A Home for Lydia (The Pebble Creek Amish Series) (51 page)

  
1. Lydia reveals some of the reason for her attitude in chapter 4. She doesn’t believe Aaron will stick around. The
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customers don’t stay. Her boyfriend didn’t stay, and she’s having trouble convincing her brother to stay. Lydia has some trust issues. What barriers do people put in place when they are afraid to trust?

  
2. In chapter 6, Aaron felt “the full weight and responsibility of being an adult.” This happened for two reasons—he finally understood the grief and needs of his
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, and he received the drawing from his niece. How does God prepare us for adulthood? What does He give us to help us transition to that responsible time in our life?

  
3. True friendship is a major theme of this book: Gabe’s friendship with Aaron, Miriam’s friendship with Lydia, and even Grace’s friendship with Sadie and Lily. We all need friends in our lives. How has God provided for your friendship needs? In what ways does He want you to provide for others?

  
4. In chapter 13, we see Lydia’s family gathered together, and we finally learn about her father’s illness. Farmer’s lung is a real disease which has been around for hundreds of years. The mortality rate is nearly twenty percent and usually within five years of diagnosis. At the end of this chapter, Lydia is calmed by the sight of her father’s hands. (In chapter 18, we see a similar scene with Miriam looking at her mother’s hands.) What do someone’s hands tell us? What does the Bible tell us about God’s hands? About Christ’s hands?

  
5. In chapter 16, Grace turns in a report on Jakob Amman. She’s very proud of her work, but her teacher’s response isn’t quite what she’d hoped for. Have you ever worked very hard on something only to have it rejected? What does the Bible teach us about hard work and finding approval in this world?

  
6. In chapter 22, Miriam reads the words from Matthew 6:5-8 when she is struggling mightily with her mother’s illness. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Has there ever been a time when this verse had a special meaning to you? Does it hold a special promise now?

  
7. In chapter 25, Grace and her grandfather discuss the promises found in Jeremiah 29:11-13. Joshua tells Grace she’s old enough to study the Bible and not just merely memorize it. As they are walking back to the house, they talk about prayer. Grace confesses that she sometimes has trouble focusing while she prays. Could you relate to this conversation at all? What should our attitude toward prayer be?

  
8. We receive a small glimpse into Miss Bena’s past when she is bird-watching with Grace in chapter 32. Until this point, I’ve had little sympathy for such a harsh teacher. In this scene, she says to Grace, “Some moms are shy…sometimes they learn to hide so they won’t be hurt.” That’s it! That’s all we learn of Sylvia Bena’s past in this book. Sometimes we don’t know all of someone’s past, but God still calls us to be gracious to them. How has Miriam shown grace to this woman? How can you show grace to someone in your life?

  
9. In chapter 38, we learn that Seth had made the decision to join the church and be baptized. It seems that Jerry’s predicament has had an influence on him and moved him toward a stronger faith. Has there been a time when seeing other’s go through a time of trial has increased your faith rather than weakened it? How does God use us when others are suffering?

10. This story ends with Aaron purchasing land next to Lydia’s family. Some of us can live near our family. Some of us can’t. What are things we can do to support our family whether we’re near them physically or not?