I sighed because I had hoped that with Dad hurt we wouldn’t have any church. At least I thought that it might be a short service. Now I saw that Dad was determined to do the whole thing no matter what.

Janet had asked the manager if he wanted to join us at worship but he hadn’t wanted to. Rachael had put up a notice on the hotel bulletin board, right next to the bus schedule and the poster for “The Pretty Boys” quartet, which was playing at La Busola in Paraggi. It read:

Reformed Evangelical Protestant Worship Service
(PCCCCUSA)
To be held in Room 36 at 10 A.M. Sunday
Rev. Ralph Becker, D.D., Minister, presiding
Are you hungry for the Word????

After dinner the night before, while the others went for a walk in the square, I had stood against the bulletin board for at least a half an hour so I’d block people’s view of Rachael’s notice. I hadn’t dared to take it down, but I didn’t want the other guests to see it either. Not that I thought any would come but because I knew they all thought we were strange enough and this would just be one more thing. So I stood there until most of them were done eating and had gone up to their rooms or out for a walk.

Dad had started the service. “Elsa, pass out the hymnbooks, please.” He asked us to open to page 208 and sing “Just As I Am,” which we did. We all sat down again, except Dad, who hadn’t stood up, and Dad opened his Bible up and read the part where Jesus is telling the parable of the “Wheat and the Tares.” Then we sang “In the Sweet By and By.”

Dad asked Janet, whom he called “Deaconess Janet,” to lead us in prayer. Janet prayed a long prayer and in it she started preaching to Mom and Dad about love and forgiveness. She even quoted a line from the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

It annoyed Dad and I saw him start squirming around in his bed. Janet kept praying and said how thankful she was that the Lord forgave us all for what we did, “even when we have sinned against Thee, O Lord, even if we have been angry, despondent, or wrathful and have forgotten Thy mercies and have fought with our neighbors or loved ones or not been reconciled to those Thou hast given us to care for.” Janet sounded like Mom did when she was using her prayers to get even with Dad because she knew Dad wouldn’t dare answer back during a prayer or say bad things about Mom taking her needs to the Lord.