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which was going to be held at Henry Yoder’s home, will be held at Isaac Troyer’s place.”
    Papa’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? Why’s that?”
    “Henry’s mother, who lives in Kentucky, is real sick, and Henry and his family had to hire a driver to take them there.”
    “That’s too bad. Sorry to hear of it.”
    Mama moved from her place in front of the sink and gave Faith a little nudge with her elbow. “Since the bishop is here now, don’t you think this would be a good time for you to tell him what’s on your mind?” Before Faith could respond, Mama looked over at the bishop and said, “Our daughter Faith’s come home, and she wants to join the church.”
    Faith swallowed hard and nearly choked. She hadn’t expected to see the bishop quite so soon. She needed more time to prepare for this—to think through what she wanted to say.
    “Is that so?” Bishop Martin eyed Faith curiously as he tipped his head. “Where have you been all these years?”
    “She’s been on the road, yodeling and telling jokes in the English world,” Papa spoke up before Faith could formulate a response. He motioned toward Melinda. “Right out of the blue, she and her daughter showed up on our doorstep a little while ago.”
    The bishop opened his mouth as if to say something, but Faith spoke first. “My husband died a few months ago, and I decided it would be best for Melinda if we came here.”
    “I see.” He gave Faith a quick nod. “Since you weren’t a member of the church when you left, you won’t be expected to offer any kind of confession to the church, but I think, given the circumstances of your leaving home in the first place, it would be good for you to give yourself some time to readjust to things before you take instruction to join the church.”
    A huge sense of relief settled over Faith as she nodded. “Yes,I think that would be best.” This would give her a chance to get her daughter settled in, and no one would suspect that her real plans were to leave Melinda here and be on the road again.

    “I still can’t believe our daughter’s come home,” Wilma said to Menno as the two of them got ready for bed that night.
    He pulled the covers to the foot of bed. “Jah, well, it sure seems odd to me that she would return home after this much time. It makes no sense at all.”
    “You heard what she said, Menno. Faith’s come home because her husband is dead and she wants a stable home to raise her daughter in.”
    “You think she’s telling the truth?”
    Wilma took a seat on the edge of the bed and pulled the pins from the bun at the back of her head. “What reason would she have to lie about her husband dying?”
    “That’s not what I meant. If she says her husband’s dead, then I’m sure it’s true.” Menno flopped onto his side of the bed and punched the pillow a couple of times. He had a hunch there was more to the story than Faith was telling. Unless their daughter had changed a lot from when she was a girl, it was quite likely that she had something more up her sleeve than just looking for a stable home for Melinda.
    “I sure hope she stays for good this time,” Wilma said as she began to brush her waist-length hair. “I don’t think I could stand losing her again.”
    “I’d like to believe she will stay, but she’s been living in the world these last ten years.” He reclined on the bed and raised his arms up over his head as he rested against the pillow. “Do you really think she can give up all the modern things she’s become accustomed to having?”
    “Well, I don’t know, but I’m hoping—”
    “I don’t trust her, Wilma. I think Faith is probably down on her luck and can’t find a job now that her husband’s gone, so she needs a place to stay for a while.” He frowned. “Mark my words. In a couple of weeks, Faith and her daughter will be on the road, and we’ll probably never hear from them again.”
    Wilma’s eyes widened, and her chin quivered slightly. “Oh, I