Final Thoughts

As I think about this week in Kentucky and contemplate about what we did, I realize how small and insignificant we are.  Some of our frustrations with the week was that we accomplished very little; we couldn't fix the poverty we saw, some of the things we did seemed a waste of time.  It is so easy for us to lose sight of God's greater plan.  Yes, what we did may have been small, a drop in a bucket.  But we need to trust in our big, loving God to take our small works, along with the many others, to accomplish His purpose for the people of that community.  It is like the puzzle the kids worked on and were so proud to complete.  One piece by itself is useless.  But when all the pieces, properly  put together, make a beautiful, intricate picture.

     Lord, please take the small pieces of our labor this week and make  a beautiful  picture of your love for the Frakes community.

Our final moments in pictures

Morgan, Zach, Kaatje and Kaylee with their finished puzzle

 

Our Final Sunrise

The mountains were so amazingly beautiful!  As much as

 we were ready to head home, a part of us wanted to stay!

It was a fun 12 hour ride home. We arrived at 6 p.m.

 

We'll say it with photos...

Most of our group in front of Ben and Melissa's house on the final day.  

Melissa is on the left with her three boys. 

A magnificent view from Pinnacle Point in Cumberland National Park.

Zach taking a catnap.  Using a pressure washer is hard work!

 The hikers on the circular path.

Pastor Keith when we made it to the top of Pinnacle Lookout Point with the van.

Alleluia!  Praise God I'm alive!

Happy anniversary, Diane!  Keith

 Morgan and Kaylee playing checkers at Cracker Barrel.  Who's winning?

 Views from Pinnacle Outlook.  They were just amazing!

Hiking to Tri-State Point (where Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky meet).  

However, we made a wrong turn and after a 40 minute walk it turned out that we just went in a big circle and ended up back at the parking lot.  Thanks to Kaylee and Kaatje, however, for entertaining us with a beautiful rendition of "Colors of the Wind." 

 Closing worship at United Methodist Church in Frakes, Kentucky.

Cleaning up the camp workshop on our final morning.

We've gone photo crazy!

Pastor Keith tempting Barb with a Snickers candy bar

A very proud Zach - he did a great job!

 Zach and Pastor Keith working on the picnic table

 Almost finished

Kaatje and Kaylee playing the with the rabbit and the girl next door

 Lorene and Kaatje putting the finishing touches on the floor

Our group following morning devotions

Lorene leading us in "Joy, joy, joy, down in my heart"

Kaylee trying to get the last bit of candy bar from the wrapper

Thoughts on the Trip

If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would be on a mission trip with 9 wonderful people I would have laughed in their face.  So here I am and humbled by the whole experience so far.  it is hard to believe that such poverty can exist in a place with such beautiful scenery;  and never again will I take for granted all that I have waiting for me back home.   Barb Mills

This experience has been very.....interesting. In a good way. I have met new people and got to learn others better. I have learned a lot of new skills on this trip like how to put together a picnic table. This trip has made me realize how lucky I am. I was born into the middle class where I have everything I need. Seeing most houses around here has made me very thankful for what I have. I like this mission trip because I know I can help these less fortunate people. I hope to come on many more mission trips with the church and let other people have this realization also.  -Kaylee Warner :)

 When I was first introduced to the idea of going on a mission trip, I  had no idea what I was getting myself into....  When I was told that it was going to be going into Kentucky I was expecting homes and families much similar to ours. That's not the case. What I have seen, isn't what I was  exspecting to see in our country, the place where everyone is rich and the poverty rate isn't supposed to exist. This week has been a very fun and full of good times but yet it has been full of shock and sympathy, but everyone we have met seemed very happy to be in the position they are in, but I wonder if its because they don't know any better...?  I have found that the people in my confirmation class are very fun and outgoing once you get to know them and i have met so many people that come from very different backgrounds and have experienced different things. But of course us still being teenagers we still have our moments... Like playing jello, singing on the top of our lungs to songs, and playing truck--all immature things, but still very fun and we can laugh about it later! This trip has opened my eyes to fact that I'm very lucky to have the things I do, even though we take advantage of them almost every day, but we still are very fortunate for them. I hope I will be able to come on more of these trips because I learned that I love to be able to help those with less than me.  -Morgan Groeschl <3

When I first got here in I realized how lucky I am to have what I have. I'm glad I found out what some people in the world have to live their lives and how I can help those people. It is nice getting to know everyone more and being able to meet many more great people at this camp. I have learned how to make a picnic table and many other skills that will help me. So far it has been a great time in Kentucky.   Zach Oelke

I agreed to go on this trip because I figured I had nothing better to do all summer. I just thought that I should get out of my house and accomplish something more than babysitting and hanging out with my friends. I did not realize what I was getting myself into. I have helped to paint a gazebo and build a table. I am not one to usually do a lot of work, and I was surprised at the sense of accomplishment I felt to have helped people who are less fortunate than I. The people here have so little, and I realized that I take for granted all of the things that I have. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to help them. I am also glad to have met many wonderful people on this trip. These people are kind and funny, and I will have great memories of this trip because of them.
--Kaatje Weiland

     Awesome!  In a word!  I continue to believe strongly in the loving work and activity of God in our lives.  We started out as a very diverse group and we are so solid now.  Mission trips test us in every way.  We talked about our assumptions coming into the trip and how that has stood this weeks reality.
     Our family has three boys from age 4 to 8.  This family lives on $366.00 dollars per month.  Food, utilities, gas and everything from this amount.  Their lights come from grandma's trailer by drop cord.  Their shower and sink water runs wild out the back into the gully.  The fridge had a partial jar of salad dressing in it and the freezer had nothing in it, zero.
     But, on the fridge were the usual pictures of family life, love and laughter.  Father's Day was a few days ago and the boys each made their dad a card.  They showed us!  Their Headstart papers were all over the walls and cupboards.
     In the midst of poverty there is love.  I'm so overwhelmed by how hard many people in poverty have to work so much harder to achieve a sense of 'normal'.  They make it work!  They live their 'normal' life.  It is different than mine.  When I live in their world I have to live in their 'normal' life.  My anxiety over their lifestyle is mine!  My feelings of paternalistic control are mine!  My desire to get in there and work my homemaker talents are mine.  Most of the homework is mine!
     God Bless them.      Pastor Keith.

Snapshots

 A favorite pastime of Zach, Morgan, Kaylee and Kaatje

 Kaatje and Kaylee heading west on the Daniel Boone Trail

Blair & Pastor Keith nailing the underlayment

 Gap Cave at Cumberland Gap National Park, Virginia

 Henesly Settlement schoolhouse

 Teamwork

Majestic beauty

More hard work

Schoolhouse Rock at Henderson Settlement

Morning vespers

 Kaatje on tour

Morgan's slug Ernie

Look Ma, we built it!

The Fences Go On Forever

What We've Learned

  I think we have learned to expect the unexpected.  To go with the flow - knowing that God has a plan even though we may not know where that plan is taking us.  For example, we were't expecting to have major detours in Milwaukee.  We were't expecting to see a traffic bulletin on the interstate in Indianapolis telling us to avoid I - 65 in Louisville because of bridge construction (and that was the route we were planning to take.) Weren't expecting to have to wait in line for more than an hour and a half on Monday morning to get the directions to our family's home and pick up our tools.  We  weren't expecting to show up at our family's home only to have Melissa come to the door and ask us if we could come back tomorrow because they had a leak in their water heater and they needed to fix it first.

  But then again, we weren't expecting to see such beautiful scenery near the Ohio River because of our detour. We weren't expecting to see all the beautiful weathered stone fences, probably 100 years old, near Lexington nor the beautiful old homes in their down town area.  We weren't expecting to see the miles and miles of white fences near Lexington and beautiful horses in the lush green fields. We weren't expecting to worship with 600 to 800 others in  a huge auditorium with 4 mega screens in front of us with a live band (projected onto the screens) along with the live sermon-which taught us that lying never helps a situation-it only makes it worse. We weren't expecting the tall hills that took us up and up over mountain passes and hairpin turns that gave us majestic views of the mountains as we neared Frakes, Kentucky and Henderson Settlement. We weren't expecting the simple turkey sandwiches at Henderson would taste better than all the food choices we had at Golden Corral the night before. We weren't expecting our evening informational meeting to include a dozen or more Tennessee/Red-neck jokes by someone who could easily be a stand-up comic as good as Jeff Foxworthy. We weren't expecting the mist to roll in about 8 pm giving us an amazing view as we looked out from the deck on the dorm building. We weren't expecting to see the morning mist hanging in the valley as we looked that direction for vespers in the morning. We weren't expecting our morning vesper lesson to remind us that at the end of the week we shouldn't expect others to thank us for what we just did-that God will be pleased with our work and that is really all that matters.  We weren't expecting to completely seal the picnic pavilion in 3 1/2 hours when we were sure it would take us 1 1/2 days!  We weren't expecting to see a beautiful golden-yellow butterfly on our work site or for Morgan to adopt a 3 inch long slug that she named Ernie. We weren't expecting Kaatje to see a skink while raking some dirt away on the tennis courts.  (Don't confuse a skink with a skunk!) We weren't expecting the Brick House to have so many bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a huge kitchen table  for us to all gather around in the evenings.  And lastly, we weren't expecting our after work showers to feel so wonderful!

All smiles :)

Fair Oaks, Indiana...Jumping on a giant pillow while raining

Day1: Kentucky horses

Who we are and where we're going

Saturday, June 15 6:30 a.m. we will meet at St. Paul's UCC parking lot to pack our suitcases in the van. We hope to be on the road by 7:00. We are excited to be traveling as a group of 10--Pastor Keith, Barb, Blair, Lorene, JoAnne, Nancy, Zach, Morgan, Kaylee and Kaatje to Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky. We will be learning about family life in Appalachia. Our work projects consist of painting, staining and building picnic tables at the park and replacing some floors in a family home. Pray for our safety as we travel to and from Kentucky.  Follow us on our journey.......

Our Traveling Bags

Thank you to Marilyn for the wonderful bags for each of us--filled with snacks, games, crafts and other surprises to keep us occupied on our 11 to 12 hour journey to Frakes, Kentucky.

Check It Out!

This blog will follow members of St. Paul's UCC as they travel to Kentucky for a mission trip.  Check back often for updates as they hammer, cut, paint, nail, saw, glue, build and learn together.