I just can’t stay away..

After only being gone from Kentucky for two months, I just can’t seem to stay away. Back in July, I made a whirlwind of a trip down to Parkers Lake and just last weekend, I went back. But this time, I had a 3 day weekend thanks to our Labor Day holiday, so I got to spend even more time in KY.

The trip started with me driving out to Roanoke, IN to pick up my former roommate and good friend, Ann. We then proceeded to make the 6 hour drive to Parkers Lake, KY. We left around 10:30 on Saturday morning, and should have gotten to Parkers Lake by 4:30; however, we happened to run into a little car trouble…we got a flat tire!! Thankfully, though, a nice KY man flagged us down and we were able to make it to a truck stop without blowing the tire. And go figure, the truck stop had a tire repair shop, so we were able to patch the tire and be on our way in an hour. God is so good!!

Well, we arrived in Parkers Lake fashionably late, but were still greeted by two of our good friends that we worked with. It was really good to see them. That night, we also made it to the Cumberland Falls ’square’ dancing night and got to see even more people that we knew. And the best part (at least for me) was that we made it right at the end of the dancing, so I didn’t have to get out on the dance floor – oh happy day!

On Sunday, we went to Grace on the Hill church and got to hear some amazing music and an awesome message by Pastor Tim. I really do miss that church. I would love to be able to move it and transplant it here in IL . After church, Ann and I stopped at our favorite ice cream place which is the Brown Cow – got to love their twist (a.k.a stacked) ice cream. After our ice cream, we headed on up to Jackson County for the BBQ that the Jackson House was hosting. It was a little weird seeing all the new volunteers, but at the same time very cool. I am still in awe at how so many people give a year of themselves to serve with CAP – it truly is awesome. At the BBQ, I also got to spend some time catching up with my good friends, Jenny, Jenna, and Shannon. Jenna and Shannon will be ending their volunteer time in the next few months, but Jenny has stayed on for another year. I so incredibly happy for her.

The best ice cream in Corbin, KY

After the BBQ, Ann and I made a second trip (yes, second!) to the Brown Cow and enjoyed another twist cone! We then attempted to see the Moonbow again (we missed seeing it on Saturday night by 30 minutes) but it was a bit too cloudy for it.

On Monday, Ann went to visit another friend and I decided to just relax in the trailer. It was like old times, me laying on the couch reading a book and listening to the falling rain. It was great. Somedays, I really do miss that trailer!

Around 12, we hopped back in the car and made the trip back home, but of course not without one last stop at Cumberland Falls. Oh and the Mellow Mushroom – yea for pizza!

Again, a great trip to Kentucky and another reminder to me that I really do love that state! And of course, I am already planning another trip back down..I am thinking perhaps November

Rainbow at Cumberland Falls

Peace.

A new ‘hot’ spot

Tonight, I was introduced to Buzzard Rock, a beautiful overlook in McCreary County. For tonight’s dinner and devotion, Ann took us all out there. It was certainly nice to get away from the trailer for the evening. It was so peaceful to be on top of that rock. Sometimes I get wrapped up in my day to day tasks and completely forget just how beautiful McCreary County is. What a blessing it is to have places like Cumberland Falls, Eagle Falls, and Buzzard Rock literally in my backyard.

Here are a few pics from the evening:

Taking it all in...

Scenic View

Ann and me

The small things

Today, myself and about 7 other CAP volunteers had our Exit Lunch up in Mt. Vernon, KY. It was a time for all of us to come together and reflect on what the past year has meant for us. I have been so busy these last few weeks that I have had barely anytime to really think about the past ten months. What have they meant to me? How have I changed? How will I handle transitioning from CAP? Have I made a difference here? All these questions started popping up at today’s lunch. And while, I would like to address each of these on my blog in the coming weeks, what I most would like to share on today’s post are the little things that I am going to miss when I leave KY. They may sound like silly things, but to me, they are the types of things that have helped me get through these ten months and the types of things that I will never forget. Here are just a few of them:

• Stopping at Cafe Machiatto and chatting with Nina about the day
• Driving on Falls Road and stopping at the overlook for the breathtaking views
• Eating dinner on the porch with my roomies
• Hoping in the car at 12:30 at night to catch one more Moonbow
• Ann and I listening to K-love while eating tator tots at Sonic
• Meeting Jenny at Op Share so that we can help one another load our trucks up with miscellaneous housing items
• Going to Karate with Ann
• The McCreary Group Hugs
• Driving in my truck
• Pancake Saturdays
• Getting directions from the locals (I never was able to find any home on the first try)
• Seeing the sunrise as I drive back from the gym
• Getting random food from Operation Sharing – the Dove ‘Beautiful’ Chocolate was the best
• The joy and relief in the face of those I am able to help
• Taking naps on our porch swing
• Playing dodgeball with the after-school kids
• Late night chats with the roomies

The list could go on and on….I sure am going to miss Kentucky!

Thank goodness, I still have 3 weeks left

The Beauty of Kentucky

I wanted to share with all of you, just how beautiful Kentucky is. Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day routine here in Parkers Lake, that I forget to take the time to go out into nature and just enjoy being in the Appalachian Mountains. Last night, Allen provided all of us that opportunity when he decided to take us to an abandon Fire Tower about ten minutes from our home. After dinner, we drove out to the tower and made it just in time to see the sunset.

We did nothing, but sit in silence and watch the sun slowly fade into the horizon. It was absolutely beautiful and just what I needed to see. As my time comes to an end here in Kentucky, I am definitely going to miss seeing views like this everyday. I guess that means I am going to be visiting Kentucky often

The hills of Kentucky

Sunset from the Fire Tower

Another Pic of the Sunset

Disaster Relief – Day #2 – 4

I am finally back from Disaster Relief! What a week CAP had over 100 houses/trailers to fix up and in that one week, we ended up fixing about 35 of them – AMAZING!! I saw all sorts of damage caused by the storm while I was there. Some of it was minor – only a few trees down; some of it was definitely a disaster – whole houses destroyed, roofs caved in, walls down. The jobs that CAP didn’t get to will be picked up by a Long-Term Disaster Relief Organization. Here is a quick recap and a few pics of my 3 days at Disaster Relief.

Day #2: Today, I got to assess a trailer that had its entire roof blown off. Myself and another CAP volunteer went to this man’s home only to find it almost completely destroyed by the storm. He told us that his entire family was sitting in the living room, when they heard a huge bang and looked up and saw their metal roof sitting on the hill behind them. Very Scary!! After assessing the damage, it was determined that the job was too big for our Disaster Relief team. Luckily, our WorkFest Crew will be able to fix this man’s home and within a few weeks, the family will be able to move back home. After our assessment, we went to another home, were a tree had crashed into a bedroom. The roof and the wall had been destroyed in the home. Our task was to rebuild the wall and the portion of the roof that was destroyed. I helped put up some siding and drywall – it wasn’t too bad!

Day #3: I spent the better portion of the day clearing trees! My crew and I had to move branches, small logs, etc. from the back of a home to the front of the home, so the clean-up crew could haul the stuff away. It was a tough day, but a productive one. We were able to clear all of the debri from the home!! Here is the crew in the truck with the tree pieces.

Our crew and the trees

A close-up of the trees we moved

Day 4: Of all the days, this day was the most rewarding for me. It was on Thursday that I helped put on an entire new roof on an elderly gentleman’s home. At first, we were just going to patch a few holes that the trees had left in the roof. But when we got to the home, the damage was so extensive that our crew leader decided to replace the whole roof. It was an extremely exhausting day, but seeing the look on the man’s face when we showed him the new roof, made any pain that I felt in my arms or legs completely disappear. He was smiling from ear to ear and was so grateful for all that we had done. Once again, this man reminded me why I decided to take a step away from my career for a year and volunteer with CAP!

Here’s a picture of part of the roof:

Roof Repair

Well, there it is..a very brief recap of my week at Disaster Relief! And what a week it was

Peace!

Disaster Relief – Day 1

Well, I am headed to Disaster Relief for the second time since being here at CAP. This time, I will be headed to Eastern Kentucky, more specifically Johnson County. I will be helping to clean up the damage that the ice storm and the tornadoes caused in that area. Basically, I will be repairing homes and cleaning up a lot of debris.

While it is going to be a ton of work, I am really looking forward to it. It will be nice to get out of the office for awhile and visit a part of Kentucky that I have not experienced.

I will be headed there later this afternoon and will be there for three days. I plan to take numerous pictures, so make sure to visit my blog in the next few days.

Peace!

Ice Storm in Kentucky

If any of you have been following the news lately, you have probably heard about the major ice storms that have hit Kentucky. These storms have caused incredible damage to many of the counties surrounding mine, but thankfully the county I live in did not get hit by the ice storm. We had a little accumulation of ice and snow on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, but now all of that is completely gone. And today we are enjoying sunshine and 60 degree weather. We did loose our cell phone and internet service for a bit, but that too has all been restored.

Unfortunately, our neighboring counties were not so lucky. Thousands of people are still without electricity, water, etc.  and it seems like it will be days before there is any relief for these people. The bulk of the problem lies for those who live out in the country, especially in the Appalachia region. With trees down and the treacherous roads, it can be difficult to reach these people and get them help. The National Guard has been called in to help the people of Kentucky and CAP’s Disaster Relief Team has been called in to help out in shelters where many people are staying. So hopefully, every one will be seeing some relief soon.

For more news on the damage in KY, check out these stories:

KY deploys full Army Nat’l Guard for storm cleanup

In Western KY., still stuck in ice storm’s grip

KY struggles with outages in ice storm aftermath

Please keep all those affected by this storm in your prayers.

Peace.

It’s back to McCreary

After a fantastic Christmas and New Year up in Chicago (and of course Florida), I am once again back in Parkers Lake, KY serving with the Christian Appalachian Project. I came back last Sunday and have spent the week catching up with my roommates and co-workers. I have also taken some time this week, to organize my office and storage room, they both were kind of destroyed during our Christmas Basket Distribution.

Speaking of that, my Christmas Basket Distribution was a HUGE success! We gave gifts to over 100 families and 60 elderly people. My program went really well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it. The best part was having the preschool children singing Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. They were so precious! Below I have posted a few pics from the distribution. Also, a big thank you to all my family and friends who sent in money, sponsored a family, or prayed for me and my participants during the Christmas season. I really, really appreciate it!!

The next big projects coming up for me here at CAP are Workfest, School Readiness, and the Women’s Retreat. As they get closer, I will make sure to fill you all in as to what these projects are.

Peace.

My Helpers - Barb, Me, Debra, Jenny, Robyn

The boxes for the families!

My little choir (CDC Children)

It’s Christmas Time in the McCreary House

We finally put up our Christmas decorations in the trailer! While our space may be limited, we were still able to put up a Christmas Tree, lights, a wreath, stockings and a few other decorations. It looks really good. Here are a few pictures….

A McCreary Christmas Tree

Our Stockings

The signs of poverty

Almost everyday, I am amazed at the poverty I see here in KY, but the other day has had to of been one of the worst situations that I have seen in quite some time. It involves a 23 year old girl with two small children. She has a 2 year old son and a 7 month year old daughter (they are the cutest little things – I just wanted to hug them all day long). The mom does not work and the dad is currently in another country trying to get citizenship so that he can come back to the states. What blows me away is that the mom and the children are living in a trailer that is slowly falling apart. There are multiple holes in the ceiling and some of the walls are caving in. The family also has no running water and only has a small electric heater to try and heat the place. The children have no where to sleep but on the couch in the living room and there is barely enough space for them to play. I could go on, but I will spare you the details of the other things I saw.

Anyway, what the family needs desperately is a new home, but of course they can not afford that since neither the mom nor the dad work. So they will spend this winter, just as they spend every other winter huddle up next to their small electric heater hoping for warmer days.

And here, I sit in a warm trailer with running water typing on my laptop with a wireless Internet connection. It’s funny how life works sometime.

On the bright side, CAP is going to try and help this family. I am going to work with them to at least get the holes in the ceiling patched up and we are going to try and fix up the walls. It won’t do much, but hopefully it will make the winter a little more bearable.

So for all of you reading this post, please toss up a few prayers for this family – they could certainly use them!