Rebecca Borntrager Graber - My Amish Story: Breaking Generations of Silence

My Amish Story

Breaking Generations of Silence

Rebecca Borntrager Graber

Watch the companion film trailer, Breaking the Silence

www.myamishstory.com

Contents

Ch. 1:

Ch. 2:

Ch. 3:

Ch. 4:

Ch. 5:

Ch. 6:

Ch. 7:

Ch. 8:

Ch. 9:

Ch. 10:

Ch. 11:

Ch. 12:

Ch. 13:

Ch. 14:

Ch. 15:

Ch. 16:

Ch. 17:

Ch. 18:

Ch. 19:

Ch. 20:

Ch. 21:

Ch. 22:

Ch. 23:

Ch. 24:

Ch. 25:

Ch. 26:

Ch. 27:

Ch. 28:

Ch. 29:

Ch. 30:

Ch. 31:

Ch. 32:

Ch. 33:

Ch. 34:

Ch. 35:

Ch. 36:

Ch. 37:

Ch. 38:

Acknowledgements

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony . Revelation 12:11

F irst and foremost, I praise and thank God for His grace that made it possible for there to be a story worth telling and for the inspiration to keep putting words on paper when the memories proved difficult.

My gratitude goes to my husband for the hours of typing and retyping he did to prepare the manuscript for the publishers. It looked like an insurmountable task to me, but you made it look easy.

I thank Joseph for making it all happen: finding a publisher, being my sounding board, and even writing parts of the book.

Ruth, thank you for allowing me to glean from your journals and for your suggestions and help with proofreading.

To Dorcas go heartfelt thanks for pushing me out of the bakery and trading my kneading bowl for a computer.

And finally to the publisher and editors of Aneko Press, thank you for walking me through the steps to get a book written and published.

I dedicate this book to my Dad, David S. Borntrager. He taught me how to read the Bible, pray, and diligently seek after Gods truth.

Foreword

F ive hundred years ago, Martin Luther tacked a piece of paper on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. The ideas listed on that piece of paper changed the world in general and my world in particular.

One idea especially impacted my family the idea that the Scriptures should be available to everyone in a language they understand. Centuries ago, when my ancestors in Switzerland began to read the Bible in their common language and tried to live according to what they read, the church reacted and expelled them from their communities and churches. Eventually, the Amish church emerged from these turbulent times.

Down through the centuries, the Amish church slowly changed. When I (Joseph, the oldest son of Lester and Rebecca) was a boy, I spoke a dialect of German called Pennsylvania Dutch until I was seven years old. Then I learned English in order to start school. When I was in third grade, my mother taught me my third language, German, so I would be able to read Martin Luthers German Bible. Like many other Amish people, I learned German well enough to pronounce the words, but I really struggled with understanding what I was reading, because we never actually spoke German. We only used it to read the Bible and a few other church-related documents.

As I grew older, I noticed that my dad began to read the Bible in English. Of my three languages, English was the only one we used for speaking, reading, and writing, so it made sense that he wanted to read in a language he understood better than the archaic German. Over the course of several years, Dads life changed for the better. But when he preached the things he read in the Bible in the Amish church, turbulent times ensued for us, and in 1994 my parents were excommunicated by the Amish church.

My father, Lester Graber, didnt tack a piece of paper on any church door the Amish dont have church buildings, so there was no door but in a very real sense, he followed in the footsteps of Luther. This book tells my fathers story the story of an Amish preacher and the woman who stood by his side as he embraced the reformation in the twentieth century.

Joseph Graber, son of Lester and Rebecca Graber

Authors Note

In case you were involved in the events of this book and think Thats not the way it happened, let me simply say this: I wrote it as I remember it. Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Introduction

T he majestic moose lifted his head at the sound of voices. The rattle of lunch boxes and bike wheels on the gravel alerted the creature from the forest, as he quenched his thirst at the lakes edge. Water dripped from his hairy lips, as he surveyed the clearing across the lake. The sight of the schoolchildren emerging from behind the trees caused the huge animal to shake his massive rack of antlers and retreat to the shadows of the tall pine trees that covered the mountainside.

The quietness of the afternoon was shattered when three of the youngsters broke from the group and came pedaling down the incline between the twin lakes where the crystal-clear waters reflected fluffy white clouds in the blue, blue western sky. The bikers continued up the next hill, past the lakes, and up the driveway where they dropped their bikes by the gate, which led to a little, one-story cabin nestled at the foot of the mountain.

Minutes after the children entered the house, the door opened again and a lone figure emerged. The look of determination and purpose on her face matched her resolute strides as she headed up the trail leading to the top of the mountain.

She strode along, oblivious to the chattering squirrels that leapt from tree to tree. A lone Gray Jay screeched, as he left his perch at her approach and flew away over the tall treetops. Halfway up the mountain her steps faltered. A shudder passed through her body as she leaned against the rough bark of a tall pine tree at the edge of the trail. She bowed her head, a groan escaped her lips, and her shoulders heaved.

After a moment, she shook herself, straightened her shoulders, and with an effort continued her way up the trail. Her steps were slower as she picked her way over a fallen tree and the surrounding debris and trudged up the mountainside. She kept brushing her hand across her forehead, as if to get rid of plaguing thoughts.

She paused at the edge of a small clearing and scrutinized the forest floor carpeted with pine needles, before she walked over to a fallen log that rested in a bed of ferns. She sank down and held her head in her hands. After a long moment the silence was broken, as she lifted her head, raised her eyes to heaven, and whispered, Help me, Lord.

She dropped her head into her hands again and took a deep breath. Then with a sudden resolution, she got to her feet, threw her head back, and stretched her hands towards the heavens. She cried out, Oh God! Heavenly Father! I cant do it! Its too much. Why does it have to be this way? Please, Lord, just take us all home to be with You. Now!

CHAPTER 1

The Last Amish Family

O n a blustery Sunday afternoon in the boot heel of Missouri, Lester Graber and two of his children walked across the field back to their house where his wife Rebecca and the rest of the children awaited him. Lester was an Amish minister, and the last Amish man left in the community.

A little less than a year before, this settlement showed potential to grow as more Amish people moved into the community. Initially, jobs on a chicken farm in the area were the drawing card. Owners of the chicken farm furnished houses plus wages, which provided a good way for struggling young families to get ahead financially. When problems arose between the manager and employees, family after family left for other places. Once Rebeccas dad moved out, it seemed to seal the fate of this little Amish community.