Finally, and most importantly, God—You are ever faithful, ever available, ever my source of strength, wisdom, peace, and encouragement. I would not want to take one step in this life without You. May any praise or glory be reflected directly back to You.
Readers Guide
1. Abigail’s world crumbled when her father chose an unsavory pathway. Have you ever suffered as a result of someone else’s choices? How do you overcome the feelings of betrayal and unfairness?
2. Abigail lost her mother, her home, her beau, and her circle of friendships. Only one thing remained: the manners her mother taught her. She clung to that scrap of her former life with fierceness, fearful that if she let go, she would lose herself. Was this understandable? Did it benefit her? How can we determine when we need to hold on and when we need to let go of things from our past?
3. Helena began her matchmaking business after her husband’s untimely death, and she wanted others to experience the marital bliss she had enjoyed. Abigail wanted marital bliss, but her standards got in the way. Why do you think Helena didn’t remove Abigail from the list of prospective brides? Was her idea to let Abigail teach manners to the ranchers in Kansas a good one? Why or why not? Do you think Helena sent Abigail to teach or to learn? What makes you think that?
4. Helena made an assumption about the men from Spiveyville based on the crudeness of their letters, and Abigail seconded the assumption when she met them in person. First Samuel 16:7 tells us “the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (NKJV). What is more important: outward appearance or character? Why? How can we as Christians look beyond others’ exteriors to what lies beneath?
5. Mack was in strong opposition to the men’s sending away for brides. Why was he so against it? Was he right to distrust all mail-order brides based on the actions of one? Why or why not? How do we set aside preconceived ideas about people? Is there a difference between being cautious and being close minded? Explain.
6. Mack made a determination to befriend Abigail, partly because of the biblical admonition to “love thy neighbour as thyself.” What made this difficult? Why did he persist? When you are rebuffed, do you give up or keep trying? Why?
7. Bill had put off marriage and family. Why? What made him change his mind? Do you think he made the right decision? Why or why not?
8. If you were to apply attributes (for instance: bravery, recklessness, stubbornness, and so on) to each of the characters, what would you choose and why? Which of the attributes would you want others to use to define you? Why?
Beneath a Prairie Moon Page 36
