Into the Deep | September 2022

WHO WE ARE...

P U BL ISHE R

From 2007 to 2012 we, the Millers, adopted our first three children, a preschooler on the autism spectrum and two babies with Down syndrome. We published our first issue of Plain Values in 2012 to highlight Biblical ministries, share the beauty of adoption, and to cultivate anchored community. In 2018 we welcomed our fourth child in a surprise adoption, this time a baby with Mosaic Down syndrome. We homeschool our family and enjoy working together to grow and raise food on our twelve acre homestead.

Marlin Miller SA L E S A DV ISO R - O HIO

Matt Yoder SA L E S A DV ISO R - M IC HIA N A + P ENNSY LVANI A

Aaron Stutzman E DITO R IA L M A N AG E R

Nic Stoltzfus Q UA L IT Y A SSU RA N C E

WHAT WE BELIEVE...

Sabrina Schlabach

Our values are plain values, steeped in the rich traditions of yesterday. We enjoy the simple things in life. Gathering eggs from the coop, getting our hands in the dirt to grow food, and cooking meals from scratch. Sometimes we sit around a fire and share life. We strive to walk humbly to strengthen authentic relationships with our families and neighbors. And, yes, we have taken a fresh pie to a front porch and surprised a friend… we didn’t even text them before! We just stopped by, walked up the steps, and knocked on the door! Just the way our grandparents used to do on a Sunday evening. They called it living in community.

We seek to serve our neighbors. Plain Values began with a prayer, hoping to play a small role in connecting a child with Down syndrome to his or her forever family. We have checked that box nearly a dozen times in the last ten years, and we will not stop until the orphanages are empty!

We will rest in Heaven!

P RO DU C T IO N M A N AG E R

Isaac Hershberger M U LT I- M E DIA P RO DU C T IO N

Seth Yoder O F F IC E M A N AG E R / C U STO MER S ERVI C E

Jan Schlabach BO O K K E E P E R

Julia Browning O C TO BE R A D C LO SE

September 6, 2022 WR IT E R – SE RV IN G O U R N E IG H B O R

HOW YOU CAN HELP...

Join us as we pursue a more authentic life. By subscribing to Plain Values, a portion of each subscription goes directly to Room to Bloom, our non-profit that supports children with special needs.

Robert Rogers with Merlin Erb WR IT E R – WHISP E RS O F HO P E

Darren Gagnon WR IT E R – RO OTS + WIN GS

Rory Feek

JOIN US FOR PORCH TIME! Every third Friday from 1:00pm – 4:00pm

Stop by, enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, sit on the porch, and visit for a while. We'd love to get to know you! We're located in the heart of Winesburg, Ohio – just down the street from the church.

WR IT E R – T HE HE A L IN G L A N D

Shawn & Beth Dougherty WR IT E R – CO N F E SSIO N S O F A ST EWAR D

Joel Salatin WR IT E R – T HE WIDOW ' S PAT H

Ferree Hardy WR IT E R – O U R HE R ITAG E

Elam Stoltzfus WR IT E R – A L L T HIN GS O U T DO O RS

Jim Zumbo

Plain Values is published monthly by Plain Target Marketing, LLC. Please contact us with any questions.

A DDR E SS

P.O. Box 201 / 2106 Main Street Winesburg, OH 44690 P HO N E

FA X

330-601-6106

330-601-4099

E M A IL

reachout@plainvalues.com WE BSIT E

www.plainvalues.com

This publication and its contents are © 2022, Plain Target Marketing, LLC. Individual copyrighted items, trademarks, etc. contained within are the property of their respective copyright holders. No part of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed by any means without authorization from the publisher. Publisher is not responsible for advertisers’ offers, products, or services, and publication neither expresses nor implies an endorsement.

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contents serving our neighbor 13

INTO THE DEEP Finding God in the Depth of Sorrow WORDS BY: ROBERT ROGERS with MERLIN ERB

“Mr. Rogers, we need to ask you to identify the bodies of your three youngest children. They are dead.” Those piercing words from early Sunday morning, August 31, 2003, changed my life forever.

simple living 33

THE HEALING LAND Apples COLUMN BY: SHAWN & BETH DOUGHERTY

The apple trees in the orchard are bearing well this year, with russet and yellow-green fruit studding the young branches.

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CONFESSIONS OF A STEWARD Vicarious Farming COLUMN BY: JOEL SALATIN

When I suggest that we should have many more farmers (and fewer factory farmers), people often squirm and respond, "But all of us can't be farmers."

resources 10

WHISPERS OF HOPE Lost Sparrows Trauma Conference COLUMN BY: DARREN GAGNON

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT HyR BRIX

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September 2022 // Issue 111

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ONE MINUTE WITH MARLIN

ON THE COVER

PRAYERS FOR THE NATIONS

Thoughts and ramblings from Marlin Miller, publisher of Plain Values.

In 2003, a flash flood slammed into the Rogers' family minivan, changing Robert's life forever.

This month we take a closer look at the country of Laos in southeast Asia.

community 27

ROOTS + WINGS Mountain Time COLUMN BY: RORY FEEK

Each year, Indiana and I spend some time in the mountains. And though from Tennessee to Montana there’s technically only an hour difference in time zones—for us, it’s more like a year…

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THE WIDOW'S PATH Hobbies and Healing COLUMN BY: FERREE HARDY

During grief, when we suffer the loss of a loved one, we simply cannot endlessly maintain grief’s emotional roller-coaster ride.

It's exhausting.

history 51

OUR HERITAGE Reflections on the Martyrs COLUMN BY: ELAM STOLTZFUS

Today, we can thank these early American Amish and Mennonite religious leaders for including the martyr stories in the back of the Ausbund.

outdoors 55

ALL THINGS OUTDOORS Western Game Hunt COLUMN BY: JIM ZUMBO

Planning your trip will take some work, but hunting the West makes it all worth it. There’s just one problem. You might become addicted to that spectacular mountain scenery...

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one minute with Marlin

MARLIN MILLER publisher, always looking for more friends

"we few. we happy few. we band of brothers, for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."

SHAKESPEARE'S LINE from Henry V is often used in terms of war and the brotherhood that is formed among a group of soldiers as they fine-tune their craft. If I may offer another angle, I sometimes wonder if this brotherhood mentality can't be seen and experienced in other teams and types of work. Caring for one another while making each other laugh, to embrace the challenge at hand and get through it together happens in coal mines, on top of cell phone towers, and in sewers. Here at the Plain Values office, where one of the most dangerous risks we face are rogue paper cuts, we routinely find ways to make each other laugh till bubbles of snot come gurgling out… somewhere!

A few weeks ago, I read through Ecclesiastes. Since then, I have been observing and thinking about all the meaninglessness I see today. Solomon, the wisest guy ever, tells us how pointless and futile our thinking often is in no uncertain terms.

My friend Brian recently shared of his search for answers to a decades-long saga in which his grandpa disowned his family. As his grandpa had passed away years ago, my friend longed for closure.

How and why did this happen? Without giving anything away, it was a massive miscommunication. Years went by, the grandpa passed into eternity, and still, the mutual mystification continued… until Brian dug in and began asking the hard questions.

You might be wondering how in the world this goofball is going to tie three unrelated thoughts and stories into a knot and make his point; and that would be a fair question! Here it is: outside of our relationship with our Creator, the people around us, our spouses, our families, the folks we get to work with are the most important of our lives. You don't build a brotherhood around truths that matter and bind us together without communication.

Genuine and deep communication. I don't care, nor did Solomon for that matter, how much or how little you have, who your parents were, or where you studied– we are all born with a longing to belong! We all hope to be part of a tribe bigger than ourselves and to build relationships that make eternal impacts. I dare you to find joy in the middle of hard things. I'm not saying it's easy, but I am saying it's worth it!

As always, may you find joy in the simple things. //

A few "snot-bubble" moments with the Plain Values crew 6

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whispers of hope

SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO FOSTER + ADOPT

COLUMN BY:

IN 2021 LOST SPARROWS hosted its first annual conference on developmental trauma. Two hundred and fifty people sat through a long but encouraging and informative day of speakers addressing various issues surrounding trauma. We felt like it was a great start, but we could do better. Therefore, we are excited to share that we are hosting our second annual Trauma Conference this October 14-15 in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Last year my wife Stacey and I shared the four lies we believed when we began fostering in 2006. We believed that children were born resilient, and that they would forget the challenges they endured as infants—issues of abandonment and neglect, physical and emotional abuse. We were wrong. We believed that our love would fix them, and that when things got difficult, we just needed to try harder as parents. We were wrong.

Trauma parenting is a different form of parenting. All of the tools and techniques we used with our biological children failed miserably with our kids with trauma. We learned some very hard lessons and made too many mistakes to count. So now, we share with others what we learned, and we do the best we can to support other families learning how to trauma parent. We share how trauma changes the developing brain of a child, and how, instead of being wired for connection, the brain becomes wired for protection.

Darren Gagnon

We hope you will consider joining us this October to learn from some amazing experts in the field of developmental trauma. We have a unique mix of speakers with different backgrounds and experiences, but with the same love for helping others know how to parent, teach, counsel, or lead effectively.

Our theme this year is The Ripple Effect. We hope to create ripples of hope in our community.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” – Mother Teresa Who should attend? This conference is designed for foster parents, adoptive parents, teachers, youth workers, caseworkers, caregivers, church staff, counselors, or those just wanting to better understand trauma.

What topics will be covered? There will be many topics discussed, including attachment issues, autism, challenging behaviors, trauma parenting, helping victims of abuse, addiction, self-care, co-regulation, and caregiver burnout. We will have 30 breakout sessions to choose from over the two days.

The conference will be held on the campus of Grace College, 200 Seminary Drive, Winona lake, IN. Breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturday are included with your registration. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please visit our webiste: www.LSConference.org.

We hope to see you there! //

Darren Gagnon, along with his wife, Stacey, are the founders of Lost Sparrows. They can be reached at P.O. Box 751, Winona Lake, IN 46590.

Learn more about Lost Sparrows at www.lostsparrows.org.

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Darren and Stacey Gagnon, founders of Lost Sparrows

SPEAKERS:

P LU S M

ANY M

ORE!

BRYAN POST, an adopted and former foster child, is one of America’s Foremost Child Behavior and Adoption Experts and founder of the Post Institute.

GEORGE DENNEHY, born without arms, has a very powerful message to share—he believes that every individual has a purpose and absolutely anything is possible.

GAELIN ELMORE spent over 10 years in the foster care system— experiencing physical, mental, and emotional abuse.

DR. DELL has a Bachelor of Science in Counseling and Master of Arts degree in Interpersonal Relations from Grace College, and his Doctor of Psychology degree from Indiana State University.

JOHN FULLER is vice president of Focus on the Family's Audio department, leading the team that creates and produces almost 20 audio programs and podcasts.

STACEY GAGNON is a foster mom, adoptive mom, blogger, educator, published children’s book author, a registered nurse, and an international speaker.

October 14–15 Friday + Saturday

Grace College Campus Winona Lake, IN

SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14 7:30am – 9:00am

Check-In at Grace College

8:00am – 9:00am

Breakfast – Alpha Dining

9:15am – 10:15am

Opening Session – Brian Post

10:45am – 11:45am

Breakout Session 1 (5 choices)

12:00pm – 1:15pm

Lunch

1:30pm – 2:30pm

Breakout Session 2 (5 choices)

2:45pm – 3:45pm

Breakout Session 3 (5 choices)

4:15pm – 5:15pm

Breakout Session 4 (5 choices)

5:20pm – 6:30pm

Evening Session – George Dennehy

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 8:00am – 9:00am

Breakfast – Alpha Dining

9:00am – 10:30am

Opening Session – Gaelin Elmore

11:00am – 12:00pm

Breakout Session 5 (5 choices)

12:00pm – 1:30pm

Lunch

1:30pm – 2:30pm or 3:30pm

Breakout Session 6 (5 choices)

3:00pm – 4:00pm

Workshops

4:30pm – 5:45pm

Evening Session – Darren + Stacey Gagnon

$190 per Ticket

Breakfast + Lunch Included

LSConference.org Purchase Tickets Online

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WORDS BY

Robert Rogers with Merlin Erb

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.

All these things are gone forever.

And the one sitting on the throne said, ‘Look, I am making everything new.'"

REVELATION 21:4-5

IT WAS LABOR DAY weekend 2003, and we were returning to our home in Liberty, Kansas, from a family wedding. There were six of us in our minivan: myself, my wife Melissa, and our four children: eightyear-old Makenah Alexandra, five-year-old Zachary Seth, three-yearold Nicholas Adam, and one-year-old Alenah WenYing, whom we had recently adopted from China.

An unfathomable flash flood inundated our minivan on the Kansas Turnpike. It thrust our vehicle off the highway, plunged us into the deluge, and washed half of our precious family out the window while our youngest three were still strapped in their car seats. Miraculously, I survived.

“Mr. Rogers, we need to ask you to identify the bodies of your three youngest children. They are dead.”

Those piercing words from early Sunday morning, August 31, 2003, changed my life forever. Perhaps you can relate. You know at that moment life will never again be the same.

I identified our three youngest. Later my oldest child Makenah was found on a barbed wire fence nearby the van—a mile and a half from the turnpike. Three days later, they found my wife, my beloved Melissa. All I cherished most was gone: every dream, every hope.

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Life Before the Flood I met my wife in Massachusetts. In March of 1989, I returned to Digital Equipment Corporation in Boston for my engineering job. The year before, I happened upon a gentleman outside Lily’s Café delighting a crowd on a baby grand piano. When he took a break, I offered to fill in for him; from there, it was history. I loved to fill the cobblestone sidewalks with music.

When I returned to my job, I also resumed playing piano at Lily’s during my breaks.

One warm spring Saturday afternoon, an attractive blond stopped by while I was playing. I was instantly smitten. Before she left, I gave her my business card. Melissa, from Kansas, was working as a nanny in Boston, but I had no way to contact her. I could only hope she would return, which she did. Unbeknownst to me, Melissa returned to the square numerous times that summer to observe me playing from a distance.

When I returned to college that fall, I got a card from her with a poem she’d written for me titled “The Piano Man” while listening to my café music. Soon the romance was underway, and we got married on New Year’s Eve, 1991.

Our first crisis occurred during the birth of our first daughter. Makenah was scheduled to be a home water birth, but after 48 hours of hard labor, a C-section was performed. Thankfully all ended well. We learned a valuable lesson: Even though everything that happens to us is not always good, God can still bring good out of everything that happens to us (Romans 8:28). Makenah’s difficult delivery was an experience that drove us deeper in our faith.

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"Even though everything that happens to us is not always good, God can still bring good out of everything that happens to us..."

Our son Zachary was born after a normal delivery, but within hours my wife and I were told, “We believe your son has Down syndrome.” We were speechless, and Zachary was whisked off to Children’s Mercy Hospital for heart and bowel complications. Zachary was also autistic. Such pressures often cause marriages to break up. But for us, Zachary galvanized our marriage instead of tearing us apart, bringing Melissa and me closer to each other and God. Unknown to me, we were being prepared by our years of crying out to Him in our deepest pain. During childbirth, during Zachary’s surgeries, during Down syndrome complications, we cried out to Him. As our family grew, we gave our struggles to God during Nicholas’ birth and Alenah’s adoption. Through marital woes, amid months of more bills than paychecks, and enduring all sorts of trials, we made it through because we turned to God rather than away from God. In those times of deepest pain, we grew to know and receive God’s presence when nothing made sense, which ultimately revealed God’s deepest and most intimate loving nature.

A quick family photo at the wedding reception before their fateful drive home in 2003

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The Rogers' had no idea how deep the water was, already enough to wet the floor of their vehicle

The Flood The six of us were on our way home from a family wedding. It was late at night and raining heavily. Around 8:55 pm, 11 miles out of Emporia, Kansas, having driven in heavy rain since Wichita, we noticed several vehicles parked with their running lights on along the right side of the road in the Flint Hills. We were among about eight vehicles that kept moving in the left lane past the stopped vehicles. Almost instantly, it seemed as though we were surrounded by water, not merely a pool but a river flowing from left to right.

The whirl of the wind and the noise of the rain were so loud that it was hard to hear anything else. Finally, we saw taillights in front of us getting through. We figured the height of the water was already at its worst; the water was soaking our feet and everything on the floor. We couldn’t move at all, blocked fore and aft by vehicles, to the left by the concrete median barriers, and to the right by debris; we were even blocked by vehicles that were now floating. We were trapped. Inside, the engine stalled when the water reached the seat cushion level. By this time, Makenah, Nicholas, and Alenah were all noticeably scared and crying. Zachary was the only one not crying. Makenah got out of her seat belt and came up to stand between us.

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“Okay, you guys. Let’s sing a song together.”

We chose a song we had sung many times around the piano at home: “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.”

I recited portions of Psalms 46, saying, “God is my strength, God is my refuge, an ever-present help in times of trouble.” Despite the fear and stress of the situation, I sensed an amazing reassuring peace that somehow we were all going to be okay through this.

Inside the van, the water had now risen to the steering wheel. Our children’s heads were still safely above the water level, but the water was so very bitterly cold.

Suddenly, around 9:18 pm, everything broke loose.

Eyewitnesses from cars that were trapped described a seven-foot wall of water rushing across the highway that swept 11 sections of the concrete median off the road down the embankment into the creek bed. Each section was 20 feet in length and weighed 10,000 pounds. These concrete barriers were all that held our van in place. Once the medians were gone, nothing remained to protect us from the fast cross current.

We took a nosedive across the southbound lanes of traffic and down the embankment. We seemed to hit something as we crashed with a sudden jolt; perhaps a culvert or one of the 11 concrete medians. It

felt as though we were in a powerful waterfall. When I kicked out the window, it was like popping a balloon.

I was instantly sucked out of the van. I lost all sense of direction as I was pulled downstream underwater.

I’m convinced that both Melissa and Makenah, who were both out of their seat belts, were sucked out immediately behind me. In the urgency, chaos, and confusion, Melissa and I shared no final kiss or words of goodbye with each other or our children.

I was drowning. I felt like a ragdoll tumbling in a washing machine.

This can’t be the end, I thought.

Not now.

Not like this.

23 life-changing minutes Labor Day Weekend, 2003 8:55pm 11 miles out of Emporia, Kansas on the Kansas Turnpike, the Rogers family approach several vehicles stopped on the side of the road with running lights on; however, they follow the flow of traffic around them.

8:56pm Their minivan is suddenly surrounded by water, not merely a pool but a river flowing from left to right.

9:05pm

"It felt as if God had reached down His hand and cupped our entire family into His palm to personally escort us directly to heaven together."

The floor of the minivan is now getting wet. They can’t move at all—blocked by vehicles in front and behind, a concrete wall to their left, and rushing water on their right.

9:10pm Flood water now reaches the seat cushions and the engine stalls. The Rogers family begins to sing praises to their Lord.

9:15pm Somehow, I wasn’t afraid. I felt a tangible, comforting peace of God. I was ingesting water and remembered thinking that although I was truly drowning—and sensed my wife and children were as well—our whole family was going to heaven together, and it really wasn’t so bad. It was like being in a dream, only this was real. It felt as if God had reached down His hand and cupped our entire family into His palm to personally escort us directly to heaven together.

About a half mile from the highway, my head lifted above the water. Suddenly, I grabbed onto something and crawled out of the water. I was utterly exhausted, in shock, and freezing cold. I could see the flashing lights of emergency vehicles up on the highway, so I crawled toward them as quickly as my body would allow. Nearly an hour after being expelled from the van, I approached a highway patrol trooper and blurted, “My wife and four children are still down there!”

It was too late —in my family, I was the sole survivor.

The water level in the Rogers' minivan has now risen to the steering wheel; however, everyone is still safe.

9:18pm A seven-foot wall of water crashes into the Rogers' minivan, sweeping them off the road and into the raging torrent of bitterly cold water.

Life After the Flood The day following the 2003 Kansas flash flood, I

was visited by my engineering boss, his words deeply resonating within me. He helped me recognize nothing I could think or do now would change history. What mattered most from here forward was not my actions from last night but my reactions to last night. If I spent the rest of my life in pity, feeling sorry for myself, I would only imprison myself and serve no good whatsoever. I

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wanted my family’s lives to count for something. Already I could sense that God had a profound purpose for my life. Already I could see that people’s lives were being touched in a positive way. I began to sense God had spared me for a reason.

Before preparing for my first press conference, I spoke with my father, an extremely thoughtful man known for his wisdom and insights. “Son, this is where the rubber meets the road,” he said. “Give it straight. Explain how shattered you are. But don’t hesitate to say how you still trust God. Either we believe what we say or we don’t.

Either God is God, or He’s not.”

He was right. This was the moment my new calling in life began. I was facing and embracing head-on the worst pain of my life. I knew my only source was God, and the result was His peace amid the horrific reality. So many times on my way to work over the years, I have prayed Psalm 112. Now those words came back to me: “Even in darkness light dawns for the upright… Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news…. His heart is secure, he will have no fear.” (Psalm 112:6-8).

The concept of heaven and eternity was never more real. As I kissed my children goodbye, I kissed death. Amazingly, it had no victory over me or them. My grief still tore at me, but death had lost its sting because I knew through Christ it represented our passage into eternal life. I could now feel the glory through the agony, life out of death. That’s the message of the gospel. Beauty out of ashes.

"I could now feel the glory through the agony, life out of death.

That's the message of the gospel.

Beauty out of ashes."

What matters most, I’ve found, is how you respond to the wreckage and remnants of what remains. Where do you run to after the ruin? Where do you hide? “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1-2).

A detailed depiction of the flood published by Paul Soutar and The Wichita Eagle 18

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Second Step to Rise Above Embrace It. Yes, dive in headfirst. Jesus surrendered to the cross to which His Father had appointed Him. He embraced it. So should we.

“Even when I walk through the dark valley of death, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me” (Psalm 23:4).

Third Step to Rise Above Replace It. Yes, God has a marvelously divine exchange program. Right now, ask God to replace your pain with praise, your despair with joy, your ashes with beauty. He can, and He will.

We each have that choice when life slams into the side of a mountain or under a wall of water. Yes, we can slam the door in God’s face, bolt it, and even lock it. Conversely, we can seek an embrace in His arms and allow Him Who holds our healing to hold our hearts as we grieve. It requires a steadfast, intimate relationship with God through a personal encounter with His Son, Jesus Christ. Even if our faith somehow remains intact, too often our souls remain messed up and wounded.

Now my soul needed surgery and rehabilitation. Yes, I believe that God “restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:3 NIV) But how can He? How will He? It is a process, for certain. It takes time. Weeping is good. Tears hurt, but they heal and are vital to recovery. Now 19 years later, traveling the country and parts of the world, people want to know “how” I made it. How do I still navigate through the unrelenting pain of the past, particularly as I recount raw emotions from my heart hundreds of times to all who invite me? The short answer is, “Only God.” I have now written five books and have given nearly 1,400 presentations. In my third book, Rise Above: How to Heal the Hurts and Overcome the Worst, I strove to offer, in a straightforward and practical way, three simple steps to assist you on the road to recovery.

First Step to Rise Above Face It. Yes, admit it happened. Accept it. Don’t pretend it never happened. Rather than telling God how big your problem is, tell your problem how big God is.

Please consider these words and take them to heart, for it literally cost me everything to share them with you. I pray they take root and dramatically transform your life, compelling you to join me in building a legacy of no regrets. //

Robert Rogers founded Mighty in the Land Ministry after the death of his wife and four children. The ministry’s mission is to teach others to know God and live a life of no regrets. His compelling message impacts lives, transforms congregations, and inspires people to know God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. A tithe of everything given is placed in the Mighty in the Land Foundation, which funds eight orphanages around the world. For scheduling or more information, contact Robert Rogers at:

Mighty in the Land Ministry a: 429 East DuPont Road #230, Fort Wayne, IN 46825 p: 260–515–5158 w: mightyintheland.com e: hello@mightyintheland.com

Merlin Erb interviewed Robert Rogers for this article, and they worked together on condensing his story for the feature story. His work on this article is informed by his own experience of loss: less than three years after he got married, his first wife tragically died in a car accident.

Today, Merlin and his wife Loretta call Dalton, Ohio home, and they are active members at Kidron Mennonite Church. In addition, they are anticipating the birth of their first grandchild this summer! You can read more of Merlin’s musings at merlinsmustache.com.

The article above contains edited excerpts from Robert Rogers’ first and third books, Into the Deep: One Man’s Story of How Tragedy Took His Family but Could Not Take His Faith and Rise Above: How to Heal the Hurts and Overcome the Worst.

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Backyard berry patches are increasing in popularity. The HyR BRIX office frequently fields calls on berry products of all types. The HyR BRIX Fruit and Berry Fertilizer is excellent for all types of berries and fruiting trees.

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An Accidental Success Dan and Jennifer Lane never intended to make and sell fertilizer. As a fourth-generation farming family, they were plenty busy raising their children and managing their farm in Delaware County, Ohio. But when they couldn't find the kind of high-quality fertilizer they were looking for on the market, they decided to make their own.

The couple had one non-negotiable requirement: their fertilizer had to be full of nutrients that would replenish the soil and, in turn, improve plant health. For the Lanes, healthy soil was the absolute key to healthier plants that would deliver higher yields, better flavor, and better nutrition.

After some trial and error, they ultimately hit on a formula that contained an ideal blend of essential nutrients, micronutrients, and minerals, and was completely free of fillers, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, and GMO ingredients. It also—unbelievably—delivered maximum results in a single application per season.

It wasn't long before parishioners at the Lane's church started asking the couple for growing advice.

With their servants' hearts and mindset, Dan and Jennifer began handing out fertilizer samples wanting nothing more than to help their friends. Word spread quickly, and—almost before they realized it—the Lanes were in the fertilizer business.

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“We like HyR BRIX® because you can apply once and be done. It’s natural, and fruits & veggies are more uniform and larger, better quality. Easy to apply with no dangerous chemicals. Our customers are saying, 'We can grow potatoes now!' While in the last year they had given up trying.

Same with the other veggies. Great stuff!”

– BETTY GRABER Graber's Greenhouse, Grabill, Indiana

HyR BRIX® is Born, and Fertilizer Will Never be The Same As they moved closer to putting their fertilizer on the market, the Lanes realized they needed a name and quickly settled on HyR BRIX®. Brix is a measure of the overall nutrient content of a plant, and the higher the Brix (°Bx), the healthier and tastier the harvest. Jennifer is quick to point out that, "If you compare the flavor of store-bought produce to the flavor of produce grown with our fertilizer, you'll notice a huge difference because ours delivers a ‘higher Brix’ level."

Brix levels matter. When soil is amended to provide maximum nutrient value, the resulting produce generally exhibits higher simple and complex sugar content, higher protein content, greater density, sweeter flavor, longer storage attributes, and less disease and insect damage.

So Much More Than N-P-K Diving more deeply into the subject, Dan explains why N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium), which is the backbone of most fertilizers, isn't enough to give plants exactly what they need for maximum Brix levels. "Plants are incapable of producing their own minerals," he shares, "so if you're not adding minerals to the soil, plants simply will not get the nutrition they need. Every HyR BRIX® formula we've developed is a perfectly balanced formula with not only the ideal amount of N-P-K, but also the optimal amount of nutrients needed to grow the healthiest plants possible.

And all of the minerals used in HyR BRIX® formulas are naturally mined in the U.S." In addition to supplying nutrients, HyR BRIX® products contain soil conditioners and bio-stimulants like humates, probiotics, worm castings, yucca, seaweed, and diatomaceous earth that improve soil biology and make nutrients more available to plants.

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The Right Fertilizer For The Right Plant To date, the company has developed more than a dozen different fertilizers, each formulated specifically for the needs of particular plants. Vegetable Fertilizer and All Natural & Organic Vegetable Fertilizer are all-purpose formulas that not only grow bigger, healthier vegetables, but also work equally well on the entire garden. Fruit and Berry formula is designed to improve bud vigor, protect against disease and insect damage, and produce more, bettertasting fruit. One of the company's most popular blends, HyR BRIX® Tomato Fertilizer, contains the multiple sources of calcium tomatoes crave, and helps prevent disease and blossom end rot, all while maximizing yield. Sweet Corn Fertilizer delivers different forms of nitrogen, which ensures plants develop big, uniform ears with exceptionally sweet flavor. In addition, the company produces a renowned Lawn Fertilizer line, Soil Alive Soil Amendment, a Pasture Fertilizer, and Buck Stampede Food Plot Nutrients.

Both Dan and Jennifer seem a little awed by the way their business has grown over the years. "We created a dry granular fertilizer for our own family farm," Dan recounts, "but we quickly found a following of professional growers who were thrilled with our ease of application, soil-enriching capabilities, increased yields, and exceptional results. And of course, everyone loves the one-time application."

At HyR BRIX®, Family Comes First– Theirs AND Yours As they talk, however, the secret to the Lanes' success becomes clear. Yes, they make a remarkable product that delivers stellar results, but it's the way they do business that keeps people coming back. Jennifer relates a story that shows their commitment to always doing the right thing.

"In one of our first two or three years of doing business,

we found an error in our labeling," she recalls. "Rather than chalking it up as an irreparable mistake, we took a four-day road trip to personally relabel every single one of our bags.

We go to great lengths to avoid mistakes, but if we discover an issue with one of our products, we fix it. Period."

Dan nods in agreement. "We are, and always will be, a farm-to-farm, family-to-family kind of business," he asserts.

"No matter how large we grow, we'll always stick to the ideals and values that have been handed down through four generations. We tell people all the time, 'Call us, and ask us anything; we'll answer the phone!' We promise to be here for our customers because we only win when they do." // One of the most popular blends, HyR BRIX® Tomato Fertilizer provides multiple sources of calcium to prevent blossom end rot. Great for all types of tomatoes and peppers!

You can order HyR BRIX® online at:

www.HyRBRIX.com

"This was our first time using HyR Brix® and we had our first good pea crop in 20 years of living here!"

Or call the company at 855-497-2749 to get answers to any questions you may have.

– NORMAN STAUFFER Shady Grove Ag Products, Bainbridge, OH

The Lane family are fourth generation farmers in Delaware, Ohio who happened into the fertilizer business by accident.

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column by:

mountain time September 2022

Each year, Indiana and I spend some time in the mountains.

And though from Tennessee to Montana there’s technically only an hour difference in time zones—for us, it’s more like a year…

rory feek

MOST OF THE TIME when I’m writing this column, I’m in pretty much the same place. Sitting at the kitchen table in our farmhouse or at my desk in the milkhouse, with a view outside of the backfield and within earshot of Indy and the other kids playing on the playground at the schoolhouse. But this month, I’m parked in a chair at a much larger table in Paradise Valley, Montana, surrounded by big, beautiful mountains, with the gentle sound of the Yellowstone River flowing nearby. Each summer for the last five or six years, my little girl Indiana and I have packed our things, climbed behind the wheel, and driven 1,750 miles to spend a month out west together.

It’s an unusual situation—one that I wouldn’t normally be able to do—but it’s been a gift for us to be able to come here for the past half-dozen or so years. My wife Joey and I first found ourselves here in the Livingston area in the summer of 2013 when a man named Frank Smith and his wife Karen (who built a concert hall on their property similar to what we built on ours) asked us to come perform at “Music Ranch Montana.” We quickly fell in love with them, the Music Ranch, and Montana on that first trip. We became fast friends and, within a couple of years, were invited back to perform again. After Joey passed away in 2016, they just kept inviting us back. Little by little, it has turned into not just a once-a-year concert trip but also an annual month-long stay just across the road from their place at a wonderful fishing cabin called the O’Hair Lodge. It is nestled on the edge of the river, surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountain views in the world.

Rory Feek is a world-class storyteller, songwriter, filmmaker, and New York Times best-selling author. As a musical artist, Rory is one-half of the Grammy-award-winning duo, Joey+Rory. He and his wife Joey toured the world and sold nearly a million records before her untimely passing in March 2016.

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"It is a time to remind ourselves that we aren’t promised tomorrow and that each morning we get to wake is a gift."

In Montana with Joey's family

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While we're here, we spend a good amount of time taking in the sites around Livingston and Bozeman, trying new eateries, fishing and hiking when we can.

We will even take a river-rafting trip or go trail riding on horseback when friends are here visiting, but mostly it’s a time of respite for me and Indy, even though she is too young to know it yet.

We also try to use the blessing that this place is to us as a blessing for friends and family. Each summer, we have a fairly steady flow of folks coming and going to the lodge to spend a few days or a week with us. As a matter of fact, Joey’s three sisters, their families, and her Mama June were all here with us last week, and this week we have some more friends from our hometown of Columbia, Tennessee, staying at the lodge with us.

It’s hard not to want to make the gift that we’ve been given a gift for others.

Like me, Indiana loves coming to Paradise Valley each summer. She has grown up here. Although not literally, in some ways, it seems like she has. Back home, it’s hard to see the changes in her­— they go by so slowly. But here, because our time is limited and the memories of our visits are so vivid, it’s easy to see how much she’s grown and changed in the last half-dozen years. First from a little one who couldn’t walk or climb a single step up into the living area at the lodge, to now an eight-year-old who runs up and down them a dozen times a day. She sleeps in a little bed beside her Papa’s, and during these stays, life just gets simplified.

We don’t bring much since we don’t need much here.

Mostly just some clothes, some books, and some Barbies (Indy loves playing with Barbies), and I usually bring a camera or two and some notepads.

The truth is that it’s much more than just an annual vacation or a music gig for me. I come here each summer to close out my year and to be thoughtful about the next twelve months in front of us. Over time, I’ve learned to break my calendar year into ‘before Montana’ and after. Since we usually spend the month of July here, my year ends in July, and a new one begins August 1st. I try to spend the first couple of weeks thinking about where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and reviewing what I could have done better to make our life better, personally and creatively. And then, for the last two weeks, I try to prayerfully plan where I think we’re headed.

Most of the time, when I look at the past year and try to write down all the significant things that have happened in my life— month-by-month— the list I end up with is actually very small. And yet, it always feels like I’ve been so incredibly busy every day and haven’t been able to find the time to do all there is to do. My time of reflection tends to reveal that most of what I’ve spent my year doing isn’t very important in the scheme of things. It tends to have been filled with great amounts of ‘busy work:’ things that I think seem important at the time, but in the end, look more like me just spinning around in circles, wasting the precious year God gave me.

But I usually also find that some extraordinary things have happened, too. These are things that I sometimes can’t see when I’m ‘in the thick of it,’ things that might seem small to me in the day-to-day, but in looking back, I see that they’re actually big important milestones on my journey.

It was here at the lodge last summer, sitting on a couch talking with Joel Salatin, that I first heard about Plain Values and Marlin’s vision for the magazine. Over the next few months, the door opened for us to meet, and by late fall we had decided on a plan to work together (if you call this work). I’ve so enjoyed writing these columns each month, even though it’s still new to me to sit down and share in this way.

This coming year, I have some ideas and goals that I’ve been leaning toward, and this is the time when I try

to ‘check in’ and evaluate whether where I think we’re going is where it feels like God is leading us. I’ve learned over time (often the hard way) that my will alone won’t lead me to a place of peace. Instead, I need to seek His will and vision for my life over my dreams, plans, and vision. And quite often, when I do, His plans for our upcoming year are not only better than what I had in mind, it’s also way more fun and exciting.

I think we all need to pick a time to ‘end our year.’ A time to truly look at where we’ve been and be prayerful about where we’re going. This year, I’m thankful that I have the opportunity to do it here in Montana, where I’m not distracted by the busyness of all we’ve been doing and all we are hoping to do. At the lodge, there is only now. We are here, together, and we have this moment to take a deep breath and say ‘thank you God’ for the path that led us here. It is a time to remind ourselves that we aren’t promised tomorrow and that each morning we get to wake is a gift. And so we should use this time to serve Him and others rather than just spending time on our own ambition and agenda.

So I’ll close this column by wishing you all “Happy New Year" even though we’re still months away from closing out 2022 and ushering in ’23. I hope you are able to find time over the next few months to truly look back on what you’ve done over the past twelve months and, even more so, what God has done in your life. Set time aside to be prayerful about what He’s doing in your life now and where you think it’s leading. //

rory

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THE

HEALING LAND COLUMN BY

Shawn and Beth Dougherty

APPLES A Plentiful Harvest The new apple trees in the orchard are bearing well this year, with russet and yellow-green fruit studding the young branches. In the convent orchard, some of the older trees are taking a sabbatical year.

They will only produce a tiny crop, but enough mature trees will bear that there will be plenty of apples for the farm.

Apple-Sorting There's a logic to sorting apples, and no matter the size or quality of the fruit, nothing need go to waste. Windfall apples, the ones that come down naturally, are first to find a home; often wormy or frostscarred, they are the natural prerogative of roaming chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Pens of young laying hens will be run under the trees, while older birds who have the liberty of the farm make regular patrols looking for recently fallen fruits. The wild turkeys who make frequent visits will glean anything the chickens missed.

Children take their share of the better apples. They pull down a promising-looking pippin on their way to pasture or barn; in leisure time, they climb high in a barnyard tree to a favorite perch and eat all the apples within reach. The barnyard tree has smaller fruit, but the children insist it has the best flavor! Older people, too, secure an apple on their way to the afternoon milking, taking large bites down to a generous core, this last finally to be shared with a favorite milk cow.

Then there is the real harvest, which is going on right now: ripe, fallen fruit going in one set of buckets, picked fruit in another. Once collected, the apples will be sorted again. The largest and most blemish-free will be peeled and sliced for drying, canning, or freezing.

Smaller apples, misshapen by sucking insects but not worm-ridden, will be roughly quartered and cooked long and slowly in the largest kettle

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for applesauce—a must with roast pork—or apple butter to go with our breakfast toast and biscuits. Even the wormy fruit, most damaged of all, is still valued.

Crushed and pressed, it will yield gallons of cider; and when the cider has lost its sweetness, it will make vinegar for the coming year.

Nothing is wasted. Peels, seeds, cores, pomace— all the detritus from apple harvest—have a final stop in the pig pen. Three or four young pigs and the last of the big lard hogs take every calorie gratefully, if not politely, and transform it into bacon, ham, and pork chops—and rich, black compost.

Human Crops Apples, when we stop to think about it, are kind of like people: of many different sizes and conditions, all are to be valued, all have a role to play, and none are dispensable.

There are the youngest people, who, from the time they can carry an egg without dropping it, are assigned to the daily collection in the hen house or to search for stolen nests in the barn. Older, they can help

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pick green beans and learn how to carefully gather the pods without breaking the plants. For children, tomatoes are easier to see and harvest. If they pick them too soon, we show them how to ripen them on a windowsill. Calves fed from the bucket are the natural province of young children, each taking to each, youth helping youth to grow.

More serious is the work of children just a little older: sometimes hours of hoeing, weeding, thinning, picking. The braiding of onions and garlic (braiding is still the most effective way of storing them long-term, each pendant bulb being held separate and dry) can fill several long afternoons in the shade of the porch.

Afterward, there is the satisfaction of a summer kitchen hung with heavy gold, purple, and white garlands of drying bulbs. Berrying is the children's, too, with its combination of mission and freedom, work and independence, and the lovely, jeweled pails to come home with at last.

Older yet, with strong young bodies­­—but minds still needing discipline and direction, half-adult, half-

child—young people begin to take on the responsibility for matters that will affect family and community for the entire year to come. Canning is one province of the young women on our farm. Jar after colored jar will be put down in the cellar to be food for the coming winter. Jam making, and the freezing or drying of fruit, mushrooms, and herbs, are theirs as well. Milking, and milk handling, are largely done by women, too. The fine points of milk fermentation are gradually attained more by feel than instruction until any woman in the house can set a good sour cream and pack a shapely ball of butter.

The boys, meanwhile, have moved further out on the farm. Big jobs are shared by everyone, but the boys and men take the lead, do the heaviest work, and handle the largest tools. They take the lead on butchering with its hours of cold fingers and sharp knives and hauling load after load of firewood to the woodsheds. Tractors and chainsaws are in their jurisdiction, and building, repairing, and salvaging are under their headship.

God's Orchard It occurs to me that our small town values its people similarly. On his customized scooter, Old Wallace is to be seen all over town, washing shop windows in winter and summer. He has done this job for over forty years, independent and living mostly out of doors, altogether to be envied. Mariah, who walks dogs six in hand for working people and elderly, has the most robust cardiovascular health in town and is welcomed everywhere.

And there's Big Hosea, both orphan and childlike, who lived for decades in a shack in the lumber yard. Long gone now, Hosea did heavy work all over town, stacking firewood, moving brick and block, digging trenches.

He went to a different church each Sunday, making the rounds with ecumenical regularity, enjoying the music, the stained glass, and all the ladies in pretty hats.

Simple Gifts Maybe it is easier to see and value the little things in smaller, simpler communities committed to their place. Hosea's muscle and his pleasure in beauty.

Simple jobs done well and faithfully. Each apple has its proper purpose. By the standards of the larger world, or at least of those who report on the larger world, our

'Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free 'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, 'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

SIMPLE GIF TS old Shaker song composed in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett

village would be considered poor, even backward. But for those who live here, it is home and much loved.

And maybe this is possible because it is small enough to be known by people who stay here to know it.

Which takes us back to our farming. God sends His gifts subtly; they can be so easy to overlook. Gifts like the sunlight that fuels the whole farm and the rain that we cannot make and cannot do without. Like all the people who take part in the harvest, doing the mundane jobs: moving fences for daily paddocks, scything thorn bushes and briars, putting up hay for winter storms, and milking cows. Nothing is to be wasted; no one is without value. Doesn't it all come from His hands? //

Shawn and Beth Dougherty live in eastern Ohio, where their home farm is 17 acres designated by the state as ‘not suitable for agriculture’. Using grass as the primary source of energy, they raise dairy and beef cows, sheep, farm-fed hogs, and a variety of poultry, producing most of their food, and feed, on the farm.

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Confessions of a Steward COLUMN BY:

JOEL SALATIN

Vicarious Farming WHEN I WAX ELOQUENT about farming as a good and necessary vocation, even suggesting that we should have many more farmers (and fewer factory farmers), people often squirm and respond, "But all of us can't be farmers."

It's the same kind of response we often feel when sitting in a missions emphasis service and find our inner heart saying, "But we all can't be missionaries." Or a sermon about helping the needy, and we respond, "But we all can't run a soup kitchen." You know the drill. If there's one thing worse than not being convicted when we're wrong, it's being incorrectly convicted when we're not wrong. Remember, Satan is the great Accuser. But in all these ministries, we can be vicarious participants, either directly or indirectly, through prayer, offerings, and an attitude of helpfulness.

We need plumbers, electricians, welders, sawmill operators— you know the list. Farming tends to be vocationally higher on my list because it's the front line of creation stewardship. Farming shapes God's landscape— air, soil, water, trees— more dramatically and directly than any other human activity. Indeed, Rev. 11:18 says God will "destroy those who destroy the earth." Stewardship is near and dear to God's heart.

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Just like all of us should have a heart that leans into missions or helping the needy, we should have a heart that inclines toward farming because creation care is something God mentions specifically. So how do those of us who aren't farmers participate, or at least incline responsibility, just like we do with missions or philanthropy?

The first attitude is to care. That's not as trite as it sounds. Interest precedes activity. Intention precedes movement. As we cultivate care toward farming, the obvious first question is what kind of farming God wants. Does God care about farming modality? Are all farmers doing good, or are some doing bad? Just like we would vet a missions program, adoption program, or any other philanthropic endeavor, we must vet farming.

An exercise I like to encourage folks to cultivate is when you sit down to eat, look through your plate to the other side, and envision the kind of farming that puts those morsels on the plate. If you need to squint your eyes, that's fine. Ha! Look at the food and imagine everything behind it.

Provenance includes numerous threads. The farmer as producer is one, but it also includes the processor, the distribution network, marketing, and point of sale. As you squint through your plate to the other side, ask some salient questions:

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1.

Does this food build soil or destroy it?

2.

Does this food honor the workers who brought it to my table?

3.

Does this food maximize nutrition or minimize nutrition?

4.

Does this food respect and honor the beings—both plant and animal—that sacrificed for my sustenance?

5.

Does this food encourage understanding or ignorance about how it was grown, handled, and brought to my plate?

6.

Does this food make neighbors happy or unhappy—smells and appearances?

7.

Does this food help my community emotionally, economically, and environmentally or jeopardize those elements?

8.

Does this food engender transparency or opaqueness?

9.

Does this food honor biology or mechanics?

10. Does this food bring rural and urban populations closer as friends or does it alienate and segregate?

As we take each item on our plate and run it through this battery of questions, we can see where it falls on a continuum of sacredness. Perhaps the most important question to any of these queries is: "Does God care?" Does God care if farming techniques erode the soil? Does God care if we create a dead zone the size of Rhode Island in the Gulf of Mexico? Does God care if we stink up the neighborhood?

We could ask the same questions about any of our more ministry-oriented activities. Does God care how missions are done? How the gospel is preached?

What organizations receive our offerings? I've found that the faith community loves discussing these issues, but suddenly when it comes to food and whether Chick-fil-A is what should be on our plate, we clam up and look the other way.

Just like we are admonished to take on the sufferings of Christ, the sufferings of persecuted Christians, and the needs of widows and orphans as a means of identification and interest, we can take on farming by identifying as fellow participants with the food we choose to put on our plates. Is the landscape created by our food dollars the kind of landscape we want for our children? Is it one that honors God's creation?

These simple questions are profound because they force us to wrestle with difficult issues. But beyond that, they bring us to a place of interest, as partners, in farming as a land healing ministry or a land debilitating exploitation. The earth is certainly a jewel of God's creative power; if we eat, we impact how it's handled.

Whether we farm for a vocation or farm vicariously, through our food choices, we are all farmers. Identifying intentionally with our food origins, processing, and distribution is the first element in vicarious farming.

A second element is developing a relationship with farmers. Just this morning, my wife Teresa and I spent about an hour-and-a-half at a nearby U-pick fruit farm picking a couple gallons of unbelievably succulent non-chemical blueberries. Although we farm full time, we don't grow everything we eat.

We could probably survive on only what we grow, but life is much richer when we develop mutually interdependent relationships. Few are as enjoyable as food relationships.

We helped this young farm couple stay in business, spoke encouraging words to them, and

learned a little more about blueberries. In like manner, for years, we've gone to a nearby apple orchard and purchased a dozen bushels of apples to make our own applesauce. It's the best applesauce in the world, and this farmer knows we happily take seconds. We get a price break, and he has somewhere to go with his off-perfect product. We always ask how we can help with a problem item. That's the way to help a farmer's infirmities, so to speak.

Be the patron looking to solve the farmers’ problems. Cracked eggs? Apples with some rust?

Crooked green beans? Chicken necks and backs? Every farmer has slow movers; by shouldering that burden, you endear yourself to the farmer and step into his shoes of need. While certainly farming has its romantic and joyful moments, it's more often a bit lonely and definitely a slog. By appreciating imperfections and difficulties, you come alongside the farmer as a best friend; you may never know how you ministered to the farmer with that kind of strategic patronage or the encouraging word.

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The closer you can get physically and emotionally with your farmer, the more you can be a vicarious farm participant. When your tomatoes come from a thousand miles away through a nameless, faceless chain of industrial processors, warehouses, and cash registers, you can hardly vet the God-honoring provenance of the tomato.

Shorter chains of custody encourage authenticity in your food choices.

Over the years, we've had customers stuff money in our pocket after a particularly trying drought. One sold us a car for $1. Another offered us interest-free money in order to expand our cow herd at a strategic juncture. You might be amazed at the number of ways you can come alongside a farmer if you know the needs. You don't get that opportunity at Wal-Mart. Vicarious farming and relationships go together like a hand in a glove.

Finally, vicarious farming includes growing something yourself. It may be as simple as a quart jar of mung bean sprouts on the windowsill. It could be a vermicomposting kit under the kitchen sink. Lots of urban-gardening infrastructure is available, like hanging PVC pipes with pockets on the side to grow your own fresh herbs on the porch. These take up no more room than a big set of wind chimes, but they put your hands and head directly into the majesty and mystery of growing something.

In my book Polyface Micro, I detail how to have chickens and rabbits in an urban apartment— without noxious odors. Of all the farm animals, laying chickens are probably the most valuable and certainly the most doable on a tiny scale.

Incorporating growing something into your life will put you in touch with living but also dying. As a highly developed culture, Americans today live in a highly sanitized, segregated context. For many, the only non-human life interaction is with a pet cat or dog. While that is nice, it can often create a jaundiced view about the role of animals in the world.

Last year I debated animal welfare guru Peter Singer on the topic: "Animals should not be on our

plate." These kinds of discussions are not indicative of a newly-evolved spiritual consciousness, but are rather indicative of a profound devolution resulting from disconnection to farming and food production. A sanitized and sterilized existence leads to all sorts of folly, and the "my cat is my aunt is my dog is my child is my chicken" mentality is only one of many.

Participating in the life and death cycle, viscerally and practically, add reason and humility to the human experience. While growing some herbs or a couple of chickens may not qualify you as a bonafide farmer, it does bring you into a farmer's frame of reference.

When your oregano plant dies, you step into the farmer's life. When the seed sprouts, you soar to the farmer's joy. These extremes help you appreciate the highs and lows of farming.

I'm certainly glad not everyone is a farmer. Who would buy my stuff? But I do love our patrons who make themselves one with us, identifying with both needs and opportunities. Anyone can join the farm team. When you eat, what kind of farm team are you building? We can all be vicarious farmers. //

Joel's Upcoming Speaking Events September 3

Hudson Valley, NY (Health with Max Kane and Abby Rockefeller)

September 11

Maryland (A Day with Sally Fallon Morrel & Joel Salatin)

September 22–23

Walnut Creek, OH (SUPERB Food Independence Summit)

October 7–8

Front Royal, VA (Homesteaders of America)

October 18–19

Jackson, MS (Stockman Grass Farmer Business School with Steve Kenyon)

October 20–21

Jackson, MS (Stockman Grass Farmer Marketing School with Sheri Salatin) 2023

March 7

Warwick, RI (Rhode Island Women in Agriculture)

June 30–July 1

Kootenai County, ID (Pacific Northwest Homesteaders Conference)

August 25–26

Marshfield, MO (Ozarks Homesteading Expo)

Joel co-owns, with his family, Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia. When he’s not on the road speaking, he’s at home on the farm, keeping the callouses on his hands and dirt under his fingernails, mentoring young people, inspiring visitors, and promoting local, regenerative food and farming systems.

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Hobbi e s and Healing COLUMN BY:

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Ferree Hardy

THE TITLE THIS MONTH—“Hobbies and Healing”— is not a mistake. But I understand if it takes you by surprise. Who would think that a column called “Widow’s Path” would talk about hobbies? Wouldn’t that be frivolous? After all, hearts are heavy and wounded. Hobbies might seem silly.

But during grief, when we suffer the loss of a loved one, we simply cannot endlessly maintain grief’s emotional roller-coaster ride. It’s exhausting.

We need an escape. We need to slow down, rest, and remember what fun feels like. Likewise, our physical body demands a break from the constant drain of grief. Hobbies can provide much-needed rest, and rest leads to healing. That’s hardly frivolous.

Dennis Disselkoen, in his book Losing a Spouse: A Widower’s Way—Help in Coping During Her Last Days and in the Days Ahead, wrote: “Every one of us has been given talent, skills, insights, and abilities that we can develop, and we please God when we do develop them. There are interests that each person may pursue for his or her enjoyment and betterment. Pursuing these may also be helpful in coping with loss—not merely as diversions or distractions, but as worthwhile activities in themselves.”

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relaxation would be worthwhile? When sleep is scarce and thoughts are too foggy and scattered, devoting some time to a hobby helps with recovery.

Making Time for a Hobby Finding time for a hobby is challenging in many ways. We all work! We work hard! Free time seems impossible for a young widow with a house full of children. For older widows, it might seem impossible that anything could lessen the feelings of fear, loneliness, and vulnerability. Don’t go down the hole of helplessness. Read on for ways that hobbies have helped some of my widow friends.

For the younger widows, hobbies can take the form of activities to do together with the children.

Did you learn how to garden, sew, or cook from your mother? Why not look at these chores as pleasurable hobbies instead? Each one is actually an art and skill that will bring your children great benefit and satisfaction as they grow.

Nap times or finding a babysitter for an afternoon might also provide some free time for young widows.

Do you remember all the people who told you to call them if there was anything they could do? Call them now to get the rest and spare time you need to develop your talents and abilities.

Finding an Interesting Hobby My husband Tom, who was widowed at age 40, would have said that nothing interested him—hobbies sounded boring. His idea of a hobby was stamp collecting. I agree—that wouldn’t sound too interesting to a man who loved boating and snowmobiles! But Tom walked for miles each evening and enjoyed building things with his 10-year-old son. Those activities may also be considered as hobbies. Think of a hobby as simply doing anything you enjoy.

Hobbies are good for grieving children too. They need time to be a child, to explore and play; hobbies are good for that. Eight to ten-year-olds are especially

curious and interested in collecting and identifying things. You might not appreciate a child’s bug collection, but other things like coins, rocks, arrowheads, baseball cards, fishing lures, stickers, or storybooks might provide some common interests. Do you have a coin collection, a scrapbook, or a treasured rock with veins of fool’s gold in it from when you were a child? Share them with your children and grandchildren to build both their knowledge and your relationship.

What do you collect now? When I was widowed, an uncle gave me a milk bottle from “Ferree Dairy.”

My collection of milk bottles numbers only three, but I enjoy hunting for “Ferree’s” when visiting old shops. Christina, in Florida, said, “I collect Coca-Cola memorabilia. It was something my husband, Bobby, started before we met in 1998. I have continued his collection. I love going to thrift and antique stores looking for a new treasure.”

What catches your attention these days? Do you have a bird feeder or sunflowers for the birds? Can you identify all your visitors? Then maybe your hobby is birdwatching! Do you knit or crochet? My friend Missy crocheted a king-size blanket in moss stitch. She said, “It took me seven years to complete. When my life seemed to be unraveling, I would crochet on the blanket. I was making tangled balls of yarn into something new.” Is your life unraveling, too? A hobby can bring a sense of purpose and order as you see something good and useful forming out of a mess of tangles.

Hobbies help us feel alive and not so isolated.

Marilyn, who planted over forty-two hosta plants and other perennials this summer, told me she gardens “to keep her hands in the soil and her brain enjoying the beauty of nature.”

Hobbies as Creative Outlets Hobbies are also creative outlets for God-given talents. They’re much better than pacing the floor or tossing in bed when you can’t sleep. Sandra, a widow in Texas, told me, “I love to make greeting cards. I can

"It’s OK to do nothing but stare out the window at times.

Your brain and body need that kind of rest. Then, when you’re ready for the next step, an enjoyable hobby can help."

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get lost in the creativity of it all. It brings me joy.” Lynne in New Jersey said, “Learning how to make yeast breads and pastry dough has unleashed my creativity.” Teri in North Carolina stated that pottery, painting, and sewing serve as creative outlets for her. Donna, another widow in Texas, paints colorful pictures. “Painting has helped me—mostly by keeping the loneliness from overwhelming me. It helps relax me, keeps my mind on other things, and fills the time.”

Has your hobby helped you heal from grief?

Does your hobby make you feel connected, help you find new friends, or provide fellowship, a sense of sanity, coziness, and stability? Does it help you see a world beyond your current burden? Here are some other hobbies and helpful interests suggested by my friend Teri. “Travel, because it enlarges my vision and enables me to spend time and make memories with my grandchildren and daughters. Book clubs, because I get to know others and their opinions and

personalities. And I have an accountability partner; we can be vulnerable with each other, encourage, and teach one another.”

If you’ve not yet found a hobby, explore a variety of your interests. There’s no such thing as failing at a hobby, but they do have the right time and place.

For example, I wanted to start scrapbooking a few weeks after Bruce died. But when I tried, it was too overwhelming. I gave myself permission to quit. A few years later, I did make a scrapbook, but it was about a vacation, not my first weeks of widowhood.

In the early days of grief, most widows just need to recover. It’s OK to do nothing but stare out the window at times. Your brain and body need that kind of rest. Then, when you’re ready for the next step, an enjoyable hobby can help. // Until next month,

ferree l

To learn more about widowhood, order a copy of Postcards from the Widows’ Path—Gleaning Hope and Purpose from the Book of Ruth. It’s a gentle, biblical guide for widows that has many saying, “This is the best I’ve ever read!” Mail a check for $14.99/copy (paperback, 248 pgs.), along with your address to: Ferree Hardy, 76 Grace Ave., Ticonderoga, NY 12883. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Free shipping for all Plain Values readers!

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A stained glass depiction of Steven, the first martyr for Christ 50 PLAIN VALUES SEPTEMBER 2022

OUR HERITAGE

Reflections on the Martyrs INTRODUCTION

ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE READERS who need to know how a book ends? Do you flip to the back and take a peek at those last few pages before you begin reading from the start?

For the past half-year, we’ve been discussing the American printings of the Ausbund songbook—when’s the last time you peeked at the back?

Starting on page 837 of 895, you’ll find something interesting: a collection of short stories.

In the past several months, I have asked numerous people if they have read the short stories in the back section of the Ausbund. Only a few said that they had read them. This is partly due to the stories being in the old script German language.

Today, thanks to the diligent work and research of the Ohio Amish Library, these stories are available in English in the book Songs of the Ausbund, History and Translations of the Ausbund Hymns, Volume II. So just what are these stories in the back of the Ausbund?

COLUMN BY:

Elam Stoltzfus

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Known as “A True Report of the Brothers in Switzerland” (Wahrafftiger Bericht von den Brüdern in Schweitzerland), these short stories are about Swiss Anabaptists martyred in Europe.

The report was compiled by Jeremias Mangold, describing the martyrdom stories between 1635-1645 of Swiss Mennonites to his fellow Dutch.

In the opening statement, a Swiss Anabaptist wrote, Beloved Christian Reader!

It is not possible with a few words to tell of the great tribulation and cruelty which came upon us, as well as our wives, children, the aged, the sick, those with children, and those nursing—how they dealt with us poor subjects so harshly, inhumanly, and mercilessly. We however caused them no harm.

Yet we want to write this report and a sure record to you, our beloved brothers in the Netherlands, to give a short, simple, sure, and true account, notwithstanding, because we know that you have made a sympathetic inquiry about our heavy tribulation and have remembered us. Hence, we cannot refrain from giving you this report.

In sum, Mangold shared these martyr stories so readers would be reminded of the courage and faith of the martyred.

Interestingly, these martyrdom stories are not found in earlier European printings. They were only included when the Ausbund was first printed in 1742 in Pennsylvania.

Why did Amish and Mennonite leaders in early America urge printer Christopher Sauer to include these martyr stories?

Let’s lift our eyes from the book and look around at what was happening during this time.

"Mangold shared these martyr stories so readers would be reminded of [their] courage and faith."

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"They didn’t want their history and heritage to be forgotten.

So, they asked themselves, how do we teach our young people about our past? It was then that they had the idea of adding these stories in the back of their songbook."

The Mennonites and Amish who left Europe to come to Pennsylvania gained the ability to own land, practice their religion without fear of persecution, and build community. Can you imagine the early Amish and Mennonite families—descendants of Hans Meyli, Hans Müller, Rudolph Hägi, Heinrich Gut, and many others—gathered around the table, giving thanks to God for the newfound freedom, gift of good food, and a world of new opportunities?

Yet amid all this, clouds of war darkened the horizon.

North America in the early 1700s was a time of conflict. In the colonies, different European powers— the British and the French in particular—battled for rights to land and resources. Different Native American and First Nation tribes were dragged into these OldWorld disputes, forced into fighting over land that was once theirs. All these tensions erupted into the French and Indian War in 1754.

Early rumblings and talk of overthrowing British rule circled amongst colonists in the thirteen colonies, which led to the American Revolutionary War in 1775.

In the 1700s, there was fierce disagreement over the practice of slavery. The Quakers—and other peace churches—strongly disapproved of the slave trade and the practice of owning other people. However, this barbaric practice became entrenched in the colonial economy, and it took a civil war to end slavery in America.

For early Swiss Anabaptist leaders in Pennsylvania and other colonies, they were familiar with the dangers of war and persecution. That was why they had migrated: their ancestors in Switzerland had fled their homeland because of religious persecution. They lost their farms and their connection with their community. They were poor and relied on the goodness of their neighbors. In France and Germany, many of these Swiss Anabaptists farmed on estates that were destroyed during the Thirty

Years’ War (1618-1648), so they witnessed first-hand what war could do to the landscape.

In this brave, new, and chaotic world of America, Amish and Mennonite religious leaders recognized similar patterns to what happened in Europe. They wondered—would history repeat itself? What if they lost their right to own land? Or worse, what if they or their children were martyred?

They didn’t want their history and heritage to be forgotten. So, they asked themselves, how do we teach our young people about our past?

It was then that they had the idea of adding these stories in the back of their songbook. Today, we can thank these early American Amish and Mennonite religious leaders for including the martyr stories in the back of the Ausbund.

The next several issues of Plain Values will be about these martyr stories. As we go through them together, I hope that they will be a reminder to all of us of the trials of faith endured by our ancestors and a reminder to build our faith on the strong foundation of a godly heritage. // C I TAT I O N S Ohio Amish Library, Songs of the Ausbund V.1 ed. Edward Kline. Sugarcreek OH: Carlisle Printing.

Ohio Amish Library, Documents of Brotherly Love - Dutch Mennonite Aid to Swiss Anabaptists Volume I. Kelly, Martin. "American History Timeline - 1701 - 1725." ThoughtCo, Dec. 5, 2020, thoughtco.com/american-history-timeline-1701-1725-104300.

Ausbund das ist: etliche schöne Christliche Lieder, Verlag von den Amischen Gemeinden in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Elam Stoltzfus currently serves as caretaker of the Nicholas Stoltzfus Homestead in (Berks County) Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. In 2018, he traveled to Germany to document the history of the Stoltzfus family— this research is documented in German Lutherans to Pennsylvania Amish: The Stoltzfus Family Story. To order a copy of this book, you can mail a $30 check to Elam Stoltzfus, 1700 Tulpehocken Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610.

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Western Big Game Hunting

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MOST OF US are apprehensive and intimidated when we hunt an unfamiliar territory.

That’s especially true if we’re considering a hunt that’s totally unlike what we’re used to. It’s one thing to live in Illinois and hunt in Indiana, for example, where the countryside is fairly similar. But if you’re thinking of making the leap and heading for the Rockies, you’ll be looking at a totally different landscape. You’ll be in elevations far higher than what you’re accustomed to. You’ll see mountains from horizon to horizon, heavily timbered slopes, vast expanses of sagebrush, and lots of open country where ranches may be dozens of miles apart on rural roads.

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The very first part of the planning process is to form your hunting party. Select friends who are compatible. Perhaps you can make it a family affair.

With that accomplished, you then must decide what species you want to hunt. The West offers many big game species, but the most common are the Big Three: deer, elk, and antelope. Others are sheep, mountain goats, moose, black bears, and cougars.

Once you’ve put your party together and agreed on the quarry, the all-important question is where to hunt. That is the largest stumbling block of all. Unlike most eastern states where you can buy deer licenses over the counter, that’s not true in the West for nonresidents, although there are some exceptions. In fact, a few states don’t even allow residents to buy over the counter licenses. Obtaining a nonresident license typically requires you to draw one in a lottery. There are two types of lotteries. One uses the preference point system, the other the bonus point system. Every state is different and uses different systems. It’s best to carefully read the instructions from the state you’re interested in so you can understand that process.

So far, I’m addressing the basics of hunting on your own, which in hunting lingo means DIY (Do It Yourself) hunting. You can also hire an outfitter, which eliminates all your planning efforts. He will take care of your accommodations, take you to good hunting areas, provide a guide, and take care of your animal.

The outfitted hunt is the most expensive way to hunt, and it doesn’t appeal to hunters who enjoy doing things themselves.

"One of the greatest assets in the West is the amazing availability of public hunting. Two major federal government agencies offer millions of acres of public land... What this means to the hunter is a huge amount of land you can hunt—for free."

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One of the greatest assets in the West is the amazing availability of public hunting. Two major federal government agencies offer millions of acres of public land. The Bureau of Land Management, an agency under the Department of Interior, administers about 250 million acres, most of them in the West.

The US Forest Service, under the umbrella of the Department of Agriculture, governs almost 200 million acres with 154 National Forests. Most of those forests are located in the West and are large, many with more than one million acres.

What this means to the hunter is a huge amount of land you can hunt—for free. No posted signs, no shooting or hunting restrictions with the exception of administration areas, campgrounds, picnic areas, etc.

When I first went west to attend forestry college in Utah, I couldn’t believe the enormous chunks of unposted country. I was raised in New York State and was amazed when I found I could hike for days and never walk on posted private land in the West.

If you’re on a tight budget, you can camp on public lands for free or at a minimal cost if you stay in

a designated campground. In many federal areas, you can camp wherever you’d like, and in others you may have to camp a certain distance from the highway or in a campground. If you camp in a tent and are planning on hunting in late fall, you should have a wood stove in it and plenty of firewood. When the temperature in the high-country dips down to single digits, as it can, the warmth from the stove will be most welcome. Many hunters prefer wall tents that are 8' x 12' or larger. Cots are always suggested to keep you off the cold floor, but plan on having a foam pad under your sleeping bag. Even an expensive bag will lose loft and compress when you lay on it. The foam adds a buffer between your bag and the cold air under your bag.

Be sure to have a plan to transport your animal overland from where you shot it to your vehicle. Even an antelope that weighs a little more than 100 pounds can present a formidable challenge if you’re hunting in an area where off-road travel isn’t allowed and you dropped your animal two miles from the truck. That’s true with other species that weigh much more than an antelope. A mature mule deer can weigh over 200

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pounds, and a big bull elk can tip the scales at 800 pounds or more. Consider some type of wheeled carrier. These game carts are extremely useful in retrieving an animal. I prefer the one-wheeled carts because they can bounce over logs, stumps, rocks, and brush. A two-wheeled cart tends to easily get hung-up on ground obstacles. Another option is to hire a horse packer to transport your meat out of the woods. Do this in advance of your hunt so you don’t catch him by surprise if you need his services. Then there’s the good old-fashioned way. Tie an elk quarter on your backpack, strap it on, and head out. Do this only if you’re in reasonably good shape. An elk quarter can weigh 90 pounds or more. Too many hunters have severely injured themselves, and even perished, when attempting to work with heavy loads.

Firearms are always a major topic when planning your hunt. I know many hunters going on their firstever western hunt who believe they must buy a superduper magnum. What often happens is that they purchase the gun and are uncomfortable shooting it because of the excessive recoil and sound. If you’re hunting deer or antelope, consider using the firearm you’re accustomed to at home, though I’d suggest

leaving the 30/30 behind because of its short range.

Since much hunting in the West is open country, long shots are possible, especially with antelope. Elk are bigger animals, and many hunters like the larger calibers, though I’ve done well with a .270, 7mm Mag, and 30/06.

A common mistake is to sight your rifle at 100 yards, and when you’ve adjusted it to shoot well, you call it good and assume it’s ready to go on your western big game hunt. But what will you do if a big bull elk presents a shot across a canyon at a distance of 375 yards? Do you know where your bullet is hitting at that range? Will you shoot at that elk and risk wounding it? Instead, shoot your rifle at 200 and 300-yard targets before you leave home. If you live on a farm, you probably have open fields where you can practice, making sure you have a safe backstop. If that’s not possible and your community gun range has only 100-yard targets, practice when you arrive in the West. You can often shoot at a public range or find an open area on government lands where you can shoot at long yardages.

Planning your trip will take some work, but hunting the West makes it all worth it. There’s just one problem.

You might become addicted to that spectacular mountain scenery, hunting God’s creatures that inhabit it, and return every year you can. // Jim has hunted all fifty states for deer, has fished in most states, has hunted elk in all the major western elk states, and has hunted on four continents. He worked for fifteen years as a forester, game warden, and wildlife biologist. Jim draws on these experiences for his monthly column “All Things Outdoors.” For more information, visit www.jimzumbo.com.

PHOTOS FROM OUR READERS We'd love to feature hunting, fishing, and other outdoor photos from our readers in Jim's column. If you'd like to contribute photos, please email them to: reachout@plainvalues.com "Top of the mountain with huge smiles all around. An experience we'll never forget. Myself (Henry), Jonah (son), and Ethan (son) with Jon's (son-in-law) elk— killed on the first-ever elk hunting trip for any of us. Not bad for a bunch of rookies!"

(LEFT-RIGHT) Jonah H. / Henry H. / Jon M. / Ethan H.

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