The Amish believe in helping out their own people instead of depending on the government for help so when something happens to one of them they will have a benefit auction to help defray the costs. The benefits are usually open to the public so yesterday when I saw a sign for one I stopped in. The auction was for a 40 year old women that because of an accident will be confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of her life. I stopped in early to see what was going to be auctioned off and to my surprise nothing was out. I asked the auctioneer and he told me that people will drop off their items when they arrive, no one knows exactly what is going to be on the auction block but usually they end up with a huge pile of items. I was also told that the auction is on the honor system so the buyer (not the auction house) keeps track of the amount they owe, no other records are kept. The really intrigued me.
At the start of the auction the auctioneer asked everyone to pray for the auctioneer and for honesty, all the men took off their hats and had a silent prayer. Then the auction began. There were items as big as a $6,000 swing set and as small as a flashlight, each bringing what they could afford. Prices were high, as I overheard one Amish women say "its only money". I was totally amazed.
Amish kids love volley ball and the benefit was a perfect excuse to get one going. One more thing... The food at these things is wonderful. Homemade pies, chicken, ribs, shrimp you name it they have it!
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