JEAN'S TELLS OF MICHAEL

First I want to wish everyone a Happy Memorial Day weekend.

Michael feels kind of left out with all that is going on with Thomas and Edward.  He helped over there with the plowing, and fixed the tractor after Thomas hit the rock, but he still feels he is being left out.  David told him that his time will come.

Michael's family were wordly people.  They are both in prison for something they have done and signed papers for Michael to go up for adoption. We adopted him, several years ago now. Because he was born on October 31, Halloween, Michael's parents told him he was evil.  Elmer was also born on October 31st and has helped Michael realize that the date your were born has nothing to do with the person you can be.  As Elmer puts it Michael goes to a different tune than we do in some ways.

As he was not brought in a Christian home as Edward, Thomas, and Katie, his views are different than ours in some ways.  He does know the Lord, but thinks some of our ways are beyond times.

Michael wants us to sign so he can get his drivers license and a car.  David and I have refused.  We told him how we do not believe in owning and driving cars.  Of course, we did tell him, of when David had a drivers license and drove a car that Joseph, use to own, but that was before they were baptized and they see their wrong ways now.  Michael said he will get one when he is 18, which we told him he could, but not before that and we would still not approve.

One of the items he likes to work on the most are cars.  He and Kevin talked about working on Marilyn's car, but it has a computer on it.  They said if it didn't have the computer system, they would have fixed it for her, but not with the computer.  Some things you can do on a car even if it does have a computer, but what she needs, they might mess up the computer working on it.

Michael has not been baptized.  It is a hard decision for everyone, but especially Michael.  He told us he doesn't know if he could live a life driving a horse and buggy, farming, no TV or computer, dressing the way we do and more.  Many times Michael did not want to go to church on Sunday, but David does not accept no unless you are sick, so Michael has come.

Michael said he feels that there is a whole world out there to see.  He believes that success is money.  We have tried to explain that money can be nice, but it's how you get it, receive it and spend it that matters.  Material things and how much you have in the bank are not everything.

He is a hard worker and would do anything for anyone, but he does slack off sometimes and he admits it.  Depends on the job he says.  He would rather be working on cars, tractors, machines, furniture and alike than farming.

We know that he sometimes does things that we would not approve.  He came home one night smelling of smoke and not walking to straight.  He admits that he is going out with an Englisher.  Every time we say something he reminds me that Martha was once an Englisher.  Also, he goes to a friends house to watch movies, TV shows and sports on his TV.  David said he can get upset with movies and TV shows, but he can't say much about sports as he is interested in the Yankees and the Buffalo Bills.

People ask what if Michael marries someone who is not Old Order Mennonite?  What happens if does not come Old Order Mennonite.

Michael is our son.  If he lives the Old Order Mennonite, we would like if he remained Mennonite in another group.  There are different groups that drive cars and are not farmers.  We will not disown him - he is our son.  Also, we wish that he would marry a Mennonite lady - whether Old Order or another Mennonite Group.  Michael will never be without a home.  He will always be a member of our family.

We are thankful that all of the children we adopted and our natural born children are good children.  Each one is different and special.

Yes, I did let Michael read this before I called Marilyn and he gave me his okay.

Be With God,
Jean