Amish in the News: Amish Dinner, Holmes County Guides, Jeremiah Raber, Millie's Yogurt Partfait, and Amish Breakaway

By Kevin Williams
It's Monday which means it is time for "Amish in the News" and there' a lot of interesting stuff to read, so let's go for it!

AMISH DINNER:  The president of the University of Valley Forge (never heard of it before now, must not be a very big college) and his administrators recently attended a supper at an Amish farmhouse.  Sounds like a delightful time (I REALLY wish he would have written more about the food) and he wrote an essay about it for his local newspaper. Click here to read.

HOLMES COUNTY GUIDE:  LaVonne Debois runs a tour company in Holmes County and is well-known among the Amish in the area.  Her tours are well done and respectful.  Now, however, she has created some tools for "do it yourselfers", people who just want to explore the area on their own. I think this sounds like a wonderful resource for someone visiting the area for the first time because the county, with it's spiderweb of backroads, can be confusing and overwhelming to the uninitiated.  Check out an article about these new guides here.

Jeremiah Raber - Breaking Amish

JEREMIAH RABER:  Okay, anyone who watches "Breaking Amish" and all that other stuff on TLC might be familiar with this guy.  He apparently was adopted into the Amish church as a child and now, as an adult, is on his way out.  Now after starring in the TLC hit, he plans a book.  Click here to read more.

LEAVING THE AMISH:  While Jeremiah Raber's story is a bit unconventional there are plenty of Amish families that do leave the faith for a variety of reasons.  WNDU in Indiana interviewed a family who was living Amish in the Geneva, Indiana community and decided to leave.  I think the interview was good (be sure to watch the video), it wasn't sort of a typical "slash and burn" story where someone decides to leave and trashes the church on the way out. It was a very interesting interview.  Click here to watch and read.

MILLIE OTTO:  Amish columnist Millie Otto shares a dispatch from her Illinois home along with a recipe for "yogurt parfait."  Click here to read.