Back to Ohio!

We trekked on back north to Shelby, Ohio for some more time in my old child hood stomping grounds.  We return to find our normally bug encrusted motor home spotless!  While we were gone, my uncle Gary and his grand-daughter summer cleaned the front of our motor home!  Wow!  How nice!  Here Heidi enjoys some time with Alex, my Uncle Jim's daughter, and one of her Clydesdale horses.  We had a great time visiting with them at their place. 

A video at my Uncle Jim's place.

Hailey gets to know Alex's miniature horse, Cody.  He sure has some personality! Ornery, some might say!

We spent a day driving through Ohio Amish Country!  Ohio has the largest concentration of Amish anywhere in the United States.   The country side is absolutely beautiful farm country!  The next couple of photos are of some of the sights along the roads.  Oh, by the way, I did not take this photo.  I wish I did but, I can't take credit for it! 

I took this picture of an Amish farmer bringing  in the hay using a team of draft horses.  The Amish do not wish to have pictures taken of them, if it show their faces.  While it is not unheard of that you can depict their faces, it is generally not an accepted practice, due to the fact that this goes against their beliefs and that a photograph can lead to pride and also the prohibition against making a graven image before God. 

Many people, like me,  are often perplexed and/or romanticize the Amish, a denomination of the Christian faith.  The Amish are not simply playing dress up or just un-plugging from modern society.  A person could drop out of modern society and adhere to almost the same practices and live as a "hippie" and not be Amish.  The difference is what motivates the Amish.  They fore go modern conveniences not because they are inherently evil in and of themselves but, those modern conveniences  tend to increase our pace of life and therefore, dilute relationships.  In particular, modern life dulls the relationship with Jesus Christ, family and friends.  The car in particular widens our world to the point that we have many more "relationships"than we can manage and therefore become less than what God intended for us.  The Amish also do not use T.V or the Internet because they are particularly careful with what they allow into their minds and hearts.  God calls us to protect our hearts and minds for what we allow into our minds.  What we allow in tends to be what we think upon.  While I think we can learn a lot from the Amish "brand" of Christianity, they too do not have it "all figured out".  They too are human and at the heart of ALL men is evil and they have struggles too.  I do think we all could do with a bit more "Amish" lifestyle and slow down and actually talk to one another face-face.  I do think that the one thing the Amish fall short upon is the great commission.  While we, as Christians, are indeed in the world but, we are not to be of the world, something the Amish walk out very well. However they fall short with respect to Acts 1:8,  where Jesus tells his followers that "you shall be My witness both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."  The Amish lifestyle can and does cut both ways.  It protects them from the corrosiveness of modern society, but it also tends to wall them off from the world.  As Christians, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ.  We are called to make  differences in our hometowns, states, and the world.  Modern society can and does offer an ever-widening ability to engage the world.  No matter the lifestyle or culture, ALL need to know that they too can be reconciled with God through putting faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only when He is first in our life, no matter what we "do" will we have any hope.  As I love to say; "I can't. He Can. I think I'll let Him."   

The Holmes County courthouse in Millersburg, Ohio makes appropriate accommodations for the many Amish! 

At Hershberger's Amish farm, Heidi and Stacey get to visit "Big Ben" the biggest Belgian draft horse in Holmes County, Ohio.  He is 19 Hands and 3 inches high at the shoulder.  That equates to 6 feet 6 inches tall!  He also tips the scale at 3,000lbs or 1 1/2 tons!  Holy hulking horse, batman!

Heidi loves on one of the many types of goats at Hershberger's.

Moo!

At Hershberger's, I come precariously close to having to purchase this furry critter that Stacey took a liking to.  The power of the puppy and a pretty lady are really tough to resist!  "Dear Lord, have mercy!"

A small village in southeastern Holmes County. Springing up at a rural country crossroad in a farming area of early German (Clark) Township, the town has been situated with a populous Amish community since infancy. From the initial business of a blacksmith shop, ca 1840, along an aged Indian trail, a town developed to become known as Stevenson. After the establishment of a post office in 1885 its name was changed to Charm. Throughout most of the town's years of existence it has been known by its nickname of "Putschtown," meaning "a small clump." Being unique, Charm has always been of service to the community and visitors, who marvel at it's homey atmosphere, its picturesque countryside, and its Amish lifestyle, reminiscent of American life a century ago. For these reasons, people of different walks of life have found the small country town a "Charm."

We had some good eats at this place and inexpensive too! Man, I'm gonna have to go on a diet...tomorrow...:)

Hailey and Heidi seem to have enjoyed themselves, here in God's country!  They even say that they would want to live here!  While it is beautiful here, I tell them that we should take a trip back in February and then see if they still wanna live here!  Well, we are off to Pennsylvania!  C-ya there!