Robin and I were driving through Pennsylvania about 10 years ago
    and came upon
    a large barn burning. We used our cell phone to call
    the fire department and started to help the Meninite people get the
    stuff out of the barn. Our rental car was the only car in sight.
    The fire was on the second floor of the barn and the roof was starting
    to collapse. They were building furniture in the barn on the ground
    floor and
    all the machine tools were powered by hydraulic motors. The
    hydraulic pressure
    was generated by a diesel engine in a shed behind the barn.

    We were hack sawing the hydraulic hoses and dragging the 1000 pound
    or more
    machine tools out and away from the barn. There were piles of hardwoods
    in the barn as well. We starting carrying that out of the barn. Robin
    characteristically was ordering people around.

    Other people came from miles around on foot and horse drawn wagons
    to help.
    Finally the gasoline powered fire truck came with Meninites on the
    running
    boards. After the fire was under control a group of people out of
    our ear shot
    were discussing what to do about us. Finally a spokesman was
    appointed and he
    walked over to thank us. We drove off in our rental car and never
    learned their
    names.

    Paul Lamar

I bought a 40' by 60' by 12' Pole barn kit years ago. The salesman at
the lumber yard suggested the Yoders could build it in one day for me at
a very low price. The 5 adults and two teens did it in 8 hours flat, in
a wind storm in February. They struck string lines before nailing the
steel on the sides. We got them back to do our 40" by 16' two level deck
with 4 stairs locations. Another 8 hours. One adult two teens. Called
them back for vinyl hand rails around the whole place. One adult and his
5 year old boy. In 4 hours. Every job perfect and cheap. Different
Yoders each time. One of the many brothers and his crew built beautiful
stone houses. There was one in the area. I wish I had known. I don't
know what other names are about. Many Yoders in Ohio. They speak German
to each other. A good bet if you need anything built. They drive trucks
and the like just as the English. (we are the English)

Lynn E. Hanover

A good friend of mine grew up with a Mennonite preacher Father in a
Mennonite family. By day the father was a researcher for the University
of Michigan med center... they were clear the Amish were the ones who
did not like electric technology, but the Mennonites allowed it in
measure. My friend was offered a free ride in any college at U of M -
one of the best schools in our area and one of the most expensive... he
turned it down and went to Goshen College in the heart of Amish country
Indiana. I asked him - Marv, why pay $10,000 a year for a small school
when you can go locally for free. His answer astonished me = Because if
he stayed close to home, he would be expected to help out in the family
hog farm = a small version in 1980 of the high volume pig factories we
have today. They were a little ahead of their time in this.

Marv is now a Vet in Iowa.

-dave