Hi Friends! I have been meaning to write for several weeks now, finally here I am.
My 2 youngest daughters and I attended the Gingerich Family Reunion in Indiana last weekend. We had a great time. Got to see a lot of family that I have not seen in years. Some of them I have not seen for 25 years. Brought back memories of my childhood. I was sorry to discover that quite a few that I was hoping to see were not there, but I was very happy that I got to visit and catch up with cousins and also got to know some of my cousins that I did not know at all. It was fantastic! All of my uncles sure look a lot like my Dad! Lol! One thing was for certain, you could pick out who was a Gingerich:) There was all walks of life, Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, Mennonites, and then those of us who had completely fell off the wagon. I must say, I was the only one with tattoos. Yikes! What a bad girl I am! Some of the older women, who are my Dad's cousins, sat there staring at me with their beady eyes, every time I happened to look that way. I could just see the look of disapproval and disdain all over their faces. I disgusted them. They didn't have to say a word, I could feel their judgement burning me in hell at that very moment. Some others might have had similar feelings, but if they did they kept them well hidden and were very friendly. We spent 2 days and I loved every minute and so did my daughters.

I have recently met the founder of M.A.P. Ministries, Joe Keim. M.A.P. is a Mission to Amish People. I am looking forward to getting to know Joe, his family and the people of his ministry better. He is dedicated to helping and encouraging people who have left the Amish and helping them aquire a GED, drivers license, an education, a place to live, anything they might need. Helping them find a job, teaching them God's Love, not condemnation. I hope to help mentor some of these girls, I have a strong passion for this. I am struggling writing my book, it is harder than I thought, but I plan to dedicate myself to it. I have decided that if it were actually easy, it won't mean so much to me in the end, and like someone recently told me: "God does not waste pain." I like that phrase, it has so much truth. Sooo my friends, until next time. I hope to have a glimpse into my "transition to a different culture" for you next time.