Step Out of the Boat Conference

About 200 people from fourteen states and Canada attended the Step Out of the Boat Conference in March. Twenty men and women from various backgrounds and cultures testified of a time when they let go, stepped out in faith, and God did a miraculous work.

Five men preached, putting great emphasis on the ONE true gospel. Brand new ministries, authors, and displays were shared throughout the four days. All celebrated when a young boy gave his heart to Jesus. We rejoiced again when a man who had flown in from Alberta, Canada (2,000 miles) asked to be baptized.

We laughed, sang, prayed, fellowshipped, and grew in our faith in God.

The Amish Voice

In 2007, we mailed out 2,000 copies of The Amish Voice. The publication was small and only had four pages. Today, the bi-monthly publication is full-sized and contains 16 pages.

This year, we added 2,000 more households to our active mailing list, bringing the total to 15,000. This increase was made possible because people like you stepped in and supported the ministry.

We currently have 67,000 Amish households who are not receiving The Amish Voice.

Salvations, Baptisms, and Discipleship

Beyond Measure Market (BMM) is a 6,000 sq. ft. non-profit bulk food and deli store that operates under Mission to Amish People. The store employs 17–25 staff members, with a goal of providing jobs for the single ladies who live at New Beginnings Homestead.

We recently celebrated our 6th anniversary in March. What a fantastic and busy day! People drove in from all over Ohio to celebrate this milestone.

In those six years, we have been bold about sharing our Christian testimonies, playing Christian music, and praying over many customers. In 2023, well over 100,000 customers visited BMM. Some have gotten saved, joined our Bible studies, and are now attending our home church.

Recently, two former Amish girls who serve at the store, Amelia and Linda, approached my wife, Esther, and said they wanted to be saved. Amelia couldn’t stop crying. She said, “I have been searching the Bible for four days, trying to figure out how to be saved.”

Four of our former Amish workers now want to be baptized and have started attending weekly Bible studies.

Nigeria & ABCs for Christian Growth

Several years ago, Esther and I shared our house with a Nigerian couple for one year. Their rent was praying for us and the ministry—and that they did.

Over time, the Lord allowed our ministry to partner with Manasseh and Victoria to begin printing Bible courses in Nigeria. A donation of $5,000 helped print 500 ABCs for Christian Growth courses. Later, another $6,000 funded 500 more.

Each time students in Nigeria completed the program, I was invited to speak to them via Zoom. Last month, I preached to a large group of Nigerian prisoners on “Faith in Action.”

Later that day, the Muslim ringleader in that prison surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. This is not uncommon—hundreds of Muslims are coming to Christ in Nigeria.

If you feel led to help print more Bible courses, please call me. I would love to connect you with Bumba, who leads the ministry there. The need is great, but funding is limited.

Disciples Making Disciples

One Sunday evening a year and a half ago, Esther and I talked about all the young couples in our area who had recently been saved and needed to be discipled.

That night, I sent text messages to six people, and all six responded with a yes. We began to meet every other Thursday evening.

Like many others, we introduced them to the ABCs for Christian Growth and asked for a solid one-year commitment. In time, more joined our group.

Not only did we discuss the doctrines of the faith, but we also spent time together, participated in baptisms, premarital counseling, and weddings. We now have just two lessons left.

Throughout the 15 months, I challenged our students to disciple others. Many have found individuals and are preparing to begin discipling them.

Our group of about 15 students plans to go on a mission trip to Germany in October. Between now and then, we are planning various fundraisers. Except for maybe two people, none of us have been outside the United States.

Office Space

MAP has needed more office space for quite some time. When we approached our board last fall, we initially thought we would need to expand our current building.

After discussion, the church offered to sell us the bus garage attached to the MAP office instead. This turned out to be a much better solution since the structure already exists and the church needs a larger garage.

A BIG thank you to one of our supporting churches for donating $10,000 to help get this project started.

If you would like to help financially, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Lily’s Visit

Recently, our 9-year-old granddaughter Lily spent three days with us. To say we had an incredible time is an understatement.

Weeks before her visit, she created a checklist of everything she wanted to do:

• Sunday: attend church and enjoy time together
• Monday: help at Beyond Measure Market
• Tuesday: work at the MAP office

Lily’s Report

“On March 11–12, I visited my grandparents in Ashland, Ohio. On the 11th, I worked at Beyond Measure Market. I bagged and weighed ice, ran the cash register, restocked, bulked, labeled, and did all sorts of things. I also met a few people along the way.

On the 12th, I worked at the MAP office. I graded and labeled SonLight Club lessons, filled envelopes, and met more people.

This was my first overnight trip by myself, and I had so much fun. I was sad to leave, but all good things must come to an end.”