Free Looking for a Miracle by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page B

nodded and quickly turned the buggy around. As they tore out of the yard, Rebekah grabbed the edge of her seat, fearing she might be thrown out. When she turned to look out the back window again, she saw Dad, Simon, and Nadine running frantically toward the barn, each carrying two buckets of water in their hands.
    The rain soon turned to a trickle, but the wind continued to blow furiously. Rebekah was painfully aware that, unless the fire department could get to their place quickly, Dad would surely lose the whole barn.
    The first stop Mom made was at their English neighbors’ house, which was about two miles down the road. She asked them to call the county fire department; then she headed over to Jonas and Crystal’s place to let them know what had happened.
    Uncle Jonas and his boys left right away to help fight the fire, while Mom and Rebekah moved on to enlist the help of Uncle Lewis, Uncle Amos, and Henry.
    Rebekah prayed and kept a close watch out the window to be sure there was nothing in Mom’s way. By the time they got home, the wind had subsided, and two Lancaster County fire trucks were parked in the driveway, their red lights flashing this way and that. One look at the barn told Rebekah all she needed to know. The firefighters’ efforts had been in vain—the barn had burned clean to the ground.
    She glanced toward the corral and realized that Dad must have managed to save the livestock, because the cows and horses he kept inside the barn were now crowded into the corral. At least that was something for which to be grateful.
    As the reality of the situation took hold, Rebekah’s eyes stung with tears, and she nearly choked on a sob. “Ach my, what will Dad do now?”
    Mom reached over the seat and took hold of Rebekah’s hand. “He’ll do just as all other Amish men do whenever they lose a barn. He shall have a barn raising.”

CHAPTER 7
    Rebekah figured the news had spread quickly about Dad’s barn burning to the ground, for offers of help to rebuild came from far and wide, from both their English and Amish neighbors. It was a comfort to know that so many people cared about them.
    “When is the barn raising going to be?” she asked Dad as the family sat around the kitchen table the following morning.
    “Simon and I, and probably Amos, Jonas, and Lewis, will spend time today and tomorrow cleaning up the mess left from the fire. Many bales of hay were ruined, and those have to be disposed of, too. Then the foundation will need to be laid, and if all goes well, we should have the barn fairly well finished by next Saturday.” He pulled his fingers through the end of his beard and grunted. “I’m sorry, Rebekah, but the building of your greenhouse will have to wait awhile longer. I hope you understand.”
    Rebekah felt a keen sense of disappointment, but she couldn’t let Dad know that. He had enough on his mind. She wouldn’t say anything that might cause him to feel guilty about something he couldn’t prevent. “It’s all right,” she said, forcing a smile. “Getting the new barn up is more important than anything else right now.”
    “We’ll all be busy during the next several days,” Mom put in as she left the table and headed across the room to get the pot of coffee from the stove. “There will be a lot of food to prepare for the hungry crews and several errands to run as we get everything ready for the barn raising.”
    Nadine, who sat across the table from Rebekah, seemed to perk right up. “Will some of the boys my age come to help raise the barn?”
    “I’m sure many of the young fellows will show up with their daeds,” Dad replied. “There will be plenty of work to do, even for the younger ones.”
    “Maybe I can help by bringing nails and other supplies out to the workers,” Nadine volunteered.
    “She doesn’t really want to work. She just wants to flirt with the boys.” Simon reached across Rebekah and jabbed Nadine’s arm with the end of his spoon.
    “There’ll be