Overcoming Hopelessness
Two Years of Ministry in Eastern Kentucky
Tucked away in the hollers of Eastern Kentucky, you can still see the evidence of hopelessness left behind from the devastating night of flooding that was more than 2 years ago. It’s written all over the faces of women like Karen*, who lives in a single-wide trailer with her teenage son and six grandchildren. Her COPD is almost certainly made worse by the water damage that has weakened the subflooring and damaged the wall paneling, but it is all she can do to take care of herself and the kids each day; fixing the house would not be possible without the support of her local church and the volunteers who come to share the love of Christ.
Our Kentucky site hosted several youth groups this summer as well as some adult teams, and we make sure to emphasize with each team that our priority is to minister to the family in the home rather than prioritizing completion of the project. As a result, Karen’s grandchildren have seen the love of Christ from multiple generations of Christ-followers coming from different states to serve in their home. Mike* is about 8 years old, and he really connected with the teams and staff working in his home. He watched them working, and eventually participated in the work himself by learning to install flooring, nail in paneling and helping to tighten the screws in outlets.
While attending a Community Night dinner at his church, Mike said he might like to pursue a career in construction and to be like our volunteers. We awarded him an honorary green shirt, just like what our volunteers wear each day, and he proudly wore it as he worked alongside the team to fix his home. As our busy summer of teams winds down, our prayer is that local men and our long-term staff will be able to continue to pour into Mike and disciple him as well as helping him develop life skills that will benefit him and his family.
At the same time we have been working in homes in and around Hazard, KY, we’ve also been working to strengthen and revitalize weary EFCA churches. Our staff and volunteers help Clear Creek Evangelical Free Church host regular Community Nights to reconnect relationships in the neighborhood, many that have been broken since long before the flooding. They have been seeing greater participation and involvement over the last two years as more families are venturing out post-Covid. Recently a team helped beautify the church, painting the exterior of the building and planting some flowers. It may seem like a small step in the face of larger and long-term issues, but it really went a long way with the church body to heal old emotional wounds.
Pray with us that God would continue to heal and restore life at Clear Creek EFC, and that church members would rise up to pour into families like Karen’s so that discipleship can continue long after the flood response ends. As we celebrate what God has done this summer, we also look forward to many more teams sharing the love of Christ – the team schedule is already filling in for next summer in Kentucky. If your church wants to be part of what God is doing there, email respond@efca.org to reserve your week now.
*names changed for privacy
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