Mary

I have been going to two specific Amish auctions for a few years now, the Bird-In-Hand auction and the Refton Auction, both held at the end of June in PA.  At the Refton auction there is a hill that all the Amish sit on during the horse bidding.  Three years ago when I was there I climbed to the top and plopped down.  I wanted to experience "being among the Amish", just watching them interact and how the children took care of each other was fascinating.

Because of their beliefs on photography I was careful not to be too obnoxious about taking pictures, but it was definitely the perfect opportunity.

As I was sitting there I noticed three girls giggling and looking back at me.  Certainly they weren't talking about me.  Amish, especially children, never interact with us English (as they call us).  I waved to them to let them know that I was friendly and if by chance they wanted to talk to me I was totally open to that.  I could definitely tell that one of the girls was more outgoing than the other two and wanted to interact with me.  I also think her friends were telling her not to!  Eventually we scooted closer to each other and Mary said "hi!"  I quickly hid my camera because I wasn't interested anymore in taking their picture but I wanted to talk to them.  I asked their ages and Mary was seven, her friend Sadie was also seven and the third little girl, also named Mary, was eight.  They were interested in my camera because Mary kept looking at it.  "Do I dare pull it out?"

I also had my cell phone with me.  This was three years ago so I didn't have a smart phone, but this phone took pictures and video.  Since my phone was smaller than my camera I kept that out.   They wanted to see how it worked but I told them that I knew their rules about technology (especially photography).  I also explained that I didn't want them to get into trouble for talking to me.  But eventually I did show them pictures of my boys back home.  They were fascinated by the videos.

Then I did something daring... I asked them if they wanted me to take their picture so they could see what they looked like "in my camera".  Mary's two friends shyed away but Mary was super excited.  To be sneaky (because I didn't want them to get in trouble by their parents) I told them to scoot back a little bit then on the count of three turn around and I'll quickly snap one picture.  Mary was the only one that turned around:

Soon after that someone called them and they all got up and left.  But this picture will forever hold that special memory.

Whenever I go to the Refton auction now I sit on this same hill in hopes that I will see my friend Mary.  I know that she will not recognize me but I will surely know who she is.

During the Carriage Auction

This photo was taken about a month ago during the carriage auction in Bird-in-Hand, PA  I was standing behind an Amish lady and happened to notice her writing down the high bids and bidder numbers.  I had the same book and during the quilt auction I did the same thing, wrote down all the high bids.

Cute photo of the day

The Ordnung

The Ordnung are the rules of expected behavior.  It is a code of conduct that baptized members must follow.  From Amish Society by John A. Hostetler:  The ordnung clarifies what is considered worldly and sinful, for it to be worldly is to be lost.  Some of the rules have direct biblical support; others do not.  Regulations that cannot be directly supported by biblical references are justified by arguing that to do otherwise would be worldly.

The ordnung evolved gradually over the decades as the church sought to strike a delicate balance between tradition and change.  Specific details of the Ordnung vary across church districts and settlements.  (From The Riddle of Amish Culture by Donald B. Kraybill)

Before children and youth are baptized they are under the care of their parents, and not the church, thus many teenagers may or may not conform to the Ordnung.  When they are baptized and join the church they must submit to the Ordnung for the rest of their lives.

Book of Prayers

Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht is a book of prayers that the Amish have been using for over 300 years.

One of my favorite authors is Beverly Lewis, she was born in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and she comes from an Old Order Mennonite community.  In 2011 she came out with a book called Amish Prayers.  This is a copulation of German prayers from Die Ernsthafte Christenpflicht and translated by Katie Polley.

I will occasionally post these prayers with a scripture passage to meditate on.
The first one is a prayer for Divine Guidance.

Holy Father, always be our path and guide, our protection and shield, our consolation and strength.  Set our feet, minds, and hearts onto your path of divine peace.  Make your holy and divine Word, which you allow us to hear, vibrant and active in our hearts so we might please and serve you until the end of our lives.  Amen.

And from Philippians 4:7
     And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

Keeping cool

If it's shaded it's a good place to cool off...

Why don't the Amish like their picture taken?

Exodus 20:4 says "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below" (NIV).

In the latter part of the 19th century, as photography was becoming popular, the Amish applied the biblical injunction against "likenesses" to photographs.  (From The Riddle Of Amish Culture by Donald Kraybill).

They also believe that photos of themselves are prideful; these are a people that believe in community and look down upon individualism.  Pridefullness leads to arrogance, which in turn leads to self importance, quite the opposite of community.

Hello!

I just returned from my annual "mommy getaway" to Lancaster,  PA.  Most of my friends look at me strange when I say "I'm just fascinated with Amish culture".  Let me back up a little.  I write a blog about my artistic endeavors at KIMagination and I was going to write an entry about my trip.  Upon reflection I feel that there is so much more I would like to share with you other than just my "itinerary".  I have been fascinated with the Amish since I was a little girl traveling with my family to the Kutztown Folk Art Festival in PA. I have lived in Virginia most of my life but for the past six years I have taken "mini vacations" to Amish country.

I do not claim to know everything about Amish culture, quite the opposite, so I will use this forum to:
1.  Research and explore Amish culture
2.  Quote scripture, always giving glory to God
3.  Define frequently used Amish words
4.  Talk about my personal experiences among The Plain People