Nyandengoh! "You Are Beautiful" | May 2022

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.

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...

Subscribe today. 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

Sabrina Schlabach, Serving Our Neighbor

Sabrina Schlabach, quality assurance

Stacey 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, Ohio sales advisor Aaron Stutzman, Indiana + Michigan sales advisor

JUNE AD CLOSE

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Elam Stoltzfus, Our Heritage

May 6, 2022

Jim Zumbo, All Things Outdoors

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

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FEBRUARY 2022

contents

May 2022 // Issue 107

serving our neighbor 13

NYANDENGOH! "You Are Beautiful" words by: Sabrina Schlabach The heart of Nyandengoh! is to show that children with disabilities are respected as image-bearers of God and, together with their families, that they are accepted and included in their communities.

simple living 35

HOMESTEAD + ROOTS Spring on a Traditional Family Farm column by: Shawn + Beth Dougherty Shawn and Beth Dougherty share practical insights on how they integrate grass-fed dairy cows to their farm.

39

CONFESSIONS OF A STEWARD Water (part one) column by: Joel Salatin This month, Joel begins to share the importance of water management on the farm.

resources 10

WHISPERS OF HOPE Straight Jackets and Bulletproof Vests column by: Stacey Gagnon

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT The Water Solution PLAIN VALUES

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6

58

ONE MINUTE WITH MARLIN

ON THE COVER

FUNDS AND BENEFITS

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

A child with special needs in Sierra Leone, Africa, with his caretaker.

Every month we provide a listing of opportunities to help out those in need.

community 27

ROOTS + WINGS Staying Local column by: Rory Feek I mean, who would purposely choose a slower, harder way of traveling over something faster and much easier… beside the Amish, that is? But then it occurred to me that, well, I would.

45

THE WIDOW'S PATH Sunsets column by: Ferree Hardy What time will the sun set by you today? When will it set for each of our own lives? Eternity is so close; it’s only a heartbeat away.

history 49

OUR HERITAGE Printing the Ausbund

(part five)

column by: Elam Stoltzfus The Amish Book Committee agreed to print the Ausbund with Kutztown Publishing Company. In a January 20, 1922 letter from Esser to Stoltzfus, he shared that Kutztown had shipped the first hundred pages of the proofs to Lancaster.

outdoors 53

ALL THINGS OUTDOORS Catfish column by: Jim Zumbo In my opinion, this is food fit for a king, and it doesn’t cost much, which is one of many reasons to love the catfish!

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MAY 2022

one minute with Marlin THE OTHER DAY it hit me squarely in the face: Jesus has

We adopted our oldest son when he was almost four

scars on his body! The body with which He walked through

years old. The circumstances of his life those first few years

walls, His eternal body, that one has scars on it.

caused scars, which are not visible, but he carries with

Creation, the Fall, free will, and His sovereignty: God

him. I will not understand the reason this side of Heaven,

created everything, with mankind being the crown jewel.

but that’s ok. I don’t have to understand it all right now. It

He knew we would mess it all up, but He still gave us

is enough to know God is with us —no matter what pain and

free will. In the middle of our broken world that so often

brokenness comes our way — and in the middle of it all, He

cuts deep, our Creator walks with us, bringing hope and

brings joy! I guess that’s what Paul meant when he talks

peace. The joy He brings in the middle of it all makes no

about the “peace that surpasses all understanding.” May

sense to me. How does He do it?! 2nd Corinthians 6:10

we never take that peace for granted.

says the following, “as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet

Allow me for a second to do what I've never done before… tease you with next month’s story. October of

possessing everything.”

Jesus came to the earth He made, fully God and fully

last year; a kidnapping in Haiti; a daring escape to freedom

man. Perfect. He lived a while, then He died. He rose with

in the dark of night. The whole story, top to bottom and

scars on a perfect body. The scars are there right this

front to back, is coming next month in Plain Values.

second. I don’t know what it all means and how deep As always, may you find joy in the simple things. //

it goes, but I’m not soon giving up trying to work that reality out in my own life. If you permit me, I’d love to think about this further. On a very superficial level, this life brings scars. Just as there are a million ways to hurt yourself physically, there are a million ways to hurt and be hurt below the skin, on a heart level. We are broken

MARLIN MILLER

people, living in a very broken world.

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publisher, always looking for more friends 6

Isaac in the hospital after his surgery.

speaking of miracles and scars...

FOR EIGHT YEARS, Isaac Hershberger has been the

Meanwhile, 9-month-old Isaac stood at his mom’s

Production Manager at Plain Values —meaning he digitally

feet, as his uncle tried coaxing Isaac into walking towards

constructs the magazine set before you. As we talked

him. Suddenly, a Lawn Jart flew over Isaac’s mom and

about Marlin’s recent messages about miracles and scars,

lodged in his head! In a panic, Isaac’s uncle rushed over

Isaac shared this incredible tale…

and pulled out the Jart. Isaac began profusely bleeding.

911 was called and he was rushed to the hospital.

During the hot, dry summer of 1992, Isaac’s parents were invited to a cookout. A day that started out relaxed

After emergency surgery, Isaac’s parents learned just

with food, fellowship, and yard games, soon turned to the

how close he had come to dying. The Jart went through

unthinkable.

Isaac’s skull, into his brain, and directly through a major

A couple of boys at the cookout were playing Lawn

artery. Isaac should have bled to death, but, by a miracle,

Jarts, a game where two rings are placed on the ground

two pieces of the broken skull shifted to block the artery.

approximately 30 feet apart and 12-inch metal darts

It slowed the bleeding and saved Isaac’s life.

Although Isaac still has a scar, he also has a testimony

thrown at them. One of the boys gave his Jart a wild

of the miracle God performed. //

throw, and it began to soar through the air.

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MAY 2022

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MAY 2022

whispers of hope

SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO FOSTER + ADOPT

STRAIGHT JACKETS & BULLETPROOF VESTS column by: STACEY GAGNON

THERE'S WAR in Eastern Europe, and

threatening to escape, and his frail body

because

it’s very easy to insulate oneself from

could not hold up his own head. His

comes with great cost. And the price

the realities of living in such violence.

legs and arms were bent at odd angles

is understanding that infant-sized

It’s easy to bury myself in the daily

as they had grown within the confines

children lie hidden and restrained in

chores of laundry, dishes, and raising

of a metal crib. As I carried him onto

orphanages; if I open my eyes to the

children. But my mind won’t rest as

the plane, I felt his heart flutter against

most vulnerable, I will never be able to

it keeps reminding me of straight

my chest, and his shallow breaths were

unsee this level of darkness.

jackets and bulletproof vests.

seeing

these

atrocities

barely felt on my cheek. I thought he

And yet, the highest form of

My first experience in Ukraine

might die in my arms over the ocean,

abuse is indifference. To “not see.” To

was when I flew in as a medical

and I was terrified to carry a dead child

look away from the pain, the dark, the

professional to help bring home a very

off the plane.

straight jacket.

fragile fifteen-year-old named Daniel.

We made it to the United States

Which brings me to today. Every

When I went to pick him up, Daniel

alive. But, while I physically carried

part of me wants to look away from

only weighed 22 pounds. When he

a fifteen-year-old boy off the plane

the atrocities of war. I want to place

left the orphanage, he was wearing a

and set him into the arms of medical

my sight upon the daily routine of

child-sized straight jacket. (See photo)

professionals, I did not set down the

home and work.

At birth, he was placed in an

image of a straight jacket—this article

But then I am contacted by a

institution due to cerebral palsy, and

of clothing worn daily by an infant-

partner of Lost Sparrows, and we are

the years of neglect and abuse showed

sized teen boy.

asked to provide bulletproof jackets to

upon his withered frame. His bones

It’s much easier to hide these

protect women and children fleeing

pressed against his skin at sharp angles

things away. It’s easier not to see

the violence and bloodshed in Ukraine.

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"When I went to pick him up, Daniel only weighed 22 pounds. When he left the orphanage, he was wearing a child-sized straight jacket."

filled with warm blankets, soft pillows,

happening, and we must fight the

and Charlie the stuffed octopus. And I

desire to remain insulated, to remain

thought of being a mother carrying

indifferent. Human suffering is every-

my child through a war-torn landscape

one’s concern. What is needed now is

wrapped in a bulletproof vest that, in

for these victims to know that they are

reality, provides minimal protection. I

not alone, that they are not forgotten.

The safe “green corridors” are not

imagine the cold wind and the press

And when their bodies cannot

safe. Innocent women and children

of humanity while I await a ticket to

walk, we will carry them. When their

are being fired upon in a war that has

safety. Mumbling prayers with the

voices are silenced, we shall speak out

no regard for the most vulnerable.

stark reality that bullets are not meant

for them. And when they are sitting

And so, my eyes are wide open, and

to tear through the flesh of children,

in darkness, we will be there to share

my mind begins figuring out how to

and this vest is too large for my six-

our light.

get the requests met with our partners

year-old.

in Europe…. wound care items, food, medicines… bulletproof vests.

If you’d like to partner with us

I might question where the hope is found.

in Eastern Europe, please consider donating to Lost Sparrows. I also ask

It wasn’t until this morning that it

Straight jackets and bulletproof

all truly hit me. I was cuddling with my

vests are not meant to be worn by

six-year-old daughter, Zorey, in her bed

children. But I have witnessed this

that you continue praying. //

Stacey Gagnon, along with her husband Darren, are the founders of Lost Sparrows. She 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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MAY 2022

serving our neighbor NYANDENGOH!

“You Are Beautiful” words by:

SABRINA SCHLABACH

IMAGINE YOUR CHILD being called a devil, witch, or demonpossessed. Why? Only because that child was born with a disability. Now you and your child are feared and treated as outcasts. Your neighbors are afraid that you are contagious and will spread disease or cause them to have a child with disabilities. Where does that leave you? What hope could you possibly have? Who will reach out to love you and your child?

Heleen Yoder has worked in Sierra Leone, Africa, primarily in Freetown, since 2003 as a trained mental health counselor. She was drawn to this country where children lived in situations where psychosocial care was unavailable for many, largely due to a devastating decadelong civil war that ended in 2002. Heleen’s heart went out to the people of Sierra Leone, and she knew that she also had an opportunity to encourage the Christian minority in the country. By 2017, Heleen and her husband, Jon — a medical doctor — were working in the small city of Mattru Jong, about five hours south of Freetown. While working there, a family brought their son in for help, as he couldn’t speak. Jon told Heleen about the boy, and she agreed to see what she could do to help him. As she worked with this child and his family, she realized that he had a disability and needed specialized help. After helping the boy, word began to spread in the community, and more and more families

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MAY 2022

began bringing in their children with disabilities. However, the hospital wasn’t equipped to handle these new patients effectively, so Jon and Heleen took action: they started an independent organization dedicated to helping children with special needs in Sierra Leone. Not knowing exactly where to start, Jon and Heleen began by throwing a Christmas party for the children and their families. “Christmas in Sierra Leone is a big deal regardless of your religion,” Heleen shared, “and we decided to host a Christmas party as a fun way to bless the children we had been helping.”

One of the people Heleen invited to the Christmas party was Sylvanus French. Sylvanus had previously worked with Heleen, and he recently moved back to his hometown of Mattru Jong from Freetown. In Freetown, Sylvanus served in juvenile detention centers to help children with mental health disorders and those suffering from addictions. Sylvanus shared with the Yoders that he had returned home to get his certification to teach. The Yoders shared with Sylvanus their vision for the people of Mattru Jong: they hoped to start an organization to care for children with special needs and their families. Heleen then invited Sylvanus to join them in their organization.

Heleen said, “We felt that Sylvanus’ love and compassion for children along with his leadership skills would be a perfect fit as the program manager.”

Sylvanus was all in and replied with a resounding yes: “I loved the idea!”

By 2019, after two years of work and planning, Nyandengoh! was born.

Nyandengoh! (pronounced: nee-an-den-go) is the Mende word for ‘he/she/it is beautiful.’ Their ministry is based on Luke 14:12-13: “Then He [Jesus] also said to him who had invited Him, ‘When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.’”

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"they hoped to start an organization to care for children with special needs and their families."

The heart of Nyandengoh! is to show that children with disabilities are respected as imagebearers of God and, together with their families, that they are accepted and included in their communities. These beautiful children have value and are loved by God. This is hope. Valuing God’s children and fighting the stigma of having a disability, while also sharing the Word of God, is the inspiration that the people of Sierra Leone need.

The work that Nyandengoh! provides is vital to the community. Because children with disabilities are feared and seen as outcasts, they are treated badly, and—along with their families—are often ostracized.

Many teachers think that school-aged children with disabilities are difficult and unteachable, and they are frequently bullied and abused by their classmates. In addition, the children who are too young for school are often left unattended at home by parents who are away at their jobs. This is dangerous, especially for young girls, because if they wander away from home, the opportunities for others to abuse and take advantage of them increases.

Jon and Heleen Yoder

Desiring the best for their children, many families

seek

treatments

by

traditional

folk

healers in hopes of a “magic cure” that will heal

contaminated or unclean to eat because she had a

their children and “return them to normal.”

son with a disability. The woman and her son moved

“Unfortunately, they are just money makers

to a community where Nyandengoh! was present;

who often cause illness, abuse, and even some

in this community, the staff taught the people that

fatalities,” Heleen shared. “These healers are also

there was no reason to fear people with disabilities.

contributing to the spread of negative stereotypes

As a result of moving to this more welcoming

of children with disabilities.”

community, her market stand was successful, and Matthew was able to attend school and make new friends who accepted him.

Nyandengoh! has worked to build trust with

People, by nature, are watchers. Every time that

the communities they serve by providing medicine,

Nyandengoh! staff interact with these children and

counseling, and now a school and daycare. Not

show that they love them for who they are, people

only do they reach the locals, but they also go out

begin to realize that the old superstitions and the

to as many villages as time and resources allow,

folk healers’ stereotypes of children with disabilities

building relationships and helping with medicine

are misguided. Sylvanus shared a story of a woman

and exercises. Three times a year, a therapy team

whose son Matthew has a condition that causes him

from Freetown comes out to prescribe and teach

to drool. As the woman attempted to sell food at the

exercises to the children and their families. The

market to make money and provide for her family,

physical therapist and rehab therapists show the

people turned away from her, afraid to buy her food.

parents how to do the exercises with their children

Customers feared that food from her stand was

to stimulate their development. Physical movement

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MAY 2022