As Amanda was telling Riley goodbye at the door of the cabin, Sarah rode by on her way to the stable in back. She raised a hand in greeting but continued to the back. This was her usual way so Amanda was not surprised. Riley went on to work at the saw mill and Amanda entered the cabin just as Beth came into the front room.
“How did it go with Pastor Taylor?” Beth asked.
“It went really well. He shared several Bible passages with us, counseled us and had prayer with us. I am so happy that Riley was willing to go with me and that he has given his heart to the Lord. Beth, I shudder every time I think about your father wanting you to marry Mr. Zimmerman! It would have been so difficult for you with no one to share your Bible study and prayer time.”
“I know and I would have missed your friendship dreadfully if you had come out here and I had stayed behind in Ohio
“Hannah has already gone to the store but I waited for you because I didn’t want to leave Emily plus I have something to show you. Will you come in the bedroom with me?”
Amanda nodded and followed Beth into the room all the women shared, wondering what she wanted to show her. As she entered the room, her eyes saw a lovely off white dress on the bed.
“Mandy, this was my mother’s wedding dress and I want you to wear it on Sunday. I think it will fit you perfectly because my mother was a little taller than I am.”
“Oh, Beth, I couldn’t. What if something happened to it? You should save it for when you get married!” Amanda protested.
“Mandy, you are like a sister to me. You are really all the family I have because I know my father has disowned me and I have no idea where Tommy is. It just seems right since both of our mothers are gone. And I can still wear it. Please try it on and let’s see how it fits.” Beth pleaded.
“Well…. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try it on, if you are sure…”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Amanda slipped the dress over her head and Beth fastened the row of buttons up the back. Amanda tried to see her reflection in the small mirror but she couldn’t see much.
“Oh, Mandy, you look beautiful and it is a perfect fit! We can put some flowers in your hair and you will look so beautiful. You can put it on right after church, right before you are married. Please wear it,” Beth smiled at her best friend.
Amanda hugged Beth and said, “If you are sure, I will wear it. And I will think of both of our mothers looking down from heaven and I think they would both have been pleased.”
Beth helped Amanda take off the dress. “I will press it and have it all ready for you on Sunday! You will be the most beautiful bride here!”
Just then Sarah walked into the room. Both the other women could see at a glance that she was tired but also upset.
“Sarah, are you all right? You look very tired but you also look upset! Is something wrong?”
Sarah sat on the bed nearest the door and sighed. She pushed her sleeve up to show them the bruises that were already forming on her arm.
Amanda and Beth gasped, “What happened? Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. The new father just thought I should be a little more friendly,” Sarah said with a wry smile. “I think I could have handled him but the one person who I would not want to help came to the door then.”
Amanda and Beth looked at each other and said in unison, “J.T.” They had heard Sarah complain enough about the man that they knew he was the one person that Sarah did not like.
“Yes, evidently this Mr. Roberts works at the logging camp and he came to see why he had not been at work. He could see that I was about to hit the man with a frying pan and guessed what was happening. He stayed until I left and even rode down the mountain with me. It’s not that I don’t appreciate his help, it is just that he saw this as another good reason to warn me to stay in town. I know that I could take a gun with me but that wouldn’t have helped today because the man snuck up behind me as I was cleaning up from the delivery. The baby was not even an hour old!”
Amanda sat beside her friend, “Sarah, you know that you have never let anything stand in the way of you being a physician and this won’t stop you either. We will figure out a way for you to be safe and to do your job.”
“Well, with Emily here now, even with you moving out, I think this cabin is getting to be too small to use as my office. Even making house calls as I do, I still need something bigger. I have to see Will later today to check his arm and I’ll talk to him about it then. Now I need to clean and sterilize my instruments and take a nap,” Sarah yawned.
Beth left for work and Amanda went to the kitchen to help Sarah with her instruments. It was very unusual for the young doctor to wait to prepare her instruments until she came back to town. She had always said that she always had to be ready for an emergency and Amanda sensed that her friend was even more upset than she was showing.
Sarah went to the bedroom to take a much needed nap and Amanda went to check on Emily, before sitting down at the kitchen table to work on her lesson plans for the first week of school. She knew that one of the first things she would need to do was to find the level of each child. Some children had never been to school while others had been taught at home. There were even a few who had gone to school back east before traveling west. Amanda was sure that she would find children of all ages and levels. She had ordered a variety of books of different levels and hoped that she would have some students that were more advanced. She also wanted to meet with some of the new women to see if they would like to help or if any of them wanted or needed more schooling.
After working for several hours, Amanda put her books and papers away and began to prepare their evening meal. Sarah had gone to check on Will Sloan, a friend of Riley’s who had been injured when Amanda had been kidnapped. He had been shot in the arm with an arrow and Sarah had had to surgically remove it. He worked as a carpenter and it was vital that he recover the use of his arm and he had faithfully done the exercises that Sarah had given him. Amanda was thankful that he had almost fully recovered.
She quietly went into the front room to check on Emily. Finding her awake, Amanda helped her to sit up in the bed.
“Let’s get you up and sitting in this rocking chair while I change your sheets.”
Amanda helped Emily to the chair next to the bed and covered her with a quilt. She knelt in front of her to put on a pair of slippers.
“I don’t understand why you are all so nice to me. I was horrible to you on the trip out here and you do everything for me,” Emily whispered.
Amanda smiled at the other woman and sat on the bed. “Emily, it is the right thing to do as a Christian. Christ taught that we should all be servants to each other. Christ even washed the feet of the disciples. We want to help you. “
“But I was so mean to you. I thought I was better than anyone and now look at me. Ruined!”
Amanda leaned across and took Emily’s hand, “Emily, you made some bad choices but we all have done that. Maybe ours did not turn out as badly as yours but we all have sinned. We are just so happy that you are alive and back with us. And you know that Christ forgives all sins, even murder. In His eyes, all sins are the same. Didn’t you go to church growing up back in Kentucky
“Well, yes, but I don’t think I listened that much. I was too worried about how I looked and if I had the prettiest outfit and if people were looking at me,” Emily hung her head.
“I wish now that I had listened more and listened to my parents too. All I wanted were things and now look, those things are all gone and I have nothing!”
“That’s because you were worried about the wrong kinds of ‘things’. You should have been worried about your treasures in heaven. Here, let me show you what it says in the Bible about treasures,
‘Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:19 – 21 KJV’
“See, Emily, all of your possessions were of this earth and they were torn and got dirty or even sold, and the money did not keep you safe. But the good things that you do are like treasures in heaven, not just doing good for others but also reading and studying the Bible and witnessing to others. But no matter how good any of us are, we can never be good enough to save ourselves. It says in the Bible, ‘not by works but by faith’ so our works cannot save us, only if we have faith that Christ can save us. It is His mercy and grace that saves us because He has already died for our sins.”
“I want to believe and be changed but I don’t think I have enough faith yet,” said Emily.
Patting Emily’s hand, Amanda said, “Well, we will continue to pray for you and that you will have faith. You know I heard my pastor back home say one day that faith is like that chair you are sitting in, you don’t know that it will hold you up, but you sat in it anyway, having faith that it will hold you and keep you from crashing to the ground. Faith is like that. Sometimes you just have to step out in faith and the rest will follow.”
Amanda quickly changed the sheets on the bed and straightened the covers.
“I think you are strong enough to join us at the table tonight, don’t you?”
“Oh, no, I don’t want anyone to see me,” Emily was still easily frightened after her experiences in San Francisco
“The only ones here will be Sarah, Hannah, Beth and me and you have seen all of us. You can’t stay in this room forever. Just take it slowly a little bit at a time. Don’t worry. We will be with you. I really wish you would come with us to church on Sunday when I marry Riley.”
“Oh, no, I can’t go out yet. And I am never going to marry. I will work for Sarah.”
“Do you think you will be able to nurse and take care of all the patients? If that is what you want, I know that Sarah will help you. But you know that Beth has started a business as a seamstress and what this town really needs is someone to make hats. I’ll bet you would be wonderful at that with your background. Just think about it. You have many choices in front of you and we will all be praying for you and you should pray too”
“I don’t think I know how to pray,” Emily said.
“Well, you know how to talk to a friend, don’t you? God is the best friend you will ever have. He already knows your thoughts so just talk to him like a friend and it will get easier each time.”
Amanda helped Emily to stand and to walk into the kitchen. When the others returned, they were pleased and surprised to find Emily at the table. Amanda had warmed the soup and made corn bread and they all enjoyed the meal together after a prayer. Beth had made a pie early that morning and they finished the meal with a piece for each of them.
They all worked together to clean up after the meal as Beth helped Emily into the front room. They all gathered there for their nightly Bible study.
“Before we start, I would like to speak with all of you,” said Sarah. “I spoke with Will today and we went to look at a building in town. It actually is just a few doors from Ben’s store. It has an upstairs where we can live and Will is going to make four rooms downstairs. It has been a dream that I could start a hospital here and this will be a first step toward that. I also want to train nurses to help me.. I hope that you will be willing to move with me. Also, Hannah, you were at the store this morning when I came back from delivering a baby.” Pausing to push up her sleeve, Sarah showed the ugly bruises caused by Mr. Roberts’ fingers that morning. Hannah’s and Emily’s faces showed shock and dismay that someone would attack the young doctor who was a friend to all.
“I have been thinking and praying about this all day and it seems that maybe I should have someone to go with me on calls. As you know, Jacques’ leg is still not completely healed and he does not like working in the saw mill. I spoke with him and Jane today. They are willing to work for me. Jacques will accompany me on calls and Jane will train as a nurse. That will leave more time for each of you to choose the work that you wish to do. Beth, I know you are building your seamstress business and you and Hannah are both working with Ben in the store. Amanda, you will be teaching and also moving out when you marry. If you agree, Jacques and Jane will move into this cabin. I can keep the horse here but I think it will be better if I have regular office hours.”
“I suggested to Emily today that she might want to try her hand as a milliner. I think she would do well because she had so many beautiful hats. Or she might want to work in the store too,” said Amanda. “But there is no rush for you to make a decision, Emily. You need to pray and see what God has planned for you.”
“That is a good idea, Mandy. Emily, you have so much fashion sense that I know you could help me with choosing the best materials and styles for dresses too,” said Beth.
“Let’s go ahead and have our Bible study and a time of prayer,” said Sarah. “There are many things we need to turn over to the Lord. Some requests that I have are whether this is the right decision to move to another office and also prayer for that poor lady, Mrs. Roberts, who had the baby today. Her husband didn’t want to do any of the work and help her until J.T. said he had to. Also we need to pray that Emily will continue to improve and know God’s plan for her. Beth, are you going to lead us tonight?”
“Yes, I thought that it would be good to read my mother’s letter tonight since Mandy is getting married on Sunday. My mother passed away when I was twelve but I had missed so much school that I could barely read the letter she wrote before she died. Mandy helped me with my reading so that when I found it when packing to come out here, I could understand what she had been saying and it had a big effect on my decision to travel to Seattle
“I’ll read the letter first,”
‘My Dearest Beth,
I know that I will not be with you much longer. Though sometimes the pain is almost greater than I can bear, I do not want to leave you. You are so young to have had to care for me, but no one could have done a better job. How I wish that I could be here to watch as you grow into a lovely young woman!
Beth, always put the Lord first in your life. He will never forsake you. He has been so faithful to me, and I will be so happy to see Him soon. If you let Him guide your every action, you will always do the right thing.
I wish I could be there to guide you as you grow. Already I can see the lovely lady you will be. I am so happy that you know the Lord as your personal Savior. There is such precious hope in the knowledge that we will spend eternity together.
I pray that you will never forget all that we have shared. I am enclosing a list of special scripture that has helped me in times of confusion and trouble. Keep these close to your heart, and allow the Lord to guide you through His Word.
Beth, you know that I love your father, but it grieves me that he does not know Jesus as we do. Please continue to pray that he will come to know the Lord. When you decide to marry, I hope that you will not marry a non-believer. God’s Word warns against this. I was not a Christian when I married and did not even know of these verses, but I do so wish that your father would come to know Jesus. Marry a man that you love and respect, but be certain that he loves and respects the Lord also. I believe the man should be the head of the home, as well as the spiritual leader.
There are so many things that I wish I had time to teach you, Beth, but my time on earth is growing shorter. Always remember that I love you with all of my heart, and, as long as I live, I will pray for you. I will never really leave you as long as you remember me, for I will live on in your heart.
With all my love,
Mother’
Beth paused to wipe a few tears from her eyes and noticed that Mandy and Emily did the same. Even Sarah looked like she might cry, missing her mother.
“Just as my mother cautioned me not to marry someone who is not a Christian, we should all heed those verses. I know that Mandy found herself falling in love with Riley but she knew she could not marry him if he did not decide to follow Christ.”
“The verse I have chosen tonight is one of my favorites and also one of the first that I memorized. I think we all know it, John 3:16. Let’s say it together:
‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 KJV’
“If I had only one verse in the Bible to know, this would be it because it really says it all. God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die in our place so that we would have eternal life. Jesus loved us enough to leave heaven which must be so wonderful and come down to this earth and suffer and be cursed and whipped for MY sins. It is amazing to me that He would do that. I know I don’t deserve to be saved but his mercy and grace is sufficient to save me. I can never do enough to deserve it but He freely gave forgiveness to me. I deserve to die but I don’t have to, not really because I know that I will spend eternity in heaven with Him. Isn’t that the most wonderful thing?” Beth smiled at the others, finally letting her gaze fall on Emily who was looking at the floor.
“Emily,” she said softly. “Look at me.”
Emily slowly raised her eyes to Beth’s. “God loves you and He has already paid the price for your sins. You are already forgiven. You need to forgive yourself. “
“But I have done so much wrong and that man… I just don’t think I can ever be forgiven.”
“Emily, remember when we talked about faith earlier? That is all you need. Faith that Christ can and will save you. It says in Isaiah:
‘Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1”18 KJV”
“This was written before Jesus was born on earth but it is a prophet telling us that our sins will be as white as snow! No matter what our sins, they are washed away by His blood. Don’t you worry, we will be praying for you and praying that you will have the faith that you need,” said Amanda.
“Will you help me pray now?” whispered Emily. “I want to have what you have. You all have a peace that I do not have.”
“Of course, we will help you but it has to be your decision. No one can do it for you. Not your parents, friends, or pastor. It can only be done by you. Just ask God to forgive you of your sins, tell Him that you believe He can forgive you and ask Him to come into your heart. And He will send His Holy Spirit to you and you will feel His peace.”
Emily whispered a prayer asking for forgiveness and for Christ to enter her life. Then each of the other women prayed, thanking God for Emily’s decision and asking for guidance in the days ahead. They also asked God to bless the marriage of Amanda and Riley. Afterwards they each hugged Emily and told her how happy they were that she had made this decision. Sarah and Beth helped her into the examination room and helped her to bed.
“I think you may get dressed tomorrow and even go outside for a few minutes if you wish,” said Sarah.
Quietly smiling, Emily said, “I may go out in back for a little bit. It will be good to sit in the sun for a while.”
“Yes, the weather is getting colder. It does not snow as much here as in the mountains but there is usually a good bit of rain so enjoy the sunshine while you can.” Sarah advised.
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