Inspirational Amish

Best-selling author Amy Clipston's Kauffman Amish Bakery series chronicles the tensions, loves, faiths, and challenges of the residents in the Amish community of Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. In A Life of Joy, the fourth installment in the series, 18-year-old Lindsay Bedford has reached a crossroads. Should she stay in the small Amish community she's known and loved for four years or return to the "English" life of her hometown in Virginia?

Jenna Burkhart is tired of being "special" and hearing about what she can't do. Even though she suffered a head injury in a childhood swimming accident, she wants a life of her own just like any Amish woman. But now that she, her mamm, and her mammi have moved to Wells Landing, she's having a hard time fitting in.... Until she meets Buddy Miller, a boy just like her, who gives her the confidence to reach for the impossible.

Danika Morales is devastated when tragedy strikes close to home. She is forced to move from her friends and beautiful home in sunny California to Amish country in rural Pennsylvania to live with her estranged uncle. This surfer girl believes she'll never be able to adjust to a land-locked plain lifestyle, until she meets her new best friend. Still, being an outsider and of a different ethnicity, Danika faces many challenges on her journey to adulthood.

When Elam Zook visits his former Amish community after five years of living in the world, he hopes to rekindle a romance with his former aldi, Julianna. But when he asks about her, the community is conspicuously silent. Eventually, Julianna's family reveals to Elam that his former love has passed away. Elam attempts to move on with his life and he soon finds himself in a relationship with another woman. Then he discovers a secret the community hoped to keep buried with Julianna. Will his desperation for answers and quest for truth require more than what his heart can afford to give? 

Wife, widow, mother, and grandmother - 60-something Nadine Burkhart is everything a sensible Amish woman is supposed to be. She's moved to Wells Landing to give her daughter-in-law and granddaughter a fresh start - not herself. So as far as she's concerned, good-hearted farmer Amos Fisher should find something better to do than try to draw her out, be there when she needs help - and make her believe in love for the first time.

Danielle Kent is anything but Amish. But as destiny would have it, she has fallen in love with an Amish man. Now she’s 18, pregnant, and hopeful that the child’s Amish father—Matthew Lapp—will do the right thing and marry her. She knows Matthew plans to leave his Colorado settlement for a life in the Englisch world. But that plan never included a baby. When Matthew walks away from her and their unborn child, she has nowhere to turn. Her unlikely friendship with Levi offers some comfort—yet they have so little in common.

Rachel is a young Amish woman who is determined not to become like her parents who married each other out of obligation rather than love. She has a crush on a young man in town and she thinks he feels the same way until he inexplicably announces that he is to marry one of her rivals. As if that wasn't an insult enough, the bishop wants her to plan the wedding! Will the two realize they are meant for each other before it is too late?

From early on, Mary held tightly onto her Amish doll, which at first seemed very cute until it became apparent that later, when learning to speak, that Mary would talk to the doll and rarely, if ever, let it go, even at night. Anna would have to sneak it away from her clutches at night when asleep to get it washed. As May grew, she learnt to make dolls herself and would sell them in their community and the local town to make much needed money for the family

Abigail and Peter were school friends. Peter was very capable, but Abigail struggled with her studies. Peter helped Abigail with her studies while sitting under the old oak tree. As Peter and Abigail grew up, their parents became concerned regarding them spending so much time together as they agreed to study at each other's houses and support Amy, Peter’s sister, with her studies, too. 

Aaron was an average Amish 20-year-old who had never achieved much, and never tried to stand out. He was frequently teased by others his age for being “grey” and invisible. Aaron knew there was a fire within him but he had no idea what to do with the energy and passion that he dare not show in his community. Everything just seemed so... well... Dull?

He called her baby an abomination; now she must live under his roof... Willow desperately desires the closeness of family, but her bitter, Amish father-in-law wants nothing to do with her or his soon-to-be-born grandchild because she is not Amish. Will she ever get the family she wants? 

Dawn was a fragile young woman scarred by pneumonia as a child; she was effectively wrapped in cotton wool to protect her most of her young life. In an effort to improve her health and possibly find a man, her mother sent her to live with her aunt over the summer period and at once caused upset when a man showed interest in her - the same man her cousin wished to court. Her world was complete...or at least it was until her new love was arrested for a most evil crime.

After the devastating loss of his second wife, Seth Hostetler believes a lasting love is beyond all hope. A year has passed, and his mamm and sister are determined to see him happily married once again. But how can he open his heart to another woman when their relationship could end in tragedy? On an outing with his family, Seth comes across an Amish potter hard at work and jumps at the chance to take a seat at the wheel. He takes quickly to this creative outlet, pouring his long-buried emotions into each piece he shapes. Unfortunately, the fancy nature of his art draws the disapproval of his district's leadership. His work puts him in the path of Leah, an Englisch woman employed by the Amish to sell their wares to tourists. Despite her aloofness, something about her speaks to Seth's wounded soul. But what is he to do when the things he wants most threaten to pull him away from the life he's committed to live? A compelling novel of second chances and the power of God to redeem hearts and dreams, set in the inviting Amish community of Lancaster County.

Rachel has done something terrible. Throwing the precious family heirloom on the fire seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Rachel has begun to regret her rash actions. The anger and jealousy she feels continues to eat her up inside, and she finds that the only solace she can find is to throw herself into her art, away from her family. But her questions don’t stop and when she meets James, the kind hearted young man who begins to grow more important to her with every passing day, Rachel is forced to confront her past. Will James still want to court her when he finds out what she did? And can she find the strength to tell her mother the truth, hoping that she will be able to forgive Rachel for what she’s done?

George had always felt like an outsider. Even his birth name made him stand out from others in the Amish community. His parents gave him a British name rather than an Amish traditional name, as they were happy to be seen as different within the community. He was your typical aloof and loner 19-year-old.

Eli Jacobs was a local police officer of some standing. An Amish man who had left on rumspringa and never returned. After 10 years of service, and being a man for whom the community held a great deal of love and respect, he was always there when needed to go above and beyond the call of duty. The problem was that he was well thought of, but.... Overlooked. Overlooked for promotion, overlooked in life, and overlooked in love. To be honest he had never really even asked a woman out on a date. Emma Shrock was the apple of his eye.

Two sweet, innocent Amish twin sisters have their family love and loyalty tested to the extreme when they both fall for the same man. As Sarah and her twin schweschder, Rebecca, consider courting and finding love, will Sarah decide to date the Mann who shows his interest in her but whom her schweschder is trying to woo?  

Dawn's traumatic past had calmed somewhat over recent years and her life was a good one. She had tried to organize a community Christmas event to bring the whole village together but at every turn gets pushed back. One night yet another disaster strikes, and Dawn is once again left devastated. The village seems to be ignoring her, and she begins once again to doubt herself. In one of her lowest and darkest days, will God and the community rally round, or is this the end of all hope for Dawn? 

The second in the series sees David and Dawn happily travel to Dawn's Province. They sit deep in thought. How will their lives develop and change? Dawn feels the butterflies circling in her stomach, as she's excited to be returning home to be back with her Mamm and Daed, but she's nervous, hoping that they will like and love David as she does. David looks to his future and prays that Minister Esch is right and that the move to this new Province will give him a new start and put some distance between himself and his past life. How will the future pan out for Dawn and David?    

1886: Jesse Montgomery is beginning to feel restless. Though he’s grateful to his friends Colin and Emma for helping him get on his feet again after a few bad choices and some hard living, surely the Lord doesn’t want him to stay in Apple Grove forever. Doesn’t the Almighty have plans for this reformed rowdy cowboy to build a life of his own? When an unscrupulous cattle baron tries to steal Amish land, Jesse intervenes and is wounded. Lovely Katie Miller, the young healer in the district, attends to him while trying to guard her heart.