4/23/13

Josh's Birthday

Growing up in a Swartzentruber Order Amish home, with 12 siblings, Jonas' family never acknowledged nor celebrated his birthday. Those days were just another work day.

When Jonas left his Amish life, he didn't have his birth certificate. It wasn't that he couldn't find it; nothing existed! Home births are typical in his settlement, and his parents, expecting him to live and die Amish, never put anything on record for the outside world.

Jonas informally changed his name to Josh as he wanted to identify less with Amish and more in the English world. He went to the county seat and applied for his birth certificate. Then he could apply for a social security number, find a job, learn to drive a car, and locate housing. I posted an interview with Josh a few weeks ago. To learn more about him see the interview in a previous post.

Now that Josh is in our life and family, we acknowledge his birthday. We want him to feel special and welcomed. His last birthday fell on a Sunday. We went to church together, then everyone came to our home for Josh's birthday dinner - complete with cake. It was a rare warm March day here in Ohio, so we went to a local park. We loaded up Opie, our miniature dachshund, and my daughter and Harvey grabbed their rescue dog, Lucy.

At the park we unchained our dogs to run in the fenced area. We chatted with others who were enjoying the pre-Spring weather and laughed. Josh hiked and reveled in the fresh air. We took family photos trying to memoralize "his" day, and show Josh how family works.

Recently Josh started a new job, driving OTR in a semi-truck.

10 comments:

  1. Vonda SkeltonApril 23, 2013 at 4:53 PM

    Wow, what a ministry you and your family have, Brenda. These precious young men and women are blessed to have you guiding them to this new, free, life in Christ!

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    1. Brenda Nixon, Author and SpeakerApril 24, 2013 at 3:32 AM

      Thanks for reading/leaving a comment Vonda. This is something that came to us; we never went looking for those who left and neither idolized the Amish culture. We love helping and learning.

      Delete
  2. Nancy B. KennedyApril 24, 2013 at 9:12 AM

    When he applied for a birth certificate, Brenda, was it a difficult process, since he didn't have any documentation or contact with his parents? What did he have to do? I don't imagine it was easy.

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    1. Brenda Nixon, Author and SpeakerApril 24, 2013 at 5:07 PM

      If I remember correctly (and I've had this experience helping another certificate-less lad), Josh had to go to the Probate Judge to apply, which includes a signed affidavit from a family member or person who helped deliver the baby, and a letter from the county health department stating that no birth appears in the state's vital statistics. Once the application is completed, there's a wait of about 4 weeks.
      During those 4 weeks, the ex-Amish has no birth certificate nor SS# making it difficult to find full-time employment, impossible to get a learner's permit for driving, open a bank account, register to vote, or even get a public library card.

      Delete
  3. Dr. SallyApril 24, 2013 at 4:22 PM

    Hi Josh,
    Yesterday, when this post went up, was my birthday. I had birthday cards, e-mails, and phone calls from all over. Each one was more special than the next and made me feel like a million dollars. Today I am happy to send you an e-mail birthday wish and to be a part of your celebration. Yes, a birthday is a wonderful day, a time to reflect on a successful year that has passed and an opportunity to hope for many more in the future.
    Happy Birthday!
    Sally

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    1. Brenda Nixon, Author and SpeakerApril 24, 2013 at 5:08 PM

      Your kindness & sensitivity are deeply appreciated Sally. I'll be sure to pass your comment along to Josh. And a belated happy birthday to you :-)

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    2. AnonymousApril 25, 2013 at 7:46 PM

      Thank you Sally for the wishes and comment, happy birthday to you too. Josh

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  4. Dr. SallyApril 24, 2013 at 5:29 PM

    Thank you, Brenda!

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  5. Alice. J. WislerApril 24, 2013 at 5:48 PM

    Thanks for educating people on the truth about the Amish. So refreshing to read your posts!

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  6. EmilyApril 26, 2013 at 3:14 PM

    I appreciate you taking the time to share Josh's story with us- what an determined young man he is! While I admire his courage to fully and wholeheartedly follow his heart, at the same time I feel sadness for the fact that he lived such a constricting lifestyle in the first place.

    My heart is for the love of Jesus to be shown to my Amish friends and non-Amish friends by my actions and words... and may the Holy Spirit open eyes and hearts

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