Our 961 mile trip to Beattyville, Kentucky meant that we had to meet at the church at 5 a.m. to leave.

Once we arrived in Beattyville we divided into three groups.  One group built a porch for an elderly woman by the name of Nellie.

The second group worked on the roof of a trailer of another woman named Maryanne.

Another really big project that we tackled as working on Clayton’s house.  The house needed a lot of repairs and painting and it didn’t even have running water.

Brittany and Emma sweep the porch to get it ready for painting.

While Ricky seemed to enjoy swinging the pick axe.

Sarah climbed a ladder to replace rotted clapboards.

Gail scrapped to get the house ready for a fresh coat of paint.

A few even climbed up onto the porch roof to do some painting up there.

By the time lunch rolled around each day everyone was pretty tired from working in all that southern heat and humidity.

Even the pastor who had an unusual way of contorting himself to rest.

Sean and everyone else found a friend in Clayton and we left Beattyville with our faith deepened and our hearts full of love.

Some of us even found a good friend in Rascal, Clayton’s Rottweiler.

A few of our dedicated Habitat lay ministers standing in front of the newly painted and cleaned up house.

While we were in Beattyville we realized that we were going to have money left over from the fund raising that we did.  So, after a heart to heart discussion on Wednesday evening, the decision was made to have Pam Foye present Pastor Herman Newton with $1000 to support the work of the Lee County Habitat for Humanity.

While we were there the Lee County Habitat invited us to a wonderful cookout with lots of good food and southern hospitality.

We also had an afternoon off and went to the Natural Bridge State Park.

Stephen did his best to hold the mountain up while climbing to the top…or was the mountain holding him up?

Tory and Amanda enjoy a peaceful moment at the top of the Natural Bridge.

The entire Habitat mission trip group posing for a picture in Beattyville, Kentucky.

Pam Foye has been coordinating our mission trips for the last 8 years and feels that God has called her to this important ministry.  Here she poses for a picture with a little laughter, a lot of love and a few tears with our graduating seniors at the end of the week.

The mission trip gives everyone an opportunity to deepen their faith by helping others and to experience a wonderful week of Christian community filled with love and laughter.

Spending all that time together also leads to some good natured practical jokes…like covering the REV’s bunk with plastic wrap.  It took him a half hour to cut through it all so he could climb into bed that night.  He didn’t whine about it though (just ask the giggle girls) and complimented the conspirators on one of the best practical jokes he’s had played on him in 25 years of ministry.

There were nightly games of cards; some of them friendly and some of them a little more cut throat.

And if anyone has ever played Hearts they know what it means to eat the queen.  Chuck got to do that literally with the sandwich that was made for him one day. 

Our week in Beattyville, Kentucky put us in the heart of Appalachia.  It was an eye opening experience for many of us.  The average family income in Lee County is $10,200 a year.  We saw what real poverty is like and learned that it is a spiritual disease that goes way beyond not having a lot of money in your pocket.  It’s a spiritual disease that robs you of your dignity and hope.  Because we were there we know that God was working through us and we left with memories of love of Clayton and Nelly and Maryanne in our hearts and we’d like to believe that we left a little piece of us with them.  (Oh…and the graffiti was actually encouraged by the Habitat people.  It was a way to help them remember us.)  AMEN!