Reviewing: Naomi's Hope by Jan Drexler

Naomi's Hope is book three in Jan Drexler's Journey to Pleasant Prairie series.  I have enjoyed this series from the start of the journey along the Conestoga Creek through to arriving after many trials to their land in La Grange County, Indiana in 1843. Three years have passed and the community that started as a dream is now settling into permanent homes.  Families are thriving, crops are plentiful and there is peace among their new church district and it continues to grow.

Naomi Schrock has raised her adopted seven-year old Davey for three years.  They found him, the lone survivor of a Tornado hiding inside a large fireplace.  The storm killed his parents and baby sister and raised the house and farm to rubble.  Single and likely to remain so, Naomi loves and dotes on Davey.

Cap Stoltzfus moved to the area for a fresh start. He lost both his wife and son in childbirth seven years ago and is determined to break free of his grief.  By chance, Christian Yoder drops by the clearing where Cap is building his home alone.  It doesn't take long for Christian to size things up and organize a house raising.  The work of many hands quickly builds the sides and roof of his home.  Overwhelmed by the generosity of his new neighbors Cap quickly becomes one of their own.

 Davey found Cap first, quite by accident simply by being a curious boy of seven.  Their farms are adjacent and it's not long before Davey wore a path is to Cap's. Both are taken with each other and develop a special bond.  Naomi and Cap, through Davey, spend time together, developing feelings for one another.  Could they possibly become a family?

This is a story of strength, courage and forgiveness.  When community warmly welcomed Cap, they also welcomed Shem Fischer, a minister from Canada to the area.  Shem is agreeable, seemingly devout and insinuates himself comfortably among the people.  Cap is wary, having known Shem under different circumstances growing up.  Before long, there is rising mistrust that threatens to splinter the community.  It takes courage and strength to rise above strife.

Davey is central to the story, tying so many facets together. Young and innocent, his strongest desire is to have a family.  His story will win your heart as he weaves into and out of mishaps. My heart was warmed by this special young man and the love he truly brings to his family.  I heartily recommend this book.  I have grown fond of the characters in this series. I admire the strength and courage they had to move from their homes and travel to a new land only to start over.

"Jan Drexler brings a unique understanding of Amish traditions and beliefs to her writing. Her ancestors were among the first Amish, Mennonite, and Brethren immigrants to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, and their experiences are the basis for her stories. Jan lives in South Dakota with her husband, their four adult children, two active dogs, and a cat. She is the author of The Prodigal Son Returns, A Mother for His Children (winner of the 2013 TARA award), and A Home for His Family (finalist for the 2016 Inspirational Reader's Choice Award), as well as Hannah's Choice and Mattie's Pledge."- Amazon

Mattie's Pledge: An Amish Woman's Journey to Indiana

Our world is full of dreamers looking for that magical place just beyond the mountains or across the river.  Mattie's Pledge (book 2 in the Journey to Pleasant Prairie series ) by Jan Drexler is the story of a young Amish woman who is seduced by wanderlust. Mattie Schrock left Brother's Valley in Pennsylvania with her family to settle in Indiana.  She loved the lure of seeing new places and longed for adventure and yearned to see what was just beyond the mountains.  Not new to pulling  up stakes, Mattie's father had moved the family to Brother's Valley from the Conestoga area just seven years before.

It was 1843 and Americans were involved with the westward movement, including the Amish people. Farmland was getting scarce and the promise of cheaper land and the opportunity to build a larger community moving west appealing.  We often read of the great migration to the Oregon but the Midwest was still largely unsettled at the time.

Jacob Yoder's family from the Conestoga area, former neighbors and friends of the Schrock's joined in to complete the group.  As old friends, Jacob and Mattie enjoyed reconnecting that travelling by wagon afforded them time to get to know each other as young adults with dreams and plans ready to unfold.  Jacob planned to purchase land and build a future home for a wife and family. Mattie was committed to adventure and had no desire to settle down in one place for the rest of her life.  Two hearts so close yet with such different dreams.

Traveling on any trail wouldn't be complete without danger. The Bates brothers added that element of danger with their determination to steal the beautiful Conestoga horses from the Amish camp.  Cole Bates was intrigued by Mattie and had just enough charm to give her romantic ideas to dream of going further to Oregon.  He was determined to have those horses and capture Mattie's heart for his own.

This story shows the example of forgiveness of the Amish people. When Cole is caught red-handed trying to steal the horses, he is told to take just one team and leave the rest. Unable to figure out whether that was a trick, he let them be, at least that night. He was also offered food which was also an unexpected kindness.

Cole's greed and determination to have those horses keeps Jacob Yoder on guard throughout the trip.  His patience and vigilance throughout the story shows great patience and courage.  He used these traits with Mattie, knowing she was searching for something to fill up her life beyond her simple life.

Jan Drexler has painted the characters of her story with care. The development of  their characters and how they grew in the story are a compliment to the author. It was good to read of the ups and downs of their nature and see how they used their given strengths to get through their trials.  While the story focuses mainly on Mattie, Jacob and Cole, we can't overlook the other stories being told within the lives of these young people.  They are woven into the daily life on the trail and play active roles in shaping our main characters.

We can get as impatient as Mattie as the story plods along through a black marsh or becomes difficult as a tragic storm hits them on the road. Yet the resilience of all the people in this story are a testament to the strength men and women possessed to keep our country growing.  The Amish are an important part of our society, living out their Anabaptist faith still today.  America is a potpourri of culture and religions, the very thing our founders embraced.