Amish Life

The driver of the semi truck in Tuesday’s fatal wreck, Bekzhan Beishekeev, has been transferred from local custody to federal custody. No charges have been filed as of now related to the wreck, which happened in Jay County, Indiana, and claimed four Amish lives. Rather, Beishekeev is being held separately by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As reported by WANE 15, “Indiana State Police emphasized…

Author Haley Straw returns today with part 3 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here and part 2 here, if you missed them. Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. – Earl Nightingale We were living with my mother-in-law while building our house. By the time I finished packing, there were bags lined up…

Reports are out of a terrible accident yesterday in Jay County, Indiana. No news reports I’ve seen are actually identifying the victims as Amish – but I’ve been informed by a reliable source that this was in fact an “Amish taxi”. An Amish taxi would be a vehicle with a non-Amish driver hired to drive Amish people to and from work, the store, and longer-distance…

Author Haley Straw returns today with part 2 of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. Part 1 is here if you missed it. Have you ever known—deep in your bones—that you should say no… and said yes anyway? That was me on the eve of Christmas Eve, standing outside the barn at our farm…

Let’s welcome author Haley Straw back today as she shares part one of a new winter-themed series, drawing on one of her more challenging experiences as an Amish taxi driver. We all have moments that redraw the maps of our lives. For me, it was driving the Amish through the Christmas break of 2022. It was a blur of 3:00 AM calls and whiteouts that…

Following our look at an Amish buggy-race-that-wasn’t, Don Burke shares more behind that story – and adds another layer, showing us an actual Amish buggy race in a different settlement. Don first gives us some background on the community where this took place (Clark, Missouri) – then a closer look at a youth buggy race that should probably come with a “don’t try this at…

I have a tradition of doing this favorite posts roundup post on the last day of the year. I’ve done this going back to at least 2014 (though it looks like I missed 2016 for some reason). These are “favorites” – what does that mean? Well, some are those that got the most views – or the biggest stories from a news perspective. Some were…

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw shares part four of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in a private family history book….

Winter brings a quiet shift to Amish Country, as snow blankets farms, fields, and country roads. With slower days and fewer visitors, the season transforms the landscape, highlighting details that might go unnoticed at other times of year. These 17 striking photos capture moments – both serene and dynamic – in the wintertime lives of the Amish. Today is the official start of winter, so…

Author and Amish taxi driver Haley Straw shares part three of a four-part Christmas series. It follows the true story of a young boy from Chicago, whose longing for warmth and belonging sends him on an unlikely winter journey toward an Amish community he’d only read about in a library book. This retelling draws from the original “Please Let Me Stay” account shared in a private family history book….