Showing results by author "Wanda E. Brunstetter" in All Categories

Irma Miller thought having a family of her own would bring her joy and a sense of accomplishment, but she struggles with memories of the abuse she suffered as a child at the hand of her stepfather. When she becomes physically and emotionally abusive to her own children, she reaches out to her friend Doretta for prayer and wisdom. But Irma may find herself at an even darker emotional place before she will admit she needs professional help to heal the past traumas. Will Doretta’s letters of wisdom help Irma and her family, or will too much be broken to ever be repaired?

Welcome to Walnut Creek, Ohio, where Orley and Lois Troyer own an antique store they call “Memory Keepers”. Though knowledgeable in antiques and their repair, their real talent is in mentoring folks who are hurting and don’t even know it. Enter Jeff, a restaurateur, and Rhonda, a hotel manager, who recently moved to Amish country for the slow pace, but the change of scenery puts even more stress on their already strained marriage. Will an antique sled be the last straw, or will it lead to unexpected revelations and the fulfillment of dreams?

Twin sisters, Elma and Thelma Hochstetler do everything together. They live together, they run a general store in Indiana, and they are growing old together - neither one marrying young like their peers. But that could change if one of them marries.

Sadie Kuhns has a lot happening in her life. She is creating a unique quilt by blending a traditional Amish pattern with a Hawaiian pattern as a tribute to her time spent in the islands, and she is working on a self-published book. But her relationship with Wyman Kauffman has stagnated after six months of courtship. He can't seem to commit to a profession that would secure a future, and he is jealous of the time Sadie gives to her own pursuits.

Come and sit awhile as you enjoy 18 fictional short stories of love, joy, and the peace found in Amish country. Amish Country is known for an atmosphere of peace and quiet, perfect for front-porch sitting with a good book. Join New York Times best-selling author Wanda E. Brunstetter, her daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, as they share 18 heartwarming stories from Amish Country. These fictional short stories include journeys we can all relate to as we seek how to live led by love, joy, peace, patience, and other Fruits of the Spirit.

Lenore Lapp is an Amish schoolteacher in her late 20s still living at home with her parents and grandparents. She thought love had passed her by until she meets Jesse Smucker, a widower with a baby daughter. She quickly falls in love with them both and accepts Jesse’s proposal of marriage, but Jesse breaks off their engagement when he realizes he can’t marry only for convenience. Resigned to living single, Lenore throws herself into caring for her elders. While working in her grandmother’s garden, she digs up an old jar.

Sara Murray had never met her mother’s parents and was surprised to learn after her death that they were Amish living in Pennsylvania. When she is finally able to make the trip to meet them, she is shocked to learn someone else has been living with them and pretending to be Sara. Soon she meets Brad Fuller, who is visiting her grandparents for Christmas. She likes him a lot, but even he seems to pull away from her, not being totally honest. Struggling, Sara finds an old canning jar hidden in the barn that is full of encouraging prayers.

A woman of courage makes an epic journey.

Take a 3,000-mile journey with Amanda Pearson as she leaves the disgrace of a broken engagement and joins the work at a Quaker mission in the western wilds. The trip is fraught with danger, and Amanda is near death before reaching her destination. Among those she meets are an Indian woman who becomes her first convert and a half-Indian trapper who seems to be her biggest critic. But love follows her into the wilderness and will determine the course of her future. You are sure to enjoy this historical romance adventure from New York Times best-selling author Wanda E. Brunstetter.

Included is the newly-written sequel, Woman of Hope, with Little Fawn’s story.

Raised as an orphan by a loving white couple, Little Fawn always felt something was missing from her life. She longs to take the news of Jesus to the Nez Perce Indians, but despite being a missionary herself, Little Fawn’s mother forbids it. Will White Wolf, her intended, support Little Fawn’s decision when she abruptly follows the tribe’s migration onto the Plains?

More lives need some mending... Amish widow-turned-newlywed Emma Yoder Miller begins another quilting class with a new group of unlikely students, all with tattered pieces of their lives that need mending. Selma is a belittling busybody. Terry is a rugged roofer who just wants a casual date with a pretty classmate. Blaine loses a bet and has to join the class, where he soon finds himself in friendly competition with Terry. Anna’s mother signs her up in a desperate attempt to keep Anna from leaving the Amish faith.

Life for Kelly McGregor is a daily drudge of driving her overbearing father's mules along Pennsylvanias Lehigh Canal. She dreams of one day owning an art gallery where her own drawings and paintings are on display. But these dreams don't include marriage. . .not after seeing what her father has done to her mother.

Three lone wagons on the California Trail become trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountains by a sudden snowstorm. Stuck in tight quarters with others makes Cynthia Cooper reevaluate her reasons for being engaged to fellow-traveler Walter Prentice. When a widowed father heading to a California ranch and a gold prospector both show an interest in Cynthia, she has to reconsider here dreams for marriage alongside her responsibility to care for her mother. Can love win over her timid heart?  

Michelle Taylor is not who her new family in Lancaster County believes her to be. The Lapps were looking for their long-lost granddaughter when they met Michelle, and she assumed the identity of Sara Murray. Once homeless and hopeless, Michelle has come to love her new Amish friends and even considers the idea of romance among them. Finding an old blue jar in the barn that is filled with slips of paper containing thoughts, quotes, and prayers by an unknown author becomes a boost to Michelle’s budding faith.

Sarah Turner tends the lock on the Lehigh Canal in Walnutport, Pennsylvania. She’d like nothing better than to get away from the canal, having enough of it as a child when she led the mules that pulled her father’s boat. But being a widow with three small children, she seems to have no other option. Sarah isn’t looking for love again, but should she ever find it, she knows it could never be with a canal man....

Leah Mast and her family have always considered her to have a healing touch and a special gift for reflexology - treating people's ailments by massaging certain places on their feet. But others scoff at the notion, saying the very idea of curing people through their feet is absurd. Adam Beachy is one of those scoffers, even though his own mother used to practice reflexology.

Ellen Lambright mourned when her best friend, Mandy, moved from Indiana to Hawaii. But now Ellen has received the Amish church’s permission to go to Hawaii and help Mandy through challenging times. Rob Smith works on the Williams family’s organic farm, far from his past mistakes and burning regrets. When Ellen befriends Rob, the attraction is mutual, but her commitment to the Amish faith stands between them.

Can a heart once torn by love's rejection find a new beginning? Titus Fisher has often made poor choices. When he lived in Pennsylvania he chose the wrong girl, who broke his heart. When he moves to Kentucky, he finally discovers that he possesses woodworking skills. Will he stick with it or return to the old comforts—and love—from his life in Lancaster?

Seek a fresh start with Amish widower Samuel Fisher as he journeys from Lancaster County to Bluegrass Country, hoping to find a balm for the grief he’s carried with him. Will this single father, burdened by yesterday’s memories, discover a new and perhaps better life in Kentucky, the land of tomorrow? Esther Beiler, who helps watch Samuel’s children, develops a crush on Samuel and a true affection for his kids. Can she win his heart, or has she already lost it to an English woman? How will God untangle these star-crossed lovers?

School's out! And so is an energetic Amish girl with trouble following close on her barefooted heels! When nine-year-old Rachel Yoder isn't bringing frogs to church or taking wild buggy rides, she's setting fireflies free and trying out new skateboads in all the wrong places. Will Rachel's friends and family survive the mischief she brings into their lives - and will Rachel learn any life lessons along the way?

As Amish widow Emma Yoder contemplates the task ahead, her thoughts center on one: What if she fails? Longing to remove a burden from her family by becoming self-sufficient, Emma has offered to hold quilting classes in her home. But when she sees the patchwork of faces assembled for the first lesson, her confidence dwindles as doubt threatens to take hold.

Joel finally stops running from responsibility for his actions and takes a good long look in the mirror. Seeing how far he has digressed from the man his parents raised, can Joel return to the faith he once held and break the grip money and possessions have had on his life? Will his family and Kristi believe he is able to change after causing them so much pain?