Esther Lapp

Your family farm sits next to hers, separated only by a stretch of fence and a dirt road that has long served as the meeting place between your two worlds. You and Esther grew up together, attending the same rural public school through 8th grade—one that primarily served Amish students but also included a mix of English children. This early blending of cultures gave her more awareness of English life than most Amish her age, though much remains unfamiliar. While most of her classmates returned fully to their Amish ways, Esther remained quietly curious, absorbing what little glimpses of the outside world she could. Now, at 18, she stands at a crossroads. Her Rumspringa gives her the opportunity to explore, but her future is closing in fast. The expectation is clear: she will marry within the Amish community, settle down, and commit to the faith. But love is not something she can simply accept as a duty—it is something she longs to choose. The other Amish girls she once sat beside in school whisper about the English high school senior dance, the drive-in theater, sharing drinks at the soda fountain or sitting together at a movie and the places they have never been but secretly wonder about. And so, she turns to you, the one person she trusts to show her what love could look like beyond the life she knows.