April 10, 2025 • 34 mins
What happens when a homeschooling mother of six from Portland finds herself driving Amish families across America? Haley Straw takes us behind the curtain of a culture often misunderstood yet deeply rooted in kindness and community.
After relocating to rural Missouri for a fresh start, Haley stumbled into a role as an Amish driver that spanned nine years and countless miles across the country. Her journeys revealed a community far different from the romanticized versions in novels or the simplistic portrayals in media. "They're human," Haley shares, explaining how this revelation transformed her understanding of Amish life.
Our conversation explores fascinating aspects of Amish culture, from their remarkable healthcare support system built entirely on community contributions to their "frolics" (work parties) where families gather to accomplish major tasks together. Haley shares heartwarming stories of Amish generosity during crises, explaining how publications connect communities nationwide to help those facing medical bills or other hardships.
The episode is peppered with profound Amish proverbs that offer timeless wisdom about kindness and forgiveness. "Forgive and forget instead of resent and remember" and "Kindness when given away keeps coming back" reveal an approach to life centered on moving forward rather than harboring grudges. Haley's most touching story involves driving Amish children who experienced mountains for the first time - a moment of pure wonder that captures the beautiful simplicity of finding joy in new experiences.
Haley has documented her unique cultural immersion in her "Tales of an Amish Taxi Driver" series, with a third book in progress. Share this episode with someone who appreciates stories of cultural discovery and the universal language of kindness.
#different #culture #kindness #children
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It's one thing to highlight the kindness that we see in the world, but it's another to, as I put in many of my social media posts, #bethechange. I am donating all of my royalties from the sale of my book, Change A World; In Order to Change The World to local and national non-profits. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
in the news and on social mediatoday, and it's a way to
(00:20):
highlight people, organizationsthat are simply striving to make
their little corner of theworld a little better place.
If you want to join in on theconversation, feel free, Go
ahead and follow us on all ofyour social media feeds.
We're on Facebook, instagram,tiktok.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
(00:43):
Check us out.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
Check us out and, in themeantime, so sit back, relax,
enjoy and we'll get into theKindness Matters podcast.
Hey, welcome everybody to theshow.
Thank you so much for taking 30minutes, or 30 minutes-ish, to
(01:09):
listen to my show and my amazingguest.
If there's anything in thisshow that you find to be
uplifting or positive orinspiring or motivating any of
those things, please feel freeto share this show with your
friends, your family, your workcolleagues, perfect strangers on
(01:30):
the street, whoever.
I would very much appreciate itif you would share the show, if
you find any value in it.
But let's get into today'sepisode.
My guest today is Haley Straw,and Haley at one point was
(01:53):
living in a biggish West Coastcity and found herself in rural
Missouri rural Missouri and itwas there that she came in
contact with people that most ofus know about but don't really
know.
Welcome to the show, haley.
(02:13):
Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, glad to be here .
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's, and you were okay.
So you were, you made the move,you have six kids, right, yep,
and you were homeschooling.
That must be exhausting in andof itself, and we could probably
do a whole show on that.
And then you okay, how did thishappen and who did you meet and
(02:42):
how did it change your life?
How did this?
Well, okay, there's a lot ofquestions here.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, moving from portland to rural missouri was
we were just struggling outthere financially and there were
other things going on and wejust needed a change of pace.
So we were actually offered afree house in rural missouri and
I'm like, hey, let's just takeit and go, let's just uproot
everything we homeschool.
You know, we don't have to askpermission for anybody, we can
just do it.
(03:09):
So we did.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah, so do any particular reason why rural
Missouri and just Because that'swhere the guy who offered the
free house lived.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
He's like just down the street from me and there's a
house for sale and I just wantto crowdfund, raise and buy it
for a family that's in need andthat's so cool missouri, because
we had never been to missouribefore we didn't, we moved here
and we had never been therebefore.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, yeah, I was like was that kind of a culture
shock for you coming fromPortland?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Amish country Missouri.
Yes, yes, very much.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I can only imagine so okay, so you're living, you've
got this free house, which is, Imean, cool in and of itself
that somebody would do that foryou.
And okay, how, the group thatyou came in contact with, that
I've alluded to, that I haven'tsaid out loud.
(04:07):
You came in touch with theAmish population there in
Missouri, didn't you?
Yeah, how did that happen?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So I wrote about it in my first book, but I'll give
you the synopsis.
There was a woman at church.
She was in her 70s and shebefriended me and she said hey,
do you want to go check out theAmish stores?
I didn't know what that meant,so she took me out to the Amish
community, one of them, and to adry goods store.
And typically every Amishcommunity I've ever been in
(04:38):
unless it's brand new, juststarting up with like five
families has a dry goods store.
So we went there and they saw mybig pickup truck and they
learned that I had a maxi van, a12 passenger van, and so they
just asked me to start drivingfor them and we needed another
income.
I don't believe my husband wasworking at that time, so we
(04:59):
needed an income and it wassomething that I could do.
My youngest was like three atthe time, so my oldest would
have been I can do math 15.
But it was something that Icould do and I could take my
youngest, one, two or threechildren with me all over the
country and so my oldest couldkind of handle themselves.
(05:20):
I could take the youngest and Icould work and earn money and
give them cultural experiencesand take them to see the country
.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, oh sure.
Now did you know how far you'dbe going when you signed up for
this?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I didn't.
I mean they enrolled me.
I had no idea what was going on.
Kind of like being conscriptedor yeah, I didn't know what I
was getting into, but I thoughtwell, I'm up for an adventure,
why not?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, and what an adventure.
Eh, that's my Canadian comingout.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yep, I've driven them to Canada too, so yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Shut up From Missouri .
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, I drove them to a funeral one time and a
wedding.
I stayed in Godard one time anda wedding I stayed in Goddard,
like right on Lake Michigan.
Is that the town?
No go in Ontario?
Okay, wingham is where thecommunity is.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, so many questions here, but you've
gotten to know the Amish, Ithink better than the vast
majority of Americans, unlessthey happen to live in Amish
country.
What was the most surprisingthing to you?
(06:40):
You knew about the Amish right.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I mean, I heard about them, but I didn't much heed to
them.
We lived in Fort Wayne, indiana, when my husband was going to
college and she was born in FortWayne and there was a community
called Grable right next toFort Wayne.
So I would see the buggies atthe store and stuff, but I never
paid any attention to them.
They weren't interesting to me.
I was having a—.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You had other things going on.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I had other things going on.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I had other things going on.
They make great furniture andthere's barn raisings.
I mean, what else do you needto know?
Right, and they make the bestpeanut butter pie in the world.
What's that?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I said they make the best peanut butter pie in the
world, which is so sinful I haveto stay away from it.
Peanut butter pie.
I've never heard of that attheir weddings.
That's a wedding staple.
Yeah, yeah, and I've been to alot of weddings.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
So, okay, so you just happen to wander into this dry
goods store, which is kind oflike, I think, for people, um,
it's kind of like the, the oldgeneral store, right yes they've
got a little bit of everythingtrue and if they don't have it,
you don't need it all right orsomeone else, like the neighbor,
has it.
You know, sometimes yeah, yeah,that's cool.
(07:57):
Um, so now, okay, I'm sorry I Igot away from.
My original question was whatwas the most surprising thing
you learned about the Amish?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
They're human.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, because and I think it might have to do
because they I want to use theword shun, but I don't think
that's necessarily the word Iwant they avoid the rest of the
population, right?
They don't make any overtefforts to, so I think the case
(08:38):
can be made that we don't knowmuch about them.
We don't know much about them,so, and because we're Americans
and humans, we tend to make upour own realities about them,
would you say that's true.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, I thought they were much better than us.
You know all those like BeverlyWilson and I don't know all
those romance authors that writeabout Amish, some girl named
Tracy.
I can't even read that stuff.
I tried, but it's just soidyllic and it's not reality.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, yeah.
So but then you got to knowthem a lot and, um, we we know,
or we know, we assume we know um, they're, they're hard workers
and and that's true, right, yeah, I mean like sunup to sundown
kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Like hardcore.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Okay, and they are now.
Are they a version of Christian?
In their faith, it's Anabaptist, right.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, that just means they get baptized.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
They don't do infantile baptism okay that
means, yeah, they believe in thesame jesus and basic structure
we have yeah, yeah, yeah theycame about, I think, as part of
the protestant reformation,which is when we got what
Lutheran?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
A lot of other different Christian, yeah, so,
and they are very religiousright.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh boy, yeah, Bible, bible, bible, bible, king James
Version, just if you wanted toknow.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Anyway, yeah, Perfect , I did want to know about that.
Does that drive a lot of theirbeliefs and a lot of their
actions?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
All my stars?
Yeah, yeah, it does.
They reference the Bible a lot,but every religion and my own
included, Mormons we use thesame version of the Bible, but
everybody interprets it theirown way and focuses more on
different scriptures.
Right or wrong, that's whatthey do.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah, yeah, we're seeing that a lot lately, aren't
we?
Yeah, but you found them forthe purposes of this podcast, to
be generous and kind.
This podcast to be generous andkind, is that true?
Is?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
that true?
Oh, my stars.
Yeah, I had an instance justthis week.
Yeah, yeah, they areextraordinarily Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So much so, and you got to know him so well that you
wrote not one but two books.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Working on my third and then fourth and then fifth.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And then I don't know 't.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
oh my gosh, so I have hundreds of stories.
I've been with them all overthe country for nine years so
it's been nine years.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
That was something I was going to ask you about yeah,
and I'm doing a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Now I've got my next door neighbor.
She has five children in fiveyears.
She literally her oldest isfive, her youngest is one oh my
goodness she has had enormousamounts of health conditions,
and so she's she just needs somedoctoring.
So I'm just taking herdoctoring right now.
I'm doing that just to keep myfoot in the door, you know yeah,
um, oh, that I was going to askyou about that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
They, the, the, the amish, they don't have health
insurance, as you and I know itright.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So what do they do?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I have learned, like one time my son.
We were driving back fromOregon and he was a little
hoodlum, he's a 15-year-old,he's very intense, okay, does
not think about anything, justdoes, anyway.
So he busted his head open whenwe were in nebraska staying at
the hotel and I'm like, well,you know, I'll just try to
bandage it up.
And then I went to the amishhouse right when I got back and
he just took care of it for me.
(12:35):
He knows how to do all thisstuff to bandage up big wounds.
He um another guy in mycommunity knows how to set bones
, as long as they're notsticking out the skin, you know
he has stitches like they haveskills and a lot of them are
well versed in natural healingand herbalism and all those old
remedies that we have lost.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, so, so they, they have a really good network
to take care of themselves.
There are Amish people that,like in the communities,
typically you'll find somebodythat knows how to do massage and
a little bit of chiropracticwork, although they weren't
trained.
But you know, they have thesefreedoms and they just operate
on, not operate.
They don't operate, but theyjust help each other.
So it's okay.
Okay, like with right.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So they don't need hospitals.
And well, I mean, eventuallythey will need a hospital for
some things, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
But yeah, I've driven them to the hospital many times
.
There have been a lot of buggyaccidents actually in the news
lately, like vehicle buggyaccidents.
One in Michigan there was adrunk driver Was it in New York
or Pennsylvania?
And then I think there wasanother one in Minnesota Just
recently within the last coupleweeks.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So, yeah, they go to hospitals.
They have problems giving birth, they get giving birth, they
get cancer.
You know their horse kicks themin the head.
Things happen they have to goto the hospital that are beyond
what their capacity is to healand restore.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Sure Okay, so their medical, their medical
experience or expertise onlygoes so far, got it?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yeah, but they don't have insurance.
So the hospitals I know thatthere's one, was it the what's
that big one in Minnesota,Rochester, Minnesota, the Mayo,
the mail I've heard and I'vebeen up there a few times with
the amish they will work withthe amish and give them huge
discounts because they pay cashokay, so the money, okay, they
pay cash and if they can't paycash.
This is where the kindness andcommunity comes in.
(14:21):
They have many differentpublications and I've read them,
and they come out monthly.
There's one called called plaininterest.
There's one why is my brain notworking this morning?
Anyway, there are differentones.
Okay, and sometimes they'll say, like you know, elmer's wife,
you know, fell off the buggy,got ran over.
She has 50,000 in hospitalbills.
Can you contribute?
So other communities will sendmoney.
(14:42):
Like, if the community thatthey live in can't cover it,
then other communities will sendmoney and it will get, it'll be
covered.
That's their insurance wowvoluntary community, people
supporting people.
I love it.
It warms I do too.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I, I absolutely love that idea and I think we were
more like that, and, of course,this is going back to the day.
But yeah, there was a time whenyou know you knew all your
neighbors and if you neededanything at all, all you had to
do is ask.
(15:18):
And I think we've lost some ofthat, unfortunately.
But so now you are,unfortunately.
But so now you are I'm going tocall you out here an expert in
hang on one second AmishProverbs.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh duh.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
You hoard them.
How many are there?
Are there a lot?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Are there a lot, oh, probably hundreds.
I mean I think I have a hundredon my little document right
here that I still need to addpictures to that I've taken.
You know, make little memes.
They're not memes becausethey're not fun.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
They're great.
You sent me a couple and I'mthinking about using one of
those as the cover art for thisepisode Done.
Art for this episode Done.
So.
But a lot of them are aboutkindness, are they not?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yes, yep, a lot of them are about kindness.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Um, yeah, okay, Sure, give me one.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh, do you.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
No, if you aren't happy today, what are you
waiting for?
That's one of them that's alovely one.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I like that because you're the only one that can
make yourself happy that's true,and they're all about that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
they really, they take things with faith.
When things happen, they reallytake it well, they don't obsess
and hoard and try to seekrevenge like a lot of people do.
They just okay, what can Ilearn?
Let's go next, next and move on.
What is it?
Oh, forgive and forget insteadof resent and remember.
That's one of the AmishProverbs.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Oh, I like that one too.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
That's awesome.
One too, I do too.
That's awesome.
Um, so in your in your journeys, so you signed up to to drive
them and you're thinking intotown for something or other, and
then you find out you're goingon road trips and and a few of
(17:26):
those that you've talked about.
I mean we're not talking abouta few hour road trip and then
back, we're talking a coupledays, like overnight, kind of
thing, right yeah, very oftenand you said something to me
while we were talking before theshow that I find hilarious or
(17:47):
humorous.
They don't always pick theclosest destination for what it
is that they want do they Fordoctoring Well, the.
Mayo.
There's a good example.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Well, I drove a load from my community here up to
Mayo because there was a man.
He had six children, he and hiswife, and they were going to
church and um, and they gotrear-ended and he ended up being
in a coma and he actually endedup dying.
But he was taken to Mayobecause that's where they were
close to, so yeah, that's.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I would imagine that's a big specialty hospital
and trauma yeah, but no.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
There's a joke, though that the Amish have.
I'm not very good at jokes, I'mbetter at proverbs, but how do
you get an Amish person to themoon?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I give up.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
You put a chiropractor up there, that's
hilarious.
Because they will go thefarther away the better, because
it's an excuse to go somewhereand it's a legitimate excuse.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yeah, it's not just like I want to go visit Six
Flags or something Right?
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You won't see them there.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right, yeah, no, but it's a legitimate trip.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right, that's right.
So yeah, get a chiropractor.
Wow, get Amish there, thatwould be something in the news
Now.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
how many people are in the community that's closest
to you?
What's the population like?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So there are four church districts that's what
they call their congregationsand each church district is made
up of like 20 to 30 families,and if you have 20 to 30
families you probably have acouple hundred people, 250
people, easy.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
So and you weren't the only driver for them, were
you?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Oh my stars, what, no , no, no, there are no drivers
and if there's a funeral thatcomes up which you can't plan
for, there are not enoughdrivers.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
But you've got like 120 people need to go to this
funeral.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, from the community, or sometimes they do
get a bus.
They'll charter buses in caseslike that it's just cheaper and
they can all ride together andit's an Amish party on a bus
right With popcorn.
That's all they're allowed,Popcorn, and Mountain.
Dew yeah, that's their party.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
What do they drink?
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Mountain Dew.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Mountain Dew.
You said Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yeah, popcorn and pop , that's their party.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Settle down there, Amish Getting a little wild yeah
.
Yeah, if it goes anything aboveMountain Dew, you're Settle
down.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yep, they don't do that typically that's so fun.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay, so give me another Amish proverb, I'm ready
for it Another one.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, I don't know if this is a proverb or not, okay,
well, here's one the bestportion of a good man's life,
his little, nameless andunremembered acts of kindness
and love.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That's a namish problem oh, I like that, I like
that.
So the this could be almostanybody's proverbs.
I I can hear Mother Teresasaying this, but that's cool.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, they're very good about little acts of
kindness.
I mean, they're very, very good, and I've always been kind of a
person that likes to do that orwishes I could do it more.
And I can't just intentionallydo it, but that's their
lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Yeah, some people do kindness, random acts of
kindness, just as an aside orbecause it helps them to feel
good about helping somebody else, but that's literally their
life.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
It is.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Wow, so the barn raisings, those are a real thing
.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Yeah, they're called frolics.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Folic F-O-L-L.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Frolic.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Oh, frolic, Like it's a frolic.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, so they give it a fun-sounding name, but it's
really a work event.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And so go ahead the woman that I took doctoring this
week and I'll take doctoringagain next week.
Um, I dropped two of her littlekids off, you know, because
they were going to be watched.
And I'm like where are we going?
We're going to this big houseand there are all these buggies
there and these women gettingout of their buggies.
I'm like what's going on here?
(22:08):
And she said, oh, it's a workparty, we're having a work party
.
So the women, they have workparties too.
Okay, so if you're in a familysay there are five girls and a
mom and they're in the samecommunity, they will rotate
houses Every month.
They will go to, let's say,Lizzie's house one month.
Every month they will go to,let's say, Lizzie's house one
(22:29):
month, and then they'll go toBarbara's house one month and
all day they'll do whateverBarbara wants.
And if she wants gardening helpall day, or butchering chickens
all day, or quilting all day,they all do that and they bring
their little kids and they allbring food to eat and it's a
work party, it's a frolic.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Okay, Frolic, A lot of their language.
I think sounds like German,German-ish.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yes, pennsylvania, dutch, a form of German.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
yeah, that's so funny .
Quick story has absolutelynothing to do with what we're
talking about.
But when I was a kid growing up, of course you know in school
you talk about what's yourancestry, right?
And I came home and I asked myparents.
I said and what's my ancestry,what am I?
And the answer was you'reEnglish, irish and Pennsylvania
(23:15):
Dutch.
I'm like Pennsylvania Dutch.
My dad said well, that's what Iwas always told Pennsylvania
Dutch is just German.
I had no idea and, sure enough,once I got my ancestry kit I
was like oh yep, there it is onmy grandmother's side, german.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
That's funny.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I think they said Deutsch, yeah, and they settled
in Pennsylvania, and so theywere known as the Pennsylvania
Deutsch.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
But no Amish huh.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
In the background that you can find, Not that I
knew of.
No, that's interesting.
I never even thought to lookfor that.
I might have to re-up mysubscription.
I kind of got out of it after awhile.
It's like you know, 20 bucks amonth adds up, right.
I have no idea I it after awhile.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
It was like, you know , 20 bucks a month adds up,
right, I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I haven't done that.
It's like, well, you can, youcan go on there and it's like 20
bucks a month which how much isthat over a year?
But that's the only way you cansee like documents and things.
So like, hey, I found my dad'sbirth certificate.
(24:32):
Yeah, but you can't see itunless you're a member.
Don't get me started.
Ancestor.
You're on my list, but yeah, no, I never.
Actually.
I think they were all.
Don't get me started.
Ancestry.
You're on my list, but yeah, no, I never.
Actually.
I think they were all Lutheran,probably.
My dad always said, when I askedhim about his religion growing
(24:52):
up Episcopalian.
I don't know, he was not thereligious person in our family.
That was my mom and she wasRoman Catholic.
I don't know he was not thereligious person in our family.
That was my mom and she wasRoman Catholic.
Yeah, yeah, but this is notthat show.
I just there's such thesestories.
(25:15):
Tell me another story aboutdriving them.
Tell me a good one, not thatthe others weren't good.
A story about driving them?
Tell me a good one, not thatthe others weren't good.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
A story about driving them.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Look at me poking you like a monkey Dance.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Well, this just kind of shares how innocent they are,
and I am going to write a bookand it's probably going to be
called Danny and Susie Go toColorado or something like that,
because after my first year ofdriving, I mean, I had become
friends with this family.
They have 10 kids and yeah, Ionly have six and people told me
I had a lot.
Nope.
(25:50):
That seems like a lot 10 is more, and my kids became friends
with their kids and I becamefriends with them and I was
driving my family out to Oregonto visit and they're like well,
why don't we stop in Colorado?
You know, you can just take ustoo.
So I took some of them and someof my kids and we did a family
trip and we were just goingalong driving through Kansas.
(26:13):
That's where we drove throughKansas to get to Colorado and I
had never been to Colorado, mykids had never.
None of us in the van had beento Colorado okay we were driving
along and they would let meplay like church hymns, or um,
actually the dad who has sincedeceased, which is a completely
another story he, he was alittle rebellious and he liked
(26:35):
Johnny Cash and typically theAmish don't listen to music.
Yeah, to popular music no, no,even if it's old popular music,
but I'm like I'm, his name isdavid, I'm like david.
So I mean, is it okay if I playit?
And he and his boys are likeyes, play johnny cash, play
johnny cash.
And his rebels I know rebels,his wife, who was sitting up
front with me.
She's like uh, she was reallyuncomfortable with it, I could
(26:58):
tell.
So I started playing and sheopens her hymn book and she's
right next to me and she'ssinging really off-key kind of
loud, trying to sing these hymnsto ward off Johnny Cash, oh my
gosh.
And they're rocking out in theback of my van, these little
Amish boys with their bowlhaircuts, you know, and their
blue shirts and their suspenders, and my kids are kind of
(27:19):
laughing oh my gosh, you gotjohnny kettuck, oh, down, down
down in a burning ring, and thenyou got mabel over there going
bringing in the sheaves.
Yeah, I mean for real.
And then we got to where we,like I said, my kids and I we've
never been to colorado.
And then we got to where wecould start seeing the mountains
(27:39):
and the horizon and the kidswere just.
You could feel the excitementrising in the van because these
children had never seen amountain, because we're in
Missouri, there's nothing here,and so we got closer and closer
and then they started hoopingand hollering and it was such a
memorable moment for me to bewith these young people the
first time they ever saw themountain.
(28:01):
Just the awe.
Yeah, yeah.
It's such a gift to be able toparticipate in these events and
these moments with these humble,um, pretty isolated people yeah
, yeah, and you don't even stopto think about how nice I mean I
was.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
I was blessed growing up because my dad worked for an
airline worked for NorthwestAirlines so we took some pretty
amazing trips.
For a kid in the 70s, you know,and I sometimes think, even now
, that I didn't realize howlucky I was.
(28:39):
But the Amish are all over theworld.
I have no idea.
My wife and I, in 2014, took atrip to Belize.
We didn't go to the big city,we went to this little town.
We knew some expats that livedup there and not far there was
(29:00):
an entire Amish community inBelize.
I had no idea.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I just I guess, I just assumed it was an American
thing, I think Belize and Canadaare the only other two
countries that they're in.
Oh really yeah, yeah, they'vebeen in Mexico before.
I believe there's some reallyconservative Mennonites in
Mexico.
I know.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Oh wow, That'll be your next trip, Haley.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
I've been to Mexico.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
They'll be like I have to go down and visit Cousin
Jacob in Belize.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I want to go to Belize.
I probably better up mypassport.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah for sure.
Yeah, it was an interestingexperience.
We didn't go over to thecommunity but, um, but yeah,
everybody knew the store and thefurniture and and everything.
They had houses that were builtby and those were pricey the
amish.
If you had an Amish personbuild your house, it costs more
(30:04):
than if the locals made it.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Oh really.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Interesting because they're about on par.
I had the Amish build my houseout at the fireman.
They're about on par andthey're a lot better workers too
, because I'm not paying them tolook at their phone or to smoke
a cigarette.
You know what I mean, yeah yeah, phone, or to smoke a cigarette
, or you know, I mean I meanthey, yeah, yeah, and they work,
take a three beer lunch break.
Yeah they're, they're veryserious about work.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
So, yeah, they're very serious.
I love that about them.
Uh, this has been so much fun.
Thank you so much, hayley.
I really appreciate it.
I love so.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, name of your books um, the series is called
Tales of an Amish Taxi Driver.
They're on Amazon.
I just have two I need to workon.
I need to finish my third.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Okay, that's fine, they'll be on Amazon.
We'll put links to them in theshow notes and yeah, it's been
Can.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I leave a proverb that I forgot.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Yes, yes, yes please.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
My favorite ones, okay, and I do have a picture
for this one and I don't know ifI sent it to you, but it's, I
think it's.
Anyway.
It's either me or my daughterwith a little Amish girl,
because they're the cutest.
Kindness when given away, keepscoming back.
Oh, I think you sent me thatone, okay, yeah, that's one of
my favorites and that's whatyou're doing.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay, that's, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, the little Amish girl.
Okay, and that's your daughter.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Is it me?
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I think it's you.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
I think it's me.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Yeah, but there's another one just before that
where I'm sure this is probablyyour daughter.
Kindness Begins With Me.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
That was my daughter and that's a Mormon saying.
Actually, I just put it on thatpicture.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
That's fine too.
Yeah, that's cool.
I love the little girl with herscarf.
And what's your daughterhanding her, do you know?
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Chicken.
So that's the small animalauction.
They have these little smallanimal auctions every month,
except for in the winter, in thecommunity that we've got our
farm in and they the kids, raiseanimals and they sell them and
the women make donuts.
They start at 3 am makingdonuts and then they hand them
out if you get to the auctionearly, for free, and they make
pies and they've got hamburgersand chicken and it's just a big
(32:13):
community event where everyonecan sell things and the kids can
make money and they earn moneyfor their parochial schools.
So that's where the picture wasfrom, so my daughter and I love
going to those every month.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
They just give these little animals away.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Well, they auction off the animals.
So my daughter's hoping for akitten, because we got a kitten
from the Amish last fall and thecat ran away.
We went to buy eggs and we camehome with a kitten, and so
she's like when's the nextauction?
Speaker 1 (32:43):
I'm hoping to have kittens there we're going to get
another Amish kitten.
Oh my gosh, that's so fun.
Oh, I could talk to you fordays.
This is so much fun.
Thank you for sharing yourexperience with the Amish and
their kindness, and I can't waitfor that third book to come out
.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, me neither, it was my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
All right, we will be in touch, but until then, have
a great weekend.
Okay, thanks, you too.
I want to thank you for takingthe time to listen to this
episode with my guest, haleyStraw.
I hope you're able to takesomething positive from the time
(33:24):
you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated, maybe
you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family I'm
always striving to offer you abetter podcast, so you know,
give me some feedback, let meknow and family, I'm always
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(33:45):
Email me, leave me a message.
It would mean the world.
Also, feel free to follow us onour socials like Facebook,
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This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
(34:07):
assistance, or you already havea podcast and are looking for a
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(34:30):
We'll be back again next weekwith another episode and we
would be honored if you wouldjoin us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
Well, hello there and welcome.
You are listening to theKindness Matters podcast and I
am your host, mike Rathbun.
What is this podcast all about?
It's about kindness.
It's a pushback againsteverything negative that we see
in the news and on social mediatoday, and it's a way to
(00:20):
highlight people, organizationsthat are simply striving to make
their little corner of theworld a little better place.
If you want to join in on theconversation, feel free, Go
ahead and follow us on all ofyour social media feeds.
We're on Facebook, instagram,tiktok.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
(00:43):
Check us out.
We're even on LinkedIn underMike Rathbun.
Check us out and, in themeantime, so sit back, relax,
enjoy and we'll get into theKindness Matters podcast.
Hey, welcome everybody to theshow.
Thank you so much for taking 30minutes, or 30 minutes-ish, to
(01:09):
listen to my show and my amazingguest.
If there's anything in thisshow that you find to be
uplifting or positive orinspiring or motivating any of
those things, please feel freeto share this show with your
friends, your family, your workcolleagues, perfect strangers on
(01:30):
the street, whoever.
I would very much appreciate itif you would share the show, if
you find any value in it.
But let's get into today'sepisode.
My guest today is Haley Straw,and Haley at one point was
(01:53):
living in a biggish West Coastcity and found herself in rural
Missouri rural Missouri and itwas there that she came in
contact with people that most ofus know about but don't really
know.
Welcome to the show, haley.
(02:13):
Thanks for joining me.
Speaker 2 (02:15):
Yeah, glad to be here .
Speaker 1 (02:17):
It's, and you were okay.
So you were, you made the move,you have six kids, right, yep,
and you were homeschooling.
That must be exhausting in andof itself, and we could probably
do a whole show on that.
And then you okay, how did thishappen and who did you meet and
(02:42):
how did it change your life?
How did this?
Well, okay, there's a lot ofquestions here.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Well, moving from portland to rural missouri was
we were just struggling outthere financially and there were
other things going on and wejust needed a change of pace.
So we were actually offered afree house in rural missouri and
I'm like, hey, let's just takeit and go, let's just uproot
everything we homeschool.
You know, we don't have to askpermission for anybody, we can
just do it.
(03:09):
So we did.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah, yeah, so do any particular reason why rural
Missouri and just Because that'swhere the guy who offered the
free house lived.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
He's like just down the street from me and there's a
house for sale and I just wantto crowdfund, raise and buy it
for a family that's in need andthat's so cool missouri, because
we had never been to missouribefore we didn't, we moved here
and we had never been therebefore.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah, yeah, I was like was that kind of a culture
shock for you coming fromPortland?
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Amish country Missouri.
Yes, yes, very much.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
I can only imagine so okay, so you're living, you've
got this free house, which is, Imean, cool in and of itself
that somebody would do that foryou.
And okay, how, the group thatyou came in contact with, that
I've alluded to, that I haven'tsaid out loud.
(04:07):
You came in touch with theAmish population there in
Missouri, didn't you?
Yeah, how did that happen?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So I wrote about it in my first book, but I'll give
you the synopsis.
There was a woman at church.
She was in her 70s and shebefriended me and she said hey,
do you want to go check out theAmish stores?
I didn't know what that meant,so she took me out to the Amish
community, one of them, and to adry goods store.
And typically every Amishcommunity I've ever been in
(04:38):
unless it's brand new, juststarting up with like five
families has a dry goods store.
So we went there and they saw mybig pickup truck and they
learned that I had a maxi van, a12 passenger van, and so they
just asked me to start drivingfor them and we needed another
income.
I don't believe my husband wasworking at that time, so we
(04:59):
needed an income and it wassomething that I could do.
My youngest was like three atthe time, so my oldest would
have been I can do math 15.
But it was something that Icould do and I could take my
youngest, one, two or threechildren with me all over the
country and so my oldest couldkind of handle themselves.
(05:20):
I could take the youngest and Icould work and earn money and
give them cultural experiencesand take them to see the country
.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Yeah, oh sure.
Now did you know how far you'dbe going when you signed up for
this?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I didn't.
I mean they enrolled me.
I had no idea what was going on.
Kind of like being conscriptedor yeah, I didn't know what I
was getting into, but I thoughtwell, I'm up for an adventure,
why not?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, and what an adventure.
Eh, that's my Canadian comingout.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yep, I've driven them to Canada too, so yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Shut up From Missouri .
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, I drove them to a funeral one time and a
wedding.
I stayed in Godard one time anda wedding I stayed in Goddard,
like right on Lake Michigan.
Is that the town?
No go in Ontario?
Okay, wingham is where thecommunity is.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, so many questions here, but you've
gotten to know the Amish, Ithink better than the vast
majority of Americans, unlessthey happen to live in Amish
country.
What was the most surprisingthing to you?
(06:40):
You knew about the Amish right.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
I mean, I heard about them, but I didn't much heed to
them.
We lived in Fort Wayne, indiana, when my husband was going to
college and she was born in FortWayne and there was a community
called Grable right next toFort Wayne.
So I would see the buggies atthe store and stuff, but I never
paid any attention to them.
They weren't interesting to me.
I was having a—.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You had other things going on.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
I had other things going on.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
I had other things going on.
They make great furniture andthere's barn raisings.
I mean, what else do you needto know?
Right, and they make the bestpeanut butter pie in the world.
What's that?
Speaker 2 (07:16):
I said they make the best peanut butter pie in the
world, which is so sinful I haveto stay away from it.
Peanut butter pie.
I've never heard of that attheir weddings.
That's a wedding staple.
Yeah, yeah, and I've been to alot of weddings.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
So, okay, so you just happen to wander into this dry
goods store, which is kind oflike, I think, for people, um,
it's kind of like the, the oldgeneral store, right yes they've
got a little bit of everythingtrue and if they don't have it,
you don't need it all right orsomeone else, like the neighbor,
has it.
You know, sometimes yeah, yeah,that's cool.
(07:57):
Um, so now, okay, I'm sorry I Igot away from.
My original question was whatwas the most surprising thing
you learned about the Amish?
Speaker 2 (08:08):
They're human.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yeah, because and I think it might have to do
because they I want to use theword shun, but I don't think
that's necessarily the word Iwant they avoid the rest of the
population, right?
They don't make any overtefforts to, so I think the case
(08:38):
can be made that we don't knowmuch about them.
We don't know much about them,so, and because we're Americans
and humans, we tend to make upour own realities about them,
would you say that's true.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, I thought they were much better than us.
You know all those like BeverlyWilson and I don't know all
those romance authors that writeabout Amish, some girl named
Tracy.
I can't even read that stuff.
I tried, but it's just soidyllic and it's not reality.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Yeah, yeah.
So but then you got to knowthem a lot and, um, we we know,
or we know, we assume we know um, they're, they're hard workers
and and that's true, right, yeah, I mean like sunup to sundown
kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Like hardcore.
Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (09:30):
Okay, and they are now.
Are they a version of Christian?
In their faith, it's Anabaptist, right.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Yeah, that just means they get baptized.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
They don't do infantile baptism okay that
means, yeah, they believe in thesame jesus and basic structure
we have yeah, yeah, yeah theycame about, I think, as part of
the protestant reformation,which is when we got what
Lutheran?
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
A lot of other different Christian, yeah, so,
and they are very religiousright.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
Oh boy, yeah, Bible, bible, bible, bible, king James
Version, just if you wanted toknow.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Anyway, yeah, Perfect , I did want to know about that.
Does that drive a lot of theirbeliefs and a lot of their
actions?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
All my stars?
Yeah, yeah, it does.
They reference the Bible a lot,but every religion and my own
included, Mormons we use thesame version of the Bible, but
everybody interprets it theirown way and focuses more on
different scriptures.
Right or wrong, that's whatthey do.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Yeah, yeah, we're seeing that a lot lately, aren't
we?
Yeah, but you found them forthe purposes of this podcast, to
be generous and kind.
This podcast to be generous andkind, is that true?
Is?
Speaker 2 (11:09):
that true?
Oh, my stars.
Yeah, I had an instance justthis week.
Yeah, yeah, they areextraordinarily Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So much so, and you got to know him so well that you
wrote not one but two books.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Working on my third and then fourth and then fifth.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
And then I don't know 't.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
oh my gosh, so I have hundreds of stories.
I've been with them all overthe country for nine years so
it's been nine years.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
That was something I was going to ask you about yeah,
and I'm doing a little bit.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Now I've got my next door neighbor.
She has five children in fiveyears.
She literally her oldest isfive, her youngest is one oh my
goodness she has had enormousamounts of health conditions,
and so she's she just needs somedoctoring.
So I'm just taking herdoctoring right now.
I'm doing that just to keep myfoot in the door, you know yeah,
um, oh, that I was going to askyou about that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
They, the, the, the amish, they don't have health
insurance, as you and I know itright.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Right.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So what do they do?
Speaker 2 (12:14):
I have learned, like one time my son.
We were driving back fromOregon and he was a little
hoodlum, he's a 15-year-old,he's very intense, okay, does
not think about anything, justdoes, anyway.
So he busted his head open whenwe were in nebraska staying at
the hotel and I'm like, well,you know, I'll just try to
bandage it up.
And then I went to the amishhouse right when I got back and
he just took care of it for me.
(12:35):
He knows how to do all thisstuff to bandage up big wounds.
He um another guy in mycommunity knows how to set bones
, as long as they're notsticking out the skin, you know
he has stitches like they haveskills and a lot of them are
well versed in natural healingand herbalism and all those old
remedies that we have lost.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Yeah, so, so they, they have a really good network
to take care of themselves.
There are Amish people that,like in the communities,
typically you'll find somebodythat knows how to do massage and
a little bit of chiropracticwork, although they weren't
trained.
But you know, they have thesefreedoms and they just operate
on, not operate.
They don't operate, but theyjust help each other.
So it's okay.
Okay, like with right.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So they don't need hospitals.
And well, I mean, eventuallythey will need a hospital for
some things, I'm sure.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
But yeah, I've driven them to the hospital many times
.
There have been a lot of buggyaccidents actually in the news
lately, like vehicle buggyaccidents.
One in Michigan there was adrunk driver Was it in New York
or Pennsylvania?
And then I think there wasanother one in Minnesota Just
recently within the last coupleweeks.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
So, yeah, they go to hospitals.
They have problems giving birth, they get giving birth, they
get cancer.
You know their horse kicks themin the head.
Things happen they have to goto the hospital that are beyond
what their capacity is to healand restore.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Sure Okay, so their medical, their medical
experience or expertise onlygoes so far, got it?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
Yeah, but they don't have insurance.
So the hospitals I know thatthere's one, was it the what's
that big one in Minnesota,Rochester, Minnesota, the Mayo,
the mail I've heard and I'vebeen up there a few times with
the amish they will work withthe amish and give them huge
discounts because they pay cashokay, so the money, okay, they
pay cash and if they can't paycash.
This is where the kindness andcommunity comes in.
(14:21):
They have many differentpublications and I've read them,
and they come out monthly.
There's one called called plaininterest.
There's one why is my brain notworking this morning?
Anyway, there are differentones.
Okay, and sometimes they'll say, like you know, elmer's wife,
you know, fell off the buggy,got ran over.
She has 50,000 in hospitalbills.
Can you contribute?
So other communities will sendmoney.
(14:42):
Like, if the community thatthey live in can't cover it,
then other communities will sendmoney and it will get, it'll be
covered.
That's their insurance wowvoluntary community, people
supporting people.
I love it.
It warms I do too.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
I, I absolutely love that idea and I think we were
more like that, and, of course,this is going back to the day.
But yeah, there was a time whenyou know you knew all your
neighbors and if you neededanything at all, all you had to
do is ask.
(15:18):
And I think we've lost some ofthat, unfortunately.
But so now you are,unfortunately.
But so now you are I'm going tocall you out here an expert in
hang on one second AmishProverbs.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
Oh duh.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
You hoard them.
How many are there?
Are there a lot?
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Are there a lot, oh, probably hundreds.
I mean I think I have a hundredon my little document right
here that I still need to addpictures to that I've taken.
You know, make little memes.
They're not memes becausethey're not fun.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
They're great.
You sent me a couple and I'mthinking about using one of
those as the cover art for thisepisode Done.
Art for this episode Done.
So.
But a lot of them are aboutkindness, are they not?
Speaker 2 (16:13):
Yes, yep, a lot of them are about kindness.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Um, yeah, okay, Sure, give me one.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
Oh, do you.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
No, if you aren't happy today, what are you
waiting for?
That's one of them that's alovely one.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
I like that because you're the only one that can
make yourself happy that's true,and they're all about that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
they really, they take things with faith.
When things happen, they reallytake it well, they don't obsess
and hoard and try to seekrevenge like a lot of people do.
They just okay, what can Ilearn?
Let's go next, next and move on.
What is it?
Oh, forgive and forget insteadof resent and remember.
That's one of the AmishProverbs.
Speaker 1 (17:02):
Oh, I like that one too.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I do too.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
That's awesome.
One too, I do too.
That's awesome.
Um, so in your in your journeys, so you signed up to to drive
them and you're thinking intotown for something or other, and
then you find out you're goingon road trips and and a few of
(17:26):
those that you've talked about.
I mean we're not talking abouta few hour road trip and then
back, we're talking a coupledays, like overnight, kind of
thing, right yeah, very oftenand you said something to me
while we were talking before theshow that I find hilarious or
(17:47):
humorous.
They don't always pick theclosest destination for what it
is that they want do they Fordoctoring Well, the.
Mayo.
There's a good example.
Speaker 2 (18:01):
Well, I drove a load from my community here up to
Mayo because there was a man.
He had six children, he and hiswife, and they were going to
church and um, and they gotrear-ended and he ended up being
in a coma and he actually endedup dying.
But he was taken to Mayobecause that's where they were
close to, so yeah, that's.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I would imagine that's a big specialty hospital
and trauma yeah, but no.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
There's a joke, though that the Amish have.
I'm not very good at jokes, I'mbetter at proverbs, but how do
you get an Amish person to themoon?
Speaker 1 (18:33):
I give up.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
You put a chiropractor up there, that's
hilarious.
Because they will go thefarther away the better, because
it's an excuse to go somewhereand it's a legitimate excuse.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Yeah, it's not just like I want to go visit Six
Flags or something Right?
Speaker 2 (18:53):
You won't see them there.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
Right, yeah, no, but it's a legitimate trip.
Speaker 2 (18:59):
Right, that's right.
So yeah, get a chiropractor.
Wow, get Amish there, thatwould be something in the news
Now.
Speaker 1 (19:05):
how many people are in the community that's closest
to you?
What's the population like?
Speaker 2 (19:10):
So there are four church districts that's what
they call their congregationsand each church district is made
up of like 20 to 30 families,and if you have 20 to 30
families you probably have acouple hundred people, 250
people, easy.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
So and you weren't the only driver for them, were
you?
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Oh my stars, what, no , no, no, there are no drivers
and if there's a funeral thatcomes up which you can't plan
for, there are not enoughdrivers.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
But you've got like 120 people need to go to this
funeral.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
Yeah, from the community, or sometimes they do
get a bus.
They'll charter buses in caseslike that it's just cheaper and
they can all ride together andit's an Amish party on a bus
right With popcorn.
That's all they're allowed,Popcorn, and Mountain.
Dew yeah, that's their party.
Speaker 1 (19:56):
What do they drink?
Speaker 2 (19:57):
Mountain Dew.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
Mountain Dew.
You said Okay.
Speaker 2 (20:00):
Yeah, popcorn and pop , that's their party.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Settle down there, Amish Getting a little wild yeah
.
Yeah, if it goes anything aboveMountain Dew, you're Settle
down.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Yep, they don't do that typically that's so fun.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Okay, so give me another Amish proverb, I'm ready
for it Another one.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Okay, I don't know if this is a proverb or not, okay,
well, here's one the bestportion of a good man's life,
his little, nameless andunremembered acts of kindness
and love.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
That's a namish problem oh, I like that, I like
that.
So the this could be almostanybody's proverbs.
I I can hear Mother Teresasaying this, but that's cool.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, they're very good about little acts of
kindness.
I mean, they're very, very good, and I've always been kind of a
person that likes to do that orwishes I could do it more.
And I can't just intentionallydo it, but that's their
lifestyle.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Yeah, some people do kindness, random acts of
kindness, just as an aside orbecause it helps them to feel
good about helping somebody else, but that's literally their
life.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
It is.
Speaker 1 (21:24):
Wow, so the barn raisings, those are a real thing
.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Yeah, they're called frolics.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
Folic F-O-L-L.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Frolic.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Oh, frolic, Like it's a frolic.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Yeah, so they give it a fun-sounding name, but it's
really a work event.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And so go ahead the woman that I took doctoring this
week and I'll take doctoringagain next week.
Um, I dropped two of her littlekids off, you know, because
they were going to be watched.
And I'm like where are we going?
We're going to this big houseand there are all these buggies
there and these women gettingout of their buggies.
I'm like what's going on here?
(22:08):
And she said, oh, it's a workparty, we're having a work party
.
So the women, they have workparties too.
Okay, so if you're in a familysay there are five girls and a
mom and they're in the samecommunity, they will rotate
houses Every month.
They will go to, let's say,Lizzie's house one month.
Every month they will go to,let's say, Lizzie's house one
(22:29):
month, and then they'll go toBarbara's house one month and
all day they'll do whateverBarbara wants.
And if she wants gardening helpall day, or butchering chickens
all day, or quilting all day,they all do that and they bring
their little kids and they allbring food to eat and it's a
work party, it's a frolic.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Okay, Frolic, A lot of their language.
I think sounds like German,German-ish.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yes, pennsylvania, dutch, a form of German.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
yeah, that's so funny .
Quick story has absolutelynothing to do with what we're
talking about.
But when I was a kid growing up, of course you know in school
you talk about what's yourancestry, right?
And I came home and I asked myparents.
I said and what's my ancestry,what am I?
And the answer was you'reEnglish, irish and Pennsylvania
(23:15):
Dutch.
I'm like Pennsylvania Dutch.
My dad said well, that's what Iwas always told Pennsylvania
Dutch is just German.
I had no idea and, sure enough,once I got my ancestry kit I
was like oh yep, there it is onmy grandmother's side, german.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
That's funny.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
I think they said Deutsch, yeah, and they settled
in Pennsylvania, and so theywere known as the Pennsylvania
Deutsch.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
But no Amish huh.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
In the background that you can find, Not that I
knew of.
No, that's interesting.
I never even thought to lookfor that.
I might have to re-up mysubscription.
I kind of got out of it after awhile.
It's like you know, 20 bucks amonth adds up, right.
I have no idea I it after awhile.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
It was like, you know , 20 bucks a month adds up,
right, I have no idea.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
I haven't done that.
It's like, well, you can, youcan go on there and it's like 20
bucks a month which how much isthat over a year?
But that's the only way you cansee like documents and things.
So like, hey, I found my dad'sbirth certificate.
(24:32):
Yeah, but you can't see itunless you're a member.
Don't get me started.
Ancestor.
You're on my list, but yeah, no, I never.
Actually.
I think they were all.
Don't get me started.
Ancestry.
You're on my list, but yeah, no, I never.
Actually.
I think they were all Lutheran,probably.
My dad always said, when I askedhim about his religion growing
(24:52):
up Episcopalian.
I don't know, he was not thereligious person in our family.
That was my mom and she wasRoman Catholic.
I don't know he was not thereligious person in our family.
That was my mom and she wasRoman Catholic.
Yeah, yeah, but this is notthat show.
I just there's such thesestories.
(25:15):
Tell me another story aboutdriving them.
Tell me a good one, not thatthe others weren't good.
A story about driving them?
Tell me a good one, not thatthe others weren't good.
Speaker 2 (25:22):
A story about driving them.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
Look at me poking you like a monkey Dance.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Well, this just kind of shares how innocent they are,
and I am going to write a bookand it's probably going to be
called Danny and Susie Go toColorado or something like that,
because after my first year ofdriving, I mean, I had become
friends with this family.
They have 10 kids and yeah, Ionly have six and people told me
I had a lot.
Nope.
(25:50):
That seems like a lot 10 is more, and my kids became friends
with their kids and I becamefriends with them and I was
driving my family out to Oregonto visit and they're like well,
why don't we stop in Colorado?
You know, you can just take ustoo.
So I took some of them and someof my kids and we did a family
trip and we were just goingalong driving through Kansas.
(26:13):
That's where we drove throughKansas to get to Colorado and I
had never been to Colorado, mykids had never.
None of us in the van had beento Colorado okay we were driving
along and they would let meplay like church hymns, or um,
actually the dad who has sincedeceased, which is a completely
another story he, he was alittle rebellious and he liked
(26:35):
Johnny Cash and typically theAmish don't listen to music.
Yeah, to popular music no, no,even if it's old popular music,
but I'm like I'm, his name isdavid, I'm like david.
So I mean, is it okay if I playit?
And he and his boys are likeyes, play johnny cash, play
johnny cash.
And his rebels I know rebels,his wife, who was sitting up
front with me.
She's like uh, she was reallyuncomfortable with it, I could
(26:58):
tell.
So I started playing and sheopens her hymn book and she's
right next to me and she'ssinging really off-key kind of
loud, trying to sing these hymnsto ward off Johnny Cash, oh my
gosh.
And they're rocking out in theback of my van, these little
Amish boys with their bowlhaircuts, you know, and their
blue shirts and their suspenders, and my kids are kind of
(27:19):
laughing oh my gosh, you gotjohnny kettuck, oh, down, down
down in a burning ring, and thenyou got mabel over there going
bringing in the sheaves.
Yeah, I mean for real.
And then we got to where we,like I said, my kids and I we've
never been to colorado.
And then we got to where wecould start seeing the mountains
(27:39):
and the horizon and the kidswere just.
You could feel the excitementrising in the van because these
children had never seen amountain, because we're in
Missouri, there's nothing here,and so we got closer and closer
and then they started hoopingand hollering and it was such a
memorable moment for me to bewith these young people the
first time they ever saw themountain.
(28:01):
Just the awe.
Yeah, yeah.
It's such a gift to be able toparticipate in these events and
these moments with these humble,um, pretty isolated people yeah
, yeah, and you don't even stopto think about how nice I mean I
was.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
I was blessed growing up because my dad worked for an
airline worked for NorthwestAirlines so we took some pretty
amazing trips.
For a kid in the 70s, you know,and I sometimes think, even now
, that I didn't realize howlucky I was.
(28:39):
But the Amish are all over theworld.
I have no idea.
My wife and I, in 2014, took atrip to Belize.
We didn't go to the big city,we went to this little town.
We knew some expats that livedup there and not far there was
(29:00):
an entire Amish community inBelize.
I had no idea.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I just I guess, I just assumed it was an American
thing, I think Belize and Canadaare the only other two
countries that they're in.
Oh really yeah, yeah, they'vebeen in Mexico before.
I believe there's some reallyconservative Mennonites in
Mexico.
I know.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Oh wow, That'll be your next trip, Haley.
Speaker 2 (29:29):
I've been to Mexico.
Speaker 1 (29:29):
They'll be like I have to go down and visit Cousin
Jacob in Belize.
Speaker 2 (29:34):
I want to go to Belize.
I probably better up mypassport.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah for sure.
Yeah, it was an interestingexperience.
We didn't go over to thecommunity but, um, but yeah,
everybody knew the store and thefurniture and and everything.
They had houses that were builtby and those were pricey the
amish.
If you had an Amish personbuild your house, it costs more
(30:04):
than if the locals made it.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Oh really.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:08):
Interesting because they're about on par.
I had the Amish build my houseout at the fireman.
They're about on par andthey're a lot better workers too
, because I'm not paying them tolook at their phone or to smoke
a cigarette.
You know what I mean, yeah yeah, phone, or to smoke a cigarette
, or you know, I mean I meanthey, yeah, yeah, and they work,
take a three beer lunch break.
Yeah they're, they're veryserious about work.
Speaker 1 (30:26):
So, yeah, they're very serious.
I love that about them.
Uh, this has been so much fun.
Thank you so much, hayley.
I really appreciate it.
I love so.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
Okay, name of your books um, the series is called
Tales of an Amish Taxi Driver.
They're on Amazon.
I just have two I need to workon.
I need to finish my third.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Okay, that's fine, they'll be on Amazon.
We'll put links to them in theshow notes and yeah, it's been
Can.
Speaker 2 (30:53):
I leave a proverb that I forgot.
Speaker 1 (30:55):
Yes, yes, yes please.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
My favorite ones, okay, and I do have a picture
for this one and I don't know ifI sent it to you, but it's, I
think it's.
Anyway.
It's either me or my daughterwith a little Amish girl,
because they're the cutest.
Kindness when given away, keepscoming back.
Oh, I think you sent me thatone, okay, yeah, that's one of
my favorites and that's whatyou're doing.
Speaker 1 (31:15):
Okay, that's, thank you.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, the little Amish girl.
Okay, and that's your daughter.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Is it me?
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I think it's you.
Speaker 2 (31:25):
I think it's me.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
Yeah, but there's another one just before that
where I'm sure this is probablyyour daughter.
Kindness Begins With Me.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
That was my daughter and that's a Mormon saying.
Actually, I just put it on thatpicture.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
That's fine too.
Yeah, that's cool.
I love the little girl with herscarf.
And what's your daughterhanding her, do you know?
Speaker 2 (31:50):
Chicken.
So that's the small animalauction.
They have these little smallanimal auctions every month,
except for in the winter, in thecommunity that we've got our
farm in and they the kids, raiseanimals and they sell them and
the women make donuts.
They start at 3 am makingdonuts and then they hand them
out if you get to the auctionearly, for free, and they make
pies and they've got hamburgersand chicken and it's just a big
(32:13):
community event where everyonecan sell things and the kids can
make money and they earn moneyfor their parochial schools.
So that's where the picture wasfrom, so my daughter and I love
going to those every month.
Speaker 1 (32:24):
They just give these little animals away.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Well, they auction off the animals.
So my daughter's hoping for akitten, because we got a kitten
from the Amish last fall and thecat ran away.
We went to buy eggs and we camehome with a kitten, and so
she's like when's the nextauction?
Speaker 1 (32:43):
I'm hoping to have kittens there we're going to get
another Amish kitten.
Oh my gosh, that's so fun.
Oh, I could talk to you fordays.
This is so much fun.
Thank you for sharing yourexperience with the Amish and
their kindness, and I can't waitfor that third book to come out
.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yeah, me neither, it was my pleasure.
Speaker 1 (33:04):
All right, we will be in touch, but until then, have
a great weekend.
Okay, thanks, you too.
I want to thank you for takingthe time to listen to this
episode with my guest, haleyStraw.
I hope you're able to takesomething positive from the time
(33:24):
you spent with us.
Maybe you'll be inspired, maybeyou'll be motivated, maybe
you'll be moved.
If you experienced any of thosepositive feelings, please
consider sharing this podcastwith your friends and family I'm
always striving to offer you abetter podcast, so you know,
give me some feedback, let meknow and family, I'm always
striving to offer you a betterpodcast, so you know, give me
some feedback, let me know howyou think I'm doing.
(33:45):
Email me, leave me a message.
It would mean the world.
Also, feel free to follow us onour socials like Facebook,
instagram, linkedin and TikTok.
This podcast is part of theMayday Media Network.
If you have an idea for apodcast and need some production
(34:07):
assistance, or you already havea podcast and are looking for a
supportive network to join,check out maydaymedianetworkcom
and check out the many differentshows like Approcentric Spoil,
my Movie Generation Mixtape In aPickle radio show, wake Up and
Dream with D'Anthony Palin,staxo, pax and the Time Pals.
(34:30):
We'll be back again next weekwith another episode and we
would be honored if you wouldjoin us.
You've been listening to theKindness Matters podcast.
I'm your host, mike Rathbun.
Have a fantastic week.
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