The Amish Doll: Amish Knitting Novel (Bonus Knitting Pattern Included) Read Online Free PDF

aren’t telling me what’s really wrong.”
    Lawrence, who was now sitting on a chair in the front, leaned forward. “Well, God knows and we’ll just ask Him to help her where she needs it. Any other prayer requests?”
    Bud shot his arm up. “Sometimes Mr. Rowe looks tired and I don’t know why. Maybe he needs God’s strength. He’s old.”
    “God gives strength to the weary,” Lawrence said. “We’ll pray.”
    She looked at the concern on Bud’s face. Jim had a special bond with him, and was the anchor in his life. She remembered the bond she had with Granny Nora. Raven wished she could stay in that foster home forever. Granny taught her how to knit and she remembered it calmed her down. She remembered when Granny passed on. Raven was told one day she had to move on, too. Not enough adult-to-child ratio in the home. Her throat tightened. 
    Raven heard another child ask that prayer be given for her dog. When Lawrence said he’d pray for her dog, she felt indignant. Didn’t God have more important things to do, like running the universe, to care about a dog? How silly.
    All the children bowed their heads and one after another, a child prayed out loud about one of the prayer requests. She looked around the room at their serious expressions. Were they being sincere or was this just another childhood game? Did they really believe that God was listening? How ridiculous. They didn’t even know for sure there was a God. No one knew.
    After the prayer time, Lawrence asked them to open their Bibles. They were going to pick up where they left off last week. They were studying a book called John. When a volunteer was needed to read, Toby stood up and read:
    “John 14: 16-18, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.”
    Raven felt her mouth grow dry. An advocate who will never leave you? How many social workers, who were called her advocates, left her for a better job? She remembered Mrs. Pfeiffer. She thought she was the apple of this woman’s eye, but she left her. Lawrence’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
    “An advocate is someone who pleads your case or speaks up for you. I’m an advocate for Compassion International, and I speak up for the poor.  But Jesus is saying something powerful here; the Holy Spirit will live in you and never leave you, like orphans are left with no care.”
    Raven glanced at the boys. So this was it. They were being told they weren’t really orphans. No foster child liked that label. This religion offered a way to be adopted. She was told this same story as a child. The Great Spirit will be with you always. Why did she feel like an orphan deep down then? Religion never answered her questions, but why did the boys find such comfort in what the Bible said?
    Soon all the boys got on one side of the church and the girls on the other. Now she would find out why they really came. She was shocked when it was time for a Bible Bee.  Whoever memorized the most scriptures won? That was it? No sweets or prizes? Why would the boys do this week after week? What was in the Bible that made them want to read it? She noticed a stack of paperback Bibles in the church entry that were free for the taking. She’d take one and find out.
    ~*~
    Raven sat up in bed and flipped the paperback Bible to John 14 and read it over and over. The Bible didn’t make her mad, like she supposed, but was comforting. She reread the first few lines:
    “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will