It was a gradual shifting. Somewhere during our time in the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest, surrounded by pine trees, dry dirt and
Jean and Howard Schmitt woke up to a routine morning on Sept. 15, 2011, in Plain City, Ohio. “Howard and I got up at the usual time, ate breakfast and did the online jigsaw puzzle, as was our custom,” Jean says. Then Howard, 77, went to the basement to finish his sermon for Sunday. Howard, a longtime pastor, was serving as part-time pastor at South Union Mennonite Church in West Liberty, Ohio. The year before he had celebrated 50 years in ministry …