Homespun: Amish and Mennonite Women in Their Own Words

by Lorilee Craker (Editor)

Overview

Straight from the pens of Amish and Mennonite women . . .

Ever wish you could visit with a group of Amish or Mennonite women over a cup of coffee? In the pages of Homespun, Amish and Plain Mennonite women swap stories and spin yarns while we listen in. Lorilee Craker, bestselling author of Money Secrets of the Amish, collects these personal writings about hospitality, home, grief, joy, and walks with God. Hear from one woman who struggles with feeling inferior to her sister, from another about her longing for a baby, and from a third who accidentally bought stretchy material to sew her husband’s pants. Each woman’s story is a testament to the grace of God and the blessings of community.

Behind Amish romance novels and tourist spots and television shows stand real people, with longings and loves just like the rest of us. Every Amish and Mennonite woman has a story. In Homespun, you get to hear some of them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781513803166
Publisher:	MennoMedia
Publication date:	08/07/2018
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	898,169
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Editor Lorilee Craker is the author of thirteen books, including Money Secrets of the Amish; Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me; My Journey to Heaven with Marv Besteman; and the New York Times bestseller Through the Story with Lynne Spears. Connect with her at LorileeCraker.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction Lorilee Craker 7

I Welcome 13

1 Love Begins in the Kitchen Rae Schrock 15

2 An Unforgettable Lesson in Hospitality Sara Nolt 21

3 A Life That Says Welcome Vicki Kauffman 27

4 On Appreciative Overnight Guests Linda Byler 33

5 Open House Gertrude Slabach 37

6 A Side of Conversation Rae Schrock 41

II Abide 47

7 Hollis House Holli Nisly 49

8 White Space Bethany Hege 53

9 Where Your Soul Belongs DeLora Neusckwander 57

10 The Home Place Lovina Eicher 61

11 Should You Happen to Stop By Martha Beiler 65

12 My Father's Amish Home Rhoda Yoder 69

13 Heaven Our Home Sara Nolt 75

III Testimony 81

14 The Lord Is My Rock Ervina Yoder 83

15 Overcoming Inferiority Sara Nolt 89

16 Seized by Grace Stephanie J. Leinbach 97

17 Season of Doubt Sheila Petre 103

18 Stretched Mary Troyer 109

19 The Horse That Wouldn't Budge Marie Coblentz 111

20 Bone Opp-a-Deet! Linda Byler 115

IV Wonder 121

21 The Angels' Charge Catherine Gascho 123

22 God's Protecting Hand Katie Shrock 127

23 When You Put Your Money in God's Bank Danielle Beiler 135

24 Zippy Sherry Gore 143

V Kindred 151

25 The Way of a Man Sheila Petre 155

26 The Kingdom Here in Our Arms Melissa Troyer 161

27 Stories Rustling in the Branches Gertrude Slabach 167

28 Still Ourselves Just a Lot More Dorcas Smucker 173

29 Remains of the Doll Barbara Fisher 179

30 The Perfect Mother-in-Law Denise Shank 183

31 Ground-Laid Eggs Mae Unruh 193

VI Beloved 199

32 The Lord Is My Sufficiency Rae Schrock 201

33 I Would Sell Everything and Buy a Field Lucinda J. Miller 211

34 The Circle of Love Marie Coblentz 217

35 Counseling Your Own Heart Lauren Stolzfoos 219

36 Rebuilding from the Shambles of Shame Samantha Trenkamp 225

37 Jesus, Who Lives in the Mud Lucinda J. Miller 229

Notes 235

The Authors 237

The Editor 243

Editorial Reviews

06/11/2018
Craker (Money Secrets of the Amish), who considers herself “just a simple Mennonite girl from the prairies,” gathers essays by Mennonite and Amish women into a revealing and wide-ranging resource. Through her introductions to each section and essays themselves, Craker and the contributing authors describe a culture based on faith in Jesus and Scripture, and a life based on prudence, compassion, and community. The 36 essays are divided into six sections, with a welcome note opening the book because Craker states that “a deep sense of hospitality is fundamental to these women.” Within each section, essays include plain and simple fare such as Rhoda Yoder’s homage to her farmer father, humorous accounts such as Mary Troyer’s musing on stretchy pants, and keenly poetic entries such as Sheila Petre’s rumination on doubt, describing God’s design for the “castle rooms of a columbine” as proof of his expansive power. Some are sermons: “Home is where our souls can rest,” writes Delora Neuschwander, and Samantha Trenkamp preaches on rebuilding from “the shambles of shame.” This eclectic book will interest any reader who’s curious about the plain lifestyle. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"A revealing and wide ranging resource. . . . This eclectic book will interest any reader who's curious about the plain lifestyle."

Reviews

"It was impossible to do anything else until I finished reading this book."

Reviews - Romaine Stauffer

"Frank, vulnerable, funny, powerful, and often profoundly moving."

Reviews - Erik Wesner

"A must-read for those who wish to better understand the lives and hearts of Amish and Mennonite women."

Reviews - Serena B. Miller

"Homespun reads like a leisurely visit with an old friend."

Reviews - Suzanne Woods Fisher

"A collection that will delight and challenge readers."

Reviews - Karen Johnson-Weiner

08/01/2018
This simple collection is akin to an Amish or Mennonite patchwork quilt—bright in some places, a little folksy or worn in others but full of a kind of homey Americana easily identified but often hard to quantify. Editor Craker (Money Secrets of the Amish) gathers insights, none longer than a few pages, from a variety of Amish and Mennonite women in order to dispel the image of them as "buggy whip bonnet wearing people." Many of these short pieces were previously published in Amish and Mennonite women's magazines. But pulled together in this way, Craker creates a virtual kitchen confidential, where daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers relax and share their thoughts on in-law tensions, postpartum depression, inferiority, and jealousy, or even creating a spirit of hospitality despite one's financial or domestic circumstances. Interwoven are biblical precepts that have helped these women along the way and are here offered as a word of encouragement to others. VERDICT This book presents a calming respite from a chaotic and overwrought world.—Sandra Collins, Byzantine Catholic Seminary Lib., Pittsburgh

Library Journal