The trip to Appalachia was a wonderful experience for the 22 who went. The group left early Saturday morning, July 10, flew to Charlotte, North Carolina and then to Charleston, West Virginia on a small plane with a great view of the mountains (and some turbulence).

We spent most of Sunday at the Pipestem State Park swimming, playing mini golf, hiking, horseback riding and generally soaking up the gorgeous scenery. We arrived at our "base" at Falls Mills, VA, Sunday evening and settled into quarters. We were housed at an elementary school and slept on air mattresses. Staff had built a "shower house" outside where we could enjoy 3 minute hot showers...or unlimited cold showers!

Vacation Bible School was set for Elkhorn, WV, a very small mining town about a half-hour away. Despite some great door to door work by kids and COI Staff no one came the first day. The church we were set up at has only 7 members and was tucked back off the road by a small stream (that also served as the town's sewage system), we didn't have an ideal location. However, the next day, the footwork paid off and a dozen children came and continued to come all week. The numbers were small but the enthusiasm was great! They kept us busy.

In the afternoons we worked on home repair projects. The biggest one was roofing a two-story house. It was quite a learning experience for most of us! The youth worked especially hard and we managed to complete that job plus some other painting and fix-up jobs at homes in Northfork, WV. Most got a chance to take old shingles to the dump at one time or another which was a trip down memory lane for some older members and a new experience for the younger ones!

Tuesday night we helped with a Youth Group meeting at a church in Abbs Valley, Virginia. Our Youth did a fantastic job of putting on two skits and we all sang for the youth. Jackie Braun gave a very moving personal testimony of her faith in God that brought tears to many eyes. Afterwards the kids played volleyball, basketball and football with the local youth. A fun time was had by all!

Wednesday night we toured a local coal mine. Our guide told us a lot about coal mining and about the harsh conditions faced by the early coal miners and their families. He didn't have much good to say about the mine owners!

Thursday afternoon we packed dried food for use overseas. Food for Children, based in Princeton, WV, sends bags of basic nutritional supplement all over the world. Each bag contains l cup of rice, l cup of chopped soybeans, a Tablespoon of chicken flavor and a Tablespoon of dried seasoning and vegetables. Each bag provides SIX meals overseas.

Each day we had started with songs and prayers by staff. We all were encouraged to think about why we chose to come on a Mission Trip and the role God has in our lives. There were two other groups at the school with us...a small group of adults from Illinois and a group of High School kids from Pennsylvania.

Friday we cleaned the building, packed and left. We did some shopping on the way back to the airport. The week seemed short, but everyone worked hard and had a great time. We should be especially proud of the way the Youth worked and stretched their comfort zone singing and praying.Thanks again to all for their very generous support and prayers. We were able to give COI $1100 to use toward building supplies for our group and future groups. God Bless you all.