The most incredible thing happened wed. night. I was sitting on the porch of my building, reading the newspaper, when this young guy came up to me and we started talking. He only recently moved here and he told me someone tried to break his door down! Normally, that would be ALL the news, but this wasnāt Normally!
Folks, this guy lived on his Amish Familyās Farmā¦His WHOLE 20 yrs!!!
No TV
No electricity
No Internet
No Cars
Nothing that we take for granted.
Matthew is the BIGGEST Project I have ever seen! What I would like to know from you guys, is have you ever known anyone who is Amish, that departed the Community and have to start from square one in the real world??
He is asking questions and is very willing to learn. I would like to do more than just answer his questions. Thinking about hooking him up to the Library and Iām going to talk to a Librarian also.
Iām also going to search for Support Groups.
Thanks,
Doug
Doug;
At least āThe Projectā has been raised with a good work ethic, understanding of integrity and honesty. A very solid foundation to build on.
Take him fishing for sure! On the stream may be the best place to mentor him in the ways our world.
Who knows, āThe Projectā just might have a positive influence on the mentor. This will be an interesting thread to watch. Iāll pray for āThe Project.ā
Joe;
I agree. Sometimes the innocent can teach the teacher! This should be a very interesting challange for Doug. I think he wiill do just fine and it will be a great story someday!
Thanks for your encouragement everyone!! Talking to Matthew last night SHOOK me up good! I certainly never imagined I would be answering questions from a completely innocent, completely naive, 20 yr old. This experience has changed me. I feel very protective of him, but I canāt go overboard. Today I had a meeting with the Manager and explained to her I wanted Matthew to move into MY building, then I will be able to help him more. This is positively against policy, because the only way to transfer to another Apt. here is to buy UP, 1-2-3 bedroom. I knew I only had a few minutes to talk to Christina, so I went for the throat. Christina lives on a Ranch with animals (Horses) and I told her Matthew had jumped in a FROZEN lake and tied a rope around a cow to pull it out with a big wagon. I could see Christina melt a little. I have a feeling Iām going to get my way.
I can spot a phony a mile off and Matthew is the sweetest Kid, I can hardly believe it.
More later!
Doug
WOW Doug
you are one lucky man you have the opportunity to help a young man get a clear out look on life, and the added bonus to introduce him to fly fishing streams, were the majority of us have found the answers to some of lifeās biggest challenges or at least the chance to find them. Good luck and I also think that this may be a time for you to grow and learn more about your self. I think any way, that might be optimist coming out of me .
Tonight I printed some info on what is proper behavior for a Amish person that has left their Amish Community.
I went to Matthewās Apt. and gave it to him. I instructed him to NOT open his door for anyone (use peephole) unless they identify themselves and even then, donāt open the door to strangers, only friends.
I found that his Apt. was a long walk through two buildings. If Matthew was in my building it would be a secure place for him. He is learning to ride the Public Bus System. If your wondering WHY it is secure in my building?? Because I LIVE HERE and I will run anyone out of here if they donāt want to be polite neighbors. I am a volunteer advocate for people that are afraid of making waves/trouble by calling 911. I also feel these ignorant, rude people are like mosquitoes and I donāt like them either!! This is all undercover work, since Iām not showing my Hand to these jerks. I usually smile and wave as they leave (after eviction) I LOVE my job!
I had a shock when I went to the Senior Center today because one of our long time servers died suddenly. I donāt think I will be that lucky. I try not to get close to people, but I love those people and Iām willing to handle it when they pass away.
Doug
You do realize that he isnāt 5 right? He may not know the ins, outs and details of the modern world, but I guarentee he can smell trouble when it comes around. Iām also guessing that since he lived 20 years on a farm, heās rock solid and could probably handle himself ok. If you wanted him not to speak to strangers, then how would he have met you? Iām one who would open my door to almost anyone, stranger, friend or foe. Iām not in a battle with my neighbors or the scary strangers out there. Donāt get me wrong, I know that there are truly are some scary people out there and Iām not saying to live life wih a false sense of security about folks. Although, there are some freaks out there, most people arenāt. I guess what Iām trying to say is, instead of telling him to cower behing the dungeon wall and only let friends who are already friends into his life, why not let him know that the morals he was brought up in are really the keys to a happy life? I know that he was taught the āGolden Rule.ā If he wants others to help him and let him into their doors/lives, he needs to do the same.
Then again, maybe Iām reading into it too far??? I just have this image of a scared 20 year old kid, who looks like heās 12, hiding behing the door with a table leg in hand because the cable guy is at the door and he doesnāt know him and doesnāt know what to do. I think its a great thing youāre doing Doug. Really. I just hate to see a kid go from innocent (which can be a good thing) to a super-paranoid recluse who is stuck in the evil modern world and canāt go back where its safe because he already left that. That spells therapy, medication, unbalanced and flat out unhappiness to me. There is a lot of dark in the modern world we live in, but there is a lot of beauty and light too. Donāt let him be so afraid of the dark that it fills his vision, and he canāt see that light.
You do realize that he isnāt 5 right? He may not know the ins, outs and details of the modern world, but I guarentee he can smell trouble when it comes around. Iām also guessing that since he lived 20 years on a farm, heās rock solid and could probably handle himself ok. If you wanted him not to speak to strangers, then how would he have met you? Iām one who would open my door to almost anyone, stranger, friend or foe. Iām not in a battle with my neighbors or the scary strangers out there. Donāt get me wrong, I know that there are truly are some scary people out there and Iām not saying to live life wih a false sense of security about folks. Although, there are some freaks out there, most people arenāt. I guess what Iām trying to say is, instead of telling him to cower behing the dungeon wall and only let friends who are already friends into his life, why not let him know that the morals he was brought up in are really the keys to a happy life? I know that he was taught the āGolden Rule.ā If he wants others to help him and let him into their doors/lives, he needs to do the same.
Then again, maybe Iām reading into it too far??? I just have this image of a scared 20 year old kid, who looks like heās 12, hiding behing the door with a table leg in hand because the cable guy is at the door and he doesnāt know him and doesnāt know what to do. I think its a great thing youāre doing Doug. Really. I just hate to see a kid go from innocent (which can be a good thing) to a super-paranoid recluse who is stuck in the evil modern world and canāt go back where its safe because he already left that. That spells therapy, medication, unbalanced and flat out unhappiness to me. There is a lot of dark in the modern world we live in, but there is a lot of beauty and light too. Donāt let him be so afraid of the dark that it fills his vision, and he canāt see that light.[/quote]
Wild One,
I understand your concern, but you are not living here. I KNOW what is going on around here and Matthew is like a fish out of water. Understand this! Matthew has been sheltered in his closed society, his WHOLE LIFE!
Use your imagination and think what it would be like to not have ANY contact with the outside world. You ARE reading too much into this, because Matthew has a sweet innocent spirit (maybe when I was 2) He is NOT going to turn into a paranoid recluse (I might). Did you notice that I told him NOT to open his door to strangers AFTER he first approached me?? AFTER he almost had his door broken down?? Matthew is NOT fearful and that is not good! Give me some slack also, since I donāt make my living counseling Amish People. Itās a pretty scary situation! Matthew is certainly NOT moving in with me, but Iām not resting until I know he is more secure. You wouldnāt believe some of the questions he had for me last night!
Matthew is not without friends, his main friend sponsored him to fly here. My responsibility isnāt to run Matthewās life, but to help him get educated in our customs. The smarter Matthew becomes, the better he will be able to protect himself.
I believe WE can be Angels to others, sometimes the timing is too good for placing you in a position to help someone. You canāt discount that.
Doug
Doug,
Youāre right, I didnāt know that Milwaukie, OR. was such a dangerous place to live. Thanks for the heads up. I understand that Matthew is a fish out of water. I, myself, come from a religious background that many view to be too sheltering. Not Amish, mind you, but certainly not involved in āworldlyā ways.
Doug, Iām not trying to attack you and I think you see that. I certaily would not discount the fact that we can be angels to those around us. In fact, that is my whole point. Matthew has grown upā¦nevermind, lets make it more general here because I donāt know him. People who grow up with such high moral standards are rare people. Youāve heard the phrase āsalt of the earth?ā These are they. While you are undoubtedly helping this young man in many ways, he is undoubtedly helping you and probably just about everyone he meets, too.
So, youāre right again. I canāt discount that the fact that we can all be angels doing the Lordās work. So why not encourage him to meet as many people as he can? Think of the effect that could have on Milwaukie. He just might help make it into a safer place to live. I think that youāre a great person for helping someone in need, just because they need it. No one could discount the honor in that.
Dear Betty,
I am being cautious. I will not rush anything. I will only be a bystander, not a close friend. Matthewās encounters with the outside world are out of my control, but I have some pull around here and Iām going to be an ear for him.
Everything is cool! I woke up this morning!!! Thatās good!
This is just another (Strange) chapter and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
I will not be transporting him in my vehicle or giving him food or money. Itās up to him whether he makes it around here. There is a big turnover here, so there are no guarantees he is going to survive renting here.
Doug
Our farm in Alberta was right next to the Hutterite Community. Most Hutterites use modern equipment on the farms but The sect near us were like the Amish and did not use modern conveniences. A very few ever left the colony. They were a joy to talk to and the best neighbors one could have. If I got the tractor mired down to the axels in spring mud I could count on two or three of the young men to show up with a pair of percheron draft horses. In no time They would have me out of trouble. Never would they take anything but my thanks. We bartered livestock, vegetables, feed, etc with them. Never did I best them in bartering. They were fair but firm.
If Mathew is the genuine article you will get as much from Him as he gets from you. Just be careful and you should be fine.
Our home in PA is right in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish country. You didnāt say where he is from though and there are a number of Amish communities across the US.
Normally, I wouldnāt label any of the Amish that I know as naive or unworldly, althought there might be some that are in the Amish communities, as there are in any walk of life. He could simply be a scared or confused runaway kid, notwithstanding that he is (or was) Amish, and he may not have yet joined the Amish faith (something not normally done here until the boys and girls are past their teen years - rebellious times for all of us - so he may simply have left his family behind, not his formal religion.
One of the reasons that the Amish do not formally join the church in their youth is so that children have enough maturity to make that decision on their own, and there are a number of āformer Amishā in our community who choose to leave the church, and their lifestyle, behind when the time comes for them to make that decision. That may be what this fellow has done ā or, there could be other reasons.
In any case, you may have found a new friend, and if so, the better for the both of you. In any event though, I would not look at this boy any differently than another kid of his age, simply due to the fact that he is - or was - Amish.
John,
You are a very wise person. You touched on what I was thinking and that, HAS Matthew totally cut himself Off from his Amish Roots?? No he hasnāt. He writes his Parents letters. He seems to be probing into our world. Matthewās case isnāt running away from home because heās mad at the Amish Community. Thatās good for me, since I am not dealing with a rebellious person. If Matthew canāt make it, then he will most likely go back home to Spokane WA.
This encounter has been a SHOCK to me, since I had no previous contact with an Amish person.
Doug
Well guys! Tonight I visited with Matthew and he told me he visited the Lake Oswego Library, like I suggested to him yesterday. It was the first time he had ever been in a Public Library! He was impressed with how big the place was. Matthew also got some instruction on the Library computer/Internet.
Then Matthew told me something that confirmed his credibility. Matthew (18 yrs old living by himself here) was the Guest Speaker at SIX History Classes at Lake Oswego High School. He told the Story of his Amish Familyās Daily Life to High School Kids!! and he will do it again tomorrow.
Matthewās day starts with the Rooster Crowing, so he is used to waking up early and going to bed early.
With MY sleep schedule, I would not be eligible to join the Amish.
Betty! Some EXCITING NEWS!!! Friday Oct. 5th 2007!! I PREPARED My FIRST MEAL from Scratch!!!
It only took me 54 yrs and 6 DAYS! to accomplish this FEAT!!!
First; Baked 4 Chicken Breasts in my nifty toaster oven (20 minutes)
Next; Poured ONE Box of Wild/Brown rice in a can of chicken broth. Cooked (25 min.)
Then; Chopped, 1 Green Pepper, One Red pepper, 4 baby carrots, 3 leaves of Spinach, 1 cup of Broccoli, 1 teaspoon of garlic.
Cooked vegetables in Wok for ten minutes and added Rice and cooked chicken and simmered for another 5 minutes. Added a little bit of lemon pepper and that was it!
I was actually AFRAID to taste it!! :lol: but it was good!
On my Litter Patrol Friday, I found 2 quarters, 3 dimes, 1 nickel, and 7 pennies!!! Almost enough for a CUP of gasoline!! :lol:
Normally, that would be ALL the news, but this wasnāt Normally!
