us!” Leah exclaimed. “It was wonderful! The pictures of Spain and Morocco were beautiful! And Daniel…Daniel is just—”
“Goot!” Susanna said, bouncing from foot to foot. “I saw camels and monkeys. Silly monkeys.”
Rebecca nodded. “It was fun. And Miriam and Charley agreed it was educational for the young people. The kids loved it, and even Herman Beachy was on his best behavior.”
“Daniel’s a wonderful speaker,” Leah added. “When he talks about the desert or the noisy marketplace, he makes you feel as though you’re right there, smelling the spices and hearing the clamor of the crowded streets.”
“It sounds as if they had a good time.” Aunt Jezebel’s voice was breathy and soft. She hesitated before asking, “There was no preaching the Mennonite faith at the talk, was there?”
“Ne,” Rebecca assured her. “Even Bishop Atlee would have approved of tonight’s program.”
“I’m glad,” Mam said with a smile. “It’s good for you to see something of the outside.”
“But I wouldn’t want to live like that—like Daniel and his family,” Rebecca said. “In some foreign place where we wouldn’t know anyone and everything was strange.”
“ Ya, the Mennonites differ from us,” her mother said. “They feel called to spread the word of God, while we Amish believe the Lord has instructed us to live apart from the world.”
Susanna wrinkled her nose and tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “I want a camel. With a hump. I like camels.”
“No camels.” Mam sighed. “The feed store doesn’t sell camel chow. We’ll have to make do with horses and cows.”
Aunt Jezebel’s eyes twinkled. “ Ya, Susanna, what would the bishop think if we hitched a camel to our buggy instead of a horse?”
Leah laughed. Aunt Jezzy was always more fun after Grossmama went to bed. Her shy aunt had a real sense of humor. The two older women had spent years living under the same roof, and as uncharitable as it might be to judge, Leah felt that Grossmama often bullied and was unkind to her younger sister. Aunt Jezebel always seemed happier on the days that Grossmama went to the senior center.
“Camels are not Plain ,” Rebecca said with a giggle.
“Ne,” Mam agreed solemnly. “Definitely not Plain .” And then they all laughed.
Leah went to the window and pulled aside the curtain. Daniel’s Aunt Joyce’s van was gone. She hadn’t expected to still see him there, but still, the dark yard left her with a sense of longing. “Daniel drove us home,” she said.
“Home,” Susanna echoed, her word nearly lost in a yawn.
“Bedtime for you, sleepyhead,” Mam said. “Time we all turned in, I think.”
Leah nodded. Three mornings a week, Grossmama was picked up to go to Maple Leaf, the Englisher senior center, where she taught other women how to make beautiful braided rugs. On those days, Leah went to help Anna with the children and housework. Leah was naturally an early riser, so being at Anna’s by seven a.m. was not a problem. Usually, she would sit up until at least ten, doing puzzles with her sisters or listening to Rebecca read news from the Budget . But tonight, as much as she loved being with her family, Leah wanted to be alone.
She wanted to climb into bed and think about all she’d seen and heard.
She wanted to remember how Daniel’s face had seemed to glow with an inner light when he’d told about the work of the Mennonite missionaries in faraway places where impoverished people lived difficult lives and had to struggle to find enough to eat. He wasn’t preachy, but when he spoke, she could feel his honesty and dedication to serving God. And maybe, most of all, she wanted to remember how he’d smiled when he said he liked her.
Being part of a tight-knit Amish community, Leah had always been involved in hands-on sharing days, sewing bees and school fund-raising auctions. But none of those efforts seemed as worthwhile or as exciting as what Daniel was doing, and she
“Goot!” Susanna said, bouncing from foot to foot. “I saw camels and monkeys. Silly monkeys.”
Rebecca nodded. “It was fun. And Miriam and Charley agreed it was educational for the young people. The kids loved it, and even Herman Beachy was on his best behavior.”
“Daniel’s a wonderful speaker,” Leah added. “When he talks about the desert or the noisy marketplace, he makes you feel as though you’re right there, smelling the spices and hearing the clamor of the crowded streets.”
“It sounds as if they had a good time.” Aunt Jezebel’s voice was breathy and soft. She hesitated before asking, “There was no preaching the Mennonite faith at the talk, was there?”
“Ne,” Rebecca assured her. “Even Bishop Atlee would have approved of tonight’s program.”
“I’m glad,” Mam said with a smile. “It’s good for you to see something of the outside.”
“But I wouldn’t want to live like that—like Daniel and his family,” Rebecca said. “In some foreign place where we wouldn’t know anyone and everything was strange.”
“ Ya, the Mennonites differ from us,” her mother said. “They feel called to spread the word of God, while we Amish believe the Lord has instructed us to live apart from the world.”
Susanna wrinkled her nose and tugged on her mother’s sleeve. “I want a camel. With a hump. I like camels.”
“No camels.” Mam sighed. “The feed store doesn’t sell camel chow. We’ll have to make do with horses and cows.”
Aunt Jezebel’s eyes twinkled. “ Ya, Susanna, what would the bishop think if we hitched a camel to our buggy instead of a horse?”
Leah laughed. Aunt Jezzy was always more fun after Grossmama went to bed. Her shy aunt had a real sense of humor. The two older women had spent years living under the same roof, and as uncharitable as it might be to judge, Leah felt that Grossmama often bullied and was unkind to her younger sister. Aunt Jezebel always seemed happier on the days that Grossmama went to the senior center.
“Camels are not Plain ,” Rebecca said with a giggle.
“Ne,” Mam agreed solemnly. “Definitely not Plain .” And then they all laughed.
Leah went to the window and pulled aside the curtain. Daniel’s Aunt Joyce’s van was gone. She hadn’t expected to still see him there, but still, the dark yard left her with a sense of longing. “Daniel drove us home,” she said.
“Home,” Susanna echoed, her word nearly lost in a yawn.
“Bedtime for you, sleepyhead,” Mam said. “Time we all turned in, I think.”
Leah nodded. Three mornings a week, Grossmama was picked up to go to Maple Leaf, the Englisher senior center, where she taught other women how to make beautiful braided rugs. On those days, Leah went to help Anna with the children and housework. Leah was naturally an early riser, so being at Anna’s by seven a.m. was not a problem. Usually, she would sit up until at least ten, doing puzzles with her sisters or listening to Rebecca read news from the Budget . But tonight, as much as she loved being with her family, Leah wanted to be alone.
She wanted to climb into bed and think about all she’d seen and heard.
She wanted to remember how Daniel’s face had seemed to glow with an inner light when he’d told about the work of the Mennonite missionaries in faraway places where impoverished people lived difficult lives and had to struggle to find enough to eat. He wasn’t preachy, but when he spoke, she could feel his honesty and dedication to serving God. And maybe, most of all, she wanted to remember how he’d smiled when he said he liked her.
Being part of a tight-knit Amish community, Leah had always been involved in hands-on sharing days, sewing bees and school fund-raising auctions. But none of those efforts seemed as worthwhile or as exciting as what Daniel was doing, and she
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