Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa

by Melanie Dobson

  Every muscle in his body ached from his labors, yet his soul was content. God had protected him from the fire last night, and God had protected him from himself in Chicago.

  He’d wanted to take that money, the answer to his problems. And part of him even wanted to take the job Frank offered him. The idea of success and money would have been intoxicating at one time, rising above the other bank clerks at such a young age, yet God had changed his idea of success and directed him here, to the Amanas. There was no place else he’d rather be today.

  It would be weeks before the villagers could return to their normal lives, but there was no rush in this unhurried society. Working as a team, they’d evacuated all the young and elderly alike last night, and, working as a team, they would clean up the aftermath. They’d get rid of the debris and return to their daily routines of doing whatever task they’d been assigned.

  When everyone put aside their selfish ambitions, it was amazing what could happen. No one was more or less important in their community. Everyone’s work was respected, as was their life even when they were too old or ill to work.

  He only wished he could return to his work with them.

  Across the lawn was Schimdt’s Kitchen, and when his work finished for the day, he would go back inside and ask Albert for his daughter’s hand. If Albert refused him, he didn’t know what he would do.

  If the Elders forced him to leave the Amanas, it wasn’t right for him to ask Liesel to go with him. This was her home, and no place in Iowa City or even over in Marengo could compare to what she had here. The Amana Elders were worried that he might leave her for the outside world, but if he took her away, she might leave him one day, to return to the Amanas.

  Picking up another bundle of leaves and trash, he tossed it onto the pile. No place else in the world shared and loved and served like these people. It wouldn’t be fair to take her away.

  Some of the men began streaming toward the kitchen house, and Michael clapped him on his back. “Are you hungry, my friend?”

  “Very.”

  “Come along, then.”

  Muck and debris clogged the back door of the kitchen house, so Jacob followed the men up the steps, into the front door. The water had subsided from the wooden floor, leaving behind a sticky mess on the rugs and furniture that hadn’t been stored upstairs. Liesel and several other women were sweeping the mud off the rugs and floors and back outside.

  Liesel looked over, catching his eye, and his heart raced like it had done when she’d woken him this morning. Her ivory face was smudged with dirt, but her smile was a balm to his weary body.

  As he sat with Michael and the other men, eating the hot chicken soup and salad in silence, his eyes kept wandering over to meet hers. More than anything he wanted to be with her, but that would be an incredibly selfish act on his part. Even if she agreed to go with him, he couldn’t possibly ask her to leave her family.

  Liesel hummed as she scrubbed the wood floor with vinegar and water. Her fingers were wrinkled and her back was sore, but most of the mud was gone now, and the rugs were outside drying in the setting sun. She and two other women had spent the day cleaning out the house and carrying the food back down to the kitchen. The other women had left a few minutes ago to prepare their families for bed, and she would soon go to sleep in an empty room upstairs.

  Throughout the day, she’d gone to the window to watch Jacob working with the other men to clean up the streets. She was so glad they had been here to help during the flood…and even more glad she was able to see Jacob again after the Elders had told her she wouldn’t be allowed to say good-bye.

  Her mind wandered again, wondering where Jacob would spend the night.

  After they’d cleaned up from the flood, he said he would look for work in a nearby town instead of going back to Chicago or on to Spokane. If only he’d ask her to join him. Sophie was learning to live outside the Colonies; perhaps she could learn as well. She could even learn to shop for food and cook and find a place to worship God. The outside world didn’t appeal to her, but she would go there if that was what was required. As long as she could be with Jacob Hirsch.

  The front door opened and Niklas Keller stomped inside.

  “Guten abend, Liesel.”

  She tossed her rag back into the bucket and stood up. “Good evening to you too.”

  “Is your father awake?”

  “He’s resting right now.”

  “I need to speak with him.”

  She nodded. “Were you able to see Cassie?”

  “I was, and my wife is taking good care of her. Cassie said she misses you, though.”

  “I miss her too.”

  Niklas studied her for a moment. “You’ve sacrificed yourself, Liesel, and exhibited Christ’s love to this child. We are glad of it.”

  “It wasn’t a sacrifice for me.”

  Niklas put his hand on the banister and climbed a step before he stopped again. “Did Jacob tell you about his opportunity in Chicago?”

  Her insides fluttered. “No.”

  “His former boss offered Jacob the position of bank president.”

  “President?”

  “It would be a reputable position for him.”

  She leaned back against the wall. “Is he going back to Chicago?”

  Niklas climbed another step. “He told his boss he couldn’t accept the job.”

  She rubbed her hands together, wanting to plead with him for more information, but she calmed her voice. “Why not?”

  “He told the man he had to go home.”

  Home. Jacob Hirsch considered the Amanas his home, just as she did. And this should be his home. He was a hard worker and an honorable man, and he sought after God to give him strength and wisdom.

  “Why can’t he join the Society?” she asked the man on the steps.

  The front door opened and four more men walked into the room. Elders from Main Amana.

  “We need to speak with your father,” Niklas repeated before he led the men upstairs.

  My children, young and old, from now on I shall call you My blessed children. Step into the light!

  Christian Metz, 1833

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  It was approaching ten o’clock, but none of the Amana men indicated interest in stopping their work, so Jacob refused to stop either. Kerosene lamps illuminated the brown ooze trickling down the street, but they’d already cleared most of the debris out of the muddy water. Some of the men were bailing out basements and others were repairing damaged buildings, but Jacob stayed with Michael and the boat crew to finish cleaning the street. In the morning, they would go clear out the charred brick structure left after the fire.

  The door of the Schmidt house opened, and Jacob glanced up at it to see who was coming out so late tonight. Niklas Keller was the first person he saw, followed by several other men in dark hats. The Elders disappeared into the night, but Niklas stayed in front of the house, searching the streets.

  Jacob pushed the wheelbarrow a bit farther down the street to begin collecting leaves and twigs that had spread across the gardens, but Niklas called his name, motioning for him.

  He’d helped row Niklas and Adam over here, but nothing else had changed. They probably wanted him to move on in the morning, long before he could help Michael clean out the house.

  He lowered the wheelbarrow to the ground before he walked toward the kitchen house. In one of Niklas’s arms were three worn books, and with his other hand, Niklas pointed Jacob to the bakery next door.

  Light from the street lamps seeped into the windows, and Jacob saw a large hearth surrounded by tables that had been filled with barrels and flour bags. Niklas set the books on an empty corner of the table, and he picked up one of the two wooden stools and handed it to Jacob.

  Light danced across the bricks on the hearth, silence pervading as Niklas watched the bricks glow for a few moments before he spoke.

  “Do you know the history of the Amana Society?”

  “Lie
sel told me some of your history.”

  “Our Colonies formed almost two hundred years ago, back in Germany, to protest the dogmatism that was trickling into the Lutheran Church,” Niklas said. “Our brothers and sisters believed in the Inspiration of the Bible, but they also yearned to hear God’s voice in the present-day as well.”

  Jacob rested his hands on his lap. He didn’t know why Niklas was telling him the Amana history, but he wasn’t in a hurry. In fact, he was intrigued to learn more about their roots.

  “For many years, God spoke through special men and women called the Werkzeuge, who shared these divine testimonies with the rest of the group. This is why we became known as the Community of True Inspiration.”

  Niklas shifted on his stool, leaning forward. “The Inspirationists grew quickly as a faithful band of brothers and sisters who sought only to follow God’s voice, but the German government and church was none too pleased about the Inspirationists’ growth or our beliefs. Our ancestors, you see, refused to send their children to public school because church doctrine was being taught in these schools. As a result, many of our predecessors were flogged, prosecuted, and imprisoned. They sacrificed their freedom and their possessions to follow Christ.”

  Jacob nodded. “That is why so many remain faithful today.”

  Niklas looked over at the light flickering on the bricks again. “We have followed His voice, and God has been faithful to our community for many, many years.”

  “Liesel said the Inspirationists came to America fifty years ago.”

  “I was seven years old when the Lord made it very clear to our Werkzeuge that we should hold all our possessions in common, so eight hundred members pooled their resources and purchased land to live together in Ebenezer, New York.”

  The older man continued to watch the lights, lost in the memories of his childhood. “We sailed to America and, under our new constitution, we followed the doctrine set out by the apostles in the book of Acts. ‘And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.’ We believed together in community, and God blessed our fields and our mills and our families.”

  “And He continues to bless you today,” Jacob said.

  “Ja, that He does. Brother Christian Metz led us to Ebenezer, but when the world began to encroach on our lives there, he and the Elders began looking for a new place for us to live a simple life, apart from the temptations and anxieties of the world.

  “They found this beautiful land of milk and honey in 1854 and named it Amana from the Song of Solomon, which means to ‘believe faithfully.’ From our hands, we have built seven villages and businesses and gardens and herds and a flour mill to feed our people, and we have never stopped being faithful to God.”

  “The work you have done…,” Jacob said, “you have worked together under God and succeeded in building a community isolated from the world.”

  “Yet the world keeps coming to us,” Niklas’s voice trailed off. “Since we moved to Iowa, many have wanted to join our group. The isolation is attractive to some, as is the assurance of food, housing, and medical care, but ‘unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.’ We require our men and women to work faithfully as well as believe.”

  Jacob weighed his next words. The Elders rarely welcomed new members into the Amana Society, but sometimes people joined the community. More than anything, he wanted to be one of those who joined.

  “I believe that God still speaks today, Niklas. He comforted my daughter on the train, in a dream, and he’s spoken to my heart many times in the past month. He healed Cassie, and He’s comforted and provided for both of us. I haven’t always been faithful to God, but even still He has been faithful to me.”

  Niklas pulled the books from the table into his lap. “Michael tells me you have worked hard on the dredge boat.”

  “I will always be indebted to you for giving me work.”

  “Why did you turn down the position at the bank, Jacob?”

  “I—I don’t belong in Chicago anymore.” He brushed his hands over his trousers as he weighed his words. “But I feel like I belong here in the Amanas. If you would only give me the opportunity to stay, I will continue to work hard alongside you and the others. I will serve like you do and believe faithfully.”

  “We’ve had men and women ask to join our Society before because they want to marry one of our young people,” Niklas said. “Sometimes they stay for years, but other times they leave. Of course, sometimes our young people marry another Amana and then leave….”

  Jacob felt sorry for the man who was trying to save so many from the outside world but had lost his son to it. “I cannot deny my love for Liesel,” he said. “But once I give my word to her and to your community, I will stay.”

  Niklas nodded. “I believe you, Jacob, and so do the Council of Elders. We’ve been praying that God would show us clearly whether or not you are a diligent and honorable servant.”

  Jacob flashed back to his moments in the hansom cab, the money easily within his reach. With God’s help, he’d resisted the temptation, but his thoughts had not been honorable. “I am nothing apart from God.”

  “Neither am I, my friend. Neither am I.” Niklas opened the book on his lap. “If you decide to join our community, you must be assigned a job.”

  His mind raced at the man’s words. Was Niklas offering him the opportunity to stay? He flashed back to the sweltering room of the dredge boat. Even if he must feed the boiler to stay in the Colonies, he would do it. “I understand.”

  “Adam tells me you are good with numbers.”

  “It was my profession, sir.”

  “The Elders have shared bookkeeping over the years, but with the woolen mill and our other enterprises, we now have at least a thousand receipts and invoices each month to record and balance. It is an overwhelming task for any of us.”

  Jacob reached for the journal and glanced down the rows of income and expenses. It was what he knew and what he enjoyed.

  “Would you help us keep our books?” Niklas asked.

  “I would be honored to do that.”

  “We still need help on the dredge boat, but none of our young people know how to swim.”

  “Would you like me to remedy that?”

  “If you could.”

  Jacob smiled. “I’d be glad to.”

  “I will arrange for a room for you and Cassie in Homestead.”

  Niklas stood up, but Jacob wasn’t finished yet. “If Cassie and I stay…I would like very much to ask Liesel Strauss to be my wife.”

  Niklas put his hat on his head. “The Elders thought you might want to do that.”

  “And what did the Elders say?”

  “They said you’ll have to talk to Liesel.”

  His heart leaped. “So I have your permission…”

  “Ja.”

  Jacob clapped his hands. “Can you keep this a secret for a few days, please? So I can talk to Cassie first?”

  “Of course.”

  “And Niklas…” He hated to ask for anything else, but there was one more issue that must be resolved. “I missed Liesel terribly during the days I was in Chicago. I can’t imagine being separated from her for a year.”

  “You have a young daughter to care for,” Niklas said with a smile. “The Elders will make an exception to that rule.”

  Love will burst through its restraining dam and, together, love and mercy will pour forth, seeking and flowing into the lowest valleys of the land and heart.

  Barbara Heinemann, 1820

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Majestic purples and pinks breathed calm into Liesel’s bedroom as the sun set over Homestead. It had been three days since the Iowa River washed through Main Amana. Hundreds of men and women came from every village to help with repairs, cleanup, and the reconstruction of her childhood home. Yesterday she’d left her father in Dr. Eisenberg and Margrit’s good care to harvest the
wet garden in Homestead, but as glad as she was to see Cassie, she was sad to leave Jacob without letting him know she’d returned home.

  She hadn’t spent time with Jacob since that glorious morning she’d awakened him in the barn and they’d eaten breakfast together on the rock. Every mealtime she’d caught his eye, and he always smiled back at her, but they hadn’t been able to steal away together again. As the days passed, she prayed he hadn’t changed his mind about her like Emil had.

  “Orange is my favorite color,” Cassie said over her shoulder, and Liesel reached out and put her arm around the girl as they watched the beauty of the setting sun.

  “Why is orange your favorite?”

  “Because Papa always calls me his pumpkin.”

  “Your father loves you very much, Cassie.”

  “Ja!” the girl said, sounding like the Kinder she played with every day. “And I love him too.”

  Cassie reached for Liesel’s hand, and when she squeezed it, she felt something hard around the girl’s finger. She lifted the girl’s hand to the fading light and examined the dainty silver ring. “Where did you get this?”

  Cassie’s smile was as bright as the sunlight. “Papa gave it to me this morning.”

  “You didn’t tell me you saw your papa.”

  She shrugged. “He told me it was a secret.”

  “A secret from whom?”

  “From you, silly.”

  Liesel sat back in her chair, the colors in the sky beginning to dull. Why was Jacob trying to keep his visit a secret from her when she wanted so badly to see him?

  The Elders had told her to guard her heart, and she hadn’t heeded their warning. Instead she’d practically handed her heart over to Jacob, unprotected, and now…she could only pray he wouldn’t crush it.