Like so many other things Amish,  the food they are famous for making speaks to the complex interaction between their faith and the outside world.

In the Miller Family, the men do the plowing, and the women do laundry, make clothes, tend crops, and make the pies, donuts, rolls, and cookies that they sell out of wooden sheds by the road.

The Amish rely entirely on word-of-mouth to sell their products. They don’t believe in competition. They don’t seek to put anyone else out of business.

If they are not present in their wooden food stands, there is an honor box and a sign that says they trust people to pay.

There is a price list on the wall. I saw someone put a pie in their basket without paying one day, but  I know the family would not have approved of my saying anything or stopping them. They believe in trust.

Because the Amish do no marketing or promotion or advertising of any kind, I’ve done some marketing for them on my blog.

Bedlamfarm.com is not a local blog but a national one; still, enough local people are reading it to make a difference. I like doing it. People here are very interested in the Amish.

The family will not ask me to do this promotion or thank me for doing it, or even mention it at all; I know they know about it,  shoppers I know have told them some have learned about their donuts and pies from my blog.

I asked them if it’s okay, and they said I could do what I want, but they can’t ask for it or express appreciation for it. For them, this is a matter of humility and a life that is calm and accepting of God’s will. If their goods are supposed to sell, that’s fine. If not, they accept that.

If someone wants to help them, that is also fine. I know Moise likes to succeed.

But advertising or promotion is not done with their involvement, and they must not seek it or promote their food themselves. So I do it, but don’t mention it. They don’t brag about it or trumpet their successes. Boasting is forbidden.

This is all coming together on Donut Friday. Word of mouth has brought many people to their shed on Fridays- they sold out last week – and I have also mentioned it.

This sounds odd and hypocritical to some people – they won’t promote it, but I can. But it isn’t that simple. It’s more a matter – like technology – of the Amish building a wall around their children and families, but not their lives.

They don’t judge other people or disapprove of their choices. They don’t isolate themselves from our culture.

They rigorously guard their children against distractions like Ipads and video games, and self-promotion. They know if those things come into their home, their way of life will end.

They welcome people to their homes, introduce themselves to neighbors and people in town, and offer to help people all the time.  They patronize merchants all over town.

It isn’t so much that they are opposed to marketing or phones or computers; they see what technology can do and has done to American families and peace of mind.

They are aware of social media and conspiracy theories, and trolls online. And tech-obsessed children. They know what’s happening outside of their world.

Ironically, they are both the antithesis of capitalist greed and overkill and committed capitalists. They know how to sell stuff. They like selling stuff.

But they also fear the dark side of capitalism and technology and work hard to keep it out of their homes. They seek the best of both words and are doing pretty well with that philosophy. They don’t have stocks and IRAs to worry about.

I support their food sales in other ways – I buy their supplies (boxes, pans) online, and they reimburse me instantly. I honor their ethics and frugality and only buy products they have approved and are comfortable with (they are very conscious of the environment.)

When Moise first met me, he sat with me for several hours in front of my computer to teach me how they buy things, how much money they spend, how they feel about shipping, and the quality and nature if the things they buy.

He asked me if I would be comfortable buying these things from time to time, and I said I was.

It is a new role for me, but to my surprise, it fits.

We just went on from there, growing more comfortable with each other with each purchase. The Amish are almost frantic about paying me instantly for any expense I undertake on their behalf. They won’t rest until I’m paid fully, and they try to pay me for my time as well (I declined that.)

I told them I love helping them, but I don’t want to be working for them. I don’t take payment for rides to the bus or train station either.

The Friday Donut project is a roaring success, and the summer people are just arriving. The townspeople are delighted.

I can’t eat donuts myself, but I love watching them put their business together and learning how they work.

They insist, for example, on low prices, barely above cost. They consider huge profits to be unethical and inappropriate for them.

This coming Friday is Donut Friday day again. This week, they have also made Cinnamon Rolls (sugared and plain)  for $5 and their new small pies for $3.50. Those are already a huge success.

Donut Friday is catching fire, and it would have without my help.  It is not something I have ever done before, but oddly enough, Moise is right. I really do like doing things for people.

Oh, and Donut Friday starts at 7 a.m. The cinnamon rolls are $5 for 6, the small pies – 4 inches – are $3.50. They make fresh donuts all day, but I would wait too long to get them.