The morning mist still clung to the valley when Samuel Yoder stood beside Elias and Buck Rogers overlooking a broad stretch of open ground. Behind them the smoke from breakfast fires drifted lazily above the wagons. Before them lay nothing more than grass, scattered trees, and a shallow creek winding through rich black soil.

Samuel rested both hands on his suspenders and studied the land.

"This is where it begins."

Buck Rogers looked from one end of the meadow to the other.

"I see a field."

Samuel smiled.

"I see homes."

Elias stooped and scooped a handful of earth into his palm. He rubbed it between his fingers before letting it fall.

"There's good clay underneath," he said. "Enough to make bricks for houses, barns, chimneys... maybe an entire town."

Buck nodded thoughtfully.

"So we start with the brickworks."

Samuel pointed toward a gentle rise overlooking the valley.

"That's where the brick factory belongs. The smoke will carry away from the homes."

He turned and pointed toward the creek.

"The sawmill goes there. Water does the heavy work."

Elias followed his finger.

"And beyond that... the flour mill. The stream has enough fall to keep the stones turning."

Samuel smiled.

"Rebecca will like hearing that."

Buck laughed.

"I've noticed most of our plans eventually involve Rebecca."

"They should," Samuel replied. "A town isn't measured by its buildings. It's measured by the tables where families gather."

The three men continued walking, stopping every few yards as Samuel quietly laid out the future.

"Houses first.
Then barns.
Then the dairy.
Then the creamery.
Then the flour mill and bakery.
Everything else can wait."

Buck looked over the empty meadow once again.

"You've already built it in your mind."

Samuel nodded.

"I've prayed over it."

Before another word could be spoken, the sound of wagon wheels echoed from the distant road.

A young Amish couple slowly approached with two small children seated between them. Their horse looked tired from travel, but the children stared wide-eyed at the valley before them.

The wagon stopped.

Samuel stepped forward with a welcoming smile.

"Good morning. I'm Samuel Yoder."

The young father removed his hat.

"We heard there was work... and that nobody here goes hungry."

Samuel extended his hand.

"You heard right."

The little boy climbed down from the wagon and stared toward the growing stack of freshly molded bricks.

"Mister..."

"Yes?"

"Why are you making so many bricks?"

Samuel looked toward Elias before kneeling beside the boy.

"Because one day people from all over the Earth will come here."

The boy frowned.

"Why?"

"To learn how neighbors solve problems together instead of fighting each other."

The child looked toward the distant brick pile once more.

"That's a lot of bricks."

Samuel laughed.

"It surely is."

He stood and placed a gentle hand on the father's shoulder.

"Come. Rebecca has breakfast waiting. Nobody makes plans on an empty stomach."

As the family followed Samuel toward the farmhouse, Buck watched them disappear over the rise.

"You know," he said quietly, "for a place that doesn't exist yet... it already feels like home."

Samuel looked back across the valley.

"No, Buck."

His eyes settled on the children running ahead toward the smell of fresh bread.

"It feels like the future."