A Christmas Promise

By Tamera Lynn Kraft

During colonial times, John and Anna settle in an Ohio village to become Moravian missionaries to the Lenape. When John is called away two days before Christmas to help at another settlement, he promises he'll be back by Christmas Day. When he doesn't show up, Anna works hard to not fear the worst while she provides her children with a traditional Moravian Christmas. Through it all, she discovers a Christmas promise that will give her the peace she craves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pelican Book Group
• Release date: Dec 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781611163285

Tamera Lynn Kraft

Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures. She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith, romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. She has received 2nd place in the NOCW contest, 3rd place TARA writer’s contest, and is a finalist in the Frasier Writing Contest. Tamera been married for thirty-nine years to the love of her life, Rick, and has two married adult children and three grandchildren. She has been a children’s pastor for over twenty years. She is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire for Kids where she mentors other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry consultant and children’s evangelist and has written children’s church curriculum. She is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry. You can contact Tamera online at her website: http://tameralynnkraft.net

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A CHRISTMAS PROMISE

Tamera Lynn Kraft

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

A CHRISTMAS PROMISE

COPYRIGHT 2013 by TAMERA LYNN KRAFT

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or Pelican Ventures, LLC except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

eBook editions are licensed for your personal enjoyment only. eBooks may not be re-sold, copied or given away to other people. If you would like to share an eBook edition, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.

Contact Information: [e-mail]

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated are taken from the King James translation, public domain.

Cover Art by Nicola Martinez

Harbourlight Books, a division of Pelican Ventures, LLC

www.pelicanbookgroup.com PO Box 1738 *Aztec, NM * 87410

Harbourlight Books sail and mast logo is a trademark of Pelican Ventures, LLC

Publishing History

First Harbourlight Edition, 2013

Electronic Edition ISBN 978-1-61116-328-5

Published in the United States of America

Dedication

I dedicate this book to my loving husband, Rick Kraft, who has supported me through my writing journey. He is my biggest fan.

1

December 23, 1773, Schoenbrunn Village, Ohio

Anna Brunner kneaded dough while she tried not to notice it was almost dusk. Her husband still wasn’t home. She wiped her hands on her apron and glanced out the six-pane window. The last glint of sunlight blazed the horizon gleaming on the dirt path. No trace of him.

After scooping some sugar, she worked it into the dough and strove to reflect on the Christmas Eve Lovefeast and all the work she had ahead. She’d been honored with the mission of making the sweet buns and would be one of the Dieners serving the meal at their newly built church.

It did no good to fret about what was going on at the meeting down the road. She’d find out soon enough. She released her anxiety on the dough as she squeezed her fingers through and pounded it into shape.

After living in this village for over a year, celebrating the yuletide with all the fanfare it deserved would make up for everything.

Almost.

The children giggled as they finished a game of jackstraws. Belinda, eight years old, failed to remove a straw without touching the others, and Lisel, the round faced six-year-old, smirked as she shouted out in triumph. Three-year-old Katrina’s brown curls bounced as she clapped for Lisel. She hadn’t managed to win any rounds, but Belinda insisted they let her play until a winner had been declared.

Let’s get the tree ready, Belinda said.

The girls threw the wheat straws in a basket and dashed to the wooden pyramid frame their father had built. Large boughs were stacked in the corner of the room. Earlier today, before John was beckoned, he’d cut them from the pine trees that lined God’s Acre, the village cemetery.

Moravians didn’t cut down trees and drag them into houses the way some did. By using the frame built from wood, and boughs cut from limbs, they still managed to build a nice Christmas tree.

Once all the limbs were in place, the girls would decorate it with pieces of paper with Scripture verses written on them, and pure white beeswax candles with red ribbons tied around them to represent Jesus, the light of the world, who shed his blood on the cross.

Maybe this year will be better.

Anna’s thoughts drifted to when her husband announced his decision to move to the Ohio wilderness. She had been livid. Many Lenni Lenape were forced to move west, but that didn’t mean the missionaries from the Moravian Church needed to follow those Delaware Indians, at least, not the missionaries with families. There were still plenty of natives in Pennsylvania.

John had gazed at her with his steel blue eyes. Anna, we learned to speak Lenape and taught it to our children for this reason, to share the Gospel with the natives.

We’re already doing that. Think of the danger. She delivered a daunting glower of her own, meant to dissuade him. We have children to consider.

For days, she’d tried to change his mind by pointing out they didn’t need to leave their family and friends in Bethlehem to serve God. He promised her they’d be safe, that the girls would be protected, but she told him he should stop making promises he couldn’t keep.

We have our duty as missionaries to the natives. His voice was calm as if his statement settled the matter.

I won’t go. The declaration had shocked her as much as it did her husband.

Anna glanced out the window. Dark clouds had blown in obscuring the rising full moon.

John should have been home eating his supper by now.

Earlier, she’d arrived from walking the girls home from school to find John huddled around the fire in discussion with Brother Luke, a village elder. Luke had been a Moravian for so long, she sometimes forgot he was Lenape.

We can’t let him face them by himself. John’s furrowed brow wrinkled his

Reviews for A Christmas Promise

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a wonderful Christmas story. I loved John and Anna. They are missionaries even though Anna isn't too sure about living in the wilderness. She is having troubles caring since her one son died. She is scared all the time. They both learn to have more faith in themselves and in God. I did not want to put this novella down. I received this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion.