Our Story WHO WE ARE... 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.
WHAT WE BELIEVE... 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!
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.
Our Team PUBLISHER
OFFICE
WRITERS
Marlin Miller
Nic Stoltzfus, editorial manager
Ferree Hardy, Serving Our Neighbor
Sabrina Schlabach, quality assurance
Darren Gagnon, Whispers of Hope
Bethany Troyer, bookkeeping
Rory Feek, Roots + Wings
Jan Schlabach, customer service
Shawn & Beth Dougherty, Homestead + Roots
Isaac Hershberger, production manager
Joel Salatin, Confessions of a Steward
Seth Yoder, graphic artist
Ferree Hardy, The Widow's Path
ADVERTISING Matt Yoder, sales advisor - Ohio Aaron Stutzman, sales advisor - Michiana + Pennsylvania
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July 6, 2022
Elam Stoltzfus, Our Heritage Jim Zumbo, All Things Outdoors
Plain Values is published monthly by Plain Target Marketing, LLC. Please contact us with any questions.
a: PO Box 201 /2106 Main Street, Winesburg, Ohio 44690 // p: (330) 601- 6106 // f: (330) 601- 4099 // e: reachout@plainvalues.com // w: www.plainvalues.com
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Join us for Porch Time every third Friday from 1:00pm – 4:00pm During this time window, you’re invited to 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! 2106 Main Street Winesburg, Ohio 44690 3
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contents
July 2022 // Issue 109
serving our neighbor 13
KINGDOM EQUITY The Story of Three Widows Helping Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands words by: Ferree Hardy One of the saddest things about widowhood is when widows (or widowers) assume that their life is finished and that they will never be happy again. But is this true? Are these dear people doomed to an empty future?
simple living 37
HOMESTEAD + ROOTS First Foods column by: Shawn + Beth Dougherty Generation after generation grew up drinking raw milk, and nothing but good came of it. So why does the USDA ban the stuff?
40
CONFESSIONS OF A STEWARD Chicken Familiarity column by: Joel Salatin You will never find a partner more willing to work harder for less than a hen, but you have to appreciate the desires and habits of this partner.
resources 25
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT Eden Foods
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WHISPERS OF HOPE by: Darren Gagnon
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6
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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.
Sunflowers, full of seeds for spreading, serve as a reminder of how God uses us.
This month we take a closer look at the country of New Zealand.
community 31
ROOTS + WINGS Lost + Found column by: Rory Feek Each year Rory makes memories by hosting a father/child campout at his home farm... but this year’s campout came with a memory he’d rather not have made.
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THE WIDOW'S PATH Points of Light and Life column by: Ferree Hardy I don’t know why God made widows, but I do know they are very important to Him. Perhaps they display God’s glory like stars to a dark world.
history 51
OUR HERITAGE Printing the Ausbund
(part seven)
column by: Elam Stoltzfus We continue the Amish Book Committee story in 1994 when Lancaster Press printed an order of 10,000 Ausbunds.
outdoors 55
ALL THINGS OUTDOORS Whitetail Deer column by: Jim Zumbo I’ve always believed that outwitting a wary whitetail buck on his home turf with no help from technology is one of hunting’s greatest accomplishments.
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one minute with Marlin
MY MORNING ROUTINE has become a cherished thing. After I'm cleaned up with a good shave, I head to the kitchen to get our coffee brewing. As much as I enjoy a good cup of coffee, it is who I get to share it with that makes it so inviting. Lisa and I have busy lives, and we have learned to relish our own “porch time.” It has become a sacred place for us to slow down. Five feet from our rocking chairs, we watch the wrens as they feed their chicks and listen to their hungry cries. Over by the fence post, we watch the bluebirds tend to their newborns, too. We don’t deserve the wondrous variety of bird life we are surrounded by; in fact, the other day, I made the comment, “I don’t know how someone can deny a Creator after spending time with such a massive variety of birds, and that’s just from our little yard, never mind mountain and sea birds the world over!” On the rare occasions that the kids sleep in a bit, this gives us the chance to dive deeper into our life together. Sometimes we read the books we’re in the middle of. Other times we talk, plan, and dream out loud. This sacred porch time is a gift where my wife and I can just be
MARLIN MILLER
publisher, always looking for more friends
together and enjoy each other’s presence. As always, may you find joy in the simple things. //
The morning view from Marlin and Lisa's front porch
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whispers of hope
SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO FOSTER + ADOPT
IZIDOR'S STORY column by: DARREN GAGNON
IZIDOR BECAME AN ORPHAN not long after he was born. He had a minor physical disability and was placed by his mother into a Romanian orphanage. Eleven years later, after the fall of dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu in 1989, he was the first Romanian orphan to be adopted into the United States. He was one of 170,000 orphans Ceaușescu’s government had been housing in absolutely awful institutions around the country. After he was adopted, Izidor struggled to integrate well into his family, and by the time he was 16, he left home, never to return. Here is an excerpt from an article in The Atlantic in 2020 that shared Izidor’s story:
Unable to process his family’s affection, he just wanted to know where he stood. It was simpler in the orphanage, where either you were being beaten or you weren’t. “I responded better to being smacked around,” Izidor tells me. “In America, they had ‘rules’ and ‘consequences.’ So much talk. I hated ‘Let’s talk about this.’ As a child, I’d never heard words like ‘You are special’ or ‘You’re our kid.’ Later, if your adoption parents tell you words like that, you feel, Okay, whatever, thanks. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I don’t know what you want from me, or what I’m supposed to do for you.” When banished to his room, for rudeness or cursing or being mean to the girls, Izidor would stomp up the stairs and blast Romanian music or bang on his door from the inside with his fists or a shoe. “I’m not a person who can be intimate. It’s hard on a person’s parents, because they show you love and you can’t return it.” - Izidor, adopted, former Romanian orphan.
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4.
As a father of five adopted children, I can
There is no escape for children living in
appreciate the significance of the early parent/child
an abusive home. They have no options for
relationship. In my children and other children who
getting away from their abusers. This forces
have early adversity, I see that they perceive the
the brain to develop coping mechanisms for
world in a very different way than I do. They were all
survival that will likely persist for a lifetime.
abandoned on some level, cast away in brokenness
5.
and pain. Some of them suffered the wrath of violent
They blame themselves. Children who are developing their sense of self will often blame
parents. Others simply were born to parents who were
themselves when bad things happen. They
incapable of caring for them. These early events in
come to believe that the bad things are their
their lives changed them. It changed how they think
fault and that they are inherently bad.
and feel about others, and themselves.
So what can we do to help children overcome
Early childhood adversity or trauma is not easily
trauma? There are two main ways to help the brain of
overcome. The road may be long and challenging to
a child that has been changed from early adversity. We
navigate, and they will need a lot of help along the way.
leverage our relationship with them, and we set up an
But it is a road worthy of the effort, and I am so glad
environment that will keep their brain calm. Children
God chose to allow me to walk alongside my children.
with trauma — who are wired for survival— need to
“Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma
know they are safe. Setting up the environment so
is what happens inside you because of what
that it is regulated, calm, structured, and consistent is
happens to you.”
helpful for predictability. Avoiding triggers by keeping their world small and not overwhelming them will
– Gabor Matè
help them stay calm. Building meaningful, consistent, nurturing relationships with them— relationships built
Trauma can come in many forms, but here I want
on trust and shared control— will also help.
to focus on complex developmental trauma. This
The best medicine we have for our children is love.
is relational trauma that occurs early in life. Here
In 1 Corinthians, Scripture defines love this way: “Love
are some fundamental principles to consider about
is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is
developmental trauma: 1.
2.
not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way;
It occurs at a very sensitive time in the
it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at
development of the brain. In the first few years
wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all
of life, the brain is forming connections at a
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures
very rapid rate. The brain is normally wired
all things.” When we love our children the way God
for connectedness with a mother, but trauma
intended us to love them, we can give our children with
causes it to be wired for survival.
trauma their best chance to reach their full potential.
The harm is always personal. It is often
To this end, Lost Sparrows is advocating for
referred to as relational trauma. This causes
the worth and potential of every child and working
children
to empower and equip families, caregivers, and
to
struggle
with
interpersonal
communities to love, nurture, and protect vulnerable
relationships. They are scary to them. 3.
children. //
Premeditated betrayal. The very people that should be loving a child are the ones that are causing the trauma. How does a child attach and bond with a caregiver who is inflicting pain and fear?
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. 11
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serving our neighbor KINGDOM EQUITY
The Story of Three Widows Helping Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands words by: FERREE HARDY
ONE OF THE SADDEST THINGS about widowhood is when widows (or widowers) assume that their life is finished and that they will never be happy again. But is this true? Are these dear people doomed to an empty future? Three of my widow friends wondered this also. At first, not one of them could have imagined the new life ahead of her. But God enabled these three not only to live again, but to help tens, hundreds, and thousands of other MIRIAM NEFF
widows find life after loss too. What made the change? It had to do with using their “Kingdom Equity.” Have you heard of it? It reminds me of this verse: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” I Peter 4:10. How can one person help so many others? Let’s see how Kingdom Equity was the catalyst God used. Maybe you and I have some Kingdom Equity too!
GAYLE ROPER
Miriam Neff –Widow Connection Miriam Neff, founder of Widow Connection, thought her life had ended at age 60 when her husband, Bob, went to heaven in 2006. Miriam had cared for him in their home for three years while he battled Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). The final four months were especially intense as his care required the attention of three people full-time, but she would gladly do it
LORI BOHNING
all over again.
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JULY 2022
Miriam visiting with her friends in Malawi, Africa
In the days after the funeral, she felt desperate for God in a way she’d never experienced before. As she sought God, she learned three things over time: 1. We cannot compare ourselves to others; what God has given us is what we use. 2. God will surprise us; He’ll send us to places no one else has been. 3. We need to take action whether we feel ready or not; God will correct, motivate, uplift, and send the people we need to encourage us. Those three principles comforted her; they also guided her to take a mission trip to Africa. There, she heard the concept of Kingdom Equity in a unique encounter with a stranger. In her book, Where Do I Go From Here? Bold Living After Unwanted Change, Miriam described the time in Malawi when a stranger came up to her after a presentation she’d made. “Miriam Neff,” he declared, “you are rich in Kingdom Equity.” Miriam was curious, and in a quiet corner he explained: “…Kingdom Equity is God’s investment in you. Whether positive or negative, events gift you with wisdom, experience, information, and faith. Everything in your life is a part of God building equity (valuable investment) into your life…” And then, much to her surprise, the man began to list things from Miriam’s background that he saw as God’s gifts to her. Miriam wrote, “I rapidly took notes, recognizing that I wanted to add to his list. This new perspective cast a different and valuable light on seemingly ordinary qualities and experiences, and even hardships…” “Kingdom Equity was a precious concept that pieced together what I had often seen as random events in my past. But they were not random. God was investing in me intentionally. He was building Kingdom Equity…” She reflected on the shift in perspective she had in Malawi. “Under my mosquito net that night with a feeble bedside lamp… I scribbled as long as my tired body would allow. I looked
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again at my scribbled notes from our conversation.
Miriam’s latest adventure has been to pioneer
My final entry quoting his words read: ‘You’ve got
a financial ministry for women. She and her
it, Miriam. Now spend it.’”
daughter, Valerie Neff Hogan, recently wrote Wise
1
Miriam marveled at her Kingdom Equity: the
Women Managing Money; Expert Advice on Debt,
sewing and farm skills she learned while growing
Wealth, Budgeting & More. The proceeds from it
up in rural Indiana, parenting four children (two
will increase women’s financial literacy and reach
of them adopted), having three adopted African-
out to even more widows.
American grandchildren, her adventurous “Let’s get at it” spirit, and even her widowhood. As she wrote these things down, she realized that the
Miriam's books may be purchased online or ordered through
things the world valued, like her college degrees,
local bookstores. The following pertain to widows:
her career as a high school counselor, and her
Wise Women Managing Money
husband’s executive position with Moody Radio
Moody Publishers, 2022
Not Alone
Regnery Publishing, 2017
Where Do I Go From Here?
Bold Living After Unwanted Change
"Kingdom Equity is God’s investment in you. Whether positive or negative, events gift you with wisdom, experience, information, and faith."
Moody Publishers, 2012
From One Widow to Another: Conversations on the New You Moody Publishers, 2009
Widow Connection, Inc. a | PO Box 242, Lake Zurich, IL 60047 w | widowconnection.com
Network, were not what the widows in Malawi needed. They needed money so they wouldn’t starve. This was her chance to use her Kingdom Equity to help these widows. So Miriam taught them how to sew and earn income with the type of non-electric, treadle sewing machines she had first learned on. They needed the hope of knowing Jesus loved them, so she taught them how to know Him as she had desperately learned. Today, in addition to taking as many foreign mission trips as possible to help more widows learn to sew, Miriam helps widows through her website, speaking engagements, and on her “New Beginnings” radio spot, which is featured five days a week on 1,200 outlets. She’s also written several books that apply to widowhood.
A group of widows in Malawi that Miriam tought to sew 15
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