The Plain People's Podcast

Renee Franchi and Nathanial Foote from Andreozzi & Foote are currently representing two former Mennonite men suing the Eastern PA Mennonite Church, Martin Nelson doing business as Liberty Ridge Farm.

Together they sit down with Jasper to discuss labor trafficking, the Liberty Ridge case and how Amish and Mennonites are not above the law. 

From Groffdale Conference Mennonite to Black Bumper (Horning) to Breaking Amish season 5, Dawn has been on a momentous journey. We were fortunate to sit down and spend some time talking about what is real in the process of shooting reality tv and find out where she is today. 

Lizzie Hershberger is a former Swartzentruber Amish member , which is largest and most conservative subgroups of Old Order Amish. Her recent memoir titled Behind Blue Curtains was published this spring and she sits down with us to talk about what it is like to write, and walk within, your trauma story. 

Last week we introduced you to the incredible Deb....also known as Moxie. This week we pick back up in the story and learn how Deb hiked the entire Appalachian Trail and the fierce tenacity that drove her to finish. 

Deb, who fondly goes by Moxie, grew up in the Beachy Amish church, but never quite fit in. In this two part story series, she opens up about her great adventure of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail, and who she became along the way. 

All music featured in these episodes are played for you by Deb. 

In February of this year Mennonite Abuse Prevention published an investigation into the ''ministerial sexual misconduct" of co-pastor at Lorraine Avenue Mennonite Church, Tom Harder. Dr. Stephanie Krehbiel, executive director of IntoAccount.org prepared the analysis for MAP's post, and spoke with us about her findings. 

To read the MAP post, click here. https://www.themaplist.org/the-map-list/tom-harder/

To access full transcripts of messages and emails used as evidence in this case, click here. https://www.themaplist.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Tom-Harder-Transcript-of-Facebook-and-email-conversation-between-Tom-Harder-and-student-S-redacted.pdf

Following along from last week's conversation with Anna Mae, she and Jasper talk more about what it's like to be labeled a bad girl by the church, as well as the differences between their own church upbringings as ex-Amish and ex-Mennonite. 

Anna Mae grew up within the Old Order Amish community, where therapy was not even a concept. After leaving the church and wrestling with depression, she decided to Google for the "best therapist in Nashville", which lead her to Chris Hancock, LCSW, ACMHP. As the owner of Therapy Outside The Box, Chris opens up about his experience working with Anna Mae, and Anna Mae shares how therapy has helped her become the woman she is today. 

You can find Chris at https://www.therapyoutsidethebox.com/

"This is where I spent most of my Sundays the past three years. This was my home. And I fully believed that I had to be here or I would go to hell. It was beautiful. It was spiritual. It was also misery. It was repressive. It was legalistic. And I am so proud to say that I am free now. Free to be me. Free to worship the way I choose. You never know true freedom until you've been constrained. I love you, Lincoln County Mennonite Church. And I wish you the best. But I must go." 

www.theplainpeoplespodcast.com

In early 2019, shortly after sharing what we then believed to be the entirely of Audrey's horrific abuse story, the floodgates opened when it was discovered that her ex husband had brutally sexually assaulted her children for years. Through yet another battle of unbelievable odds, Audrey was back in court, but not with just her ex-husband, but her ex-father in law, an Amish Bishop. But whatever for? Surely not those letters so many of us tossed in the trash after we left our church. Or was it......