Mission to Amish People was founded in 2001 with the purpose of evangelizing and discipling Amish and Former Amish as well as assisting those that leave the Amish by providing education, housing, and basic life skill training. read more...

May 2014 Newsletter


P.O. Box 128 \| 575 US Highway 250 \| Savannah OH 44874 \| Office: (419) 962-1515

In This Issue Personal Greetings MAP Building Tour and Housing Project 2014 Amish Awareness Conference Highlights Fun With Paul Bible Translator Testimonies, Ministries and Sessions, by MAP Missionaries Host Your Own Area Conference! Starting the Day With A Message From God’s Word Former Amish on Stage Seminar Materials Old Order Mennonites Vs. Amish Communities Plain Faith Book Authors Who Shared Life Book Project, by Pastor Geoff Smith Worship and Special Music by the Schmidt Family Former Amish Who Came to MAP A Special Thank You Some More Photos of the Conference

Personal Greetings

The 2014 Amish Awareness Conference is over!

Thanks to all of you who helped in any way, and thank you to the more than 100 of you who attended. This year’s conference was a success, and we are currently prayerfully considering options and ideas for future conferences. We rejoice over two salvation testimonies we received from people who attended the conference.

We want to devote this issue of the MAP Update to the conference, reviewing it for those who were there, and introducing some of the highlights to those who were not able to attend.

— Paul Miller

2014 Amish Awareness Conference Highlights

Responses from those who attended:

Great Conference! What a blessing and eye-opener!
Your conference has stimulated something in me. I just can’t wait to grow in the Lord more and be used by Him to help the lost.
It was a most enjoyable two days, filled with testi-monies and so much information. The meals were wonderful, hospitality super, and I am honored to have met so many of you! I look forward to contin-ued friendships. May God Bless you all!
The whole event has been life changing to me and the others that were in our group. It was presented in a very informative way. I knew so much more by the end of the conference than I knew at the start.
I started to support a MAP missionary and I am seeking the Lord for my part in the ministry to the Amish.
I realized I needed to be saved.
God placed an even greater burden in my heart for the Amish.
We look to present it (Amish: Our Friends, But Are They Believers?) to our church as a summer elective.
The conference made me more aware of the deep bondage more conservative groups have and how it affects their thinking.
God gave me an increased burden for those who are religious and zealous, but unsaved and lost.

Bible Translater

We were honored to have Hank Hershberger, form

er Amish, join us. He shared about his calling and the many hours that went into translating the Old and New Testaments into Pennsylvania Deitsh, bringing the entire Bible to Amish people in their own dialect. Until now, very little had ever been done to preserve the spoken (only) dialect.

Host Your Own Area Conference!

We have discussed the idea of duplicating the Amish Awareness Conference and holding various other ones in the U.S. What are your thoughts? Would you be able and willing to spearhead one in your area? If you are interested, contact us at (419) 962-1515 or map@mapministry.org.

Former Amish On Stage

One of the special highlights took place at the very end when all the former Amish who attended walked forward and shared their personal stories, testimonies, and answered questions. Some are in full-time ministry, others have become business owners, doctors, authors and talented singers. For me, it was a rich and powerful display of God’s eternal work among our beloved people.

— Joe Keim

Old Order Mennonites Vs. Amish Communities

Jeremiah Zeiset and his family joined us from Wisconsin to explain some differences between the Amish and Old Order Mennonites. He and his wife, Mary, were born and raised Buggy Mennonite, who are in a lot of ways similar to the Amish. Some of the biggest differences are in dress code, buggy style and the fact that Old Order Mennonites meet in church buildings rather than in the home.

Authors Who Shared

(Naomi Stutzman) (Kathy Kuderer) (Dee Yoder)

It was great to have some authors present their books at the conference. Naomi Stutzman was there with her book, A Basketful of Broken Dishes.

Kathy Kuderer, author of Down A Country Road, shared about her newest book coming out in the near future. It will tell true stories of former Amish. Kathy’s website address is DownACountryRoad.com.

Another author was our own Dee Yoder, who has just had her new book, The Miting, published. Although fictional, her story is based on real people and real stories of young men and women who left their Amish
families and now live in Ashland, OH.

The Miting and A Basketful of Broken Dishes are both available on our website.

Worship and Special Music by the Schmidt Family

Music was provided by Stephen and Rosetta Schmidt and family, who joined us from Indiana to share the Gospel in bluegrass and yodeling! They even blessed us with a concert on the first evening! Learn more about them at www.conleyschmidt.com.

The Schmidts come from a Swiss Amish upbringing, which is quite different from other Amish groups in America. Their group, in most cases, is considered ultra-conservative and they work very hard at keeping the (Swiss) family lineage pure.

A Special Thank You

A very special thank you to Chris Vallowe for the many hours and hard work she put into food preparation and serving. Chris, you and about 20 other volunteers were absolutely amazing! We know how badly you wanted to be part of the conference, but you chose to serve others instead.

MAP Building Tour and Housing Project

Bill Dunn, V.P. of the Board, led the tours of the MAP office, even showing conference attenders our plan for the housing project, estimated to cost us about $373,170. We continue to seek God’s will in providing a place to house former Amish as they learn the basic life skills that are needed in becoming productive citizens in our modern culture.

To learn more about the housing project or to support it, contact us at (419) 962-1515. A special thank you to Abe Abraham, a retired architect and faithful supporter from California, who has drawn up the print for this housing

Fun with Paul

Our very own Paul Miller, giving away DVDs, CDs, books, and fridge reminders to pray for MAP.

Testimonies, Ministries and Sessions, by MAP Missionaries

(Melvin Schrock) (Joe and Esther Keim) (Jonas Yoder)

MAP’s own missionaries gave their testimonies and led most of the sessions, teaching about the history, beliefs, culture, and needs of the Amish and how to evangelize them. They also had question and answer times.

Do you have questions about the ministry? Need some advice on how to go about reaching out to Amish in your community? Join us on the conference line every Monday morning from 7:30 to 8:30 Eastern. Dial (267) 507-0240 and enter code 505320.
If you are interested in having one of the MAP missionaries present the ministry in your area, contact us!

Starting the Day with a Message from God's Word

Soul-stirring preaching was provided by Pastor John Bouquet of Bethel Baptist Church who spoke on The History and Burden of Evangelizing Amish Communities during his thirty years of ministry in Savannah, OH.

Pastor Wayne Ayer of Vicksburg Grace Brethren Church preached on the Gospel For the World. As a reminder to those who attended Amish Awareness, he asked that we include a picture of his Coca Cola can.

Seminar Materials

Throughout the conference, we recorded seventeen sessions, which include testimonies, sermons, and the following eight sessions: Anabaptist Movement, Culture and Values, Beliefs and Practices I and II, Legalism and Leaving, Why Evangelism is Necessary (three ways to connect), Do’s, Don’ts and Stumbling Blocks and Helping the Former Amish. For $60, we will send you the 135 page book and seven CDs. Additional books are $12 each. You can order from AmishAwareness.com or call our office at (419) 962-1515.

Click here to order resources online.

Plain Faith Book

Life Book Project, with Pastor Geoff Smith

Pastor Geoff Smith from Missionary Baptist Church in Greenwood, WI shared with us his ideas for the Life Book project — a portion of Scripture but with added notes by the former Amish to help other Amish see and understand the true meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you want to learn more, support the project, or help Pastor Geoff, let us know.

You can also contact him directly at: pastorgeoff58@gmail.com

Former Amish Who Came to MAP

(Uriah Shetler) (John and Kathy Burkholder) (Samuel and Polly Girod)

It was great to hear Uriah Shetler, John and Kathy Burkholder, and Samuel and Polly Girod share their testimonies, telling how MAP was there to provide a helping hand when they left the Amish. They also shared how God has been working in their hearts and leading them to reach back to their Amish communities with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some More Photos of the Conference

(Gospel Tracts and Booklet Table) (Praying Before the Conference)

(Eating and Fellowshipping) (Ministry Display)

(Awareness Sponsor)

(Touring the MAP Office)

“ Thank you, Joe and Esther, for giving of your time and sharing with us about the MAP Ministry. We sure learned a lot about the Amish folks. I watched and have listened to the CD’s. I was impressed about your love and concern for the Amish People. My wife and I would like to support the ministry on a monthly basis. Will also pray for you’s. Thank you for the 1st class ministry that you run. ” - Atwater, OH

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