One Last Blog

This last blog is from Alison Weaver:

The last car ride home:

We left the hotel at 8:00am.  We returned Nick to his family in PA (they are off on another adventure) We had a great lunch in Newburg NY at the Alexis Diner and are expected to arrive in Bedford at 5:00pm.  

We spent the car rides listening to blogs, having sing-a-longs, a bubble blowing contest, preparing for tomorrow’s worship and talk, talk talking. With one hour to go, the AA LED* (power and light) team is summarizing our thoughts.

Adjectives from the week

• Educational – learned how to use a power drill
• Interesting – a lot of fun and interesting things on the trip
• Eye-opening – saw other people’s life styles                                                                                            
• Cohesive – worked and played well together
• Adventuresome – always willing to try something new both, entertainment and work tasks
• Tasty – good eats (especially at Margaret and Geneva’s)
• Eventful – variety of things to do.
• Loving – being gentle with each other and sharing beyond ourselves.

*Laura, Evan, Douglas, Allyson & Alison    

Back in Chambersburg, PA

Good Morning, Everyone!

This is a special Saturday morning blog.  We did make it back to Chambersburg late last night.  Our group divided into two: one going to visit Margaret and Geneva Pugh in Wyco WV.  Our mission trip two years ago took us to Mount Grove Baptist Church, which they oversee. 

I'll let the other team report below:

report from NASA*:

The day started with breakfast (leftovers) followed by devotions with communion. It’s always special sharing the sacrament with people you’ve been sharing your week with.

The NASA* team stayed a little later at the ASFC.  After packing, we spent some time helping clean up the library building so they can use it as an office.  There was the added bonus of having a few minutes to read with the site director’s daughter.  Greg (foreman from our previous trips) showed up shortly before we left so we were able to give him a mission trip T-shirt and a prayer shall in person.  We left the folk life center at 11:45 and continued our adventure

Tim M. had recommended the Beartown State Park to us which is a small detour – well perhaps farther off the beaten track than usual.  We made a stop at Biscuit World , heavy/heavenly  as always.  Then we headed to the park. It is a beautiful with a nice boardwalk and mossy, mystical feeling.  Very peaceful.

On our way to the park, we passed by a few blueberry picking spots, so on the way back, we stopped for 30 minutes and picked 10lbs between the four of us.

Of course, we had to make a detour to Dairy Queen and then finally at 5:00 we were back on our path. We passed by many beautiful landscapes, a helicopter on a flatbed and a truck full of chickens.

It’s been a good day. Another day of adventure tomorrow and back to Bedford.  All in all, a good way to end our trip.

*Nicholas, Allyson, Susan, Alison

Report from all the rest:

It was a total blessing to visit Margaret and Geneva.  They greeted us at the front door, and when we came into Margaret's house, it was obvious that she was cooking a lot of food.  She served us fried chicken, green beans, corn potatoes, cornbread, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, with lemon cake and ice cream for dessert.  She also baked a second lemon cake specifically for Pastor John, for him to do with as he pleased.  If all goes well, I'll bring it to church tomorrow!  We had the privilege of passing on the final Mission Festival check to them.  They were overcome with gratitude.  Margaret sang us a song.  Her voice is amazing - she never fails to bring tears to my eyes.

We got to see the church and the inside looked great.  The one big issue they are having is the roof.  They desperately need a new one and got estimates of between $11,000 to $17,000 to repair.  They are planning a "Go Fund Me" project to hopefully raise money.

We then moved on, with one stop in Virginia to take a short walk to stretch our legs.  It was a walk on top of a mountain range that ran parallel to the highway.  The views were stunning.

Believe it or not, both teams met up for dinner at a cool college town burger place in Winchester VA for one last group meal.  Then it was about an hour to the hotel to crash.

At devotions yesterday morning, we talked about love (having covered faith and hope pretty well).   We talked about where we saw love this week.  Among the many things, we saw your love everyday, with every casserole, every cookie and breakfast bread, every time we used a Lowe's card to help Estill.  I talked about the Greek word that Paul uses for love: agape.  This is a love that is giving without reservation.  I talked about the love I saw when eleven people decided to actually pay to travel far away and spend a week working their tails off to help a stranger they didn't even know.  I saw lots of love this week.  I am so proud of this team.  Each member had something to contribute.  There was absolutely no weak link.  

We can wait to get back today and see you at church tomorrow.  

Our Job Is Finished, and yet.....

Coming up with morning devotions can be a tricky thing.  A month ago, I picked some pretty traditional passages from the Gospel of Luke and had the devotionals all set.  Then I got a email from Tim at the Folklife Center, letting me know that we'd be working on a lady's house that needed a massive amount of work.  Our job was to get things started so other groups could come in and finish.  This made me change the devotions to reflections in the epistles on faith, hope and love.  The idea was that it takes a lot of faith and hope to start a project and believe it will be completed by someone else in the future. 

Then Tim emailed last week saying the plan changed: we would be actually finishing a project that was started and  worked on by two prior groups.  I was concerned that the devotions wouldn't "fit" the experience.  On the first day, Tim was full of confidence that we would finish.  But as the week went on, it became clear that this was not the case, especially when we found rot underneath the bath tub and had to demolish the tub area and put in new flooring.

The bathtub rotting floor is and surrounding walls are finally removed

Chris works overtime, sawing some floorboard replacement

Many in the group really seemed to hope for some sense of accomplishment - to see a completed job that gives us all satisfaction.  Yet today, we left the worksite with a lot done, yet more to be done.  We would have to rely on faith and hope after all.  This reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite Christian thinkers, Reinhold Neibuhr, "Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.   Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.   Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love. "

The Bible is full of figures who faithfully worked for something only to be completed by the next generation.  Alison Weaver let us know that this was the experience of the Israelites wandering through the desert from Egypt to the promised land.  The ones who started never made it.  That was left to the next generation.

We can be really proud and happy for what we did this week.  There is not doubt.  I rarely have seen a group of people work so hard, putting in hours of careful, loving work.  Estill was so grateful.

On another note - this year, I remembered to bring five prayer shawls down with me.  I am so glad I did.  We gave one to Estill.  We also gave one to Greg, who is showed up today.  He is out of the hospital, with a diagnosis of an ulcer and some back issues.  We also gave one to some relatives of Estill who live up the hill from him, and are dealing with some serious health issues.  Mary and Deb spent a lot of time painting their house, which desperately needed it.   Thanks to all the knitters who do this important ministry.  Your shawls are making a difference.

Estill holding his prayer shawl

When we got back to the center, some took the tram ride at Pipestem Park.  Then we had another P-I-G basketball game.  Douglas won, with Deb coming in a close second.

The winners of the P-I-G competition

It's now time to pack our bags and head home.  Some of us are going to visit Margaret and Geneva Pugh, whose church we helped out two years ago.  She already baked a lemon cake and I have the feeling she'll be cooking up a storm for us, despite my telling her not to go to any trouble.  

There will be others with different plans.  We'll let you know how things go in one last blog tomorrow, to be written in Chambersburg PA.  We can't wait to come home and tell you all about it.

By the way, I did upload a video to Facebook that shows you what it's like to drive up to the worksite and goes around showing what we did in Estill's new home.  Check it out if you're on Facebook.

Sunset tonight

Good night one last time from West Virginia!

A Blog from Debbie Caban

Bill Belichick would love this mission trip team - well organized and working together. All members performing their assigned jobs and also ready to step up when called upon for something extra. A multi-talented collection of eleven - like 11 payers on the football field coordinated to accomplish a series of goals. 

We have singers, snappers, spacklers, and scavenger hunters. Some are painters, power tool operators, and photographers. Their are chefs, caukers, and conductors. Do you need biscuit makers, bloggers, or barbecue experts? Soloists, scrapers, and scrubbers? They are showing their talents here in Pipestem, West Virginia.

It has been quite an experience to observe the team work with Estill to help make his family donated trailer a comfortable place to live. A house fire and water damage have left Estill homeless and without his car repair garage. 

Head coaches Pastor John and Job Site Leader Clarence expertly divide the tasks while Coordinator Allyson creates the creative and resourceful daily program.

Thank you to the extended church team players who supported the mission trip and Estill with well wishes, food, and donations. We and Edstill are extremely grateful. 

                                                                Deb Caban

Many Steps Forward, a Few Steps Back

Today's blog entry is from Allyson Printz and Mary Criscione:

We split into three groups this morning upon leaving for the worksite.  The first headed straight to Estill’s house, the second did a Lowe’s run and the third headed for the Wade Center in Bluefield.  

We have kept in contact with the Wade Center every since 2016 when Terry Gerrish made the initially contact with the center and ended up substitute teaching!  It is a Christian after-school program for 75 disadvantaged children grades one through five and during the summer months, they run a seven-week VBS style summer camp.  

The director, Kourtney, greeted us and gave us a quick tour since there were a few in the group who have never been.  We brought the five boxes of books which Kourtney graciously accepted and said that they send books home with the children to encourage them to read outside of school.  We also delivered the homemade headbands and a check from the WV Mission Festival.  Kourtney mentioned how much they appreciate the hats, scarves and mittens that we collect and send each January on our mitten tree.  Kourtney let us know that they are considering expanding their program since the only other after school program in Bluefield has closed.  The Wade Center might decide to increase the number of children that they serve.  This will be a financial challenge. The Outreach board will keep in contact with Kourtney about how we may be able to help.

We also visited Mary Claire’s house (where we worked last year) and dropped off a prayer shawl.  We knew that she would be at home since she is visiting her sick brother.

After some lively discussion on the quickest way to the worksite, we arrived at Estill’s to continue working. 

Mary and Deb are The Doubles painters (currently working on Estill’s aunt and uncle’s house up the road).  

The kids worked on the porch, installed a door, painted and helped Estill clean up his yard.  

Allyson crawled around under the trailer learning the fine art of applying spray foam insulation and discovered that the subfloor in the bathroom was in moldy bad shape.  This led to another project: bathroom demo (!) which Chris and John started after finishing installing drywall.  

Susan continued plastering, Alison sanded said plaster and Allyson tried to learn how to plaster (won’t be working in the union just yet). 

 All in all, we made lots of steps forward and a few back.  We are getting to know Estill a little more every day.  And – we are trying our best to be a blessing!    Here's some photos from the worksite.

After a hard day's work, Dairy Queen is essential!

We think often of you all (especially while eating) and know that you are with us.

Before our showers, we participated in a group whipped cream arm-launch event.  Happily, it ended messily.

Wednesday is BBQ night and after that, we were treated to a house concert by Jim Costa who told stories and played various Appalachian tunes on fiddle, banjo and harmonica.  A treat!

Jimmy Costa and Tim Mainland playing a duo

A few more evening photos:

From John

Before going to the worksite, Nicholas and I met Clarence at Lowes to get Estill's new door and window.  Once again, the Lowe's cards are continuing to bless Estill.

When I got to the worksitre, we had some time to talk to Estill and learn the story behind his homelessness.  Apparently, he had a pretty nice home at the site, which burned down from the heater igniting a fire.  I can't imagine Fire engines getting up this steep, narrow road.  Of course, there was not adequate water pressure to put out the fire so two trucks had to get water from below and then feed the main engine.  Of course, Estill had no home insurance, so he has been surviving by his considerable wits in his trailer.

Estill also shared some photos of what the trailer that we are working on looked like before the work crews came.  Here's a few photos.

A final group photo with all of us, including Estill and Clarence, our project manager.

Time for bed.  We have a big day ahead of us.  One last day to make an impact.  Keep praying for us!

A Couple Reflections from the Team

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.

First, Mary Criscione

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:

We load, among other things, a toilet to go to the worksite

Loading some cabinets for Estill's new place

Mary doing her expert paint job

Deb ready to tackle a new ladder painting project

A&A with their insulation masterpiece

C&J putting up sheetrock

Susan doing her expert spackling work

Estill with our youth

Before putting on the drywall, we wrote blessings on the insulation covering

Nicholas using power tools!

A well deserved treat after a hard day's work

The lookout tower at Pipestem State Park, very close to the Folklife Center

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!