May 2024
Beyond Measure Market - A Market with a Mission
What a journey! I never imagined that after semi-retiring from a local factory 9–10 years ago, I would work 40-plus hours a week, including every other Saturday. A person may plan their path, but God directs their steps (Prov. 16:9). When God directs our steps, the journey is well worth taking.
He has given me such a love for the girls who work at the market. It seems we have customers to serve during every conversation. Most of the time, we get interrupted before the first sentence is completed, yet we have experienced so many God-moments!
When I walked into the deli to collect cooking utensils, one of the girls exclaimed, “Esther, guess what I’m going to do? I’m going to get baptized!” My first thought was wondering if she understood salvation, so I asked her. This led to a conversation in the office to help her understand that people get baptized to picture the death, burial, and resurrection. She believed the gospel, accepted Christ, and insisted she wanted to show people that she now wants to live for Christ by following Jesus in baptism.
On another occasion, I just sat down in the office to wrap things up for the day. Along came one of the girls with tears in her eyes. She fidgeted and finally blurted, “I don’t know how to get saved.” What a God-moment!
It took us nearly five years to experience these kinds of God-moments. It was well worth the toiling we did and will continue to do until God changes our path in a new or different direction. Little did I know when I was a young Amish girl helping my sister in her bakery and bulk food store that I would someday appreciate all I learned while my friends got to play.
If you wish to support us in our mission, please come shop at Beyond Measure Market so we can support the girls that God brings to us. They love to talk and interact with our customers if you show an interest in them. However, you will probably have to be the one to start the conversation—some of them are rather shy.
We have one gal who works behind the scenes baking, making chocolates, and doing a multitude of tasks. She didn’t grow up Amish, but I had the privilege of training her a little bit. She catches on quickly and always knows what to do next and how to do it. She relates very well with all the girls. I praise God for bringing her to the market!
Beyond Measure Market offers a huge variety. We sell lawn furniture, flowers, wind-chimes, kitchen gadgets, bulk food, home-canned goods, and freshly sliced deli meats and cheeses. We make party trays for weddings, graduations, and family gatherings. We also make many homemade products, including salads and desserts, pizza, a variety of homemade bread, whoopie pies (moon pies), hand-dipped chocolates, fry pies, and more.
In our café, we serve soup, haystacks (a meal in a bowl), subs, ice cream, and 12 milkshake flavors.
Some people love to sit in our café just to listen to the girls chat and hear the Christian music play. Bring a friend and a card game, your laptop, or a book. We’d love to have you visit, enjoy the atmosphere, smell the food and bakery aromas. We also have a front porch and lawn furniture to sit on and listen to the melody of windchimes and birds.
On the Road
We are on our fourth mission trip of 2024 and have truly been blessed. Our first stop was in Friendship, NY, to present an Amish Awareness Conference. David Lindsey shared how he had witnessed to Eddie Gingrich and led him to the Lord. Eddie was the first Amish man convicted of murder in 1993.
Former Amish who had recently left shared their testimonies as well. Some people attended this conference out of curiosity, as well as many others who had a burden to see Amish come to Christ.
From there, we spent time in Fillmore, NY, with my distant cousins—about eight young families who left the Amish in the last year and a half and have powerful testimonies of coming to faith. It was heartbreaking, but also refreshing to hear the redemption stories of how God delivered them from religion and abuse.
Ben and Melinda Girod, with a family of seven children, left in 2022. The Amish completely shunned them and cut off all sources of income. Ben had to sell everything at auction. This family was willing to give up so much for the sake of Christ.
These families are hungry for fellowship because they are suffering rejection from family members and their former church. Please pray for them to stay strong in the Lord and be a light in their communities.
We are currently in Somerville, ME, holding another Amish Awareness Conference. Let us know if your church is interested in hosting one!
I’ve learned that people have a heart to reach the Amish but don’t know how. It is encouraging to see that many recognize the need and want to reach out.
Blessings,
Samuel Girod and Family
Upcoming Events:
- June 1–2 — Amish Awareness Conference, Titusville, PA
- July 7 — Heritage Baptist, Stanley, WI
- July 14 — Root River Community Church, Rushford, MN
- July 26–27 — Amish Awareness Conference, Spartansburg, PA
Shed for NBH
After you move into a new place, once everything is unpacked, there are always items you don’t have a place for. As I moved into New Beginnings, I realized there wasn’t a good place for things like bicycles or gardening tools.
What a joy it was when word came that a new shed would be given to New Beginnings Homestead!
We are so thankful to have a space to keep our outdoor items. These items bring a sense of home, as many of the girls grew up working with plants, and gardening is now a relaxing activity for them. It also brings the excitement of childhood, as most were not allowed to ride bikes in their Amish communities.
This shed has given us a safe space to store bicycles and gardening tools, and we see it as a gift from our Father’s hands.
Thank you, Trinity Lutheran Church Outreach Fund (Ashland, OH), for making New Beginnings a more welcoming home by providing this storage shed!