Last Day in West Virginia

Hello from the Mission Team!

We were planning on finishing some last projects for the Center this morning, but it was raining pretty hard, so it never got done.  Instead, we had a closing devotional session with communion.  We were talking about where we found Jesus this week.  Someone said, "where didn't we find Jesus?"

 Matthew has one of my favorite passages, where Jesus comes to separate the sheep from the goats.  He lets the sheep into their reward, saying, "I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink...."  And the sheep ask, "when did we feed you when you were hungry?"  Jesus says, "what you have done to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done to me."

Since we are still in the Easter season, I've also been thinking of the Road to Emmaus story, where Jesus is made know to the disciples in the breaking of the bread.

Truly, during this mission trip, our eyes have been opened to Jesus, in the poorest, most vulnerable people as well as the folks who serve these people.  They often serve them on a shoestring budget, with little to no resources.  They have no idea how they will continue their vision and the future often looks shaky to them.  Yet in the midst of all of this, they do amazing ministry.  Saint Francis once said, "first do what is necessary, then do what is possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible."  This seems to be what is happening in West Virginia.

We found time today to visit a coal mining museum in Beckley and learned about the hard conditions miners had to deal with.  The tour included a trip down a mine shaft to see how mining was done and the conditions they found themselves in.  It is amazing how low the owners of the mines stooped to put miners in debt, turning them into virtual slave labor.  This is the history of West Virginia in a nutshell.  We had the pleasure of finding a docent working there who lived in Bedford for 12 years - talk about a small world.

We are now on the road, coming home in various ways.  Rick took off this evening so he could be with his son, Jacob for an Eagle Scout project this weekend.  Terry is spending time with her sister in Charlotte, NC to find some family history sites.  Allyson, Chris and I have made it to Chambersburg, PA, through a couple of torrential downpours on our way.  Keep praying for travel mercies!

We are leaving tomorrow morning, with hopes of being back mid to late afternoon.  We miss you all and can't wait to see you with stories and more.

Peace to you all.

Pastor John

Day 4 - Our Hearts Are Broken

Hello from Pipestem, everyone.  I think Rick's blog really says it all about today.  I'd like to add a few pictures to let you see what he wrote about.

We started our day doing a few jobs before heading out to Bluefield.  Here is a picture of the library log cabin finished.

As Rick said, the trip over to Bluefield started at the Open Heart Ministries homeless shelter dining area.  We had lunch there: three of us had the Thursday Special: a taco salad, advertised "no other taco salad is this good and plentiful," and so it was!

The Open Heart Ministries showed us some of the houses they were working on as well as some they completed,  Unfortunately,  the houses they are given are in horrible shape: the places nobody wants, so they have to work with what they've got.  That's the story with so many folks working with the poor down here, they are not given many resources to do their work and constantly have to deal with substandard materials.

Here is a place they worked on with a group of young volunteers.  They completely transformed this house of a poor retired veteran with a long history of health problems.  Now he does not have to live in totally run down mobile home.

 

The Wade Center was an incredible experience.  Our hearts were truly broken, as you can tell from Rick's blog. You can see how beautiful these kids are, despite the overwhelming problems they face. We were amazed to see one of key Bible verses on the wall of one of the Wade Center's hall.  It was painted by a mission team.  They have facilities to house a large amount of mission teams that can both work in the Center as well as going out to help the poor in the Bluefield community.

We got back, emotionally drained yet grateful for the experience.  We ended the evening around a campfire, with the requisite s'mores.  

Tomorrow we will finish a few minor projects early, then head over to Beckley, WV to see a Coal Mining Museum.  Terry and Rick will head to Charlotte, NC to fly back.  Allyson, Chris and John are heading via our trusty minivan to Pennsylvania, staying overnight, then heading home on Saturday.

We miss you all and are looking to being back with you.  We feel your prayers and we pray for you, too.  We can't wait to tell more stories, with lots of pictures and a few videos.

Peace to you all!

John

Bluefield

...I could feel it coming on as we moved closer and closer to the center of Bluefield.

It was if the despair was hanging in the air like a mist.  Everywhere you looked, buildings were either shuttered, houses were in significant disrepair, folks just loitering around as if they were just looking for somewhere to go.  Bluefield was a town entirely based upon the coal economy.  They were built from the ground up as a rail hub, and the good days had long since passed away from this place.

Our first stop was the Open Heart Homeless Haven Cafe.  We met Paula, who greeted us with a big smile, and thanked Jesus for sending us to her place.  This was a woman of deep faith who was taking on that despair head on.  Our friends Laura and Greg from the Appalachian South Folklife Center had created a working partnership with these folks to help combat inner city homelessness, and we were about to get a taste of it up close and personal.  

One of the young men that worked for Paula drove us over to a house that they had recently purchased for the foundation.  It didn't look to bad on the outside, but when you walked through the front door, and wandered around the first floor, an overwhelming sadness hit me square in the chest.  I just simply couldn't imagine people living in this place.  But as Greg told us "for homeless people, it's a roof over their head".

The main floor was rundown, but nothing compared to the basement, which was our next stop.  As we stumbled down the dark stairs, my head was starting to spin.  There was a room on the right that was just filled with junk.  It was dark, and smelled like urine.

As we moved forward, there was a room that looked like it used to be a bathroom, but it would need to be completely gutted.  To the left, there were two more small rooms that Greg told us would be converted to bedrooms.  New flooring would need to be laid down and painted.  Walls would have to be repaired and painted.  Windows and doors would have to be replaced.  Truly a complete rehab would be necessary to make this place habitable.  But if I learned anything this week - Greg can do it.  He is a dedicated, committed guy.  We saw another house after that, but it was too run down to become much of anything besides a storage unit.

After a wonderful lunch back at the Open Heart Cafe, we went to our next stop, The Wade Center.  This remarkable mission provides after school services for at risk children.  We got a wonderful tour of the place by the principal "Miss Page".  She was wonderful, and clearly a sharp lady.  And then, the moment we had been waiting for - the children.  We rolled into the cafeteria, and were immediately swarmed by the most beautiful children.  They were like little angels.  "What's your favorite basketball team?  Where do you come from?  Do you have any kids?  Why are you here?"  I showed them a bunch of pictures of my family and they especially liked the pictures of the awesome fish tank my man Jacob and I built together.

The hardest part was learning some of the stories about the children, and the broken homes many of them came from.  I met Lexi, Trayvon and Elijah.  Their mom and dad had recently passed away (don't want to know how), and these 3 little babies were now living with grandma.  My other buddy, Emory, he let us know his dad was in prison for stabbing a police officer.  It was just one story after another.

In the car on the way home, I was pretty quiet.  I had worked my muscles into an unbelievable state of fatigue the first 3 days, but this day hit me harder than the 3 other days combined.

There is so much work to do here.  I can't allow the despair to overwhelm me.  I am strong, and God will help me, our mission team, and our congregation make a difference in the lives of these people. This, is what we were meant to do!

Tonight, for sure, I'll be praying...

Lord, let me be an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, let me sow pardon

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy....

This will probably be my last blog post. We've got a half day tomorrow, then Terry and I head back to the North Carolina. I'll catch a flight home so I can join in on the last half of Jacob's Eagle Scout project over the weekend. This year's mission trip has been a privilege and an unbelievable learning experience. I'm already looking forward to the next one. Thanks everyone.

Over the Hump

Hello from the Mission Team!

Wednesdays on Mission Trips are hard.  The initial excitement is over, and our backs and legs get really sore.  We are tired, but well.  The good thing was this was a day of accomplishments.

Allyson and Chris completed more doors and window trims around the buildings.  Chris even got to use power saws and drills to totally redo a sill that had completely rotted.

Here is the before/after shots of the main dining hall door that Allyson restored.  Pretty impressive, huh?

Rick and John finished staining the log cabin library and earned a well-deserved rest on the front  porch.

Chris, Allyson and John also finished painting a cinder block wall in front of the dining room.

Terry contiinues to be our chef extraordinaire, and then go off to the Wade Center, where kids run and greet her with hugs.  She comes back exhausted but grateful for being with these children.  They kept asking her if her friends were coming tomorrow and she kept assuring them we would.  We are due there for dinner time.  

A couple days ago, the director, Laura, mentioned that she wanted to get marigolds in front of the cinder block wall.  Apparently, they repel snakes (we are going all out to keep poisonous snakes away), plus they would make things look nice.  John picked up the marigolds yesterday and we finally got a truckful of topsoil to create a decent flower bed.  Rick and John spent the afternoon shoveling the dirt out, spreading it and planting the marigolds.  Things definitely are looking better.

Throughout the past days, we've had many conversations with Greg, the project manager here.  Greg must be in his forties and has a 10-year-old grandson.  He lives nearby in Bluefield, but when he is leading a project, he lives in a small shed-like building on the grounds.

Greg has been here for 4 years and is committed to the vision of this place.  He is totally energized when he works with youth.  He showed me a package of letters he got from one youth group thanking him and telling his what he meant to them.  He has many t-shirts from these groups with kids writing and signatures, which he treasures.  He told me that having this job means that he remains unemployed for 5 months out of the year, but the work, particularly with youth is so meaningful to him, he feels its worth the sacrifice in pay.  I cannot imagine a more Christ-like vocation.  He is a real inspiration.  Greg has long conversations and talks a lot to us.  At times, I feel as if I want to just walk away and get back to work.  But talking and listening to Greg is a big part of why we are here, and once I relax and listen, I feel blessed.

Today's scripture was Romans 12:1-2.  Paul writes that considering God's mercies, we should present our bodies as living sacrifices to God.  That seems just right.  Our bodies are feeling the aches and pains of sacrifice.  We gave up time and money to serve here.  We are offering ourselves to serve in any way needed.  We are putting muscle and grit and concentration in our work.  

Paul then tells us that we should not be conformed to the world, but be trasnformed by the renewing of our minds, that we might know the perfect will of God.  This is a call to be counter-cultural.  In a world that tells you to acquire, that celebrates greed even as it decries it, the whole notion of sacrificing goes against the tide.  But in the sacrifice, our hearts and minds are being transformed, renewed, we are finding God's will.  It may not be transparent as we are busy doing our duty, but somehow, the Spirit is working within us.  Mission does transform lives.

We look forward to tomorrow, where we will be meeting people in local communities who have been helped by the Folklife Center, as well as a homeless shelter that is being co-sponsored by the Center.  We then go to the Wade Center with Terry and meet all the kids she has been telling us about.  It should be an incredible day!

Thanks so much for all your prayers.  We send love and prayers to all of you.  Now it is time for bed.

Pastor John

The Second Day

Blessing to all our friends and family in Bedford!

Another day has come and gone, and we are doing fine.  Work continues on the log cabin library: we're trying to get the whole thing stained before any rain comes.  Here's a couple before/after shots:

In addition to staining the library, we were busy painting around the area:  here are Chris and Allyson doing a great job on painting doors.

Terry continues to do great work at the Wade Center.  She came back with heartbreaking stories of these kids lives.  Stories of parents in jail, addicted, abandoning them to grandparents.  They are wonderful children, some full of promise and potential, if they can only get a chance to make it in this world.  Here are a few photos that Terry took of the Wade Center:

The scripture passage we were focusing on today was the story of the good Samaritan.  It's a story that brings up lots of questions and comments on a mission trip.  I am continually impressed by how deep this group goes, asking all the right questions, struggling with the important issues.  We have been happy to serve the Folklife Center, but we are now yearning to encounter the people in this area.  The story of the good Samaritan, among other things, is a story of the importance of opening yourself to the wounds of the world, to be vulnerable enough to be involved with other people's pain, particularly the struggles of people you do not even know, people totally different from yourself.  Terry has definitely done this, as she works with the kids at the Wade Center.  Since we will be joining her on Thursday and cooking dinner for them, we will be able to share in that experience.
Laura, the center director, has promised to take us to the poorest parts of the county to encounter the people who are in the deepest need, and we are looking forward to doing this.

Of course, when you open yourself up to this experience, questions and thoughts swirl through your head.  You wonder how to process it all, and how you will go about living your life with this kind of encounter.  We are putting our trust in the Spirit to guide us through all of these struggles, and to trust that it will lead us to places and situations where we can respond with faith.

There are also many pleasures coming down here.  A local music professor, who specializes in Appalachian music came with a friend and explained the history of this music: how African music mixed with English, Scottish, French and Spanish music and went in so many directions.  He did this by explaining the evolution of the banjo, from an African instrument, to one played in the parlors of the wealthy and minstrel shows, going back to England and Scotland, and changing every time it went along.  He brought about 8 different banjos and played each one, and showed how the instrument itself evolved.  Here's a video of one of his songs.

We also had a trip to an absolutely gorgeous waterfall, not too far from here.  Yet another reminder of how stunningly beautiful this state is.

Now, after a delicious dinner cooked by Terry, with her sous chef Allyson and some deep and wonderful evening devotions, it is now time for sleep, so we are ready for the next day.

You all have been in our prayers from the start.  Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this amazing experience.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters

We lead such chaotic, over scheduled lives.  All of us.  Sometimes I feel like my head gets filled up with so much noise from all the activity and concerns of daily life that I can't think straight.  I go to church on Sunday's, and it absolutely fills my spiritual gas tank, but sure enough, Monday morning comes along, the alarm goes off, my feet hit the floor, and the race of the week starts all over again. That spiritual gas tank moves to empty way too fast.

Coming to West Virginia has allowed me to step off the treadmill of daily life, take a break from my self, and let God's will work it's magic on me.

And today was a truly magical day.  I fixed a concrete wall.  I moved a giant pile of rocks (again).  I stained the porch of our log cabin, John and I knocked off staining another complete wall on the cabin (only 1 left).  I spent about 20" sitting on the front stoop talking to Greg, the on-site fix-it guy, and learned all about his family, and how this Christmas, he was agonizing over buying a $5 toy for his son.  I listened, and I offered the only thing I could muster - words of encouragement.  John and I spent 20" talking to Laura about marketing strategies to bring in new visitors.  And then this evening - before another amazing dinner served to us by our super chef Terry - we were treated to an absolutely fascinating lesson by a local music professor about the history of the banjo.

But my favorite part of the day came around midday.  I had just finished staining the deck, and I sat down in what has now become "my" rocking chair, in the middle of this enormous field of grass, with the wind whispering through the pine trees behind me, butterflies flying across the meadow, bees buzzing around my head - and I just stopped.  I let the warm breezes just wash over me, and I felt the presence of God in this place.  I could feel all of my troubles washing away.

And right about that time, in the background, I heard my iPhone playing Simon and Garfunkel - Like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters.  And that's when it hit me.  Mission work to me is like a Bridge Over Troubled Waters.  It's God, working his awesomeness in my life, opening up his arms and saying cross over the bridge of your everyday life.  Come work with me for a while, and I will bring you peace.  And has he ever.  I feel totally at peace here.

The day is nearly over, and my back is sore from the work, but I will sleep soundly tonight, and I'm already looking forward to what tomorrow holds.  I know my father has some great things in store for me.

Peace be with all of you back home.

The Law of Unintended Consequences

Whenever I have heard people talk about the "Law of unintended consequences", I've always interpreted it as a negative thing.  You say something out loud, not knowing that the person you were speaking about was right behind you.  Their feelings are hurt, and they never speak to you again.  Sometimes, we are just not able to see the possible outcomes of the things we do.

However, I've already spotted a trend in our mission work that leads me to believe that there is a positive flip side to this concept.  And for God, it's not the law of unintended consequences, it's called his master plan, and we just can't see it.

Last year, we encountered a group of local contractors who assisted us on the housing restoration project.  They were all greatful that we were there, but there was one person who was clearly most struck by our service, and truly amazed that we would give up our vacation time to come down to West Virginia to help people we don't even know.  I remember his name as Tyler.  It could have been something else, but I for sure won't forget the look in his eyes as he watched a high school kid, an 87 year old dynamo of a woman, and the rest of our amazing team dive into a nasty cleanup job with total zeal.  We could have never imagined encountering Tyler when we started on our Mission Trip.  But,  I like to think that in some small way, we changed his outlook on life.  I like to think that God sent us down there, with some hidden intent that we could never have possibly anticipated to help that young man turn a corner in his life.

I believe that we have encountered the same thing again, here in Pipestem.  The Appalachian South Folklife Center hired a new Director this year.  Her name is Laura.  She has only been on the job since February, and is working really hard to establish herself and build her credibility.  As an outsider coming into a world that is somewhat insular, this is no easy task.

And then - in comes the First Church Mission Crew.  Pastor John, Chris and Allyson started the chain reaction by showing Laura all of the incredible gifts that our congregation generously donated.  I wasn't there to see it, but John described it as a look of "awe" on her face, especially when he handed her a check for $1,000 plus all of the Lowes gift cards.  It was as if a gift from God just floated down from heaven and landed in her lap.  Then today, we all jumped right in to help apply wood preservative stain to a much beloved building here on the property, followed by a crazy job to remove rocks from under a deck so no Copperhead snakes would congregate in that area and threaten the children that visit the center.  Again, we never anticipated this confluence of events and how they would impact Laura, but after one single day, you can already see the level of hope and optimism in her eyes lighting up.

We call it the law of unintended consequences.....
But for God, it's the law of intended consequences, and we are fulfilling his plan through our mission work.  How blessed are we?

First Day of Work

Hello to everyone from Pipestem!  We had a great first day on the Mission Trip.  The day begins with a magnificent sunrise over the mountains (above).  Credit goes to Allyson for this amazing picture.


While we were awaiting for Terry and Rick (and breakfast) to arrive, we took a walk up the road to the entrance, past goats and dogs.  The lady up the street is the head of the local ASPCA and has quite a few in her yard, all ready to bark at any potential intruder.  Here we are in front of the welcome sign.

At last, Terry and Rick came, packed with lots of great food and hugs and stories.  After a hearty breakfast, we were ready for our first task.  Laura, the director of the Folklife Center asked us what we wanted to do, and we told her that we were here to do anything they wanted us to do - we are ready to serve.  Her project was actually on the grounds of the Center - a library that is actually a log cabin, made in the traditional way needs some serious restoration.

Since the center acts as a resource for the whole county, lots of people in the area use this place.  Kids come regularly for camp experiences.  There are many programs. The library serves as a landmark on the property, the first thing you see when you arrive.  It is a place where people can get some peace and quiet in the midst of activities going on.  It serves as a counseling area, too.  This preservation project will give this place another 30 years of use.

The logs were never stained or treated when it was built, so they were in pretty poor shape, greying with the weather and full of holes and notches dug by insects over the years.  We started out staining the cabin, got two and a half sides done and then ran out of stain.  We used up 5 gallons - the wood was definitely "thirsty" for it.  Most of all, we finished without falling off of ladders or getting stung by the wasps flying all around it.

It now looks great.  The project manager got more stain at Lowes and we will be back to work, finishing things tomorrow.  She said she chose us because she could not do the project with young people, as the stain was oil based and potentially hazardous to young people, not to mention the ladders!  Looks like we came here at a perfect time.

The afternoon brought another project.  The director explained that the rocks underneath a deck by the kitchen is a habitat for mice, which attracts snakes, particularly copperheads.  The plan was to remove the rocks and put cedar mulch down, which snakes don't like.  Definitely a project you don't want to give to a group with kids.  Since the Center serves many children, they are working hard on keeping poisonous snakes out.  Good idea!

After a hard afternoon of work, we treated ourselves to ice cream at the local Dairy Queen, and found a statue of John Henry (of folklore fame) nearby.

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Terry just came back from the Wade Center, an after-school program for underprivileged children in a nearby town.  She was thrown right into the fire - one teacher was out and she was the substitute.  She had a group of second and third graders.  She is clearly exhausted, but is now sitting down and slicing strawberries - what a trouper!  She is totally grateful that they all seemed to have a good time and nobody got hurt.  A true success.  They were amazed that she would be back tomorrow, and I suspect they are looking forward to seeing her again.

All through the day, we were in conversation with Laura, the director about our mission and vision and heard from her about Appalachia, where it's at, what it needs and what kind of vision can help 

West Virginia rise out of the poverty, both physically and spiritually.  We talked about the original vision of its founder, who was an amazing Pastor who clearly saw that changing Appalachia means first transforming the hearts and minds of the people.  To give them a sense of dignity and value.  To show them that things don't have to be that way, to give them hope.

I talked a lot during this Easter about the resurrection of hope.  Mary's hope was resurrected at the tomb, as she saw her risen master before her.  The disciples hope were resurrected on the road to Emmaus, transforming them from the gloom and despair that came from the crucifixion to the boldness and commitment when the realized the resurrected Jesus was in their midst.

Appalachia needs a resurrection of hope, and this happens person by person, just like in the gospels.  We give hope to individuals and believe this will spread.

Made It to Pipestem!

Our second day of travel took us from Carlisle, PA, through Maryland and Virginia on highway 81.  We then got on I-64 west through the mountains and into West Virginia.  Once off the highway, we went through the twisting, winding roads that are so typical in WV.  Hairpin turns going up steep mountains, looking down at steep drops. There was also the immense beauty of WV.  We rode along the New River and got amazing scenic views.

The minivan pulled into the Appalachian South Folklife Center at about 5:30 and we met Laura Lavernia, the new director of the Center.  She gave us a tour of the center - a beautiful setting, with dorms, kitchen/dining room, library, chapel, tool shed, etc.

She talked briefly about the history of the center.  It was started by a Universalist Pastor, who had a vision of starting a center that would lift up the culture and spirit of the people of the area: their heritage, their pride, etc.  He was a very vocal advocate for coal miners and workers rights.  I'll let you know more about him in a future blog.

We've heard from Terry and Rick, who made it to Charlotte via plane and will be heading out to join us tomorrow morning.  Our major task will be renovating a libary on the grounds of the center.  It is a small log cabin that serves  many purposes.  It needs a lot of restoration.  There's other jobs, projects, etc. that Laura envisions, including a tour of the area to see what life is like for the poorest in the area.

Laura was absolutely overwhelmed by our church's generosity.  There were tears in her eyes when I told her about the $2,000 in Lowes Gift cards that I gave her, along with the $1,000  check from the Outreach Board.  She then saw all the mission bucket stuff we brought and could not stop expressing her gratitude.

I already have a great feeling about this place: its origin, its mission and vision seem to be a great fit for our church.  I am hoping we can start a long-standing relationship with this organization.

After a delicious gumbo dinner that Allyson made, we are now ready for bed, looking forward to our first day at work.

I hear that worship went really well, and you heard a great message from Kate about the resurrection of a local river down here.  Thanks so much for your prayers!  Keep them coming, and we'll keep you posted about what's happening down here.

John