By now you are probably back in the saddle like we are after having spend some time relaxing and sleeping in during the Christmas and New Year season. The good thing about the Christmas and New Year season is, it gives a person some time to reflect on the past year and consider the new one coming on.

As we were traveling along Hwy 71 yesterday at about 65 mph I couldn’t help but wonder, what would happen if I just out of the blue stepped on the brakes and came to an immediate halt right on the middle of the busy highway. Without a doubt it would have been disastrous. Life, I thought is a lot like traveling the busy highway. If we stop it would turn into disaster, if we stop and back up it would be even worse. But just because we are on life’s hwy, all going in one direction, doesn't mean we have to go 90 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Jonathan and Rachel are busy home schooling. Jonathan has been doing fairly well with his computer business, called The Gismo Shack. Rachel baby sits pretty much every day from our home. Esther took on a full time job at a local business in town. In December the ministry was not able to make payroll once during the whole month and since our only support is through the ministry we had to do something. December was not all bad because several different people from the church came by with food items and money to help our family out. It was so humbling for us and yet it felt so great.

2004 was a great year for the ministry. Yes, we had our times of discouragement and frustration but that’s life. During the year I was often reminded of the scripture in Acts 14:22 where Paul was...exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Life is not easy but it sure makes a difference when a person has friends and co-laborers like you surrounding us and the ministry with love and support. Thank you for the many times you shared in the ministry by giving financially and praying.

Some new things that are happening in the finance area: We started out with a new treasurer this month named Chris Parker. She is very well acquainted with non-profit accountant work and will be doing all her work right here at the MAP office. Her email is happycrispy@earthlink.net in case you should feel the need to contact her. We are also setting things up so people can support the ministry through Debit/Credit Card or Automatic Funds Transfer. Automatic Funds Transfer saves the donor time and postage. Let us know if you are interested and we will help you set it up.

Sonlight Club Ministry
(Bible Correspondence Lessons)

1. You helped send out (34,651) Bible lessons to Amish children and adults in 2004
2. Our students live in 30 states and Canada; during the year 155 students wrote to tell us that they asked Jesus to save them because of a Bible lesson they did. We received hundreds of testimonies and hand drawings from students during the year.
3. During 2004 (2000) new students enrolled which gives us a total of (4,720) students.
4. Our volunteers came out faithfully to help with this ministry. Young and old, it did not matter to Tina. She took whomever could give her the time of day.

SLC Awards Program

Mary Schrock from MO put an Awards Program together for our students that will build up their momentum as they do the Bible lessons. This Awards Program is set up in such a way that the student can earn points for reading our books on missionaries and then doing a Book Report, Memorizing Scriptures, Reading certain Books of the Bible, doing Bible Lessons, etc. For every so many points, they reach a new level and for each new level they receive the prize for that level. Prizes include Bookmarks, [bronze, silver, and gold] Metals, New Testament, home made Personalized Plaque w/stand, etc. We have already seen some fantastic results from this program since we started it in November.

I'm sending this note to tell you how God sent the "New Life In Christ" lesson for me last Friday. I was having some feelings that were not right. I tried to go about my daily work but I couldn’t so I finally sat down and prayed that God would send somebody or something to feed me. It was then that I thought, I need to check the mail! Sure enough my Bible lesson was in the mail. Right away I sat down and did the whole lesson and it really taught and encouraged me. I was also left with some questions that I had not thought about before. I still have a lot to learn but Praise God! Please pray for me. —Sonlight Club Student.

One of our main ministries from day one has been working with the many teenagers that are leaving the Amish. The following scenario is very typical of any teen who leaves: They leave with $.50 to a $1.00 in their pocket thinking that they can get a job right away and within a month have a nice car. They soon find out that there is so much more to it than what they thought. It takes several weeks (sometimes months) before we can get them a SS card. Then they need help getting a job and once they get the job, they need transportation to and from work. While all this is going on they need someone to let them stay in their home free of charge. Often the respect and manners are not what they should be and this has its own set of problems. We have to teach them to take showers (more then once a week), say thank you, please and excuse me, use deodorant, order food off the menu, clean up after themselves, write out work applications, etc. Finally they get enough money to buy a car and insurance and then the first thing they want to do is live the party life. Some get into drinking, others get caught up in drugs and some even end up in jail. The girls are vulnerable and the city guys soon take advantage of the situation. I say all this to say that we are in the works of putting a training package together that would cover all of what I just mentioned and more. The Surviving Skills Training Package would include: managing finances, employment, dating and relationship, education and spirituality, etc. This same package would also deal with mannerism, skills, interests, abilities and past emotional, physical and sexual abuse, etc.

As I am writing this I am almost overwhelmed with the thought of this ministry but at the same time I know it is such a big, big need. I am just praying that God would burden the right person to come along and make this ministry work. Another thing that worries me somewhat is, I know this will take financial backing to make this work right. Please pray with us.

During 2004 we had the privilege of ministering/presenting MAP to (24) churches and special meetings. Esther herself was invited to speak at 3 ladies groups during the year. 7—churches and 6—individuals took the ministry on for regular monthly support. Our latest church supporter comes from Sullivan OH. They called in December to let us know they are joining the financial support team. Thank you!

Bob (far left) got saved during one of our church service invitations and three days later we went to visit Bob and his wife, and then Chris also got saved. Aaron got saved back in 2000 and then went through some rough times but as you can see he is being baptized here as well. This was a glorious day for all of us as we sat by and watched Levi baptize all three of them. These people have all been very faithful in church. During 2004, 18—people gave their heart to Christ and 24—were baptized.

Several weeks ago we had Teen Sunday at the church in Mt Gilead where I am pastoring. We were all so proud of our young folks. They sang, shared how God is working in their lives, put on a nice Christmas play which was organized by Esther, and then our son Jonathan and Daniel Schwartz preached some very good messages on Prayer and Making the Right Choices. Three of our teens have almost raised their $6,000 and are ready to go on their two week missions trip to Africa in February. Everyone has worked very hard to prepare for this trip. It is so exciting to watch God move in the midst of tender hearts.

The new church is coming right along. It has been sort of a brand new journey for all of us as we worked out a doctrinal statement and constitution for the new church. It is something that we have been toiling over for about three months and is not finished yet but is getting closer all the time. Anyone that has gone through this kind of stuff knows how hard it can be.

Below is a sample letter from a mother and father whose daughter left the Amish. In this case the letter was written to Laura who is married and has four children. She got saved in 2004 and eventually left the Amish with her husband and is now very active in church. It is copied and formatted exactly the way it was written.

To Laura—from her mother.
It hurts so deep in our hearts to hear what you are doing! Just think what you are doing, just THINK, to put that electricity in the house. Oh, I’d be afraid to have such in my house. Really, I would be afraid to have it. What would God say? The parents, our grandparents, none were taught that way. But we were taught it’s sinful to leave the faith we were taught and that is not right to God’s way to be different. You told us you’d go to a less liberal church but it is not the truth as is no less liberal church to drive automobiles. Laura, you can’t drive a van or anything like that. No you can’t, you can’t. Do not let Satan let you do it you can’t feel happy and free if you do it. Oh please don’t do it! It makes me cry. I hope I can do my crying here on earth. But afraid you have it later. Don’t hope we ever have to see you in different clothe then your Amish clothe. I heard Rachel has a different cap. Oh, Laura, you can’t feel free and happy. And at that, you make other people unhappy too. We are fasting and praying for you, hoping you can see it before to late and repent. –Mom