Dee's News September-October 2011

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Baby Dedications:  May these precious children continue to follow Jesus as they grow!

Perry and Maryann Keim’s little girl was dedicated to the Lord this past summer at Bethel Baptist Church. Angela Rose was age 4months.

Joni and Katie Hershberger’s little boys and girl were dedicated this past summer at the Church of the Open Door. Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Cheyenne were dedicated to the Lord.

A baby shower was held for Mattie Shetler at the Bethel Bap-tist Church on Friday, June 22. The hostesses were Maryann Keim, Rachel Raber, and Jennica Keim. Mattie’s adoptive Mom, Barb Tucker, was also present. Delicious food was enjoyed, including a special cake baked by Sara Garber of 8 Sister’s Bakery. Games and chat, followed by opening gifts, rounded out the evening.

Congratulations, Mattie and Benny, on your soon-to-be-born blessing!

Ira Wagler, like many former Amish, has a story to tell about his journey with his heritage. He always knew he had a desire and ability to write his personal story, but even he was happily surprised with how his book came to be published. Ira shared in a phone interview that he was compelled to write about his growing up years as an Amish young man when his world imploded‖ in 2007. He began with a blog. Over the course of time, his writings were noticed by a friend which led to a meeting with an editor at Tyndale. Ira is no stranger to literature and writing. He earned a degree in English, but his inspiration for writing comes from reading classic books from authors like Thomas Wolf. He later went to law school and earned his law degree, also. Ira acknowledges that having the right people around me, helped me be published. He feels he received his gift of writing from his father, who was a contributing writer to the Amish magazine, Family Life. He feels his sensitive heart, though, comes from his mother. One of the most surprising aspects of being published, Ira states, is the absolute professionalism of Tyndale House. He is especially grateful to his editor, Carol Traver, who was able to keep Ira’s writing voice intact, while offering edits that made his story stronger. There are three particular sections of his book that he found difficult to write, but are powerful elements of his personal journey: his older brother’s accident, his young-er brother’s leave-taking from home, and his relationship with an Amish young lady. He is satisfied with the results in his book and feels the story is told with a balance of both the difficult and positive aspects of growing up Amish. He made a concerted effort to tell his story with fairness, and yet still bring out the emotions of the moments he describes. When asked if he had any advice to others who have left their Amish culture behind, he offered that with the work ethic instilled in the Amish, he knows any former Amish will be able to apply that urge to work hard toward anything they are willing to try. He said that he entered college scared to death, but he was able to succeed. He entered law school just to ―see if I could do it. When asked if he is planning to write another book, he replied the market will decide that, but he wouldn’t mind writing a sequel and/or a novel. His writing routine is anything but routine. He works best under deadline pressures. Advice to writers? Just write! Just produce!

Ira’s book can be purchased at:

MAP Ministry: (419) 962-1515 PO Box 128 Savannah, OH 44874

OR:

To purchase from the MAP web site, click here.

Here’s a sample from Ira’s book: "One fateful, starless, April night, I got up at 2:00 a.m. in the pitch black darkness, left a scribbled note under my pillow, and walked away—all my earthly belongings stuffed in a little black duffel bag...I could not know that night of the long hard road that stretched before me."

Tom Gillman, Law Director for Loudonville and Per-rysville, donated his time to come to the Yoder’s on July 23rd to offer direction and advice to the former Amish about legal decisions. He spoke of how estate planning issues, after death issues, medical issues, or catastrophic issues can effect a person’s life without proper legal documents in place. He offered details on who should have Wills, Power of Attorney for Medical, and Living Wills, as well as how those legal documents protect a person’s wishes regarding their estates and family. He stressed the need to have a trustworthy person named to take care of our personal interests in the event we are not able to make our wished known. Tom gave a an example of how cost efficient a simple Last Will and Testament can be, giving an estimate amount starting at $65. For those who would like more information or to make an appoint-ment, please contact Tom’s office at:

Loudonville Office:                 Ashland Office:                  Phone: (419) 994-4892

133 South Market Street           245 Sandusky Street            Toll Free: (866) 994-4892

Loudonville, OH 44842              Ashland, OH 44805

Monroe Raber and Tiffany Speakman were united in holy matrimony on June 18, 2011. The ceremony was conducted in an outdoors country setting. Tiffany’s parents are Larry and Debbie Speakman and Monroe’s parents are Jonas and Barbara Raber. The guests enjoyed the beautiful day as well as the wonderful atmosphere. Congratulations Monroe and Tiffany!

From Joyce Mink

The 15th annual Former Amish Reunion was held on Saturday, June 25. It was held at Pines Christian Church Park, in Mt. Gilead. As usual, Ada Lenden, her committee, and her church did a great job organizing everything.

The reunion feast featured a pig roast. The food was delicious and the lines moved quickly. The day was beautiful and the park setting was very nice.

About 100 or more people attended this reunion. It was a lot of fun to socialize with the many people that I don’t see very often.

After the dinner, many started playing volleyball. Lots of shouts and laughs were heard from that area. A raffle was also held with quite a few prizes. If you didn’t come to the reunion, you really did miss a fun time.

Hope to see everyone again at the 2012 reunion!

From Joyce Mink

I attended Katrina Zgela’s bridal shower on Saturday and want to send you some information for your newsletter.

On June 4, 2011, a ―Pampered Chef bridal shower was held for KATRINA ZGELA by her mother, Kay and sister Alana Zgela at Bethel Baptist Church. About 50 ladies were in attendance and enjoyed a delicious meal. Sherry Bouquet, Pastor John’s wife gave a most inspiring meditation on mar-riage.

Katrina's Bachelorette Party

From Joyce Mink

A bachelorette party was held for Katrina on July 16th at Joyce’s house. The weather was perfect for swimming in the pool. Some of them braved the slide, and all enjoyed floating around. Katrina’s mom, Kay, brought chicken, peppers, onions, and mushrooms to grill. The meal finished off with ice cream sundaes. It was so nice to party with her and celebrate her upcoming marriage!

From Joyce Mink

Katrina Zgela became Katrina Slabaugh on July 23rd, 2011. The wedding took place at Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah, OH. A very meaningful explanation of why God created marriage was given by Joe Keim and an invitation offered. Pastor John Bouquet officiated at the wedding ceremony.

Katrina’s sister, Alana, was her maid of honor, and Mose’s brother, Dan, was best man. Mose’s brother, Abe, was an usher and Abe’s son, Joseph, was the 5 yr old ring bearer. The bridesmaids were, Alana Zgela, Sarah Mast, Sarah Columbus and Janessa Jones. The groomsmen were Dan Slabaugh, David Mast, Uria Gingerich and Mose Shetler. Abe Slabaugh and Harvey Schwartzentruber were the ushers. The pretty little flower girl was Natalie, Katrina’s 6-yr old niece. A dinner reception followed the ceremony. Mose and Katrina honeymooned in Alaska.

8 Sister’s Bakery has added a new location! They have expanded into Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Their second bakery location is at 856 Coshocton Avenue. They offer a full line of bakery items with orders available for wedding, birthday, and event cakes. Their motto is ―You Name It, We Bake It! They will even use a special recipe, if requested by the customer. And don’t forget about their baker’s dozen offer: 13 items of donuts, etc. when a dozen is purchased. The new bakery in Mt. Vernon will eventually become the main bakery location since the property is larger and will better suit their baking needs, but their Mt. Gilead location will remain open for business as usual.

Here’s the information about the new bakery location:

                8 Sister’s Bakery                     Hours:

                856 Coshocton Ave.                 Tues.-Fri.: 6-5:30

                Mt. Vernon, Ohio                      Sat.: 6-2

                (740) 392-2252                         Closed Sun. & Mon.

Uriah Shetler followed the Lord’s example in baptism on Sunday, July 24th at Bethel Baptist Church in Savannah, Ohio. Joe Keim baptized was the presiding pastor. Uriah says ―I can say from heart, God has faithfully brought me out of the Amish, not knowing where I would go or what would become of me, and has brought me so far in eight months!‖ Congratulations, Uriah!

Rachel Keim Raber earned her GED in August, 2010 and Johnny Raber earned his GED in June, 2011. A celebration day was held for both at the home of Wayne and Chris Vallowe in Ashland, Ohio on Saturday, July 30. Several friends and family members came by to show their support and give congrats to the graduates. We’re proud of both Johnny and Rachel!

Time to talk about dinner! There are manners for being a good diner to keep things pleasant for others during meals. We’ll learn a few things we might not have known about table manners and be refreshed on things we may have forgotten!

Here’s the link if you’d like to go to the website source for this manners page:

http://www.rfc791.org/~churl/lit/manners.html

• Elbows off the table - Not allowable at any time.
• Chew with your mouth closed - It's so basic.
• Don't talk with your mouth full - Goes along with chewing with your mouth closed
• Don't play with your food - The only thing that should be occurring on your plate is that which is required to get food from your plate to your mouth. Everything else can be defined as playing with your food.
• Don't eat too fast - Pacing yourself during a meal is just polite.
• Sitting down - You should wait till your hostess invites you to sit at the table.
• Address your fellow diners - Although you may wish to talk to someone across the table, it is your responsibility to make sure that those seated next to you are not ignored.
• Wait for your hostess - Do not start eating until your hostess is seated. Wait until your hostess begins the meal since she may wish to say a prayer (or may wish YOU to say a prayer).
• Wait for everyone - You should wait till everyone is seated and is ready to begin eating.
• Napkin - Your first action when sitting down to eat should be to drape your napkin across your lap. It is never acceptable to tuck your napkin in your collar or to tuck the tablecloth in your collar or waistband.
• Passing - If an item on the table is not within an easy arm movement, you should ask to have it passed to you.
• Salt & pepper go together - If you are asked to pass the salt or the pepper, you are to pass both. The salt and pepper are always passed together.
• Do not shout across the table - Often there may be several conversations going on at once, but you should not raise your voice to be heard.
• No distractions – There should not be any reading the newspaper, reading a book, answering your phone, using laptops or portable video games, or watching TV at the table.
• Polite conversation - Conversation should be kept polite. No debates or rude behavior or talk.
• P's and Q's – Always say please and thank you.
• Ending a meal - You should remain at the table until everyone is finished. If you need to leave the table prior to that, then you should excuse yourself.

Next time, we’ll learn about using utensils, notes on eating, and restaurant advice. Stay tuned to the next Dee’s News!