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- Dec 3, 2017
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Amish Heart, it is interesting to find some groups of Amish being a little more practical about things.
I grew up in PA Dutch country so I was in the thick of the Lancaster County Amish. But over the past few years, I've spent some time in Kentucky and Tennessee and have found a few settlements of Amish people in both places. They are pretty small groups so I would guess "practical" is really important.
There is a small group of them less than 10 miles down the road from us. Actually, they're delightful people, I would never say otherwise. But I did have a few surprises over the limited time we've spent with them. #1, some of them drive their own standard gasoline automobiles. (Actually, they have a 15 passenger van. Did I mention practical?) #2, they have a gas tractor that they use on their farm. #3, the have electricity in their homes, which I have seen with my own eyes. #4, they built a church building. (And I know one of the questions, yes, they are Amish, not Mennonite. We have some of those around, too. Two different groups.)
When I left PA (almost 20 years ago, so it may be a little dated), I would never have seen any of those. But I find it interesting that in the tiny communities near me, these things aren't uncommon. Yes, they still have horses & buggies. Yes, they still do some of their farming with horses. And even though I see electricity in their homes, some still maintain things like wood stoves for heating and cooking. (The KY family I'm most familiar with don't maintain a wood cook stove, but I can't remember if their kitchen range is gas or electric. Doesn't matter, really.) Back in PA, they always met for church in a home and we'd see the little wagon get taken from place to place, which always seemed like it would be a pain week after week. So when I heard that our local Amish congregation had built a church building, it was quite the surprise. I had never heard of that before. I say, "good for them"! Sometimes practical can trump tradition.
My friend in Georgia likes to go to Amish cannery to can her meats. Also they buy from the store in Helen I think it is.