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Tone.
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Originally Posted by Sultana
Just a quick note, Superbelt did NOT say he hoped they died out. He said he hoped the *culture* died out.
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Which amounts to the same thing. The Amish aren't gonna change voluntarilly. The only way for the Amish culture to go away would be for the Amish to die.
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Regarding the rest, I suppose of course that everyone is allowed to have opinions, and to disagree with other's opinions, but it would appear that Superbelt is the only person in this thread to have actually worked with and interacted with the Amish at all--if I am incorrect, please do correct me.
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You are. More years ago than I care to admit I worked in Amish country. You cannot live in the area without learning a LOT about the Amish - especially since you have to be quite careful where you point the camera, and in areas where the Amish and everyone else mingle, you have to get to know the Amish so they understand that you know not to take their pictures.
This article might help folks understand why I get pissy when people denigrate the Amish for no good reason:
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs...WS01/603150346
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Amish neighbors take just one day to rebuild home destroyed by twister
Family members survive devastation unscathed, but house came crashing down around them.
Steve Koehler
News-Leader
Chris Graber didn't know what his family's future would be Sunday night when he saw a "dark spot" come barreling over a hill and take dead aim for his modest home in eastern Webster County.
"I never thought we'd be rebuilding the next day. I thought we'd be getting ready for a funeral," he said late Tuesday afternoon.
The Grabers escaped unharmed from the tornado that plowed through Webster County.
Not so their home. It was torn apart by the twister's fury.
But in less than 15 hours, the Grabers were back in a new home rebuilt on the same spot — a peaceful valley south of Missouri 38 about 10 miles east of Marshfield — by more than 100 men and boys from neighboring Amish homesteads near the Grabers.
"By 2 p.m., we were mopping the floors," he said.
Debris from the destroyed house was spread for hundreds of yards. Some still hangs in the nearby groves of trees. Fences were torn down. Wash lines snapped. Two other buildings and an outhouse were wiped away.
All were rebuilt in about a morning.
It is a remarkable testimony to the Amish spirit and credo that neighbors help neighbors in times of need.
"I figured there would be help, but I had picking up the mess more in mind," Graber said.
His brother, Ernest, who lives nearby, said the entourage of workers "looked like a bunch of ants" when it came to rebuilding the 36-by-64 structure that was a combination living quarters and workshop.
A chicken coop that held 1,000 chickens was untouched by the tornado. Graber's 100 calves are OK, too.
Sunday was the first time Graber has come face to face with a tornado.
A neighbor had warned him earlier Sunday night that the weather was supposed to turn bad, but the family went to bed. Graber was awakened by the storm's noise.
"I had a realization what was going on and came to the door, and I was watching it. Here come a dark spot. I closed the door and yelled, 'It's here!'" he said.
Graber didn't know what would happen to his family, but he knew it was out of his hands.
"The Lord was in (the tornado). He knows what's best. If time's up, he'll take us. He let us all stay," he said.
Graber and his wife, Lydia, crouched in the bedroom with their children, Amos, 2, and Johnny, 9 months, waiting for the tornado to hit.
"I heard the roof start to pop," he said.
When the tornado passed, Graber stood up and stepped out to where a wall once was. All that was left was foundation.
"I pretty much knew everything was gone," he said.
The family walked a quarter-mile to neighbors', where planning began to rebuild the Graber place.
Help began to arrive early Monday. Neighbors streamed onto Graber's land by buggy and wagon while others went into town to buy materials and supplies.
"I didn't realize that many people would come," Graber said.
"I think he was still in a daze," his older brother, Ernest, 28, replied with a laugh.
The new structure is just like the old with sturdy, shiny aluminum siding covering the outside walls and roof.
The brothers, who brought their families from Indiana in 1998, said Amish helping each other is a given. They've both helped neighbors who suffered hardship or damage from things such as fires.
"Everybody helps out," Ernest said.
But Chris, standing in the shadow of his new home, was a bit overwhelmed and humbled by what his family had received.
"I don't feel I'm worth it," he said.
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This is not an isolated event. This is just how the Amish operate.
Last edited by shakran; 10-05-2006 at 08:27 AM..
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