2008 May

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Was there ever a time in your life when God’s anointing presence and power became so strong and overwhelming in your life that you just kind of said, “Wow! …I feel so great right now that I don't want to move away from this place”. In (Mat 17) we read the story of Peter, James, and John making a trip up the mountain side with Jesus. When the men got to the top of the mountain, some very exciting things started taking place. (V-2) …and His (Jesus’) face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. (V-3) …And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias. (V-5) …and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. Bam! Bam! Bam! — three powerful and anointed miracles of God, right next to each other. So powerful that Peter wanted to immediately build three tents and never leave the mountain top again. You know what I believe? I truly believe that God allows all His family members to go through mountaintop experiences for one reason—they help us get through the valleys.

MAP is pretty much caught up on all of our main bills!!! — thanks to all the wonderful people who came to our rescue during the past two months. One of those wonderful people is our good friend and long time supporter—Elaine, from Springfield MO. When Elaine heard that the ministry was struggling financially, she called to ask us if the ministry would consider taking the truck that she had been trying to sell for several months. The board agreed that we should go for it. And in a nut shell, Bill Dunn and I traveled to Elaine’s area and accomplished two things: (1) we updated a supporting church in the same area, and... (2) by God’s grace, Bill found a buyer for the truck and sold it before heading on home.

The biggest accomplishment in all of this wonderful outpouring of generosity is the fact that the SonLight Club mailings never skipped a beat.
Here are some very interesting SonLight Club statistics for 2008:

• On average thus far, we have been mailing out 4,779 Bible lessons a month.
• 119 Amish students have written to tell us that they got saved, while many, many others have shared how their spiritual lives have been greatly impacted because of a certain lesson.
• Our active students continue to send us new names all the time.
• At the present time we have several thousand new names of children and adults who have been waiting up to 4 months to receive their first Bible lesson, due to the lack of funds and volunteer help.

Recently, a mother wrote… Dear Friends, Our younger son Reuben cried yesterday when the boys received their SonLight Club lesson and there wasn’t one for him. Do you have any for such a younger age? I wasn’t planning to ask but now the other two boys begged me to ask. By the way, they just love receiving them. Thanks a bunch for all the work and efforts you put in this. ~ Sincerely, The Millers

A while back our very own “number’s crunching Bill Dunn” sat down and figured out that based on last years figures—for every $258.24 spent on Bible lessons, a soul came to Christ — talk about investing our monies wisely!

Sometimes people ask us, if the Amish church truly forbids having Bible studies, then why are so many families allowing the SonLight Club lessons to come into their homes. The answer to that question is 3-fold. (1) it is truly a God thing (2) not all families follow the strict rules of the church, all the time (3) it is not looked upon as a group Bible study

Lizzie (age 19) writes… Reading and doing these lessons inspires me afresh to serve, reverence and love God our Lord. I can feel my heart responding with joy and a desire towards righteousness as I read the solid truth taken and explained from God’s word. I wish to express my thanks for providing these [SonLight Club] lessons.

Mary writes… I’ve been receiving your [SonLight Club] lessons since I was a little girl and always when it asked, “Have you accepted the Lord Jesus as your Savior? I wrote yes, when I really didn’t and afterward I felt bad about lying. But finally I really and truly invited the Lord Jesus Christ to dwell in my heart. Now I feel so different.

Remember Lizzie from our January update? It has been such a blessing to see how God used Jerry & Carol (who she is staying with), sermons from our pastor, and a Bible museum to penetrate the heart and help her to see the need for a Savior. Lizzie has not only been faithful in church but is also becoming actively involved in service for the Lord. On Easter Sunday she followed the Lord’s command and was baptized. This was obviously very difficult for her parents to accept and understand because in their eyes, Lizzie had already been baptized (water poured on her head), the day she made membership into the Old Order Amish church.

[REVIEW] — Lizzie and her boyfriend Albert had both left the Amish, during the summer of 2007. Soon after they left, Lizzie got into a bad 4-wheeler accident but by God’s grace was able to get out alive. As for Albert, he got in with the wrong crowd and eventually ended up in jail. Today, Albert is back in with the Amish church and Lizzie is enjoying her new lifestyle and cleaning houses and working at a local nursing home.

So far this year we have traveled to 7 different states and spoken to 22 churches and special group gatherings; sometimes it’s updating a supporting church and other times it’s presenting the ministry to a new church.

Along the way we have presented our 2-hour seminar called “AMISH: THEY ARE OUR FRIENDS, BUT ARE THEY OUR BROTHERS?” Those who attend this seminar receive their own 24-page “fill in the blank” workbook; this workbook covers a lot of great information on the following topics…
(1) Amish of Yesterday (2) Amish of Today (3) Amish Beliefs and Practices (4) Scripture that the Amish Person Might Use to Defend His/Her Belief's (5) A List of Unacceptable Activities and Belief’s (6) The Devastating Results of a Legalistic Environment (7) How Easy Is It To Leave The Amish Religion? (8) Evangelism Among the Amish (9) Objections That Might Be Raised, When Sharing the Gospel With An Amish Person (10) A List of Helpful Scriptures When Dealing With An Amish Person.

This workbook also includes parts of an Ordinance Letter as well as letters from parents and ministers who wrote to those who left the Amish church. During the 2-hour seminar we look at photos and listen to real life interviews. We also stop and brainstorm ways that the local church can reach out to the community in their home area. If you or someone you know is interested in putting on one of these seminars, please call or email us and we will send you more information.

Just recently, Rachel joined Maryann and Mattie who have lived in our basement apartment for about three month now. All three are working on getting their social security cards so that they can get drivers licenses and full time jobs. Esther and I have sure appreciated those who have helped us and the girls out by giving them jobs and taxing them all over.

I am constantly reminded of the emotional pain and scars that happen on both sides of the fence when an Amish person leaves the culture. Below are some recent testimonies...

A (formerly Amish) father and mother are completely devastated because their grown daughter received an offer from the Amish leaders that if she would leave her family and come back to the church, they would pay for her wedding. The daughter accepted the offer and went back to her boyfriend and culture. Several weeks ago, she got married just a couple miles from her parents house, but her parents were never invited or even notified of the wedding.

With his face buried in his hands, a young father sobbed uncontrollably as he recalled the time he broke away from his Amish community. He said, “after I got saved, it took me 10 years to gather up enough strength and courage to leave the Amish church.” And then he said, “when I stood up for my faith and freedom in Christ, the church excommunicated me. And because my parents wouldn't shun me, the church also excommunicated them.”

A wife writes: Hi Joe, I have a few questions for you. Do you see a lot of bitterness in people who step out of the Amish religion? My husband is struggling with this feeling and a lot of other emotions, I mean it's been 3 years that we left already but the hurt is still there. He struggles some with depression and even his self worth. I'm very curious if this is a common emotion. Would you have any Resources for me to look into, like literature or something of the sort? ~ Name withheld

In June, ABC News will be showing a 1-hr documentary on Primetime. It will cover Amish people leaving their culture