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Overview
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781513804255 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | MennoMedia |
| Publication date: | 01/29/2019 |
| Pages: | 96 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.10(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d) |
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Welcome to an Amish home! It's rare for outsiders to see inside the homes of Old Order Amish people, who live their Christian faith in community, simplicity, and humility. The Old Order Amish reject many technologies, including cameras, believing that photographs of people's faces cultivate pride and individualism.
This Amish family, who lives in the Midwest, gives us a glimpse into the intimate spaces where their family life unfolds. Patterns of work, play, fellowship, and worship become visible, and the warmth and light of the rooms bear witness to their love for God and for each other. Welcome!
THE HOME SITS at the end of a lane that runs off a country road. Many but not all of the family's closest neighbors are Amish. The Amish have a strong preference for rural living, and many continue to make their primary living through farming. Increasingly, however, Amish families make their living in many other ways — through small manufacturing, construction, factory work, and merchandising.
"The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it."
— PSALM 24:1
* * *
AS YOU DRIVE in the lane, you'll see the family's laundry hanging on the line. Given the size of many Amish families, lengthy clotheslines, packed with clothes and linens, are a common sight in most Amish communities. Electric-powered dryers may be more convenient, but the Old Order Amish don't connect their homes to the electric grid. No worries — the sun provides all the drying power needed, and the fresh air will make the bedsheets even more inviting at bedtime.
"Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
— JAMES 1:17
* * *
DON'T THINK that the Amish reject all technology. Not far from a rack of clothespins you'll see a modern technology that also takes advantage of the sun: solar panels on the roof of the family's workshop. Each Amish church district has its own Ordnung, a set of community-specific rules and regulations that church members are expected to follow. In this community, solar panels are permitted for powering saws, lathes, and other tools.
"Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love."
— EPHESIANS 4:1-2
* * *
AS YOU APPROACH the house, you may be greeted by a barn cat or kitten, or maybe the family's horse, who is harnessed to the buggy and ready for a trip to town. The Old Order Amish don't own cars, because they see them as threats to their communities, which are built on face-to-face visits. By hiring drivers when they need to travel greater distances, the Amish have tried to accommodate to contemporary life but not be swallowed up by it.
"O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."
— PSALM 104:24
* * *
THE FRONT PORCH of many Amish homes is the favorite place to visit when friends and family drop by. A porch swing invites guests to sit and stay awhile, and the family sometimes enjoys dinner at the table outside.
"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God."
— PSALM 84:3
* * *
AS YOU COME through the front door, you'll enter a room bathed with light from the early afternoon sun. Without the benefit of electric lighting, many Amish homes have large windows that allow nature to light up the rooms and brighten the family's day.
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised."
— PSALM 113:3
* * *
YOU MAY FIND the living room spare, but it is not without decorative features. Along with wall hangings and framed Bible verses, a grandfather clock sits in the corner, chiming out the hours of the day and night. The soft recliners are just the right thing for reading and dozing off, and they can quickly be pushed together when company stops by.
"Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."
— JOHN 14:23
* * *
ON CLOUDY DAYS, or when evening falls, gas-powered lights can quickly be put to use — for reading, writing letters, and a host of other activities. As a visitor, you'll surely notice how brightly the wick burns. You'll also catch a whiff of the propane gas, even when the lights aren't being used. In fact, many Amish homes include other gas-powered technologies, such as propane-powered refrigerators and stoves.
"No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light."
— LUKE 8:16
* * *
AMISH KITCHEN APPLIANCES may not run on electricity, but you might be surprised at how much the stove and refrigerator look like your own. As with the refrigerators in many non-Amish homes, you'll discover that this refrigerator doubles as the family's communication hub. Dotted with magnets and handwritten notes, it also displays a good-natured adage that may make you wonder who posted it in the first place.
"A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones."
— PROVERBS 17:22
* * *
WITH DINNER not too far away, it's time to make bread. No recipe is needed for the experienced baker to find the right combination of flour, water, and yeast, and her hands know when the kneading is done. Buying bread at the store can help during a busy week, but the homemade loaves taste better and are much less expensive. The thick slices are good by themselves, but some family members like them even better when they're slathered with apple butter or homemade jam.
"You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart."
— PSALM 104:14-15
* * *
PREPARING MEALS is always better when it is accompanied by conversation. Food preparation in an Amish home is typically women's work, and daughters learn from a very early age what they can do to help. Of course, the family dog likes to be where the action is, especially when a scrap of food might make its way to the floor. The sound of familiar voices and the warmth of the oven make the kitchen chair the best spot for an afternoon snooze.
"He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry."
— PSALM 147:9
* * *
MOST AMISH FAMILIES, even those that don't farm for a living, have large gardens that provide produce in the summer and fall. Grape arbors and fruit trees provide even more homegrown food for dinner tables that serve eight, ten, or even twelve family members.
"He has not left himself without a witness in doing good — giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy."
— ACTS 14:17
* * *
CANNING IS A LABOR-INTENSIVE activity that provides food for the family all year long. Tomatoes, corn, peaches, and pears are boiled and canned in their own juices. Cucumbers, beets, and other vegetables are pickled in a vinegar brine that adds a tangy flavor. Some Amish families enjoy a Pennsylvania Dutch relish called chow chow, a pickled concoction of green beans, carrots, celery, cauliflower, and kidney beans. This family also butchers and preserves meats.
"Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!"
— LUKE 12:24
* * *
APPLES, purchased at a local market or perhaps from a neighbor's orchard, are good for making apple butter and sauce. Today they will be used for fresh-baked apple pie. Once the apples are peeled and sliced, they receive a generous coating of cinnamon and sugar. Before long they'll be ready to fill a pie shell or two — maybe even three!
"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver."
— PROVERBS 25:11
* * *
MAKING A GOOD PIE CRUST may look simple, but it is no easy thing — unless you've done it dozens of times. Many Amish cooks will tell you that the secret to a good crust is lard. That may be true, but it's also true that "practice makes perfect," so don't expect your lard-based crust to turn out well the first time you try it.
"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands — O prosper the work of our hands!"
— PSALM 90:17
* * *
BY CUTTING HER DOUGH long enough to overhang the pie plate, your Amish host has enough dough to crimp the edges of her crust. It looks nice that way, but it also keeps the dough from shrinking down during baking — which means she can fill her pies to the brim with scrumptious filling. Then into the hot oven they go. Before long the downstairs rooms will be filled with the good smell of baking pie.
"They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness."
— PSALM 145:7
* * *
WITH THE PIES well on their way, you'll want to take some time to look around. Near the stairs you'll find some hats, ready for the men and boys to grab on their way out the door. Amish communities prescribe the kind of hats the men can wear. The styles, down to the width of the brim, are outlined in the Ordnung. The Ordnung may be unwritten, but its details are neither ambiguous nor optional. Everyone knows what the rules are, and everyone who has joined the church is expected to follow them.
"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind."
— PHILIPPIANS 2:1-2
* * *
A WOODEN STAIRCASE leads upstairs to the family's bedrooms. The notion of each child having his or her own bedroom is foreign to Amish life. In fact, many Amish children share their bedroom with two or three or even four siblings. This unchosen togetherness is good training for adulthood, when Amish church members are expected to sacrifice their personal desires for the common good. It is also an early reminder that privacy is a rare commodity in Amish life.
"You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul. ... Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise."
— DEUTERONOMY 11:18-19
* * *
AS YOU ENTER the master bedroom, your eyes will be drawn to the hats and head coverings stacked neatly on the dresser. Although the details of the women's prayer covering vary from one Amish community to the next, the purpose of wearing it — to demonstrate submission to God — is the same throughout Amish life. The men wear black hats to Sunday services, a departure from their everyday straw hats and a difference that marks the sacredness of the day.
"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
— MATTHEW 6:20-21
* * *
HANGING ALONG THE BEDROOM WALL you'll find some colorful dresses. Everyday dresses come in variety of colors, including brown, purple, blue, green, and burgundy. Younger women and girls may wear brighter colors. Dresses are usually worn with an apron in white or black. A cape — an extra piece of fabric that covers the top half of the dress — may also be worn. Dress patterns vary according to church district. In all cases, the values of modesty and humility rule the day. Calling attention to oneself by wearing a unique style is a worldly value, not an Amish one.
"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."
— PROVERBS 31:25-26
* * *
HERE'S SOMETHING that might remind you of your grandmother's house: a treadle sewing machine draped with a half-finished dress. Almost all Amish women know how to sew, and many of them make clothing for themselves and their family members. If you have time to stop at the Amish-owned store on your way home, you're likely to find an aisle devoted to fabrics, needles, and threads of all kinds.
"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy."
— JAMES 3:17
* * *
AS YOU HEAD OUTSIDE to explore the garden, you'll cross the porch — and perhaps spot huge bunches of onions. Harvested the day before yesterday, they will hang that way — in a shady, well-ventilated place — to dry for the next four or five weeks.
"For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations."
— PSALM 100:5
* * *
AT THE GARDEN you get a closer look at some of the family's produce: the tomatoes freshly picked and the garlic freshly dug. Like many Amish families, your hosts grow enough tomatoes to preserve some for the winter — as juice, sauce, or simply whole. As for the onions, some of them may be used to flavor spaghetti sauce or other dishes. Many Amish families take produce like this to a local market, where it fetches a good price.
"You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness."
— PSALM 65:11
* * *
MAKING APPLE BUTTER is best done outside. The ingredients are simple — apples (peeled and quartered), cider, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves — but the process is long and hot. For much of the day the mixture looks like apple soup, but if you cook it long enough, it will thicken up and get darker. Then it's time to simply keep stirring, which is easier with a long stirring paddle fashioned just for this purpose.
"He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness."
— 2 CORINTHIANS 9:10
* * *
THE FAMILY'S HORSE AND BUGGY has returned from a trip to town. A district's Ordnung prescribes various features of the buggy, or carriage, including its color. In some Amish communities you might find a gray-, white-, or even yellow-topped carriage, but in this community the carriage top must be black.
Large Amish communities have at least one carriage maker, but families who live in smaller Amish communities often have to order their buggies from other Amish settlements. The craftsmanship that goes into Amish carriages is exquisite, and a new high-quality carriage can cost as much as $10,000.
"By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
— LUKE 1:78-79
* * *
GOOD CARRIAGE HORSES are both valuable possessions and beloved friends. In addition to owning one or more carriage horses, Amish families who farm for a living have draft horses or mules to help in the fields — plowing, planting, harvesting, and pulling wagons. Farm families also need various kinds of bridles, halters, straps, and reins, which are sometimes made locally by an Amish harness maker.
"The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us."
— PSALM 67:6
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Inside an Amish Home"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Herald Press.
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