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