On our way up the pinnacles. Enjoy!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Workfest Completed
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
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
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Second Week of Workfest Completed
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
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
Saturday, March 6, 2010
One Week In
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
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
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