I tried to post yesterday & again early today via email but apparently they got lost in cyberspace!

We had a great week at workcamp in the Joyful Hills of West Virginia! This year, I was on staff as a photographer so I got to speak with many of the residents of the homes our group (about 400+ strong) were working on. They were all so very thankful – and the feeling of bringing hope and happiness those who can’t help themselves is simply phenomenal! We had 60 crews of teens and adults from all over the country working on 53 homes throughout Upshur County.

A few times, I drove up Sago Road, past where the mine where all those miners lost their lives, and was absolutely chilled. I can’t even describe it. I had to drive up one day that way and went past the coal processing plant and was literally shaken. I know that things like this do happen but being there, and working with the folks in this town, really brought the heartbreak home to me.

One of our youth was working on the house of one of the miner’s best friends. He had a memorial put up in his front yard. I’ll post a picture of it later on tonight or tomorrow.

I feel like there is so much to say, yet I am still so exhausted and trying to get back to the routine of my life. It’s the same struggle I had last year, too. I know I have to get back to it, the every day of it, but I don’t want to. I want to be back at workcamp. I want to be serving and loving on people.

Sigh.

More to come…