Dreams Never Die When You Believe in Them Phoebe Lapp’s grandmother was anything but ordinary. Before her death, the eccentric elderly woman purchased three Assateague ponies, seemingly for no reason. But after her passing, Phoebe learns of her beloved grandmother’s wish to start an Amish pony farm in a lovely little valley near the Adirondack Mountains for hurting Englisha children. That dream … children. That dream now lies with Phoebe if she decides to fulfill it, but a teaching position is available as well. Which path should she choose?
Further complicating her decision, before her passing, Grandma Lapp asked a neighbor, David Fisher, to be involved in running the farm and help Phoebe. David agrees, but his sister Ruth has yet to abandon her rumspringa, and the only reason she hasn’t left the church already is because of Grandma Lapp’s kindness. Unbeknownst to Phoebe, David has secret hopes of attracting her affection, but Ruth’s decision to stay or jump the fence could make things difficult for him.
Phoebe knows she has choices to make–whether or not to honor her grandmother’s legacy and what to do about David’s growing attentions toward her. But she’s not alone. God is with her every step of the way.
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Phoebe’s Gift by Jerry S. Eicher is the second installment in Peace in the Valley series. Phoebe Lapp’s grandmother has just passed away and she learns why her grandmother had purchased the three Assateague ponies. It turns out that Grandma Lapp (who was slightly eccentric) had a dream to turn her farm into a place to help troubled children. Grandma Lapp had requested neighbor, David Fisher tell Phoebe about the idea and see if she would be willing to see it through to fruition (with David’s help). Phoebe is not sure she is up to the task and feels she is unworthy (of the farm, of love, a happy life). Grandma Lapp’s prayer journal will help guide Phoebe through this difficult time. Ruth Fisher, David’s sister, has yet to commit herself to the Amish faith and is considering leaving the community. Ruth is given a great opportunity, but it would mean giving up her Englischer boyfriend. What choices will Ruth and Phoebe make?
Phoebe’s Gift is a sweet, predictable story. It is nicely written and has a decent pace (once you get past the 40% mark). However, the self-doubts and self-esteem issues overwhelmed the story (I started skimming after a while). Phoebe deciding if she is worthy of love (David feels the same way) and can she complete Grandma Lapp’s mission. The internal dialogue went on and on (you get my drift). The same details are repeated too often making for a tedious book. I did like the unique storyline of an Amish person starting a place for troubled children (great concept). My rating for Phoebe’s Gift is 3 out of 5 stars (okay, but not for me). I wish more of the book had been devoted to developing the farm for new therapy program (they just had the three ponies). I did not understand why the therapy idea was not fully fleshed out. The characters felt underdeveloped and extremely naïve. Ruth’s storyline felt like an add-in. It was not fully developed. The way the story is written reminds me of books written for young adults and since it is a clean, wholesome story a younger audience can easily enjoy it. As an adult, though, I wanted and expected more from Jerry Eicher.
This is the second book in the series. This is the story of Phoebe Lapp. Phoebe’s grandmother was quite different and had a dream. She had purchased three Assateague ponies. When her grandmother became sick she came to care fore her. When she died Phoebe learned her Grandmothers dream of a Amish pony farm to help English children with struggles. David Fisher helped out on the farm and his father was not well liked. Phoebe’s Grandmother asked David to help with the pony farm before her death. David’s sister Ruth wants to leave the Amish life. Phoebe’s grandmother always wanted to help Ruth find her way back and stay Amish. This is a story of forgiveness and also finding love. It is well written and I could not put the book down. What will happen to Phoebe and David? Will Ruth run off or will she stay Amish?