It was 7:00 pm It would be after midnight before Klaus would be home again. "You get used to it," Klaus said, noting my concern. "Spending a lot of time on the road is just part of the challenge and reality of living up here. Distances up here aren't measured the same way here as they are in the South. Just being able to get to where you want to go is what's most important."

So we said goodbye and headed out. The weather had changed again. The snow had stopped but the roads were icier than before and it was very dark. Then it started to snow but the snow was like falling ice. The windshield wipers weren't strong or fast enough to keep the ice from building up. Trying to look through the windshield was literally like trying to see through frosted glass. Klaus turned to me and smiled weakly. "I think you better plan on spending the night,"

It looked like there were no lights on in the house when we turned into the driveway. I thought everyone had gone to bed. Then, through the snow, Klaus and I saw flickers of light in the window. "Candles," Klaus thought out loud. "The ice storm must have knocked out the power". Klaus went ahead of me to see what had happened. I took a moment to enjoy the still and quiet, interrupted only by the sound of the icy snowflakes landing on my jacket.

Inside, the children were sitting at the kitchen table doing their homework by candlelight. The kitchen table - an old piece of furniture that is the heart of so much activity in this home. Everyday people gather around the table to share meals and family time and to study and learn. Someone had set up a battery operated tape recorder; they were listening to the musical score of Phantom of the Opera. They knew all the words and sang along as they worked, once in a while breaking into gentle harmony.

By the rime I got up the next morning, the children had already left for school. The power was back on and Susan had a pot of tea ready. The kitchen would soon be transformed into a classroom so after a quick breakfast, I packed up my things and said goodbye to Susan for the second time.

It was still dark but the roads were much better. Klaus and I were quiet for a long time, enjoying the light as it slowly spread over the countryside. After awhile Klaus said, "You know, I have really found a place for myself here. The land is beautiful and there is a simple pleasure in working and being with the people here."

"Susan and I joined the Mennonite church, at first because so much of the community activities revolved around the church and we wanted to get more involved in the community. But now I am grateful for the spiritual fulfillment I have found. When you have to be so self-reliant it's easier to recognize that there's a greater power at work. You see God's hand in everything. You can see the sky here. You don't just see man made creations like tall buildings that block out the sky. The big sky gives you a greater sense of being close to God, and I like that. I have found great peace here."

An hour later Klaus parked in front of room #149 at the motel in High Level. He asked if I would be all right. I told him I was fine and that I was planning to get together that afternoon with some people from the College. But it was hard to say goodbye to Klaus. When he picked me up on Monday morning we barely knew each other. And now, after the adventures of the past 2 days, we were no longer strangers; we had become friends.