Wherever Amala and her aunt might be on any given Sunday, they found a place to express their mutual devotion to God and to seek for something inspirational or uplifting in the sermons they heard and the hymns they sang—as much as it was possible for Amala to understand these things in Italian and Spanish, which had been more difficult for her than French. After church, Amala typically enjoyed discussing that day’s particular experience with Paulina, and often they would read together out of the Bible and discuss their favorite passages. Amala often felt grateful—and she shared her feelings with Paulina—that she had been taught the Christian religion from her childhood, and it was something that she had come to embrace eagerly of her own free will, not simply because it was the way her family or community worshiped. She held a deep respect for the religious beliefs of the people of India, but she could honestly say in her heart that she was more suited to the teachings of the Bible. Perhaps that was one of the biggest reasons she knew she could never return to India and feel comfortable there.

On that first Sunday back in France, Amala sat in the little village chapel she had grown to love during her previous visit to this place. Looking back over the diverse Sabbath experiences scattered throughout her journey of healing, she knew that God’s hand had played a very large role in that healing. Without Him she surely never would have found the peace she was feeling now. Deep within herself she carried a strong sense that God loved her every bit as much as He loved any fair-skinned person, that He had compassion for the struggles of her life, and that His peace was there to strengthen her. It was this very peace that gave her the hope of being able to return home and know that everything would be all right, and she was glad to now have a plan of when they would return. She could begin preparing herself for the reunion with her family, holding to the expectation that more healing would take place once they were all reunited—even if no one but Henry had any understanding of Amala’s true reasons for leaving and being away all this time.

That evening Amala wrote a long letter addressed to the entire family, telling them that she and Paulina had just returned from a long excursion through parts of Spain and Italy and that they were now back at the house in France, where all of the letters had been waiting. She expressed her sincere joy about Henry and Kat’s marriage and the forthcoming arrival of the baby, and she told them that she and Paulina were planning to return home before the end of the summer.