June 2021 MAP Update
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| 575 US Highway 250 | Greenwich, OH 44837 | Office: (419) 962-1515 |
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| Walking in the Trenches |
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Questions cause the one being discipled:
Remember! God gave us two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak. LaMar comes from the buggy Mennonite community and is one of many, whom I meet with on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. After three meetings, Lamar knows how much money he makes in a month, he knows where the money is going, he has savings account set up, and He is giving some money back to God. LaMar also came up with four 6-month goals, four 1-year goals, and one 5-year goal. These goals involve wanting to start a dating relationship, know Jesus better, get baptized (he recently made Jesus his Savior and Lord), overcome addictions, become a member of the church, better leader, get married, and have children. While we work on finances and goals, we are also working through a one year commitment of doing twenty four lessons of the ABC’s for Christian Growth. New Beginnings This month, Elaine is moving out of her apartment at New Beginnings. She came to the ministry in 2018 and started a business that has grown into nearly a full time chiropractic-type business.
In May, Laura and Miriam, from Michigan, moved into New Beginnings. They are sisters and left the Amish on the same day. While Miriam is having a very hard time adjusting and talking about going back to her family, Laura is very confident she is staying. Both girls are working at Beyond Measure Market. Please think of Miriam and Laura when you pray. Thank you for caring! |
If there’s one thing in life I love to do more than just about anything else, it’s one-on-one discipleship. It is God’s spiritual gift to me. It is also God’s calling and purpose for my life. My number one goal is to never be a fixer, but an excellent listener. My second goal is to always ask challenging questions.
| Robert McCallum |
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Faith Baptist Church of Fredericksburg VA gave a special donation towards the Bible Club in “Honor of Robert McCallum.” Robert was an employee of the MAP Ministry several years ago and the desire of his heart was that the Bible Club would continue to grow and reach lost souls for Christ. Thank you Robert for all you did during your lifetime. You are missed. — MAP Staff |
In Memory of Robert McCallum, a former staff member at Mission to Amish People. | A Timely Letter |
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Eventually, I left home secretly with not so much as a note to say why I was leaving or where I was going. This caused much grief, which I regret deeply. During my first year of being gone, I developed several relationships and came across various circumstances which made me begin to see truth. Little by little, I began to open my mind to the Bible, and eventually, I realized that I was a sinner and that Jesus died for me. I decided to become a believer. That same year, I felt God asking me to return home to finish out my youth until I was age twenty-one. I found, however, that it was not as easy to live at peace with everyone and my new life situation. After a year and a half, I made the request to be baptized and was told that the faith I had was not compatible with the church. For this reason, after becoming of age, I decided to join a Mennonite Church. Dad consistently used Scriptures to put me in my place, but he never wanted to stick around to discuss it deeper. When my mom would write a letter to me, Dad would always add a note of judgment. Even after joining a Mennonite church, Dad held me in the ban (shunned me), even though it wasn’t required since I had never become a member of the Amish church before leaving. Mom, on the other hand, accepted my faith as valid and related to me as a believer, even though deep down I knew her heart’s desire was that I would still be in the Amish Church. Around seven years had passed, and I had this strong sense (ein gross angst) that I needed to write Dad a letter about being ready for heaven. I fought it at first thinking, “But I'm the black sheep of the family. It will only make things worse.” Finally though, I said, “God, you guide my pen, and I will write.” The words came freely. I wrote about Old Testament sacrifices and about Jesus coming to provide a complete sacrifice. I was very scared to send my letter, especially since I had asked Dad some hard questions like, “What are you trusting in to get to heaven - was it really Jesus, or was it about being a good Amish?” A letter came back and my dad thanked me for writing and shared about the happenings of the day. At the bottom of the letter was a short note from Mom. I didn't know what to make of it. He didn't answer or refer back to any of the questions I had asked. I simply decided to cherish it since it was the only friendly letter I had ever received from him. Time passed, and a month later I received the message that my Dad was very sick in the hospital. Just one day later a message came that he had passed away. After the funeral, my mom spoke about the letter I had written to my dad. “I don't know what came over Dad. You know how he would never discuss the Schrift with us? Well, it was so different from then on. He would read the Bible and want to discuss it. One night at the hospital in Canton, a couple days before he passed on, he called me to his bedside and said to me, ‘I'm ready to go.’" After she had finished with her story, we visited about other things regarding the funeral and that day. To this day, though, it is an encouragement to know that my dad had been so impacted by my letter. My prayer is that God used my letter to be a light to my dad in his last few weeks on earth! |
Life was good for me as a young boy in an old order Amish setting. My dad was a good dad, who treated me well. As a teenager, I was living with some double standards, which is pretty common for Amish youth. Outwardly, I was Amish, but inwardly, I was not following the teaching or honoring authority.
