Homeward bound

Saturday, we roll, crawl and stumble out of bed. After a million trips back and forth to the cars, we are finally packed and ready to go. A quick stop to wake up the ASP staff and around 200 hugs later we are off and traveling, homeward.

There is an excitement that we are going home, but an eagerness to stay and see our projects though for the families. We are tired.

Saturday is the time we share amongst ourselves, just the weary travelers that you have sent forth to do God's work. We had a great time. Not like a vacation, but an inner peace or sense of goodness that has happened.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement that you have provided throughout the year for us. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you to my family.

God's blessings to you.

With love.

Paul G.

Family Picinic

The Family Picnic is a time when - in the Presbyterian tradition - we get to sit down with our families and eat together. This year another ASP Center joined us at Martins Fork Lake (see previous posting). Talk about God's country. . .

We gathered and mingled early. After the prayer "hamburgers and hot dogs" were enjoyed by all. It was definitely a family affair with babies, children running around, parents and grandparents all enjoying each other.

God is certainly at work here!

Paul G.

Friday...

FRIDAY - a very emotional day in the life of an ASP participant, whether your family, center staff or a volunteer. It is the last day you go to your site. It is the day you say goodbye to your family. It is the day you share with your friends here, both new and old. Sharing some of the feelings and relationships you have built through the week.

We made friends and have built relationships with our families, the ASP staff, the group from Illinois and each other.

As we come home many reflections will be made over the last week. We may come home quietly or we may be very talkative. Each of us has our own experience to share. There are many wondrous stories to tell. Be patient with us --we want to share them each and every one as we are able to.

Gods peace.

Paul G

A Picnic with Our Bigger Family

On Thursday evening the ASP Harlan Center staff and the ASP Jonestown, Virginia staff coordinated a picnic at Martin’s Fork Lake, just outside of Harlan, Kentucky. Each team was encouraged to invite the family it was serving to join approximately 220 ASP volunteers and staff for food and fun at an amazingly beautiful mountain lake in southeastern Kentucky.

Martin’s Fork Lake was created in 1978 when the US Army Corps of Engineers built two large dams to flood several valleys of small rivers that supply the Cumberland River. The lake they created offers important fresh water resources to southeastern Kentucky and badly needed tourism revenue.

During our winding 30-minute drive to the picnic, many of us wondered what kind of lake we would find so high up in the mountains. When arrived at the lake, just beneath the large northern dam, we were amazed by the beauty of all that water in the midst of these picturesque mountains.

When you added the local families that joined us, there were well over 250 people. We all had a chance to meet the personalities we had heard about from other team members or to introduce our local families to our friends from the Bound Brook area. This broader view of the local community gave us a chance to learn more about work, home, and recreational life in this part of Appalachia.

We all had a chance to try and capture the beauty of this place with our cameras as we wandered down the hill from our picnic pavilion to the beach area. There, a number of the locals went for a swim as others played beach volleyball and Frisbee.

The party broke up around 9:15 pm, with a good amount of daylight still in the sky. We traveled back to Evarts for a good night’s rest before our last day, but with a slightly better feel for the natural magnificence and recreational richness that make our families love this part of the world.

My First ASP Experience

This is my very first ASP experience, and so of course there are many new things happening for me every day. There is also much that is shocking and, at times, disheartening. But what is most striking for me right now is the youth who are here. I have never seen a group of teens so willing (and even eager) to get a job done. They are ready to get dirty, figure out how to do something, and do it well by working together.

I have been impressed and inspired by them every day here in Harlan County.

Megan Maffettone

Our Cooks are Pretty Nice Girls...

On Thursday the Casper team had the assigned chore of showing appreciation to our cooking staff (Alice and Debbie). One of our cooks, Alice, had heard John Almendinger sing and said she’d like to hear him play in the morning. Team Casper had a better idea. They composed a short song to the tune of “Her Majesty’s a Pretty Nice Girl” (Beatles, Abbey Road). The lyrics went like this.

Our cooks are pretty nice girls but they don’t have a lot to say. / Our cooks are pretty nice girls, changing menus for us every day. / We want to tell them that we love them a lot but we don’t always find the time. / Our cooks are pretty nice girls and their cookin’ is mighty fine, oh yeah. / Their cookin’ is mighty fine. / (allelu…)

The song was sung to Alice and Debbie around 6:45 am on Thursday by John Almendinger, Betsy Kamienowski, Paul Gindler, Steve Yacik, and John Casale. The Casper team also presented two t-shirts to Alice and Debbie made by Betsy. The shirts had the ASP logo with the word “Chef” on the front and showed outlines of New Jersey, Illinois, and Kentucky.

Under the Porch

The “Peeves” project involves three teams… two from BBPC and one from the North Prairie Methodist Church in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois. Our teams, Peeves II and III, include Kelly Friedrich, Linda Owens, Sue Friedrich, Justin Jackson, Sara Flannelly, Matt Crawford, Lou Bruno, Lee Goodson, Big John Casale, Steve Yacik, Linda Ferreira, and Samantha Bruno.

We are sitting under our new porch in the pouring rain, Kelly is giving Matt a tattoo with a Sharpie marker. It’s a lightning bolt. There is lots of lightning here.

It doesn’t look as though the rain is going to give up and we are debating whether to start back working again. Our morning went well. It seems like today has been our most productive day, even despite the thunder storms.

Our house needs a lot more work to be done and the rain has been quite frustrating. But is surely hasn’t stopped our spirit as we joke and laugh under the porch. For some of us though, this may be our last time on ASP and the rain reminds us of how beautiful these misty mountains are and how sad we will be to leave them.
Perhaps the storm is breaking now, but the rain has given us an opportunity to reflect on and remember the bonds we have made with one another, and how valuable our friendships really are.

Sara Flannelly

Our Most Experienced Builder

John Casale is the most experienced “builder” from BBPC at our work site. As a result, he gets peppered with questions, throughout the day, on a variety of building projects. John always answers them patiently and with a respect for the person asking the question.

The best building John does at our worksite is the building of relationships. He builds positive relationships… with his fellow adult advisors… with the young people from BBPC… and especially with the mother and the small children whose home we’re working on.

When three of us got our host family’s front porch muddy, it was John who grabbed a mop and cleaned it off. Why? Because it was the right thing to do.

I’m really glad this ASP experience has given me a chance to get to know John a bit more and to learn from his example.

Steve Yacik

Tattoo Day

Hi, my name is Katy Goodson and I am on the team “Slimer” for ASP. My group consists of seven members – Tommy Bruno, Eric Crawford, Max Biederman, Andy Biederman, Danika Yacik, Laura Goodson, and myself.

We are roofing the house of an elderly couple – Tina and Jimmy Jones. The roof needed to be shingled on one side and the other side needed plywood and then shingles.

Today is Wednesday and we worked on the house from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. We left for the Jones’ house at 8:45 am and when we got there we immediately headed for the roof. We started quickly because we knew that the rain would come around 1:00 pm and we can’t roof in the rain.

We shingled the roof until 12:00, and in those hours we really had a good time together. In our group, Tommy and Eric tattooed everyone with sharpies on the roof because it was “tattoo day.” I got a seahorse from Tommy on my shoulder.

Around 12:45 the rain started coming, so our group left the roof. We went to our car and ate lunch. Then we talked with Tina and Jimmy. We presented Tina with a prayer shawl made by members of our church. Then we talked with Jimmy about a variety of stuff. Jimmy is a funny guy with clear opinions. We talked with him about music, food, weather, and other things.

We really got closer with our family today and after our group left their home, at 1:00 pm, I felt like I had shown Tina and Jimmy that I really cared about them.

Katie Goodson

Doug’s Rain / Kentucky Rain

Doug Flannelly will tell you, “if you want it to rain, ask me to do a roof job.” And that’s exactly what happened as Doug and his crew on the Bruce Willis project began day two of their roofing project.

For some teams in the valley the rain was fairly light… a heavy drizzle. Others said they could see the hard rain coming at them… and when it hit you it hurt.

Nobody really blamed Doug for the rain, although we had to admit he had warned us. Outdoor projects came to a brief stop after everyone scrambled to hide the tools from the rain. Indoor projects moved right along as planned.

For evening gathering (EG) the center staff invited local recording artists “Kentucky Rain” to for volunteers in our school’s cafeteria. The four-piece group (banjo, mandolin, guitar, and double bass) played for nearly 90 minutes.

The group helped us get to know the roots of bluegrass music and how it has influenced other types of music over the years. They even played a song that mentions Harlan County (well actually it mentions the Harlan County jail).

After the show, everyone still had time to ride into Harlan or Evarts for ice cream or shopping. Others stuck around the center to socialize or prepare for Wednesday.

While we loved Kentucky Rain, we’re hoping Doug will have a better day for roofing tomorrow.

Ray Ferreira

Terry’s Roof

Today was an interesting day on the Casper site. The morning was hot and sunny, so we continued working on the roof.

At about 11:20 am we heard thunder and began covering our roof so the water wouldn’t leak into Terry’s room. It did begin to pour and thankfully we got the roof covered in time.

We decided it was time for lunch and time to chat it up with Terry. Terry is very open and tells us tales of his past. He talks about where he has travelled and how he has lived in Kentucky for all his life and how he wouldn’t give it up for the world.

Terry makes me appreciate everything I have at home in New Jersey. I hope to continue learning new life lessons from Terry during the rest of the week. Of course we hope to finish the roof too.

Cassey Flannelly

Scary Days with Bruce Willis

Today on the “Bruce Willis” project we did lots of things. The man on our project likes to scare people, and I made a bet with him that he couldn’t scare me. Well, to say the least he got me, but not until he had tried a number of things. He hid under a car and grabbed my legs. Then he climbed up on the roof where I was working and he hit me with a bamboo stick.

Since our only project is one that is on the roof, sadly, we did not get much work done because it rained most of the day. But what we did get to do was spend quality time with our family of five: Ray, Judy, TomTom and Milltown (the two cats), and Booger (the puppy). We have all come to know and love them, even though we have only spent two days with them.

We have formed bonds that will not be easily broken or forgotten.

Amy Barrett

The Morning People

Wake up call is 7:15 am each morning. But there are a few of us, all adults, who can’t seem to sleep past 5:30 or 6:00.

We’re rewarded by our two cooks, Alice and Debbie, with a big urn of fresh coffee that helps us at least begin to understand one another.

But there’s more that we like about the early morning time… The outdoor temperature is in the high 60s rather than the high 90s… The clouds move through the valley well below the 1200-foot mountain tops that are on either side of us… And we have a few minutes to have a good laugh about how we all work together every day.

There’s not a lot of regimentation or ASP programming this early. So we get to run our own program… which sometimes feels like open mic night at the comedy club. We have a chance to laugh at ourselves and the way we get through our days.

So greetings to all from the morning people, at two minutes to seven.

Ray Ferreira , John Casale , Betsy Kamienowski , Sue Friedrich, John Almendinger

Day One on the Work Site (Flying Dutchman)

We started our day by learning to jump start a car. We also learned not to leave a battery-operated cooler on overnight.

We didn't get to meet our family today, but we removed the glue from their new floor. We took all the wood off of the hall floor and we took all the tiles off of the kitchen floor.

We played with the kitty and played with some neighbor kids.

The day ended with our crawling under their trailer to inspect the rim joist. We needed to make sure it was stable enough for the trailer to be safe. Unfortunately we found that trailer's rim joist was NOT safe, and so we will begin our work on that repair tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned for more information from our crew.

Chelsea Sebastian and Kalyn Nevitt

Newbie Impressions

Since this is my first ASP trip, I had no idea what to expect. I asked some of the ASP veterans in our group to give me some input so I could attempt to prepare myself for the upcoming week. Now that my first day of work is behind me, I can put some sense behind all the information gathered.

My expectations of the work and the family were right on the money. The people were kind and it's very apparent they need our help. So that being said, I wasn't surprized with what I found.

Now the thing that has opened my eyes more than anything else are the ASP participants. If you ever want to see God's hand at work, come on an ASP trip. I'm surrounded by people that most certainly have a million other places to spend a week of vacation. But those people have come here to help those in need. They don't do it for fun, thanks, or praise. They just do it because it's needed.

I'm honored and proud to be here with them all.

Andy Biederman

Driving Southbound... Day Two

The morning was dark and misty in as our ASP group emerged from its overnight stay at the Wytheville Presbyterian Church, in Virginia. Within about 45 minutes we had left the building with little or no trace that we had been there. Then we were all in our cars and on our way.

Before getting back onto I-81 South, we stopped at a McDonald's to have a leasurely breakfast. This newer, high-tech Micky-Dee's had video displays with games at many of the tables--which definately extended our stay by at least 15 minutes.

The day-two drive would only take us 160 miles further, but with stops and winding roads took most groups about 4 hours to complete. We started with about 1 hour on I-81 to exit #1 near the Tennessee border. Then we went west on VA 421, a VERY winding two-lane that took us up and down through the beginning of the main Appalachian chain.

We wound through about 30 minutes of twists and turns over a first range to Gates City, then over another range to Pennington Gap, and finally we had some spectacular views as VA 421 went over a skytop pass on its way into Harlan (our local "town"). At Harlan we waited until it was 2:00 pm, and then drove the last seven miles down a deep valley into Evarts, Kentucky.

After taking about an hour to settle into our rooms (mostly classrooms in a fairly nice school building) we gathered outside to meet the Center Staff and learn the grounds rules. Dinner was tacos, refried beans, and rice. There was a lot of exploring to do and we all had a chance to meet other teams who had arrived from Indiana.

After dinner, two members of each work team (one adult and one youth member) visited their work site with a Center Staffer. We had a chance to see the project first hand and to meet the family that we would be working for (and sometimes with) for the next five days. Upon returning to the center, we had a chance to talk to the rest of our work groups about the specifics of the projects and the families.

The day ended with everyone cooling off and relaxing around the center. Some read books in their make-shift dorm rooms; others played wiffle-ball in the parking lot; and some played cards in the cafeteria. Just now, at 10:30 pm, I hear adult leaders announcing quiet time. At 11:00 pm it will be lights out.

In the morning, we'll all have a chance to visit our work sites and meet our families. Clearly, everyone is a little excited AND a little bit nervous. This is a very different part of our world. Tomorrow, we all get to see just how different it is.

Ray Ferreira

Driving Southbound… Day One

Our trip from Bound Brook to Everts, Kentucky began at 8 am on Saturday, July 5, 2008. A total of 44 travelers arrived between 7:00 and 7:45 am, accompanied by many parents, friends. Among those seeing us off was Rev. Brooks Smith, the new interim pastor of the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church.

We made 501 miles on day one, travelling from Bound Brook to Wytheville, Virginia (near the intersection of I-81 and I-77). Some groups took three stops along the way, some took more. All groups arrived in Wytheville between 4:30 and 5:30 pm… in the middle of a brief thunder shower.

We’re staying on cots and air beds at the Presbyterian Church of Wytheville. The Wytheville church has graciously provided its comfortable facilities (parlors, classrooms, meeting rooms, and fellowship halls) to accommodate our group for the overnight on Saturday. Many thanks go out to Brad and Wendy from the Wytheville church who helped us make everything possible. We hope to be out of their way, and on our way, well before their 9:30 service on Sunday morning.

Once we arrived, Linda Owens held a brief meeting to review schedules and rules. Then groups scattered around Wytheville to eateries like Sonic, Appleby’s, and Cracker Barrel. We all arrived back at the Wytheville church by 9:30 pm. Then we all settled in to get some sleep before our 8:00 am departure.

Ray Ferreira