Spring 2017 | vol 26, no 3

I am an Amish Man

by Orva Hochstetler, Windsor, Mo.

I am an Amish man; we have much history, In Switzerland, France, Holland and Germany. Religious freedoms were denied in those nations, So some fled to America to escape the situation.

I am an Amish man; my roots run deep, Blood was spilled in this heritage that I reap. My ancestors suffered persecution for Christ’s sake, Many were burned alive while tied to a stake.

I am an Amish man; today we are free, To worship our God in this land of liberty. It would be a huge loss and bring us shame, If we ever forget about from where we came.

I am an Amish man; plus I’m your brother, All of us humans need to respect one another, While striving to be friendly, meek, and kind, And loving God with our heart, soul, and mind.

I am an Amish man; some think we’re odd, By the way we live and die to serve our God. But God does want us to be a peculiar people, There’s more to faith than a tall church steeple.

I am an Amish man; it is a great challenge, To live a simple life that is perfectly balanced, And to always let our lights shine before men, Until our Lord returns in the clouds once again.

I am an Amish man; we do love to farm, And work with nature without doing it harm. It’s fun to have a few horses and some cows, Along with our chickens, goats and the sows.

I am an Amish man; our life is grand,

As we sweat and toil to live off the land. It’s kinda hard to explain just exactly how, Our food tastes better by the sweat of our brow.

I am an Amish man; it brings us great joys, To have families with lots of girls and boys. They make life as interesting as it can be, While watching them grow up to be just like we. (cont. on page 2)

Hostess Reflections

by Amanda Rempel

What an incredible month was March 2017 when my husband and I volunteered as hosts at Menno-Hof. We had some familiarity with Menno-Hof from our residence in northern Indiana about 25 years ago; we had little familiarity with the far reach of Menno-Hof’s influence in the 21

st century.

The practice at Menno-Hof is for visitors to sign the guest book before they take the tour. March was not a high volume month with regard to number of visitors. (We actually spent a fair amount of time working on jigsaw puzzles and reading!) However, during the month of March we had guests representing 20 different countries on six continents, and 30 states—Alaska to Rhode Island. Many guests came in two’s and three’s. Some guests came as college student groups. Several Amish schools sent a number of “scholars” along with parents, teachers, and board members. Another group came as a church, and one group represented a business. Christian denominations were spread from Assembly of God to Unitarian. Other religions included Hindu and Bahai. One guest registered as “atheist.” What a reach! Most of the adult visitors

(cont. on page 3)

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THANK YOU!

by the numbers

9,500 —the approximate number of donated

volunteer hours in 2016!

30 hosts and hostesses lived at

Menno-Hof in 2016, blessing many,

many visitors. These volunteers

were from...

2

6

Canadian provinces: British Columbia

and Ontario, and

of the United States: Idaho, Indiana,

Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina,

Pennsylvania.

Beginnings & endings

hosts & hostess

Rod & Roberta Hofer, Lawrence, Ks. | June

Fred Tillery | June - Sept.

Hugo & Mary Boschmann, Newton, Ks. |

July

Ron & Shirley Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va. |

August

“First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ

for you all, that your faith is spoken of

throughout the whole world.” -Romans 1:8

Orva Hochstetler is a member of the Old Order Amish Church and lives in Windsor, Mo. Orva has seven children and 17 grandchildren. He enjoys writing poetry, having pen pals, writing for a newspaper, connecting with friends and traveling. Since his wife passed away in 2013, Orva has written approximately 430 poems. His current goal is to write at least 100 poems per year, “for as long as God allows me.” His poetry has been printed in well over 20 books, newspapers, magazines and newsletters. Orva says, “all glory, honor, and praise belongs to God for the gift He has

given me.”

I am an Amish Man (cont. from front)

I am an Amish man; we are very blessed, But would we be faithful if put to the test, To give up everything we have for our Lord, Instead of trying to defend ourselves with a sword?

I am an Amish man; sometimes we’re sad, Things have changed a lot since I was a lad. This world is moving at a much faster pace, And it would like to drag us into its rat race.

I am an Amish man; after we are gone, Others will reap from the seeds we have sown, And hopefully Christ will take us home with Him, To a place where there won’t be any more sin. Used with permission.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should shew forth the praises of Him who

called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. I Peter 2:9

Friends Across Borders

In 2015, when Hilda & Lorne Epp traveled to Menno-Hof from Saskatchewan, Canada, to volunteer, they became acquainted with Perry & Carrie Miller and their family. The Millers are Old Order Amish and live in Shipshewana close to Menno-Hof. Hilda & Lorne have grandchildren about the same ages as the Miller children and thought it would be a great opportunity for cross cultural friendships. Some letters and pictures were exchanged between the children. In April 2017, Hilda & Lorne came back to Menno-Hof to volunteer for a month. Their grandchildren (and adult children) came from Canada for an extended weekend visit. The children finally got to meet their Amish friends and spend time at their house. Alex (age 10), Sophia (age 7) and Nicholas (age 6) said that a highlight of their time together was riding in a little carriage pulled by a miniature pony. They also enjoyed buggy rides, playing on the swings, visiting the Amish school and eating snacks together.

The Epp grandchildren enjoying a ride with their Amish

friends (below).

Thank you

to the

LaGrange

County

Foundation

for the

distribution

of grant

funds to

Menno-Hof

which

greatly

assisted in

meeting

various

expenses

during 2016

and

currently.

“The

building,

each of the

room

experiences,

the

educational

information,

was on

quality with

the museums

we visited

last year in

D.C. The

historical

and spiritual

perspectives

were

presented in

multi-sensory

ways that kept

our 14-year-old

grandson

interested. We

were so

pleased with

our visit and

highly

recommend

it!”

—recent online review

3

PL

AN

T

O A

TT

EN

D

9th Annual Singspiration

Sunday, September 10, 5 p.m.

Come and enjoy a cappella singing of familiar hymns under a tent on the Menno-Hof lawn in the traditions of the Amish Church, Amish Mennonite Church, Conservative Mennonite Church and Mennonite Church USA. There will be ice cream and pretzels following the worship service. Bring lawn chairs for seating. Rain location: Farmstead

Inn pavilion, Shipshewana (just north of Menno-Hof)

Hostess Reflections (cont. from front)

left in a spirit of appreciative reflection. Just a few skipped some of the media presentations and exhibits and hurried away. Phrases like “That was wonderful!” and “very inspiring” were oft-heard responses. A Catholic woman who had visited once before now brought her friend with whom she really wanted to share the Menno-Hof experience. Before the tour, with tears in her eyes, she told us how her life had changed after her previous visit. She had realized that her life was full of too many things. The result from her previous visit had been a paring down of things and activities for a life of greater simplicity and meaning. We were asked a variety of questions. From an independent Baptist: “I was baptized as a believer. Does that mean I am an Anabaptist?” Other ques-tions included: “How many Amish live in the area?” “Is it true that the buggy horses that run on hardtop roads don’t last very long because they get shin

splints?” “Do Amish use refrigeration?” “Are German Baptists the same as Amish?” “Do the Amish still practice shunning?” “Are you Amish?” Of course there were some questions we simply answered with “I don’t know.” If the answer was easily referenced from one of the many informative books for sale at Menno-Hof, we could sometimes report the answer at the end of the tour. We were impressed with the dedicated local volunteers, some of whom have volunteered since Menno-Hof opened in 1988. They, too, are part of Menno-Hof’s treasures. We are glad for Menno-Hof’s influence as it seeks to interpret the beliefs, practices and way of life of the Amish, Mennonites and Hutterites—groups rooted in the Anabaptist reform movement of the 1500’s. And that goes back to the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amanda & Clarence Rempel live in Newton, Kansas, and

attend First Mennonite Church (Newton, Kansas).

First Day of Planting by Christy Otto

The first day of planting is always a day brightener. Fields all worked up smooth, no weeds in sight.

The weather is usually not so warm, and if the whole family can be involved, it makes an enjoyable

day. (Used with permission.)

Christy Otto is a member of the Old Order Amish Church. He and his wife, Edna Fern, live in Topeka, Ind., and have nine

children and five grandchildren. Christy has been drawing since preschool age, inspired by his grandfather who would draw a

variety of animals for Christy when he came for a visit. Christy is self-taught and learned by observing other artists’ work. He

has published two compilations of his cartoons with short narratives and these books are for sale in the Menno-Hof gift shop.

Reunion is published quarterly to keep

our friends informed of happenings at

Menno-Hof. Send questions or

comments to director at

info@mennohof.org

Menno-Hof Amish-Mennonite

Visitors’ Center

PO Box 701

510 S Van Buren St, SR 5

Shipshewana, IN 46565

Tele: (260) 768-4117

Fax: (260) 768-4118

E-mail: info@mennohof.org

Web site: www.mennohof.org

Menno-Hof staff:

Jerry Beasley, executive director Susan Miller, managing director Charlotte Long, program and communication associate Bill Yoder, facility and grounds associate Don Miller, facility and grounds associate

Board of Directors:

Larry Chupp, president, Shipshewana, Ind. Lovina Rutt, vice-president, Goshen, Ind. Donna Jones, Shipshewana, Ind. Orie E. Lehman, Shipshewana, Ind. Daniel B. Miller, Goshen, Ind. Steve Miller, Goshen, Ind. Jim Neff, Goshen, Ind. Wayne Schrock, Millersburg, Ind. Don Stauffer, Union, Mich. Alvin J. Yoder, Shipshewana, Ind. Fern Yoder, Millersburg, Ind.

Norman Yoder, Shipshewana, Ind.

M an alive—it has been beautiful outside these days!

When I was a kid in Alabama “man alive” were words we used to react to something good we discovered or experienced. I have no idea where it came from but it popped into my head as I thought about the beauty of the season. Life is sprouting all around us and

colors and fragrances abound. It is also the case here at Menno-Hof. Although we enjoy the winter and snow, we find ourselves ready to put aside the popcorn and puzzles in the lobby and prepare for increased

activity and visitor volumes. I hope we all take time to appreciate God’s miraculous creation as it transitions from season to season. I do realize that not all of us are pain free and jolly and some suffer for a variety of reasons. It is my prayer that all who are suffering and need comfort will seek God’s healing and reassurance by calling on Him. If you don’t know Him, He is waiting to receive you and your prayers and welcome you into a whole new life! These are the days God has made, I pray we can all be glad and rejoice in them!

Jerry Beasley

executive director

Hours:

Monday—Saturday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.

Summer hours (June, July, August) Monday—Friday: 10 a.m.—7 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m.—5 p.m.

DIRECTOR’S DESK

NON-PROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

PAID

SHIPSHEWANA, IN

46565

PERMIT NO 17