2001 July

C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S

Things are going absolutely great with Mission to Amish People! God has used so many people like you to bless us, encourage us, help us, and pray for us. You are great! We praise God for you.

We are preparing for the MAP Board meeting this month, which will be held on July 27th. We are also excited about the Former Amish Reunion, which will be held July 28th. Tom and Ada Lendon, founders of F.A.R., do a great job organizing this event each year. We know of former Amish who will be there from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. Each year we hear some very powerful testimonies from those who have left the Amish and given their lives over to God.

Our prayer is that God would give us 10 missionaries to the Amish people over the next 5 years, and we really believe that God is already dealing with several people. Maybe we are jumping the fence too soon, but we are very excited about the following two stories:

Barbara Borkholder, who was formerly Amish, and now lives in Pennsylvania has been on several short-term mission trips to other countries. Barbara has felt God calling her to full time mission work, but doesn't feel it is to any of the countries she has previously served. I asked her if she felt that going to the Amish people might be a possibility. She has been very open to the idea that God might be calling her to go to the Amish. Barbara has visited us several times in the past two months and we have gotten to know her. She really has a heart for the Lord. We are all praying and seeking God's will in this matter.

I met Chris Schlabach two years ago when he shared his salvation testimony at a local church in our area. After the service, there was an immediate bond between Chris and I. Our hearts were united by the need for someone to take the gospel to the Amish people. Chris informed me on the phone this week that he feels God calling him into ministry to the Amish people. I was hardly able to contain myself. I praise God and wonder at the plan He has in using those He calls to reach the Amish people. This past fall Chris completed two semesters in college. He lives in Mt Vernon.

Several weeks ago we were at a small get together of former-Amish. During the day, a young man walked in; right away, I could tell that he had been Amish. He just couldn't hide it. I introduced myself, and he told me that he had just left the Amish that day and was really feeling the freedom of doing what he wanted to do. Several days later I called him to see if he needed help in getting clothes, food, a Social Security Card, a job, etc. We spent the next several days getting him the things he needed to get on his feet. My main desire was to win him to Christ, but as I find so many times, the last thing he wanted to hear about was religion. He is still lost, but my prayer is that he will come to Christ before long. Pray with me concerning him as God reminds you to do so. His name is Emanuel Wengerd.

I had an opportunity to meet with an Amish Bishop in the Homerville area who was going through a hard time with his son William. William was scheduled to be in court because of drug use but disappeared and didn't appear for the court hearing. Even though the bishop did not know where to turn, he would not allow me to help because of where I stand in the Amish church. Before leaving, I pulled my little testament out and read Psalms 33:6-22 to him and his family. I was able to start a relationship that has the potential to lead to even greater things. I visited several houses looking for William, but have not located him yet.

In June of 2000, Herman Schlabach came to one of the Friday night Bible studies we hold at our house. When I gave an invitation he prayed and asked Jesus to become his Savior. Herman went back to Texas where he was stationed in the Army. I began to pray for him and stayed in contact with him. Last month he came back to Ohio for another three weeks. This time I met with him once a week while he was here. What a joy it was to really get to know Herman in a whole new way. Soon after returning to Texas, he wrote a letter to us. I would like to share a little bit of what he wrote with you. He writes: “...I just wanted to thank you one more time for your help and support through everything. Just wanted you to know your efforts, dedication, concern, and hard work are not going unnoticed. If you ever need anything that I can help with please let me know." He ends by quoting John 5:24.

I had the privilege of meeting Emanuel Schrock last week at a friend's house here in Ashland. He was visiting from Illinois for the weekend. It ended up that he and I went out to eat the following day. After I dropped him off at his car, I asked him if he knew Jesus as his personal Savior. He replied, " I was baptized and I try to live as good a life as possible." After sharing some scripture with him from the books of John and Romans he agreed that he did not know Jesus as his Savior. When I asked him if he would like to ask Jesus to save him, he said," yes.". He bowed his head and received Christ into his life. I went out and bought him a Bible to get him started in his new journey in the Christian life. I praise God that He allowed me to have a part in this matter

In early June you may have seen on the news the story of Melvin Schrock. Melvin was stopped on the White House lawn where he handed over bullets and guns, which he had left in the bushes. His mission was to see the President, but he never made it that far. Melvin was a young man that I had tried to witness to on several occasions over the years; and at one point, I even opened up our home to him for several weeks. Melvin never did make a commitment for Christ. I visited his family who is still Amish several days later. My heart ached for his mother when she broke down in tears, not knowing what to do. She explained to me that undercover law enforcement officers, as well as, news people came out on an almost a daily basis.

I really believe that God is using this kind of crisis to bring the Amish people to a place where they need assistance from someone outside their circle. We want to be right there when that happens. We want to show love by letting them know we care. Our greatest desire is to see them all get saved.

Our family had the opportunity to ride horses while visiting Barbara Borkholder in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Esther and I went on a one-hour trail ride while Jonathan and Rachel had the pleasure of riding in the corral.

While visiting an Amish family in Orville one night we had a near panic experience. Jonathan and Rachel joined the Miller children up in the haymow for some fun on those huge round bails that were stacked 3 high. First Rachel fell down between two of the big bales. Stuck in the crack, she could hardly breathe because of the dust and pressure of being pinched between the bales. Of course, big brother Jonathan came to the rescue only to fall into the crack himself. He did manage to get his sister out safely, but not himself. After near suffocation from all the dust and the tight area, the men came on the scene and brought a safe conclusion to everything.