Jonah's Redemption: Jonah's Redemption, #1

By Sylvia Price

Jonah has lost his community, and he's at risk of losing more if he opens up to his peers. He is struggling to get by in the Englisch world, yearning for his Amish roots, but shunned and unable to return.

 

Mary Lou is recovering from her medical scare. Her own journey has impressed upon her how precious life is, so she decides to go on rumspringa to see the world, believing that she can keep her faith anywhere she may be.

 

That all changes once she meets Jonah. Unable to understand his foul attitude, especially towards her, she makes every effort to share her faith with him. Once she realizes why he is shunned and that she should not be speaking with him, she is torn between keeping her faith and leading him back to his.

Will Jonah's soul be lost? Can an Amish girl keep her faith in the Englisch world? What will God do with these two broken people?

 

This is the 1st book in a 5-part series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sylvia Price
• Release date: Mar 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393927945

Sylvia Price

Sylvia Price first met Mennonite missionaries in Montréal when she was 13 years old. She was captivated by their faithfulness to Christ, their politeness, their calm lifestyle—especially in comparison to the bustle of a major city—and how they could enjoy the simplest things to the fullest. When they opened their home for her to stay with them for three weeks, she was made to feel like family. Their enduring legacy in her life was to get her a library card and to start reading for her to cope with the loss of television and radio. With a new-found appreciation for books, Sylvia set her sights to college then seminary in service of the Lord. She now spends her time writing, hoping to inspire the next generation to read more stories.

Book preview

Chapter 1

When Mary Lou awoke , the birds were chirping, and the sun was just starting to rise. She had gone to bed early because she knew that she was going to have trouble sleeping. Today was not any ordinary today. Today, instead of rising to help her mother with the morning chores and preparing breakfast for her brothers and father, she had a different task. She had packed a trunk with her few belongings, and as soon as her father was done with the morning chores, he was going to hitch up the cart and take her to the city.

Mary Lou had turned 18 that winter, and she had decided that she wanted to go on rumspringa. Rumspringa was taken by young people as they reached adulthood within the community, in order to determine whether the Amish way of life was what they wanted for the rest of their lives. There were different ways to do rumspringa, from simply having English friends to getting a job in the city. Mary Lou had decided that she would work in the city for a year, and if at the end of the year, she were still certain of her choice to stay Amish, she would return to her community.

Mary Lou had found a job as a seamstress, something at which she excelled with her own clothes. She was given a small apartment above the shop. To everyone who knew her, it was a surprise, because she was one of the most devout young women in the entire Amish community. She read her Bible daily, memorized scripture, and prayed even as she completed her chores. No one could imagine her separating herself from the community even for a moment.

Mary Lou was reasonably certain that she was going to return to the community. She loved everything about the Amish lifestyle; from the people, the simplicity, the grace of God evident through every tradition and custom, to the silence in which she could hear God’s still, small voice in every moment. The city, however, was big, and loud, and filled with distractions. Nevertheless, she felt as though she would miss an opportunity if she didn’t at least experience rumspringa. She was certain that it would bring her closer to God, and so she had informed her parents that she wanted to try.

It seemed like a brave decision to be met with when the day to move out finally arrived. On that morning, though, Mary Lou was a bundle of nerves. A year was a long time, and while work would keep her busy, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the rest of her time. Free time amongst the Amish is scarce. What would she do? With no family with whom she might speak, she was at pains to imagine how she would fill her time with work so as not to be tempted by the devil from idle hands.

It was going to be a hard year, but Mary Lou tried to see it as a challenge. The Lord was inviting her to grow closer to Him. She would test her theory that she could maintain her faith in God anywhere because God was everywhere with her, although she kept this to herself.

Mary Lou rose and splashed water on her face from the washbasin before putting on the one dress that she had not packed. It was her warmest dress that she had sewn last year, chosen because she could still see the frost gripping to her bedroom window as though it were trying desperately to come in from the cold. She made her way downstairs for her usual breakfast routine with her mother, only to be surprised that breakfast was already made.

"Maem, Mary Lou said. I was prepared to assist you."

Today is special, her mother said. I wanted you to rest.

Idle hands make the devil’s work, Mary Lou reminded her, but she sat down to eat, nonetheless. When she heard her father outside, she realized that she had slept in. He was back from the barn and setting up the cart. Thank you, though. I shall miss you very much.

I shall miss you, too, her mother said. Please write often. And remember that you can always come home for a visit. Just find a phone and call John at the general store. We will come and pick you up.

I appreciate that, Mary Lou smiled at her mother. But I am also sure I will be fine. At least, I will be fine for a little while. It will bring me closer to the Lord.

I know it will, her mother said. Now, eat up. You want to make sure that you have a full stomach before you begin your journey.

It’s not that far, Mary Lou teased. She dug into the homemade oatmeal to satiate her appetite and settle the butterflies in her tummy. Her adventure excited her and stressed her. Food was her greatest comfort.

It’s not that far, repeated her mother, but it is a different world.

Aye, that it is, Mary Lou agreed.

Once Mary Lou was finished with breakfast, she found her siblings to say goodbye. It seemed surreal that after much planning, the day was finally here. She made sure she had everything that she wanted in her trunk before her father helped her carry it down the stairs and loaded it into the cart.

Now, if you need anything...

"I