Old Order Mennonnites

Reluctantly I placed my book aside to come back to America where I usually live. Sometimes, with the aid of the written word, I travel. When my sister-in-law gave me a book titled "In the Land of the Blue Burqas," I was instantly held captive by the gentle story telling of a woman who lived for more than five years in Afghanistan. Using a protective pseudonym, Kate McCord's adept pen and amazing ability with metaphors took me to a land of small, mud-brick houses behind the standard twelve-foot matching mud-brick wall. The yard may not have any blade or sprout of vegetation. It is by God's grace that I worked in my large garden last week, cleaning it out for winter's sleep.

In Afghanistan Kate made friends. That's why she wrote the book: she wanted me to know the Afghan men and women she has come to love. How many were the times she drank tea and shared stories with them as they sat on the bare dirt floor. By God's grace I share stories and tea with my friends, too, but we sit on chairs at my friend's table.

In that faraway land women need a mahram (chaperone) wherever they go. By the grace of God my daughter biked to our home, with Bella, age 2, in the kiddy cart. We watched her Dawdy (grandpa) unload some golden corn and dug up peony roots for transplantation. In the great outdoors the heat of summer enveloped us as we planted bulbs for spring but my cool kitchen offered relief for shared lunch which was produced by the flick of a wrist versus an open flame on the floor. From the plugged-in freezer we gathered my loose-frozen veggies and mixed them together before we repackaged them, another blessing from God, undeserved.

Afghans have an important social concept called raft-amad, which is similar to a personal relationship. On page 149 Kate used the metaphor to explain her relationship with Jesus. Do we let Him in our door? Do we share meals and listen to what He has to say? Or do we just let Him sit on the porch where we can't hear what He's saying? These questions may help us in our journey with Jesus, especially to all the young people who were baptized on Saturday in New Enterprise church. Only God can see into hearts. Their names are as follows:

Lavern Rissler, son of Luke and Linda; Brandon Zimmerman, son of Jerry and Arlene; Lori Oberholtzer, daughter of Warren and Marian; Camellia Leid, daughter of Clifford and Berneice; Elva Zimmerman, daughter of Rufus and Susan; Jane Sauder, daughter of Mahlon and Katie; Esther Zimmerman, daughter of Warren and Erma; Lucille Weaver, daughter of Mervin and Jane; Elaine Stauffer, daughter of Allen and Ellen; Katie Burkholder, daughter of Lawrence and Marlene; Darlene Zimmerman, daughter of Lee and Lucy; and Emily Zimmerman, daughter of Ervin and Clara.

There were many witnesses to the ceremony, both family and friends and fellow believers in Jesus, but because of illness, some parents were missing. "If we live and the Lord is willing......" we say and stand back when it is not His will. We change our plans and try to follow submissively. We forego the opportunity to host guests from Virginia and rest instead. We cancel the plans to sing for our friends.

But for the Dick family in Clover Creek and the Zimmerman family of Hickory Bottom, the change of plans are not minor. The death of a parent is no small thing. Even if we know we will all meet our Maker some day, we are never prepared for the great loss, the profound emptiness that threatens to swallow us when we are left behind.

But I cannot even begin to imagine the heartache of losing a lifetime companion. May God reach down and gently sustain them in the journey of sorrow.