Amish Man Who Led “Mercy & Truth Retreat” in Missouri Arrested on Trafficking and Sodomy Charges

Amish Man Who Led “Mercy & Truth Retreat” in Missouri Arrested on Trafficking and Sodomy Charges

ByErik Wesner
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A very disturbing story out of Missouri. An Amish man named Sam Shetler, leader of a Plain community “retreat”, has been arrested following a multi-year investigation. Accounts describe appalling behaviors — including extreme control over the young people entrusted to his care, to the level of physical and even sexual abuse. Shetler is now in custody and faces several felony charges. From the report at…

Three Amish Girls Airlifted After School Explosion and Fire

Three Amish Girls Airlifted After School Explosion and Fire

ByErik Wesner
3 Comments

A tragedy has struck an Amish community in northwestern Pennsylvania as an explosion at a schoolhouse set the building on fire this morning – leaving three Amish girls badly burned. (Story updated below) The Amish school is located in the Spartansburg, Pennsylvania community, and appears to have burned to the ground. The girls were believed to have “filled a lantern with the wrong fuel”. From…

A Solar-Powered Amish Barndominium? Here’s What It Looks Like Inside (19 Photos)

A Solar-Powered Amish Barndominium? Here’s What It Looks Like Inside (19 Photos)

ByErik Wesner
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Jim Halverson sends along this week’s Amish home – and it’s quite a contrast to what we looked at last week. Where that Maine Amish home without plumbing epitomized a plain Amish way of living, this week’s solar-powered barndominium in Millersburg, Indiana showcases an Amish lifestyle strikingly different – and you could certainly say more modern. Now, these are still considered Old Order Amish –…

What Is The “Church Builders” Conference? Over 700 Amish People Just Attended In Shipshewana

What Is The “Church Builders” Conference? Over 700 Amish People Just Attended In Shipshewana

ByErik Wesner
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In today’s guest post, Timothy L. Price (who previously gave us a look at the Amish in the “middle of nowhere”) shares his account of a recent Amish conference in northern Indiana, and his main takeaways from the event.  The 2nd Church Builders Conference in Shipshewana, Indiana was put on by Old Order Amish from Shipshewana, mostly, on March 20th and 21st. As to the…

26-Year-Old Amish Man Dead After SUV Rear-Ends Buggy on Missouri Highway

26-Year-Old Amish Man Dead After SUV Rear-Ends Buggy on Missouri Highway

ByErik Wesner
2 Comments

A tragic Amish buggy wreck in Randolph County, Missouri happened yesterday. The victims were 20, 26 and 75 years old. The 26 year-old-man was killed, and the 20-year-old woman had to be airlifted with serious injuries. A 75-year-old woman in the buggy had only minor injuries. As reported at KTTN: A Randolph County crash involving a sport utility vehicle and a horse-drawn buggy left one…

Why This Amish Bakery In Jamesport, Missouri Is A Must-Stop — Fresh Pies, Breads & A Behind-the-Scenes Look (25 Photos)

Why This Amish Bakery In Jamesport, Missouri Is A Must-Stop — Fresh Pies, Breads & A Behind-the-Scenes Look (25 Photos)

ByDon Burke
5 Comments

For those who have kept track of my posts over the years you have likely noticed my particular fondness for the Jamesport, Missouri Amish community. I suppose many elements have factored into that. While not quite close enough for a day trip from my home, it is close enough for a good visit even if I am limited to a single over-night stay. Additionally, being…

Ben & Rose Short: “This World Is Not My Home”

Ben & Rose Short: “This World Is Not My Home”

ByErik Wesner
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“I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” It’s a sentiment that resonates with a lot of us, at times stronger than at others, I suspect. That is one of the best-known lines from “This World Is Not My Home”. And Ben and Rose are back to tease another upcoming (I assume) production, with this little demo sample of the well-known hymn. This song…

Zoloft, Holistic Treatments, A Possible Genetic Disorder: Experts Piece Together What Drove Amish Mother’s Deadly Breakdown

Zoloft, Holistic Treatments, A Possible Genetic Disorder: Experts Piece Together What Drove Amish Mother’s Deadly Breakdown

ByErik Wesner
3 Comments

News came out a little over a week ago that Ruth Miller would be committed to a psychiatric hospital following a not guilty by insanity verdict in the death of her 4-year-old son Vincen. A follow-up report at Farm and Dairy draws attention to the expert testimony provided leading up to Judge Michael Ernest’s decision to send the Amish mother to a secure mental healthcare…

Five Months After Hit-and-Run Killed a Horse and Left An Amish Rider With Two Broken Legs, Driver Faces Charges

Five Months After Hit-and-Run Killed a Horse and Left An Amish Rider With Two Broken Legs, Driver Faces Charges

ByErik Wesner

You can run, but there’s a good chance they’ll catch you. Drivers in hit-and-run buggy wrecks keep finding out that hard truth. The latest (allegedly) to do so comes to us from Nicholas County, Kentucky. The crash happened this past October, with the driver’s vehicle, a Dodge Ram pickup, being found shortly after. The accident wasn’t pretty. The horse was killed, and three Amish riders…

New From Mike & Marty: “Coat Of Many Colors”

New From Mike & Marty: “Coat Of Many Colors”

ByErik Wesner
4 Comments

We’ve got another new tune from Mike & Marty, this one a Dolly Parton classic – “Coat of Many Colors”. Not having any other paper at hand, Parton famously wrote the lyrics to this song down on a dry cleaning receipt while on tour in 1969. This is a favorite song of many. The coat of many colors here is not the Biblical coat given…