I was looking forward to this book, the second in Ms. Fisher's series, The Deacon's Family. After giving up his wild boy ways and turning back to God, Luke wins the hand Izzy, the one he truly loves and marries her. Though deeply in love, their marriage requires a lot of adjustment and it is no wonder with how very different the two are. In spite of his wayward youth, Luke finds himself chosen as a Deacon. He doesn't feel capable of fulfilling this lifelong appointment. Izzy isn't too happy about the title either as her husband is away from her most of the time. While growing in the Lord, She still has much healing to do from her childhood in foster care. When Luke attempts to fulfill and a promise to Amos lap, to find homes for all the foster children in the county, the conflicts between them grow.
Molly a sweet, young single woman and school teacher for the Amish community wants with all her heart to foster children and show them the love they have missed. She gets more than she wished for when she becomes foster mom to a set of twins that are constantly in trouble. Sam, Luke's brother, is concerned about what Molly has gotten herself into and tries to help when problems arise. Both couples find themselves facing challenges they never have before.
I have enjoyed in both books Izzy's love of her âwooliesâ (sheep) and the way God teaches her through them. Made me want a sweet lamb to put in the backyard! Whenever facing problems physical or emotional, the characters were confused and suffered, but always looked to God and trusted Him. The author does a wonderful job of showing that while difficulties did not immediately go away; they did not give up on the Lord. Molly reminded me of so many young people who have the zeal to follow what they believe to be God's leading but have no clue of the price that will be exacted of them. I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

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Stitches in Time by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the second novel in The Deacon's Family series. I recommend reading Mending Fences before embarking on Stitches in Time, so you fully understand what is happening. However, there is a cast of characters to help new readers to the series and some backstory is provided. I found Stitches in Time to be well-written with developed characters going through realistic situations. When Luke Schrock draws the lot for deacon, he knows his life will forever be changed and so does his wife, Izzy. Luke has troubling following through on projects which will not fly as deacon. He started the expansion of their small home by demoing some walls and then he became deacon (project is at a standstill). Izzy is struggling to connect with her mother, Grace, but they are still two distant strangers. Izzy is also upset because she has yet to become pregnant and Luke does not understand her concern. Izzy is grateful for her sheep who provide comfort and a listening ear along with the sanctuary of her yarn shop. Mollie Graber is the new schoolteacher and she is happy to be out from under her mother's thumb. She wants to live life to the fullest and when Luke asks for volunteers to become foster parents, Mollie is quick to raise her hand. She wants two young girls but gets two eleven year old sisters who have been in the foster system since they were small. They delight in skipping school and shooting off firecrackers to scare horses (and so much more). Mollie and Sam were getting to know each other when she took in the girls. Sam then became distant and Mollie does not understand why. There are dropped stitches in Sam's heart that need mending and God has a plan. There is love, sadness, hope, faith, dismay, confusion and frustration in Stitches in Time (all of life's normal emotions). We watch as Izzy and Luke navigate married life with the added complication of his new job as deacon. The importance of having strong faith and praying to God. We forget to pray when faced with troubling situations and that should be the first step. God can work wonders if we just let Him. One of the phrases from Stitches in Time stuck with me and it is âThe more I pray the more things happen.â Hank Lapp provided amusement as he always does with his loud voice and directness. I like that we get to see that the Amish suffer from the same afflictions that the English do. Stitches in Time is a thoughtful story that will linger in your mind with you long after you finish it. I found Stitches in Time to be an inspiring story with troubled tweens, scared sheep, deacon duties, a half-done house, and startling surprises.

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