Great purchase, came extremely fast. Would buy from seller again. Wonderful condition and transaction.

In Beginnings: Beth gives up her dream of running an antique store about the same time she realizes her gift of working with stained glass. Her grandfather and grandmother Koeppler as well as her mother encourage her in this endeavor. But Beth's new venture struggles with time constraints, supply problems and two other men trying to run her life.

Kim Vogel Sawyer's stories have a healing touch. The family relations thread that touched me was the concern Beth had that she was losing her mother, since Marie had returned to the faith of her childhood.

The take home value of Beginnings, for me?

Priorities. By getting her priorities straight Beth pricks the heart of another man old enough to be her father. He thought he was doing right, until Beth taught him that in order to truly honor God, our priorities must be right.

Book two of Sommerfield Trilogy is the story of Beth. She has opened up a stained glass business in the little Mennonite town, although she, herself has not changed her lifestyle. She has found true peace with God, and attends church, but does not intend to join the church or the culture into which her mother, Marie has returned. Beth tolerates in, but does not embrace it.

Marie is now middle aged, and pregnant with twins, Henry's first children, which will be 20 years younger than Beth, but she is very, very happy with her Mennonite husband and life. Henry dotes over here, and they are both supportive of Beth.

Beth has one employee, Andrew, who really has his hat set for her, but he is Mennonite, and she is not. End of that possibility. He plans to be an artist much to his father's displeasure. Farming has been their way for decades, and Andrew has no interest in farming, but he does respect his father.

As Beth's talents are becoming known, a large construction company contacts her to do a large, expensive sample church window for them, on a very, very strict schedule...if they are satisfied, they will sign a large contract for 17 more windows. If she does not finish in time or they are not satisfied, the deal is off. The young business representative, Sean, also has his eye on Beth, and he is not Mennonite. Beth seems to be pretty blind to the feelings of either man, although occasionally she does get a "twinge" of something for both men...nothing serious.

Her mother Marie, has a difficult pregnancy and delivery, and the story of Beth takes a huge turn. Not to spoil the story, I will leave it at that. The important part is that Beth finally finds her own way, and who she really is, and who and what are really important.

Even though this book dragged a bit in places, I already have book three, and expect great things from the final book in the series. Thank you Kim, for another wholesome and believable Christian Fiction novel.

Wonderful book...the whole series is good. Purchased for a gift and my giftee absolutely loves them. Can't wait for the next one.

Beth Quinn feels like the misfit of Sommerfield, Kansas. She moved there with her mother to claim her inheritance. In the process, she found faith and an unknown talent in stained glass making. Her mother embraced the life of the Old Order Mennonite, married her childhood sweat heart and is pregnant with twins. Beth feels loved but left out. The only place she belongs is in her stained glass studio.
She dreams of using newfound Christian faith by using the talents God has given her to operate a successful stained glass studio. Enter Andrea Braun, member of the Sommerfield fellowship and Sean McCauley, of McCauley Church Construction. Andrea works beside her in the studio and longs for her success to give him the opportunity to stop farming and follow his love of art. Sean contracts her to do stained glass windows for the churches they build.
Can Beth forget her painful past and trust these men for who they are and not what she fears they want from her? Or will she be swept away like the tiny glass dust on her studio floor?
This book will draw you in and keep you reading as you root for all of the characters. And when you close the book you will be eager to read the next one.

Beth Quinn doesn't regret leaving the city, but she doesn't really fit in with the Old Order Mennonite community of Sommerfeld. However, her mother is here and Beth has opened a stained glass studio. She's starting to make a name for herself, and eventually she catches the attention of Sean McCauley, who orders a stained glass window for his father's business, a construction company specializing in erecting church buildings. Beth is under a lot of stress, trying to finish the window on time and keep up with other orders. To make matters more complicated, her employee Andrew Braun seems to be attracted to her. She is also drawn to Sean McCauley. Soon Beth must make a very serious decision. Beginnings is the story of a young woman who is a new Christian, and isn't sure where she belongs. Books about the Mennonites and Amish are popular now and Kim Vogel Sawyer's stories are among the best. Enticing romance with a strong faith message.

This was a good book.I always enjoy these types of books.For Some reason I can realy feel what they feel.Nadia Rehmani

Beth Quinn makes stain-glass windows. She has a small business that is growing rapidly. Will she be able to balance work and family?
Her mother went back to her Mennonite roots. Her mother marries and becomes pregnant with twins. Beth moves into the same small Mennonite town. Beth's Mennonite employee falls in love with her. Beth recognizes the comfort and peace of mind the Mennonites have. She longs for that, but she is not sure that she could ever join the church.
Sean, a client, seems to have more than business interest in Beth. Can she overcome her harshness in order to have a relationship?
I expected a novel similar to that of Wanda Brunstetter's. There are differences. To state the obvious, these characters are Mennonites, not Amish. However, if you do like Brunstetter's books, you will like Beginnings.

Reviewed by Jamie Driggers

Beth lives among the Old Order Mennonites, and though she shares their Christian faith, she doesn't share their lifestyle. While, yes, she feels that God brought her to Sommerfeld, Kansas, and gave her a gift as a stained-glass artist, how can she rectify the two in a place where women are homemakers and art is frivolous?

And what of men? In her employee, Andrew, Beth finds a compassionate and hardworking friend, but to embrace him would be to embrace his Old Order lifestyle, something Beth isn't inclined to do. When Sean shows up at her studio door proposing a business relationship, Beth begins to see the realization of her dreams. But can she trust either of these men with her future?

Oh, how I love Kim Vogel Sawyer's books. Frankly, I'm not sure whether it is her setting (my old stomping grounds) or her ability to weave great stories, but I think it is a combination of the two. Kim is a master storyteller who has cornered the market on a lesser known sect of Mennonite, the Old Order. In my not-Old-Order opinion, she nails the people and their gentle ways from an "outsider's" view point.

But don't go away with the impression that this is "just another Mennonite book," because it isn't. Though you will see into the lives of a few characters, this book is more about feeling like an outsider in any part of life. About not being good enough, not fitting in, desiring more and, eventually, letting go of the idea that life is under our control.

Armchair Interviews says: If this author is new to you, check her out.

Having read one of Kim Vogel Sawyer's historicals, the fantastic book Waiting for Summer's Return, I admit it took me a few pages to adjust to the contemporary setting of Beginnings. Though the backdrop is the Mennonite community, the protagonist, Beth Quinn, encapsulates a very modern, headstrong woman of the outside world.

Once I became accustomed to Sawyer's descriptions of travel having to do with a motor instead of a team and wagon, and despite not having read the first book in the Sommerfeld series, I fell into the story.

I found myself caring about Beth's aspirations as much as she did, even to the point of worrying over them. With two men wanting her attention, a new stain-glass art business to get off the ground, and the ever-present questioning of her place in the community, Beth must turn to the Lord to make her dreams come true.

Gentle strings of faith ran throughout this well-written novel and left me with a fresh perspective on the importance of family, community, and trusting the Lord to direct our lives.

Returning to Summerfeld and the lives of Beth Quinn and the Braun family was like going home again! Their lives are fascinating, Beth's stained-glass windows business is intriguing, and Kim Vogel Sawyer's writing is fresh and wonderful! A definite winner!!

BEGINNINGS, By Kim Vogel Sawyer

Review by Marion Kelley Bullock

Beth Quinn relocated to Sommerfeld, Kansas with her mother, Marie, but she doesn't fit in with these Old Order Mennonites. Marie has married Henry Braun and settled down. But Beth's business zeal and her way of dressing don't suit Sommerfeld's ideas of propriety for women. She feels out of place.

Henry's nephew, Andrew Braun, works for Beth in her stained glass studio. He wants to be more than an employee, but Beth doesn't feel she can give up her independence. She's not sure she can trust Andrew with her life and her heart. Then Sean McCauley enters her life. Sean, whose father owns a construction company specializing in building church buildings, offers Beth a fantastic business opportunity. Is his interest purely business, or is it also personal?

As Beth, a new Christian, searches for a place to belong, will she rush headlong into plans she designs for her future or will she take time to seek God's guidance?
You're sure to enjoy this second book in the Sommerfeld trilogy. If you read Bygones, you already know Kim's true-to-life characters. Now you can re-connect with them.