THE ONES WHO DARED
THE ONES WHO DARED PODCAST Elevating stories of courage. You can listen to some of the most interesting stories of courage, powerful life lessons, and aha moments. Featuring interviews with leaders, pioneers and people who have done hard things. I hope these stories help pave the path for you to live out your courageous life.
THE ONES WHO DARED
Leaving Amish Series: Jake Beiler's Journey to Personal Freedom and Real Estate Investor
Jake Beiler shares his transformative journey of leaving the Amish community, highlighting the contrast between his upbringing and current life as a real estate investor. His story sheds light on the complexities of shunning, emerging technology use in the Amish culture, and the importance of community ties while seeking personal authenticity.
• Jake's life on a dairy farm and the work ethic developed
• Contradictory rules around technology and communication
• The emotional journey of questioning and leaving the Amish community
• The impact of shunning and familial relationships post-exit
• Current involvement in real estate and offering education to others
• Reflection on personal authenticity and community influence
Jake’s transition wasn’t just about leaving the Amish community; it marked the beginning of a transformative journey that continues to impact both him and the people he once knew. By founding a monthly meetup focused on real estate and personal development, he’s fostered a space where others can explore financial independence and personal growth. Through this initiative, Jake has become a source of inspiration, inspiring others to create lives that are both fulfilling and authentic.
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The Amish are not for smoking right. They consider smoking a sin.
Speaker 2:Not true. Really, you might be surprised to hear this, but the more. I don't know if you're familiar with these terms, but there's kind of what's known as the more liberal Amish and the more conservative Amish. Okay, I know those two words are very broad terms, but what I would consider the more conservative Amish are the ones generally in southern Lancaster County and, interestingly enough, those that are more harsh on cell phones, more harsh on all of the other rules, are actually the bigger tobacco users and tobacco farmers.
Speaker 1:Hey friends, welcome to the Ones who Dared podcast, where stories of courage are elevated. I'm your host, Becca, and every other week you'll hear interviews from inspiring people. My hope is that you will leave encouraged. I'm so glad you're here, Jake Beiler. Welcome to the Once Video podcast. I am so excited to have you in the studio today. I'm honored and excited to be here. Thanks for having me. So this series, as you know, Leaving Amish is about what is it like to be an Amish and just your experience from that. People are really curious of what is the life of an Amish and, essentially, what prompted you to leave and who you are today. What are you up to today? So I'd like to get started by finding out what does Amish mean to you?
Speaker 2:Wow, it's a loaded question. So obviously, growing up in the culture, you know, I think this is true for all of us, no matter how we grow up, especially as a kid, growing up just whatever you have is normal to you. You know. Whether that's even that could be a broad range of things, you know. So growing up as an Amish kid, going to school, going to, you know, one room schoolhouse, walking to school, those things were all normal. A lot has changed in the Amish community and even in like. Gone to school, gone to, you know, one room schoolhouse, walking to school, those things were all normal. A lot has changed in the Amish community and even in like my family that's still Amish in the last, you know, 10, 20, 30 years. But back when I was a kid growing up, you know we wanted to use a telephone. We'd be walking up to our neighbors to use the telephone.
Speaker 1:And were your neighbors Amish? No, no, okay, so I just want to pause you on the telephone thing, because I do have a follow-up question on that. Is it true that the Amish aren't allowed to have a telephone within their is it the house? But they are allowed to have it outside their house, on their property.
Speaker 2:Generally the way it would work in our community is they? Well, this is changing too, but what has been very normal the last you know, 10, 20 years, is what was known as like a phone shanty. It's like this little four by four, like a literally four foot by four foot shed outside of a building where your phone line is run into and that's where your phone is. Some people had a ringer on the outside so that you could kind of hear it from you know a distance. Um, um, maybe you'd put a little heater in in the winter time if you're going to be in for any length of time.
Speaker 2:Um, and it's one of those things that over the years, like for us, you know, at first, when we had a phone shanty, it was, like you know, we had to walk, you know, across the field to get there because it was at another Amish neighbor's property that we shared. So very, very interesting to think about that, compared to the way most of us operate now, including myself, where you know you have your phone with you all the time. Yeah, like if I would have forgot my phone coming here, I mean I wouldn't have came because I wouldn't have been able to find the place. So it's very interesting knowing that I grew up like that and yet how dependent that I am on phone and technology in general. Now it's a big switch.
Speaker 1:Wow, yeah. So what was your day-to-day like? Growing up as a kid, you said you walked to school. You were in one single classroom. What were some of your responsibilities, or what was your day-to-day like?
Speaker 2:So I grew up on a 65-acre dairy farm so we had 30 to 40 dairy cows, got up in the morning to help milk the cows before I went to school, and field work. You're farming corn hay and you know field work. You know you're farming corn hay, all those crops with horses. So we had eight workhorses and it's a grind. You know when it's haymaking time or time to put corn away. I remember you know days, summertime, when school was out, you know we'd be getting up milking the cows in the morning, throwing the harnesses the rather sweaty and smelly harnesses on these workhorses, you know, before breakfast so we could go in, have breakfast, come back out, hitch up the horses to go, you know, plow the fields or mow hay or bill hay, all of those things. You know. It's just, it was normal life and it would be really, really hard. Like, as much as I value that and probably for the most part enjoyed it, I would not want to go back to that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and how old are you when you had to take part in family chore responsibilities?
Speaker 2:I mean that varies but it's pretty young because you grow up in it and you know I was probably, I was probably I don't remember but oftentimes, as maybe a three or four-year-old kid, you're out like on the hay wagon when you're baling hay. You know you get involved from a very early age. You know around a farm there's always chores, maybe it's you know, putting fresh water out for the calves or feeding the calves. There's things that you can do at a pretty early age. So I don't remember how old I was, but you get involved pretty young when you grow up on a family farm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and would you credit some of that hard work ethic to your success in the real estate investment now and what you do?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely, because you just grow up in a. I think there's also kind of this. I don't know how you explain it, but when you grow up on a family farm, it's like you know when it's time to bale hay, when it's time to put the corn away, and maybe it's going to rain tomorrow. It's like all hands on deck, like we got to make this happen, and so I do think that work ethic just being immersed in that growing up it just became normal. It's like you do what you need to do, like the thought of quitting at five o'clock because it's time to quit is not even on the board, because you know we need to get the work done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it built some tenacity, resilience and perseverance in you where you're able to kind of go and grind, and that's one positive thing right that transferred over into your adult life, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, that is something that I'm grateful for, but along those lines, as with many things in life, it can also be taken too far. You know, there's something about being a workaholic and just not knowing how to stop working, and I mean work can become an idol. Work is actually something. It took me a long time till I felt like I really realized this, but work is something that was a commandment from God in the garden before the fall right. It's a God-given duty, and I think that is why we get so much fulfillment out of a good, hard day's work.
Speaker 2:But anything like that that God created, the enemy also tries to use for his purposes. So work can very much become an idol, in my opinion, and it can be used to drown out other things in life. It can be used to drown out, you know, pain, drama, where it's like we're just working all day, every day, and it's all that we think about. Right, and you're kind of hiding behind this thing. That doesn't look like an addiction or an idol, because you know, if you're a hardworking person, it's like, wow, it's admirable. Yeah, exactly. So. That is the flip side of it, and I, you know, I do see some of that in our culture as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, is that something that you personally had to kind of work through and reframe for yourself?
Speaker 2:I certainly don't think that I was unaffected by that, but just the way that I'm wired, I don't think it was as big of a struggle for me because I don't really like. I always like to tell people. When people talk about the Lancaster County rat race, I'll just say, well, I unsubscribed from the rat race, I'm not playing that game, yeah, but it's certainly not that I'm unaffected by it, because it is a thing. You just work late if you need to do something. But yeah, again, just because of my personality and the way that I'm wired, I'm not as competitive by nature. So I don't feel like it was, as it's not as big of a struggle for me as maybe for some people.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I see. And what order of the Amish did your family belong to? The old order, the old order, amish the main. So is that order of the Amish did your family belong to?
Speaker 2:The old order. The old order, Amish the main. So is that more of the stricter one? It's really the only ones that you see around Lancaster County. I mean there was, was it back in the 70s or something? There was what they called a new order, that kind of split off, but they are pretty much non-existent anymore. So yeah, when you see an Amish person in Lancaster County, it's an older Amish.
Speaker 1:I got you and what would you say are some of the rules the Amish have that's different from the outside society.
Speaker 2:So I mean, one of the biggest ones is just the fact that they don't drive vehicles. You know, no electricity is another one, although that is changing. I mean you probably see more and more solar panels, people trying to find creative ways, but as a general rule that's a big one for the Amish, no electricity. And then there's all kinds of rules that are like, depending on what community, even depending on what church district within that community, it gets so complicated. As a rule they're not supposed to have technology. You know, computers, smartphones, things like that. But you know, in like probably all of my siblings that are still Amish have smartphones. So it's becoming a more and more common thing. It's not really openly accepted where they're saying, hey, you can have this now, but it's just become more accepted in parts of the community, not in the entire community accepted in parts of the community, not in the entire community.
Speaker 1:So with the smartphone cell phone use, is it? Is there? Do they set separate specific guidelines for using that? Like, if your siblings aren't home, do they have to put it away at a certain place? Is there any rules around that or is that like family specific?
Speaker 2:There's not because you can't really, because in general, they're not openly allowed, right? So you can't make rules around something that you're not allowed to have. Yeah, because if you're going to say, hey, do this and do this and do this with your smartphone, it's acknowledging that they're kind of allowed. So it's actually one of the things that I feel would be very beneficial and this stuff is coming if there would be more like training and accountability, because, like one of the reasons multiple reasons, but one of the reasons why smartphones would be frowned upon is just because of the internet and the things that you can access on there, which is a real thing. You thing I would agree with that. But how about we talk about some training and some education around those things rather than pretend that they don't exist? So if your children get smartphones and they're hiding them and they're only on them when they're in their bedroom and nobody else is around, you can see how that could lead to some bad things.
Speaker 1:So I have a question about tobacco farming. Their bedroom and nobody else is around. You can see how that could lead to some bad things. So I have a question about tobacco farming. The Amish are not for smoking, right.
Speaker 2:They consider smoking a sin, not true? You might be surprised to hear this, but the more. I don't know if you're familiar with these terms, but there's kind of what's known as the more liberal Amish and the more conservative Amish. I know those two words are very broad terms, but what I would consider the more conservative Amish are the ones generally in southern Lancaster County and, interestingly enough, those that are more harsh on cell phones, more harsh on all of the other rules, are actually the bigger tobacco users and tobacco farmers. It doesn't make any sense, it's just the way. It's kind of a traditional thing.
Speaker 2:Tobacco used to be a big cash crop and so it's just kind of something that got handed down. It's still a big cash crop for some Amish farmers. There's many of them in the area that I live, which is more in the northern part of Lancaster County that would not farm it because they don't believe in it. But yeah, there's a lot of Amish that use tobacco and, to make that even a bit more complicated, they will smoke a lot of like cigarettes and cigar. Cigars, not cigarettes. Like you can't, not the ones, not the. When I was a kid it was usually the thing of like not, you're not allowed to smoke the white ones.
Speaker 1:It's bizarre so that's what you knew. Yeah, smoke the white ones. Yeah, yeah, wow so that is. That is interesting because you know, my perception and again this is why we're having this interview is to clear up some of this false beliefs or perceptions. Right, you'll be working at clearing that up for a while because there's a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it just seems like you know they're farming tobacco, but yet you know they have a very conservative way of life, that this is something that I would think would be frowned upon, but you're saying, no, that's not really the case inside the community. So that's interesting. I learned something new today, just a side note on that.
Speaker 2:So there are, you know, churches that we would generally consider to be more progressive. You know different forms of Mennonite that you know they would have electricity, they would drive vehicles and do all of that. Some of those are very hard against tobacco and so I have heard of situations where some of those people become the quote drivers for the Amish people. Right, because the Amish don't drive, so they need drivers to take them places. They need drivers like a truck and a trailer to take their tobacco to the tobacco auction or wherever they take it. But some of these Mennonites that would be their drivers would not even haul the tobacco because they have that hard convictions against the tobacco.
Speaker 1:Wow, it's weird, that is so wild. Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. And the other thing that is confusing to me as an outsider and I brought this up with Mary too is that if you're not allowed to use technology, why are you allowed to use outside technology, such as hiring a driver, if you can't drive your own car? Where is the differentiator? Do you know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think there's a very good answer for that. I believe probably the best explanation is if you are able to, if you drive yourself, you can go wherever you want, whenever you want, and there's just more. There's no limitations, right, but there's this thought that seems to be if you make it a bit harder to do, then you probably won't. I don't know, it really doesn't make sense. It's just one of those rules that was put in place way back. And, yeah, there are Amish communities I'm not sure where, not in our area, but there are Amish communities I don't know if you ever heard of, like the Schwartzentruber Amish. I'm not sure where, not in our area, but there are Amish communities I don't know if you ever heard of, like the Schwartzentruber Amish. It's a last name and some of those communities will not allow.
Speaker 2:They don't travel on anything except public transportation. So you're talking Greyhound buses, trains they can't fly. So there's only a few things trains and they can't fly. So there's only a few things. They would not allow their people to actually drive with a neighbor in a vehicle.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. Yes, so many different, different experiences, and and I think that's why I wanted to interview multiple people is because everybody has their own story, their own perspective, the way that you experienced yourself within the community. So to get the various perspectives is more wholesome than you know, basing everything on one person and their experience. Yeah, and is it true that you can't have buttons on clothing, or is that something that's um?
Speaker 2:I mean so the the buttons are actually. The buttons are what you're allowed to have. Snaps is something that in some areas is generally kind of frowned upon. I would say it's pretty much a none, like I would have forgot about that one. Yeah, but that is a thing in some communities, where they would have buttons and not snaps on their shirts and things like that.
Speaker 1:Okay, and then this is an interesting one Rubber tires are prohibited in farm equipment. Is that true? Generally, yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember as a kid we would usually have these hay wagons, farm wagons that we would use to do things in the fields, and if you needed a new wagon you might go to an auction and you bought one. And if it was a, you know it was if, depending on what for auction it was unless another Amish person was selling one it was probably going to have rubber tires on it. So it was like, yeah, you might use it like that for a little bit, but then you were expected to get steel wheels put on it that were more expensive and more bumpy and more loud and just, you know, I mean, there was no. Yeah, they're very annoying, but that's, it's a real thing, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's interesting. And so the education with the Amish ends in eighth grade, is that right?
Speaker 2:It's almost correct. So there's what we call a vocational class that goes after eighth grade, which is basically three hours a week. So after I graduated eighth grade I would have been 14 years old. And then you go to what we call this vocational class until you're 15. Okay, and then the way that that was, I guess, accepted by the state or whatever back when it was set up, is because it's generally thought of as you get your education on the farm, which is it's real, like that's where I would have learned a lot of skills and things like that. It's not as true anymore as it used to be, because there's not near as many Amish growing up on farms as it used to be, because there's not near as many Amish growing up on farms. But yeah, I only went to eighth grade and then the three-hour vocational school for another couple of months and that's all the education I ever got. That's all the school official education I got. I've been being educated ever since and I won't stop.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, we're always forever learners. I feel like that's the way you grow, is you never stop learning, right? So I want to get back to your story as you were growing up on the dairy farm. At what point did you feel like you didn't want to be an Amish as an adult? At the Once we Dare podcast. Giving back is part of our mission, which is why we proudly sponsor Midwest Food Bank. Here's why Midwest Food Bank Pennsylvania distributes over $25 million worth of food annually completely free of charge, to over 200 nonprofit partners across PA, new York and New Jersey, reaching more than 330,000 people in need. Through their volunteer-driven model and innovative food rescue programs, they turn every single dollar donated into $30 worth of food. Now, that's amazing. Join us in supporting this cause To learn more or to give. Go to MidwestFoodBankorg slash Pennsylvania.
Speaker 2:So that would have been a very slow and a gradual transition for me. I'll just kind of go through it pretty quickly and then you can ask questions on specifics if you want. So when I was 16, I started working part-time for my uncle in a woodworking shop. So I worked for him, I think three days a week when I first started, and still involved on the farm at home. You know, I would sometimes help with field work in the evening when I came home, when things were very busy.
Speaker 2:Probably not until I was well into my 20s did I start to kind of question some things about the Amish, about the, the religion, if you will. Throughout my 20s I would have got involved with some different ministries. I did actually. No, probably not until I was more, maybe into my 30s. So I worked the same job from the time I was 16 until I was 28 years old and then I just got so bored and was so ready for something else. That that's when I started my business and started investing in real estate. So at that point I would say I was probably still a fairly committed Amish person. And then into my 30s it probably was that I really started seeing some things, questioning things. I traveled to Bluefields, nicaragua, for some mission trips to serve alongside a or to serve with a church, not an Amish church but another church that I was connected with through some friends. I got involved in some prison ministry. There was a group of us that kind of through a big organization, but a group of us that went to a prison out in Western PA maximum security prison, had just an incredible experience out there getting to know some inmates. So through a lot of things like that I just started questioning things more and more and I know everybody loves this story of where it's like something major happened. You have this transformational experience. All of that. That's not my story. It's just slowly, over time, I just started seeing things and questioning things, started seeing things and questioning things. My brother, just younger than me, moved out of the area, left the Amish before I did so. Of course that was another thing where I was like you know, I'm not sure why he's doing this, but just all of these things kind of get you to asking questions. You know reading scripture, and then it was just very gradual.
Speaker 2:It came to a point for me finally where I would say it was probably a couple-year process where I was considering it but I didn't feel like I had clarity. And there was also this what I now realize was not true, but there's kind of from the time on that I started my business kind of, you know, as a young adult I had I did have some influence in the community and in some people around me, and so there was this thing of like, well, if I leave, I'm going to lose that influence and as much as I could clearly see that the general Amish beliefs and stuff has a lot of flaws, I still I love the people. So I'm like, well, if everyone that's Amish kind of comes to a better understanding of the truth and just leaves, then the Amish will never change right, like I was. Like some people need to stay Amish that are coming to a better understanding of the truth for lack of a better term.
Speaker 2:So that's kind of where I was I might almost say stuck for a couple of years, and I always kind of felt like God would show me if or when it's time to step out. And I don't remember the details of this, but I just remember, you know, kind of processing things and as it would get more real to me where I like question these things, I came to a point where I realized that the time is now and I'm fighting it Because it's not something, that it's a hard transition for most of us. So yeah, just kind of coming to a point of realizing that the Lord is showing me this and it is time to step out, and I'm kind of making excuses and finding all these reasons why I don't think the time is yet right, yeah, and isn't that the case with most things, probably, when we feel like this is what we need to do and we keep stalling because there's just certain things that hold us back.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's just the reframing, and it takes courage to take that leap because it is such a big step, right From the way that you knew life and it's all you ever known, to forging a new path.
Speaker 2:Right, and I've had this conversation with a close friend of mine and he's it's kind of like, you know, as when I was still a member of the Amish church. You know it didn't happen as much then as it's happening now, but you know, for as long as I remember there would be people that were leaving, and so the last number of years that I was still Amish, you know I would know people that left and I'd be. You know, sometimes it's like it's not a big surprise, not a big deal, didn't question it at all, and yet when it came to being myself, it was like, is this really okay? Like am I going to regret this? Because it is. It's a big step, and I don't know that it would necessarily be something where it's like you can't turn back from, but it feels that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a really good point.
Speaker 2:So as long as it was other people doing it, it was like, yep, makes sense, totally get it, don't, you know? Just supporting them. But when it actually came to being myself and making that decision, it was like, is this really okay? Am I going to regret this? But I would actually say it's probably been one of the hardest decisions that I've ever made and one of the best, and not because I don't regret growing up Amish. There's a lot of things that I value highly, and most of my family is still Amish, and I would consider them to be in a very good place spiritually for the most part, and they may continue to be Amish for the rest of their lives, or they may not. It's not really what matters.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, it's a journey and as you were transitioning or seeing those different questions that you said came up over the years. This is a gradual process. What were some of the things that felt like was just just couldn't handle anymore?
Speaker 2:That was sitting in church on a Sunday morning and hearing our ministers talk about rules and talk about the importance of staying Amish and talk about things like that rather than preaching the gospel.
Speaker 2:The more that I learned to know the truth, the more that actually made me sick, like just hearing people stuck in that religious bondage, and like it's not all of them, and that's why some of this stuff is so hard to describe, because, you know, in the Amish community today you have everything.
Speaker 2:I mean we're not to judge people, right, I don't know what's in someone's heart, but based on observations and based on seeing fruit from people's lives, I'm going to say there's people that are anywhere from born-again believers on fire for the Lord, just in a really good place spiritually, all the way to people that are really stuck in darkness and a lot of I don't even know what you call it just religious bondage.
Speaker 2:And again, I'm not here to judge people, but based on their fruit, they don't know the Lord, they'll read the Bible. They don't know the Lord, they'll read the Bible. They pick out the things that there becomes more of an emphasis on a traditional thing and on the way, a human thing or a religious thing maybe where we can almost make ourselves believe we're more righteous or a better person because we sacrifice, like we don't have this or we don't drive cars or we don't do this. And yeah, it's a very, it's such a broad topic. Yeah, yeah, it's a very, it's such a broad topic. There's such a variety of people within what is known today as the Amish church that it's really hard to even describe some of them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that was one of the things that really bothered you is just the consistent shoving of, essentially, rules and regulations versus to the Bible, or was there something else, too, that was stood out to you, that you felt like I just don't agree with this.
Speaker 2:I think that would be the main one I remember well. No, another version of that would be like I felt like I was being very restricted and not being able to be who God is calling me to be. I mean, I was in business, you know fairly young and you know even the things with like, just like the traveling to Nicaragua on the mission trips when I was still Amish. We flew, we flew down there and it wasn't something that I really got in trouble for. Nobody, really nobody, did anything about it. But it felt like you're kind of always looking over your shoulder and hoping that no one is going to complain to your ministers or something like that. So just the thing of like, having to almost like secretly not secretly, but I just didn't feel totally liberated to dawn these things, even the things of the prison ministry I don't know if you ever heard this or not, but that's actually traditionally very much discouraged in the culture. Why is that? There's no good explanation for it. I feel like I do have a bit of an understanding of why it is and I don't know if this will make sense to people or not, but I'll try to just briefly share.
Speaker 2:So, growing up in the Amish culture it's generally, it's very much emphasized that if you join the church it's wrong, if you leave, right.
Speaker 2:So there's this very strong teaching and belief around that and so if that's what you believe, then you almost have to believe that anything that would lead someone to leaving would be wrong.
Speaker 2:So, example I grew up, I joined the Amish church and now I'm starting to do prison ministry, I'm starting to do mission trips and my eyes are being opened to more things and in my mind I am, you know, seeing the truth, I'm finding freedom. But to someone that really believes that you can never leave if you join, then that becomes a thing of like okay, well, that must be the problem. You know, if he did this, I mean something as simple. I don't know if you've heard of this or not, but this is still a thing in the community today where a lot of churches won't really allow their members to have Bible studies. And it sounds bizarre. It's like how can a church like a Bible-based, a Bible-believing church, like how can you not allow your members to study the Bible? And again, it's because when people really start studying, really start understanding and come to a revelation of the truth, that sometimes will lead someone to choose to leave the church and so that gets looked at as that must be a problem, because they're leaving and leaving is wrong.
Speaker 1:Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, because essentially there is. From what I'm hearing is there's a restriction, that is, you know you want to upkeep in order to remain this way of life, and if you take that away and expose people to the truth, then their eyes will be open. They'll start to see things differently. Yeah yeah, that's really interesting. So at what point did you transition? How did you make that final leap?
Speaker 2:So I so, yeah, so during a lot of this time, you know, I was, I was a business owner and I would be hiring someone you know to to be my driver, go around, look at properties, all of that stuff Inconvenient and yet not totally inefficient because it allowed me to do other things when I was, you know, on the road and so forth me to do other things when I was, you know, on the road and so forth. But as I, as that journey kind of progressed, it became more and more obvious to me that there's this restriction, that I'm kind of being just squelched down by not being able to drive right. And so it happens not a ton, but it does happen a fair amount. In the Amish community, where people actually have their driver's license and people just don't know about it, you know, maybe they'll drive when they go out of the county or something like that, I had a friend that used to sometimes get a rental over the weekend and just drive the car over the weekend, over the weekend, and just drive the car over the weekend.
Speaker 2:So I got to a point where I realized that, look, I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I'm going to get my driver's license because I was just sick and tired of not being able to. I was so tired of not being able to do what I wanted to do and again it was about being who I felt like God was calling me to be. So I started that process, got my driver's license, started driving a bit. And then it was like this sucks, like I'm always like hoping no one would see me because I was driving some locally in town and stuff. So as I kind of went down that path, got my license, started driving some, it was like I need to figure out it's one way or another here. So I talked to the bishop in our church about it and that started the pretty quick transition of just making the decision that I'm not going to be a member anymore.
Speaker 1:Was he not in agreement with your transition or not in agreement with having a license and driving?
Speaker 2:My journey with that was probably quite a bit different and, I'm going to say, not as challenging as it is for many people because I had already had a little bit of these conversations with my bishop around some of the things, and he was also a man that had seen a lot in his life and he was more open. I wouldn't say he was supportive of someone choosing to step out, but he was more open to it, so that made the transition a lot easier for me. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to do, but just the fact that I felt the freedom to go and talk to him about it. I was very grateful for that. That's not something that most people would do based on who their leaders are, so he was really the first one that I went to and I said, hey, here's where I'm at, I'm still a member.
Speaker 2:I started driving and I'm not sure what to do and also I don't know if this will make sense to you or not, but every twice a year in the Amish church you have what would be known as kind of the term of.
Speaker 2:It would kind of be like council meeting, I guess, where they kind of go over all the rules and everything, and then the next time at church is when we have communion. And it was kind of this time where, like, if someone is, you know, about to step out, or if someone is not following the rules or something, they were forced to like not participate in communion. And so it was coming up to that time of the year and that's why it was like I'm going to go talk to him, it's like I'm okay with still coming to church, but like here's where I'm at and I'm like I'm not sure what to do. And he actually was very helpful and he I don't know if I would say he advised me to like step out, but he kind of gave me the clarity and kind of gave me the freedom to do that without actually saying it, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you weren't shunned for leaving then.
Speaker 2:Well, that's another broad thing. So, yeah, based on just how the system works, there's still, like this process that needs to happen. So officially I was, but it was done a bit differently than what it's been done for some people and the only way. The only reason that he did what he did is just because it's a process. It's like it's just part of this process which is kind of impossible to even describe.
Speaker 1:And what does that look like? The shunning part.
Speaker 2:It's another thing that's very different in different communities and all of that, but in general, if someone is excommunicated, if someone chooses to step out after being a member, one of the biggest things is you're not supposed to drive with them, you're not supposed to drive in their, you're not supposed to ride in their vehicle. Some of the more ridiculous ones, in my opinion, are I mean, I don't know if you've heard of this or not, but you're not supposed to eat with someone Like my parents to this day this is not the easiest thing to talk about but my parents to this day. If I go to their house for a meal, they will set up a second table that's like a couple inches away from their table and we'll sit there and have a meal together like a couple inches away from their table and we'll sit there and have a meal together. It's something that's taken very much out of context, out of the Bible, about not eating with sinners. I think it's in 1 Corinthians 5. I think I'm not sure. So that's a big one. That's actually a very broad cultural thing.
Speaker 2:And then another one that most people, or some people, wouldn't know about as much, and I have no idea where this comes from um. For me, as a person that has been you know, quote excommunicated, if I'm working alongside someone that is amish, I'm not supposed to hand them something like if I'd be working alongside someone, I'm not supposed to hand them something like if I'd be working alongside someone. I'm not supposed to hand them a tool. I'm supposed to set it down and then they can pick it up. It's totally absurd. I don't know where it comes from, um, and that is one of the rules that I would say that doesn't really get enforced, um as much. But yeah, those are some of the things that in general, the Amish, like the leaders, would tell their members when someone gets excommunicated, that these are the things you can't do. You can't drive with them, you can't eat at the same table, you know all of that stuff.
Speaker 1:It's hard to understand. Was that pretty painful for you to know that you can no longer participate at the dinner table with your family?
Speaker 2:So the most difficult thing for me, and still today, is just seeing that they are being restricted by those rules. So the traditional method of shunning and I have some friends that this would be a reality for them where they're not even invited to family functions, they're not invited to a family Christmas dinner, they're like very, very much shunned by the, I guess the meaning of the word. I never experienced that and I'm very grateful for that. I was always invited to family gatherings and all of my siblings actually are very supportive of me. It would only be my parents that have taken a more traditional approach to not driving with me and not eating at the same table and some of those things. So, yes, very difficult, but the most difficult thing is just wishing that they could be released from that bondage or that belief, because I know it's not something that they really want to do.
Speaker 1:They just believe that they have to do it and that's the hardest thing In order not to be punished by their church, right, yeah, or?
Speaker 2:even in order to have a clear conscience where it's like you. Just you know you're not allowed to do these things and, yeah, that's the hardest thing for me. I would just want to see them released from that false belief. Yeah, wow, but I am very grateful for the relationship that I do have with them, because I think you would agree if someone invites you into their home, cooks a meal for you, sits down even if the table is three inches away. That's not how you shun someone, you know. That's not, you know.
Speaker 1:Yeah, essentially you are invited back, but they're saying, hey, we still have to follow by these rules, and this is what we're doing in order to make that distinction.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, and so you are in real estate right now. You're a real estate investor and you also have a community that you teach on entrepreneurship and real estate. I'd love for you to get into what Jake Beiler's up to now and what your life looks like Things that are lighting you up. These days, I'm incredibly selective about the supplements I choose for me and my family, and Soursop Nutrition Gummies by BeMe Beyond Medicine have become a family favorite. Not only are they packed with incredible benefits, but they're so delicious that everyone in my family enjoys them. Introducing Soursop Cell Plus Immunity Gummies the first ever physician-backed Soursop supplements in the US, expertly formulated with Soursop, elderberry and echinacea, designed to enhance your well-being, experience the benefits of soothing inflammation, balancing blood sugars, relieving stress and anxiety and strengthening your immune system. Use my code, svetka, that's S-V-E-T-K-A on Soursupnutritioncom and get 5% off today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I get really excited talking about this. So here we go.
Speaker 1:You're like, this is the fun part.
Speaker 2:No, I mean, I love talking about you know, the Amish stuff too, but real estate is something that's been a passion of mine. So somebody gets me started talking about this, but I can go for a while. And so somebody gets me started talking about this, but I can go for a while. So I bought my first rental property. I think it's actually about 18 years ago now and that was when I was still working a full-time job but transitioned out of that a couple years later and started buying some rental properties, buying flip properties, what would be commonly known as flipping properties buying a rundown property, fixing it up, selling it. So I did that for a number of years on a fairly small scale. I had one employee for a while, but I did a portfolio of rental properties, not so much flipping anymore, more focused on, like the passive income, own, a couple of short term rentals, more commonly known as Airbnbs.
Speaker 2:And the meeting or the teaching thing that you referred to, that's a monthly meetup, monthly meeting that I host. We generally get speakers in on a broad range of topics. That's a group that I became a part of, actually was part of, when the group started up, probably 12 years ago, and then about six, seven years ago I started leading the group, kind of being the host of the group, and it's a great community of people Varies quite a bit, but 100 to 150 people at a meeting, just people coming to learn and to network, and so it's something that's been very rewarding. It's a lot of work. It's a lot of work always finding speakers, managing all of that, but it's been really fun.
Speaker 2:And then the newest thing for me in the realm of investing was getting my real estate license. So around the middle of last year I got my license, and so now I get more excited about helping young guys buy their first investment property, helping people, you know, buy their home, sell their home. To me that's the newest and most exciting thing. I certainly haven't, I certainly don't know at all, but I have learned a lot the last 15 plus years, and to be able to help other people with what I have learned and to help other people, you know, hopefully on a journey of, you know, financial freedom, which is what it did for me, that gets me excited.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're really passionate about financial freedom I am, and helping people. Yeah, I can just see you're just like you lit up when you were saying that You're so excited about it and in that monthly meeting. So it's almost like a mastermind right For a real estate entrepreneurship. Is it open to the public? Is there a membership fee? How does that work?
Speaker 2:So it is an open group. Anyone can come. There's a lot of these groups around actually, we're probably one of the larger ones but there's a. There's a lot of these groups around actually, we're probably one of the larger ones but there's a number of these groups around. Usually they're on meetupcom. We've just not chosen to do that.
Speaker 2:The idea behind the group when it started was just to provide education for the community, not strictly for the paying community, but that's kind of where the need was seen. People just were, you know, were going out and buying stuff that didn't make sense and they were paying way too much. So that's kind of how the meeting started. It has progressed more into what I would call a higher value networking and a bit of well, I mean for me personally since I started hosting the meeting and getting the speakers. I do enjoy having some very practical teaching how to, but what I believe is actually more important is things like personal development and things like you know not only how to do this, but why do you want to do this and kind of the bigger why behind that. So that's what I get really excited about. The how-to is actually pretty easy. You can read tons of books, tons of podcasts. The how-to is really not that hard, but just getting around a group of growth-oriented people looking to get out and solve problems whether that's in the real estate world or whatever that's really a lot of the content that we have at our meeting now.
Speaker 2:Just for example, in the last year or two, probably one of the most off-topic speakers that we had that had nothing to do with real estate was a judge by the name of Jeffrey Conrad from the Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas, and the reason that I invited, or the reason that I went after him to see if he would speak, is because I had gotten to know him through a mutual friend and I was just so blown away.
Speaker 2:This guy is a very strong Christian man. Like I said, he works as a judge in the Lancaster County Courthouse, gets into some crazy situations and relies really heavily on the Lord to provide wisdom in some of those decisions he has to make. So one of my main reasons for wanting to invite someone like that in was just because how much it had impacted me and I felt like it would be helpful for the community to hear someone like that. And then, yeah, just a very broad range. Usually it has something to do with real estate or business in some way. To do with real estate or business in some way. But we've come, we have moved away from the very specific like how to buy your first rental or how to flip a house more, and kind of gotten into the more of a broader range of teaching and inspiration.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so a lot of people from the Amish community attend these meetings. Is that correct? Yeah, I would say probably over half.
Speaker 2:It might even be 70% from the Plain community, but it's very open for whoever wants to come. It's a free meeting. Nobody makes any money off of it. We have sponsors that pay for our rentals at Shady Maple and myself and a few others that help to organize it. It's just volunteer labor. We just do it because we love serving the community.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's your way to give back.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's also. This is not why I started doing it, but I have seen that it has helped me to grow as a person, helped me to grow as a public speaker. I mean, it still freaks me out every time, but I have gotten more comfortable with you know, because every time I'm opening the meeting, I'm introducing the speaker, sometimes hosting a panel discussion. So I still have a ways to go, but I'm better than I used to be, and even just the thing of forcing me to make connections, to find speakers, to find speakers, so I feel like it has benefited me in ways that I wouldn't have even known that it would, just as I seek to serve the community and I mean, I love getting into a room like that as well, so it's just fun to be a part of it.
Speaker 1:What I find significant about your story is earlier you said that one of your fears of not leaving was that you didn't want to lose your influence and the impact that you had on your community. Yet now that you left, you're making a greater impact by continuing to sow back into that community, educating them, equipping them, and you're doing that voluntarily. You're not getting paid for it, which is so mind-blowing from a business perspective right, because it's not something that you're financially benefiting off. You're doing it as a way to to love and serve your community, which is so beautiful yeah now, thank you for that, and you brought up a good point there.
Speaker 2:That I'm glad you did, because it just reminded me of something Right around the time that I was making the transition out of the Amish church is when I was being asked to actually lead this group and I was hesitant. So I approached a couple of close friends that attend the meeting that are Amish and I said, hey, here's where I'm at, here's the transition that I'm making. I feel like maybe it would be a better time for me to just kind of step back into the shadows and not be the face of the meeting, right, and I talked to two or three people and they both, they all encouraged me to go for it and it's been so interesting. I've told many people this and, like I mentioned earlier, there was a time when I was still Amish that I was hesitant to step out because I was afraid I would lose my influence that had kind of been entrusted to me. Well, the opposite is actually what happened.
Speaker 2:I don't know that I can explain it. I think I might kind of know how this works, but what I do know for sure is that my influence actually grew since I chose to step out the best way that I could describe it, and I don't know if this is true or not. I think it allowed me to just become more authentic and be who I'm called to be Again. Not that I'm perfect in any way, but it did allow me to kind of break out of something and experience a level of freedom that I hadn't before, and I think people are drawn to that. That's the best way that I could describe it.
Speaker 1:That's the best way that I could describe it. I love your story, jake it's just so beautiful, and how you gradually came to your authenticity, and thank you so much for sharing your story. We're going to wrap up the interview with the last few questions of what is the bravest thing that Jake's ever done so this is going to sound way too scripted.
Speaker 2:What is the bravest thing that Jake's ever done?
Speaker 2:So this is going to sound way too scripted, but I would have to say just choosing to leave the Amish and step out of the community. I mean, there's other things that you know probably could also fit the category. But yeah, it's a big deal, you know, and not even as I would say. I'm not going to say it was easier, I'm going to say it was less difficult for me than probably for many people, people that do it as a family, so forth. You know much more dynamics, so I would say it wasn't as traumatic for me as it has been for many people, but it's still. It's a big deal, it's a big transition and it took some courage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what is the best advice that someone gave you?
Speaker 2:The best advice. So I don't know that I could peg it down to specific advice, but I would have to point back to when I was. I think I was 28 years old when I chose to quit my full-time job and step out into the world of investing and flipping houses. Again, I'm not sure what the specific advice was that I was getting over that time, but I know there was many people that thought I'm crazy. You know this would have been was it 2008? Getting over that time? But I know there was many people that thought I'm crazy. You know this would have been. Was it 2008?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to do some quick math here, but it was at a time where people questioned, like I know some people doubted what I was doing, had a steady job making you know what would have been known as decent money and but yeah, that was a big like. That's something that I look back to and I know it's not for everyone. You know some people choose to be employees for their whole career and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It's just not what I was designed to do. So taking that step of starting a business and investing is something that I'm very grateful for.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and what are two to three books that impacted your life that were pretty pivotal? There's so many and every time someone asks this question we tend to think more of the recent books that we've read or something like that. So there could be a whole long list If I had to pick just a few. I mean, obviously the Bible has to be at the top of the list. There's just something I'm actually getting so much, I'm having so much fun reading through the Bible this year in a chronological Bible, so that has to be at the top of the list.
Speaker 2:Probably one of my top books on just like personal development, daily disciplines, those type of things are a book called the Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. Absolutely everyone should read it. It's just an amazing book. And then another one, be more on the spiritual side of things, if you will. It's a thin book, it's a quick read. It's called Holy Moments, I think. It's by Matthew Kelly. A very, very quick read and very impactful book. Talks a lot about just how we interact with people on a daily basis and things like that. It's a really good read.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Is there anything that you'd like to add that I haven't asked you? Perhaps, or anything you'd like to share that we haven't touched on yet?
Speaker 2:So just kind of going back to our conversation about how things are in the Amish community, and we didn't talk about this a lot specifically, but there's generally just a lot of control and to some degree, you know, suppression in a religious circle like that. And so one of the things that I found quite interesting was, you know, four years ago, whenever it was we went through COVID, you know, four years ago, whenever it was we went through COVID, it dawned on me that the government is using the exact same thing to control people. That generally happens in a religious setting. And I mean, this is my perspective. You know, maybe I'm wrong on this, but it's two things and it's pretty powerful, powerful. So if you want to control people, you can be very effective in controlling them by instilling fear into them and by either giving them a lack of information or the wrong information. And again, this is kind of a blanket statement, this is not true for every church district, it's not true across the board, but generally that system is held together by instilling fear into people, and that could be fear of losing community, fear of being excommunicated, fear of going to hell, quite frankly.
Speaker 2:And the lack of information or the wrong information is just, you know, I mean here's kind of a quick side note but I had a conversation with a young Amish guy not too long ago where he's gone through you know the same thing that I went through seven, eight years ago, and he had went on a mission trip and his ministers were coming to see him and talk to him about this, because this is not something he was supposed to do. And they told him that we are supposed to let our lights shine and not make our lights shine. And the only way you can come up with that is by having a pre-existing belief about something and then form-fitting it to something that you're finding in Scripture. That's the only way you come up with that. So in their minds it's like, yes, we're supposed to let our lights shine, because that's what the Bible says, but we're not supposed to make our lights shine and go other places to do it. And again, I don't get upset at those people. It's the religious spirit, it's just, it is what it is.
Speaker 2:Um, but back to where I was going with that about. You know, through covid in my mind, the government did the exact same thing with getting people to do what they did instilling fear into people and either giving them a lack of information or just the wrong information, and it was very effective for a while. Yeah, so I think that's the only other thing. I don't think I have anything else.
Speaker 1:Well, jake, thank you so much for your time and for having the courage to share your story. I know this is going to inspire people wherever they're listening to, so thank you. It's been an honor to hear it. It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks so much. Thank you for listening to the Once we Dare podcast. It is an honor to share these encouraging stories with you. If you enjoy the show, I would love for you to tell your friends. Leave us a reviewer rating and subscribe to wherever you listen to podcasts, because this helps others discover the show. You can find me on my website, svekapapacom.