Dee's News March-April 2011

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A baby shower for Maryann (and Perry!) Keim was given by her friends and family at Bethel Baptist church on Saturday, January 22, 2011. Jenica Keim, Mattie Shetler, Debbie Bridges, Rachel Raber, Esther Keim, Miriam Keim, and Rachel Keim were hostesses. Lunch was provided. The ladies played games and had fun watching Maryann open the wonderful gifts given for her little one!

Roy and Mary Keim have added a precious new baby girl to their family!  Annabelle Grace was born January 15, 2011, at 10:47 PM. She weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. She is the new baby sister of three other girls and three brothers.  Welcome to the world, baby Annabelle!

Harvey Swartzentruber and Lynsey Nixon were married in a beautiful ceremony on the first day of the New Year! Their wedding took place in the Great Room of the Mount Vernon Developmental Center, built in 1905. The colors chosen by the bride were chocolate, blue, cream, and silver. Bridesmaids were Sara Smith, Laura Nixon, and Melissa Kellum. Groomsmen were Uria Gingrich, Sam Hershberger, and Mose Slabaugh. Ushers were Mosie Shetler and Josh Swartzentruber. They were joined in marriage by the Rev. Mike Cloud of the Impact Church. Following the ceremony, the bridal party and guests enjoyed 2-bite desserts provided by 8 Sisters Bakery of Mt. Gilead, live music, and a hot beverage bar. The couple honeymooned on a Caribbean Cruise, and upon their return, opened wedding gifts and cards. They are living at 213 Crystal Avenue, Mount Vernon, OH. Lynsey is a RN in the Center for Wound Healing, Knox Community Hospital, and Harvey is the production Manager for 64 Metals.

Three hard workers have taken their GED tests. Elizabeth Miller lives in Ashland, Ohio, and received her GED in January. Monroe Raber lives in Jackson, Ohio and is waiting to hear back about the results of his GED test because of a glitch with the state. “At least the school let me go ahead and take the test; I just can’t view the results till this problem is resolved.”

Here is what Lizzie Yoder, who lives in Ashland, said about earning her GED: “I grew up Amish and went to school for eight school terms. I thought that was enough schooling, but I soon realized I was wrong when I left the culture. I was encouraged to start GED classes. While I was taking classes, I accumulated house cleaning jobs and got a full job at Brethren Care Nursing Center. I was encouraged by friends and family to start back last year in February and I passed in November. It took me almost three years to complete my GED. I would encourage everyone that has left the Amish culture to get their GED. It will help to get a job sooner as a GED or high school diploma is required. Thank you to everyone for your prayers.” Congratulations Lizzie, Elizabeth, and Monroe!

Many former Amish hunted in the fall. Here’s a few photos from their hunting adventures!

How God saved me. I con-fessed my sins and accepted Je-sus Christ as my Savior. OH, what a happy feeling that was. It was such a joy to know that I am going to Heaven. I am now con-fident about going to Heaven.

Why do I want to be baptized? Since I was saved, I have a desire to be baptized even though I was baptized when I was Amish I always felt like I did not get baptized for the right reason. I didn’t do it because I wanted to, I did it to satisfy people. I have come to realize that is not what God wanted. Now I want to be baptized for God, not people.

I want to thank the people that helped me. Joe and Esther Keim have been a great help to me. They let me move into their basement until I could get on my feet. Words can’t even describe how much I appreciate it. I thank God every day for them.

Robert and Beth McCallum. Robert helped me see who God really is. He has been such an inspiration in my life with mov-ing from KY to OH. Robert and Beth have been very helpful and made me feel at home in Ohio. They feel so much like family. I can’t even start expressing how thankful I am for all the things they have helped me out with. God has truly answered my prayers.

Barbara, WOW! Where do I start? Could not ask for a better friend, she has been such a help to me. I can never thank her enough for all the things she has done for me. I hope she knows if she ever needs help or anyone to listen that I will always be there.

I have many favorite verses. Here are some of them. I John 1:9, Romans 6:4, Ephesians !:7, Hebrew 6:2, Peter 3:21.

When William Keim’s friend, Leonard Dolce, called to ask if he would be willing to come with him to Haiti, William agreed. Leonard had been working with a man in Haiti who had a desire to help the Haitians. Over the years, this man had built a center for children who were HIV positive to have safe medical care. There were roofs that needed built on two churches (one church structure took 30 years to finish!) and a school. The group that finally went to help totaled 9 men and 2 women. With donations, they had materials to build with and were set to go. The group spent 8 days in Haiti. According to William, it was a trip he will never forget. Rudy Yoder and Levi Shetler were among those who went along. The first night, their plane landed in Port au Prince, a city teeming with 3-4 million people! “There were people everywhere”, he said. The group made their way to an area away from the city and began their work. William admits he struggled with some of the we-don’t-want-to-change attitudes he encountered, and felt this verse in Philippians 4:4 helped him overcome his feelings: Rejoice in the Lord, always: and again, I say Rejoice. One thing he noticed was the enthusiastic worship at the church service they attended on Sunday morning. “There were tears in my eyes during worship.” Haiti was definitely a culture shock:  with people bathing in creeks, using the bathroom where they could, and doing laundry in water they used for other things, too. He said he “shut my eyes” and ate whatever was put in front of him. “Our main meal was rice!” They drank only bottled water for fear of contracting diseases from the contaminated water. They managed to build three roofs in the short time they were there. And one day, they even got to take a much needed break at a clean beach. Haiti has a population where 80% of the people have AIDS. Though the group was happy to help, they were very glad to be back in the U.S. again, too!