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.