The 2022 Youth Mission Trip was a blast. Lori and I took four youth to Beattyville, KY. The kids were Eric Board, Rebekah Vasquez, Lucas Polkinghorn, and Patrick Martz.
We insulated and drywalled a house. With our small group, we were able to do most of the living room, including the ceiling. We ran out of time when we reached the kitchen wall. This house experienced flooding from the Kentucky River in March 2021. It is next door to the house we worked on last summer. Alma moved back into her home last Thanksgiving when the kitchen, bathroom, and doors were installed. The second house remained untouched until we started on it this week. It suffered water damage all the way up to the ceiling. Alma’s granddaughter lived there and is still waiting to return.
The weather was hot! But the house is a basement house. This means half of it is below ground level. So we kept the windows closed and it remained comfortable through most of the day. The kids remembered their drywall skills from last year. They were much more independent this year. They were fast and efficient. I am always amazed at how hard they work, especially in hot and difficult conditions.
We stayed with Leeroy on his farm and non-profit, Kentucky Small Farms Project. Leeroy retired from hosting work groups many years ago. But Leeroy loves us and he still lets us come every year. We are the only group Leeroy will host. This summer Leeroy has temporary guardianship of two small children. He was very busy with them and spent little time with us.
Our day of play was white water rafting on the New River in West Virginia. It was exhilarating and refreshing, especially in the heat, but I am getting too old for this kind of exhilaration. I prefer drifting, not rafting.
God bless these kids. Enjoy the video (to be published on Sunday).
