We accepted Steve’s offer to attend an Amish church service. He really wanted us to understand the cultural and language issues that he had dealt with. We went to Catholic mass on one Sunday, and the next week we visited an Amish service in Holmes County. This meant a two-hour drive with four small children at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning. That was the beginning of a monthly routine for us, We never went back to the local Catholic church, and apparently, they didn’t miss us much either,
We stopped at a rest area to ‘freshen up’ and feed the children and then went to Steve and Edith’s house. From there we walked with them to the next place down the road, a quarter mile or so. Our children were ages 1-6 and I was expecting #5. I remember enjoying the fact that we were not considered a large family. In our home area we were regarded with amazement or as ignorant for having “sooooo many kids”. Among the Amish, we were a small family.
Church is held in homes and each family takes a turn hosting. This time it was held in a large open basement. The men and boys gather near or in a barn and the ladies go into the house or shop where services are held. Our coats were piled on a table and then the greeting began. Observing the holy kiss (Ro. 16:16, 1 Co. 16:20, 2 Co. 13:12,1 Th. 5:26) the ladies greet each other with a kiss and a blessing. The men greet each other as they arrive also. This is practiced among church members only, Edith would introduce me and I would receive a welcoming handshake. This particular group was very warm and friendly. They showed curiosity, but in a positive and down to earth way. Not all groups are like that, some groups stare soberly having no idea that it would be considered rude or uncomfortable to someone outside their culture. This congregation, and the New Order in general, were very open and pleasant. Socially they were warm and the light of Christ could not be missed. I had been among friendly and welcoming groups before, but this was different, like the tip of a deep iceberg, not polite social decorum. Later I would realize it was fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Edith was an excellent leader and walked me through everything. My fussy baby made me a bit nervous, he was on the loud side when he was not happy. This proved only to draw compassion and understanding from the mothers. I can still picture the pile of coats on the table. I wondered how they found their wraps when they were all black and identical. And atop the black mound, my eyes could not avoid the screaming red coat that was my daughter’s. Try as I would to ignore it, I could not.
We were warned that the service was in German. Steve had learned the language very well, but it took ten years. I remember who preached, a big man with a booming voice. I recall thinking, ‘I have no clue what that man is saying, but if I hadn’t already repented and come to Christ, I’d do it now’. And this is where things become completely subjective: somehow we knew, both us, that the Holy Spirit was present there. It is not something one can describe or explain, but most Christians experience it at some point. We knew. WE KNEW.
On the drive home, David told me that he really felt like we belonged with these people. I wasn’t sure what to make of it because he was strongly against leaving the Catholic church prior to that. And within the next week came the defining moment for me. David said, ” I’ve been thinking, and I don’t think we can stay in the Catholic church and obey the scriptures at the same time”. I was stunned at his 180-degree turnaround. He was not saying anything against that church, he was speaking on a personal level. Maybe others could, but we could not. We never went to mass again, when we were not visiting Holmes County for church, we attended a Mennonite service closer to home.
That week I also went out and got my daughter a dark colored coat.
The photo is not our family, it is an Old Order family from Lancaster County. Photographer Doug Hoover respectfully takes only candid shots of Amish people and avoids their faces. Adults especially. Check out his work at:
https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/doug-hoover.html?fbclid=IwAR0JEIpSwbHcJsGvxIEjvc6HVnILH_PT2txJfp4FA281hiDuaUMDGw1pCyU