tirzah said, introducing us to the girl we hadn’t met. ‘Remember I told you? Her father is in partnership with yours and mine.’
Being new didn’t stop Kezia from being her usual bossy self. We were used to her, but we often saw the others tighten their lips to shut off a retort as she ordered them around.
When everything was ready for morning tea, we took off our aprons to go into the big hall to hear Elder Stephen preach.
I’d expected him to be like Elder Ezra — loud, commanding and fierce — but the only thing they had in common was that they were both old and dignified. Elder Stephen was tall and stooped, his hair grey and his body lean. When he looked out at us, his eyes seemed to see right into my soul. His voice surprised me — almost gentle but very clear. It, too, seemed to fly straight into my soul. I shivered and made up my mind never to give him cause to notice me.
He preached about obedience. ‘Obey the Rule, my children, because I make you this solemn promise: obedience will lead you to salvation. Remember always that I, your leader, bear the responsibility of passing on to you the will of the Lord. Trust in me as you trust in Him.’
I thought he was a most holy man and well fit to carry the weight of our souls in his hands.
The shock came after the fifteen Nelson families had welcomed us. Elder Stephen walked back to the lectern to make the usual community announcements — the names of the doctor and dentist we would go to, reports from the businesses, instructions to young men about what careers they would follow. He finished by saying, ‘I am pleased to announce a new venture. The organic farm is now producing sufficient eggs and chickens to sell at a stall at the Saturday market.’
‘Praise the Lord.’
Our leader went on, ‘Your Elders have prayed about this and it has come to us that here is an opportunity to reach out to the world. Those working the stall have been carefully chosen. They will be the public face of our community. The world will look upon them and see the light of the Lord in their souls. In this way, we hope to encourage others to walk the path to salvation.’
‘Praise the Lord.’
Elder Stephen’s eyes swept over his people. ‘With the guidance of the Lord, I have chosen for this sacred task Rebecca and Rachel Pilgrim, the twin daughters of Brother Caleb. Brother Gideon, you will accompany the girls, look after them and provide any help or counsel they may need.’
The world around me went white, then dark. Rachel slumped against my shoulder. Mother’s hand shook my arm. ‘Breathe, daughters,’ she whispered. ‘In. Out. Do not make a scene.’
Somehow, we managed to stay upright in our seats, but such a sacred task was too heavy a burden for us. We’d had so little worldly experience.