Every September, my church forsakes the comforts of New Holland and travels northwest to the forest of Manheim for a weekend of privation and fellowship. Well, not really. We the people of Oasis Mennonite Fellowship had our annual church campout at the United Zion Camp Grove earlier this month with communal meals in a dining hall, church services in a tabernacle, and sleeping accommodations in tiny cabins with electricity and indoor plumbing. United Zion Camp is located in the woods between … [Read more...] about Church Campout
Summer’s End: A Baptism, a Birthday, and a Wedding
This summer has been wet and buggy, but it's coming to an end. For the past week or two, the mornings and evenings have been delightfully cool, the school buses have been running, and I'm ready for a new season. I didn't have any big adventures this summer, but I thought I'd write a newsy, circle-letter like blogpost about the past month. On August 3, my niece, Angie, was baptized in Mill Creek at Lancaster Mennonite School, along with three other young people from Crossway Mennonite … [Read more...] about Summer’s End: A Baptism, a Birthday, and a Wedding
Taste the World in Lancaster City
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
A Visit to Coal Country
Now I get the song Sixteen Tons. Last Christmas, instead of socks, I decided to give Dad the present of a day trip. I found a coal mine tour that seemed perfect, although it wouldn't open until spring. Last Thursday, we had off work for Ascension Day, and so Dad, Mom, and I drove seventy miles north to No. 9 Coal Mine in Lansford, Pennsylvania. This mine operated from 1855 to 1972 , the world's longest continuously operated deep anthracite coal mine. Anthracite coal is hard, shiny … [Read more...] about A Visit to Coal Country
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