Journey to Marta’s Faith
A Story of Determination and Resolution
by
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At the edge of Somerville, before nearing a large cotton gin, they heard a loud popping sound, and the vehicle began swerving. Marta’s heart fainted. What’s wrong now? She wondered. Whatever it is, I hope isn’t serious.
“I got a tire going flat! Hold on, everyone. Thank God I was going slow enough to keep the trailer from turning over.” Her dad tried to sound hopeful.
The orange glow of the late afternoon sun provided them with enough light to fix the tire. Marta looked out the window and examined the area. The worn-out road made her wonder of Somerville’s prosperity. The lush green fields around the vehicle appeared well cared for. The buildings ahead appeared well-kept.
Marta saw her dad’s face pale when the noise sounded. Did he suspect something worse? Are we off to an inauspicious beginning in the new town? Marta worried, forgetting her faith. Tensely, the family dared not move, for fear of something worse happening to the old rig.
“Are you okay, Alice?” John asked.
“I’m fine, are you children all right back there?” Alice turned apprehensively to check on them.
“Mom, what happened?” Linda asked, her face showing fear of the unknown.
“It’s okay, sit back until Dad tells us what to do.” Marta hugged the child to assure her there was nothing to dread.
“Everyone, get out,” Dad ordered. “Julian, help me change it, would you?” John walked to the trailer, removed the top furniture, and pulling out a worn spare tire, waited for him. Inspecting the tire, he was thankful he had it. It was the best he could do under their financial strain.
Marta stood alongside her mother, holding Linda’s hand. Even this late in the day, heat from the hot pavement rose around their legs. The steamy air smelled foul and was difficult to breathe. Looking for the source of the stench, she saw a large, metal building on the right side of town. A sound of grinding gears resonated from it, prompting Marta’s curiosity.
She observed sights and smelled valley orders. It was all so different and exciting. Taking in a deep breath, she realized the scent mingled with the faint scent of roses, honeysuckle, and cucumbers, scents familiar to her.
The roadside, plowed under, was now covered with upturned dirt and dried grass. There were crops planted on the right and left of the road, all the way up to the town. Excavated narrow ditches lining the fields, paralleled the road. There were furrows of cucumbers, cotton, and alfalfa. “If we have to, we can walk that distance to the rental,” Marta voiced her concerns to her mother.
“We could,” Alice sounded uncertain of something, “but we need to wait for Dad to fix the flat. If he can’t, then we’ll haul our pots and bed clothing there.”
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About the Book
When the Rodrigos are forced to abandon their church and parsonage in Arizona in 1952, the family makes a decision to move to California’s San Joaquin Valley, where fieldwork is plentiful and a rental waits for them. Seventeen-year-old Marta Rodrigo is worried. They’re low on traveling money, the old station wagon is on its last leg, and they don’t know whether the rental will still be available to them. Worse, they are leaving behind Grandmother, who fell during a stroke, and her brother Phil, who is at war in Korea.
Marta’s faith is under attack as her fifteen-year-old brother, Julian, has made her life miserable. She sees their Arizona home as their point of contact with God, their cypress trees and terrain serving as her hope. Leaving that normalcy behind, Marta believes life will never be the same; depression leaves her questioning her faith. But when the Rodrigos arrive in Somerville, California, they meet a young man named Henry Barnes who provides Marta with a new hope for the future and helps her reconnect with her trust in a heavenly God who was always faithful and just.
Set in the mid-twentieth century, this novel follows a young woman dealing with challenges to her faith when her family moves from Arizona to California.
About the Author
Beth Torres Johnson is a minister and retired high school teacher and has also served as chaplain, home and hospital teacher, and substitute teacher. Her work roles have led her to interact with students ages five to eighteen years old. She has also assisted her husband, Reese, of forty-four years, with missionary work.