One Way To Skip Sunday Dinner

Here’s the scenario:

Normally on Sunday mornings I like to get up a little earlier than normal. The problem today was that Lydia decided to get up a little early too–5:15 a.m. early. And she didn’t go back to sleep.

We thus expected Lydia to be good and ready when nap-time came around. Well…

You’ll note Meagan’s total inability to finish her dinner [hee hee hee].

Proof Positive

There may be some concerned souls out there that may not think of the country as a “mission field.” That’s an easy–and probably common–misconception. Allegedly country folk are more conservative (which is true) and God-fearing (which isn’t true).

To help better educate your view of the need in rural America for new churches to be planted, I give you this piece of evidence, gleaned from yesterday’s work:

Windsor Pioneer Cemetery

Getting to this cemetery is interesting. Not only is it off a dirt road, in order to get to it you have to hike across a stream, up through a woodsy hill and then you see this:

One of the interesting things about this cemetery is that while there aren’t that many gravestones (at least visible), there are quite a few Revolutionary War veterans buried there:

As always, I enjoy reading epitaphs. Here are my favorites from this cemetery, preceded by their identification:

“Jon Higley, who departed this life May 3rd, 1817, aged 69 years, 6 months, who migrated to this state in the year 1804 from the state of Ct.”

 

Ye mortals, who are standing by

You’r born for dust, as well as i

As i am now so you must be

Prepare for death and follow me.

The age of man

Is but a span.

“In memory of Samuel Knight who died April 5th 1823, aged 23 years”

 

Go home my friends

Dry up your tears

For I shall rest

Till Christ appears.

–

He lived respected

And died lamented.

The identification for the next epitaph was worn away, in addition to a word in the last line:

 

Reader your glass will soon be run

Are you prepared to die?

Not all the gold beneath the sun

Your wants … death supply.

September Scenery

Here’s some pix taken while spreading the Word today–

An Amish school with lavatories [heh heh]–

And then home, to grill up some Slovenian sausages, courtesy of the Carlson farm–

Mmm, mmm, good!

Amish — Raising a Ruckus???

City-slickers might think country living a little, well, slow or boring.

Well, just to show that such ain’t always the case, I give you this week’s Area Police Reports. This is a regular column in our weekly newspaper. Imagine what Cleveland or Detroit’s would look like if they did this!

Note this news item:

Montgomery road is just a mile or so north of Orwell. I’ll bet most of my Detroit and Cleveland readers wish this was the extent of their Police reports!

Most Greener-Fields readers probably think of the Amish as a peaceful, hard-working sect of Christians, though on the far right of the spectrum. Some aspects of this are true, though I’d classify them as Christian as I would most Roman Catholics–very much a works-based religion.

For further consideration, there is the time of “running around” or rumspringa, and refers to the period when Amish young people turn 16 and before they decide to be baptized and join the church. Once they join, every aspect of their lives must rigidly conform to the rule of the bishop in their district. Thus, during this “running around” time young people sow a lot of wild oats, usually via alcohol, parties, and even drugs and illicit relationships. We’ve especially gotten a kick out of the Amish boys who ride by our house in the buggies with rock music blaring away.

To read a little more about this, the Toledo Blade has an excellent article about alcohol during rumspringa among Middlefield Amish (Middlefield is about 20 miles SW of Orwell).

Pray for these folks, that they will see and welcome the light of the gospel!