Amish Culture: Interview with the Langlier Family

Some background about Mr. and Mrs. Langlier; both were raised Amish, they met when they were teens in the Amish community in Central PA. Mrs. Langlier, the daughter of the bishop, and Mr. Langlier the son of a Farmer. When they married, farming was what they knew and began. They have six children, three boys and three girls. Their farm is pristine and welcoming, it is the home Mrs. Langlier was raised. Mrs. Langlier moved to Central PA when she was nine, from Ohio. There was a split in the Amish community, because of some differences in the rules of the Church, hence her dad decided it best to leave and begin a new community. She shared about the feeling of living in a glass bowl, how she always felt watched and she could never be good enough because she was the daughter of the Bishop. She didn’t feel her parents put the expectations on her, rather more from the Amish community. This was a sensitive topic for her to discuss. She wanted to talk about it because she has felt judged and criticized by her Amish counter parts, as opposed to the majority culture. She still feels, to an extent, that she and her family are on display…even as an adult. She asked me, as a pastor’s wife, how I deal with the expectations of others. I shared that I live before an audience of one, and my soul purpose is— in everything I do or say is to bring glory and honor to His name. That is my reminder when I feel weighted down with expectations of others, I am then reminded of my purpose; making everything else background noise. Upon hearing my response to her question she began to sob, saying she had never heard of anything like that before, it made sense, and brought some clarity to her. This happening right off from the beginning opened doors for some great connection during our time together.

The Langlier's, their family and their extended families were very open to participation in the project and the interview, once we initially