"I'll Take One"

He was practically salivating over the ex-Amish living with us. "I'll take one!" he eagerly offered.

While I appreciated his offer, I silently mused, Ex-Amish aren't a playmate or novelty act. They're people on the run who need

• open, mature, understanding arms and
• acceptance without a ton of prying questions.

Here's a reality report . . .

The naive offer to take in an Amish runaway and help him/her adjust to "outside" life is often romanticized as much as Amish fiction. Truth is, it's . . .

Saving Sarah

At 10 PM, Thursday, April 18, my phone rang. On the other end was Noah.

"My cousins just left. Can you give 'em a place to stay for just one night?" he asked.

One was Sarah, a 19-year-old Swartzentruber Amish gal. She chose to leave and needed a kind "outsider" to give her a safe home and help.

My husband and I dressed, drove to WalMart, and met Sarah. She was tall - well, anyone higher than me is tall - slender, pretty, brown-eyed, with long brown hair and wore blue jeans, a blue t-shirt, and boys' athletic shoes. I tried to imagine her in plain dark frock, white kapp, and black bonnet.
Sarah and her brother, Monroe, greeted us toting plastic store bags with a few items. "Thanks for picking us up," she said.

How the Ex-Amish Say It

One of the endearing things about the Swartzentruber Amish I know is their accent. My son-in-law Harvey tries to hide his but, the language is entrenched in his brain now. He won't shake an accent any more than a person who daily spoke Chinese the first 18 years of his life then tries to speak English.

We chuckled when Harvey talked about "cubons." We had no clue what he was talking about . . . until he described the little pieces of paper I use to save money at the store. Recognize the word now?

Thought you'd enjoy knowing some of the nuances of Amish language - or Deutch - coming out in their English. Here are other words or expressions of speech:

Amish Questions & Answers

"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?"