I feel like I just stepped back in time.

This weekend, Dave, Ryan, and I drove five and a half hours to visit the Bruderhof community in Farmington, Pennsylvania. Hmm... where do I begin?
The Bruderhof is a large Christian community that has 'hofs' in Pennsylvania, New York, Germany, England, and Australia. Its members make a life-long commitment to the community. They share a common purse, living in simplicity and close to nature. Although they live in rural areas with no television and very limited access to the internet, I was amazed at how socially aware they are. In fact, they put me to shame.
While I was there, I stayed with a "family" (two single girls and two grandmothers) in one of the communal homes. We shared breakfast together in their "apartment" each morning, and they made sure I was well taken care of. During the day, I worked with other women in the kitchen preparing meals and doing dishes or in the laundry folding clothes. Most of the time, the work was enjoyable. It was done at a leisurely pace, and there was usually lots of interesting conversation. Except for the small children, the whole community eats lunch and dinner together in a large dining hall. They begin with a song and maybe a prayer, and then everybody gets right to the business of eating. There was very little talking during meals. Instead, students would give their school reports, announcements would be made, letters and emails would be shared, or stories would be read while everybody ate.
I'm sure I'll have more to say about all of this later. I'm still processing the whole thing. Basically, I just fell in love with these beautiful people, and I hope to go back and visit them very soon.

Just a few of highlights:
-meeting "Aunty", an almost 99 year-old woman who loves planning practical jokes involving things like dead mice
-having an adorable three year-old boy exclaim, "You're wearing Daddy pants!!" when he saw me for the first time
-listening to the community sing and sing and sing
-pulling hundreds of frozen pork chops out of a huge vat of ice cold, bloody water and then dipping them in raw egg and bread crumbs for several hours
-talking to the first and second grade classes about my experiences as a teacher while they sat in a circle on benches knitting pot holders
-being given a tour of the "Peace Barn" by two well-informed junior high girls who have worked with their class to turn an old chicken barn into a museum for social awareness and peace since September 11.
-listening to guest speaker Darril Bodley (father of Diora, one of the women who died in the plane that crashed in Shanksville, PA on September 11)
-playing group games with the single adults (ages 18-30+) that were reminiscent of junior high youth group
-seeing children outside in the snow gathering sap from maple trees and stoking the fires in their little woodstoves to make maple syrup
-watching the young people provide around-the-clock care for the elderly and disabled with genuine love
-seeing small children and adults roar with laughter over a story that was read aloud during the dinner meal (one that I found only mildly amusing)
-talking with people who are truly committed to each other but talk honestly about the joys and daily struggles of their communal lifestyle
-sharing my stories with young women who are seeking answers to the same big questions about life and purpose that I am asking
-listening to many amazing life stories

I could go on and on.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the Bruderhof, you really should check out their website. I wanted to take pictures, of course, but there was a little bit of hesitation when I asked about it. So even though there were about ten thousand opportunities for great photos, I decided it was more important to respect their privacy. There are a few photos on their website that can give you an idea of what its like, so check it out if you have a chance.