On a Mission... Thursday, March 19th

Painting a wheelchair ramp

Today began with a sense of uncertainty as we realized that a 30% chance of rainfall would affect our plans to paint a local lady's wheelchair ramp. The woman, a widow, welcomed us with a warm "good morning" to start off our day's work. The air was humid and chilly as we opened our paint cans; and as we began to cover yesterday's paint job, it was obvious that the weather was not going to make today a good painting day. As we brushed away, we realized that our paint was tacky and refusing to dry. Two hours later, after covering almost the entirety of the ramp, the first drops of rain began to fall. Fortunately, the weather did not stop us from completing our first coat. We worked as a team - talking, laughing and bonding along the way. Though the rain sent us back to the Kentucky Mountain Home office, our efforts were not for naught.

It was almost time for lunch! After a brief interim filled with card-playing and catnapping, we set out to a popular hamburger joint in town, recommended to us on Wednesday by the mayor. We really made an appearance as we entered the cozy and friendly eatery. The cook asked us what we were doing in Manchester ("Are you lost?" were his exact words) and we told him about our reasons for being here. He and the store's owner grabbed a 1-subject notebook and asked for all of our orders. Offers to upgrade our single burger patties to doubles were met with enthusiastic replies. Most of us got to sample Grippo's, a favorite potato chip of the area. Full and happy, we made our way to the billiard room after Kasey challenged "Lightning," the restaurant's main man to a pool game. (Side note: his nickname was derived from the skill he displayed during his years as a professional billiard player. Uh oh.) The three games that Kasey and Lightning played were entertaining for all parties involved, especially for the players, and Kasey showed remarkable grace under pressure. After getting creamed by the pro in the last game (which Kasey almost won), the playing was done; clock was ticking and we realized we had a drive to make. Onward to Red Bird Mission, 16 miles away by windy road.

After a fast-paced, roller-coaster-like ride through the mountains, we arrived at the Mission, which is a comprehensive medical facility and K-12 school designed to cater to the disadvantaged population of Leslie County, KY. Our first stop on the tour was the Christmas Room, where George, our tour guide, let us peek at the gifts (board games, dolls, under wear) given to very needy Appalachian families at Christmastime. This section of the facility is run primarily by devoted volunteers, who sort and package gift boxes for distribution (over 400 each winter). We moved down the hall to a "learning room," so to speak, which is meant to socialize geographically isolated toddlers and pre-schoolers in preparation for kindergarten. Greeting us down the hall was registered nurse Tracy Nolan, director of community outreach at the Mission. She described to us her role in bringing the services provided by Red Bird to the people of the community, who often are unaware of just what the Mission provides. Blood drives, pregnancy assistance, senior citizen activism, nutritional consultations -- these services are just a few of those meant to respectfully educate those in need. Additionally, the effort put into executing services is compounded by the energy needed to receive funding for implementing them. Mrs. Nolan seems like an energetic, purpose-driven person extremely sensitive to the needs in her surrounding community ("That's why I love being a nurse," she said).

At Red Bird Mission

After meeting with Mrs. Nolan, we walked outside and peeked into the buildings where donated clothes are delivered, sorted, and packaged for sale in the Mission Store (and for delivery). We then entered the facilities of the Red Bird School, where George proudly showed us several murals detailing the history of the Mission, introduced us to the teachers, and led us through a number of classrooms. It was a comprehensive tour, to say the least :). Finally, we headed back to the craft store, where many of us purchased such goods as jams, recipe books, jewelry and toys made by Kentucky artisans.

Piling into the van, we set off for a ride back to Manchester. Along the way, however, we encountered the unexpected. They don't call this "Elk Country" for nothing. With her eagle eyes, Marybeth spotted a large elk buck resting among the trees along the road. We (of course) played up our touristy role, pulling alongside the highway to take countless pictures of the beautiful creature.

Once we were back to town, we proceeded to El Cazador. This colorful, local Mexican restaurant served up some great dishes, which we all quickly scarfed down. We had a ballgame to get to!

Our contractor, Scottie, helps coach his son's middle school baseball team. Our group wanted to go out and show our support, so we made our way to the ball fields at Town Branch Park. There, we watched the Clay County team decimate their Harlan County opponents. We had a great time in the bleachers - acting a bit silly, cheering on the home team, and cuddling against one another to keep warm as the sun set over the mountains in the distance.

The evening ended with a trip for coffee, dessert and reflection at Starwood Mountain. This coffee shop has only been in business for three weeks, but we learned a bit from Theresa, the proprietor, about her experiences in Manchester. Back at the dorm, we dialogued about our power and privilege reflection activity. It was a moving conversation; people really offered a lot of themselves to the group, and the conversations continued late into the night...