Homestead mailing list

[Juliana Dutra <kila01 AT yahoo.com>]

This time it was not Arabs telling the story. As I
said before, I have no trouble with GW believing in
the Tooth Fairy or whatever but saying that God talks
through him hits me as he is comparing himself to
Moses, Jonah or one of the Prophets. Sinful arrogance
in my Bible.... 

Bush Quietly Meets with Amish Here; They Offer Their
Prayers
Lancaster New Era ^ | 7/16/04 | Jack Brubaker

Posted on 07/16/2004 3:01:21 PM PDT by Preacher777

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - President Bush met privately
with a group of Old Order Amish during his visit to
Lancaster County last Friday. He discussed their farms
and their hats and his religion. He asked them to vote
for him in November.

The Amish told the president that not all members of
the church vote but they would pray for him.

Bush had tears in his eyes when he replied. He said
the president needs their prayers. He also said that
having a strong belief in God is the only way he can
do his job.

This story has not been reported before. You might
think an observant press follows the president
everywhere, especially during a re-election campaign,
but no reporter attended this meeting.

Sam Stoltzfus, an Old Order historian and writer who
lives in Gordonville, spoke with a number of people
present at the session with the president.

He related what happened to the Scribbler, saying the
Amish “caught Bush’s heart.’’

The 20-minute meeting with Bush occurred immediately
after the president addressed a select audience at
Lapp Electric Service in Smoketown Friday afternoon.

An Amish woman who lives on a farm across Witmer Road
from Lapp Electric that morning had presented a quilt
to the president with a card thanking him for his
leadership of the country.

Bush said he would like to talk to the quilter and her
family.

So the Secret Service invited the family to meet the
president. Friends wanted to come along, and the
entire assembly eventually numbered about 60. They
were evenly divided between adults and children of all
ages.

The group walked together across the road to Lapp
Electric.

Stoltzfus reports: “It took a while to get them
through the metal detectors as these were farmers and
shop men, with vice grips, pocket knives, and nuts and
bolts in their pockets. Some ladies had baby gear. All
pockets had to be emptied.’’

When the Amish were “found not to be a serious threat
to national security,’’ they were allowed inside the
office area of Lapp Electric and waited about 30
minutes for the president to appear.

“Babies got restless. Children squirmed,’’ Stoltzfus
reports. “Suddenly the president and five Secret
Service men stepped into the room. One housewife said,
‘Are you George Bush?’’’

The president replied in the affirmative and shook
hands all around, asking the names of all. He
especially thanked the “quilt frau,’’ who operates her
own business selling quilts and crafts.

“He seemed relaxed and just like an old neighbor,’’
says Stoltzfus.

Bush said he had never met any Amish before and was
curious about why the men were wearing straw hats
rather than black wool hats. The Amish explained that
they wear cooler straw in summer. Bush tried on a hat.

The president commented on the appearance of Amish
farms, and an Amish man spoke apologetically about how
he and his friends were not expecting to see the
president and were wearing soiled work clothes. Bush
said he did not mind that.

Another man remarked that he has twin daughters, as
does Bush. The man said one of his twins had dreamed
the night before that she was shaking hands with the
president and now she actually had done that.

“One of the young girls wanted to give Bush a whoopie
pie cookie,’’ Stoltzfus says. “Bush declined it. The
Secret Service man took it, as presidents aren’t
supposed to eat untested food.’’

At the end of the session, Bush reportedly told the
group, “I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I
couldn’t do my job.’’

As the president left the room, one Amish man wished
him good luck in November.

“The Amish group headed back to their farms and
shops,’’ reports Stoltzfus. “Mothers took their
children home for a nap and went back to their sewing
and gardens.’’

Bush moved along to an appearance in York County,
leaving behind a group of Old Order admirers who have
tales to tell for the rest of their lives.

The Scribbler column runs Tuesdays and Fridays in the
New Era.

http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LC&p_theme=lc&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Bush+quietly+meets+with+Amish+here+they+offer+their+prayers)%20AND%20date(07/01/2004%20to%2007/31/2004)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(%22Bush+quietly+meets+with+Amish+here+they+offer+their+prayers%22)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1172948/posts