Hope and Wildflowers was provided a complimentary copy of An Amish Home from the publisher for us to review. Check them out at the link box below!

About this book: “Dear Mr. Chupp”–with those three words, a pen-pal relationship is ignited and two lives are changed forever. 

Jalon Chupp has a past he isn’t proud to claim. He’s worked hard to overcome his youthful mistakes, and he has recommitted himself to his Amish faith. When he receives a sweet note included in a piece of misdirected mail, he can’t help but write back. Soon, the letters he receives from Phoebe are the highlights of his days, and with a hopeful heart, he suggests they meet in person.

Phoebe, too, looks forward to every single one of Jalon’s letters. Living with her overbearing aunt, Phoebe doesn’t have too much to look forward to. Then Jalon suggests they meet, and she panics—although she has shared some of the deepest longings of her heart with him, she hasn’t been entirely truthful about her past. But when Jalon shows up at her aunt’s doorstep, everything is revealed. And she can only pray he’ll forgive her for holding back the truth.

In order to reach beyond the errors of their pasts, both Phoebe and Jalon must put their faith in something—or Someone—bigger than either of them could pen.

My Review

I am very familiar with stories written by Kathleen Fuller, and this story was just as wonderful as the stories I’ve read before such as Building Faith.  This story begins by sharing a series of letters being exchanged between two characters, Jalon and Phoebe. Jalon Chupp who had mistakingly written a letter with the wrong zip code had fallen into the hands of Phoebe Bontrager.

The beginning of this book is uniquely written, to say the least. As it seems to go on with many letters being exchanged between two people you begin to learn more about each character. I must admit as I read each letter I wanted to read further, but I was hoping the story would soon pick up. However, the more I read on the more I came to know both Jalon and Phoebe and each of their stories.  I felt disconnected from the characters and almost out of place, but I kept reading.  It wasn’t until later in chapter one that I came to realize the way Fuller “set the scene” for the book in the first chapter was a very clever way to introduce two wonderful characters.

Jalon and Phoebe go from complete strangers to sincere pen-pals. Slowly you begin to see their friendship grow into so much more. Throughout the story, we are also introduced to members of their families and how each of them has played a part in their lives. Jalon and Phoebe are overcoming their pasts but to overcome they both learn how to put their trust and faith in the One that matters most.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  – Proverbs 3:5-6

This verse came to mind as soon as I finished the last page of the epilogue of this book.  Being that this book is part of an Amish Letters Novel series you would think that the Bishop would have a huge influence on both of these characters and their lives. That wasn’t the case for these two. As we learn more about Phoebe’s story I was amazed by her faith to listen to God rather than the Bishop. The message of this book parallels closely to the forgiveness and love that God offers us in the Bible to each of us when we come to Him.  Even though many assumptions and opinions were being tossed at them in a most degrading way, still they remained faithful to the Lord and listened to that small voice that told them what to do. In the story, it seems Phoebe has harsh judgment coming from every direction, but mostly from her Aenti Bertha and Bishop Weaver. Had Phoebe listened to their harsh words and taken them to heart she would have been living a life of misery and despondency that would have affected more than just herself. Instead, she chose to listen to and worship the Lord to guide her direction and not the direction of a man..in this case, Bishop Weaver.

Jalon, also overcoming a past of his own, soon discovers the power of forgiveness. Not only by knowing how to forgive but also by how to accept forgiveness. It was this lesson he had to learn before the door was open to what God had waiting for him. With constant reminders that would flash through his memory, it wasn’t easy for him to let go of his past. It seemed the more good he tried to do the more things kept attacking him to push him back to his old habits. But with the understanding and encouragement of others, Jalon was able to resist his old habits and discover what God had in store for him. Keeping his focus on what mattered the most and exploring the power of forgiveness, you see Jalon not only overcome a bad habit but overcome a past that hindered his future.

How often do we allow ourselves to lose sight of God and his word, only to listen to the voices of others who have never walked in our shoes and have never taken the time to understand who we are? How easy it is for others to make quick assumptions based on their thinking?  Phoebe and Jalon fought past the negativity and surrounded themselves with those who cared and understood them but most importantly the One who knew and understood them the most. The relatability of each of these characters makes this book familiar like a memory.  Like Jalon and Phoebe, we all have pasts that we have overcome or are currently trying to overcome. The characters both learn to not give up and to keep moving forward and not dwell on the past.  We are to grow from the tough times by letting God direct us through them and out of them.  The message and the entire storyline of this book are very powerful even though it is a fictional story.  The message behind this story is true!

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