ELMER'S POST

We never expected the response we got to our idea of having a tour and Amish dinner.  Many of you are really interested.  I really didn't think anyone would come - but I was wrong.  As yet, we are still discussing it.  Most of us looked on the bright side, but there is always someone who brings us down to earth and lets us see the problems that could come up.  So, we are discussing them, too.

Which leads to answering a couple of questions you asked.  Do we have a lot of tourists in our area?  Really, not many.  Oh, if we have a road stand, people stop.  Sometimes they look at us a little funny when they see how we are dressed.

As for picture taking people, they are few and far between in our area.  Marilyn, is the one that takes the most.  But, she never takes pictures of our face.  Sometimes we see people driving in the area, but few take pictures.

We run into more tourists if we go into town or Canandaigua.  People sometimes stare at us and I am sure some people take pictures of us, but so far not so we notice it very often.  It is rare that someone comes up to me with a camera to take a picture.  Most understand when we ask them not, too.

I wonder though, as time passes, if more people will realize that we are here.  I wonderful if we will become more of a tourist attraction.  That is a concern in the tour and dinner.  We believe that you people will respect our ways.  But, we don't want the press to know and send camera people out, newspaper people out, etc.  We don't want to end up on the front sheet of the papers or on television.

We have seen what has happen in areas of Pennsylvania, Ohio and more.  In some cases the Amish and Mennonites have learned to live with it.  Some have even made profit from it.  I am not complaining.  It's just that we don't want it.

To be honest, some of our Amish and Old Order Mennonites, would rather we didn't have it.  They believe that if we have this, others will want to do it and make profit.  They feel if we do this, that we will be turning the area into a tourist area.  We explained that it would be a one time thing.  But they say if we have one, then someone will take from the idea and "go with it."  The worse part is, they may be right.

As Bishop Eli says, we must consider our friends and neighbors, too.  We are not saying, it's not going to be, or that it is going to be.  It's just that we found that we have a lot questions and problems we have to consider.  Most of them are things we never considered.

Oh, Anna reminded me, then there is another questions.  Some of our friends wanted to know if we thought of having a place where they could sell their crafts, canned goods, etc. to you people.  They are Amish and Mennonite.  We never thought of that.  Would that be commercial selling?  Like kind of forcing people to buy something?  They say people can buy if they want or not buy, but give people the chance to see their items.  I don't want people to feel they are forced to buy anything, but we are not turning down the idea.

Good thing Anna was secretary at the meeting, she has the important things written down.  Another being, entertainment.  We hadn't thought of that.  It was discussed of having some us, myself not included because I can not carry a tune in basket, sing some of our religious songs - both Amish and Old Order Mennonite.  Many of our religious songs are the same.

So what started out as a simple idea has risen.  That's is why we said it would be next year.  This will give us time to see what we can work out and decide if we will do it or not.  We know there are enough people interested, if we do it.  When we decide, we will let you know, in advance, so you have time to plan.  Right now it is discussion and prayer.

Trust God's Wisdom,
Elmer