As I sit down to write this a million thoughts are running through my head. I cannot believe that tomorrow at 7:45 am I will be getting into my car and driving off to Jonesville, Virginia. I will be leaving behind my friends and family for the summer but I look forward to the chance to meet my fellow staffers on the porch! I guess that I need to give a little back story though so that people will be able to understand what exactly I will be doing.
The past four years I have volunteered with my church to go on Appalachia Service Project. ASP is a home repair ministry that works in Appalachia, specifically counties in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. In those four years I have volunteered with ASP I have dug a 50 foot drainage ditch and put up gutters, helped to put on an addition to a home by putting in insulation as well as drywall, put in additional piers under a trailer home as well as moisture barrier and insulated the bottom of a home as well as putting moisture barrier under it. Now while I am sure that last sentence was a run on, it does not display the reason that I have loved doing ASP. The reason I have returned so many years is because of the impact the people I have met have had on me. Through ASP I have been able to meet some of the most amazing people that I would definitely not have met if I hadn't. I was able to meet families who simply did what they could to get by, families that put family before anything that they did. While their homes sometimes were not in the greatest shape, a lot of the time they could tell you stories about the land that they lived on and quite possibly generations before them had lived on. I met people who may have to work long hours for not the greatest wages and barely make enough to get by from day to day. These people however were some of the proudest, strongest people I have ever met. They were able to show me that material things are not why we are here on this earth. They were able to show me that family ties are much more important than personal gain as no one can be anything without the support of their friends and family. They were able to teach me so many lessons that have impacted me to this day.
One of the reasons I applied to be on staff was because of the strong backing people in my church gave me. Two of the leaders of our ASP group have always thought I would make a good staffer and have egged me on for awhile now. I was not able to convince myself for awhile though. I was afraid of the unknown, of being away for an entire summer and just doing something different than bumming around at home all summer. I ended up getting my application in at almost the last possible moment literally with minutes to spare (who knew the post office closed early on New Years Eve?). God was really sending me some "gentle" nudges for me to apply as it seemed all of my worries kept getting answered. I worried about the SAW (Staff-Applicant Weekend) not wanting to drive very far for something I didn't think I would be getting. It ended up being at a church literally across the street from High Point University. I worried about not being able to get recommendation letters filled out in time. All three were done in a matter of 2-3 days, leaving me plenty of time to write my essays which of course I was worrying about. It seemed that I was not going to be able to dodge applying and even my futile efforts at making it as hard as possible on myself, God's will prevailed. I went into the SAW weekend not really knowing what to expect but I quickly found myself realizing just how badly I wanted this job. I met some amazing people, had an amazing time and found out about an amazing game called ninja. If I had just one word to describe the way I felt after that weekend I think you could guess it. After that I entered back into "normal" life and waited to find out if I had gotten the job or not. When I found out I had actual gotten a position on staff I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn't wait until the summer. Fast forward a couple months and you will get me sitting in my chair at home just a mere 7 hours from leaving. Honestly I am scared stiff right now but I know that there is a reason for me going to Appalachia. I know that God will be leading me in everything I do this summer and that all I need to do is take a deep breath and let him take control.
As I begin to realize that I leave tomorrow I have realized a few things. I am going to miss my family and friends a whole lot. I want to thank so many of my friends coming over to my house today to hang out and eat together before I leave for the summer. I have realized that I probably should finish this soon as I still need to finish packing. I have also realized that should probably learn to cut down on how long these things are...
I didn't think I would be writing this much stuff for my first ever post but I hope everyone enjoys it? I cannot guarantee that I will be able to post something on this everyday as I do not know my computer time situation as of now. What I do know is that anybody can write me at the address below until June 5. After that I will know where I am going to be stationed and will able to give out me address then.
Appalachia Service Project, Inc.
Jonesville Housing Services Center
P.O. Box 250
Jonesville, VA 24263
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
