WV Trip Day 1-The Great Adventure

West Virginia Trip- Monday Morning 7/21/08 5:10 am

I am awake before anyone in my group which is not surprising. I have slept pretty well, all things considered. I have seen so much already....although my preconceived visions have not matched Northfork's reality. It is difficult to put the town's landscape into words. We have been told it was one of the richest communities of WV at one time, but it is hard to recognize even a glimpse of its former affluence. It almost seems like a tourist council's ploy to get you to come check it out yourself. We have been told not to take pictures but I can't help myself. I am such a visual person. I am afraid I won't remember exactly what my eyes have seen.

Mustard Seeds and Mountains House we are staying in

I have already had two interesting conversations with the townspeople. Within an hour of arriving here, I meet Mark, a 25-30 year old male who was smoking a cigarette and looking for $10 to put in his gas tank. He has lived here all his life despite a few trips to North Carolina. He is thinking about going back to work in the coal mines and prefers the night shift. He isn't much for small talk, even with all the information he had just shared. He cuts to the chase asking again for the money. Of course, Gregg and I have no cash on us and our conversation ends with him because of that.

View from our porch of Northfork, WV All but one house is abandoned here

As the evening progresses, I feel the need to walk around the town a little more. Gregg is not interested in doing this as he is having fun visiting with our team on the front porch of the "Big House." I connect with a few team members as they are headed for a walk and ask if I can join them. As we walk up the hill of the street, I am both perplexed and frightened by the condition of the homes. There are a few people sitting on their porches, and I greet them very warmly as I walk by. I am aching for an opportunity to go beyond "hello," but I don't know how open the townspeople are to my presence. Do they know I am here "on a mission?" Is it obvious I am not from around here?

Abandoned buildings and shops in Downtown Northfork

One of the most comforting things to me thus far is the presence of all the cats I see. How I want to grab one and cuddle with it, but I am cautious about what it might be carrying. Walking past house after house, I see very little evidence of past wealth. Because of my constant fear of the unknown and the unfamiliar, I am comforted by the company of the guys I am walking with. As we venture further up the hill, I see a precious little boy playing with a soccer ball near the street. My mother heart strings pull tightly as I am already missing my girls terribly after just 2 days. He is an African-American boy with loosely curled black hair. An older man is sitting nearby on the front porch. His countenance seems friendly after I test it with a warm smile and hello. He tells me about the little boy, Devon, who is two years old and the last of his 11 grandchildren (the oldest being 44). He is raising the boy while his mother has been in Las Vegas since the boy was 5 months old. She has come home once or twice to see Devon, but he is unclear as to who his mother is. He plays with the guys and kicks the ball to them as I continue on with my conversation. Mr. Karmak shares that he hasn't lived in Northfolk forever. He has seen colorful parts of our country. He grew up in Cleveland and spent many years in Los Angeles, pursuing a music career. Because of my gift of useless trivia, I connect with Mr. Karmak as he rattles off different names of the 50's and 60's....Sam Cooke, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sammy Davis Jr. I know my time with him is limited and I am concerned about my team mates getting bored with my chattering. Just before we say goodbye, I witness Mr. Karmak's neighbor, a white man in his 30's, approach him with some cucumbers in his hands. He says it will be helpful for Mr. Karmak's arthritis. I take note of the relationship these men have with one another and rejoice that prejudism isn't as prevalent as one might think.....at least the people of Northfork have conquered it.**

More abandoned buildings from our porch view

We get back to the "Big House," where I receive some innocent ribbing of my conversation skills. It is the only true skill I bring with me and it comforts me to have already used it. Team Member Eric Kitchen tells me I am going to love it here. I wonder at this early morning hour sitting by a window, writing by porch light, what conversations God will allow me to have as we anticipate meeting the family we will be serving today.

**Later we learn that Mr. Karmak's house is on the list for assistance through Mustard Seeds and Mountains. Unfortunately, the other church "missioning" here gets that assignment.