In October of 2021 I was able to obtain my state licensing to begin a taxi service business. While I was doing occasional trips in 2021, I did not start full time Amish taxi service until 2022. Praise the Lord, I have found a job I love!! This has allowed me to meet many new Amish people and has opened the door for witnessing.

In September there was a farming tragedy a couple miles from where I live where an Amish man and two of his sons were killed. I was away on an Amish run when I received the news and I felt God’s thumb in my back to ask the man, Eli, about his soul. Please pray for Eli. God wants to do a transforming work in his life.

Not only was I able to talk to Eli, but I was able to talk to other Amish people about being sure we are ready to meet God. I like being able to talk to people in the vehicle. I try to look for opportunities to say something about spiritual things and being ready for heaven. My prayer is that people will see Jesus in me while they are with me.

For about a year I had been praying about another vehicle. Purchasing a Honda Odyssey with eight seats, but didn’t have the funds to do so. I began looking into the process and took the necessary steps to obtain that goal. In November of 2022 I was blessed with a 2009 Honda Odyssey. It is so much nicer than what I expected to receive. I feel abundantly blessed!

I am excited to see what this next year will bring. Please pray with me that I will have the wisdom to know who to talk to, what to say and when to say it. I know God is working on hearts and I want to be used where He needs me.

The post 2022 In Review first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

In order to give more time to other aspects of Amish ministry I have begun to back down my hours at the grocery store. This has really freed me up and it has been great walking through the doors that God has opened for me since making that decision.

This spring, I was able to meet an Amish family that has a wholesale greenhouse. They needed help with taking some of their plants to a produce auction. My aunt knew them and gave them my number and they called me to see if I would be able to help them out. I had the privilege of working with them for several weeks while they emptied their greenhouse for the summer.

At the beginning of the summer I met a Christian non-Amish couple who has a taxi service business. We talked about the possibility of me helping them out and within the next couple of weeks I began driving for them. What an amazing opportunity it has been to work with the Amish in this capacity. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time.

This month has been quite busy with trips on the weekends. Some of them have been eventful such as going to Lake Tobias Wildlife Park in Halifax, PA and Millersburg Ferry. Others have been mainly uneventful while I wait on my passengers. I am able to take work or fun things to do while I wait and so far I have not minded the waiting period.

The other week I had the opportunity to take an Amish friend to see her daughter who moved to Maine back in May. Her daughter is my good friend Martha who I have mentioned before. I was a wonderful week getting to see her again and her new little one who was only 3 weeks old when we got there.

While we were in Maine I got the privilege to see how honey is extracted and even got to help package it. I actually really enjoyed it. The best part was getting to try the honeycomb although once the honey was gone I was ready to throw it out.

I have also been trying to get my certification for starting my own driving business. It has taken a couple months, but Lord willing I will have it in the next few weeks. The application goes through a waiting period where someone has the opportunity to protest me starting a business in their area. As long as no one protests I should be good to go. Please pray that all will go smoothly.

I am excited to see what God is going to do over the next few months. God is not finished with this work!

The post Summer Happenings first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

One of my Amish contacts in the area is asking for prayer for her sister-in-law Katie Fisher and her family. Katie has been battling cancer for a while and recently thought that she might be in remission. However, just the other day she got the news that the tumor is bigger than it has ever been. If she would decide to take chemo and radiation the doctor said she might have two years left. She has taken treatment before and it made her terribly sick, so she doesn’t want to take it again if it will only prolong her sickness rather than solving the issue. This news has been a terrible blow to Katie and her family as well as the extended family. They would all appreciate your prayers during this difficult time.

The post From January 15, 2021 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

Attending an Amish church service was very different. I had a similar experience when I went to Dave and Martha’s wedding last fall so I knew a little of what to expect. There were many things that were different from the typical Amish church service. A couple major differences were one, they held their services in what they call the “Meeting house” instead of meeting in homes. Two, their services were in English instead of Pennsylvania Dutch and German.

Because the service was in English, I was glad to be able to understand what was being said. I was quite pleased to hear the emphasis on being born again rather than hoping to get to Heaven through their works. As I listened to the messages and to the different ones from the church talk, I knew that they were different from most Amish. It seemed like they had a genuine relationship with Jesus.

I learned pretty quick that Sunday was going to be slightly different from their usual Sunday service. It was a baptismal service! Instead of finishing the service as usual they had the baptismal candidates kneel before them and take their vows to the church. It was very interesting, and I was thankful that I got to witness the event and to understand what was being said. I found out later that the young man that got baptized, Atlee, was one that Dave and several of the other young men that traveled with us had known a few years ago. His baptism was the reason for the trip in the first place.

Lunch was a pitch in meal, and we all had a wonderful time mingling and visiting with the people. We learned more about the people and community and how they work compared to most Amish communities.

As people began to take their leave and go their separate ways Dave, Martha, and I decided to find where the young people were having their hymn sing. We had been invited and were glad to go. However, because we were by ourselves and didn’t understand the directions that we had been given we spent a lot more time walking than we anticipated! We ended up getting there about the time they were finished. The songs that we did get to participate in were wonderful. While in church the songs are sung in unison, the hymn sings are sing in harmony. The singing was beautiful! I was quite disappointed that it was over. I could have enjoyed the singing for a while longer.

That evening we enjoyed supper and fellowship with the bishop and his family as well as Atlee and his family. I enjoyed watching and listening as well as talking with some of the ladies. As we were talking, I found out that a couple of Atlee’s sisters live in the Pearisburg, VA Amish community. I had lived just a few miles from there while my dad pastored in Bland, VA. I was shocked! They, however, were not living there at the time that I lived in that area. It was so neat that we were able to make that connection. It’s crazy though that we had to go to Maine, of all places, to meet!

The next morning, we began the trek home around 7AM. Glen began driving and it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery or take a nap, whatever struck my fancy. We wanted to do some sightseeing along the coast, so we went to Acadia National Park and go to see some beautiful sights.

The first place that we stopped at was a rock-climbing trail. Everyone else wanted to hike on the trail so instead of being left behind I decided to try it even though I wasn’t interested. The first section wasn’t all that bad. Just climbing over large rocks. The trouble came when it was time to climb the cliff. I got to the first rung and realized I wasn’t going to make it. It would have been one thing if we would have had safety gear, but we didn’t. I knew I would never make it, so I turned right around and headed back down the way I came up. I wasn’t going to risk getting partway up and not being able to go anywhere. I was happy to just stay where I knew I would be safe!

Once everyone made it back a couple of hours later we went to see the beach. It was smaller than I thought, but it was beautiful. On 2 sides there were rock walls that added to the beauty. I don’t remember seeing a place quite like it. There were rocks there that we decided to climb over to get to the water. The only problem was that they were covered in seaweed and barnacles! Not a good combination! When I finally reached the water, it was a bit chilly, but it was worth it.

Our third and last stop at the national park was what they call the Thunder Hole. It was a hole in the rocks that when the water rushed in it sounded like thunder. It was amazing to see and was probably my favorite stop of the day. I couldn’t help being in awe of God’s creation.

From there we finally began the second leg of the trip. Around 4:30PM we stopped for gas. We were still in Maine and I was not looking forward to the long drive still ahead. I took over the driving from there and it actually went a lot better than I expected. God really helped me. For a while I was able to visit with a couple of the others in the van and when they all fell asleep I was able to listen to music and sing softly to keep myself awake.

We arrived at Dave and Martha’s home at 2:35AM. By 3 the crew that I had to drop off on my way home were ready to leave. When I finally got to bed around 4, I was feeling tired, but great. I had so much fun I was missing the trip already!

Not only was the trip to Maine an enjoyable trip, it was also educational. When it was over, I was realizing why God wanted me to go along. I was able to learn more about the Amish and why God has called me to these dear people. God wants to do amazing things in their hearts if they will only let Him.

The post From October 13, 2020 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

One evening after work I had a message on my phone from Martha asking me if I would be interested in taking her and Dave and maybe a few other people to Maine. I could hardly believe it! Maine of all places! I have wanted to go see the New England states for a while, but I have never had the opportunity to go. Not only would I get to see those states, but I would also be with my friend Martha and other Amish people. I was so excited!

The big hiccup that I could see coming was that I may not be able to take off work. My sister’s wedding was planned to the weekend before the Maine trip and I wasn’t sure that I could get off for two weekends in a row. I began praying and I asked others to pray as well.

If you know me well, you will know that I do not like conflict and will try to steer clear of it if at all possible. I knew this could cause conflict, and I was scared! I was not going to allow fear to rule me, so I took a leap of faith and asked off for that weekend. When the managers went to make the schedule, I got butterflies in my stomach. When I took my break that day I could barely eat and began praying that God would somehow allow me to take off. A few days later I got the news that I was granted permission to have off that weekend. I felt so blessed! As the plans began to come together is was evident that God has His hand on this trip and wanted me to be a part of it.

On Thursday after work I picked up 4 guys who were going along on the trip and headed to Dave and Martha’s house to spend the night. The next morning, we woke early and had a wonderful breakfast. By that time other guys had joined us that planned to go on the trip including Dave’s Mennonite friend, Glen, from Missouri and Glen’s friend, Stephen from Iowa. Altogether we had about 13 people. It was quite the task getting everyone in the van plus all the luggage!

When we finally got on the road it was about 6:45 AM. Because Glen had driven all night, I took over the driving. I had never driven a 15-passenger vehicle, but it only took a few minutes before I felt comfortable driving that large of a vehicle. I actually really enjoyed it. We decided to take the scenic route through New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. We made it to our first destination in Wales, Maine by 6:30PM. Yes, I drove the entire way!

While we were in Wales, we visited what they call an outreach settlement of the Amish church in Smyrna. This new Amish settlement has only been there for a couple of years. As I began to listen to the men talk, I began to realize that there was something different about these Amish. It was evident that these people had a genuine relationship with the Lord.

We spent the night with a couple Amish families. The next day we shared breakfast together before heading the next 3 hours north to Smyrna. On our trip to Smyrna we stopped at an overlook to see the Mount Katahdin. It was a gorgeous view!

Once we finally arrived in Smyrna we spent the afternoon listening in on a meeting about the Amish magazine that they publish there as well as visiting with the people from other states who came for the meeting. That evening we went to the places where we were going to be spending the night.

I was placed with a wonderful family. They had girls around my age who were very welcoming and allowed me to tag along on Sunday until I was able to meet up with Martha at church. I did not realize until later in the day that I was actually staying with the bishop and his family!! If I had known that in the morning, I would have been a bit nervous. However, by the time I found out I was feeling mostly comfortable around everyone. At least as much as I can when at a completely new place.

In my next post I will tell about what happened at my first Amish Sunday church service and what that Sunday afternoon and evening looked like. I will also tell about our fun and eventful trip home.

The post From October 10, 2020 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

I have been praying about starting a taxi service for the Amish in order to meet more Amish on a personal level. However, in order to do that I am required to obtain certification with the PUC which costs quite a bit of money. I had no idea how or when the Lord would provide the money, but He provided in a unique way!

A few weeks ago I was at my friend, Dave and Martha’s, house. She is a close friend from my childhood. I went for a visit to catch up and see how she was doing. Little did I know that God had a surprise waiting.

Dave and Martha have been very interested in my ministry and began asking how it was going. I began telling them a little about what was happening and what needed to happen in order to take the next step in Amish ministry. One of the things that I mentioned was my burden to help the Amish who have been abused. I also mentioned that I needed money to get the necessary certification to start a taxi service which would allow me one-on-one contact with them. This stirred Dave and as I was preparing to leave he wrote out a check to help me with the cost of getting the certification. It was the exact amount that I needed! Isn’t God good?! He knows just what we need when we need it. We serve an amazing God!

The post From October 9, 2020 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

I also had the great opportunity to go to an Amish wedding. The bride was a childhood friend of mine. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced, but I would go to another in a heartbeat. For those of you who have never experienced an Amish wedding, if you thought preachers who preach an hour was tough, the bishop preached 1 1/2-2 hours. Add to the fact that I didn’t know what was being said, it got a little long. All this was after an hour of singing.

Thank you to everyone who prays for Amish ministry. I believe God has something special in mind for it and I want to be available to be used in any way God wants to help advance His kingdom.

The post From November 19, 2019 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

Last Friday, I was finally able to move into my apartment. Dad and Mom came to help me move in and they were a great help. On Sunday my church, Penns Valley God’s Missionary, gave me a surprise housewarming. It was such a blessing. I couldn’t ask for a better church family.

As I begin my ministry, there are still several things that I could use some help financially in. If you would be interested in helping out financially in my ministry, I will post a link to donate online. Your donation would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your prayers and support. https://feaministries.org/missions/walter/

The post From September 20, 2019 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

I also have been looking for a job. I have an interview at a local grocery store where quite a few Amish girls work, so I would ask that you would pray that the Lord’s Will will be done.

The post From August 19, 2019 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.

The post From August 7, 2019 first appeared on Amish Ministry Update.