Are you still in touch with the people you grew up with? Like the next door neighbor near your age or kids you went to elementary school with? Me? Not in the least. The fact that we moved around a lot didn’t help that much, but it’s rare these days even for people who were neighbors or classmates to remain in contact years after they’ve left home and started a family and a career.
My guest this week was taken by surprise when a couple he’d known since childhood — he’s actually known the husband since he was four — called him up and invited him for a visit to the Michigan farm they had recently moved to. The surprise was not so much that they called, or not even necessarily that they had bought a farm — but rather what was awaiting him when he arrived. When Jeff Smith pulled up to the house, there was not a car in sight; but there was a horse and buggy. This was just the beginning of an unexpected journey of discovery into the world of the Amish. It had such an impact on Jeff that he wrote a book entitled Becoming Amish — and Jeff joins us today to talk about his experiences….
After listening to Jeff, I hope your curiosity is piqued, because next week we’ll be hearing from Bill Moser himself, who, along with his wife, Tricia, and their six children, made the leap from mainstream American Evangelical culture to become Amish.
