Living With the Amish

Sep 30, 2023 1.5M Views 2.8K Comments

Deep in the countryside of Kentucky is a thriving Amish and Mennonite world. A place that feels removed from America, where time slows down and things are done traditionally. Join me and non-Amish local Steven Haste who dives us into the local culture and explains why he prefers to live in an Amish/Mennonite community vs. the outside world.

► Watch more videos from Amish Country on Steven’s YouTube channel
► Get a draft horse from Steven: http://www.drafthorsesandmulesforsale.com

Get the best meat & meat products in Kentucky
► Visit Dutchman’s general store and say hello to Paul
► Stop for a haircut and bee supplies near this place

► Video edited by: Natalia Santenello

MUSIC USED IN THE VIDEO 🎵
► Headlund – Return to No Man’s Land

you choose to live out here with the
Amish and the menites it’s such a
humbling place to live this is you as a
Schwarz and trer few
similarities television destroys
families a lot of people don’t know this
hello he’s one of the original ones here
in the county he still rides a bicycle
Peter so there’s some hypocrisy going on
here unfortunately here’s the menite
School eighth grade then go to work wow
what are your thoughts on that they
wrote void across the checks and s them
back or tore them up they won’t take any
kind of government assistance I was told
that I will go to hell if I do this it’s
a Sportz and tuber Phone Shack haircuts
$12 beard trims eight do you have cash I
do but I don’t have hair just C they’re
Amish don’t mean they don’t go through
problems just like everybody else in the
world this is like out of a movie
set so Stephen you choose to live out
here with the Amish and the metan
nightes I love it they’re my best
they’re my best friends I’ve been around
them my whole life and I just I don’t
feel comfortable without them to be
honest with you really I love them
they’re my it’s such a humbling place to
live they help you I mean they’ll do
anything for you like this here this is
old order Amish okay the old order
started here in 2011 2012 yep and when
they these old order Amish when they
first get started and move to a place
they build these red buildings and they
call them shops okay and they’ll live in
these shops until they get started long
enough you know to build a house the
white houses all their shops all their
barns are red and all their houses are
oh so they’re living here first then
they build their home live in the shops
until they build their houses yep now a
lot of development going on here this is
actually a harness shop Schwarz and
turber harness shop right here this is a
menite home here they’re horse and buggy
menite not car men menit so it gets very
confusing SL technical very Amish
menites there many different types of
Amish many different types of menites
but for example the Schwarz and shubber
that we passed in the beginning there
they don’t have electricity at home they
will not have electricity at home none
no cell phones none even though some do
right some every now and then now and
who knows you know but that’s their
business but um the the men andite are
more liberal they’re going to have more
technology more they still don’t have
cell phones menites don’t no I’ve seen
some with them well our menites here no
cell phones they have landlines in their
home okay they do have electricity they
have air conditioner they have all that
stuff but they have no cell phones no
internet no connection like that at all
so it really depends in what part of the
country you’re in where these rules
apply like homes County Ohio is
different than here it’s different in
this
County if you’re a member of the menite
church here you abide by the way they
want their Church to do now the menite
church 5 miles from here they’re a
different church then there’s also an
some people here called charity they’re
charity menites they that’s what we call
them but they they drive cars and have
cell phones with no internet but and
then there’s also Holderman menites
there’s like so many different types of
Amish and menites right here in this
count and for those of you who’ve seen
my videos you’ll know where we’re right
now A good friend of Titus is Steven
that’s right knew him for a long time if
it wasn’t for Stephen I would have never
met Titus so thank you Stephen you’re
welcome where is he is he out and about
he may be
sleeping because we hit shik to
Nashville yesterday that was like an
18-hour Mission it was a long Mission
there and back Steven picked us up at
the end and drove us back he’s on the
phone who could have guessed oh let’s go
let’s
[Music]
go
hey Titus you get some good sleep I did
office hours are
closed what’s
Unforgettable the whole trip yesterday
and especially the last rot just coming
in there we still have Sun like we still
have enough time to do what we need to
do it was like to ate icing on the cake
to to come in there when we did I mean
we took Seven rides to Nashville stepen
unreal seven I was worried about it I
didn’t think he was going to make it
nothing is impossible with our father in
Heaven that’s right so Titus today’s
video we’re we’re talking about
non-amish well you’re non-amish
non-amish living next to Amish menites
it works pretty well right for me it’s
been a blessing I uh I had an Amish
neighbor that’s since moved but he told
me Titus like I was just starting out I
didn’t have much of the farm machinery
that I needed and I was always borrowing
farm machinery from him and he’s like
Titus if I’m gone and you need to borrow
something go ahead H if I’m not around
just hook to it and you take it he’s
like if you’re really needing to get
something done and you’ve got to have
some help tell my children to help you
to help you uh he’s like the only thing
that you can’t borrow when I’m not
around is my wife that makes sense you
followed the rules right
Titus
and then also like uh at one of my Amish
neighbors up the road here his horse had
died and he needed a Workhorse to get
some plowing done and things and he
asked if I could borrow if he could
borrow a horse from me I was like sure
go ahead he took good care of my horse I
mean loaning your horse out is kind of
like loaning your your vehicle out I
mean some people you would trust to say
here’s the keys and other people You’ be
like no I’m I’m not like they might blow
it up or they might get in trouble with
the law and then I could be l
but yeah like he borrowed my Workhorse
he came my horse came back just great
shape I know one thing I would not give
you the keys to my
truck you think I would drive wild it
would be
bad well I mean just give me a chance
Stephen I mean just let me prove maybe
that should we do a video Titus driving
Steven’s truck I don’t think so not
today we’re going to go meet John Yoder
the ex Sor and tuber oh yeah at the
slaughter house tius you know Johnny see
you buddy is this it I’m not going to
see you until uh well next time unless
you come by here tomorrow and say hi
well you can come over to my parents to
see yeah see you Titus I’m glad you guys
stopped
in
Titus God Titus is so much fun to hang
out with he’s
wild you know what me and him have been
so many miles together like we’ve been
all over the country together we went
because he works for you sometimes he
helps me like if I’m withes if I’m
taking a horse to Oregon or something
yeah and my wife don’t want to go cuz
it’s hard with a baby or something I can
call Titus and say hey you want to go to
Oregon yes when we’re leaving let’s go
he’s ready he loves it so what’s it like
traveling with Titus across country it’s
an adventure every mile it’s an
adventure you never know what’s going to
happen does he preach a lot like
yesterday when we were hitchhiking every
stop at the gas stations he loves the
gas stations every stop at the hotels at
wherever wherever you stop he’s out to
preach I mean it’s hard not to smile
when you’re with Titus like he comes
across so with such good intention he
means well he went with me to Rhode
Island three weeks ago and he wanted to
get out of the truck in Middletown New
York and go on the Lord’s transportation
system home hitchhiking hitchhiking home
from New York from New York and I begged
him I’m like Titus man this is not you
need to just come with me I finally
talked him into coming with me to
Youngstown Ohio and then there was no
other talking he was getting out of that
truck and he
did I left him on the side of hiti
byebye what else was I supposed to do he
hitch back he did and got home before me
really quick he hitch from Ohio to here
yeah because I had to go on to Ohio and
see some people I was going to see there
that’s why he wanted to go on was to be
to Sabbath be home before Sabbath he
beat me home Titus has probably never
missed a Sabbath huh he won’t miss one
[Music]
yeah here’s the minight school oh wow
they they know you oh yeah I know most
of the kids by name I’m around them you
know they’re moms and dads and and this
here is a business owned by some charity
Amish called pallets plus so when
someone is making a lot of money with
their business here they’re putting it
into homes they putting it in land land
okay for maybe their children to live on
so they buy a lot of land and also they
help the school system and the way the
menites and Amish work like say me and
you’re in a church together yeah say I
have a heart attack I have a bad
hospital bill our church is going to pay
my hospital bill yeah that’s the way
they work so I think if somebody’s got a
lot of money they donate it to like the
church so I’m guessing they’re not
putting money into the stock market or
oh no I wouldn’t say so modern
investment vehicles of any sort they
will invest though in like other men
andite companies like if a young man
gets married and he wants to start a
company a lot of the elders will pull
together and invest to help him start
that company when the co re refunds come
you know everybody got money for Co the
Amish you know the mom and dad would get
their part I forget exactly how much it
was but they got paid per child remember
yeah these people with 15 kids 12 kids
got a lot of money like how much do you
think oh 10 12
$15,000 they wrote void across the
checks and send them back or tore them
up they won’t take any kind of
government assistance any kind of money
like that they’ll never take welfare or
EBT stuff none whatsoever menit’s the
same
same this here is a Schwarz and turber
Amish Sawmill I know most of these guys
too Dan Dan Yoder owns this place
everyone’s name is Yoda they moved here
from Holmes County Ohio okay look at
that big circle blade that’s what cuts
those logs and this area sawmilling is a
big big thing to Schwarz and Troopers
this is their office before they eat
their lunch and
stuff so everyone here gets an education
through 8ighth grade correct that’s it
eighth grade then go to work wow what
are your thoughts on that I mean seems
to work pretty good A lot of them are
really doing really good for theel you
know I
mean I’d say these Amish and menites
learn more at their eth grade than most
kids learn through Public School the
distractions ain’t there they go to
school and that’s what they
do what’s this
Stephen it’s a Sportz and trer Phone
Shack they call it a shandy phone
Shandy okay so they make their calls in
there yeah let’s see the solar panels to
run the phone and stuff it’s a landline
cell phone probably a black box like you
know those new phones out today they’re
from Verizon they’re a little box they
call it a black box and it’s got a SIM
card in it and it runs off saell Towers
but it’s actually you plug a home phone
into
it that’s okay with the
church I don’t
know all I know is they go there and use
the phone what I think is I think
somebody else owns this little piece of
land and he put it there for them to use
that’s what I think interesting but I
don’t know 100% okay Stephen how do you
say Schwarz and truber in Pennsylvanian
Dutch SWAT and Dro huh SWAT and
dro
the am Mission menuts around here know
that if I’m around don’t say too much
they don’t want me to hear cuz I can
about tell what they’re saying oh that’s
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video so you’ve always lived in this
community uh was raised in bethl Ridge
which is like 5 Mile Away the cro flies
that way okay I mean I was raised right
here so even though it’s not your
culture it sort of is kind of yeah I
mean I’m so used to it you know I’m with
them every day every day like when I go
home at night I talk to 10 or 15 Amish
and Men nights on the phone that’s my
hobby that’s my friends we all and talk
to each other on the phone I call my
Amish friends in Ohio Indiana northern
Kentucky around here do you get you
connect with them just because they’re
living a simpler life more Traditional
Values or I connect with them mainly
because of the horse business I love
horses and I connect with them really
strongly over horses and that’s what got
me in with them really strong and you
sell draft horses which are the work
horses which the Amish want right that’s
right but we don’t really sell to Amish
you don’t sell to Amish no why not cuz
they usually don’t buy them like people
buy them from me like you know we’re
selling to Carriage companies we’re
selling to businesses we’re selling to
people that don’t really have access to
them really easy the Amish these people
have horses they’ve raised for 20 years
you know they breed their Mars and keep
raising their own so they don’t really
have to buy them they raise their own
they’re super Frugal too right yes I’ve
sold to them before you don’t make a lot
of money selling to them but you know if
I got a friend I don’t have to make a
lot of money I mean if I’ve got a friend
here that needs a horse you know I’ll
give him a good deal and just sell it to
him because you know I help help the
community like last Saturday we had an
auction I started it myself it’s a
driving Horse Sale all of the money goes
to the Cas County minight school all of
it it’s a total nonprofit all the money
goes to the school to build a new school
and we’re going to build a new school
for the menuts here and all the menites
come together and help me and we put it
on and it’s growing every year it’s
doing great
television destroys families yeah
they’re not even onto the internet yet
the charity people no they’re not they
use internet for business use only like
he used to have a tire shop here he
probably had a computer in that tire
shop to order tires but what I’ve heard
now I don’t know if it’s true I can’t we
can ask John out here cuz he’s in the
charity church but I heard their
computers if they get on something
they’re not supposed to be on it reports
to their Bishop a lot of people don’t
know this there is an Amish publication
called
deota and I don’t know what it means in
Dutch but it’s called deot shof and
every community in America writes a
newsletter every week and it’s like a
100 pages and they mail it out every
week to all the subscribers All Over
America so this is how the Amish menites
are getting their news like this
community will write so and so got
married we had this okay we had the work
be and built John a new barn it’s that
kind of news like news within their
community and it goes all to all Amish
homes in America that subscribe there’s
also they’re out of Pennsylvania there’s
also another really big one called the
budget in Sugar Creek Ohio and they do a
similar type of news newsletter for
Amish and of course Amish when they go
like when they go to the doctor they’ll
you know they’ll watch the news like
when they TV’s running you know they sit
and watch it they hear what’s going on
and English people coming into the
community here they tell them like when
Co was going on they come in oh you got
to wear a mask now you know tell them
they hear what’s going on hey but
ignorance is bliss in a way when you’re
out here like why do you want to take in
the country’s problems that’s right or
someone else’s
stress if you’re living in this
tight-knit
community like why do you want to know
how many killings were in murders were
in Chicago or something right like
what’s the point of that I’m not Amish
or men not and I don’t even want to know
that yeah I don’t pay attention to the
news myself I just hang out here have
fun howdy howdy all right are you doing
great Johnny Yoder here I think he’s
here he’s sleeping
still how you doing sir doing great how
about you yeah doing well good if you
have come just a hour earlier there
would have been quite a choice you go P
so is this a menite operation
Amish uh we’re similar to
from the same with the anabaptist it’s
the same
umbrella as you know same Roots as the
am I but don’t necessarily go by either
name gotcha but it all sort of gets
along out here huh oh yeah oh yeah yeah
yeah John so you were a former Schwarz
and trer yes okay what are you now New
Order Amish I am not uh we don’t really
have a denomination that we go by okay
it would definitely sort of favor the
menite lifestyle a lot a lot of people
just call us menites and that’s fine I’m
not offended by it but we’re not
actually pH Affiliated the church is not
with any kind of menite okay so when did
you leave the Schwarz and truber
church it’ll be seven years next month I
think so that’ be back whatever seven
years makes was that a hard process it
was it’s very difficult did you have to
abandon your family and friends and
everything or I didn’t have to abandon
them they took fairly good care of that
to begin
with but you know it’s part of their
culture nothing against them so if you
grew up in that culture like for example
if I grew up here at Schwarz and trer
and I wanted to shave my head like this
and sort of live my own
life I would be kicked out of the church
or the most likely right is that they
they do they are they’re graceful fairly
graceful and you know it’s not like they
will just take you and just you know
kick you out and this is it you know
it’s not quite a there’s people out
there that paint that picture from the
old order or the swords and Troopers
especially but I’d be here and be the
first one to say that that’s not quite
the case I’ve been a swords and Trooper
for 27 years uh they
are they are they’re very nice people
and they don’t just they don’t just
throw people under the bus however there
there comes a time when you have to
choose whether you’re going to be a
swords and Trooper or not all right so
when you choose shave your head and not
be a sports and
Trooper obviously you are saying that
look I don’t agree with where you’re at
so you’re kind of asking a little bit
for an excommunication in a sense that
had to be super hard that process I’m
not saying it’s easy I cried them any
time so why did you decide to do that
obviously not for personal pleasure or I
wouldn’t have made it
right well while while I like the SWS
and Troopers and I appreciate them a lot
have a lot of seal they’re very serious
people and they’re very likable people I
will also say this about them there is a
lot of stuff going on that you don’t see
just looking on okay uh there is there
is a consistent turmoil within the
church and it’s very very Grievous
because the Bible speaks about loving
each other and uh you know you know if
you you know it’s very clear that if you
if you say you love your uh you love God
but you hate your brother the truth
isn’t a liar and the truth is not in you
is what the Bible says right so that’s
one of the things I can you know I just
could not go on with uh there was some
there was some abuse with my oldest son
uh in a physical abuse Manner and there
is some other abuses that go on and uh
it’s very unfortunate though it’s not in
every household M it’s too much for me
to be comfortable and I will say where
my Tipping Point was at one point I I
told my wife I said I would never never
go back to a swords and trer church
there was a private meeting for the
members and there was a 16-year-old boy
I had to leave my son out and he was
scared he said they’re mean and I told
him I didn’t think they really were and
so I took him at the back of my bugy
turned towards the people in the you
know the boys
uhhuh and and I said him on there and I
said they don’t know where he’s at he’s
okay he’ll be fine and he took my word
for
it and I was sitting in the meeting
there and all of a sudden I heard him
cry and then I heard him scream I was
said oh boy I hat it
that anyway I ended up going out and I
went out just in time to see a
16-year-old boy take a clot of dirt all
of his forest and threw it right at his
face which it missed his phas and hit
the buggy about this far back from his
compacted dirt yes okay dry dirt and it
splattered of course and he screamed so
I just walked over to him and took him
off to bokei
he’s already 3 years old but I just held
him like a like a little child you know
and uh ask him and when I took a hold of
him he was soaking and
wet he was still sitting on the buggy
right where I put him and these boys
younger boys treating him in that
manner for absolutely nothing that he
had done he’s still sitting on the buggy
where I had put him and told him to stay
MH this is one of the many accounts and
I did not agree with the homage or where
they’re at with things
so obviously the Young Generation they
sort of had a point to prove with me
sort of making an example out of me and
they took it out of my children and that
was very difficult very difficult oh wow
gotta but I don’t you know I I forgave
him but it was time for me to get my
family out of that I could tell you a
whole bunch more but this is sort of a
little bit there is there is various uh
uh sexual abuse cases that happen under
them um you’re saying and Trooper or or
all Amish or well it happens under a lot
of Amish especially swords and Troopers
also swords and Troopers I shouldn’t say
especially but I I just want to make it
clear though to the audience it’s not
all families obviously oh
absolutely and as far as my relationship
let me tell you this is seven years I
worked hard on this my family worked
hard my mom and dad they always they
always
uh you know we had a good relationship
after I left and uh and we go home quite
frequently to visit on both my family
and her family it’s not very AA we have
we we have a good time when we go we we
visit we we we okay so you can visit
your parents now how long couldn’t you
visit them for took me it took about 3
years to get the fresh of the pain going
that’s hard but it was hard for them you
have to understand they were not doing
it to be hateful to me okay you know you
know I like them they like me I’m
convinced right it’s just it’s family it
is yeah so so you have to understand
it’s not this heat at batting back and
forth uh relationship so in a way to
preserve these values in the culture it
has to be very for lack of better Words
Extreme in its rules so anything that’s
against the rules like you wanted to
sort of Go Your Own Way therefore it’s
not an easy process if it was an easy
process maybe more people would do it
then maybe the whole thing falls apart
to some degree is there a fear of
that so obviously I had a concern for my
children there two during the last
couple years just a couple years before
I actually left is when I actually got
converted converted to Christianity I
became I I
believe I got converted I got I got born
again so Schwarz and shers are Christian
though right or no well when there is a
lot of turmoil in a church and there’s
not a following of the word of God how
can you call yourself a
Christian okay the Bible says if you
love me you will keep my Commandments
okay so your interpretation of the Bible
is different than the Schwarz and shers
in general the problem is when I mention
when when there’s an issue going on Y
and I say look I I I I I get your
understanding on this one but this is
what the word of God
says it’s not me saying it it’s not you
saying it it’s not any of my customers
saying it it’s it’s it’s it’s the word
of God saying it I read the quote to
them if the remark comes back well
that’s not the way we do things and I
don’t want anyone to get any any bad
impression about any individual or
person yeah yeah but we were
expected to have a have our
Accord
in a private area and hooking and
kissing and all that stuff was totally
allowed it was actually encouraged with
the Schwarz and TR in this particular
Community the Schwarz and Troopers will
go to bat the couple will actually spend
every two weeks on a Saturday or Sunday
night they will spend most of the night
in bed hooking and kissing and the Bible
demands the Bible ask
requires a pure heart try that if you’re
trying to have a Pure Heart yeah and
pure mind
yeah tell me how you can be in bet with
a girl that you dearly love and you want
to marry and you know what comes with
marriage God designed
marriage okay so but these are
non-married Schwarz and trer how old
doing this snuggle cuddle party stuff
that’s another problem they’re from 16
and a half to whatever age they happen
the parents accept this or no no they
encourage it I’m not kidding you okay so
that
breaks some strong stereotypes I would
have thought they’re very conservative
therefore that that stuff would be
shunned for sure but you’re saying
they’re encouraging that’s what I wish
that’s really what I wish and it’s it’s
some or
all pretty much uh there’s a community
in Missouri that is not quite as as bad
on
that they are they are um
the Community in Missouri has some
agreements with others if they don’t
push their agenda they don’t have to
follow that particular of it so is the
is the goal behind that to get
youngsters married early is that the
point of
that you want my Frank Opinion I mean
it’s up to you this is on a video it’s
however you want to do it it’s ignorance
to the truth and the word of God and
what a pure heart really looks like okay
I’m not hating them for it you
understand if there was any way that I
could help them understand okay the the
deadliness of this
situation you know me and my wife dated
for three years like this all right yeah
we never had
intercourse so they’re encouraging it
though they’re encourage not intercourse
just hooking and kissing yes that’s they
go to bed they lay in B together under
the covers where are the parents
downstairs sleeping if they can I can’t
imagine they could okay so as 16 year
olds you know what’s happening you know
well well
I’m that’s right that’s right but I want
you to know as a testimony sake and for
their defense that we dated three and a
half years and never made intercourse
okay so it just depends so I want you to
know that God is still looking over some
situations but
unfortunately there are a lot of people
when they go on that long we started at
17 we started dating yeah so there’s a
lot of people out there that can’t have
that they they they ain’t got that power
to overcome that and that that’s very
sad and I and I right yeah okay so do
they allow like say I’m Schwarz and trer
I’m 16 girl comes over we snuggle
upstairs snuggle quote unquote um could
I have a different girl over the next
week or no it has to be the same one
some of that happens too the girls don’t
come over the girls always stay home the
boy always goes through the boy goes
over yeah but it’s never through the
parents never what do you mean never
through the parents the boys what
typically happens is my friends would
have taken me to my girlfriend’s house
there three four boys who go together
and one of the boy usually stays with
the boy that they’re taking to the girl
okay and the two other boys that go
upstairs to the girl’s bedroom yeah and
uh asked the
girl for uh if she would do it to have a
date with this young certain young man
tell them who it is thanks to God I I
never had a date with any other woman
okay she’s the only woman I ever had a
date with MH and so the one boy went
upstairs and asked her if she’d have a
date and of course I knew her she asked
he asked for you yeah okay yep so she
said yes she would so we went in and in
that Community we they all always done
it on the rocking chair it’s fairly
typical in the sou to have rocking chair
dates what it means is the boys sits on
the rocking chair and a girl sits on his
lap of course a boy H 16 17 years old 18
and the boy hugs a girl and the girl
hooks the boy in there sitting on a
rocking chair rocking away tonight
supposedly cuz we ended up in the floor
most times not from rocking either not
from no
rollovers but anyway so rocking chair we
we never did I know of people that did
but anyways in the nors in this
particular Community mix in the middle
of the South here they’re from the nors
so they do itting bet in this particular
case z went out got me and took me
upstairs to the girl’s bedroom and put
me in bed with her and then blew the
lights out kerosene lights blew it out
left right no electricity inside no
electricity no running water no phones
no nothing where are the parents right
now uh downstairs uh in Bat they know
what’s going on uhuh
not unless they are picking up from
rackets and noises and words hearing
Trel through they know something’s going
on yeah you don’t tremble around in
people’s
houses yeah and nobody knows you know
parents know but I can’t see them I
can’t see they’re down or sleeping I
can’t imagine him sleeping if if if my
girl was laying upstairs and there was
three boys hounding around her I’m like
no no no no I’m not sleeping I’m not
going to sleep I just I couldn’t I just
go crazy I think yeah unless I get a
hold of the grace of Gods somehow and I
don’t know how to do that with that
situation but that’s what happens it’s
very unfortunate and and I don’t share
this to the audience you I I want
everyone to
know this is not a downplay of to swords
and Troopers I’m sharing my
story those are things that I can’t have
my children involved I cannot go there
you don’t want to bring your children
into that world no so the and then there
was this abuse yeah that I told you
about earlier yeah this stuff is not
this stuff should never according to the
Bible should never be ones named among
you and I’m not ashamed of being a
Christian yeah I will be very blun that
the move here that I made was not for
self-pleasure or i’ have never put my
families through the pain I had to put
them through right that had to be
extremely and go through it myself and
my wife and children and you know her
family as well I was told that I will go
to hell if I do this and my wife will
too because we were baptized in the
church it’s another misunderstanding
stand up the word of
God I finally got to the point if I have
to go to hell to save my children I will
then just do that I can’t have time in
this Mass there was many times we cried
together over this situation it was
difficult very difficult you and your
family and my wife you and your wife and
my family cried a lot too I know they
didn’t because they care about me it was
difficult there is some pain because I
love my family uh I feel like they love
me and but yet we can have this
interaction so there is Pain still seven
years later because I care if I just
Harden my heart and not care it wouldn’t
be bad but I can’t do that because
that’s not the way the Lord left when he
was on the Earths he cared for people
wow and so we can’t go home even when we
go home to visit we can’t go
home and sit at the table and eat
together and now when we go to visit her
family they will cook us a big meal and
they will go through the line get all
their food and then we’ll go through
cafeteria style and then we’ll then
we’ll eat but my family most times we
don’t spent meals there we visit them we
have good times but we we just can’t
have any any business dealings we can’t
eat together nothing they won’t have you
sit down at the table with them
what that’s that’s an uncle an aun of
mine my mom’s sister we were we stopped
in there 2:00 in the afternoon she
prepared his Syble meal set the table
and had us sit at the table while they
sat away from the table now that’s cult
respect holding the rules and the
traditions of that they have but yet in
care for the other person she gave us
the
table she and her husband gave us the
table and they
sat wow it’s remarkable that is respect
that is that is more than I could ever
ask for it almost it was almost more
than I could handle to see somebody care
that much that they would give up their
own t table set me there because we
can’t eat together I’m not allowed to
buy sell or trait or have any business
dealings with them whatsoever with
Schwarz and Troopers with Schwarz and
Troopers and a lot of uh a lot of old or
dramis churches will hold that because
the SWS they’ll know your status that
you left and they won’t if they came
into the store they wouldn’t buy from
you most of them wouldn’t some of them
some of them you guys can go ahead don’t
worry about it uh some of them someone
wouldn’t but if it’s see I don’t own
this store so that makes a
difference if I owned the store
absolutely not they would not do any
business and my brother for sure
wouldn’t work here but I just work here
I just I I will they buy because you
work here some of them will come in and
they will buy but they’ll buy through
one of the others some of them don’t pay
no attention at all but the next thing
is the people that moved in later after
I was excommunicating gone they see John
Yoder this is the only John yod they
ever knew the ones that helped put me
out of the church is a little bit of a
different story they yeah they have a
harder time overcoming that this is you
as a Schwarz and trer it is y right
there few
[Laughter]
similarities do you miss anything about
those days I do I do there was a lot of
times we had a lot of fun like this I I
could I could do this any day I would do
it right now if I had the chance and uh
yeah it’s a cold snowy day just out
skiing so when you’re in the Schwarz and
TR world what are you thinking of the
English as in me the outside world are
you looking at them as the
irresponsible I wouldn’t say
irresponsible but but carnal you know
chesing after the things that lust of
the Flesh and pride of
life um you know fornication is a big
thing you know things things like that
that that still that still trouble me uh
about the world but I don’t have that
picture about everybody that drives a
vehicle now like I used to obviously how
I drive one myself you did when you
didn’t drive you had that pict I just
sort of had that picture that’s what
because when you leave the swords and
Troopers as a young
man that’s what you that’s what you
that’s what you do that those are some
of the things you go after so guess what
the guess what the thought was that we
would you know what what the thought is
about those people is just that because
that’s what the people go after and
Stephen you know that get out in the
world and just fly the pie and they
explore every Avenue and then they kind
of calm down after a while and some of
them thany for do get converted and
change her life do you think Steven
would make a great Schwarz and
trer do I really have to answer that
he’s going to have to remove this
sticker on top of his hat oh you’re
definitely
out he’s he wouldn’t even make beachy at
this point yeah he’s he’s gone going
with the wind long going with the wind
your brother is back there and he’s
still Schwarz and truber yeah you guys
get along we do get along yeah yeah he
uh you were you were trying to get him
on camera Stephen I was but he said the
only thing I’ll show you is how fast
Amish can
run you want to see an Amish 100 meter
sprint let’s go try right yeah so your
brother’s in a tough position he’s got
to between be between the church and his
child and his brother and his job job
yeah you know he will likely come up and
ask one of the others for information he
won’t he’s not supposed to ask me oh wow
for information have any kind of
business dealings with though I do a lot
of the ordering like tools equipment and
stuff like that you know or help or
whatever sorts through it and and I help
him you know I wouldn’t I would not do
anything intentionally for him you know
that would put him in a but yeah he he
just he just avoids asking me
for you know like when he needs cut
sheets he’ll usually come up and ask for
sir Caleb how does that make you feel
like
do this day understand I have friends
here yeah so how is that now you left
the church you left the Schwarz and
Troopers you’re still in the same
Community do you get along with everyone
I mean you’re working at the store a lot
of people know about it I’m sure they
come they go um seem like a likable guy
like your are your relations pretty good
in the community or or or it like
depends joh the guy that left is that is
that the finger pointing John the guy
that left I’ll I’ll paint you a little
bit of a picture so excommunication is
often used as a way to get a hold of
somebody and look you you really need to
straighten out here the ones that were
there to excommunicate me I would say
there’s about 20% of them that will
still um they just enjoy to have to find
fault and I’m John Yoder so I’m not
perfect so there’s fault right okay so
you can find fault in my life that’s all
right sure everyone but there’s but the
majority of them I just love them
they’re nice people uh they’re very good
people so the 80% you can get along with
smile at wave of talk they way back good
yeah we sh okay so it’s not like
Pleasant to meet them it’s not like a
total shunning it’s not like a 100%
shunning John left Schwarz and trouers
we all can’t stand them now and we need
to shun them from society you’re saying
20 do 80 don’t I would say about I’m
just making a number about 20% will will
look at me just a little
bit that way you know they they don’t
you’re the guy that you’re the guy that
left uh to start with I hit people at
one I get on the hood of my truck and
scratch it up just out of Revenge that’s
fine it’s just a truck it’s not mine
anyways Gods I surrendered it it’s fine
no problem I had somebody scratch a big
long mark down the side of my van at a
Amish funeral or somewhere I forget
where I was I think I was at a funeral
at place was at a wedding I think just
stuff like that happens but anymore it
don’t I’m I don’t have any issues with
that anymore um uh they they pretty well
quit that and like I said I I enjoy it
last night stopped in at Amish family’s
house to pick up
something um we had a great to had a
good to so technically a shortz and
Trooper will never see this video
because they don’t watch the internet oh
I’d say a lot of swords and Troopers
will see this video they will y because
they’re many many many Amish boys that
have smartphones Facebook YouTube okay
and that’s another reason I I just
I don’t mind YouTube I have YouTube I
use a lot of YouTube we do YouTube
videos for our business y but it’s just
when you say you don’t have it you won’t
have it you can’t have it and then you
do have it so there’s some hypocrisy
going on here unfortunately okay humans
or human human or
human that was crazy John’s story like
that’s heavy stuff yeah it is one point
I’d like to make to the audience these
are the stories we’re getting into today
not one person speaks for a whole
community no matter what that Community
is exactly some people will say like oh
that his story is you know you’re trying
to say that’s everybody’s story it’s not
the case at all but to make this kind of
spontaneous on the street real live
content I show you what I come into now
I could meet up with someone else I’m
sure another Schwarz and trer
family that maybe has a good family
Dynamic and nobody left and everyone’s
happy in it there’s all different types
got other Amish videos too a little more
uplifting than John’s
story but that’s what it is the range of
emotions Sten it is it is definitely
life’s complicated society’s complicated
just C they’re Amish don’t mean they
don’t go through problems just like
everybody else in the world they’re
people just like everybody you know
they’re Amish but they’re
people
[Music]
this was like the first original store
in the men andite Amish community here
the Dutch the Dutchman Paul Martin owns
it he’s he still owns it it’s still open
it started out just this building and
the school was in the upstairs now they
build a new school behind it and since
then his sons have opened this big metal
business and everything but they did
they left the store for the old man so
do you think he’ll talk on camera all we
can do is try I mean I don’t know if he
will or not I have no idea yeah and just
so you all know getting Amish on camera
is a very difficult task it’s tough and
we have to get approval obviously men
andite a bit
easier uh so a lot of the times the
camera is off
hello we can walk around and show first
just the store just an old General Store
Haddy Hattie Hi how are you buddy not
your bad
me all kinds of J so these are all local
jams some of it could be Yoda’s good
health
recipe little bit of everything in here
Nails stove pops spray
paint so do you think he wants to be on
camera
I don’t know you have to ask him I got
to ask him gently yeah I just ask him
he’s very interesting man oh he’s cool
very cool one of the original ones here
in the county do you mind if I have the
video it’s okay okay so Paul 40 40 years
here you were telling me the menites how
did the menites come
about from man s a priest in the
Catholic church he left the Catholic
Church yeah okay they expell him and
you’re menite and what have you seen in
your 40 years what are the big changes
do you notice any changes or uh not
really we’re not as old fashioned as we
were you know years ago we had to carry
out water
and pump water now everything is
modernized do you get out of the area
often or you stay here mostly yeah what
do you feel like when you go out into
the English world what are your thoughts
on it well there might be differences
but they’re all friendly people to us
like Steven for example yeah I heard he
was going to become Schwarz and trer but
uh maybe
not you no you need a beard and you have
to get rid of that hat that’s right yeah
I beat that yeah do you have any
kids 10 wow
grandkids between 70 and
80 70 and 80 grand kids that’s amazing
and I have great
grandchildren that makes an antique out
of me how old are you
807 what life advice do you have for us
what wisdom can you share anything thing
is serve the Lord okay we’re strong in
that thou shall love the Lord thy God
with all thy soul mind and strength
that’s the greatest commandment if you
keep that commandment other Commandments
is fall right in there Fair toce a good
life yes you feel good your health is
good yeah he still rides a bicycle Peter
oh yeah take right yeah he rides a bike
yeah every day every day you ride the
bicycle yep Stephen you need I mean I
need to start riding the bike don’t I
he’s looking a little came in here he
said you take your bicycle I have my
house right up there he said you take
the bicycle right up to your house I
said yeah later later on I said see I
like to go somewhere could you take me
and then I said sure where I like you to
take me up to my
house I just want to teache you so what
do you think about the United States
right now or you don’t even think about
it oh I think we’re thankful that we
have a freedom what we do when you think
of other countries where the Christians
are persecuted where they
are poor and can’t have it doing hard
enough out of food to eat and here we’re
so blessed so we better be thankful you
live Florida Florida yeah you know what
one February my parents lived in
Pennsylvania and I helped my parents
show the
snow I went down to Florida and walked
around Miami with my sleeves rolled up
it seems so in one Weekes time such a
difference how did it feel being in
Florida in the winter oh I enjoyed it I
notic people have high fences then I
asked why do you have fences so high
they said we l stealing
keep the people from stealing yeah you
don’t have any of that around here huh
oh yeah you have some you do have some I
got some shoplifting in here too who’s
doing the shoplifting the
kids no it’s older people they do too
huh I thought already you know what do
you I didn’t even think about this do
you have police out here or is it just
County Sheriff that comes out yeah well
sure please but we don’t need him really
I mean it’s peaceful here and your your
population is growing right there are
more because you’re having a lot of kids
I mean you’re 70 to 80 grandkids we’ll
have many kids and the population is
expanding great grandchildren so if you
look at China that wouldn’t be a lot in
China you’re restricted you can have so
many children then you’re going to quit
well they had the one child policy and
it really hurt them because now their
population is declining or it will be in
decades to come oh you thinking you
wrong yeah it’s going to decline quite a
bit my group what am I a wasp white
Anglo-Saxon Protestant we’re not having
many
kids I don’t even have any kids well do
you think I should you’re married and no
children should I get to should I get to
business here use a breath control no
not yeah just you time it right you know
around the Cycles yeah do you think I
should have kids you think it’s a a true
gift in life that’s a
whatever the Lord blesses you with the
Lord decides that huh okay okay Ste you
agree I think it’s out of my control oh
in some ways yes so I agree put your
trust in the Lord yes there’s a higher
power that oh amen you know with an
atheist and he’s so sure that there’s no
God and I’m so sure there is a God we
couldn’t agree did you get along though
could you hang out as friends we were
friends but we didn’t agree do you find
it Easy by believing in a higher power
there’s less stress yeah if you put your
trust in a higher power it kind of helps
you if if there’s something you don’t
quite understand you don’t worry about
it just ignore it and
yeah you understand that’s peaceful huh
thank you sir God bless you God bless
you head on down the road all right take
care wow that’s like step back in
time Stephen I could spend hours there
with PA oh yeah he’s he’s awesome I’ve
been coming here since I was a little
boy like me and my dad would come over
here I remember it from real little I
mean I remember it very well you just
got an 87y old men out asking you if you
use birth control or
not that’s raw stuff raw footage that’s
bad do you want stop and talk to the
local Amish Barber I mean yeah it’s up
to you who doesn’t want to do that I
mean I never met the guy I don’t know
who he is all I know is there’s a barber
shop went in here about a year ago or
two years ago or
something and he also sells honey base
supplies haircut
sir haircuts $12 beard trims eight cash
only do you have cash I do but I don’t
have hair that’s the problem or
beard I’ve never been in hours posted
below are not a guarantee when Family
Church or personal needs arise I may not
be here during those times I like his
style he’s cool he’s writing his own
rules let’s ask him
okay we have something for long-haired
men which wouldn’t be any of us no we’re
not long-haired and then I like that
this please come in with clean hair and
a clean mouth no cussing Place very nice
I’ve did a lot more business when I was
in Corbin than here okay there’s a lot
more people and then here there’s a lot
more mom top people that uh moms do it
sisters brother family does it for free
the menite people that type of people
the roots on the farms
larger families in more like typical
America if you go back a generation or
two it has been uh yes mom’s sisters
sometimes father’s Brothers have been
well able to do
haircuts and if young men desired a
haircut in town from a professional
barber a lot of times it wasn’t uh very
well approved of yeah
they they wanted some kind of style
that’s not available at home gotcha
gotcha Stephen you good you Steph’s one
of those uh bad customers his mom does
it
only Mama does the cat to the bee thing
over here the bee thing I’m sorry you’re
doing honey here yeah I got the honey
and bee supply outside the be business
is something my son three-year-old son
will be able to help me with growing up
see barbering is a license profession
that you have to have a license from the
state to do and you can’t get your
license till you’re 18 and have your GED
or high school diploma and then go
through barber school and so it’s
nothing he can help me with growing up
but be supplies he won’t have to be very
old till he can carry a b box out to
somebody’s car and put in for them or U
put a frame together and help me with
that so I wanted something that I could
work with my children with great growing
up and spend time because I think so
many times in the typical American
society you know you go out and you work
8 nine 10 hours a day away from your
family and then you come home and your
child gets an hour or two in the evening
and few hours of your time on the
weekend at the best but if you have
something to where your children can
work with you then they get those hours
during the day that you get to work
together and doing something productive
and also spend time together and they
don’t just get your
leftover U worn out time in the evening
that’s get more time and so that’s why I
got into the be thing something he could
help me with and also to help supplement
the income of the barbering since here
in rural Casey County barbering doesn’t
do as well as it does in a bigger town
I’ve got some broom making equipment in
there too but it’s so full of be stuff
I’ve not been using it I do the broom
make homemade brooms too
so triple be yeah brooms and bees and ha
Barber Barber wow that’s great bees
brooms
you want to see anything in there you
can okay yeah open too are we in Liberty
well it’s a liberty address but they
call this South Fork okay so if
someone’s in South Fork here’s where you
want your
haircut in any be supplies what’s the
address here do we know I have no idea
we could look it up though it’s on the
main road he said just go in it’s on
Highway 910 Highway 910 near Rusty Joe’s
that should be an e easy Google Search
right okay look at this oh wow oh what a
smell huh smells good this wood smells
so
good so you see a lot of that out here
right just very handy crafty people a
lot of people do their own honey out
here bees
sus you know what they say local honey
does does what’s that if you eat honey
like a teaspoon a day that’s raised in
your local area it’ll cure
allergies that’s what they say honey
from Mississippi Casey County
honey if I wasn’t traveling I’d buy some
of
this that’s great I love it pure honey
distributed by was did he say he was
Amish he’s um same as John
Yoder they’re the same Church to John
Yoder the charity Church charity so
that’s menites menite yeah a Tope of
menites I love what he said about doing
something with his son that was Nate
it’s cool I mean it’s a good point right
I don’t have kids but kind of made me
think a little bit he’s right it’s
something I worry about a little yeah he
is right it’s like that’s pretty neat
and he how he’s thinking out about that
for the future right
like I want to be one of these parents
down the
[Music]
road here’s some sorts of
Troopers the other morning I brought
some stoves back back to Ohio here and I
think I lost my hubc cap here on my
truck I want to ask him if it’s here
this is like out of a movie Set This Ss
and turbish did I lose a hubc cap on my
truck here the other morning your
H it is
here thank you what I hit I hit
something the other morning then I don’t
know what it was
hey it’ll go back
on thank you
buddy I think I hit that the other
morning or something I hit something
with my front tire and I heard it but I
hadn’t slept in so long I was so tired
cuz I Drove all night so I just went on
home that was like going into a
different world huh oh yeah now this is
like English people mixed in with swz
and turers like all these are
English actually those are charity
menites I think but these are English
people here you remember John Yoder the
one we videoed at the meet Place yeah
here’s the first place he lived in he
bought this place and moved here when he
first left the SW and Troopers this
place yep that’s where he lived now he
moved since then but that was his
place now this here is a Schwarz and
trer recently built this of course he’ll
haul that trailer out of there
eventually but um there’s their house
right they started Red Barn and then
afterwards when they have the money go
to the house well actually these people
just built the barn about two months ago
they had a barn rais in there yeah built
that in the
day so inside it’s traditional old
school just like tradition SPS and tuber
home everything’s made out of wood
rocking chairs Cabinetry Yep they’re the
same church as homes County Ohio Schwarz
and tuers same church group no power
lines coming in no they don’t have what
is that I see one going through that
well he just bought the property
and they got to get all that out of
there they’re wor they’re they’ll haul
that trailer out and get everything out
eventually they’ll get the electrical
line out of there
Plumbing no Plumbing no indoor plumbing
right so ouse ous yes yep we can see the
two ouses right there and this is a old
house that they now turned into a
Schwarz and tuber school so a lot of
Schwarz and tuers moving in here yeah
still yes and this here was a Schwarz
and tuber my good friend John not John
Yoda a different John he bought this
place and built this house and stuff and
he sold it and some English people
bought it now they put electric to it
and fixed it up they’re living that
[Music]
now
[Music]
this is our last stop Stephen what do we
got here this is the barn where all the
horses are you’re growing all of these
Henry does that’s his business there
he’s a mum
[Music]
man you’re doing pretty good ain’t he
yeah this is our draft horse
this is white and West over here they’re
going to Texas with me next week so you
work with an Amish guy with Henry menite
guy menite guy me and Henry’s been
friends since we was young and bring
these horses all over the country we
take them all over the place wherever we
need to go that’s George he’s a stallion
he’s a seven-year-old Belgian stallion
so the draft horses are the workhorses
right they are yeah well used to be
primarily work coures but nowadays
people ride them they do everything with
them so they’re just thicker boned is
that what’s going on they’re thicker
boned but they are built to work lower
lower center of gravity that’s right I
guess
yeah Barn fell down tornado June
something first part of June we had the
roof on and didn’t have the sides on it
yet and we had a very heavy wind one
Sunday afternoon and it took this thing
whole thing to the ground out out that
way leveled it yeah it fell down on a
Sunday night by Monday midday it was
cleaned up wasn’t it yeah Sun Sunday
night it fell down bunch of people come
looked at it Sunday night Monday they
had a work day and everybody chipped in
and helped and they had over the whole
day lunch I think the ladies served like
70 man for lunch and then by lunchtime
they were getting the walls on the main
building up they were cleaning the horse
barn up yet so Henry the local Amish men
and I came to help yeah you didn’t pay
them they just came to help they just
came to help because the storm took it
down yep so if your neighbor’s barn
blows down and he needs help you’re
going to go over there yeah then we all
gather and help that’s how it works
around here yeah help your
neighbor oh wow the barn isn’t just this
it’s all of this this whole structure
fail wow it’s massive just a few days
yep Monday Tuesday and
Wednesday what’s going on here Stephen
my wife the boss is here my
boss happy wife happy life Peter is she
happy I hope let’s see we’re going to
see right
now yeah she got her hat on so she’s
happy Stephen how many kids do you
have my boy’s 16 I got a girl that’s 14
then I got this little
boy
wow and who’s this one little
Salas my little girl Chey how many kids
do you have Henry we even got matching
shirts man that’s pretty cool oh yeah
there you
go I love draft horses this team here is
going to Texas with us next week to our
Clinic down at Mount Pleasant Texas oh
cool this team’s pretty special to me
right here they’re dapple grays you see
how that one looks like real light with
those circles on it that’s called
dapples it’s just a color okay but the
other ones a year younger next year
he’ll turn on out like the other one is
uhhuh gray horses are born black most of
the time and they change through their
whole life you ever been on a wagon ride
Peter uh yeah I have so we’re going to
take a ride if you want to I’d love Tak
you ride that would be
great
you can do what you need to do you can
stand or sit all
right that’s a pretty s right there it’s
beautiful what a cool part of the
country Casey County yeah it is it’s
great it’s a good Fusion between the
non-amish menonite and the
menonite and me and Peter
yeah that’s great right there I got four
wheeel hydraulic break to hold the wagon
back this was my dad’s Old Wagon and he
had a wooden bed on there but I used it
to haul sord them loads and heavy hay
loads so I put a steel Wagon on it where
I can pull it with the tractor and use
it for that or we can hook the horses to
it and do whatever we need to do do you
speak Pennsylvanian Dutch yeah at home
we would yes so English is your second
language yeah basically wow and that
that’s for most people out here right
for all the yeah menites yeah they would
sing German and chart
Jacko always sing it in church and teach
it in school but that’s about it we
don’t use it at home you
know Stephen thank you brother thank you
appreciate it that was awesome uh a very
interesting look from a non-amish menite
perspective but someone that knows how
it works scoop in scoop in yes that’s
what I was trying to say anyone looking
for a draft horse find you on the
website or the social page that’s get in
contact they can see the horse online
right
Nationwide Canada too anywhere y we go
to Canada you’ll go to Canada yes sir
those links hello guys all right
appreciate it thank you thanks guys
until the next
[Music]
one

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