reading

Print ISBN 978-1-63409-224-1

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-988-2
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-989-9

All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Cover design: Buffy Cooper
Cover photography: Richard Brunstetter III; RBIII Studios

Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in Canada.

To LeAnna Lehman, a special Amish friend who has visited the Hawaiian Islands.
And to our friends, Bob and Sue Miller, who have a heart for the Amish people.

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Hebrews 13:2

Prologue

Mandy Frey gazed at the travel brochures lying on the kitchen table. The pictures were so vibrant and enticing she could almost smell the soothing scents of the tropical flowers and hear the gentle lapping of ocean waves. Ever since her Mennonite cousin Ruth went to the Hawaiian islands for missionary training two years ago, Mandy had yearned to visit. For a little over a year, she had saved toward the trip. She’d invited three of her closest friends—Barbara Hilty, Ellen Lambright, and Sadie Kuhns—to go on the cruise with her. They’d kept their plans secret until they had enough money and had made arrangements for time off from their jobs. They would leave in one month, traveling by train to Los Angeles. From there, they’d be on a cruise ship for four-and-a-half days until they reached their first Hawaiian island.

Paging through another brochure, dazzling pictures of cascading waterfalls and scenic mountains heavy with vegetation gave her goosebumps. Everything seemed so colorful in Hawaii—even the exotic birds. She wished she was there right now.

Excitement bubbled in Mandy’s soul as she envisioned herself sitting on the beach with her toes in the warm grains of sand, inhaling the salty air. “This is a trip of a lifetime,” she murmured. It was one she would probably never make again, so Mandy wasn’t about to let anything or anyone dampen her spirits.

But the hope of nothing spoiling her enthusiasm didn’t last long. When she’d told her parents this morning about her plans, Mom wasn’t happy and tried to talk her out of going, saying Hawaii was too far away. She’d also mentioned if Mandy had a problem while she was there, her family wouldn’t be readily available to help.

Dad hadn’t said much, other than telling Mom their only daughter was a grown woman and had the right to make her own decisions. Mandy could have hugged him right then and there, but held back, not wanting Mom to feel hurt or left out. Mandy’s younger brother, Milo, had sided with Mom, but Mandy ignored his concerns. She and her friends had booked their trip to Hawaii through a local travel agency, and she would not change her plans. The only person left to tell was her boyfriend, Gideon. She hoped he would take the news well.

Chapter 1

As Mandy sat with her friends, waiting to board the cruise ship that would take them to Hawaii, her thoughts went to Gideon. It had been difficult saying goodbye to him before their driver took them to the train station in Elkhart. She felt bad about his negative reaction when she’d told him she planned to make this trip with her friends. She should have said something sooner, so he would have been more prepared for her departure.

Diverting her thoughts, Mandy watched the young boy sitting across from her, bouncing in his chair while drinking a can of orange soda. He spilled it down the front of his shirt and started howling and kicking his feet.

Patiently, the child’s mother got up and took him by the hand to the restroom.

Mandy leaned close to Barbara and whispered, “That little guy is sure a handful.”

“Jah. I don’t envy his mother. He’ll probably keep her plenty busy on this trip.”

Mandy listened to the steady hum of voices around her. The terminal was filled with an air of excitement, but her thoughts returned to Gideon, remembering his hurt expression as he held her hand. “I don’t want you to go, Mandy, but if this is what you want, then you have my blessing and ought to follow your heart. I’ll be here when you get back, and then we can talk about our future.”

Mandy didn’t know if her future was with Gideon. They’d been courting over a year, and she’d suspected for some time he wanted to propose marriage. He’d no doubt held back because she hadn’t committed to joining the church. Since every couple planning to get married in an Amish community must first join the church, there was no point in him proposing until they both had been baptized and become church members.

I may feel ready when we return from this trip, she mused. If I do, then I’ll take classes to prepare for church membership.

Ellen snapped her fingers, causing Mandy to jump. “Our number’s been called. It’s time to board the ship.”

“Ach, this room is much smaller than I thought it would be, even if it is nicely decorated. It’s not much bigger than the two tiny rooms we had on the train that brought us to California.” Barbara’s eyebrows rose as she made a sweeping gesture of the room they’d been assigned. “And how are the four of us supposed to sleep when there are only two beds?”

Mandy shrugged. “Maybe someone made a mistake and gave us the wrong room.” She couldn’t imagine how these arrangements would work. Their travel agent had told them the room they’d booked would sleep four, and it included two bunk beds. They’d either been misinformed or someone made an error. Perhaps two other people on the ship had been shown a room with four beds. They needed to get to the bottom of this before they unpacked their suitcases.

“Look, there’s one of the Pullman beds! The other one is up there, too.” Sadie pointed to the ceiling above one of the small beds on the floor, and then to the other. “Remember, our agent said it would be similar to a top bunk bed, except instead of being held up by posts extending from a bottom bunk, it’s supported by brackets attached to a wall. It can be folded up into the ceiling when not in use to create more space in the room.”

“It’s certainly folded up right now.” Ellen raised her head, squinting her blue eyes. “How are we supposed to get the beds down from the ceiling?”

“We won’t have to worry about putting them up or down, because one of the ship’s attendants will pull the beds down for us at night and raise them again each morning when our room is serviced.” Sadie’s tone was typical—so matter of fact.

Mandy couldn’t help grinning. Leave it to Sadie to know all the details. Even at home, whenever the four young women planned to do something together, Sadie made sure of the details. She was usually responsible for making all the arrangements, too. Last month when the girls got together to do some sewing at Sadie’s house, she’d made certain everything was laid out before they arrived. She had even provided them with needles, thread, and scissors. All Mandy, Ellen, and Barbara had to bring was the material they planned to cut and sew. Sadie prepared a casserole for their lunch that day. The smell of it warming in the oven had greeted them as soon as they’d entered the house.

Barbara cleared her throat, bringing Mandy’s thoughts to a halt. “I hope I don’t have to sleep in one of those upper bunks. I’d feel claustrophobic being so close to the ceiling.”

Mandy folded her arms. She didn’t want to sleep on a top bunk, either, but this problem would be resolved sooner if she volunteered. “I’ll give it a try. How about you, Sadie?”

Heaving a sigh, Sadie gave a nod. “Since we’ve settled the sleeping arrangements now, why don’t we unpack?”

“It can wait awhile. Right now, I want to take a tour of the ship.” Smiling, Barbara pointed to the door.

“I’m all for that!” Ellen pushed a strand of golden-blond hair back under her white head covering and moved toward the door, no doubt as eager as Barbara to check things out.

“Let’s go for a walk and look at what’s available for us on a few of the outside decks. I’d like to see if there are any good books in the library, too,” Sadie suggested. “Afterward, we can head up to the room where lunch will be served buffet style.”

Feeling a gurgle in her midsection, Mandy placed both hands on her stomach. “Thinking about all the food that’ll be available to us on this cruise makes me hungerich.”

“I hope we don’t run into bad weather or rough waters during our trip.” Barbara placed both hands on her stomach. “It wouldn’t be fun if any of us got seasick.”

Mandy wrinkled her nose. “I don’t even want to think about getting grank.”

“How about this.” Sadie lifted her hands above her head, yawning nosily. “The first person who gets sick has to buy the rest of us lunch when we get to Maui.”

It took awhile to find their way up to the room where they would be served dinner each evening, but with the help of one of the ship’s attendants, they finally made it. Mandy was glad when she and her friends were seated at their table a few minutes before 6:00 p.m., which was when the meal was supposed to be served. They would sit at this same table for all their evening meals during the cruise. They’d also have the same waiters.

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not used to having a four-course meal for supper.” Ellen placed a linen napkin across her lap.

“Me neither.” Mandy glanced at the fancy dishes, noticing the blue vine pattern on the rim, and several pieces of silverware beside each plate. She hoped she wouldn’t mess up and eat with the wrong utensil or accidentally drink from her neighbor’s glass. That would be so embarrassing.

“I’m still full from all the food we had for lunch.” Barbara groaned. “Not sure I’ll be able to eat all my dinner.”

Ellen rolled her eyes. “Wasting food is a shame, but I don’t think it’s a sin.”

“Probably not.” Barbara raised her slim shoulders in a brief shrug. “I can only imagine what my mamm might say if she were here right now and I didn’t eat everything on my plate.”

“Well, none of our mothers are here, so we should relax and enjoy ourselves.” Sadie reached for the salt and pepper and sprinkled some on her salad.

After they prayed silently and began to eat, introductions were made among those sitting closest to them. Since the same people would be seated at their table every evening, Mandy thought it was a good idea to get acquainted.

“Are the four of you nuns?” the young Asian woman sitting on one side of Mandy asked.

Blinking rapidly, the woman tilted her head to one side. “Amish? But I thought by the way you prayed and the plain clothes you wear…”

Mandy stifled a giggle as Sadie shared a brief history of the Amish and their way of dress. “Nuns dress different than we do,” she added.

As the meal progressed, Mandy and her friends discussed what an adventure it was being on the ship and how eager they were to get to Hawaii. From what Mandy’s cousin told her about the Big Island, which would be the last island they visited, each day would be filled with many things to see and do. Of course, with only one day spent on each of the islands, they’d have to pick and choose what sights to see. They could either sign up to go with one of the tour groups or strike out on their own. It was logical to go with a group. But since they had to be back at the ship by a certain time each day, they’d have to make every minute count and see as much as possible.

If we ventured out on our own and didn’t make it back in time, we could become stranded, Mandy thought, while cracking the crab shell on her plate. We’ll need to make sure it never happens.

The first three courses of their meal were delicious, but filling. When it came time for the last course—a scrumptious-looking strawberry cheesecake—Mandy was too full to eat it. Their waiter came by the table and offered to box it up so she could take it back to her room. Mandy declined, saying she wouldn’t be able to eat anything more tonight. Between breakfast in the morning, a buffet lunch around noon, plus tomorrow’s evening meal, she didn’t think she’d have room to eat much else. Maybe I won’t have a big lunch every day, she thought. Tomorrow, I may try some pizza or a hot dog at one of the snack areas I saw earlier today.

“For a while I thought we weren’t going to find our room,” Ellen said as the four of them prepared for bed. “This ship is so big, and with several dining rooms on board, it’s easy to get lost.”

“I know.” Mandy sighed contently as she brushed her long hair. “But it’s worth getting lost to be able to say we were on this enormous boat.”

“The dining room looked so nice. It’s amazing how many details were put into the design of the ship’s interior.” Barbara sat on one of the twin beds, removed her hairpins, and placed her head covering on the nightstand next to her bed.

Sadie yawned. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m mied and more than ready for bed.” She glanced at one of the bunks overhead, which had been dropped down from the ceiling while they were out of their room. Two ladders had also been set in place, making it possible to climb up to the beds.

Mandy wasn’t eager to sleep in either bunk. She’d had a terrible experience sleeping on one when she was younger and had ended up on the floor with a bruised tailbone. But at least the attached side rails on these bunks should keep her from falling out. “Which bed do you want, Sadie?” she asked.

Mandy picked the bunk above Ellen’s bed, and after telling her friends good night, she climbed the ladder and settled in. She didn’t get up in the middle of the night most of the time anyway, so other than feeling cramped, she would manage. The mattress wasn’t too bad—a littler firmer than she’d like, but it would have to do. As tired as she was, she didn’t even care.

Curling up against her pillow, she closed her eyes and prayed for her family back home. She also prayed for Gideon and asked God to give her a sense of direction about whether she should join the Amish church or not. Before drifting off to sleep, Mandy prayed, Heavenly Father, please keep us safe on this journey, and may we return home with many wonderful memories to cherish for the rest of our lives.

Chapter 2

When Mandy awoke the following morning, she felt strange—almost as though someone had rolled her around while she was sleeping. She could sense the ship swaying and knew the sea must be rough. What a contrast from the calm of last night. She pushed her sheets aside and climbed carefully down from her bunk. Once her feet hit the floor, she rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision.

“If you’re sick to your stomach, it’s probably from the rocking of the ship.” Mandy looked at Sadie and Barbara who were already up, but not dressed. “Do either of you feel seasick?”

“So far, I’m okay, but we should probably put some of those motion-sickness drops behind our ears, in case the rest of us do start to feel grank. It’s a good thing I brought this along.” Sadie took the bottle out of her traveling case and dabbed some behind both ears, then passed it to Ellen, who did the same. When Ellen was done, she gave the bottle to Mandy. After she’d put drops behind her ears, she handed it to Barbara.

“If I’d have known last night this would happen to me, I would have put some of the drops on before going to bed.” Ellen sat up, clutching her stomach. “I won’t be able to eat anything, feeling like this, but you three should get dressed and enjoy the breakfast buffet.” Moaning, she continued holding her stomach.

“I wouldn’t feel right about leaving you here alone.” Barbara looked out the window and grimaced. “The rain is coming down hard. What a way to begin our day.”

“I wouldn’t feel right about leaving Ellen, either.” Mandy opened the satchel containing her personal items and removed a homeopathic medicine she’d brought along. “This is for nausea and dizziness.” She handed it to Ellen with a fresh bottle of water. “If it doesn’t help, let me know, and I’ll see what’s available from the ship’s infirmary.”

Ellen took the remedy and reclined on her bed. “I’ll be fine by myself while you’re eating breakfast.” She reached for the sheet and blanket, pulling them up to her shoulders. “I need to lie here awhile. I only wish the ship would stop moving so much.”

Mandy looked at Sadie and Barbara, and when they both nodded, she hurried to get dressed. By the time they were ready to leave the room, Ellen was sleeping.

“Hopefully, she’ll be okay,” Sadie whispered. “One of us can check on her as soon as we’re done eating.”

As they headed out the door, Mandy turned to look at Ellen again. She wanted to stay with her childhood friend, but since Ellen had insisted everyone go to breakfast and couldn’t be helped while she was sleeping, Mandy quietly stepped into the corridor and shut the door. She’d make sure to eat quickly and not be gone too long.

Ellen woke up with her stomach churning. She sat up for a moment, but the feeling didn’t go away. All at once, her throat constricted, and she covered her mouth. Jumping out of bed, she dashed to the bathroom, barely making it in time. When the vomiting subsided, her ribs felt sore, and she was exhausted. With her stomach empty, and a feeling of shakiness, all she wanted to do was climb back in bed. Will this ever go away? How long am I going to be seasick? Sure hope I don’t feel like this the whole cruise.

Tears welled in Ellen’s eyes as she lay staring at the ceiling, still fighting waves of nausea. So much for those anti-nausea drops and homeopathic medicine. Maybe they would have helped if I’d taken them sooner.

Hearing a knock on the door, Ellen pulled herself off the bed. Since she was still in her nightgown and knew she looked a mess, she hoped it wasn’t one of the ship’s attendants. When she opened the door a crack, she was surprised to see Mandy.

“I ate a quick breakfast and brought these back for you.” When Mandy stepped into the room and closed the door, she placed several packets of saltine crackers and a can of ginger ale on the small table between the beds. “How are you feeling? Did the homeopathic remedy help at all?”

“Not really. I threw up while you were gone, and I still feel a bit woozy and nauseous.” Ellen sighed deeply. “Sure hope I don’t feel like this the rest of the way. We still have three more days before we get to our first stop on Maui.”

Mandy took a seat. “I hope this storm passes soon and the ship moves into calmer waters. Even though I’m not sick to my stomach, the rocking affects my equilibrium. Maybe it would help if we went out on our balcony for a while and breathed in some fresh air. For now, at least, the rain has stopped.”

“I doubt it’ll help me, but I guess I could try.” Ellen slipped into her robe, and they stepped onto the small veranda. The blowing wind and choppy waters were reason enough for her stomach to be upset all morning. Grasping the railing, she drew in several deep breaths, which helped a little, but those lingering gray clouds above didn’t remove her dismal outlook.

Mandy placed her hand gently on Ellen’s shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re not feeling well. This is supposed to be a fun trip for all of us.”

“It will be once we’re on dry land.” Ellen groaned. “I must be a land lover.”

“Same here. Since I can’t swim, it makes me naerfich looking out at nothing but water and seeing no escape except the ship we’re on.”

“Because I wanted to see Hawaii. And even though I haven’t joined the church, I knew my folks would disapprove of me flying.”

“We’ll keep praying this will go away for you, and you’ll soon be back on your feet.” Mandy stared out at the rough waters. “I’m excited to see Maui, but I wish we could spend more time there. There’s only so much we can see in a day.”

“Guess we should be happy for what we get. At least we’ll have a taste of Hawaii and should have a lot to tell our families when we go home.”

“I’m glad I purchased a digital camera before we left. I plan to keep a journal and put together a scrapbook with pictures from our trip. Then whenever I miss Hawaii, I’ll take it out and relive all our precious memories.”

Ellen snickered, despite her fluttering tummy. “How do you know you’re going to miss Hawaii? You haven’t been there yet. Maybe it’s not as special as you think.”

“Of course it’s special.” Mandy gave a playful grin. “I’ve seen the pictures my cousin took from her time on the Big Island. Looking at them made me want to see all the beautiful flowers, palm trees, and colorful birds for myself.” Mandy tried tucking the blowing stray hairs back under her head covering, but it was no use. The wind had a mind of its own.

“Don’t forget about the coconuts, pineapple, and papaya we’ll get to taste. Didn’t you say Ruth brought back a pineapple for you to sample?”

“She did, and I loved it.” Mandy smacked her lips. “I ate some at breakfast this morning, as well as slices of mango. They were appeditlich.”

“Nothing sounds delicious to me right now.” Ellen shivered, rubbing her arms. “It’s chilly out here. Think I’d better go back inside.”

When they stepped into the room, Barbara was lying on her twin bed, reading a Hawaiian magazine. Sadie sat on a chair nearby, mending one of her dresses that had somehow gotten torn.

“We’ve been here about five minutes.” Sadie held up her turquoise dress. “I brought this one along because it’s kind of a tropical color.”

Mandy smiled, then pointed to the crackers and ginger ale. “Why don’t you try those now, Ellen? A little something in your bauch might help, and you do need to keep hydrated.”

“I like saltines anytime,” Barbara commented, before sticking her nose back in the magazine.

“Guess I will try a little.” Ellen opened one pack of crackers and took a seat on her bed. Nothing appealed, but maybe the saltines would help settle her stomach. Her mother always gave them to Ellen and her siblings whenever they got stomach flu and couldn’t keep anything else down. Maybe tomorrow she would feel better and could explore more of the ship.

Gideon stood at the entrance of the barn, sipping hot chocolate and admiring the snowflakes glistening in the sunlight like crystals. As a young boy, he had loved to take his sled up the small hill behind their place and slide down at unimaginable speeds. Back then, he’d thought it was pretty exciting. When Gideon and his siblings came inside afterward, Mom always had a cup of hot chocolate waiting for them. Now he was in his early twenties, and this kind of weather seemed like an inconvenience, not to mention downright cold. Gideon still thought the snow was pretty, but it gave him more things to worry about.

“It’s too early for schnee,” he muttered. “Sure hope the roads don’t get bad.” Most horse and buggies did well in the snow, but the cars on the roads were what he worried about. Some drivers went too fast, while others crept along at a snail’s pace.

As Gideon turned toward the stalls needing to be cleaned, his thoughts went to Mandy. No doubt she and her friends were on the boat by now, enjoying better weather than this. He disliked having her so far away. Gideon still didn’t understand why she wanted to go to Hawaii so bad. He was eager for Mandy to come home and make a decision about whether she would join the church or not.

He paused and closed his eyes, as an image of Mandy’s pretty face came to mind. Her eyes, matching the color of her silky brown hair, seemed so expressive when she talked. Gideon had never seen eyes as beautiful as hers. They were a rich coffee color, but what made them so unique was how they almost turned green, depending on the color of dress she wore. Mandy smiled a lot, too, and got along well with others. It’s no wonder she enjoys being a waitress, Gideon thought.

He wondered what she was seeing and doing on the cruise ship. Gideon supposed it was a fun adventure, but being here was all he needed to be content. I wonder if she’s nervous about traveling so far from home, especially on a ship floating in a big body of water like the Pacific. Since Mandy’s never learned to swim, I would think she’d be scared being surrounded by all that water. Sure hope she gets this trip out of her system and will be content when she comes home.

He gave himself a mental shake. I probably shouldn’t be worried. Mandy will be back in a few weeks, and everything will be fine. If we are truly meant to be together, she’ll be ready to take classes preparing her to join the church soon after she arrives.

Chapter 3

Today is Sunday, our third day at sea. Before we went for breakfast this morning, we sat in our cabin and had our devotions. It was nice to set a time aside to read God’s Word and reflect on His promises.

The weather’s improved, and Ellen’s feeling better. I’m glad things are looking up for her now that the ship isn’t swaying like it was before. The storm was a bit unnerving to our group, and probably for a lot of other people on board as well.

It was nice all four of us could sit together and share the morning meal. A few minutes ago, we got back from breakfast. I ate too much again. It’s hard to pass up all the delicious food; especially the fruit and seafood. It would be easy for a person to put on extra pounds, taking in all the tantalizing food and lounging on the deck or in our room. Maybe I’ll visit the exercise room later today and use the treadmill. I need to burn off the extra calories.

No matter how many times I look out the door of our balcony, it seems strange to see nothing but water, with no land at all in sight. It’s kind of eerie and makes me feel somewhat isolated, even though we’re on a ship with over two thousand passengers. I’d love to see some dolphins, like some of the folks at our dinner table said they had earlier today. Maybe we’ll still get the chance.

“Are you ready to do some exploring?” Ellen placed her hands on the desk where Mandy sat.

“Give me a moment.” Mandy set her pen and journal aside. “I want to put on some sunscreen, since it’s so bright out today.”

“Good idea.” Ellen picked up her tube of sunscreen and put it in her tote bag, along with a pair of sunglasses. “Since Barbara and Sadie have already gone out to sit by the pool and read, I’d better take this along. I don’t think they took theirs.”

“No more than I am. After feeling so sick and staying in the room yesterday, I’m anxious to get out for some fresh air and sunshine.”

Mandy slathered some sunscreen on her face and arms, then put the camera in her tote. “Let’s go!”

After sitting in one of the lounge chairs by the pool awhile, Mandy saw an elderly couple walk by and pick out two empty chairs. Based on their conversation, they seemed eager to get some fresh air by the pool. The woman took her seat carefully and waited for her husband to do the same. He, though, sat rather abruptly, sending the lounge chair crashing as it flattened like a pancake.

“Oh, dear! Robert, are you all right?” With a worried expression, his wife turned toward him.

Before Mandy could react, Sadie jumped up and went to help him. Once he was on his feet, she stood his chair up and made sure it was locked in place.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue.” His face was bright red. “Bet I looked pretty foolish.”

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt.” Sadie smiled and returned to her seat beside Ellen. “I can’t believe how many people sat there watching and didn’t even try to help.”

Ellen nodded. “A lot of them had their phones out. Sure hope they weren’t taking pictures of the poor fellow.”

Some people don’t seem to care about others, Mandy thought. I’m glad Sadie helped the elderly man. He could have been seriously hurt.

After lounging awhile, Sadie said she was craving some ice cream. “Why don’t we all head for the sundae shop?” she suggested.

Mandy glanced at her cell phone, noting the time. “It won’t be long till it’s time to eat lunch. If we have ice cream now, it’ll ruin our appetites.”

“Not mine.” Sadie shook her head. “If anything, an ice-cream cone will whet my appetite.”

Mandy fought the urge to roll her eyes. One thing she and Sadie disagreed on was the kind of food they ate. Mandy treated herself to ice cream once in a while, but she didn’t go overboard on sweets—especially not before eating a big meal. “You can go to the sundae shop if you want to.” She licked her lips, trying not to think how good an ice-cream sundae would taste. “I’m gonna stay here and enjoy the sunshine. When I talked to Mom last night, she mentioned they were getting snow in Middlebury.”

Barbara clicked her tongue. “I can’t believe they’re getting schnee so early in November. I hope it’s all gone by the time we go home.”

“They could have more by then, which is why we’d better enjoy the sun while we can.” Sadie stood. “Who’s going with me to get ice cream?”

“Guess I’ll come along.” Barbara gathered up her things and left her chair.

“I’m going to stay here with Mandy. It’s fun to watch the children play in the pool.” Ellen lifted her arm up and grinned. “Think I’m getting a little color, too.”

“Okay, then, we’ll see you two at the lunch buffet.” Sadie waved and headed off, with Barbara at her side.

Mandy glanced over at Ellen and grimaced. “I bet those two won’t be able to eat much lunch.”

Ellen gave her stomach a few thumps. “I will. After only crackers and ginger ale for the past twenty-four hours, I’m more than eiferich to eat.”

“I’m eager, too, but I won’t overdo. I want to save room for our supper this evening.” Mandy glanced at the cute little blond-haired girl sitting on the side of the pool. Despite her mother’s coaxing, the child refused to get in the water.

She might be afraid because she can’t swim. Mandy brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Since she had never learned to swim, she could relate to the young girl. Mandy feared going into the pond on her parents’ property, which her four brothers enjoyed. Mandy’s dread of water kept her from learning to swim or even float. She remembered how, on hot summer days, she would hold her long dress up so it wouldn’t get wet and wade into the shallow part of the pond near the shoreline. The cool water felt good on her bare legs and feet, and she’d been satisfied with that. When Mandy was eight years old, her brother Michael, who was ten at the time, pulled her into the water where it was over her head. Certain she would drown, Mandy flailed her arms and screamed so loud their father came running. Within seconds, he dove into the water and rescued her. Sobbing and clinging to Dad’s neck, she vowed never to go in the pond again. Of course, she had, but only knee deep. On several occasions, Dad had offered to teach her to swim, but Mandy flatly refused. Even with her fear of the water, she found it fascinating and looked forward to watching the waves hit the shore when they were on dry land.

Mandy’s brother Mark had kidded her about making a trip to Hawaii by boat, since the ship would be surrounded by water. Mandy’s response was, “I’m not worried about it, because I won’t go anywhere on the ship where I could fall overboard.”

Then her youngest brother, Melvin, piped up. “What if the ship sinks, like the Titanic?”

Mandy squeezed the arms on her deck chair. Leave it up to my bruder to give me a hard time. She could only imagine how horrible it must have been on the Titanic, with nowhere to go but the cold ocean water. Even so, she couldn’t let these feelings get the best of her. Thinking happier thoughts, she reflected on how her parents had given each of their five children a name beginning with the letter M. Michael, almost twenty-three, had recently married Sarah Yoder. Milo was eighteen; Mark, fifteen; and Melvin, twelve. Mandy would celebrate her twenty-first birthday on January 28. She would be home from her trip way before then and figured her parents would do something special for her. Maybe Mom would cook a big meal and invite Mandy’s closest friends to join them. Or perhaps they’d all go out to one of her favorite restaurants in the area.

Growing up with teasing brothers hadn’t been easy, but she’d survived her childhood—although she had always longed for a sister.

Of course, she reasoned, I have my three best friends, and they’re almost like sisters.

“Are you daydreaming?” Ellen nudged Mandy’s arm. “I’ve been talking to you, but I don’t think you heard a word I said.”

“Oh, sorry. I was deep in thought.” Mandy turned to face her friend. “What did you say?”

“It’s getting windy, and I’ve had enough sun.” Ellen unrolled her sleeves.

“You’re right, the wind has picked up. Why don’t we go check out one of the gift shops? Or would you rather go back to the room and rest awhile before lunch?”

“I’ve been in our room too much already. Let’s go shopping.” Ellen stood and smoothed the wrinkles in her dress. “Maybe I can pick up a few trinkets to give to family members back home.”

The two friends gathered up their things, but before they left the pool area, Mandy paused and took a picture of the little girl she’d been watching earlier. I hope someday I’ll have a daughter as cute as her.

“Miriam, it’s good to see you.” Peggy Eash smiled when Mandy’s mother entered her quilt-and-fabric store on Monday morning. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Well, you know where the notions are kept.” Peggy pointed to the notions aisle.

Miriam nodded, picked up a shopping basket, and headed down the aisle. She had almost reached the thread display when she noticed Peggy’s son Gideon. “I’m surprised to see you here this afternoon. Aren’t you still working at the upholstery shop?”

“Things are a little slow there right now, so I have the day off. I’m helping unload a shipment of fabric and some other things that came in this morning.” He brushed his dark hair off his forehead.

“I’m sure she appreciates your help, especially with Barbara gone.” Miriam picked out two spools of thread then stepped aside so Gideon could set down the box he held.

“Jah. They should be almost to Hawaii by now. They’re scheduled to reach land tomorrow.”

Gideon’s forehead wrinkled. “You’d never get me on a boat for all those days. I’d probably be grank as soon as I got on board.”

“From what Mandy said, the ship is quite large, so unless the waters get really rough, I wouldn’t think the boat would sway too much.” Miriam picked out a few more spools of thread. “I hope she’s enjoying herself and will return with lots of good memories.”

“I’m not fond of the idea, but as you know, Mandy is twenty years old. I certainly couldn’t forbid her to go. She’s old enough to make her own decisions.” Miriam pursed her lips. Although if I had my way, Mandy would be here right now—not off on a cruise to see what Hawaii is all about.

“I didn’t want her to go,” Gideon admitted, “but I gave her my blessing.”

“If you’d asked her not to go, maybe she would have stayed. As long as you two have been courting, I would think she’d want to please you and not go gallivanting off to see what a tropical island looks like.”

“If I’d asked Mandy to stay, she might have resented me, and it could have affected our relationship.” Gideon began pulling new skeins of yarn from the box.

“You may be right.” Miriam hoped Mandy appreciated her boyfriend and would make a commitment to join the church soon. Maybe after this trip, she would settle down and take life more seriously.

Chapter 4

Since Mandy and her friends had stayed up late Monday night, visiting and looking at the stars and the full moon, it was hard to get up the next morning. However, the excitement of arriving at the port in Maui and the sounds of people in the hallway talking got them all out of bed.

Mandy and Barbara had signed up to go with a tour group to the visitors’ center at the Haleakalā volcanic crater, as well as the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. Sadie and Ellen would tour the huge aquarium at Maui Ocean Center and explore the town of Lahaina, where many shops and restaurants were located.

Watching from one of the decks as the ship entered the harbor with a smaller boat guiding it into place, Mandy’s enthusiasm mounted. After seeing nothing but water for the last four days, it was a thrill to finally spot some green. She could hardly wait to step on dry land and view the beautiful sights awaiting them.

“Wish we could have gone on a tour watching for humpback whales,” Sadie commented as she and Ellen, along with the others in their tour group, started their walk through what appeared to be quite an old town. “Unfortunately from what I read in the brochure, the whales won’t migrate here from Alaska until December.”

“I agree it’s a disappointment, but it’ll be fun to do some shopping.” Ellen gestured to an enormous tree with a twisted trunk, growing across the street. “That tree is certainly unusual. I wonder what it’s called.”

“It’s a banyan,” their tour guide explained. “A lot of them grow here on Maui.” Everyone stopped walking as she told about this particular tree, and how it covered over two-thirds of an acre, with a dozen main trunks. “The Banyan tree was originally brought to Maui from India and planted over 140 years ago. Back then it was only eight feet tall, but now it’s grown to a height of sixty feet.”

Sadie tipped her head back, shielding her eyes from the bright glare of the sun as she studied the monstrous tree. It was nothing like any of the trees they had back home.

With her camera ready, Sadie suggested she and Ellen take their picture by the Banyan tree. Since neither of them had joined the church yet and they wouldn’t put their photos on display, it should be okay. Handing her camera to an older woman who was on the tour, they posed for a picture.

After the photo was taken, they continued the tour, pausing along the waterfront to watch some of the boats going in and out of the harbor. It was a clear, sunny day, and Sadie was glad she’d remembered her sunglasses.

Everyone went their own way for a while, visiting shops. They would regroup at a set time to board the bus that would take them to the Maui Ocean Center. Sadie looked forward to going because she’d read a beautiful pamphlet describing the center’s unique attractions.

“Let’s get one of those.” Ellen pointed to a Hawaiian Shave Ice stand. “It looks similar to an ice-cream cone, only I’ve heard it’s more refreshing.”

“Jah, let’s do.” As Sadie and Ellen started walking, Sadie bumped her toe against the sidewalk and lost her footing. She regained her balance in time to right herself, and kept going.

“I’m fine. Jarred my back a bit, but at least I didn’t fall. It was embarrassing, but it could have been worse.” Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Sadie moved on.

When they stepped up to the stand, Sadie studied all the different flavors they offered. “Now I don’t know which one to choose.”

“Think I’ll try a coconut-flavored shave ice.” Ellen reached into her purse for the money. “As soon as you decide, we can order, and it’ll be my treat.”

“Danki.” Sadie continued to study the list of flavors and finally decided on a li hing mui, which meant “salted plum.” In case she didn’t care for the taste, she added a bit of cherry flavor to it, as well.

They sat on a bench to eat the delightful, cooling treats and watched the people from all walks of life passing by. Sadie had thought people might stare, wondering about their plain clothes, but with so many others representing different parts of the world, their way of dressing seemed to go unnoticed.

When they were almost finished with their shave ice, Sadie noticed some syrup from the bottom of the paper cone had dripped out. “Oh, no!” She pointed to the front of her blue dress. “I hope it won’t leave a stain.” She threw the remainder of the treat in a nearby garbage can.

“I packed some stain applicator for the trip,” Ellen said. “When we get back to the ship you can put some on your dress. Good thing we brought extra clothes with us.”

“Let’s look for a restroom so you can try to get some of the mess out now,” Ellen suggested.

Sadie picked up her tote bag and held it in front of her dress. “If I can’t get the syrup out with soap and water, I’ll carry my bag in front of me the rest of the day.”

After they located the public restrooms, Sadie took care of the stain as best as she could. Following that, they went into a few of the shops. In one, she spotted some petrified shark’s teeth.

“No, they were actually discovered off the shores of Florida, along the Gulf of Mexico.”

Sadie thought it would be strange to buy something found in Florida when they were here on Maui, but then she’d also seen souvenirs and clothing in some of the shops that had been made in other countries.

“I’m looking for something inexpensive to take home to my family,” Ellen said after they left the store selling shark teeth. “And I’d like it to be useful.”

“I saw some Hawaiian-made purses at one of the shops. Those might be nice for the women in your family. There are some wooden items in this shop right here that might be useful.” Sadie stepped up to the window for a closer look. “What do you think? Should we go inside and look around?”

Ellen drew in her lower lip and squinted. “Maybe I’ll wait till we visit some of the other islands before I buy any gifts. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities to shop.”

Sadie shrugged. “Okay, but if we see something along the way that catches our eye, we ought to get it because you never know if you’ll see anything like it again.”

“Did you ever see anything so strange?” Barbara asked as she and Mandy stood with several others at one of the observation areas, looking at the lava formations.

“Seems like we’ve landed on the moon.” Mandy giggled. “Course, I’ve never been to the moon, so I really can’t say.”

“Oh, those are the nēnē geese,” their guide explained. “They’re an endangered species and live on the wooded slopes of Haleakalā.”

Mandy took out her camera and snapped several photos of the surrounding area. She could see for miles, clear out into the ocean. There was no way she could ever describe this unusual place without showing her family and friends a few pictures. She felt thankful she’d come to Hawaii, and what they were seeing today was only the beginning.

After Sadie and Ellen boarded the ship again, they headed for their room to get ready for the evening meal. They found Barbara and Mandy there.

“We had a good time today.” Ellen yawned. “I’m tired, but no worse for wear.”

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can’t wait to eat.” Mandy gave a sheepish smile when her stomach growled. “I’ve snacked on a few roasted macadamia nuts. It’s hard not to get carried away because they’re so good.”

“I tried a couple of them, but they’re not as appealing to me, so I’ve been snacking on chips.” Barbara sat in a chair with a bag of Hawaiian-style chips in her lap. “You’re all welcome to try some if you want.”

“Those sound tempting.” Ellen walked over and reached into the bag. “They even smell good.”

“Ellen and I had some shave ice today. Mine ended up leaking on me.” Sadie helped herself to a few macadamia nuts. “These are so good.” She glanced at the clock. “There’s still a little time before we head up for dinner, so I’m going to change out of this dress, put some stain remover on the spot, and soak it in the sink.”

“Hopefully it’ll come clean.” Mandy moved to the window with her camera to take a few pictures of the beautiful sunset. “Would you look at that? We’re seeing the hand of God again, jah?”

“The best part for me,” Barbara said, “was visiting the Ali’i Kula Lavender Farm. It was beautiful, and I bought a few lavender gifts at the Gallery Gift Shop to take home for family.”

“It was a nice place to visit,” Mandy agreed, while reaching for her glass of water.

Eyes sparkling like fireflies on a hot summer night, Barbara told about the breathtaking views and walking paths. “It was interesting to hear the history of how the farm came to be, and we got to see and smell the pretty lavender plants.”

“We were thankful for our tour guide, who explained everything,” Mandy interjected. “It was so peaceful. We wished we could have stayed longer.”

“That’s how I felt when the group Sadie and I were with visited the Maui Ocean Center.” Ellen blotted her lips with a cloth napkin. “My favorite part was the outdoor turtle lagoon. It was fun to see the turtles playing in the water and basking in the sandy area provided for them.”

Sadie took a bite of roast beef, then set her fork down. “Watching the turtles was enjoyable, but the best part for me at the ocean center was the indoor part of the aquarium, where we saw many species of native Hawaiian fish.”

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4