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John had a conversion experience that forever changed his life. About two years ago, I received a call from a Seventh-day Adventist prison chaplain friend who said, “Andy, I am studying with a very sincere young Amish man in prison—what do I need to know?” Eventually, I received a call from the prison and heard the voice of John (name changed to protect identity), the young Amish man. John began calling me from prison regularly, and we developed a friendship. Eventually, John asked me to come visit him, which I gladly agreed to. Arriving at the prison, I was led into a room and within a few minutes found myself sitting across a plexiglass table searching the face of someone who seemed more like a biblical Timothy than a criminal. John explained to me that he was indeed a criminal, but redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. He shared that sitting in a small jail cell as a young Amish boy nearly cost him his sanity. He started to cry out to God for evidence of His grace. After fasting for four or five days, John had a conversion experience that forever changed his life. Growing up Amish, John was not familiar with the concept of conversion, but he knew God had come to his cell. John was given the  Desire of Ages  and as he read he was deeply impressed. An opportunity came for him to preach a sermon during chapel to his fellow inmates. After preaching, he mailed his dad a copy of his sermon. John’s dad is an Old Order Amish bishop, the highest office in the Amish church. His dad read the sermon and was so impressed that he made copies and sent them to family and friends. John’s sermon was so impactful among the Amish that his parents are now facilitating a bimonthly newsletter among the Amish to share John’s messages. At John’s request, I am scheduled to study with him in prison every month for two to three hours to help him prepare materials for his new ministry. We have met serveral times and the studies have been incredibly blessed by the Holy Spirit! Since the Amish are not allowed to use internet, we have developed a system where they can use their flip phones or landline phones to call in and listen to sermons and audiobooks. We recently developed a bookmark and phone system which contains a phone number and lists all the chapters in the Desire of Ages . John gave his bishop father that information and his dad is now listening to the Desire of Ages  and it is reported that his love for the book is immeasurable! Desire of Ages call-to-listen bookmark John’s journey of faith has been truly inspiring. Through his continued Bible study, John has now accepted the teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and his family stands firmly behind him. These simple resources have the potential to transform lives by providing access to inspiring and uplifting content. It bridges the gap between tradition and technology in a way that respects the Amish way of life while bringing them closer to God’s word. As I reflect on John’s story, I am reminded of how God can turn even the most challenging circumstances into something beautiful. What began as a difficult time in prison became a profound journey of redemption and transformation for John. His life is a testament to the power of God’s grace and the incredible ways He can work through adversity to bring about His purpose. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NKJV. Thank you for your support and prayers. Together, we are making a significant impact, and we look forward to your continued partnership in bringing life and hope to the Amish people. Your friend in Christ, Andy Weaver

Dear West Salem Mission Family! “The great day of the LORD is near …, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD. Zephaniah 1:14. The souls of men are being weighed in the balances, the final decisions for or against Christ are being made in preparation of the close of human probation forever! In the past six thousand years God has allowed humanity to experiment with sin and many forms of deviant lifestyles. Has it ever worked better than God’s way? No, not once! The enemy has fortified his strongholds on every front. Walking with God as did Enoch seems very difficult in a world that is suggesting sin everywhere we look. Raising a family on this side of Jordon seems nearly impossible! The Balaams and Balaks are many, and the Phinehas’s few! Such is the world we live in! I believe my generation has the great honor of making manifest the character and devotion of Christ to the world. After surveying human history, we make the decision to stand with the LORD in all things. Unbelief makes Christianity confusing and difficult. Faith makes it rewarding and possible! I love poems, and one of my favorites is the poem written by a Rwandan man, Bob Moorhead, in 1980, the night before being executed by his own tribe for his faith in Jesus Christ. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear. This is what I want for myself and my family! The privilege we have in standing with Christ at the final moments of this world’s history is immeasurable. Thank you for standing with us as we carry the torch of truth to the finish line. I hope you will find the updates and mission projects in this issue inspiring and worth supporting! Thank you. Sincerely yours, Andy Weaver

The West Salem Mission board has brought on two new part time workers, Mary Weaver and Emma Weaver. You may recognize their faces, or least their last name. These young ladies are the two oldest children of Andy and Naomi Weaver. Mary, 17 years old, is working two days each week in the office. She is learning the accounting system, processing mail, donor communications, and shipping, in addition to the multitude of items needing attention in the office. Some of her interests are reading, sewing, baking, walking, playing piano, singing, and taking care of lambs on her dad’s farm. Emma, 16 years old, is working five days each week in the elementary school. She assists in teaching the 4th-7th grammar, agriculture, nature study, industry class, spelling, and singing. Some of her interests are baking, walking, ice skating, and playing piano. These young ladies were only small girls when their parents accepted the Sabbath and became shunned by the Amish church. Little did the family realize what great things God would do for them. Now, a second generation is taking up the tools to continue the blessed work of God among the very people who shun them. It is largely because of your prayers and giving that God’s work among the Amish is becoming more organized and moving steadily forward. ❧

We are so excited to announce the beginning of West Salem Mission’s Bible study correspondence school! Last year, Andy Weaver published a set of 24 Bible study guides designed for Plain People. They are available on our website, and several individuals have purchased them to use in studying the Bible with their Amish and Mennonite neighbors. Now, these studies will be offered to students through the mail. First, we are looking for individuals who live near Amish or Mennonites to distribute Bible study offer cards. Then, the student mails in the card. Once we receive the card, we will send out the first one or two study guides. The student then goes through the study guide, self-directed. They complete the quiz sheet and mail it back to us. The quiz sheet is graded by one of our members, then mailed back to the student along with the next study guide. If you would like to participate in this exciting new endeavor, please request a pack of Bible study offer cards and we will mail them to you. To receive your free pack of Bible study offer cards, you may go online here and request them, or call or write to us. For convenience, the cards come in packs of 10, but we wish to distribute them freely so please order as many packs as you need. This outreach is a wonderful plan to not only bring God’s truth to the Plain People, but it connects non-Amish brothers and sisters with the Amish in a joint effort. The “English” (as Amish call anyone who is not Amish) pass out the cards to their Amish and Mennonite neighbors in order to sign them up for Bible study guides. The Amish members of our church grade the quizzes and send notes of encouragement to the students. Together and united in the truth, we can work for the uplifting of all humanity.

UPDATE: funds have been raised to purchase a van, thank God! As the work of God spreads among the Amish and Mennonites, we are learning of new families who have seen the truth of the Sabbath and have started to keep it holy. These families are often the only ones in their community to accept this truth and as a result feel quite alone. Several of our people at West Salem Mission would like to go visit these families to encourage them in the faith and let them know they are not alone. However, our families are quite large with at least 8 children and two parents, and our vehicles are not new enough to take on many long journeys. We are trying to raise funds to purchase a 2020 Ford Transit 15-passenger van for this purpose. The van would be used by our Amish families to go visit other families who are new in the faith. We estimate the cost of the van to be around $60,000. So far, we have raised $22,000. If you feel impressed to contribute to this cause, you may donate by check, online, or calling the Mission. Thank you for your support of God’s work among the Plain People.

by Mary Weaver We live in a time where a lot of people are sleeping spiritually, and the bridegroom will come unexpectedly for them (Matthew 25: 1-13). What makes us become formal, sleeping Christians? We are told, “If those who profess to be followers of Christ neglect to shine as lights in the world, the vital power will leave them, and they will become cold and Christless. The spell of indifference will be upon them, a deathlike sluggishness of soul, which will make them bodies of death instead of living representatives of Jesus. All must lift the cross and in modesty, meekness, and lowliness of mind take up their God-given duties, engaging in personal effort for those around them who need help and light.” To Be Like Jesus, page 260. Something us youth here at the mission enjoy doing is going door to door handing out literature, or canvassing. Canvassing is where you go out and sell books either door to door, or in businesses. Last year we had a canvassing program for a week, and we got to get quite a few books out! We even got to sell some to a couple of Amish people! Last week we went to a convention center where we handed out literature, and got to talk to people about Christ. We got some challengers, but that just made it a little more fun. The more you get challenged, the more you want to read your Bible and understand what you believe. The devil is walking around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can destroy. (1 Peter 5:8) We need to have our armor on, and be ready to stand when he attacks. On Sabbath afternoons we usually have a youth meeting where we all get together and say the memory verses that we memorized the previous week, and say what we learned in our devotional time that week. We also play a game called Bible Sword, which is a game where one person has a stack of cards with Bible references on them. They say the Bible references, and the rest of us youth see who can get to the Bible reference first. Whoever gets there first, gets the card with that reference on it. At the end of the game whoever has the most cards gets to hand out the cards the following week. After youth meeting we have a prayer meeting, which is a special time for us youth. The floor is opened to any praises or prayer requests someone may have. After everyone is done sharing, we kneel in a circle and pray for the requests. What can we as young people do to keep worldliness from taking our interest for spiritual things? In the book, Great Controversy, we are told, “Conformity to worldly custom converts the church to the world; it never converts the world to Christ. Familiarity with sin will inevitably cause it to appear less repulsive.” Let’s stay strong in the Lord, and bring others to Christ before it is too late! ❧

500 Copies delivered to Amish homes last month! An Amish-style, Bible-centered, Adventist periodical was mailed to over 500 homes last month! Streams of Light is a brand new paper produced by West Salem Mission to fulfill the urgent need of bringing the truth right into the homes of the Plain People. Since the mailing last month, we have received dozens of new addresses to add to our next mailing. This is a powerful evangelistic tool filled with simple but powerful articles. Streams of Light features content relevant to the needs of the Amish, along with tips for health, family, and education. It focuses on the special end-time messages of the Three Angels of Revelation 14. God’s Spirit is moving on hearts all across the country, especially regarding the Sabbath truth. This is an incredible opportunity to get God’s message to the Amish. If you have Amish or Mennonite neighbors and would like us to place them on our mailing list, please write or email us their names and addresses and we will begin sending them this wonderful new periodical for free!