Lentil kibbeh. Pupusas. Chicken shawarma. Gyros. Pakoda. Spanakopita and tiropita. Jerk rice. Stroopwafel. Mochi. Well, I recognized a few of them. Last Friday I joined my friends Rhonda and Kendra on an ethic food walking and sampling tour in downtown Lancaster City. The tour is named "Taste the World", and a nonprofit community center organizes the tours several times every summer. I had never gone on a Taste the World tour before, but it sounded like a fun way to spend a summer … [Read more...] about Taste the World in Lancaster City
Community
My Grandmother Alice
Tomorrow we will attend my grandma's funeral. My grandmother, my mother's mother, Alice Rissler, died on Sunday morning. She was ninety-one-years old, with limited mobility and an aching body. The week before she passed, her mind declined, and she lost the ability to talk, eat, and drink. Family or caregivers stayed with her around the clock. So when she passed in the wee hours on May 4, we were thankful she was free from her suffering, yet at the same time, it's still hard to believe she … [Read more...] about My Grandmother Alice
Literature Camp: Writing, Reading, and the Castle Oil Built
Why literature? Why poetry? Why a literature camp in a castle? For years, friends raved about the annual "Lit Camp", and last weekend I attended for the first time. We left at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. I drove, and with me were two sisters from New Holland, Dorcas and Annetta. None of us had ever been to Lit Camp before. The trip to western Pennsylvania took five hours. I hope this is worth it, I thought. The details were sketchy: a mansion in Franklin, PA, lots of great bookish … [Read more...] about Literature Camp: Writing, Reading, and the Castle Oil Built
Christian Writers and Artists’ Conference in Dayton, Virginia
"It's taken me four years to get to this conference," Lovina said as we pulled into the parking lot of Hickory Hollow School last Thursday. "Now I'm finally here." Christian Light Publications (CLP), a large conservative Mennonite publisher, has hosted the annual Christian Writers and Artists' Conference in Dayton, Virginia, for the past fifty years. The planners invite well-known authors from the Mennonite ecosystem, as well as teachers and editors, to lecture on writing, poetry, music … [Read more...] about Christian Writers and Artists’ Conference in Dayton, Virginia
Starting a Church Library
Do you dream of having a church library? So did some people at my church, and today we have one! We've been loaning out books since 2022. This morning was my turn to be the "library lady". Perhaps you will be inspired to start a library of your own. Oasis Mennonite Fellowship in New Holland, PA, formed in 2015 and moved to our current location in 2020. The building we now occupy was once a sewing factory. During World War II, workers sewed parachutes for the war effort. When we sit in church, … [Read more...] about Starting a Church Library