Gratz, Pennsylvania
When Alice Lapp entered the Crossroads Farmers’ Market with her husband and four children, the first thing she noticed was a sign advertising kettle corn. The delicious treat had been a favorite of hers since she was a young girl. Just the sweet, buttery aroma of it made her mouth water.
“Who wants some kettle corn?” Alice gestured to the tall Amish man who was busy scooping glazed popcorn into a small paper sack for his young English customer.
Alice watched as the boy dove right into the fresh, warm delight. She noticed others chomping on kettle corn as they shopped.
Her husband, Abraham, grinned. “I suppose the kinner might enjoy some kettle corn.”
She nudged his arm. “I wasn’t only talking about the children. The mere smell of it makes me want to try some.”
“Okay, okay.” Abraham lifted his hands. “We’ll stop for some kettle corn, but don’t blame me if everyone gets too full for lunch.”
“I’m sure we’ll have enough room in our tummies.” Alice looked at the children. “Am I right about that?”
All heads bobbed.
The family moved over to the popcorn stand, and it wasn’t long before everyone had their own bag of the tasty treat. Alice enjoyed the flavor and went for a second handful. She could see that her husband and children liked it too. They were quick to finish each handful and go for the next.
“I’d like to check out some of the fresh produce for sale,” Alice said. “Does anyone want to come along with me?”
“I will,” twelve-year-old Becky piped up. “Maybe someone has fresh aebiere for sale.”
“That would be nice,” Alice agreed. “Especially since the strawberries in our garden aren’t doing so well.” She looked down at her six-year-old son, Luke. “I think maybe you ought to come with us.”
He shook his blond head. “Can’t I go where Daadi goes?”
Alice looked at her husband. “Would you mind keeping an eye on our youngest boy?”
“’Course not.” Abraham tousled Luke’s hair. “How’d you like to help me pick out some beef sticks and sausage links to take home?”
Luke gave an eager nod before chomping on a handful of kettle corn.
“How about you two?” Abraham pointed to their twin boys, Samuel and Raymond, who had recently turned ten.
Raymond bobbed his head. Samuel did the same.
“Let’s meet at the chicken dinner stand in an hour,” Abraham told Alice. “That should give us enough time to look around a bit.”
Alice smiled. “Sounds good.” She looked at Luke. “You be good now, and stay close to your daadi, you hear?”
“Jah.” Luke grabbed his father’s hand, and the four of them headed off.
Alice gave Becky’s arm a little nudge. “All right, Daughter, let’s head for the produce stands.”
A short time later, while Alice looked at some beautiful ripe tomatoes, she caught sight of her English neighbor Linda Allen talking to another English woman Alice had never seen before. She wished she and her neighbor could be friends, but something was amiss. The neighbor’s unfriendly behavior had begun ever since they had moved in next door. Alice couldn’t figure out what it was until this moment, when she heard Linda say something about Alice’s family to the other woman.
Without looking their way, Alice turned her ear in that direction so she could hear more of the conversation. It wasn’t right to eavesdrop, but her curiosity had been piqued when she’d heard her family mentioned.
“Our place is near Abraham Lapp’s,” Linda said. “Frank and I couldn’t believe when we moved into this area two months ago that there were so many Amish families living here.”
“Yes, there are quite a few in Dauphin County who have migrated from the Lancaster area. But didn’t you realize when you bought your home that your closest neighbors were Amish?”
“Not really. Our home used to belong to my grandparents, and when they died, they willed it to me. I hadn’t been to this area since I was a teenager, so I had no idea there were so many Amish people living here now. They really have some strange ways, don’t you think?”
“Well, I …”
Becky said something to Alice, but Alice put her finger to her lips as she continued to listen to the nearby conversation, all the while keeping her head turned in the opposite direction.
“The reason my husband and I decided to move here instead of selling my grandparents’ old house was for our children’s sake.”
“What do you mean?” the other woman asked.
“Frank and I thought living in the country and close to nature would be good for them. Our oldest, Ricky, wanted a horse, so we bought one for him right away.”
“We feel that Dauphin County is a good place to raise our children.” The other woman paused and cleared her throat. “There’s too much going on in our society today to divert their attention to things that are not good for them.”
Alice’s fingers curled into fists when Linda spoke again. “I can’t believe the Amish folks in the area are still living like our pioneer ancestors did. Wouldn’t you think they’d want to modernize and come into the twenty-first century?” Linda’s voice grew louder. “There ought to be a law against them driving their buggies on our roads. They slow us down, and the horses leave their droppings wherever they go.”
Her neighbor’s tone made Alice cringe. We, as well as all other Plain people, should have the right to live the way we want without being ridiculed. If America is a free country, then why can’t other people accept us for the way we are? She closed her eyes briefly and sucked in some air. At least I know now why our neighbors have been so unfriendly and why it hasn’t gotten better.
“Mama, we need to get going.” Becky tugged on Alice’s dress sleeve. “I bet Daddy and the brothers are over at the chicken dinner stand already.”
“Huh?” Alice blinked.
“We need to go find Daddy.”
“Oh, yes, it might be time for us to meet up with him and the boys.” Alice pulled from her purse the old pocket watch her father had given her when she turned sixteen. “You’re right, Daughter; it’s been over an hour since we began looking at the produce. They’re probably wondering where we are.” She glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see that the two English women had moved on. If we accept them and their modern ways, why can’t they accept us and our plain way of living? Alice wondered as she and Becky walked away.
“Mama, did you hear what that lady said about us and the other Amish people who live in the area?” Becky asked as they headed off to meet the rest of their family.
“I sure did.”
“Why doesn’t she like us, Mama?”
“I guess because our mode of transportation, lifestyle, and way of dressing are different than hers.”
“We don’t complain about the way they live.”
Alice leaned in close to her daughter, speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch. “And we shouldn’t either. But our family can keep trying to set a good example. You and I heard only those two women express their feelings about us Amish. That isn’t the way everyone thinks of us, and you should know that, right?”
Becky nodded and gave a brief smile.
Alice clasped her daughter’s hand. “We Amish are not perfect, and it’s possible that some might not understand the English way of life, but as Christians, we need to accept everyone and be kind.” Alice looked up ahead and saw Abraham and the boys waiting for them. After hearing what her neighbor had said about them, Alice realized her appetite was suddenly gone. However, for her family’s sake, she would eat what she could and say nothing about what had happened back there in the produce area.
Lykens, Pennsylvania
By the time Alice and her family returned home later that afternoon, she’d developed a headache and felt the need for a nap. Looking at Becky, she asked, “Would you mind keeping an eye on your siblings so I can rest awhile?”
Becky nodded. “Sure, Mama, no problem. We’ll all go outside so the house will be nice and quiet for you.”
“Actually, I need Samuel and Raymond’s help in the barn for a bit,” Abraham said. “So Becky can keep Luke entertained until they’re free to play outdoors.” He placed his hands on Alice’s shoulders. “We’ve had a busy day at the market, and you deserve some rest.”
Alice smiled and headed down the hall to their room. When she stepped inside, a cool breeze blowing through the partially open window greeted her. She drew a deep breath and lay down on the bed. Pulling a light covering over her legs, she closed her eyes and tried to relax.
Alice hadn’t said anything to Abraham, but she was still upset by what she’d heard their neighbor say at the market today. Alice had hoped that by now the neighbors would be friendly and that there might be times when they would fellowship together. But from the way Linda talked, it didn’t seem likely that she would want to be Alice’s friend.
I need to stop thinking about this. Alice rolled onto her side, putting a pillow between her knees to take some pressure off her back. If I keep dwelling on it, I’ll only get myself worked up, which will make my headache worse. Alice couldn’t wait to be rid of the throbbing between her temples, and hopefully this time of rest would be just what she needed. She reached down and pulled the blanket up close to her chin. While there was no chill in the room, it felt comforting to be covered. Soon her mind went blank as she relaxed in the splendid quietness.
Alice took a few more deep breaths and finally succumbed to sleep.
Some time later she was jolted awake when Luke ran into the room crying, “Mammi! How come that lady don’t like me?”
Alice rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. “What lady are you talking about, Son?”
Luke pointed toward the window. “That mean one who lives over there.”
Alice patted the bed beside her. “Climb up here and tell me why you think our neighbor lady is mean.” After overhearing her neighbor’s conversation today at the market, Alice could only imagine what Linda might have said to her youngest son. The question was why—what had Luke done?
Luke scrambled onto the bed and positioned himself next to Alice. “That boy, Toby, came over to play with me.” He sniffed. “Becky was pushin’ us both on the swings, and then …” He paused to swipe at the tears rolling down his red cheeks.
“What happened?” Alice prompted.
“Toby’s mamm came into our yard and hollered at him. Said he shouldn’t be playin’ with an Amish boy and that he should never come over here again.”
“Is that so?” Alice’s eyes narrowed.
“Jah, and then she grabbed hold of his hand and took him on outa the yard.” Luke clasped Alice’s hand. “Why’d she do that, Mammi? Did I do somethin’ wrong?”
She stroked her son’s head. “No, Luke, you didn’t do anything wrong. We live differently than they do, and sometimes people run from what they don’t understand.”
“They didn’t run home, Mammi, they walked.”
Alice bit back a smile. Her son was too young to understand about prejudices, and for now, she didn’t want him to worry about that kind of thing. “Say, I have an idea. Why don’t you come out to the kitchen and help me put a little snack together? We’ll take it outside to share with the rest of our family. It’ll tide us over till it’s time to eat supper.”
“All right!” Luke jumped off the bed and raced for the door. “I’ll meet you in the kich, Mammi.”
Alice lifted her face toward the ceiling and closed her eyes. Heavenly Father, please give me the grace to show goodness to others who have been unkind to us. And help our neighbors to realize that although we live a Plain lifestyle, we are really not that different from them.
Sunday afternoon, as the Lapps were on their way home from church, Alice noticed a group of English teenagers standing alongside the road up ahead. As they drew closer, one of the boys, whom Alice recognized as their neighbors’ oldest son, Ricky, picked up a corncob. The next thing she knew, he pitched it at their buggy. The cob missed and hit the horse instead. The gelding whinnied, and as he galloped down the road at rapid speed, the buggy jostled and all the children hollered.
Alice sent up a quick prayer. Lord, please help my husband get the horse under control. She glanced over at Abraham. The muscles in his arm quivered beneath his shirtsleeves as he kept a firm hold on the reins.
“Slow down, boy!” Abraham shouted. He looked quickly at Alice, then back at the road. “I hope our horse isn’t seriously hurt.”
Alice swallowed hard. A corncob could do a lot of damage if it hit a vital spot. She remembered reading an article in The Budget a few months ago about a young boy who’d gotten hit in the face with a corncob. He ended up losing his sight in one eye.
After several more tension-filled minutes, the horse finally settled into a slow trot.
Alice breathed a sigh of relief. “Is everyone all right?” She turned to look at the children, huddled in the back of the buggy with wide eyes.
“We’re okay, just shook up.” Becky’s chin trembled.
“How come that boy threw the corncob at our gaul?” Samuel asked.
“Don’t think Ricky meant to hit the horse,” Abraham replied. “Looked like he was aiming for the carriage.”
“Why’d he wanna hit the kutsch?” Raymond questioned.
“I don’t know, Son. Maybe he was trying to impress his friends. Or maybe one of them dared him to do it.”
“Wonder how the neighbors would feel if one of us threw something at their car,” Samuel said.
“In the Bible we are told to love our neighbors as ourselves and to bless those who persecute us.”
“What’s persecute mean?” Luke asked.
“It’s doing mean things to someone.”
“We are not supposed to do hurtful or unkind things, not even to those who persecute us,” Alice interjected.
Abraham nodded. “Your mamm is right. As Christians, our testimony will be greatly diminished if we fail to live up to the standards God gives us in the Bible. A true believer should never seek revenge.”
“But what about the boy who threw the corncob?” Becky asked. “He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.”
“As soon as I check our horse over for any injuries and get him put away, I’ll go over to the Allens’ house and tell Frank what happened,” Abraham said. “He needs to know what his son has been up to.”
Alice stood at the kitchen window, watching for Abraham. He’d gone over to their neighbors’ place twenty minutes ago. Fortunately, their horse had no injuries. But the corncob had frightened him, and it most likely hurt when it hit his side. The whole incident had certainly frightened the children.
I hope everything goes well over there. Alice gripped the edge of the counter. What if the Allens don’t care about what their son did? It’s going to be difficult to live here if our neighbors have animosity toward us.
“Mama, is it okay if me and Samuel go outside to play?” Raymond asked when he entered the kitchen.
Alice turned to face him. “It’s fine, but don’t go out of the yard.”
“We won’t.” Raymond turned and started out of the room.
“Take your little brother outside with you, please. And make sure you include him in whatever games you and Samuel play,” Alice called after him.
Raymond stopped walking and groaned. “Aw, do we have to let Luke play with us? He can be such a baddere.”
“Your brother is not a bother. Now, if you won’t include him, then you and Samuel can stay inside.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Luke he can join us.” With shoulders slumped, Raymond shuffled out of the room.
Alice turned to look out the window again. She caught sight of Abraham walking toward the house. Eager to hear what he had to say, she hurried out the back door.
“How did it go with the neighbors?” she asked when he stepped onto the porch.
Abraham shook his head. “Not good. The boy’s parents were none too friendly, and his dad said, ‘Boys will be boys,’ and that he was sure his son meant no harm.”
“So no apologies or a promise that it won’t happen again?”
“Nope.” Abraham stepped into the kitchen, and Alice followed. “Guess we’ll just have to keep an eye on things and hope something like that doesn’t happen again.”
Alice grimaced. “Or something worse could occur.”
He placed his hand on the small of her back. “If it does, we’ll deal with it. In the meantime, we need to pray.”
Tuesday morning of the following week, Alice woke up to a surprising scene in their front yard. After lifting the window shade in their bedroom, she spotted long pieces of toilet paper draped all over the trees in their yard.
“Oh my!” She covered her mouth with her hands.
“What’s wrong?” Abraham rolled out of bed. “Is something going on outside?”
“Not right now, but I’m guessing it was done sometime during the night.”
Abraham joined Alice at the window. “For goodness’ sake! Now, who could have done that to our trees, and what was the reason for this vandalism?”
“I can’t say for sure, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was Ricky Allen.” Alice looked at Abraham and blinked. “He was probably upset because you told his parents about the corncob hitting our horse. In retaliation, maybe he and his friends decided to decorate our trees in an unattractive fashion.”
Abraham frowned deeply. “I can’t go talk to the boy’s dad, because I have no proof that Ricky did it. And even if I did, his dad would probably make light of it, like he did when I went over there Sunday afternoon.”
“You’re right. We’ll have to take down all the toilet tissue and say nothing to Frank or Linda. Hopefully, if we don’t make an issue, it won’t happen again.”
Abraham’s brows furrowed. “I’ll head outside now and start on the cleanup. I’d like to get it done before the kinner are awake. If they see the mess, there’ll be plenty of questions.”
“I’ll help you.”
Abraham and Alice quickly got dressed and hurried from the room. Alice was relieved to see that none of the children were out of bed.
“Let’s see how many streamers we can pull down by standing below the trees,” Abraham suggested. “I’ll have to get the ladder to reach the higher ones.”
“This is the first time anything like this has ever happened to us.” Alice grabbed and pulled several strips of toilet paper down, letting them fall to the ground.
“And let’s hope it’s the last,” Abraham muttered. “I don’t understand why some folks can’t live peacefully with their neighbors and leave well enough alone.”
Alice bobbed her head. “We’re going through a lot of unnecessary work right now, when we could be doing something important.”
“You’re absolutely right. Unfortunately, we don’t have much choice.” Abraham pulled several more streamers down. “I’m going to get the ladder now. I’ll be back soon.” He strode toward the barn.
When he came back and got the rest of the toilet paper down, Alice gathered up all the pieces they’d pulled out of the trees and put them in the garbage. While Abraham put the ladder away, she went back to the house to start breakfast.
When Alice entered the kitchen, she found Becky setting the table. “How come you and Dad were outside in the yard?” she asked. Before Alice could respond, Becky added, “I looked out the window and saw Dad carrying a ladder, and you were putting something in the garbage.”
Alice wouldn’t lie to her daughter, so she explained about the toilet paper they’d found in their trees. “But please don’t say anything to your brothers about this. I don’t want to upset them.”
“I won’t, Mama.” Becky swiped her hand across her forehead. “I bet Ricky Allen did it. I don’t think he likes us.”
“We suspect that too, but we have no proof, so we won’t accuse anyone.”
“But Mama, if Ricky did hang the toilet paper in our trees, shouldn’t his parents be told about it?”
Alice shook her head. “Even if we knew for sure it was him, it’s doubtful that his parents would do anything about it.”
“So what are we supposed to do?”
“Nothing, Becky. We need to be kind to our neighbors and set a good example.”
The following day, while the boys were outside playing, Alice asked Becky to join her in the kitchen to bake some cookies.
“Sure, Mama.” Becky smiled. “What kind are we gonna make?”
Alice tapped her chin. “I don’t know. Why don’t you choose?”
Becky went to the pantry and took out a jar of peanut butter.
Alice laughed. “I had a feeling you’d want to make peanut butter kichlin. It’s your favorite kind, jah?”
Becky nodded. “I’ll get out the other ingredients.”
While her daughter went about doing that, Alice preheated the oven and took out the cookie sheets. After all the ingredients were set out, Alice measured and Becky mixed with a wooden spoon. Soon the first batch of cookies was ready to go into the oven.
Becky had just slid the cookie sheets in when Raymond dashed into the kitchen. “Samuel, Luke, and I were playin’ with my kite, and the string snapped right in two.” He paused for a breath. “Then the kite landed in our neighbor’s yard.”
“You mean the Allens’ yard?” Alice asked.
“Jah. Is it okay if I go over there and get it?”
Alice was on the verge of saying yes but decided it might be best if she went for the kite. “You stay here with your brothers. I’ll go over to the neighbors’.” She looked at Becky. “Can you handle baking the cookies while I’m gone?”
“Jah, Mama. I’ll make sure to set the timer and take ’em out as soon as they’re done.”
“Danki.” Alice slipped on her outer bonnet and went out the door.
She left the yard and walked swiftly over to the neighbors’. Alice saw the kite in their front yard and was about to go over and pick it up when Linda stepped out of the house. “Is that one of your children’s kites?” Her tone was anything but friendly.
“Yes, it is. I came over to get it.”
Linda slapped her hands against her hips and gave a huff. “Well, please tell them to keep their things in their own yard from now on.”
Alice’s whole body tensed. “It was an accident. The string broke and the kite ended up over here.” She reached down and picked it up. “We’ll try to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. Goodbye, Linda. I hope you have a nice day.”
The woman gave no response—just went inside and slammed the door.
Alice turned and headed out of the yard. It grieved her to see this kind of aggravation coming from their neighbors. It looked like she would need to pray harder about this.
A week later, when Alice opened the back door to feed the cats, she was shocked to see garbage strewn all over the grass. Abraham held a garbage sack and was busy picking it up.
“What in the world?” Alice stepped off the porch and hurried up to him. “Did someone do this on purpose to taunt us?”
Abraham shrugged. “I don’t know for sure, but I honestly believe our neighbor, or someone else in the area, doesn’t like us and hopes we will leave.”
“But this is our home. We came here a year ago to enjoy a calmer life, without all the tourism and commercialism we faced in Lancaster.”
“I agree.” He tossed some more garbage into the sack. “But if this kind of thing keeps going, it may not be calm here either.”
“Are you thinking we should move again—find someplace where there aren’t so many prejudiced people?”
Abraham shook his head. “I doubt there’s anywhere on this earth where there is no prejudice. I’ve been talking with the Amish man I work with at the bulk food store, and his family had some unkind things done to them when they first moved here. He said things are better now though, and that he’s actually become friends with one of the English men who didn’t like him at first.”
“Maybe it will take some time for our neighbors to accept us and realize we’re just people like them,” Alice said. “If we are kind and try to be friendly, they might take a different attitude toward us.”
Abraham nodded. “I certainly hope that’s the case. It’s not good for our kinner to be subjected to taunting, but perhaps in the long run, it will make them stronger and more sensitive to others.”
The following week, on a Wednesday evening, Alice heard the blare of sirens. When the sound drew closer, she and the rest of the family went to the living-room window to look out.
As two fire trucks and a rescue vehicle approached their property, they slowed down.
“What’s going on? Are they coming here?” Luke pulled on Alice’s black apron.
Abraham jerked the front door open. “I see smoke! It’s coming from the Allens’ place. I’m going over to see what happened.”
Alice closed her eyes and bowed her head. Dear Lord, please let everyone be okay.
Twenty minutes later, Abraham returned. “The Allens’ barn is burning at a pretty rapid pace.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Alice felt concern.
Abraham shook his head. “And they got all the animals out in time.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But unfortunately, a large section of their barn is ruined and will need to be rebuilt.”
“That’s a shame.” Alice pursed her lips.
“I’m going to see if any of the men from our church district would be available to help on the rebuild. I told Frank that I would help, and he said he appreciated it.”
Alice smiled. “I’m so pleased.”
Alice couldn’t get over how many Amish men showed up to rebuild the Allens’ barn. Many women came as well, offering the men food and drink.
Mr. Allen worked right along with them, and so did his son, Ricky. In fact, the boy even had a smile on his face.
I wonder what brought on his change of attitude. Alice glanced at Linda, who was setting out all the baked goods that had been brought here today. She also wore a smile.
“We can’t begin to thank you for all that you and your Amish friends have done for us today,” Linda said when Alice approached. “I need to be honest with you.”
Alice tipped her head.
“When we first moved in next door and saw that your family wasn’t like us, we were concerned.”
“About what?”
“We saw how differently your way of living was from ours, and we thought you were a bit strange.”
Alice said nothing, just waited for Linda to continue. This wasn’t the first time she’d heard someone mention that the Amish and other Plain people were strange.
“It’s easy to think stereotypically of any group of humans when you haven’t gotten to really know the people and given them a chance.” Linda paused for a breath. “I’m really sorry for the way we’ve been treating your family; it was narrow-minded of us. Most people, when you’ve treated them badly, will seek revenge and repay with the same or even worse treatment. Yet you’ve remained kind and looked past our inadequacy. That’s a quality that has become rare in this day and age. I’m glad you’re our neighbors, and if there’s ever anything we can do for you, please let us know.”
Alice smiled. “We will.”
Linda put her hand on Alice’s arm and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry for my unfriendly attitude since you and your family moved here. I was wrong about you Amish; you’re not a strange people. I see now that you are kind and loving.” She paused and glanced toward the barn. “Frank had a long talk with our son too, and from now on, I think he’s going to be better behaved.”
“We try to make sure our children do as they’re told, but no child is perfect and they sometimes make mistakes.”
“True.” Linda gave an affirmative nod. “I’m seeing things more clearly now, and if you’ll have me, I’d like to be your friend.”
Alice gave Linda a hug. “I would like that, and I think our children would too.” She pointed at Luke and Linda’s son Toby. The boys were playing on the swings across the yard, far from the work going on in the barn.
“I believe you’re right,” Linda said. “We’ll have to schedule another play day for them soon.”
“Yes, let’s do that.” Alice gazed at the barn, where men and older boys were hard at work. She hoped the ridiculing and taunting would end now, but even if it should continue, they had done the right thing. As Christians, they had a duty to love their neighbors and treat them as they wanted to be treated, and to overcome evil with goodness.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
ROMANS 12:21