Recipe of the week :

Country-Style Scrambled Eggs

In a large skillet, saute potatoes, onions, and green peppers in butter until tender, stirring often. Beat together eggs, milk, and pepper. Stir in ham. Pour over potato mixture. Cook without stirring until mixture begins to set on bottom and around sides. Using a large spatula, lift and fold the partially cooked mixture so the uncooked portion flows underneath. Continue cooking until done. Sprinkle with cheese. 4 cups coarsely chopped potatoes

1 cup diced onions

1 cup diced green pepper

6 tablespoons margarine or butter

12 eggs

4 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 cups fully cooked ham, diced

2 cups shredded cheese

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We hear the Amish worship at home and that your services are very long. Can you give us an "insider’s look" at what happens at a church service? Published from the Amish country news.

A: Maybe the best way to answer your question is to simply describe a church service I attended, from the time we left home until we returned.

Church in our district last Sunday was held at the John Stoltzfus farm. We had to get up a little earlier than usual to get the milking done. Afterwards we had breakfast at 6:30 AM and were on our way in the horse and buggy by 7:00. It took us about 30 minutes to get there. When we arrived, we took our horse to the barn, and I joined the other men to talk before the service began. When it was time, we left our hats, entered the house and shook hands with the preachers, deacon and bishop who sat in the front. Sliding doors had been removed, and the men sat in two rooms, the women in the other two.

The service started about 8:00 AM with a hymn sung in German from the Ausbund. The second hymn is always the same, the Loblied. One man leads, singing the first notes as everyone joins in. The singing lasted about 30 minutes. Of course we all sung in unison, with no musical instruments. It was slow, yet beautiful and, with over 150 voices, quite moving.

The first sermon began about 8:30 AM and lasted about half an hour. Then there was a silent prayer, a Scripture reading (Matthew 13) and the main sermon. Both preachers cried at times during their sermons and were quite emotional. It is amazing to realize that the preachers have little idea who will preach until the service beings. They usually read a Scripture and say what comes to mind, without any notes.

To keep the children quiet, some mothers produced books, Cheerios in a coin purse, plastic animals wrapped in a hankie or candy. The oldest lady in the district, in her upper 80’s, sat in a more comfortable chair, rather than on the hard benches we all had. The main sermon lasted about one hour. Then there were testimonies, additional remarks made by the other preachers attending. After a prayer, Scripture and hymn, the service concluded around 11:00 AM.

After church, we men prepared the rooms for lunch, converting some of the benches into tables. There were about 35 people at the table in the room where the men ate, each place with a knife, cup and saucer and glass of water. We had coffee, bread, buns, peanut butter spread, red beets, pickles and cheese. Of course, we gave a silent prayer before and after we ate. We ate quickly since others were still waiting. (I remember how, when I was a boy, we waited outside for our turn to eat, since the older people eat first. When our time came, we took out little pocket mirrors to comb our hair, left our hats on the porch again and went inside.)

Afterwards the men sat and chatted in one area and the women in another. Families left as they were ready. When we got home, we rested and did some reading until it was time to eat at 4:00 PM, and then milked and fed the cows once again. Next Sunday is the "off Sunday," and we’ll be visiting friends in another district. Before long it will be our turn to have church at our place. Published with permission from the Amish country news.Richard from Amish Stories

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