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| Sunrise at the Folklife Center |
Today was a long but good and productive workday. Here are some reflections from a couple people from the team.
Deb and I finished painting the side of the trailer early in the day. Our next job was to walk up the road and start painting the next house. Estill's extended family has lived in this hollow for several generations. We were a little apprehensive as we walked up the road with many dogs barking and lots of "junk" in the yard - the usual non-working cars, appliances, old tires, etc. After the dogs stopped barking (just spray the hose at them!) we had a great discussion with Steve and Lynn, Estill's aunt and uncle. We weren't sure how much we were going to accomplish today but completed much more than we expected. Mostly thanks to Deb's willingness to do the high ladder painting!
Something that occurred to me today is that I finally understand why people have yards full of what I perceive to be "junk." I've always assumed that they didn't know any better, were lazy, uneducated etc. But now I finally get it. If you have nothing, then you do not throw anything away. You keep it until you can find a good use for it, or some part of it. Estill lives with no running water but has a cistern for collecting rainwater to use. He does not have electricity but has a generator he made himself out of used car parts. He has a car engine sitting in the yard that he will repair and put in the car that does contain an engine. The falling apart single wide trailer that we are now working on has been sitting for years in Steve and Lynn's yard until a good use was found for it. In some ways they are the original environmentalists - they recycle everything. I finally get it!
Next, Alison Weaver:
This is our general daily outline:
· Devotion time talking about Hope.
· Go to Estill’s house and continue work.
o We set an alarm to make sure we had a water break at least once an hour.
o Interior JACAS team continued work
§ installing insulation (AA)
§ Putting up dry wall (CJ)
§ Precision spakeling (S)
o The exterior LEND group continued building a deck and stairs (a huge help for getting into the house)
o MD painters finished painting Estill’s house and started painting Estill’s uncle’s house
· We went home via Frozen custard shop (YUM), the Dollar General and Jerky Outlet.
· Dinner - Thanks for a yummy chicken and broccoli casserole
· Field trip to a local observation tower at the state park “across the street”
· Evening Devotional
Observation for today: I haven’t figured exactly what it is but I am extremely glad to know Estill. I don’t feel that I know him well. He seems quiet, smart and observant. Our paths will cross very briefly but he has left an impression on me.
Here's a few pictures from the day:
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| We load, among other things, a toilet to go to the worksite |
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| Loading some cabinets for Estill's new place |
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| Mary doing her expert paint job |
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| Deb ready to tackle a new ladder painting project |
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| A&A with their insulation masterpiece |
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| C&J putting up sheetrock |
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| Susan doing her expert spackling work |
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| Estill with our youth |
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| Before putting on the drywall, we wrote blessings on the insulation covering |
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| Nicholas using power tools! |
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| A well deserved treat after a hard day's work |
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| The lookout tower at Pipestem State Park, very close to the Folklife Center |
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| The view from the top |
From John:
For those wondering what JACAS, AA etc. means, here's the key
JACAS = John, Alison, Chris, Allyson, Susan
AA= Alison and Allyson
CJ = Chris and John
S = Susan
LEND = our four youth - Laura, Evan, Nicholas and Douglas
MD = Mary and Deb
I just wanted to say how much the Lowe's cards have impacted our trip. In line with what Mary talked about, the standard procedure in home improvement involves saving old stuff until there's a use for it. This is definitely a noble thing to do. Yet, this stuff can get wet, old, moldy and will ultimately deteriorate pretty quickly. When we got there, a deck was made with old wood that was hanging around. I mentioned to Clarence, our project manager from the Folklife Center that we were willing to finance the renovations. He mentioned that the deck would do much better with new pressure treated wood. I gave him some Lowe's gift cards to make it happen and now Estill has a solid new deck.
Today, we offered to get Estill a new window, some new doors and carpet for his new place. Estill definitely agreed, and you could see in his eyes that his place would be more than he hoped for. You could see his spirits lift before us. Tomorrow, Clarence and I will go to Lowe's with the gift cards you donated and make this a reality for Estill. This is definitely what I mean when I say that you are with us. You have given a man who has had some very hard breaks in life a new lease on a better life than he could ever expect. You have given him a greater hope. So, on behalf of Estill, thank you!
We have our work cut out for us tomorrow. We want to finish by Thursday and we know we can make it happen. Good night from West Virginia - we are thinking of you: keep praying for us!
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