In an era of reality TV wherein “Amish Mafia” has been renewed for a 4th season at the Discovery Channel; it is good to read a story that shows the audience the spirituality and piety of the Amish.
“The Amish Blacksmith 
With the possibility of earning enough money for Jake to open his own farrier shop and horse boarding business, Jake readily accepted a troubled horse to treat. Still, horse whispering is not an exact science. Though Jake is making progress, he cannot make a breakthrough.
Help came from an unexpected place – Jake’s childhood friend Priscilla Kinsinger, who has her own idea on how to soothe trouble horses. Though Jake was adamant at first, he figured that there was no harm in trying what Priscilla had prescribed.
Together, they solved the problem and inadvertently became the “little pair of Amish horse whisperer” to a rich “Englisch” horse breeder.
First, Jake was courting the beautiful and amenable Amanda Shetler with plans to getting married soon. Second, Priscilla’s uncle is Jake’s boss and he asked Jake to reconnect Priscilla with the local community with the hope that she will find a “young man”. Third, and arguably, the most important, Priscilla has a suitor back in Indiana who is waiting for her return.
But, perhaps, those three things are not the crux of the matter. In the eyes of Jake, Priscilla is still grieving for her mother who died when Priscilla was only 14. Her grief was so intense that Priscilla was sent to live with relatives in Indiana. She just got back after living there for 6 years.
So, Jake asks himself – does he see Priscilla the beautiful woman that she is, or is she a “wounded horse” that needs TLC.
The journey that Jake takes to reach the conclusion is so beautifully written that the ending just takes your breath away. A very spiritual man, Jake looks into his faith and his beliefs to analyze the situation he is in.
The story is a “coming-of-age” of sorts; but it is more than that. Authors Mindy Starns Clark and Susan Meissner wrote Jake’s character as more than the sum of its parts because of his belief in God. Christianity is so much a part and parcel of the story that it is hard to imagine Jake without his faith.
The Amish Blacksmith
