September 2020 Update

In This Issue

MAP in Ohio                                          MAP in Indiana 

Grant Writing at MAP

This month, I would like to give you a bunch of short updates on things that are happening in our every-day lives at the MAP.  Before I do that, I would like to say, “Thank you for your continued and faithful support.”  We are so grateful and always encouraged when we hear from you.

Registering Amish Voters: For the past year, we have used The Amish Voice to educate and encourage Amish people to register and vote this November.  At the beginning of September, we mailed voter registration forms to 21,000 Amish households in OH and PA.  Not only have the responses been positive, but we have also heard from quite a few women who will be going to the polls.  A special thank you to Amish PAC (www.amishpac.com), located in VA, for coming along side MAP and paying for all of the printing and postage expenses.

Sharing the Gospel: The Lord connected the ministry with a couple of young men who moved to our area with the intentions of  having us help them get started in life outside of their Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities.  Both came to us, searching for purpose and meaning in life.  As we helped them with housing, jobs, driver’s license and their GED, we shared the pure gospel. 

I will never be able to fully grasp how a person can grow up in a family with Bibles and Christian values, and not know the first thing about salvation, or attend church their whole life and never once hear how he or she can be born again. 

Most Amish people combine faith and works as one and the same.  So much emphasis is put on works—separation from the world, Ordinance Letter, baptism, traditions—that when you ask why God would allow them into heaven, they will all respond, “Because I am a good person.” 

Please pray for Atlee and Lamar. 

Sharing Updates via Live Video: After seeing some of our speaking engagements get canceled these past few months, we have had opportunities to do live updates via Facetime and Zoom.  It is not the same as being there in person, but we do like the fact that it saves us gas money and hours of driving.  We would love the opportunity to join any of our 75 supporting churches and do a live update.  Just let us know when, and what time, and we will be there.

Office Manager: After 18 years of serving at MAP, Tina Duffield is planning to retire.  She has given us a full year to find her replacement.  Having said that, we would like to bring someone on earlier so Tina can mentor and train them to do what she has done so well. 

In summery, we are looking for someone 25 to 40 years of age, lead of the Holy Spirit, to oversee and perform daily operations at the MAP office in Savannah, OH, managing the Bible Club ministry, and coordinating staff and volunteers.  To see a full job description, click here.

Amish Awareness Conference: When our August conference got canceled, we rescheduled for October 2 and 3.  Please join us at Hope Baptist Church in Dillsboro, IN for two amazing days of testimonies and learning about the Amish and how you can get involved in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ in your local Amish community.  Register at: www.amishawareness.com. 

Top of Page 

My name is Arlen Yoder. I have been the grant writer at Mission to Amish People since March 2019. My Dad was Amish. I gave my heart to Christ in 1977 on the day of my Amish Grandpa’s funeral. My wife Dee and I have been joyfully involved with Mission to Amish People since 2008. Upon retiring from 29 years of community mental health work and successfully writing several grants, becoming the part-time grant writer for MAP seemed like a natural fit.

I work at MAP one day per week. I enjoy the camaraderie felt by the staff and dedicated volunteers, and I usually leave my door open to hear their banter and laughter. I admire Joe Keim and his evident call to reach Amish and former Amish people with the Gospel. My wife and I think that Mission to Amish People is one of the most unique ministries in the world. Many people wonder why Amish people need to be missionized. They might ask, “Aren’t Amish people very religious and hard-working?” I know from many years living among and working with Amish people that most of them do not express a personal relationship with Christ.

In 2019, MAP applied or inquired to 42 foundations and received 6 grant awards  totaling $33,500. We received grants for the following: MAP campus security, SonLight Club, mail tabber, Beyond Measure Market oven, and operations.

2020 has been slower, likely partially due to the pandemic. MAP has applied or inquired to 34 foundations so far, and has received 3 grants totaling $7,300. We are currently awaiting a decision from In His Steps Foundation, which has been a major supporter over the years. We have received grants for the following: upgrade computer systems, SonLight Club, counseling/mentoring support for women at New Beginnings Homestead.

Top of Page 

I am so ready for this pandemic to be over so that we can go to other churches and present the ministry that God has called us to. Why fear when God has already given us, in Christ, everything we need to be what we’re supposed to be, and to do what we’re called to do?

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.”   Psalm 111:10

On a Friday night we left to visit an Amish community in Owingsville, KY where I had hoped to meet up with an Amish man whom I had previously had the privilege of witnessing to. I had asked you to pray for him. He had left his wife and children and spent 3 days in jail last year, and then went back Amish to his family in January.  His family was not home when I attempted to visit.

We then went to visit my Uncle Samuel who had been in prison for 3 1/2 years and was released on May 1^st due to Covid. We talked about salvation and about the new birth. God has him on a journey - so please, I’d like you to pray for him and his family.

Please continue to pray for the Amish Awareness Conference.  

Top of Page