It's a wrap!

I received a note from Patty and Chester yesterday, thanking me for some photos I had sent them and for all the work we did. It was sweet and thoughtful, but I felt my heart swell with gratitude for them, for the privilege of having them open their home to a bunch of complete strangers, offering us whatever was theirs to give, sharing openly of their lives and faith. It was a humbling experience.

Like many of my co-missioners, I have jumped back into daily life with both feet. It's hard to leave a more peaceful, slower-paced environment for a life that is constantly plugged-in and engaged with work, family, church and the other demands on our time that we face. While for some of the adults it was an inconvenience to have no cell phone coverage, our younger people seemed to enjoy life without constant texting and contact.

I have pondered a lot about the isolation we felt in West Virginia. A couple of mission-trippers remarked that they had travelled as far as Sinai recently and were still able to be in touch, by phone, with their office or colleagues. Yet here we were, in a neighboring state, unable to use our modern gadgets to phone home. I can't help wondering if that kind of isolation inhibits economic development in the Appalachian region. It's tempting to see the upside of a more calm, slower-paced life, but I'm pretty sure the downside is a drag on regional progress that might help lift residents out of such pervasive poverty. (Of course, I'm no economist, so don't take my word for that.)

I've also been somewhat haunted by the memory of the older women we met outside of Walmart one day, selling hot dogs and peanut butter fudge in order to pay off the funeral for one's husband. Every day after hearing this story, we would pull into the parking lot on our way back to S.W.A.P. headquarters to see if they were there again so that we could pay an inflated price rather than the $1 they charged, but they never returned. To be burdened with grief is tortuous enough. The inability to pay for the funeral must be devastating. Yet there they were, selling their goodies, raising money, $1 at a time. God love them.

West Virginia is a state of beautful mountains and abundant opportunities for enjoyment of the great outdoors. The roadways wind around what appear to be pristine creeks, streams and rivers. It was distressing to discover that 70% of household sewage goes into these waterways. This was a rather stunning realization and further emphasized the isolation and lack of development in what is, by all accounts, the wealthiest country on the planet. Things that we take for granted like public sewers and cell phone service are non-existent in areas of Appalachia. There's no need to travel around the world to do development work. We can find plenty of opportunities in our own backyard.

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Thank you all for sharing this mission trip journey with us. It has been a blessing to know that your prayers and support were watching over us. Please keep the people of Elkhorn, WV and S.W.A.P. in your prayers moving forward. There is much work yet to be done.

"The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few." (Luke 10:2)

The trip was eye-opening and rewarding. I have to admit that by my very nature I like to live in the rose garden and seeing this area of the country was very disturbing to me. I want to "fix" things and nurture them and this setting was way beyond my fixing. I therefore had to be content with "bandaiding" things and that stirred my soul. All of this made me grow outside of my comfort zone which ultimately is good! I would definitely go back next year, better prepared for what I was going into.

Katie and Will had a wonderful experience and seemed to handle everything very well. Although they saw and recognized the poverty, they weren't affected by it like I was. Katie enjoyed being with friends and helping out the Tabors. Will enjoyed David (a young S.W.A.P. staffer) and all the things David taught him. They both like the Tabor family and felt comfortable with them. The Tabors were very kind to us, but obviously loved David because he was the one who was always there with them.

I have no recommendations for the trip next year. I thought Deborah, Emily and you led well and all the bases were covered with no surprises. Everyone's concerns and requests were handled well and I felt the group was cohesive and flexible with one another. That was key in making this trip work! I like the intergenerational approach with adults and kids. It felt nice and gave the kids some structure and stability. Emily was key to their happiness because she already had relationship with them.

Thanks for creating this blog. Many in the congregation have enjoyed reading it.

Wendy Dunn

At our last "Circle UP," I briefly mentioned the trains passing the house in W. Va. There is comfort and calling in it for me. Hearing the whistle makes me think of people traveling: to the West for a new life, off to join a regiment for their tour of duty, taking the family on an excursion, "hitching" a ride to the next town. It gives me an opportunity to pray for those folks: a cross section of all the people in our lives.

?''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''(the final word, just 'typed' by my cat!)

Bonita Reed

Home again

We had an uneventful return trip to Lancaster today, although it was clear that none of us wanted to leave this morning. This was truly a transformative experience, and we bonded with Charlene and Keith, the S.W.A.P. leaders and their young group leaders. Many projects were completed or finished enough for another group to come in next week and pick up where we left off.

As a parting experience, we were presented with a prepared slide show of our week. Be sure to keep your eye out for a forum announcement at which we'll be showing it to all of you. You'll be amazed!

I'm hoping to have a few concluding reflections before we put this blog to bed. Thank you all for following our week and for keeping us in your prayers. Our work was strengthened and sustained in knowing that you were all with us in spirit!

Elaine

Mountain Music

In late winter of 1970, my sister Robin surprised me with an interest in bluegrass gospel music. She added mandolin to her skill set and convinced me to go to some great fiddlers' conventions over the next few years. That music has been far from my life in the decades since. Wednesday evening, Randy Green, a neighbor and frequent SWAP volunteer in Elkhorn came to share his testimony with us, first in word, and then in song. Many of the other SWAP staff joined in with Randy in a wonderful bluegrass jam session.

We from Saint James who have been fortunate to share in this adventure in Elkhorn have been blessed in countless ways. Randy's musical gifts are among them.

Paul Hoffer

Some statistics

On our first night here, our hosts, Charlene and Keith Barr, shared with us some interesting facts:

• In Lancaster County, 9.2% of people live below the poverty level. In McDowell County, WV, that figure is 32.8% (based on 2000 census).
• The median home value in Lancaster County (in 2000) was $119,300; $22,600 in McDowell County.
• The percentage of 25-year-olds with a high school diploma in Lancaster County is 77%; in McDowell County, 50%.
• Median household income in Lancaster County in 2008 was $55,824; $16,931 in McDowell County.
• There are 496 persons per square mile in Lancaster County; only 52 in McDowell County.

This is a beautiful part of the country, notwithstanding the pervasive poverty. The people have a strong faith and persistent hope in tomorrow. The hospitality we have been shown is unparalleled. I think if you asked any of us on this trip who benefited more from our presence here, to a person we would answer that we did. Chester, the owner of the home in which I worked, is blind, in constant pain, and poor. But he doesn't hesitate to say, "God is good to me." This is a man who understands that all things belong to God and that he is a beloved child of his creator. What a gift that is.

The Signs of West Virginia

I would like to put up a sign at SWAP work site #3 that says, "Girls Rule"! Our amazing all-female work crew accomplished great things this week, in the process growing closer to each other, and also to the homeowner where we were working. Our group--Emily Killough, Liddy Renner, Mary Wesolowski and me, along with our fearless SWAP supervisor, Jennifer Arnold--worked at the home of Peaches, just outiside of the town of Keystone. Framing in and installing lattice around porches, cutting and installing drywall, taping and mudding, and nailing in porch supports and railings all gave us great opportunities to learn new carpentry skills--which I'm sure we will carry with us for a lifetime! Chatting with Peaches was not only fun and rewarding, but also gave us valuable insight into the history of this area and the people who live here.

A sign I've noticed each day on the way to our work site is on a billboard for a local church: this one reads, "Sin has no minimum wages," an example of colorful and expressive religious language here that we've learned about in a variety of ways. Another sign warns of "The high cost of low living." Life is hard for many people, and clearly faith is a source of support and inspiration.

We have also had several chances to learn about the history of West Virginia, and McDowell County in particular. The poorest county in the state, West Virginia now suffers from the loss of coal mining jobs, as well as recurrng natural (or not so natural) disasters. But in the past, coal mining boomed, drawing many to the promise of income and a better life. Our tour of the Pocahontas Exhibition Coal Mine and Museum gave us an overview of coal's impact here. Our guide spent his life in the mines, and was able to give us a first-hand account of what a coal miner's life was like. Remember the Hatfields and the McCoys? A sign along the road between the SWAP house and work site #3, for the "Hatfield & McCoy Trailhead," refers to another piece of history in McDowell County--feuding families in isolated mountain "hollers." The modern day sign of isolation, for us, was the lack of cell phone coverage the whole week we were here!

The best "signs" we've seen? The smiles on the faces of "our" homeowners, welcoming us and skills (or lack of them :-)), happy that we've come to give a hand. We'll take those smiles with us as we leave tomorrow, signs of new friendships we hope to renew again, if we make it back to West Virginia ......

Deborah Fast

A day to learn

Greek food in tiny Kimball, WV? Really good Greek food? In fact, there is, and we thoroughly enjoyed dinner at Ya'Sou last night. One of the things we've learned since coming here is that when mining took off in the mid-to-late 19th century, the majority of workers were either African Americans or immigrants. Italians are responsible for much of the stone work in the region - walls and facades created by true craftsmen who immigrated in the hopes of a better life. Greeks, as well, settled here, and Ya'Sou is a happy by-product of that!

We toured the Pocahontas (VA) Mine in the afternoon. I think we were all amazed at the back-breaking labor that goes into mining, especially in the early days when the digging and auguring and pick-axing was done by hand. We had a charming tour guide named Raymond Comer who worked in the mines for 40 years before retiring in 1995. His father before him started working in the mines at the tender age of 8! Interestingly, his grandson also works in the mines, although he wants to go to college to study...mining engineering! It must run in the blood. It's easy to see how all of these small unincorporated towns in southwestern West Virginia developed and then declined based on the proximity of an active mine. Once a mine was no longer productive, it was closed down and the town lost its primary economic support.

When we returned from dinner last night, we settled in to watch the movie "October Sky," about some high schoolers from nearby Coalwood who, inspired by Sputnik in 1957, decided to build a rocket themselves. It's an amazing story, made even more poignant by our having toured the mine and seen a bit of what that life was like. Familiar names of towns and roadways littered the film. Workgroup #4 - Bonita, Brad and me - passes through Coalwood every morning on our way to our work site. The welcome sign says "Home of the Rocket Boys."

Today is our final workday, and some of us are a bit anxious to complete our projects. We promised Patty and Chester that we'd have the dining room finished for them so they can get their kitchen back to normal. We laid 1/4 of the floor yesterday after having painted the walls, and laid the glue for the rest of the floor to cure overnight. We'll be able to get right to work to finish that this morning. Then we hope to get the toe-board trim installed so we can return the dining room table and hutch to their rightful place.

We are all so thankful for this opportunity to serve, and we adults are so proud of our young people at what they've been able to accomplish and the compassion they have demonstrated this week. We can't wait to tell the people of St. James all about it!

Icky Mold

When we first came here we didn't know what to expect. Waking up at 6:15 was not something that we were used to. Every morning we would wake up to pack our lunches before breakfast. Before we left we had devotions and then off to the worksite. We were all divided into work teams to help out home owners. Our group is as followed: David (staff leader), Wendy (group leader), Will, Katie, Skyler, and Matt (an individual, non-St. James volunteer - EET).

When we arrived at our destination, we got out all our supplies and spent a period of time just to chat with the home owners and get to know who we were spending our week with. They were very welcoming and made us all fill at home. We got to work it was nothing we had ever done before. We had to tear out the walls in the two rooms we were working and clean out all the mold and fiberglass. It all took time but we manage to finish before the day ended. It took blood and sweat to finish all that there was needed to be done. Lunch was at 12 each day but everytime we would ask it would be at least an hour or two before it was time to eat.

As the days decreased and the hours increased we became closer with the home owners and enjoyed each minute with them getting to know all that there was to know about them. Thou this week is quickly coming to an end, we are all going to miss the exhilarating moments in our time here in WV and are surely not going to forget them. We all hope to come back next year to experience all these wonderful moments and see all of our staff members faces again.

Katie Dunn & Skyler Gibbon

Work isn't hard if it's for a good cause

We started on Tuesday driving to site three, and Jennifer our leader tells us about our homeowner Peaches. Peaches is a very popular person in her neighborhood, everyone honks their horn when they pass by her house which is decorated by pictures of her family. We start our work by drilling in drywall in the mudroom, taping the sides and edges in the mudroom, working on lattice, and little things here and there. It reaches four o' clock and we start heading home, we are tired and all we wanted to do was get back to the house, take a shower, and rest after a hard days work. We wake up the next day and it's Wednesday and it's the daily routine get up, pack lunch, eat breakfast and head off to the work site three. Today is special because Anna ( a cook with a day off) decided to help us with our work. Today we said hi to Peaches and started to work; we did a second coat of mud on the drywall, boarded the sides with lattice, put the posts in the ground, dug out rocks, and again little things here and there. Again at four o' clock we headed back home, took a shower, ate supper, and listened to Randy ( who is Keith's best friend and a big tip giver at your site). I have told you what has gone on so far and to a lot of people it sounds like a lot of work, but remember work isn't hard if it's for a good cause.

Mary Wesolowski

Peaches

When I first signed up for this trip, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that we would be helping others, most likely physically as well as spiritually, but I had no idea how. After approximately 14 hours of work, I have figured out the physical part of how. Now, all i need to figure out is the spiritual part.
At our work site, we have been putting lattice up around the base of the mudroom that was built by a previous group, digging holes for fence posts, leveling ground, and installing drywall. I have learned how to use a power drill, a circle saw, and become what could quite possibly be considered an expert on breaking drill bits. The work is hard, but it's neat to be able to look back and see what you have done. When our homeowner came outside this afternoon to see what had been done, she was kindly surprised.
Peaches is our house owners name. She is very popular; nearly every car that drives by honks and waves. Throughout the day, guests of all shapes sizes and ages stop by and visit inside or on her newly-built porch. When we first met Peaches, I think what most of us were thinking about was how to get through the tricky "How do you do?"'s, not necessarily thinking about getting to know her. Our leaders back at the house were insistent upon the fact that this trip was all about mutually transformative relationships; that we left having been touched as well as touching others on our way. On that first morning, I didn't know how we were going form a relationship with Peaches, and it bummed me out. Thankfully, this afternoon, I was able to take a break and chat with her. I learned about how she came to her current home, when her kids were born, all about her grandchildren, and about her favorite shows on the Food Network. She also shared her knowledge about the local community. I was glad to be able to take a break from the work, but in a way I was more glad to have been able to find out about her life, to find out what made her who she was. Well, that last part I might not quite have, but I'm working on it.
After only two nights and three days here, I feel at home in these beautiful mountains. I can't wait to see what the rest of the week holds.

Liddy Renner

Such a Rewarding Day

We arrived at Carol and Emerson's home at 8:15 this morning anxious and ready to work. Our crew consisted of Matt from Ohio, Skyler, and Katie, Will and Wendy. Our crew leader is David, from Texas. Carol and Emerson were waiting for us on the front porch with hot coffee in the kitchen. We thankfully helped ourselves to coffee and visited for a spell before starting work. David and Matt worked on a handicap ramp for most of the day while the St. Jame's crew went to work demolishing two rooms in the back of the house. We removed walls and ceilings, tore out insulation and removed remaining nails. This was what I call "wet demo" because these rooms have been leaking for a minimum of 6 years. As we pulled down ceiling in one room water poured over us. It had been sitting up there for who nows how long? That was a true test of "gut" for me personally. I painted a smile on my face and gritted my teeth so that the kids would not be influenced by my "yuk" reaction. The next really interesting ordeal was when Will pulled ceiling down in the second room. Approximately 2 lbs. of dog food came crashing down on him. Evidently the resident rat had been hoarding stolen dog food in the ceiling for a cold winters day. Carol said she had wondered why her dog food was disappearing so quickly. She has 7 dogs and a coop of chickens. After we got all the walls and ceilings pulled down and the rooms swept and cleaned, I sprayed one of the rooms with mildew killer. Goggles, gloves and masks were worn ALL day today for safety. Other than ripping my jeans badly enough that we had to duck tape them together so that too much skin didn't offend others, things ran very smoothly. I was very impressed with how hard the kids worked and with how much they accomplished on this first day. We look forward to our return tomorrow to visit more with Carol and Emerson and with some of their family who live next door. They are very kind, gracious and welcoming and most of thankful. David seems to have a wonderful relationship with them filled with respect and mutual care for one another. That relationship is heart-warming to witness. Tomorrow will surely hold more surprise and reward. We are tired, but feel like we accomplished good things today. No more mold and mildew!! Time for bed. Good Night!

Wendy Dunn

There's a Norfolk-Southern railroad track that runs just out in front of the SWAP headquarters. When the trains coming swooping down the mountain, especially at night, getting louder and louder, you're convinced it's headed right for the house. Many of my compatriots here slept right through the dozen or so trains that passed in the night. I can't say the same, I'm afraid! It's just one of the idiosyncratic things about this place!

We divided up into 4 work groups this morning. In order to keep the under-16 youth with their parent or designated guardian, I ended up in a group with no young people, unless you count Brad. Bonita rounded out our group along with Kendall, a summer worker here at SWAP. Our work site is the farthest from here - about 50 minutes over two mountains. It's an amazing drive with switchbacks and hairpin turns. It would be great fun in a convertible roadster. Unfortunately, I don't happen to own one of those.

We worked on a house belonging to Patty and Chester, an elderly couple with multiple health issues. They are lovely people and we so enjoyed getting to know them and a steady stream of neighbors stopping by to deliver fresh vegetables or just to check in on them.

While Bonita spent the day weeding, mowing, and cleaning up the yard, Brad & I put down an underlayer to prepare to put in a new dining area floor. We hope to finish that project tomorrow. I understand that we may do some painting first, but as yet don't have confirmation of that.

We are tired after a long, hot day of work, but it has been very rewarding. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Let's hope I don't hear so many trains tonight!

Elaine

Our first work day!

Today, Tuesday the 29th, everyone started at their worksites. The groups ranged in numbers of 3 missioners to 5, with every group also having a staff leader. The location my group went to was in a very close-by town, Kyle. Our drive took about 2-3 minutes, compared to the longest group's drive which was about 50 minutes. We arrived at our worksite at about 8:15-8:30. Our staff leader, Elijah, showed us around the house and introduced us to the homeowner. Her name is Miss Creola and she has had work happening at her house for 3 summers. Despite the longstanding "in-progress" state of her house, she is grateful for the groups that come in to finish her home. For the entire day, Amanda and I painted Miss Creola's sunroom. We gave the walls 2 coats by the end of the workday of "antique white" paint. As well as getting the walls covered in paint, we also got a lot on ourselves. The other two missioners in our group, Paul and Caroline, worked in the bright and cheerful yellow kitchen. Halfway through the day, we stopped for lunch, which we ate outside. When we got back to work, and after lots of measuring and leveling, Paul, Caroline, and Elijah installed two large cabinets. We restocked some of the shelves and tried to put the house in as much order as we could. We cleaned everything off, packed up the trucks and drove back to the house. Showers were had by all and dinner is being constructed. The day was very successful.

Sophia Fast

Ready to go!

We're all up, well-fed (baked oatmeal, fruit, sausage, and the piece de resistance - Miss Wendy's Coffee Cake along with Brad's special brew coffee!) and ready to go. Everyone seems full of energy and anxious to get started. We'll fill you in on our day when we return!

Relieved

At our first team meeting this evening, we were asked to describe in one word how we were feeling now that we are here with SWAP in Elkhorn, WV. I heard lots of great words: excited, nervous, happy, joyful, integrated. My word...relieved.

It is so good to finally be here. As some might say, I can be slightly "uptight" when preparing for an event...cars to coordinate, forms to collect, copies to be made, things to pack, to-do-lists to be checked off...it is hard for me to see beyond the details. Each step of the way getting here, from saying Morning Prayer in the Chapel this morning, to getting into the cars and pulling out of the parking lot, to driving on interstates and country roads, I could feel the stress slip away and the anticipation kick in. Once we arrived it was pure relief. We made it safely and were greeted warmly by the SWAP staff (who were all waiting for us on the front porch of the beautiful white house we are calling home this week)!

We have had a full day with a 7 plus hour drive, experiencing some local flavor with dinner at Dick's Swiss Burger nearby, getting to know the SWAP staff with whom we will be working this week, settling into our rooms, and getting prepared for our first work day tomorrow.

We have many goals for this week (17 to be exact and more than any other group that has been to Elkhorn so far...our group of 15 missioners might be slightly competitive). We would like to have fun, get to know one another better, get to know those in the area, grow in our faith, be open to whatever comes our way, and practice good personal hygiene to name a few.

I hope that we will be able to share many great memories (and even some challenges) with you along the way and once we return to Lancaster!

It is almost lights out time!!!! Goodnight!

Emily

This week has passed in a flash, and there are only a couple of days remaining until we leave. Tomorrow, we'll be commissioned for the trip during the service at church and then on Monday we'll hit the road by 9:00am.

It's a good thing I found the list of things we're supposed to bring, because I discovered that we need a sleeping bag or bed linens which gives me the happy excuse to pull out the Sleeping Diva! Why, you ask, do I need a fuchsia fur-trimmed sleeping bag for a summer mission trip? They asked the same thing when we went to Mississippi two years ago, and Diva and I managed just fine.

I also rounded up some devotional materials to share during our quiet times. Among other things, I'll be taking along "Psalms for a Pilgrim People" by Anglican priest Jim Cotter. These aren't new psalm translations or even paraphrases but are what I would call 'poetic renderings' that maintain the meaning but speak in a fresh language. For instance, the well known opening to Psalm 8, "O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth" becomes:

Creator God, Source of all life,

how gloriously does your name resound,

echoing to the bounds of the universe!

Beautiful!

(Jim Cotter. Psalms for a Pilgrim People. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1989.)

Greetings!

How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and yet refuses to help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

1 John 3:17-18

Welcome to the St. James Mission Trip 2010 blog! St. James Episcopal Church is located at the corner of Duke and Orange Streets in Lancaster, PA. We have a long history of reaching out in the name of Christ to our local community as well as those neighbors who live across the country and around the globe.

This year's mission trip takes place from June 28th to July 3rd. Fifteen hearty souls, adults and youth, will be travelling to Elkhorn, WV, to join hands with the Mennonite Central Committee's Sharing with Appalachian People (SWAP) program. The mission of SWAP is to improve substandard housing in eastern Kentucky and West Virginia, areas deeply distressed by the downturn in the mining industry.

This trip will be different from others we've taken over the past several years. The Gulf Coast devastation of Hurricane Katrina drew St. James volunteers to Mississippi on three occasions since 2005. Partnering with other Lancaster Episcopal churches in 2008, more than thirty adults and youth travelled for two days by bus to Mission on the Bay in Bay St. Louis for a week of hurricane clean-up and rebuilding. While we are troubled that there is still much work to be done there, the trip to West Virgina will put our building and rehab skills to good use without the four days spent travelling and the summer heat in the Deep South!

Over the course of the next week, you'll be hearing from some trip participants about their hopes and expectations for this trip. While in Elkhorn, we'll provide daily updates about our work and the relationships we've forged with those with whom we serve.