During a recent interview I was asked if I thought most people had misconceptions about the Amish, and if so, what are some of those misconceptions? I think one of the biggest misconceptions about the Amish is that they aren’t friendly and want nothing to do with people who aren’t Amish. I believe some think this because the Amish look different and live a different lifestyle than we “Englishers” do. So we just assume they won’t want to have anything to do with us. My husband and I have many Amish friends, and even though we dress differently and do some things in different ways, we still have many things in common. We have found the Amish to be friendly and kind. They may look different than us on the outside, but inside we are very much alike.

Unfortunately, people often judge others by the clothes they wear, their mode of transportation, the way they talk, or their lifestyle. You’ve heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, in Matthew 7:1 God says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not have others judging me by the way I dress, talk, or choose to live. After all, it could be just a misconception. God created each of us, and He thinks we are beautiful just the way we are. With Him, there are no misconceptions.

There’s still time to enter my Lose Your Heart in the Amish Life Contest. You have a chance to win a beautiful, Amish-made, quilted wall-hanging if you submit your entry by midnight on Friday, April 22nd.

Whenever I’m in Amish Country I feel a sense of peace. There’s something about the Amish people’s simple way of life that makes me feel relaxed and content. When I hear the steady clip-clop of a horse’s hooves as it pulls an Amish buggy along, I find it to be soothing, just like the gentle tick-tock of a clock. Sitting on one of our Amish friend’s porch, enjoying a glass of iced tea, looking out across their pasture at the horse’s grazing, always makes me feel peaceful and closer to God.

In our busy world we often get so caught up in doing and going that we don’t take time to relax and allow ourselves an opportunity to experience peaceful feelings. For some, like me, it might be a walk on the beach, enjoying a tall glass of iced tea, or a friendly visit with friends on their porch. What makes you feel relaxed and peaceful? What makes you feel closer to God?

Make a list of the things that give you a sense of peace. This week, as you take a few minutes out to relax, keep your mind on God, and receive His promise of perfect peace. That’s what I plan to do.

Dear friends, I’m overjoyed to launch my new website! Like me, I hope it takes you away to peaceful thoughts of the Amish countryside. To share my excitement, I’ve created the Lose Your Heart in the Amish Life Contest, where you can win a beautiful, Amish-made, quilted wall-hanging.

I’m looking forward to my book tour that will take place from April 9th through April 23rd, in Kentucky and a few places in Tennessee. Since my new Kentucky Brothers series is set near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the tour will begin there. When my husband and I visited Kentucky for the first time, we were surprised to discover that many of the people in the Amish community near Hopkinsville originally came from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In fact, we learned that one of the families we’d met in Kentucky knows some of our Amish friends who live in Pennsylvania.

Because my husband and I travel so much, we have discovered that our world isn’t as big as we thought it was. It seems like everywhere we go we meet someone who knows someone we know, and on almost every trip we take, we make new friends, and special bonds are formed. When we met a new Amish family in Ohio last year, we had an instant connection and felt as if we had known them for many years.

As Christians, we are all part of the body of believers, which means, when we meet other Christians for the first time, we are able to fellowship with them, and often feel as if we already know them. I’m thankful that God doesn’t care what denomination we belong to. If we have accepted His Son, Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are all part of His church.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 18:20: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Mitt Leib (With Love),
Wanda