Page 2 Mission to Amish People —www.MapMinistry.org
Growing Up Amish
By Ira Wagler
One fate-
ful, star-
less night,
seventeen-
year-old
Ira Wagler
got up at
2:00 a.m.,
packed all
his earthly
belongings
in a little
black duf-
fle bag,
left a scribbled note under his pillow,
and walked away from his home in
the Old Order Amish settlement of
Bloomfield, Iowa, into a world much
wider and more foreign than he could
ever have imagined.
Now, in this heartwarming memoir,
Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish
life--from his childhood on the family
farm and his Rumspringa rite of pas-
sage at age sixteen to his ultimate
decision to leave the Amish church
for good at age twenty-six.
Growing up Amish
is the true story of
one man's quest to discover who he is
and where he belongs. Readers will
laugh, cry, and be inspired by this
charming-yet poignant coming-of-age
story set against the backdrop of one
of the most enigmatic cultures in
America today--the Old Order Amish.
———————
A note from Joe: For many years,
authors have written books and made
movies about the Amish, however,
few have been able to explain the
Rumspringa years as well as Ira
Wagler who grew up in Bloomfield
IA.
For $13 (Postage Paid), you can order
straight from MAP.
1. Go to our site and via credit
card: MapMinistry.org
2. Call Tina at (419) 962-1515
3. Send a check to:
MAP
PO Box 128
Savannah, OH 44874
Administrative Assistant
—by Bea Kennedy
My name is Bea Kennedy, and I recently be-
gan working with Mission to Amish People
(MAP) to manage the web site and advertise
the ministry online and
make sure that every-
thing connected with
the web site is work-
ing correctly.
The MAP web site is
the Internet presence
of the ministries of
MAP and contains
many of the printed
articles that have
reached so many people with the Gospel of
Jesus Christ over the years.
My responsibilities include adding new arti-
cles and pages for the web site, modifying and
organizing existing content, maintaining the
email database, and looking for effective ways
to promote the ministry online. The MAP
web site had 1,970 visitors from 69 countries
during the month of May, and the newsletter
and Amish Voice publications are currently
emailed to approximately 1,500 people—this
does not include the 8,500 people who get the
hard copy in the mail.
I first met Joe and Es-
ther Keim when they
were just beginning
MAP, and it’s been a
joy to watch the minis-
try grow over the
years. I count it a great
privilege to work with
them and all the other
staff and volunteers in
the ministry.
Note from Joe:
Starting in August, Bea will go
from working out of her home to coming in to
the office four days a week. As Administrative
Assistant, she will help out with the Bible Club
and various other areas of ministry. This is a
financial step of faith on our part, but knowing
the great need to bring her onboard, causes us
to believe that God will provide.
A Message from Uriah
—by Uriah Shetler
Dear Newsletter Readers, Psa. 62:8 says:
Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour
out your heart before Him:
God is a refuge for us.
I have a job now, on a farm
here in Ohio. I can say from
my heart, God has faithfully
brought me out of the Amish,
not knowing where I would go
or what would become of me,
and has brought me so far in 8
months.
Praise God! I went with Joe
Keim to Pennsylvania for a
ministry presentation and gave
my testimony. I am living in
an apartment by myself. Would enjoy hearing
from you. You can email me or use the MAP
address to send your letters to me:
Uriah N Shetler
PO Box 128, Savannah, OH 44874
Email: unshetler@gmail.com
Note from Joe: As many of you know, Uriah
believes with all his heart that God has called
him to full time ministry to the Amish. And it
is with great joy and ex-
citement, that I have the
privilege to mentor and
disciple him. Once a
week, we get together for
one to two hours and talk
about ministry, educa-
tion, staying in the Word,
future wife, finances,
struggles in life, speaking
in public, etc.
Even at a young age,
God has given Uriah
great portions of knowledge and spiritual in-
sight. He does well in communicating the
Word of God in public. In time, Uriah is plan-
ning on speaking to young people.
The photo shows Uriah following the Lord in
baptism, which is something we studied dur-
ing our times together.
In July, all of our 2011 donors received a copy of Melvin and Ella Schrock’s
heart breaking testimony on CD. It tells the true story of how the Schrock
family had their eyes opened to salvation and what all they had to go
through after their extended families learned about it. If you would like a
copy, let us know and we will mail one out to you ($3.
00
would help us cov-
er material and postage). You can also play and/or download it from our
web site:
www.mapministry.org/resources/audio-and-video/audio-resources