|
|
|
Quarterly Newsletter July 2001
Dear Friend,
Things are going absolutely great with Mission to Amish People! God has used so many people like you to bless us, encourage us, help us, and pray for us. You are great! We praise God for you.
We are preparing for the MAP Board meeting this month, which will be held on
July 27th. We are also excited about the Former Amish Reunion, which will be
held July 28th. Tom and Ada Lendon, founders of F.A.R., do a great job
organizing this event each year. We know of former Amish who will be there
from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Each year we hear some
very powerful testimonies from those who have left the Amish and given their
lives over to God.
Our prayer is that God would give us 10 missionaries to the Amish people over
the next 5 years, and we really believe that God is already dealing with several
people. Maybe we are jumping the fence too soon, but we are very excited
about the following two stories:
Barbara Borkholder, who was formerly Amish, and now lives in
Pennsylvania has been on several short-term mission trips to other countries.
Barbara has felt God calling her to full time mission work, but doesn't feel it
is to any of the countries she has previously served. I asked her if she
felt that going to the Amish people might be a possibility. She has been very
open to the idea that God might be calling her to go to the Amish. Barbara
has visited us several times in the past two months and we have gotten to know
her. She really has a heart for the Lord. We are all praying and seeking
God's will in this matter.
I met Chris Schlabach two years ago when he shared his
salvation testimony at a local church in our area. After the
service, there was an immediate bond between Chris and I. Our hearts were
united by the need for someone to take the gospel to the
Amish people. Chris informed me on the phone this week that he feels God
calling him into ministry to the Amish people. I was hardly able to
contain myself. I praise God and wonder at the plan He has in using those
He calls to reach the Amish people. This past fall Chris completed two
semesters in college. He lives in Mt Vernon.
Several weeks ago we were at a small get together of
former-Amish. During the day, a young man walked in; right away, I could
tell that he had been Amish. He just couldn't hide it. I
introduced myself, and he told me that he had just left the Amish that day
and was really feeling the freedom of doing what he wanted to do. Several
days later I called him to see if he needed help in getting clothes, food,
a Social Security Card, a job, etc. We spent the next several days
getting him the things he needed to get on his feet. My main desire was to
win him to Christ, but as I find so many times, the last thing he wanted
to hear about was religion. He is still lost, but my prayer is that he
will come to Christ before long. Pray with me concerning him as God
reminds you to do so. His name is Emanuel Wengerd.
I had an opportunity to meet with an Amish Bishop in
the Homerville area who was going through a hard time with his son
William. William was scheduled to be in court because of drug use but
disappeared and didn't appear for the court hearing. Even though the
bishop did not know where to turn, he would not allow me to help because
of where I stand in the Amish church. Before leaving, I pulled my little
testament out and read Psalms 33:6-22 to him and his family. I was able to
start a relationship that has the potential to lead to even greater
things. I visited several houses looking for William, but have
not located him yet.
In June of 2000, Herman Schlabach came to one of the
Friday night Bible studies we hold at our house. When I gave an
invitation he prayed and asked Jesus to become his Savior. Herman went
back to Texas where he was stationed in the Army. I began to pray for him
and stayed in contact with him. Last month he came back to Ohio for
another three weeks. This time I met with him once a week while he was
here. What a joy it was to really get to know Herman in a whole new way.
Soon after returning to Texas, he wrote a letter to us. I would like to
share a little bit of what he wrote with you. He writes: "...I
just wanted to thank you one more time for your help and support through
everything. Just wanted you to know your efforts, dedication, concern, and
hard work are not going unnoticed. If you ever need anything
that I can help with please let me know." He
ends by quoting John 5:24.
In early June you may have seen on the news the story of
Melvin Schrock. Melvin was stopped on the White House lawn where he handed
over bullets and guns, which he had left in the bushes. His mission was to
see the President, but he never made it that far. Melvin was a young man
that I had tried to witness to on several occasions over the years; and at
one point, I even opened up our home to him for several weeks. Melvin
never did make a commitment for Christ. I visited his family who is still
Amish several days later. My heart ached for his mother when she
broke down in tears, not knowing what to do. She explained to me
that undercover law enforcement officers, as well as, news people came out
on an almost a daily basis. FAMILY CORNER Our family had the opportunity to ride horses while
visiting Barbara Borkholder in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Esther and I
went on a one-hour trail ride while Jonathan and Rachel had the pleasure
of riding in the corral. Because of Him
I had the privilege of meeting Emanuel Schrock last week
at a friend's house here in Ashland. He was visiting from Illinois for the
weekend. It ended up that he and I went out to eat the following
day. After I dropped him off at his car, I asked him if he knew
Jesus as his personal Savior. He replied, " I was baptized and I try
to live as good a life as possible." After sharing some scripture
with him from the books of John and Romans he agreed that he did not
know Jesus as his Savior. When I asked him if he would like to ask Jesus
to save him, he said," yes.". He bowed his head and
received Christ into his life. I went out and bought him a Bible to get
him started in his new journey in the Christian life. I praise God that He
allowed me to have a part in this matter.
While visiting an Amish family in Orville one night we had a near panic
experience. Jonathan and Rachel joined the Miller children up in the
haymow for some fun on those huge round bails that were stacked 3 high.
First Rachel fell down between two of the big bales. Stuck in
the crack, she could hardly breathe because of the dust and pressure of
being pinched between the bales. Of course, big brother Jonathan came to
the rescue only to fall into the crack himself. He did manage to
get his sister out safely, but not himself. After near suffocation
from all the dust and the tight area, the men came on the scene and
brought a safe conclusion to everything.
Joe, Esther, Jonathan, and Rachel Keim
********************************************************************************************
| President Joe & Esther Keim Vice President John Bouquet |
Secretary Jerry & Carol Gess Treasurer Sam Gray |
Randall Collins Harvey & Mary Lou Yoder Eli & Pam Shetler Edna Knight |