Excerpt

Putting her rumschpringe days behind her, Grace Hostettler returns to her Amish community in Holmes County, Ohio, and becomes engaged to upright Cleon Schrock. But then she runs into Gary Walker, an English man who knows enough about her former life to destroy her future. Can God bring anything good out of a shameful past?

 A Sister's Secret Discussion Questions: by Wanda Brunstetter

1.    When Grace Hostettler’s secret was revealed, how did each of her family members respond to it?   Who was the most supportive?   Who was the most judgmental?

2.    Grace knew her father was upset about his sister leaving the Amish faith when she was a young woman.   Was Grace justified in using that as an excuse not to tell her family the truth about her past?

3.    Was Roman’s unforgiving attitude really directed at Grace for the secret she’d kept, or did it have more to do with the disappointment from his past?  Was Cleon’s reaction to Grace’s secret reasonable?  Did he have a right to feel betrayed?

4.    Do you know of a person who tried to hide a secret of their youth from their spouse?  Does it ever pay to keep silent about the past?

5.   What rights does a spouse have to know everything about the past?

  6.    Are there any secrets that would be considered grounds for a biblical divorce, if they happened before marriage? 

7.   When Grace’s family became the victims of random attacks, Roman chose not to report it to the sheriff. How would you react if someone broke into your house?

8.    Have you ever witnessed acts of random violence? How do you respond to violence when you don’t know who is to blame?

9.    Even though the Hostettlers chose to “turn the other check” when they were under attack, each family member had trouble dealing with what had been done.   How would you feel if something like that happened to you or a member of your family?

10.    With each subsequent attack, Grace became more convinced that Gary Walker was responsible, and eventually she confronted him about it.     Do you think that was the best choice of action?   What would you do if faced with a similar situation?

11.    After Roman fired Luke for being late to work, Roman began to have suspicions that Luke might be the one doing the attacks, in order to get even.   Was Roman justified in firing Luke?   Was there enough evidence to make Luke appear guilty?

12.    Have you ever been accused of something and had no way to prove your innocence?

13.    What life lessons did you learn from reading this book?

14.    How did reading A Sister’s Secret help you have a better understanding of the Amish way of life?