Page 2 - Newsletter September 2011

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Page 2 Mission to Amish People —www.MapMinistry.org
Online testimony
Hello Joe, In recent times I have
read articles and watched a docu-
mentary on Amish communities. My
heart went out to them and I could
see the desperate need for the undi-
luted Gospel. I searched online for
missionaries who are reaching out to
the Amish communities.
I came across your website and have
spent time going through the various
sections. I am very impressed by the
work you are doing and how God is
using you and your wife.
I know that in God's Work there can
be many discouragements, like the
79 negative letters, so I just wanted
to drop a line to say that someone
from Northern Ireland found your
website, and is now subscribed to
your newsletter. God Bless, Ruth
Lydia Miller, New MAP Volunteer
—by Bea Kennedy
Lydia Miller, a new volunteer with MAP, received
Christ as her Lord and Savior while going through
one of our Bible Club courses.
She started receiving the Bible correspondence
lessons when she was still Amish; her sister-in-
law, Esther, sent her name in. It was during her
second Bible lesson in February of 2010 that she
realized that
just knowing about
Jesus
and His death on the cross was not
enough; she must make it personal by
receiving Him into her life.
Now that Lydia has left the Amish
church, she continues to receive the
Bible Club lessons in the mail. She
says, “They are encouraging, and
they help me to grow spiritually.”
Since Lydia’s family owned a tarp
shop, a lot of non-Amish would come by for help.
One particular gentleman visited a lot, and one
day, he told her about a Christian radio station and
handed her a Bible in English. For the first time,
she was able to understand what she read, since it
was not in German.
The radio and Bible helped her to grow in her
faith. Her brother, who had also become a Chris-
tian, pointed out various Bible verses and told her
to look them up for herself. He would say, “It’s
there for you to see.”
Lydia says that her greatest desire is to follow
God’s will and to learn more about the Bible and
grow in her faith. As part of that growth, she was
baptized recently. Speaking to her beforehand
about her baptism, Lydia was a little unsure of
what to expect, but she was also
excited to be taking this important
step of faith.
It has now been 2-1/2 months
since Lydia left her Amish com-
munity, and as she puts it, “All
those rules drive you away, I
guess.”
As stated before, Lydia started
volunteering at the office after
seeing a flyer in her church bulletin. After grading
and sending out the Bible Club lessons to other
Amish students, she said, “I didn’t realize so much
work went into this.”
Lydia has three brothers who are no longer Amish
and one brother and five sisters who are still
Amish. Her next goal is to obtain her GED, and
she hopes to begin studying for that in the near
future.
The Power of God
—Joe Keim
MAP is often bombarded
by national TV stations,
asking for interviews. Most
of the time, we do not give
them the time of day. How-
ever, several months ago,
the National Geographic
(NG) started bugging us
non-stop.
We kept saying no until, one
day, they informed us that, Mose
(sometimes known as Holly-
wood Mose), from Columbia
MO desired to meet up with me,
since he too is helping those who
leave the Amish in the mid-
western states. The NG went on
to say how Mose was traveling
with one of their film crews and
making a film on Amish leaving
the culture.
Note:
Mose is a former Amish
man who has been involved in
several documentaries as well
as Amish in the City, a reality
show that played in 2004.
When I heard that Mose was
coming along, I immediately
thought, “wow! wouldn’t it be
great if he came to OH, heard the
gospel and got saved.”
From that moment on, many
people joined in prayer, asking
God to use us in giving out the
gospel to Mose.
On Saturday morning, during our
weekly Bible study, we began to
notice that Mose was under con-
viction. He told us, “I have been
on a journey to find fulfillment
and purpose in life, but so far, I
have not found it.”
Several of us began to share the
immeasurable love of Christ with
Mose, and all of a sudden, he put
his head down on the table and
began to weep. Oh, the power of
God was overwhelming!
We gathered around Mose and
started praying for him. Next, we
led him in a prayer, asking Jesus
to save him. About 15 minutes
went by and finally Mose
lifted his head and said,
“during the prayer time, I
felt a heavy load lift away
from me and I feel free!”
Later that evening, Mose
asked if he could come
over to our house and do a
Bible study on assurance of
salvation. The next day, he went
to church with us, and the third
day he asked, “can we meet for
another Bible study?” That night,
we didn't get to bed until 1:30 in
the morning.
Several days later, Mose and the
film crew headed to WI.
This morning, I received the
following text from Mose: “I’m
thinking and talking different. It
took me several days, but I know
without a doubt, I was saved by
the grace of God on Saturday!”
We are working with a support-
ing church in Columbia, who has
been more than willing to come
along side Mose and his family.
All glory to God!!!
The NG film will run for ten con-
secutive weeks and is scheduled o
come out in the spring of 2012.
Mentoring Conference
We are quickly approaching our 3rd
annual mentoring conference, which
will be held at Bethel Baptist Church
in Savannah OH.
Date:
Saturday, October the 8th
Time:
8:30 to 1:30
Cost:
$45/individual and $60/couple
The cost includes a workbook and a
meal for each person.
2 Timothy 2:2 says: And the
things that thou hast heard of me
among many witnesses, the same
commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also.
At MAP, we have always had a tre-
mendous burden to come along side
young people and walk with them
through the early years of their
Christian life. In our ministry, it has
been proven over and over that men-
toring works. Not only does mentor-
ing make a difference in young peo-
ple’s lives, it makes a difference in
the lives of older Christians.
For more info, call (419) 962-1515
or go to www.MapMinistry.org.