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.