CHAPTER TWELVE

 

The neatly manicured trees and lush flower beds that lined each side of the bishop’s gravel driveway spoke order, reflecting the leader of a simple, beautiful life.  Martha bit her bottom lip as she saw a tour bus slow down out of the corner of her eyes.  Even simplicity had its challenges, and not realizing that had caused her to sway from her faith, jumping into Rumspringa to chase after a man that didn’t want her.

As the horses trotted up the driveway, and the fall wind patted her weary face, she recalled the parable in the Bible about the seeds planted, one with deep roots, and one without.  All along, she’d thought that she was deeply rooted, but her desire to become too friendly with her Englisch neighbors had caused her to cross the boundary and lose her faith.  The decision hadn’t been sudden; it had been building up.  Her lack of a relationship with her daed, because of Mrs. Dailey’s lie had really strained her self-esteem and security.  Feeling like the odd ball in the family made her insist on grabbing the first man that she thought could be her daed: Jeremiah.

The sweet scent of fall flowers, nestled in the snappy wind, relaxed her mind and lungs, creating a deepened desire to be closer to God and not man.  She’d lacked this closeness to her Heavenly Father because she had felt unworthy, undesired.  The men at the Harrodsburg projects had temporarily filled that void.  Permanently, Ray Miller would fill it.  Thank, Gott! I’ve finally found myself and my calling here in my Old Order Amish community.

“Here is the note.  Her final wishes were for me to deliver the notes.  There are some upset people because they haven’t come before you yet with hidden sins.  I do come before you, now, and not the quilting club, and I whole-heartedly ask for forgiveness and to be included in the special instruction class that Ray has said that you will be having.  I never bonded with daed, and instead of praying about it with my Heavenly Father, I chose to do Rumspringa so that I could go fishing with him in order to ask him about my participating in Rumspringa. I take full responsibility for my actions that night in the loft.”

“What is Jeremiah saying about Alice?  What are your plans?” He asked, caringly.  Like a lot of young people, she’d messed up during Rumspringa, but he had to give her credit for realizing that her lack of faith was lacking before she’d even stepped foot into Rumspringa.

Martha said now, “That was a lie, too.  Mrs. Dailey had given Jeremiah a note.  Ray Miller, whom I am courting, is the daed.” Her words made a stray tear flow down the left eye of the bishops, and being that he never cried, her words had moved him. “Alice is already calling him daddy.”

“Okay, so you all just started courting; if you can tell me?”  He knew that it was the custom to keep an approaching wedding a secret until right before the wedding, except for the bride’s mamm, who needed to know so that she could prepare and grow lots of celery in some areas of the country. In Holmes County, the mothers did not plant celery.

“We just started dating, so we probably won’t be looking at needing you to read out vows until next wedding season.  I need to get re-rooted and complete the instruction class.”  Martha was being honest, taking the Bible’s word about how beneficial it was to be deeply rooted.

The Bishop said, “I am pleased at that decision, Martha, and I’ve noticed that ever since you pulled back into the community, your head is covered.  I admire you for that faith, and I believe that your parents planted that seed years ago, although lies hid between you and your daed.  Now, you can bond with your parents and they can bond with their granddaughter.” He smiled and nodded, “Class starts at eight o’clock sharp on Monday morning.  Bring your Bible and pray before you come.  You probably remember The Mennonite Confessions of Faith from your past home life?”

Martha nodded and said, “Jah, I do, and I admired Menno Simmons for losing his own life, chained to the barrel of water, for his faith in Gott.  I will have the same strong faith, being deeply rooted, one day.”

“Das gut.  Borrow some books from your mamm and read up, and I will see you on Monday morning at eight o’clock sharp.” 

Martha smiled and then directed the horses to turn and head back onto the two-lane road.  She was back home, back in her faith, and back in the loving arms of Jesus. The weeds had not strangled her out, and that in itself was a miracle.  She thought about Laura and Ray L. Brown, who left the world without knowing a Savior.  She wept for them, the wind flowing through the open buggy in spurts, drying her tears.  She could have ended up like them, shot down in the Harrodsburg projects, but somehow, from a fire escape plan, she and Alice were spared.  Thank Gott for the firefighters that came to Alice’s first grade class to teach her to have a plan.  Before now, the plan to one day strike it rich and move to the mansion on Elm Street had been her only plans in life.  She should have planned on getting to heaven.  She was now planning on it, and she’d do anything that she had to do to make amends and prove herself worthy before Gott. Gott, the basket of secrets is empty, and my secrets are all emptied before you, take me and carve me into someone who can serve you. Amen.

******

Paul Yoder heard the phone shanty rattle and looked over at the shanty.  He crisscrossed from the outside of the milk barn to the shanty and then picked up the throbbing receiver.  “Paul Yoder speaking.” 

“Paul, this is Bishop Yoder.  I just spoke with Martha, and I am letting her into instruction class.  You might want to take her fishing afterwards.  She seems to want to spend more time with you.  Did you know about her and Ray?”

Paul smiled with utter relief that his dochder had surprised him again: she had gotten back into their close-knit Old Order community. “Jah, it is wunderbar!”

“Gut, let’s pray about it. She starts class on Monday morning at eight o’clock sharp. By the way, you would never guess what my note from Mrs. Dailey said in a million years.” His tone was excited but intrigued.

“What did it say?”  Paul asked in a curious tone.

“She wanted to make the whole community see that they had sinned, for we all have sinned before Gott, and we can all have a second chance.  We need to look at our hearts instead of judging fellow members.” He knew that she was had been right, for even he had sins that he was glad that Mrs. Dailey hadn’t known.

Paul agreed, “That was mighty nice of her, for I am sure that Martha’s coming back wouldn’t have been as much of a homecoming if it hadn’t been for that basket of secrets that she was toting with her.”

“Exactly, that was Mrs. Dailey’s plan.  I look forward to class on Monday.  Have a gut day.”

“Gut day, “Paul hung the receiver up and was anxious to go tell Ray and Naomi about the bishop’s decision.  He had to admit that he was glad that the basket of secrets was gone, for it had created edginess amongst the whole community, even himself. Even he had little hidden secrets that only Gott knew, and he wanted to keep it that way.

He walked back to the barn and saw Ray lifting the milk containers for the milk man to pick up.  The sound of spinning gravel echoed from the uphill driveway, causing Paul and Ray to turn and see the milk truck inclining up to the barn. “You were just in time,” Paul said as he grabbed one of the containers.  “By the way, Bishop Yoder is letting Martha back in.”  His response created a grin that turned to a soft smile on Ray’s face.  “She starts instruction class on Monday at eight o’clock sharp.”

“Alice is staying with you all?”  Ray needed to confirm the plans, and Paul nodded.  “That will work out for the best.  It takes a while to learn the orchard.” Ray explained as he helped with the last container of milk. 

The ice cream truck driver pulled up in front of the barn, his long shiny silver tank hungry for fresh milk.  The bald-headed driver, who had been the driver for the farm for over two decades, got out and handed both men a dry ice-packed container of ice cream pearls- a new ice cream treat, shaped like pastel-covered gum balls.  “I thought that you all would enjoy these sweet treats.”

Ray immediately thought of Alice and how she loved chocolate. The ice cream was packaged in transparent containers, and Ray saw that the flavors would be milk chocolate, grape, strawberry, and vanilla. He couldn’t wait to see her little twinkling blue eyes light up when she saw them.  Already, he was thinking like a daed, not being able to slip back into the selfish single man mode, and there was a particular delight in having the responsibility of a child.  He couldn’t imagine ever going back to being fatherless. 

Paul shook the milk driver’s hand and said, “My dochder, Martha is back home, and her dochder Alice is too.  Ray is Alice’s father.  She is joining the church, and they are getting hitched real soon.”

The milk truck driver was almost speechless, for over eight years, he’d seen Paul Yoder’s  zest for life decrease because of his mind worrying over his lost daughter.  Now, it was hard to believe that she was back home and with a child of her own.  To beat it all, Ray, who was already part of the Yoder’s extended family, was the father of her child.  Being a deacon at his Baptist church, the milk driver couldn’t help but glance up and peek at God, knowing that this surely was a God-send. He said now, “Congratulations.  At least you don’t have to get on the good side of your father-in-law!”  He laughed, and Ray and Paul laughed too.

“It took her a while, but she is back.  Her daughter is staying with us until she completes her studies to join the church.  Alice is the daughter’s name, and she is attached at the Naomi’s hip.”  All the men laughed and were excited for the new reunion of family.