|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||||
|
||||
 |
Appalachia Home • Projects • Resources • Mission • History • SWAP • Photo Gallery |
|||||||||||||
Autumn in My Mountains
|
||||||||||||||
|
Randy Coblentz, MCC SWAP Co-Director
Our family's MCC experience began June 1st. After a short visit in
Whitesburg with the Huebners, we headed over the mountain (as the locals
say) toward our new home in Harlan. We had looked forward to this day
for many months and the moment had finally arrived. We had brought with
us possessions that we felt would enhance our MCC experience and help
us remember friends and family back home. The whole process of downsizing
and riding ourselves of so many excess things had been a real freeing
experience. As we drove through town on that day it was hard to imagine
that all of these new sites and smells would soon be familiar to our family.
When we finally pulled up the steep Horton St. hill and parked in the
driveway the kids ran to pick rooms in what would be our new home. Unpacking
went fast with the extra help that came. In a few hours our new house
had begun to look like a home.
Our SWAP summer orientation started on Sunday the 3rd. My role for the summer would be carpenter and field support person. Being a carpenter and running jobs was a great experience for me this summer working with the volunteers and getting to know the homeowners at the same time was a real blessing. Each group comes with their own strengths and attitudes. Looking back over the summer many of the volunteers where a true blessing in servanthood and humility. We very much stress the importance of not just doing the work but creating a friendship and relationship at the same time. The volunteers that can find that mix will always go home with a much more rounded and fulfilling experience. Watching that happen on the jobsites was truly rewarding.
Another true reward of the summer was the relationship we were able to establish with the homeowners. Their spirit of hospitality and welcoming friendship left a great impact on me. I was often asked to bring my family over to meet the homeowners. Those times have been a great experience getting to now each other in a new way and learning more about their experiences here in the mountains of Kentucky. I heard many of their faith testimonies that encouraged and strengthened my own. Those friendships continue to be a meaningful part of our home here.
Looking back over the summer we say we hit the ground running. Many experiences this summer have strengthened our faith and have brought our family closer. Through some trials we have been in need of prayer and support. Through these times of need we feel we have been blessed and have grown. We truly feel a closeness to the community in Harlan and feel God is using the program here to strengthen and uphold the kingdom.
Diane Coblentz, SWAP Co-Director
It's cold. It's one of the first fall/winter days I've experienced in Harlan, KY. Harlan is my home now, my community, since entering assignment with SWAP as a family June 1. The phone rings in the office and I answer. A weary-sounding woman on the other end of the line is wondering if we can work on her house, soon. Her landlord has not done much to keep the house in repair in the last 11 years she has lived there. The windows are broken, a crack under the door requires a rolled blanket to block out the wind. And, do we supply groceries? Can we help with oil to heat the house? She had a heart attack, has lost one leg due to amputation, and she is the caretaker for her brother who has cerebral palsy. The bills are adding up and she is unable to work. She feels burdened and not sure how she goes through each day. Can we help?
|
My heart sinks. Applications from summer have fattened a file, let alone
what has accumulated over the past years. Volunteers are not due until
next Spring, except the group of 12 coming in about three weeks. SWAP
doesn't work on rental units since Landlords are to be responsible for
them, and it often means they will increase rent once we make the improvements.
What is my answer? My mind is spinning, for the answer I want to give
is not possible. I feel the cold of the office since the heaters are not
working, yet. My mind imagines the cold she is feeling, the desperation
of not being warm, nourished, cared for. She says she knows God has a
plan for everything, but she's not sure why she needs to suffer like this
when she's trying to do the right thing.
I try to do the right thing and direct her to Social Services of Harlan.
I also suggest the Soup Kitchen at Christ's Hands. It feels petty. She
is in need like hundreds of others in the region. They have valid needs
and yet it is impossible to meet them all. My heart is broken as I wearily
hang up the phone. I slump in my chair and tell my husband the other half
of the conversation he could not hear. He gently listens to my sorrow.
She is my neighbor. She is part of my community. I am thrown again into
wrestling with the questions of whom do I help, how much, and when. These
are the same questions that crowded my spiritual journey preceding God
calling me and our family to serve with MCC.
To serve "In the name of Christ" comes to the forefront. His will , guidance and wisdom are what I need. To be so in tune with God that action required of me will be very clear, especially on days I receive calls, many very similar to the one above. But for today and days after, my heart and mind will clearly remember this particular call, the coldness of the day, and feelings of helplessness in meeting her needs. I am left wondering, did she find help?
David Roth Sawatzky, Carpenter
This past summer with MCC SWAP was a time of challenge, encouragement,
and realization for me. I felt particularly lucky to be surrounded by
so many fun, interesting and dedicated people during this season of SWAP
and let me just say that if the SWAP staff had not been so friendly and
willing to work hard at relationships, the summer would have been a much
longer and stressful one. We were lucky to have everyone on board with
us for the summer especially Rachel's and my good friend Jessica Landes
and my first cousin Josh Gingerich. This being our first summer with SWAP
we felt that these special people made the newness easier.
Since we had been here in Kentucky since the previous October I had some time to adjust to the climate of the region both social and physical and even had the opportunity to work on several home repair projects in the off season. This provided me with an expectation for the summer as far as the physical nature of the work.
One thing I wasn't totally prepared for was being a staff support on jobs with 7-13 volunteers at a time, directing their involvement in the job and deciding how much would be done on a particular project. If I'm honest I have to admit that the volunteers caused the most stress for me this summer and I struggled often with my mental positiveness towards those volunteers. I realize that much of the work couldn't be done without these volunteers, but I often wondered what the impact was on the clients they were working for and the community in which they were working.
Before coming to Kentucky I had serious reservations about short-term missions like SWAP, but because I had participated in SWAP before( and had a positive experience) and supported and believed that MCC truly works at constant evaluations of their programs, trusted that I/we could make a go at it. I guess what I can say now after being in SWAP for almost a year is that my skepticism of short term mission has not disappeared but I feel hopeful that there are programs that are suitable for the communities which they are serving, and I respect MCC SWAP as one of those programs. This positive view of and Community appropriateness of SWAP has almost entirely to do with(in my opinion) the response of the community. I have been overwhelmed as a carpenter on the job everyday, with the thankfulness and genuine kindness of the people whom we share with and work.
For example: One of the last and lengthiest jobs I worked on was the home of an 82 year old (young in this case) woman who had to move out of her house five years ago because she felt that it was getting unsafe for her to live there. She was right to think so as here roof was damaged by fire and was caving in, the back wall was almost completely eaten by termites and had extensive water damage, and her bathroom on ground level was located on her front porch, with the only entrance to it being from the outside. When Rachel and I first met her she only asked if we could help her repair her roof and didn't mention the other concerns. "Just whatever you can do would be fine with me" she would say often. She would often comment on the "blessings the Lord had given her already," and "how each of you are such a blessing to me." She cooked for the volunteers on several occasions and always was willing To talk with anyone who would listen for a while. She even at the end of the project put a thank-you in the paper to t all the churches and people who worked so hard on her house. She was/is a blessing to all of us.
My summer was one of learning and sharing that was spiritually uplifting. I can say that I truly did find Christ in the Mountains of Eastern Kentucky this summer and past year and I look forward to another year of possibilities and learning.
In my experience in Appalachian Kentucky, food seems to be an integral part of the life blood of the culture and essence of being Appalachian. When I first came here, people would often ask if we ate such and such at home or what our cultural foods were. It had never occurred to me that food was such a distinguishing factor, but it definitely is, at least here.
|
Food as Celebration of Culture
This past Monday was my colleague Twalla's birthday. Such a day might
go unnoticed elsewhere, but at the Fleming-Neon Family Resource Center,
a birthday is a good excuse to cook up a storm. And so the ladies did.
We had soup beans and corn bread, kraut and sausage, onions, fish patties,
fried potatoes, and chocolate cake, all made at the Center, except for
the cake. This is traditional Appalachian food and it is Twalla's favorite.
What I found a little amusing in the meal was how much I enjoyed it. Like
many other distinctives of Appalachian culture, II have come to really
enjoy the food. I remember the first time I ate soup beans and corn bread
and "greens". Delbert and Andrea Wenger, our then-PC's, were
taking us to a cultural night at Letcher School which started off with
traditional food and was followed by local music and dancing. I could
hardly get the stuff down — I was very glad for the soft drinks available
and the cake, which were two familiar things. But like the music and dancing,
I have acquired a taste for local food and culture. I'm learning to sing
local folksongs and I'm eating soup beans with a certain degree of enjoyment.
Some things are easier to swallow than others, but an appreciation can
be developed for almost anything.
Food As a Means to Socialize
There is always fried chicken at any church potluck, along with 7
times as much other food as there are people. At our annual church picnic
a couple weeks ago, there were two picnic tables, probably about 10 feet
long each, crammed with food, full to overflowing. Here, food is more
than just food, more than nourishment for the body. Here, food is nourishment
for the soul, too. Any gathering that involves food involves socializing.
Church suppers are where people relax and let their hair down. Church
suppers are where we've really gotten to know the people in the church
we attend, church suppers are where the people of the church have so warmly
welcomed us and gotten to know us. The first tailgate party that I ever
went to was put on by a local church before a football game this was the
first social, community event Jeff and I went to on our own. Here, people
seem to accept you as quickly as they'll accept another dish for the potluck.
Food is Family and hospitality
In the US, Thanksgiving is a much bigger family holiday than we are
used to. People were concerned that we wouldn't have anyone to celebrate
with. Jeff and Sharman Chapman-Crane took care of that for us. They have
invited us to their house for Thanksgiving dinner every year that we've
been here. The first year we went, we were a little hesitant, feeling
we were intruding on a family holiday, but when we arrived, we were greeted
by a group of people as diverse as the food we ate. There were family
members there, but mostly there were people who were short on family.
The meaning of family changed for me that Thanksgiving dinner. Family
became who you take in, who you eat with, whoever will receive and give
hospitality. Later that year, we spent our first Christmas away from family,
so instead we acquired a "new" family. The Iverson's, another
MCC family, was also away from family, and so we became each other's family.
We had snacks and games together at our house on Christmas Eve, and had
a big Christmas dinner at their house Christmas day. Who we ate food with
was our family.
Food as Gratitude
During this past summer, we had two SWAP clients who cooked lunch
for the volunteers every day that they worked on the client's house. Sometimes
Mrs. Collins or Mrs. Fields would cook huge feasts, other times it would
be chili dogs and chips, but always, there was more than enough food for
everyone (including wanderers like me — the materials driver). These
two older ladies couldn't be out on their roofs, helping the volunteers
hammer and nail. So instead, they showed their gratitude through food,
through cooking which was something they were good at and could do. The
fried apple pies and mashed potatoes and corn bread and sandwiches were
their thank-you.
Food as the Bond of Friendship
A year and a half ago, our neighbour, Larry, broke his back in the
mines. I didn't know our neighbours too well then, but I brought over
some brownies. As time progressed and as circumstances arose, Larry's
wife, Kathy and I became close friends. Occasionally, Kathy would share
some rich and calorie-laden dessert with Jeff and me. Awhile back, when
Kathy had been sick for several days in a row, I brought a meal over to
their house. This lead to more and more food exchanges. Sometimes, in
the middle of nowhere, Kathy will announce that she had cooked a huge
supper, and knowing that Jeff loves soup beans and corn bread, she'll
bring some up for us to enjoy. The food that began out of a gesture of
concern has turned into a gesture of friendship. The meals and desserts
we exchange are not merely sustenance anymore, they are the physical evidence
of the bond of friendship between us.
The economic argument behind welfare reform is that dollars are best left to circulate in the economy where they will generate profits and stimulate growth, and the benefits of that growth will "trickle down" to all levels of society. There is also an implicit assumption in the economic strategy underlying welfare reform that poor individuals are non-productive, or deliberately under-productive, by their own choice or due to factors within their control. Welfare reform seeks to motivate individuals from a non-productive state toward economic participation and productivity.
This image of the poor is opposite to Christ's compassionate view, and the biblical exhortation to "have mercy." As Christians we need to be aware that, for significant segments of society, poverty is systemic, not an individual choice. Further, we are commanded to show mercy -- not because the recipients have warranted our attention, or because the conditions indicate the potential for good results. Rather, we show mercy because we have obtained mercy. As the "state" moves further away from a compassionate stance toward the poor, Christians must make Christ's message of compassion and showing mercy more evident.
One fallacy of economic participation of the poor is that there is access to economic opportunity that is currently being rejected. While there are stories about individuals where this may be true, a macro view shows significant segments of society where economic opportunity is systemically restricted, controlled, or influenced.
The Appalachian context provides ample evidence. Here, in the heart of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's "war on poverty" in the 1960's, it appears, as someone once said, "as though poverty has won." The area magnifies the widening gap between rich and poor across the United States. Despite local efforts, creation of a new economy with new jobs is a continuing battle. In Appalachia, the economic "distress" of many counties remains unchanged. With a few notable exceptions, lack of infrastructure and funding play into systemic barriers to limit alternatives. Missing are many of the traditional incentives and supports for the growth of entrepreneurial enterprises.
As a rule, economic alternatives are minimal. Local economies match the ebb and flow of the traditional industries -- mining and logging. Technological advances are making these jobs more difficult to obtain due to worker certification requirements. The fact that local economic and political systems act as disincentives against alternative economic expansion is well documented.
Many individuals are isolated from economic opportunity due to a variety of factors including lack of transportation, skills, or information, and systemic or political barriers. In many counties the majority of the population -- in some cases upwards of 90 percent – live in rural areas, in contrast to the nationwide average of 25 percent (figures from 2000 Census). As their financial affairs become bleaker, they are faced with selling their cars, moving in with other family members, and effectually becoming further removed from any opportunity they or their children might otherwise have. Local food pantries are reporting record numbers of clients, in some cases double from several months ago. Welfare reform promises to exacerbate challenging conditions for individuals and families without creating any new opportunities.
As Christians seek to understand the impacts of welfare reform policies, let us factor in our obligation to show mercy because we have obtained mercy. Let our voices and actions make Christ's message of compassion and showing mercy more evident.
The Redbud
Editors, Jim and Ellie Huebner
PO Box 460
Whitesburg KY 41858
tel 606.633.5065
email: appalach@mcc.org
Additions, subtractions or other corrections to The Redbud mailing list can be made by writing to:
(last updated 7-apr-02 )MCC Mailing List Manager
P.O. Box 500
Akron PA 17501-0500
email: bjm@mcc.org
