“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36
When Joanna awoke this morning, peace flooded her soul. She realized that she had not had a single nightmare since four weeks ago – the night she and her family received salvation. She no longer struggled with fear. Thank you for your goodness, Lord, she prayed silently. She donned her Sunday dress with a smile, and started downstairs to help with the morning meal.
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After breakfast, the Fisher family took a lengthy drive to the Yoders’ farm which was several miles away. The church meeting would be held in their house today. Everyone filed in to the large dwelling: first the men, then the women and children. After all the People were seated, the Vorsinger began singing and the rest of the congregation joined in. The bishop, the ministers, and the deacon retreated to an upstairs room.
Several songs were sung from the Ausbund until the leaders returned to the front of the room and sat down. Uncharacteristically, the bishop stood up and addressed the congregation in English, “A member of our flock came to me this week with a challenge. The challenge was from the Word of God. He showed me some very convincing Scripture verses that have made me question what I have always taught and believed to be true. After examining the Scriptures on my own, I proceeded to meet with the other leaders in our district and shared my convictions with them. They too, thought the scriptures to be perplexing and convicting. With that said, today’s services are going to be different from what we normally do. If you have any questions, please feel free to come and talk to one of the leaders after the meeting is over.”
Gideon looked at Esther with a smile, and then at the bishop, who nodded his head.
Did the bishop get saved, too? Joanna wondered.
Chloe, who was sitting next to Joanna, threw a questioning glance her way. Joanna smiled and silently mouthed “Naomi” to her. It was obvious to Joanna that Chloe had no clue what she was talking about, so she leaned over and whispered, “Remember the Bible verses Naomi gave us?” Chloe finally understood.
After the service was over and everyone had eaten, two of the ministers walked over to Gideon. They both shook his hand and thanked him for having the courage to share the truth that God had shown him. “I’m glad it was received with an open heart. Many in other Amish communities have rejected this message.”
One of the ministers commented, “And many are under the Bann because of it. Although we will still hold on to our traditional Amish ways, we also want to follow God’s will for our People. And we believe that we have found it. God is not willing that any should perish. He wants all folks to be saved.”
Gideon didn’t see the other minister or Deacon Yoder after the service and wondered whether they had agreed with the decision of the others.
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“Mail call!” a voice rang out down the corridors of the prison. The mail attendant handed several inmates small envelopes, probably letters from home. Barrett sighed as he heard each name called out. He often wondered if they called the names out loudly on purpose – just to remind him and other unfortunate souls that no one cared for them. He had to admit that mail call was the hardest time of the day. Just another reminder of his pitiful life thus far.
“Barrett C. Winston,” the name echoed down the hall of the penitentiary, “you have mail today.”
Barrett knew the attendant had to be pulling his leg. He sat stock still on his bed, tired of the jeers he’d received since his incarceration.
“Didn’t ya hear me, Winston? Said ya got mail,” the attendant said.
Barrett turned his head to see the man holding out an envelope. The gruff, stocky man shrugged his shoulders, stood to his feet, and walked to the front of his cell. My family and friends couldn’t care less about me. Most of them hate me. I wonder who would be writing to me.
With a quizzical look on his face, he stuck one of his hands between the cold iron bars. The mail call attendant dropped a plain white envelope into his hand. No return address. He sat back down on his bunk and turned the letter over, then slipped his finger under the flap to break the seal. He slowly pulled out the folded lined paper and noticed only a few short sentences. He read the letter and couldn’t believe the words on the page. He read it again to make sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. Hastily, he grabbed the Bible that had been given to him by the chaplain, opened it to John 3:16, and read the precious words. Barrett fell to his knees and wept like a new-born baby. Please forgive me, God. I’ve always thought nobody ever loved me. I was wrong!
THE END