Free A Sister's Hope by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page B

Hostettlers, not me. Besides, I’m trusting God to protect me.”
    Sharon slowly shook her head. “Look where trusting God’s gotten the Hostettlers.”
    Rosemary clasped her daughter-in-law’s hand. “There are times when it seems as if God has abandoned us, but that’s when we need to draw closer to Him.”
    Ken nodded as he put his arm around Rosemary. “You’re right, Mom. It won’t be easy not to worry about you, but if you’re determined to stay here, then Sharon and I will remember to pray every day—for you and for your Amish family.”
    Rosemary smiled as tears clouded her vision. “I’ll be praying for you and Sharon, too.”
    Ken looked over at Sharon. “If you’re ready, I guess we’d better hit the road.”
    She nodded. “I’m ready.”
    Rosemary gave them both another hug, and as their vehicle pulled out of her driveway, she heard a cow’s mournful moo in the distance. A sense of unease tightened her stomach. Did she really have the faith to believe everything would be all right?
    Proverbs 29:25 popped into her mind: “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the L ORD shall be safe.”
    She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Help us all to trust You completely, Lord.”

    Luke stepped into John’s woodworking shop on Saturday morning and found John on his knees, sanding the underside of an old chair. “Hard at work already, huh?”
    John looked up and smiled. “Since we didn’t work on Thursday or Friday, I thought I’d better get an early start today.”
    “Which is why I’m here fifteen minutes sooner than you told me to be. I figured you’d want to make the most of our day.” Lukeremoved his jacket and stocking cap and hung them on the coat tree. “What would you like me to do first?”
    “Why don’t you get those stained?” John motioned to a set of cabinets on the other side of the room. “There’s a new bed-and-breakfast opening in Sugarcreek in a few weeks, and they’d like the cabinets done by the first of next week.”
    “I’ll get right on it,” Luke said as he got out a can of walnut stain.
    They worked in silence for a time; then Luke looked over at John and said, “You’re doing a nice job on that chair.”
    “Guess it comes from years of practice.”
    “You’re not that old. I doubt you could have been doing woodworking all that long,” Luke said as he dipped his brush in the can of stain.
    “I started working part-time for a carpenter out in Oregon when I was sixteen. By the time I’d turned eighteen, I was working full-time.” He grunted. “Of course I didn’t really have much choice, since my stepdad had died, leaving Mom and me to fend for ourselves.”
    “Does your mother live in Oregon?”
    “She did, but she died a few years after Harold, my stepdad, did.”
    “What about your real dad? Is he still living?”
    John shook his head. “He died when I was two. I don’t even remember him.” He grabbed another piece of the sandpaper and started working on the chair legs.
    “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
    “Nope.”
    “What about grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins?”
    John stood and arched his back. “Can we talk about something else? Family—or the lack of it—is not my favorite topic of conversation.”
    “Sure, no problem.” Luke was surprised John had told him as much as he had. In all the time he’d been working here, John hadn’t told him much more than the fact that he was single and had no family living in the area. Hearing John’s story made Luke realize those in his Amish community weren’t the only ones who suffered hurts and disappointments. It also made him appreciate the family he had.
    “Did you hear what happened at the Hostettlers’ place on Thanksgiving?” John asked.
    “I spent Thursday and Friday in bed with the flu, so I haven’t heard much of anything. What happened at the Hostettlers’?”
    “Roman’s shop was blown up.”
    Luke’s mouth dropped