Appalachian Calling

Back to Kentucky

2010-06-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back from Wisconsin and it was a wonderful visit! I didn't see many friends this time, just planned to be with family and see all the little babies that are growing so quickly. Had a great time with Mom and we spent each morning sitting in the backyard near the garden having our morning coffee. It was just beautiful to sit out and watch the birds feeding their babies and having their morning breakfast. Mom's garden looks great and I swear everything grew a few inches while I was home. Looks like it will be a good year for the garden.

The trip home to Kentucky was long and the construction was all over the place. Just need to relax and enjoy the time alone in the truck to think and listen to some good music. Thankfully no mishaps along the way and all in all was a good trip back to the mountains.

I have been doing alot of thinking about this blog and I have come to the end. I have enjoyed sharing this experience with you but I think you all have a good picture of what life here with CAP is like. If there is anything major that happens I will fill you in. Otherwise, I thank you for joining me and I pray that each day is a new and exciting journey for you.

God Bless and keep you safe.
In His service
Jane

ASP is Here!

2010-06-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

ASP is the Appalachia Service Project based out of Tennessee. This Christian organization comes to Clay County each year and assists home owners with repairs on their homes. This is truly a God send for us because sometimes we have a waiting list that gets up to a 2 year wait for some of the jobs. I had been trying to get in touch with ASP, but was not having any luck. Then I received a call that they were arriving last Saturday. YEAH!!!! Angie and I met with some of the crew leaders and were able to give them about 22 referrals for the area. Some of these jobs we knew we would not be able to do for lack of ownership for the family that was residing in the home. Sometimes many of these homes are "in heirs" which means there could be as many as 80-85 owners. If that is the case, CAP cannot do any work because we require that the home be in the name of the person or family that is currently living there. ASP does not have the same guidelines and they are able to do the work regardless of the status of the deed. This is really a gift that we can get so many families taken care of and CAP can continue with the other homes that need repair. Thanks ASP!

Angie took me and Janet out on some new roads this week and it was beautiful. We traveled one pretty sketchy road up a mountain that had almost no homes on it. Much of the road had been washed out at some points and there had been some stones and rocks held up by heavy mesh netting that holds it all in place. It was an amazing drive, but some of it was pretty freaky. Always eager to head out to some new areas and get another look at the beauty of Kentucky.

The house is turning over and I have very mixed feelings about it all. It is exciting to get new people in but is also difficult to say good-bye to the housemates that are leaving. I realize that some of these people I may never see again and that is hard to accept. I have hopes that some of them I will see again somewhere along the way, and that is a good thing to think about.

It is a rainy Saturday and many of us are just staying in for the day. Hope you are all doing well and I look forward to being back in Wisconsin this coming week.

God Bless
Jane

Longer Commitment

2010-06-06T12:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official. I am staying for a longer term than I had originally planned. My one year commitment would be done in early September, but I am going to stay on for another 9 months after this first term is completed. I am planning on coming home for the full month of September in-between starting another term of service. I talked it over with my mom and she understands that this is where I need to be right now. Thanks Mom. So starting October 1st I will start a new program and stay until the end of June 2011.

I talked it over with the volunteer manager and my program manager and I am going to be involved with helping the volunteer program with all the work groups that come in throughout the year. I am pretty excited about this! There is prep work and then hosting, cooking, commandeering the groups and also educating them about the Appalachian area. I think the education part will be great! Many times groups come in from anywhere in the USA but they might not know much about this area and the history of the culture. I will be able to explain more about this beautiful land and the wonderful people who live here. How cool is that!

Another bonus is that when I have some slow time I can still be a part of Family Advocacy and be able to spend time with my families. That is really the gift in it all. I know that I would miss being able to see the families and making those home visits. I am very greatful and very fortunate to be able to make this transition. Thanks to CAP for allowing me this wiggle room.

The weather is heating up and the storms are rolling in. Love the thunder storms but could do well with some 70's weather. I guess that is the benefit of living in the south.

Hope all is well with you and yours. God Bless
Jane

Wonderful Visit, Wonderful Friend

2010-05-30T09:06:00.001-07:00

It has been a few days since Ann left, but what a wonderful visit we had! Ann is a good friend from Sheboygan and she came to the Appalachians on Thursday, May 20th. I cannot believe all the things that happened that she and I could be a part of. There were volunteers in from Ohio and we were able to have dinner with them at Camp AJ and then share a devotion with them. They were some great, hard-working people and we really enjoyed sharing an evening with them.

The days at work held some interesting home visits and I was delighted that Ann got a good view of the area that I work in. We traveled up the mountain and had to take one of those driveways down that you can't see until the front end of the car nosedives and then there is the road in front of you. Ann was a little freaked but was a trooper and held in there with us. The homes were on the meager side and it showed the poorer side of Clay County. Some of the homes in another area were beautiful and very well kept up, so I was happy that we got a view of all types.

Ann and Angie, my co-worker, hit it off famously. Sometimes I think they forgot that I was even along. :) I usually took the back seat when we traveled around the county so Ann had a clear view of all the areas that we were visiting. We stopped at a ministry that reaches out to pregnant women and Ann was able to drop off some beautiful caps and booties that a friend had sent along for the babies. The woman who runs the program had just gotten off of a phone call and we all took hands to pray for the situation she had just learned of. It was quite moving, and again I was happy that Ann could get a sense of the people that I have built a relationship with here in Kentucky.

We took some time for sight seeing and saw some really beautiful countryside. On Sunday we traveled up to Lexington and worshiped at Southland. This is a huge church on the edge of the city that does some amazing outreach in the area and all over the world. It was a very moving service and I was delighted to be able to worship with Ann.

I cannot thank Ann enough for her generous gifts for the people of Appalachia and also for what she has given to me. How can I say thank you to someone who brought me a taste of home. It was awesome to have Ann here and I am glad that she was able to come and get a good picture of what I do.

I pray you are all having a great Memorial Weekend.
God Bless
Jane

Retreat of a Lifetime

2010-05-15T10:59:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been two weeks since I last checked in. I didn't have too much to say last week, so I thought I would keep it all for this week. And what a week it has been. I just returned to Jackson House from the volunteer retreat held next door at Camp AJ. Wow was it wonderful!!!!!

First I was honored to be asked to help with the music. There are musicians on the east side that lead us in song, and myself and three of my housemates were also asked to help out. We were challenged to do some Taize music for the group. First of all I had no idea what that was so we checked on youtube and there it was. It is a type of chant that is used in worship and I think it was started in France. Anyway, we found two songs to use and it was beautiful! God used our voices and it really was a wonderful experience.

The highlight was the main speaker. He was amazing. His name is Todd Butler and he is a professor at Brescia University in Owensboro, KY. His main thought throughout the retreat was transformation and transition. Many of us are coming to the end of our year long commitments and it has been very difficult in some cases to say good-bye. Say good-bye to people that you have grown to love and also to say hello to the new volunteers coming in to take their places. It is a truly bittersweet time. Change is constant and sometimes it is difficult to keep up with it all.

Todd had us taking a look at the community (family of origin) that we grew up with and how that compares to the community that we have been living in currently. How do they differ and what similarities do we see. It was quite interesting to diagram the table where I shared a meal as a child and what the table looks like today that I share nightly with my community here. It is difficult to put into words all that he walked us through. I just know that I want to keep this with me for as long as I can.

There is a stray dog that has been wandering around Camp AJ for a few weeks. Yesterday morning a little girl was trying to use bacon held out in her hand to help lead this dog to a pile of food that had been laid out for the dog. This stray is very skittish and would not come to the little girl or follow her to the feast that had been prepared. We talked about this situation and compared it to this. What is God holding out to us that we are too afraid to take from His hand? What is He attempting to lead us to that we just cannot see? It may sound funny to compare this small child and a stray dog to our relationship with God. But to me, it touched something inside that I think will stay with me for a long time.

I pray all is well with you and yours. God keep you safe til we meet again.
Jane

I Know a Man

2010-05-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Shackled by a heavy burden,

'Neath a load of guilt and shame.

Then the hand of Jesus touched me,

And now I am no longer the same.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know,

He touched me and made me whole.

Since I met this blessed Savior,

Since He cleansed and made me whole,

I will never cease to praise Him,

I'll shout it while eternity rolls.

He touched me, Oh He touched me,

And oh the joy that floods my soul!

Something happened and now I know

He touched me and made me whole.

This past week we held the annual Women's Retreat at Camp AJ. I cannot begin to explain how wonderful this event is. Some of these ladies have been coming for 8 years, since it began. Some have come for the first time and already know that this is something they never want to miss again. We started out with some introductions and letting people know the lay of the land and what the guidelines were. Then one of the first group things was coming together and singing to the Lord. It was beyond beautiful! Carrie led us in this event and she is outstanding. Carrie has this strong and wonderful Gospel voice that just takes you to another place. Everyone joined in and we sang some of the old favorites. There were a few ladies that took the lead and it was like being in a movie. Their voices took me to a place in the Appalachian Mountains that I had never been before.

There were different activities all throughout the 3 days we were together. We all shared in the meals and then there were crafts, camp fires, fishing, more singing, speakers and more. The final day was the main speaker. She was one of the best I have ever heard, truly. She spoke directly to our hearts and told us her life story and how God has used her life to minister to other people.

At the close of her presentation Carrie started to lead us in song and the speaker went around to each person in the room to touch them, hold them and pray with them. Many a tear was shed. The song that Carrie started with is at the beginning of this entry. God was there that day and touched many a heart in that room. It is really difficul to convey the feelings I had that day. To see these women from all different walks of life ministering to each other was an amazing gift to see and experience. This is one of the best memories that will come with me when I go.

When I had first interviewed with Robyn, my manager, she talked about the retreat and how she will never stop holding the retreat for the women. I more than understand now what she was saying. This was one very special event and I know that these ladies hold it in a very special place in their hearts. If there is anything that I come back to do with CAP, it will be to attend and help with this God-filled three days in Appalachia.

I pray that all of you may have an experience such as this in your life.

God Bless

Jane

Vacation Week is Over

2010-04-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

The buds were down from Wisconsin last week and we had a great time! The first two nights were spent at Jackson House so they could get a better feel for how it is to live in community. They really enjoyed the house and the housemates. Thanks Jackson House for letting us stay a few nights. We spent some time in Berea and also went to Lexington for the Keeneland horse races. What a hoot! Two of us placed some bets and we had some winners. It was quite interesting to people watch at this affair. This is absolutely a "Kentucky" that I had not seen before. People were dressed to the nines, especially the women. It was really cool to watch the races, but I think I got more enjoyment out of watching the crowd.
The next day we left for Natural Bridge State Resort Park. OK, if anyone is considering coming to Kentucky for some vacation, this area is a "have to see" thing. We took the skylift up to the natural bridge, and then hiked around for awhile. The view is phenomenal!!!! After we returned to our Bee-yooo-tee-fulll cabin, I took some of the trails back up to the bridge and checked it out a little more thoroughly. The walk back felt like I was traversing through a jungle, way cool! Next day was Red River Gorge, which is a geological area. For those of you terminology impaired, this means it isn't a little park with well placed bathrooms. We had a bit of a struggle finding our way around, but well worth the search. So many wonderful places to check out and spend some time taking in the vistas. I just think Kentucky could do a little better with their signage.
Off to the east side to see more mountains and visit Diane. We all went to Pig in a Poke for dinner and enjoyed some of the best barbecued ribs ever tasted. Well done Pig! We spent the night at Floyd House in the upper area. Thanks for letting us invade, Floyd House. We appreciate the hospitality.
Our last leg of the journey was to Buckhorn State Resort Park. In my opinion not as cool as natural bridge, but still quite beautiful. All in all was a wonderful week and all made it home safely. Thanks to my friends for coming down and spending some time.
Tonight Jackson House has been invited to dine with some CAP-related people. John lives near Natural Bridge, so it will be another beautiful drive. Can't wait to see what is all on the menu.
This coming week is the Women's Retreat at Camp AJ. I think this is going to be alot of fun. I am looking forward to seeing all the ladies and leading them in some different crafts. The weather is not looking all that great, but such is life.
Hope you are all doing well.
Jane

Another Wonderful Week

2010-04-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Today is beautiful! The warm weather is on sabbatical and we are seeing the mid to upper 60's for the next few days. I am patiently waiting for my friends from Wisconsin to get here. I am so excited. We are planning a week of fun and adventure. First stops will include Berea and the horse races in Lexington. One of my housemates went this past week and said it was alot of fun. The place is called Keeneland and they have races in the afternoon. I think they start around 1 PM and the last race is about 5 PM. I'm looking forward to seeing it and maybe having a cold one while we watch the race.

Last Wednesday I went over to see Diane Beckmann on the east side. Don and Peggy Hasse were visiting and we all got together for a nice chat and dinner. It was a great night and was a real treat to see Don and Peg. We took a drive through Jenny Wiley State Park and then got out a bit at the Dewey Dam. It is really beautiful there and the weather was great. We then stopped for all you can eat catfish. Yum! Best catfish I have had in a long time.

This week we will be heading over to Natural Bridge and also Red River Gorge. I am pumped to see this area. Haven't been there yet but have seen some pictures, and people who have been there said it is awesome. We have a cabin or cottage and will be spending two nights in the area. Looking forward to taking the lift and getting a bird's eye view of the mountains.

The following week is the CAP Women's Retreat over at Camp AJ. This should be a hoot. There are about 60 women who attend and we all stay at camp. It is a three day event and the ladies really have a great time. We are having some speakers and Mrs. Kentucky International will be there too. I guess she is bringing her entourage and they will be doing make-up and hair for all our glamor shots. Can't wait to see that!

Hope you are all doing well. God Bless
Jane

Blossoms Galore!

2010-04-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

Kentucky Blossoms!

This week has been great. The weather went from 89 degrees on Wednesday to about 55 on Thursday. You would think I was in Wisconsin with how different each day is. Youthfest is over and we are starting to return to a somewhat more normal routine. The sad part is that some members of Jackson House will start to leave in May. Once June hits we will lose quite a few of our housemates. This is going to be a sad time to say good bye to people I truly love.

I am more than half way through this journey and I still think this is one of the best decisions I ever made. I am really happy that I still feel that way after being here for this amount of time. There have been a few struggles but all in all it has been wonderful journey.

Not much to report right now. I hope all is well with you and yours.

God Bless

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

What a week! Last Sunday I went with a housemate to see Guy Penrod in McKee. What an awesome concert! The tickets were free and then we sat in the third row! That is hot spit people. I mean literally, hot spit. Guy liked to walk around the auditorium and talk to people and he also handed out the prizes when they called the names from the door prize bowl. He is an amazing vocalist and really shared a wonderful message with all of us. I was so happy to be able to see him and it was one remarkable night of singing and sharing. If anyone is interested he has a new country CD out and I think it will be a good one. It really was a great night and what a wonderful way to celebrate Palm Sunday.

I just got home not too long ago from spending the weekend with my sister Beth. We met in LaFayette, IN and really had a wonderful Easter weekend. I went up on Friday and then Beth arrived on Saturday morning. We spent time in the hotel talking and then went out for dinner. Our favorite place, Olive Garden, was directly across the road from the hotel. Cool. Then we just went downtown to check out the shops and stroll the streets. It is a cute city and we found a nice spot to people watch. Then we walked out of one place and saw a crowd of people standing around an old theatre. We walked over to check it out and it was a presentation of The Passion Play and was starting in about 45 minutes. Well, the tickets were free so we just grabbed a seat and waited for the show. It was awesome! It was a musical and had two story lines going at one time. The story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection was the main message, and then it included another side story of one of the actors in the show and how he came to be aware of God's grace and what it meant for his life. At first I wasn't too thrilled with the duo story line but by the time it was all done they had presented an excellent performance.

Beth and I found a Lutheran church downtown for Sunday service and then caught a quick breakfast before both heading out to go home. Beth to Wisconsin and me back to Kentucky. When I got back to Jackson House they were still eating Easter dinner so I grabbed a chair and joined them for conversation and a piece of lemon pie. What a treat to spend the weekend with my sister and then being able to spend part of Easter with my Jackson House family.

The weather has been wonderful here and when I was driving home I saw a hillside covered with Redbud trees and bushes. Man was that beautiful! In a few days they will be opened even more. That will be a treat.

Hope you all had a Blessed Easter! He is risen, He is risen indeed!

Sharing the Beauty

2010-03-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

On our way up the pinnacles. Enjoy!

Workfest Completed

2010-03-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

The third and final week of Workfest is done. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. It is somewhat sad to say farewell to the volunteers who came down specifically for Workfest. The cooks have left and the crew leaders are also on their way home. These are some amazing people and they have been coming for many years. I do feel that I will see them again here at CAP. Even if it is for a short visit, I know that our paths will cross again. The couple from Wisconsin is still here and will not be heading home until about mid-April. It is nice to have Jackson House return to a more familiar schedule, but that will be short lived as Youthfest starts in one week. It is similar to Workfest but on a somewhat smaller scale. Some of the jobs for these high school aged youth will be completing the work started by Workfest teams.

Weather in the past few days has been spectacular! Yesterday Judy and I went to the pinnacles, which are on the edge of Berea. What a hike! We took the trail to the east pinnacle and then just stood and drank in the beauty of Kentucky. We left the east pinnacle and trekked over to the Indian Fort Lookout. I think that is the name. That was also very beautiful and we spent a bit more time there just sitting and looking out over the countryside. In about a month we will not have the same view because so much will be budding out and some of the view will be blocked. Daffodils are blooming everywhere! I saw one hillside covered by crocuses, croci?? Not sure what to call it but it was truly lovely to see the purple and white on the hill. I am eager to see spring blossom here in Kentucky and take in all the wildflowers in the area.

I received an e-mail from Don and Peg Hasse and they will be stopping in for a visit. That is way cool! We are planning to meet in Floyd County and visit with Diane all at the same time. I think it is easier for them to navigate the RV on the east side rather than come into the Cumberland area. It will be great to see them and I am really looking forward to their visit.

I look forward to this week to be able to get caught up with the regular workload. Some things were put on the back burner in keeping on top of things for Workfest. I have some home visits to make and get some items delivered to some of my families so they can get their home repairs taken care of.

All in all, life is great! I hope you are all getting Spring fever and the weather is cooperating.
God bless
Jane

Second Week of Workfest Completed

2010-03-13T14:23:00.000-08:00

This has been a very interesting and difficult week. First of all we were very happy that the rain held off until Friday afternoon. It dripped a little on Thursday but not enough to make anyone stop their work. This week I was asked to take donuts out to the work sites on Wednesday. I went with another volunteer and we had a great day. We took a dozen donuts to each house and then also took pictures for each work crew. It really is amazing to see all the work that is being accomplished. These college groups are working hard and for some jobs are even ahead of schedule.

On Thursday I went with Angela to take the final pictures of what work has been accomplished at each house. We waited until late in the day so we can show the next crews coming in what the house looked like before and where we are at now. These pictures are posted in Old Hickory (a meeting room) and all can see what is going on. The last house we stopped at was Loretta's and it was awesome. Loretta and her daughter had made a full Thanksgiving dinner for the work crew and invited us in to eat also. There was homemade sauerkraut with chopped up wieners. It was incredible! I tasted a bit of the other food but was mostly interested in the kraut and dogs. Then, Loretta and her son and daughter picked up a guitar and some spoons and began to sing for us. They all have beautiful voices and when they sang together is was amazing! The son plays guitar, fiddle, mandolin and a few more instruments. The daughter was playing the spoons and it was great. Loretta had the strongest voice and just sang her heart out. They were all gospel songs and you could tell how much each song meant to her.

We asked them if they would sing at the family night, and they agreed. Thursday night is when all the crews and the families get together to share in a meal and say good-bye. Loretta and her family did about two songs for all of us and the room really enjoyed it all. It was just so cool to see them up there and see how the crowd was responding to them. This week was better than last that almost all the families were able to come and join us in the meal. It is really incredible to see the connection between the crews and the families. One of the ladies was crying as she hugged each one good-bye. It was really quite touching. We all left after the dinner and were headed back to Camp AJ. This is where it went awry.

On the way back, Janet and I came around a corner and there in front of us was a small truck engulfed in flames and a car that had the front totally smashed in. There were no police or EMT's there so we knew it had just happened. We both jumped out of the truck to run up and see if there was anything we could do to help. There was a woman who was coming from the other way and I thank God she was a nurse. She was out there attempting to take care of the victims of the crash. Two were dead at the scene, and the other was taken by flight for life. This happened after we left, but I heard about it the next day. From what people have said, the two men in the truck were drunk and hit this young woman head on. It is a bad part of the road, and I think there have been quite a few accidents there in the past. This is the most horrible thing I have ever seen. I never want to come upon anything like this ever again.

All the vehicles that were heading back to Camp AJ had to take a detour and go on the back roads to get there. The good roads in Kentucky are not all that great, so taking back roads was not a favorable situation either. It was the longest drive I have ever made. When we pulled up to the house I just lost it. Life is so fragile and it makes you realize that you need to appreciate each moment.

This coming week is the last week of workfest, and we are all hoping for good weather again. If any of you are looking for volunteer opportunities, this is the pace to be. It is really an honor to be a part of the lives of the people in Appalachia.

God Bless
Jane

One Week In

2010-03-06T05:53:00.000-08:00

It is Saturday morning, the sun us shining bright and it is a good day! This has been an interesting week. Our first round of Workfest college students have come and gone and they got a tremendous amount of work done for our participants. There were five crews and they were spread about in Jackson and Clay Counties. Two of the jobs are scheduled for all three weeks, and the other jobs are for one or two weeks. One of the houses needed 16 post holes dug to place some posts to hold up a new roof. This is done in situations where trailer walls are not strong enough to support the weight of a new roof. Anywho, when they started to dig the holes the crew realized that this house was built on solid rock. Drag! Some of that crew spent the week with a jack hammer working on getting those posts in. Those were some tired puppies when we saw them in the evenings.

The first night, Sunday, is welcome, dinner and orientation. Jackson House goes up to camp to be a part of all this. Dig it! There was a powerpoint presentation to introduce everyone to current volunteers, crew leaders and the staff that was involved in getting this all put together for the families. It was a fun night and the presentation was hilarious. Well done Lucas!

Monday night was dinner, and then a panel of current volunteers sat down to discuss their experience with CAP and answer any questions they might have. This is a great way to recruit long term volunteers for down the road. After the panel discussion we had some awesome music presented by Mitch Barrett, a local troubadour. This was a fun night.

Wednesday we were all on our own. Jackson House was not expected to go to camp, so we had a night together as a family and shared devotion together. It was nice to have a night off from all the activities. Some of the younger members went over to camp later to go hiking, I think.

Thursday night we all went over to The Oneida Baptist Institute (OBI). This place provides a dinner and the space to have our closing services together. The food was wonderful and then all the crews get up to tell how their week went and what type of experiences they have had. It was funny and quite touching. The participants are invited also, but only one family was able to come this week.

Our next group will be coming in Sunday afternoon/evening. I am excited to see the new faces and meet another group of young people who are committed to making a difference in Appalachia.

Today is going to be a day of hiking and taking in all the sunshine. I think there is supposed to be alot of rain next week, which is not good. Monday looks wonderful but after that it goes down hill. We'll see what the week brings, but either way the crews will be out there doing their thing.

Hope you are all doing well and blessings to all!
Jane

It's Starting

2010-02-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

Whelp! People have already started piling in for Workfest. One of the cooks, who is from Colorado, arrived Friday and is making her nest in the "cooks" bedroom. She is really nice and has been coming to Kentucky for about 26 years as a volunteer. That is amazing! Not all of those years have been for CAP, but I think most of them have. She loves it and I am enjoying having her here already because she keeps cleaning corners around the house. That is way cool. We even had a table sit-down breakfast today which is not normal for a Saturday. There were about nine of us and it was nice.

We had snow again today, and we were grounded on Thursday. This is really getting to be a drag and I do hope that we don't get any snow for Workfest. What does one do with 80 college students who cannot get out to the worksite? Glad that will not be my responsibility. I think Monday and Tuesday are looking good, with a possibility of snow for Wednesday, but let's all pray that nothing will come of that. All the participant families are getting excited and so am I.

This week was pretty busy at the office. I met a new elderly gentleman who was referred to me for some assistance in purchasing coal for heat for his home. By the time he got to my office and we completed all the paperwork, it was too late to go and purchase the coal. We set an appointment for 11:00 AM the next day and I took another volunteer with me to his home and then we made our way to the coal distribution office. I wasn't sure where we were going and when we got to this office, I realized that this man wasn't sure where we were going either. We happened to meet another vehicle there and they directed us to where we needed to be. It was interesting to watch how this was attended to.

Ray drove his truck onto the scales so they could get an established weight of his vehicle in their office. Then he drove out to where the coal piles were and they met him with a front loader type of thing. What was cute was the office dog jumped on for the ride as they made their way to the piles. He stared at us the whole way and I think he was kinda taunting us that he got to ride on the equipment and we could not. His name was Bud and he was pretty cool. Anyway.......

The back of the truck was loaded and then Ray made his way back to the scales to be re-weighed and charged for the pounds of coal. That was some darn good looking coal and according to Ray, burnt down to a small amount of ash so he really gets his monies worth from the 800 pounds. That is a good deal. Another good thing is that Ray agreed to have the elderly program volunteer come and visit him and check in to make sure that he is doing well. I am very pleased by that because Ray has some health issues and it will be good to have another pair of eyes on him.

I realize today that everything will be topsy turvey for the next 6 weeks. After Workfest finishes we will begin 2 weeks of Youthfest. Is very similar but the volunteers coming in are high school age instead of college age. The Youthfest volunteers do all their jobs with the elderly participants. This will be great to help get many small jobs done such as house cleaning, yard clean up, painting and some small carpentry type things. They might help with some of the clean up from Workfest, but mostly the focus is on our elderly participants. Again, it is a wonderful thing to see the relationships develop between the volunteers and the families.

My church sent me the DVD's of The Truth Project. I am thrilled to share this series with the house. Now that we are so close to Workfest I am not exactly sure when we will get to watch them, but I know that we all wanted to watch them together so we can have some good discussions. I look forward to that immensely.

Once again, hope all is will with you and yours. May God bless your day richly.
Jane

Spring?

2010-02-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful morning here in the Appalachians. Last Monday and Tuesday we were grounded due to bad weather. Wednesday morning some of us left the house to attend a staff meeting and on the way got a call from our manager. She was going to ground us because the guy who plowed the driveway said Sandlick Road was horrible and he recommended that nobody drive on it. OOooops! We thought it was sort of bad, but as long as you went very slow it was fine. I apologized to Robyn, our manager, but we just could not stay another whole day in the house with all of us locked up together. It was fine and I truly hope they don't think we were just being defiant. Sometimes ya just gotta do whatcha gotta do.

On a different note, yesterday a few of us went to a birthday party in McCreary county for two of our volunteers. On the way we stopped at Cumberland Falls and checked out the area. Talk about beautiful! We went a little too close to the falls and were asked to get back. Sorry about that but got a really cool look at the falls, close up. Then we drove over the bridge to the other side and hiked the trail to Eagle Falls. Wow! That was way wonderful! I laughed at the trail because there were times when I couldn't tell where the trail went, but there were little splotches of yellow paint sprayed around to show us the way. All in all was a great day.

We are really getting geared up for Workfest. The kids will start to arrive next Sunday and we are underway. I am excited to see all this come together and be a part of it all. I think the best part will be watching the relationships develop between the college students and the families. That is the most wonderful thing to see.

Short one today. I pray you are all doing well.
Jane

Another Winter Weekend

2010-02-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

Good Mornin' Y'all!

I was supposed to have gone to Indianapolis this weekend to meet my sister Beth, but alas, the weather is questionable on this end. We were grounded on Wednesday due to a good amount of snow, and right now Sand Lick is pretty icy in some areas. A little snow over that and things are not good here on the mountainside. I am disappointed but we are going to just pick another weekend and see what happens. I think March is a little more promising weather-wise. We are all hoping March is better or we will have a lot of people here for Workfest and jobs we cannot get them to.

Angie has been working very hard and has pretty much everything ready for Workfest. There is much prep work involved, and she is ahead of the game right now. Donnie, our crew leader, has had the crews out delivering the wonderboard and other items to make sure the homes are ready to go. I am pretty excited to see how all this works. It should be a lot of work, but also plenty of fun. I will be taking pictures as the work progresses and that will be interesting to compare and see what has all been accomplished each week.

Five of us from Jackson House drove over to the east side on Thursday night for orientation. It was wonderful! There were three volunteers that spoke on the three pillars of CAP: service, spirituality and community. They did a great job and it sparked something in me again as to why we are here and what we are trying to accomplish. It was great to see Diane. I wish we could have had more time to talk, but with so much going on we just exchanged a few hugs and talked briefly. I think I will have to take a trip over to be able to have some solid time with Diane and have a good catch up. I miss her and could use some Wisconsin back-home conversation with a good friend.

It's great to have Bridget back in the house. She was gone from last Saturday until Thursday night. We asked her how she felt about orientation and she had a great time. Bridget said it was nice to be with people that were all in the same place. Meaning that they were all new to each other and it felt good to all be there. Her analogy of coming into Jackson House was this: It's like all of you have been at the barbecue together, talking and having drinks. You are all very familiar with each other and now I am trying to enter into the conversation. I thought that was a pretty cool and accurate analogy. Even though we have all opened up to make her feel as comfortable as possible, the history is not there yet. Good for all of us to keep in mind when someone new enters into our lives.

Who watched the opening ceremony for the Olympics last night? I didn't make it to the end but loved the whales swimming on the floor. That was beautiful!

That is all for now - have a great week and God Bless
Jane

Coffee Time

2010-02-06T06:15:00.000-08:00

Good Mornin' I've had my coffee, two cups, and am ready for the day. The weather is questionable so I have a list of house chores again for today. Right now it looks OK but I am not sure about later. The storm may have missed us, or it is on a day late schedule like the others.

First of all, an update on our new housemate Bridget. Love her! We were all a little leery as to how a new volunteer will change the dynamics of the house, and it has all been for the better. First of all, she snorts. Not a cute little snort, but a good husky, solid one. And then, if we can keep her laughing, we'll hear a whole line popping; one right after the other. It is awesome! So Lucas and I have a goal at dinner to get her going and see how long it will last. OK, we are not being mean, just curious. Honestly though, she is great and has added another golden thread to the plaid of the house. Bridget is heading over to the east side for orientation and then the commissioning service. Some of us from the house are planning on going over on Thursday for the service, God willing and the creeks don't rise. I hope they all have as wonderful an experience as I did at my orientation.

This week I spent more time working in preparation for Workfest. I took my manager Robyn and a gentleman from the home office to visit three of the families. It was pretty cool. There is a big difference watching an interaction between fellow Kentuckians, rather than a volunteer from out of state. There is a kinship there that just flows in the conversation. The first home we went to was an elderly lady just outside of Manchester in Clay County. She showed us all the pictures of her family and told all the stories that go with them. Her brother was killed in the mine explosion that occurred in 1970. It was the Finley Coal Company and the mine was in Hyden, in Leslie County. I believe there were about 38 people who died in that accident. You should look it up and read more about it. Then we walked the house to look at the work that will be done during Workfest. As we left one of the bedrooms, she picked up her harmonica and started playing for us! How cool is that. It was a great visit and we spent quite a bit of time there.

There were two other families that we stopped at during the course of the day. Those visits were very nice also, but no more harmonica playing.

Thursday night was our house meeting with Kiara, the Volunteer Manager. We got a little more info about Workfest, due to our house being located next to Camp AJ. As current volunteers we are called upon to be there at night for dinner and the night's activities. We have quite a few housing volunteers here at Jackson House so we will be deeply involved in the whole month. I believe most of them will be crew leaders. There will be local musicians that come to entertain, and I am really looking forward to that.

Each week Thursday night is designated as "Family Night". We will all gather at the Oneida Baptist Institute and share in a meal and fellowship. It is an opportunity for all the crews to be together with all the families that received work on their homes. This also offers an opportunity for all the families to meet. I hear it is a very special night. Should be great!

Well, I think I will start my list of chores. I pray you are all doing well. Til we meet again.
Jane

Well Grounded

2010-01-30T14:24:00.001-08:00

It is Saturday afternoon and we have been grounded, again. McKee received about 6" of snow, but in Mt. Vernon I heard they got about 10". In Kentucky terms, that is staggering! So, our day has consisted of teaming up with Kristen and attacking the laundry/storage room and giving it a deep cleaning. It took us about 3-4 hours and we accomplished much. The room looks awesome, you can actually walk around in the room and I just hope people don't go looking for all the stuff we through out! I am sure what we tossed was so old and forgotten that no one will notice. I think that there are many things left behind by former volunteers and they have totally forgotten what was all there.

This week we spent alot of time going to the Workfest homes with Robyn, our manager. She needs to see all the jobs and approve the plans that have been set for them. All is good and we have the go ahead for almost all the jobs. Angie is still working on the grant writing, but that should get taken care of next week. This has been a huge learning experience for me and I have appreciated all of it.

We were expecting a new volunteer today, but she has been detoured to another volunteer house due to not being able to get down Sand Lick Road. She should be able to get here tomorrow, God willing and the creeks don't rise. We are all excited to meet her and begin a new friendship with another CAP volunteer. Her name is Bridget and she is from the New York area, but I think I already told you that last week.

My big question of the week is: what is the difference between a holler, lick, branch and a fork? I am asking people around here and getting some mixed answers. A holler dead ends in the middle of nowhere. A branch usually leaves the road and then curves it's way back to the same road. I am not sure about the lick and the fork. I was on a holler that was called May Fork, so I think we have some explaining to do. If anyone wants to add their opinion I am all ears.

My other thought of the week, why do I feel that I am more patient with my current housemates than I am with family members and some friends? I have said before that I feel I am a better person here than I am at home. Why is that? Do I look at this time as short lived so I need to let things not bother me? So I keep myself on my best behavior because I want to make sure that I treat people with kindness? Is this not how we should approach life in general? We don't know when our time here will end, so shouldn't we always strive to treat people with kindness and respect? I hope that when I return home I can keep this same sense of not letting the small things get to me. And, hopefully will treat people the same way that I would like to be treated. Or as Angie would say, I do people the way I want them to do me.

I think that is the way we should all be. Til we meet again,
God Bless

Getting Out There

2010-01-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful week this has been. I have been involved in getting jobs set up for Workfest, which starts in March. Donnie, the crew leader, Angie, the housing coordinator, and I have been driving around Clay and Owsley counties making home visits and checking on the feasibility of these sites to be included in Workfest. It has been amazing! First of all, I am not driving so I can just relax and look at the beauty of Kentucky. Donnie and Angie are both from Clay County so I felt very comfortable in the hands of someone who grew up driving these roads.

Let me take a moment to explain Workfest. College students come in groups to work on houses in the Appalachia area. It is an alternative Spring break other than going to Daytona beach or some other party place. We have crew leaders that take them out to the houses and then guide them through such things as replacing roofs, putting on siding, adding underpinning, replacing doors and windows, building a new porch and steps or perhaps putting on a much needed ramp. It is awesome to see the amount of work that gets done and the changes to these homes and the families that live there. It is a gift to see the relationships that grow between the participants and the work crews. I am looking forward to being a part of all this.

Anyway, some of the jobs we looked at were on major roads, not that interesting. But, most of the jobs were way down the hollers, which was awesome. Hearing some of the directions given to our office is a treat in itself. Example: Drive down the road until you see a pair of tennis shoes hanging over the power lines, then turn left. In another county a participant told the CAP employee: drive down the road until you see the McDonalds bag in the road and then turn left. Apparently, that bag had been there long enough to become a landmark. What a hoot!

Anywho, there is much more involved in picking a Workfest job than I had realized. We need to consider how much work needs to be done. We do not want a crew at a site and there is not enough work to keep everyone busy for at least a week or two. Is the road passable in bad weather. Can't have people getting stuck out in a holler somewhere. Will there be too much mud. If there is wet weather we don't want people working in mud or getting stuck in mud. Are there a lot of dogs and are they friendly. Will the family interact with the crews and enjoy having that many people there. Is the drive too long from Camp AJ and then too much of the day is on the road. Angie also takes a look at if the families fit into our income guidelines and are they capable of making a payback for some of the funding. It is much to look at and take into consideration.

It was a treat to be able to drive down these hollers and completely take in the beauty of the area. There was one home that was at the end of the holler. I just stood there drinking it all in: the calling of the birds, the river running by on the other side of the road, the horses near the barn, the colors of the bushes and trees, and the smell of autumn. There were two kittens playing at my feet as I stood and took pictures of the job. I could have stayed there all day. The family was very nice and we visited with them for awhile. Not all of the homes were this beautiful, but I thoroughly enjoyed visiting all of them.

I hope that when my friends come in April I will have the opportunity to take them to such a magical place. Kentucky is surely one of the most beautiful states I have visited.

On a different note, Monday night dinner had 12 of us at the table. I just love it when there is such a good group to share a meal. Tom and Dorothy came up and then Lucas' brother and father joined us also. It was a great time for fellowship and Janet made a delicious dinner for all.

Hope you are all well. Until we meet again, God Bless
Jane

Change of Season

2010-01-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this week we were debating whether we should go out on the roads and risk the ice and snow, or stay put and be safe. There were a couple days we waited for 2-3 hours and then ventured out to work. On Saturday I went to Berea to spend the day and saw a young lady lying in the sun in her swimsuit. Gotta love Kentucky!!!! I know this has been an abnormally cold winter thus far for Kentucky, and the quick change was surprising. Berea was bustling and it was a great day to just take a long walk and make a lot of phone calls. It was a wonderful day to relax and enjoy the warm weather. From 6 degrees on Tuesday to 57 degrees on Saturday. I think that even beats Wisconsin.

Work has been a lot of fun this week. Now that the Christmas basket program has been completed, I can focus on many other things that get placed on the back burner during that time. With all the cold weather, there were many families in need of assistance for heat. People use electric, firewood, coal, gas or sometimes small kerosene or propane heaters. This is my first time to be involved in purchasing coal to heat a home. I really don't know if people still use coal in Wisconsin for heat. Anyone want to fill me in?

When I was home for Christmas I received some sweater sets that were hand made by a friend of my sister. They were beautiful!!!! Little boggins that matched the sweaters. I had a young mother come into the office with her son and daughter. The little girl was about 5-6 years old. I asked her if she would like a new sweater and she got that really cool look on her face that in my opinion meant "Really Mom, can I?" So I brought out a set of bright yellow and orange and some other darker tones and she put it on. Her face just lit up!!!! She looked beautiful and she was so excited to have something new. So a big thank you to Jeannie and her wonderful gift of knitting.

We are getting a new housemate at the end of the month. I believe she is from the New York area or there abouts. I am excited to meet her. She stayed at the Rockcastle House when she came for her interview and the people there loved her. I think she will be a grand addition to our Jackson volunteer house.

And, we now have a couple from Wisconsin living at the bottom of our driveway in their RV! Tom and Dorothy are from Tomahawk. They are very nice and have been spending some time with us here at the house. They have come to do much needed work at Camp AJ and get that project completed. I am sure they will also be helping out with Workfest which takes place in March. I guess we will have to have that brat fry now!!!!!!!!!!

On a totally different note, in the past week or so three of my friends had a parent that passed away. You are all in my prayers and I rejoice with you in knowing that your mothers are now in the presence of their Savior. What an amazing thought. I look forward to the day when we will see them again in the New Jerusalem.

May God bless your week richly.
Jane

Pictures for Your Pleasure

2010-01-08T09:52:00.000-08:00

The Christian Appalachian Project is closed today due to the weather and bad roads. This will be a nice long weekend. Just wish I didn't have this stinking cold.

So, let's start with some pictures of the new babies at their first Christmas. All cute as a button and I now have officially been moved into the "grandparent" level. Life is good !

This is the storm on December 18th. Beautiful but damaging. Really???? Kentucky?????

Back in the Saddle

2010-01-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been awhile and I need to do a little catching up. I had intended to place a new post on the weekend of December 18th, but we were hit with a very heavy snow and were without power at the volunteer house from sometime Friday night until Monday afternoon. No power, no heat and no post. It was quite the adventure. There is a small gas fake fireplace in the living room, but we all agreed we would wait to turn it on because of rumors that it might smell and we didn't want any headaches or sick stomachs. We just all grabbed a blanket and made a nest in every corner of the living room and hung out. Some told stories, some read to themselves and also aloud to the group. We sowed by flashlight and tried to do some work on computers for those who had a good battery. We started up the grill on the porch and cooked old hot dogs and warmed frozen leftover pizza. At some point we all gathered in one corner and watched a movie on a small computer screen. At this point we agreed to turn the gas stove on and it was great! No smell and it warmed the one room quite nicely. (After we hung blankets in the doorway to hold in the heat.) All in all was a wonderful day and a great time to spend with family.

On Sunday we were actually able to get out and have a little space. Still no power, but the roads had cleared enough that some of us went in to town for a bit. That night we all gathered in the living room again and shared stories and some potatoes cooked on the grill. It was the night before my birthday dinner so we decided to do birthday devotions in case we didn't have electricity the next night. It was wonderful and the evening turned into a night of deep conversation about relationships and marriage and divorce. Great insights by many different minds.

On Monday, my 50th birthday, we all made it home from work to find the power back on. Whew! But, I had decided that I wanted to spend my birthday night at Opal's Diner in McKee, KY. It was awesome! We all went to town and enjoyed a variety of sandwiches and a special cake. It was one of the most wonderful birthdays I have ever had! About a year ago I had talked to some friends about spending my birthday in Greece. Well, instead, I spent my birthday eating grease and a friend at the table is Greek. Close, but much more wonderful than I could have imagined.

On the 22nd, Diane Beckmann and I left for Wisconsin. We had a great ride with no problems traffic wise. It was a great time to be home and see my family and so many friends. It really was wonderful! It was absolutely great to be back at St. Paul's and see my church family and be able to worship with them. I big thank you to my niece Ann who had all the patience in the world to let me yak after the service. Thanks again Ann, I truly appreciated your tolerance. The time went very quickly and I wish I could have seen more people, but bad weather and time only allow so much visiting time.

I am back at work and it feels right. I told some friends that when I was home I felt like I didn't really want to go back to Kentucky, but as soon as I hit the road with Diane I knew I was headed where I am meant to be. These first two days have been very busy and I was a little surprised by that. I thought with all the snow and the cold not many people would be out, but they are. It has been some crazy weather here and I have to tell Leif Gigstad that it is as cold here as it is in Wisconsin. So, no gloating on my part for being in the warm southern weather.

I have some pictures to share and I think I need to say that you probably saw them before you read this post. I haven't quite gotten the picture thing down, but what the heck. Have a great week and I will keep the once a week schedule now that I am back to my computer, the internet and electricity. Until next time, God Bless!

Making Progress

2009-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Hello all. It is Saturday afternoon and I feel I got quite a bit accomplished today. Needed to do a good cleaning in my room, so feel much better about that now. I have been working quite long days so haven't been able to keep up with the daily chores as well. Also, just finished baking a few dozen Christmas cutout cookies. I needed to take a treat along for the Christmas distribution on Tuesday and these should do just fine. All the gifts are wrapped and I am feeling pretty prepared for the day. It has been a long haul, but I am very much looking forward to seeing all the families at the church. I think it will be wonderful! I am going to sing "O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem" at the service so I am pretty excited about that. Angela's two children are also singing and I think that will be adorable.

We had a pretty good load of rain the other day. The schools in Clay County were closed on Wednesday because of flooding in the hollers and on the back roads. Also, the wind was unbelievable and that created some problems with trees uprooting and toppling. I made it into work just fine because I take a main road to get there, but there was a huge amount of water along side the roads and the creeks were really swollen. It is kinda neat to see it all but you hate to think of the possible damage for people in their homes.

Soon I will be heading back to Wisconsin for the holidays. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone back home and worshiping at my home church. It will be a treat to see my church family.

Also, a note to Dave and Dori. I have had one beer since September 17th, so I will be stopping in for a few ;) I do want to see you both and the kids so I hope we can find a day to do that.

Blessings to all and I look forward to seeing all the snow that you have had in the last few days.

God Bless
Jane

Life is Busy

2009-12-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Good Morning from Kentucky on this snowy morning of winter wonderland! Well, it's nothing like a good ol' Wisconsin snow, but it is my first in Kentucky! It is beautiful outside, just a light dusting of snow right now but it is still coming down so we'll see just how much we get. Although I do appreciate the beauty of the snow I am disappointed that I will not be able to drive for a few hours. Here in Kentucky a little snow can put you at a halt real quickly. I guess with all the timber and coal trucks the roads get pretty slick pretty darn quick. The other thing is, slide off the road here and you are probably going down a pretty good size bank, hill or drop off. No thanks to that, I can wait until the sun comes out and dries it up a little.

The reason I need to go is because I need to get into work to catch up on a few things for our Christmas distribution. This has been a crazy week trying to get all the gifts wrapped and making sure that all the families have been taken care of. In some situations there were sponsors who chose a family to adopt but the gifts have not arrived yet. They may still come, but it is a bit stressful trying to figure out at what point do we just take it upon ourselves to fill the Christmas list or give the sponsor just one more day. I know that in the end it will all work out, but the way I am wired makes me a little crazy. Yes Laurie, Joan and Kelly, it is a control thing! Yesterday Angela and I went to WalMart to start on some of the shopping and the girl at the register looked at me and said, "Yeah, I'm a little OCD myself". What? How did she pick up on that in just having me standing in the checkout line? I think Angela must have been signaling her behind my back :)

On Wednesday night all of us were home here and had a really nice dinner together. Then we had a short devotion and started to decorate our Christmas tree. It is so beautiful! It is a sparsely branched tree with many an open space to hang just that right-sized ornament. Judy made some pop corn and we ate and decorated as a family. Then I remembered that Rudolph was on that night so as we finished the tree we were able to begin to watch my favorite Christmas show. Well, kinda favorite. As the tree was completed we all sat down with a cup of hot chocolate with candy canes immersed and watch the end of the show. What a great night! Then, as the show ended we all sang the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer song together. I love my house!!!

I would like to thank Rev. David Albertin and his congregation in Indiana for all the boxes that showed up at my office this week. There were 10 boxes all filled with new underwear, shoes, socks, jammies and more. What a blessing you all are! I have used much of it for Christmas extras and it has been a huge help to me. Some of the articles were just darling and I am sure very hip to some of our toddlers and least'uns. I am so grateful for all my friends and also strangers who have so richly blessed my time of service here in the Appalachians. I wish I could thank all of you in person, but that just isn't possible. Please know that you are all in my prayers.

My brother-in-law, Al, asked me just what fills my day, so let me give you a short explanation of what happens in a day here in Kentucky. I rise about 5:30 AM to make ready for my day. Then I leave the house about 7:00 AM and arrive at my office at about 7:50 or so. My office hours open to the public are 9:00 to 11:00. This is when people know they can call and reach me or stop in and I will be there. The first thing I do is check for messages, return calls and do e-mails. I attend to whomever may come in for assistance. This is either help with a disconnect notice on a utility or some emergency home repairs that we might be able to help with. CAP works with the family to pay the bill, so we discuss how much they have to put toward the bill, add what we can (which is a capped amount) and then if necessary refer them to another agency. Our focus is to make sure that the utilities are not shut off for non-payment.

Another area I cover is emergency home repairs which includes providing underpinning for trailers, insulation, doors, windows and what not. These are donated items so CAP can provide them free of charge, but the owner has to be able to do the labor or have someone do the labor for them. If they cannot work that out then we cannot give them the needed items. We have another program that does provide labor for larger jobs, but that is not my program. Before I would provide any of these items, I do a home visit to see the work and make sure that all are legitimate needs. I will then follow up with more home visits to check on the progress of the work and to make sure that all is done in a timely manner.

Through EHI (emergency home repairs) I can also purchase certain things for the home; such as small heaters, fans, etc. Again, would be the same process of making a home visit and then following up to make sure all is working well. There is a small amount I can use per month. Sometimes I use up the funds and then I need to put people on a waiting list. There is not a large amount of money to work with so I need to make my decisions wisely.

After office hours have closed, I can do what needs to be done. Could be a run to Operation Sharing in Corbin, where I pick up the underpinning or insulation or other donated items. I may schedule home visits and get as many in as I need. I may have paperwork to attend to and just stay at the office. If that is the case then I can still take care of whomever may show up at the office with a need. I also have monthly meetings for CAP and some other committees I serve on in Manchester. So, some days are busy and others not much. Pretty much the same as any other job I have held. Then as a volunteer I have a commitment to be home every evening for dinner and devotion. If there is a good reason I cannot make it that is OK but we are required to be home Monday thru Thursday to share in community.

Well, we'll see what happens today. As soon as I can I will head out to Clay County and see what I can get done today. I hope you are all doing well.

God Bless
Jane

Back at Home

2009-11-29T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hello All, returned this afternoon from the east side of the Appalachian Mountains. Judy and I left on Wednesday evening and headed for Louisa, which is just south of Ashland. It is on the Kentucky and West Virgina border, so we made a side trip into WV just so we could say we were there. We weren't exactly sure where the volunteer house was, but knew that if we could find the hospital and the church, we were close. Well, we found both of those but were clueless as to where the house was. We drove through a very nice, upscale neighborhood and stopped at someone's garage to see if possibly they might know where we should be. This kind man drove his vehicle to the house so we could follow. Thanks much mister and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We spent the night with Mary and had a grand time catching up on everything.

Thursday morning Judy, Mary and I walked over to St. Jude Catholic church for Thanksgiving worship. Father Beiting was leading the service. Father Beiting is the founder of The Christian Appalachian Project so that was way cool to be able to worship with him and introduce ourselves after the service. He was very nice, but I just thought he would be taller. :)

We had about 12-14 volunteers that all gathered at Louisa House for dinner. It was wonderful. Everyone brought something and we had a feast! After dinner a few of us went for a walk to see the neighborhood and it was just beautiful. Quite lovely indeed and many had pools in their backyard. Quite different than the population we have come here to serve. Diane Beckmann came from Floyd House to join the festivities and brought the jams so she could stay overnight. Yeah!

On Friday we all took off and explored the area. There were some really cute little shops and we just went exploring. On Saturday we all met up and checked out some of the other areas. We were in Lawrence County and Martin and Floyd and I think some others. Stopped at Pig in the Poke for some excellent pulled sandwiches. It was really great to see the other volunteer houses and also the offices in Hagerhill. The countryside was very similar but there seems to be a little bit larger set of communities and towns than what I have experienced on the west side. All in all was a great weekend.

This will be a busy week for me getting everything put together for Christmas. We have a Christmas gift distribution scheduled for December 15th, so I better make sure I have all my ducks in a row.

Today is my Mom's birthday so a big Happy Birthday to you Mom. I love you and hope you had a great day!

Until next time - God Bless
Jane

Much to be Thankful For

2009-11-21T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just returned from an afternoon with my good friend Marilyn Gierczak. We only see each other about every 3-4 weeks, but when we get together it is always a wonderful time. We started at the Kentucky Artisan Center on the edge of Berea. This is a wonderful place to see all the craft work that is done in the Appalachian area of Kentucky. There are so many beautiful items to see and choose from. I even got an early start on some of my Christmas shopping. Nothing too expensive but found a few items that I think my friends and family will appreciate. Marilyn found a few things also, so the trip was very worthwhile. From there we visited Tator Nob Ceramic shop and enjoyed a cup of coffee and some delicious punch. Didn't purchase anything, but this is a must stop if you are looking for some beautiful and unique ceramic pieces. From here we went on to Richmond to visit an Irish Pub. It was great to have a sandwich and enjoy a bit of brew. First one since I left Wisconsin and it went down very well! We had a great day and I look forward to the next time we get together.

This has been a very interesting week for me. On Tuesday I drove to McCreary County with some of my housemates to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner with the housing and family advocacy crews. It was a delicious meal and a great time to get together with everyone. McCreary County is right on the Kentucky Tennessee border. This is a beautiful area and the roads are more windy than any place I have driven thus far. Dinner was awesome and with a staff meeting we filled the whole day. On the drive we pass through the Cumberland Falls area and this place is amazing. Many rock walls along the drive and the waterfall is beautiful. This is the where the moonbow comes out right around full moon time. There are only two places in the world where the moonbow happens. I think the other place is somewhere in Africa and then in little old Cumberland Falls, Kentucky! How cool is that! I have not seen the moonbow yet but am looking forward to a trip down in hopes to witness this event.

I had another meeting this week with some ladies from Clay County and a woman from Red Bird Mission in Clay County. With their help I have a great listing of resources for Clay County and the surrounding area. I think this will help me alot in making sure that I am assisting people with all the resources that are available to them. I also visited the Community Church Food Pantry in Manchester. These people really have it together. The woman in charge has been working there for 14 years and she really has it down to a science. I was really impressed with how they handle all the families in Clay County. The church seems pretty cool too so I think I will have to make a Sunday morning trip there for worship.

Next week I am heading over to the east side to celebrate Thanksgiving with some other volunteers. I am really looking forward to this because I have not been to the east side yet. I am also excited to spend some time with people that I don't get to see very often. We will be staying at the Louisa volunteer house which is on the West Virginia and Kentucky border. I have heard that this area is really in the heart of the mountains, so I am very eager to see the countryside.

I will probably not write again until after next weekend, so let me take this time to say a note of thanks. I have never been concerned about where my next meal will come from or whether or not I will have a place to live. I know that I will always have a church to turn to for support and a place to worship my loving God. I have been so blessed with many friends who I love and who love me. I have a family that is always there for me and who I love more than anything. I have more in this life than I have ever dreamed of. But more importantly than all this, I have a Savior who laid down His life for me and for all of you. How can we ever repay what He has done for us. On Thanksgiving day offer Him a prayer of thanks for all the gifts that you have, and for the love that He has shown that is beyond our human understanding.

May God bless you all richly on this Thanksgiving Day and always.

In His service,
Jane

The Smells of Autumn

2009-11-14T13:30:00.000-08:00

It is Saturday afternoon and there is pumpkin bread baking in the oven, the sky is cloudy and you can smell the leaves decaying in the yard. Life is good and I love Kentucky in the fall. This has been another great week! I have been able to get around on the back roads much more and truly appreciate the winding roads and all the beautiful hillsides and mountains. Sometimes I wish I had a small car to make the trips but having a big truck to drive has it's advantages also. I may not have as much room to move over when I meet a car head on but I feel I have a bit more influence on the road.

Went to a meeting this week for long term disaster recovery for Clay County. It was great to meet more non-profit agencies and hear about what services they all offer to residents of Clay County. I have a meeting set up for next week to meet some others and have the same discussion. When people call my office I want to make sure I have a comprehensive list of all resources available so the needs of the caller can be met. I am feeling more and more comfortable in what I am doing as each week passes by. Speaking of, I have been here now about 8 weeks and cannot believe how fast the time is passing. Before you know it, I will be home for Christmas and celebrating with family and friends. I look forward to that.

I'm feeling a little short winded today. Had a nice talk with a friend of mine in Cleveland. Hadn't talked to her since I left and it was really nice to connect again. I hope you all are having a great autumn and as always may God bless you till we meet again.

Jane

My Jackson House Family

2009-11-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the family here at Jackson House. More tomorow!

It's Been a Great Week

2009-11-07T14:51:00.000-08:00

What an absolutely beautiful day! Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature had to be in the upper 70's. I took a drive to London to do some shopping this morning. Drive into McKee and at the stoplight take a right onto 290. This takes me all along the hills and mountains and it was so gorgeous. Then 30 takes me all the way into London. It's a nice little town but a little too busy for me.

My week started out with 12 boxes of clothing, blankets, afghans and school supplies arriving at the office in Manchester! God Bless St. Paul's confirmation class that put in all the hard work and their time to bring these supplies to the families in Appalachia! I had a woman in my office whose husband's unemployment had run out and they had nothing in the house. Her daughter's birthday is coming up and I was able to give her a little shirt with sparkles on it for the present. She gave me a big hug and thanked me, because she had no money to get her daughter a gift this time. Moments like these are made possible because of the wonderful support I have received from not only the confirmation class but others who have opened their hearts to the people in Kentucky. Thank you all.

I had a busy week. I started out by driving to Corbin to Operation Sharing where they store wonderboard. Wonderboard is used for underpinning on trailers and also for floors in bathrooms or walls around heaters. Each sheet weights about 50 pounds and I loaded 60 sheets with two other women I live with. On the way back to the office I stopped at a participant's home and we unloaded 15 sheets for him to use on his trailer. This will hopefully stop the wind from blowing through and perhaps keep the heating bills down this winter. Very nice man and he was very thankful for the help. Wonderboard is donated by a company so we are able to give the sheets out for no charge. Otherwise, when we help supply people with home repair items we work with them to make sure half the cost is paid back to CAP. It's a great way to work together with a family to help them reach their goals. I had another delivery to make at the end of the week. It was pretty near to the end of a holler, so that was a beautiful drive!

My brother Steve turns 60 on November 10th and I would like to wish him a very Happy Birthday!!!! I believe the family is getting together to celebrate with him but of course I will not be there. Hope you all have a great day and toss one back for me too!

Tonight I am going to watch the movie called "Maetwon" which is about the Blair Mountain miners and strikers. I just finished reading Storming Heaven which is the book on the same story. It was a great read and I look forward to seeing this movie. If you are not familiar with the story it takes place in the early 1900's in Justice County in West Virginia. The book references a lot of the places I have been to around here so that made it that much more real for me. The book explains how the miners are attempting to unionize and the battles that prevailed between the "rednecks" and the mining company owners. There is so much to learn about this area and I have been enjoying all the extra reading I have been doing and just being able to talk with people from the area has been a great learning experience.

Hope you are all having a great weekend. Until next time.......
God Bless

Let Me Show You

2009-10-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

OK I am going to try to show the volunteer house where I live. First some of the inside of the house.

The outside porch for hanging out with the gang.

View from the porch.

The driveway up to the house.

Path to camp AJ.
Diane Beckmann is here!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!

Camp AJ

Liz, who runs the camp and Kathleen who runs the volunteer recruitment program. Love them!

Pumpkin carving to get ready for the party. Lotsa fun! It was another great week. Now that I know how to transfer my pictures I will try to do this more often.

Have a wonderful week!

God Bless

Jane

Retreat Weekend

2009-10-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

Well it is Sunday and I couldn't get to church today. Having a small problem with my back. I think it is just a muscle thing but it is really bugging me. Friday and Saturday was a retreat at Camp AJ for all volunteers. We had people there who have been volunteering for 5 years and then others who have been here only a week. It is interesting to hear all the stories and hear how people have grown through their volunteering time with CAP. For all of us we agree that this has been a calling and a blessing that we are able to come to the Appalachians and serve our God and His people. At the end of the retreat we each were assigned a partner and then went on an Emmaus walk. This gave us time to not only reflect on what we had shared throughout the retreat but to discuss how God has been working in our lives and what we have experienced so far in the Appalachians. It was a wonderful 2 days.

There was a group here this past week from Notre Dame. It was mostly college age people and two older men who came along. They worked on some of the projects that the Wisconsin group was unable to finish. We had dinner with them one night and spent some time hanging out with them. Carlos, one of the older gentlemen, presented an hour of music and scripture. He was adorable! He read some stories and then played some older songs on his dulcimer. It was a very charming presentation and you could clearly see how much he loves his Lord and how important his faith is in his life. It was great to see.

The next night we all went into McKee to the Lord's Gym to be a part of Chad's Hope night of testimony and praise. Chad's Hope is a drug and alcohol recovery program. There were two men who sang songs and lead all of us in some singing. They were amazing! I could not believe the voice that one of them shared. Awesome! Then two gentlemen got up to give their testimonies. I was really glad that we went to show our support to the people who shared and also to the program. Chad's Hope has helped many, many people.

Well, Diane Beckmann is here!!!!!!!! We had the joy of sharing retreat time together and I was so happy to see her here. We just looked at each other in disbelief and said "We are here!" Diane is serving on the east side which is about 2 hours away but we will plan to get together on the weekendss when we can. I have to say, Wisconsin is making a good showing here in Kentucky.

Another part of that is the response I received when I sent out an e-mail for some help. I had a family come in that had been burned out of their home. All they had were the clothes on their backs. I did find some items to give them, but when I went through my donation room I realized how much of the clothes were stained and torn. One e-mail and I have people shipping items or sending checks. I love you all and am so thankful for all the support you have shown to me already. You are all so amazing!

Time to take a break and let the back relax. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying this beautiful Fall.

God Bless
Jane

It's a God Thing

2009-10-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, another week is done and I cannot believe how fast it all went. This was such an exciting week and I wanted to share with you a cool God thing that happened. I had a staff meeting on Tuesday and we were discussing the Christmas adoption program that CAP holds each year. Brenda, a CAP employee, reported that most of the families had been adopted but there were some remaining that we are still looking for sponsors. I asked her how many and that I would contact my church to see if perhaps some of those remaining might be adopted by people at my home congregation. Well, before I even e-mailed the office, I received an e-mail telling me that St. Pauls wanted to make CAP their mission this year for Christmas. I couldn't believe it! I love my church family! All the families will be covered and we will have extra for food vouchers for Christmas dinner and we will also be able to adopt some of the elderly that we sometimes do not have sponsors for. God is good and way awesome! I cannot thank my church enough for the generous contribution to make this a wonderful Christmas for so many. It is so appreciated by so many families!

This has been a week of learning for me also. I have had more time to read more about the different programs I will be assisting with and I am feeling more and more comfortable each week. That is a good feeling. Through the Family Advocacy program we provide the Christmas Adoption program which I talked about earlier. Then there is the School Readiness Program for families with children under the age of 19 attending school. We provide school supplies, a new outfit to start school and a new pair of shoes. This really helps those families that just cannot afford any of this and the children can start school on a somewhat more level playing field.

Another program is a Woman's Retreat where women of all ages come to Camp AJ for two nights and three days. There are speakers brought in and much time spent in worship and study. I have not been, but hear that it is a wonderful occasion. I am really looking forward to attending that.

My family was here last weekend and I was surprised how I felt on Monday morning. I went to the office and started thinking about being so far from my family and missing them and wondering if I really made the right choice. I was very surprised by how I was feeling. Then I got home on Monday night and had dinner with my house family here and knew I was back on track. It was weird. Not seeing my family I was OK, but then seeing them leave had me feeling a little blue. My experience here is so enhanced by the people I am living with. I consider them my "small group" and they really are the reason that this has been such an awesome experience thus far.

A big thank you to all the people who have been keeping in touch. I love getting the cards and e-mails from ya'll. It truly makes my day when I hear from people back home.

May God keep you all safe and in His care
Jane

Family Here and Gone

2009-10-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

Well, my family is headed back home after having a great time together. Steve, Beth and Mom arrived on Friday evening after driving all day in rain! I think it was pretty stressful when surrounded by all the trucks and their spray; so a big thank you to Steve for getting them all here safely. We spent Friday night over at Camp AJ for a bit to enjoy dinner with the volunteers from Wisconsin and other CAP employees and volunteers that were able to join the festivities. I was happy that my fam could meet other people from the organization and get a feel for what a family we truly are.

On Saturday we headed on down to Berea and walked the area. Tried to have lunch at the Boone Tavern but there was a wedding there that day. No problem, we went to a local diner and had some of the best pizza I have ever eaten, really. Stopped in to see Marilyn and the others at the Rockcastle House and then on to Renfro Valley to see Miss Loretta Lynn perform at the Big Barn. I was amazed at what all is in Renfro Valley. There were people singing on porches of the buildings, kids and adults dancing in the streets and more shops than I had realized. It was a great time just walking around and then the concert was awesome! Miss Loretta's son and two daughters started the show and then a granddaughter also came out to sing. Just a little girl about 8 or 9 and she was really very good. I am sure we will be seeing more of her as she grows. All in all it was a great day and ended on a high note for us all. If anyone out there is a country music fan, you definitely need to come to a show in Renfro Valley. There are hotels in the area and you can also park an RV for the weekend right there in the parking lot. It is worth the drive.

I am happy that my family can now be my ambassadors to the rest of you, They really enjoyed the people in the house and absolutely loved the beauty of the area. We did a little driving but not too much being that they had the long drive down. I pray that there is not rain today for the journey home.

Beth brought along a bulletin from my church that showed how Bill and Karri Brandt are working on gathering donations for the families here. Thank you so much for your efforts and I know it will be a success.

I had the opportunity to make my first home "holler" visit. I was with a co-worker and we drove down a dirt road and then turned down another road and then started winding up a "road" to the house. I was extremely pleased that I was not driving! It was beautiful but I was amazed that anything was built in that small out of the way area. The gal that was driving said this is nothing and has promised to take me to an even more out of the way home. I will be looking forward to that.

I pray all is well with everyone in Wisconsin. May God bless your day richly.
Jane

First Weekof Work is Done

2009-10-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I have completed my first week of work here in the Appalachians. On Monday, Robyn came to pick me up here at the volunteer house and then I drove her truck the hour to my office in Clay County. I limb fell from a tree and bounced up in the road and smashed into the windshield. Nothing shattered and I think because I didn't scream and drive us off the road, I was approved as a valid driver. Go figure! Our first stop before we arrived at the office was the Mennonite bakery in Manchester. I am very happy to see that my supervisor has her priorities straight. All my housemates have made it very clear to me that I will pass that bakery twice each day and their expectations are high. I did bring home a pan of pecan sticky buns. I am now listed as the housemate of the week. :)

The first day was all forms and reading. I think I have a much better understanding of what I will be doing with my time. At least, I think I have a better understanding. On Tuesday I was fortunate to attend a meeting with some other non-profit organizations and we discussed forming a team to make sure people don't fall through the cracks when a disaster happens. If the disaster is wide spread and involves a large amount of homes, then you can expect FEMA or another organization to come in and help. But, when a disaster is small, there isn't anything that comes in to help restore what was lost. The team is designed to work together to make sure that there is a long term recovery plan in place so that there is a longer period of follow-up with families to ensure they truly do get back on their feet. It was great for me to meet other people in the area and learn more of what they offer in services.

My other days consisted of shadowing another family advocate in another county and seeing what her day looks like. Then at my office I did have the opportunity to spend time with a few participants and learn just how much paperwork is involved when assisting a family. I really think I am going to enjoy my job. Many times I will be delivering items to the home and also making follow up visits with the families. There will be variety to my day, which is way good.

Today is absolutely beautiful here. The sun has been shining all day and the sky is an amazing blue. Very warm and wonderful! I spent the day cleaning the livingroom and moving the furniture around. I was feeling a little hemmed in, so myself and two others just took hold and moved everything around. We like it alot, but will get the vote of the house when everyone returns from their day. I think it will be fine.

This week Camp AJ is hosting a group of builders from the Fox valley area in Wisconsin. Every night my house is invited to Camp AJ, where they are doing the work, to have dinner and fellowship with the group. I am really looking forward to that. My mom, sister Beth and brother Steve are coming next weekend. I am very excited about that. On Friday evening we will join the other Wisconsinites for dinner in a thank you gathering. I think that will be nice for my family to see how we all get together and what an awesome place Camp AJ is.

I am so blessed to be able to take this time and be here in the Appalachia area. Thank you to all who have been sending cards and notes. It is wonderful to get mail from back home.

May God Bless you all and keep you safe. Til we meet again.
Jane

I Am Oriented and Trained

2009-09-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

My first week in and I am very excited. We started training and orientation on Sunday the 20th and completed it all Thursday night. What an amazing week! There were so many "best parts" I am feeling so full. There was a man who came and taught us the history of this area and that was very interesting. It truly helped me understand how things have changed here throughout the years and how some of this came to be. We had a commissioning service on Thursday night at a church that had been built by Father Beiting and some of the volunteers. We all sang a song together to start the service and I would like to share the lyrics with you.

Will you come and follow me, If I but call your name
Will you go where you don't know, And never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, Will you let my name be known
Will you let my life be grown, In you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind, If I but call your name
Will you care for cruel and kind, and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare, Should your life attract or scare,
Will you let me answer prayer, In you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see, If I but call your name
Will you set the prisoners free, and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean, and do such as this unseen?
And admit to what I mean, In you and you in me?

What an awesome song and it was a really powerful moment. Each new volunteer went to the front of the church and signed a commitment paper and then our supervisor signed it also. When this was all done, we all lit a candle and held them high as the send off to this new journey. It was great and of course I had a hard time keeping it all together in the service.

I am so happy to be here and I know that I am where I am supposed to be. I have never been in a place before where I feel so many people gathered together in the name of Christ to do His work. It is hard to explain, but I have had some amazing conversations with quite a few people and am very moved by the faith I have seen in action in so many people. CAP really keeps the focus on Christ and how we should live our lives. We share dinner four nights a week and then have devotion after. It is a great community building experience and helps me grow in my faith also.

I will begin work on Monday. My supervisor will be picking me up here at the house and then I will drive the truck to see if I pass the driving test. Marilyn failed the first time so I am a little nervous but what the heck, we'll give it a shot.

All is good and I hope everything is well with all of you. Until we meet again, God Bless.

If it's Friday, I must be in Kentucky

2009-09-18T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well, I am here. What a journey so far. Thank you to my family and all my friends who have been so generous in getting me on my way! The lunches, dinners, and surprise party were awesome. I am very thankful and humbled by how all of you have made me feel so loved and appreciated. And for anyone who was thinking how well I was keeping it together thru all this, well it all came out on Thursday morning when I was saying good-bye to my Mom. Holy Moses, get the hoses! I was a flood plain and didn't stop until I was a good way down the road. My poor mom! But all is good.

The drive down was way long!!!!!! I was delayed in Milwaukee which made me later than I had wanted to be at each city which of course caused me to be stuck in traffic. No problem though, arrived safe and sound to my destination of the Jackson Volunteer House in McKee. It is way back in the woods and quite the winding road. Not a good thing to be doing the first time in the dark. Yikes! But, the house is great and the volunteers are awesome!

I am very excited to be here and start this amazing new road in my life.I will attempt to post once a week and get some pics on soon. The mountains are absolutely beautiful and I look forward to sharing them with all of you.All for now - God Bless

My Final Day of Work

2009-09-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

So here it is, my last day of work at Industrial Fluid Solutions. It has been an interesting adventure; working with the owners to help a young company grow. Thanks for the good times, and also thanks for the challenges. It has helped me to grow as an individual and learn what I can accomplish when given a task that I have no clue how to begin. I feel totally confident that Laurie, my replacement, will do an outstanding job for Chris and Paul. I wish them all the best.

Now, the way cool thing about today is that on the way here I was listening to WPFF, my favorite radio station. Here are some of the lyrics to the song that was playing:

HERE I AM

Sometimes your calling, comes in dream
Sometimes it comes in the Spirit's breeze,
You reach for the deepest part of me,
And call out for the things of eternity.

But I'm a man, of dust and stains,
You move in me, so I can say,

Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is part of your plan,
Here I am

What a great song! And what a great message. We are all a part of God's plan and He has chosen all of us to work in our part of the plan in the way He wants us to. So whether we show up every Sunday to teach Sunday School, or come every Thursday to work in the kitchen for The Gathering Place, or go and visit a friend who is sick, we are all working as a part of God's plan. Each of us has a role as a member of the body of Christ to reach out to all and show them the love of Christ. I happen to be very fortunate that God has planted in front of me this opportunity to go and serve Him and his people in the Appalachian Mountains!

I look forward to sharing this whole adventure with all of you.

Working with you in His service - Jane

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

2009-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of the day, Wednesday. Now; 2 more days of work and counting. I talked to Marilyn last night in Rockcastle County and she is absolutely loving her time there. She informed me that some of the volunteers from all the houses got together for a cookout last Sunday. I am curious if they had brats and hard rolls. I think probably not. Something I will need to bring along and teach everyone the right way to "fry out" and have a "double". I would think a taste of Sheboygan cuisine would be welcome.

I am very eager to get to the mountains and begin this journey. I was told the view from my volunteer house if fabulous, so I am excited to see it all.

This is a bittersweet moment in my life. I cannot wait to get on the road, and yet it is hard to say good-bye to all of my wonderful friends, my family, and so many dear people from my church family at St. Paul's. I wish that all of us could experience a time when you can say good-bye for now, tell people how much you care about them, hear from others how much they care about you, and be able to return in a short time to be with everyone you love again. It is an amazing feeling.

The other part of this preparation time that has surprised me is how good it feels to get rid of so many belongings. LJ Booth wrote a song about clutter. One line from the song is "what you think you own, owns you." I totally agree with that thought. Not that I had a castle filled with who knows what, but even just lightening the load a little makes a huge difference. I stood in my apartment looking at empty shelves and cupboards, no furniture, my air matress on the floor, and nothing in the frig and I had never felt so liberated before! Really felt quite good and "clutter-free".

Off for now. Need to get a few more boxes and make that final trip to Goodwill.

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

On the count down

2009-09-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

Well, three more days of work and I will be done at Industrial Fluid Solutions. The time is going very quickly now and I am trying to get everything moved out of my apartment so I am ready to hit the road. I plan to leave on the 17th of September to make the 9.5 hour drive to McKee, Kentucky.

The first day that I officially start is Sunday, September 20th. There is a 4 day training and orientation where all the new volunteers will meet at Camp AJ to get our instructions and find out all we need to know about the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP). I have a friend there already, Marilyn Gierczak. Mae and I worked together at Advocates of Ozaukee. She was my Executive Director at the time and we have remained friends since we both left the organization. I am happy that she will be on this journey at the same time.

I cannot tell you how excited I am to be able to take this leap of faith. For a long time I have wanted to take time off to serve, and now it has become a reality. For the next year I will be working in Clay County and living in Jackson County. The volunteer house that I will be living in is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest! Can it get any better that that? It is located in part of the Appalachian Mountains, so I will definitely be in some beautiful countryside. I am eager to get there and see the beauty of God's handiwork.

I will try to drop a note at least once a week and post some pics so you can all share in this journey with me.

May God Bless you all and keep you safe until we see each other again.