At 6 p.m., the Amish workers finished their dinner, got into their carriages, and rode off to their families and homes.
Many will return in the Fall when Moise begins work on the family’s permanent home, just a few yards from the new barn.
There was a great sense of quiet and satisfaction and goodwill around the farm and the barn today; everyone was happy to have helped build it.
Everyone was worn to the bone. Moise tells me he gets all the rest he needs when he goes to sleep.
Everyone left happy and tired. I confess to being a little tired myself. It’s not easy watching all those people work such hard day after day.
The truth is, it was hard work for me, too, just in a different way.
I’ll miss Eli; we got along so well.
I need to thank Moise and the other Amish men and women who accepted me, tolerated me, and permitted me to see them all work every day for more than a month.
We figured out the picture thing, and I won’t be bothering them for a while (unless they do something interesting.)
I know they prefer not to be observed, but in this case, I think they were happy to let the world know something about how their community works.
They object to pridefulness, but they are very proud of that barn.
They sure gave me a lot of help. I thank them for their generosity and their stories.
I saw a lot, learned a lot, and shared a bit of it.
My journey with the Amish is not over; it is just beginning.
Moise filled me in on some of the things he plans to do now that his barn is almost entirely done. And we have lots of concrete to buy, sheep and goats to buy, and pie pans and pie and donut boxes.
The baked goods sell all year.
We will be hitting the road again shortly; there are many things to buy and plan for. Next up: The house, plus sheep, goats, cows, and farm protection dogs.
That barn will be humming, bleating, baaa-ing, and mooing soon.
I have a lot to learn about the Amish; they are complex and rich people. They are also unique. They are fascinating.
I never saw anything like what I saw today when the roof of this barn was raised. I could almost hear the angels singing.
I look forward to continuing my friendship with Moise.
I’m not one of those farm and tough countrymen he loves to hang around with, I can’t talk soil and nails and tree management, but there is definitely some connection between us worth getting to know and understand.
I hope Moise takes a day off, and I’d like to take a day off too.
No chance with either of us.
We can’t be still for that long. Crisis and mystery are just around the corner. I will miss the morning’s call when I get the farm – “hey, Johnny Boy, what’s the forecast for the day?”
I kid Moise about the Iphone, He won’t use one, but he likes it when I use mine.
Moise always tells me that every day will be a good day, and I have come to believe him; hope is contagious.
I want to also thank all of you for sharing this journey with me. Your support, kind words, encouragement, and appreciation really lifted my spirit and my soul.
I thank you very much.
Something good has happened inside me lately, and I love all of you (almost all) for helping me bring that up and out. More to come.
A I write this, the last Amish buggy is clip-clopping buy the farmhouse. I hear the men singing, their voices a bit weary and soft, but their spirits soaring.
I also need to thank those draft horses; they are awesome creatures, built to work and loving it. We became good friends, along with Tina.
This barn could never have happened without them and their patient, obedient and warm spirits.
They build themselves another barn, gave aid to a fellow member of their church, and are aglow with a sense of accomplishment and brotherhood.
They are changing my world and the world around me. I can’t wait for the next chapter. My table is empty of the camera and lens now making their way to New York.
The Leica is sitting right by my side now, just daring me to do something with it.
I am happy to bask in the glow of these few days. The singing is fading outside of my window, but the sound and the spirit will stay behind.
See you tomorrow.
Wow! What an incredible story-thanks for sharing it! Gentle peace and strong determination =wonderful and very useful barn!!
My mouth just fell open in disbelief when I looked at this finished barn, all in one day today. Thank you for taking up along on this special journey with you. I have certainly come to love the Amish through you. Bless you good!
It is wonderful to hear you so content and hopeful tonight. I really needed that. Thank you for taking us all along with you.
Your pictures are truly amazing, and the life in them jumps off the page! I am learning so much from your stories and am excited to read what’s next everyday! Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing. We can learn so much from the Amish.
Jon, I’ve enjoyed every report you’ve posted. I’ve learned a lot about your Amish friends and admire and respect them even more from your writings. I’ve also enjoyed watching your changing spirit as you mixed and mingled with your new Amish friends. Thanks for sharing.
Since you took your photos from a distance, I wasn’t able to see whether any young Amish boys were involved in the barn raising. Are the male children allowed to help or is the raising an activity for men only? Thanks, Jon.
Yes, the male children of all ages help as long as they can walk.. they all have tool belts..
I’m happy for you and your Amish friends the barn is built. Can’t wait to see pictures of it filling up with farm animals and hay. Thanks for the story. Fascinating!
Thankyou. Sitting in johannesburg fairly depressed about the latest events and really needed your story about growth and hope.
Thank you Peter, hang in there..I think the world is in a post-pandemic spasm..
Jon…
I enjoyed your series on the Amish barn raising. It provided a rare close-up account of their cooperative approaches.
Other Americans have a rural tradition of working in hand labor. My wife’s family moved from a midwestern farm upbringing into nearby towns and cities, taking a job or joining the service.
At my first job in Missouri, several in our group came from farm backgrounds. Some owned property in rural areas, and were expanding out there on weekends. It wasn’t that unusual for an individual to be building their own house, hiring subcontractors for specialized work.
Several of the assembly line mechanics also worked their farms. Since our shift started at 6:30 a.m., in summer they had time to work during the remaining hours of daylight. To them, the factory was their “second job.”
From the viewpoint of an urbanite/suburbanite, farm and factory work might seem incompatible. But the prerequisite values – meeting commitments, cost consciousness, and thinking for yourself – translated well into manufacturing businesses.
We’re not that far removed from the type of labor that the Amish have practiced. The Second Industrial Revolution in America is only 150 years old. Ironically, the Protestant Work Ethic, which was an influence on the Industrial Revolution, had roots common with Amish traditions.
While the Protestant version evolved into a harsher corporate capitalism, the Amish stayed with the land. In that relationship, individual lifestyles remained purposeful and integrated – socially, culturally, and religiously.
What a beautiful barn! I can hardly wait for your next stories about the animals that come to live there, and the work that the Amish will do. This has been an enjoyable journey that I look forward to each day!
I’d trust their construction 100%. The stuff the chain builders are building simply can not be in the same paragraph with anything build by these excellent craftsmen.
The narrative you have provided is excellent. Thanks!
I don’t know why but this barn raising brings me to tears. Working together as a community and staying close to the land and God. We seem to have lost so much.
Thank you for sharing this barn raising day with your readers. I greatly appreciate the narrative and the spectacular photos.
This is probably a bit strange to say but I bet that barn smells really nice right now -all that cut lumber.
Not strange at all, Jim, its true..
It is bitter sweet to see that roof on the barn. What a fantastic journey you documented. My husband worked really hard yesterday and as we drove around doing errands today I told him I hoped he was reincarnated as a draft horse because he works as hard as they do! I told him that was a compliment……