"Are you anti-Amish?"
He wasn't trying to be rude; he was confused and curious. My answer, "No. How can I be
anti when I'm helping?" I neither romanticize nor criticize the Amish.
My heart goes out to those who run - jump the fence - and need
outstretched arms to catch them and soften the landing. So far I've helped Swartzentruber & Old Order Amish runaways with food, a temporary place to stay, English clothes, acquiring their birth certificate, limited
dental care or transportation, GED encouragement and info, unconditional love, a home for the holidays, etc. A few church friends teasingly refers to me as the Harriott Tubman of the Amish Underground Railroad. That I'm not trying to be.
I'm learning a ton about the Amish from relationships with those who've "been there, done that." Often facts are stranger than fiction! "He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow" (Ecclesiastes 1:18), applies here; the more I learn about their way of life, the more compassion I have for Amish, and the more I understand why some leave.
Questions. I repeatedly hear the same ones. Thought you'd like to see my answer and get more info:
"How'd you get involved in this?"