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Youth missionaries exchange computers for brushes

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Contributed by: Teresa Howell on 5/6/2008

For the 2008 spring break, six teens from First Presbyterian Church, Newhall, exchanged their pencils and computers for hammers and saws. They worked on a project in Jonesville, Va.

In five days of hard work, these young teens tore off a leaky roof, reroofed it, added insulation, hung dry wall from the ceiling, mudded and textured the ceiling drywall, and painted the ceiling and walls to a large bedroom addition to a trailer home.

These teens and their two advisors were part of a mission team from the church sent to work with the Appalachian Service Project, a non-profit organization that helps families in need throughout the Appalachian area.

"This was a pretty hefty job for 16- and17-year-old kids," explained Sarah Bolin, the female supervisor on the mission. Chuckling, Bolin stated, "My group rocked."

Bolin characterized the teenagers - Mila Brotz, Emily Millar, Leo Vannini,Ian Fletcher, Kelsey George and Melissa Selva - as kind-hearted and hardworking.

"They came on the mission trip for various reasons. Some of them were sent by parents, and it was not their idea to come," Bolin quipped. "It did not matter. They worked hard, and I am proud of them."

According to information put out by Appalachian Service Project, the group's goal is to help families with housing needs, and the working hands that repair and build are mission church groups, many of them made up of teens.

Bolin related that the Appalachian Service Project was surprised that the First Presbyterian Church, Newhall, was sending a group of kids so far away to do a mission. Most of the mission groups that work for the Appalachian Service Project come from closer to the Appalachians.

Bolin explained that the committee planning the youths' mission project picked the Appalachian Service Project so the church's youths could see families within the United States in need, and they could see their poverty was not caused by a natural disaster.

Bolin explained that many of the people served by the Appalachian Service Project come from poor families, and they are still poor.

Bolin's youth group was assigned to finish a large bedroom. Previous groups had re-hung drywall on four walls, but the roof and ceiling had not been done. Bolin characterized what was left as a big, big project.

The family lived in a trailer, and the father had added a bedroom addition for their three kids. It was the bedroom addition that had holes in the ceiling and leaked.

The water leaking inside theroom destroyed the walls and ceiling, and every time it rained, the kids' beds had to be moved around to drier areas within the room.

The room had been partially finished, but it would be ruined again if the roof was not redone.

"Every morning the representative from the Appalachian Service Project met us at the location, and he would tell us to do this and that. Then he would leave, and we would go, 'huh,'" Bolin explained. "Most of the time, we had to figure it out ourselves, but we did get direction on how to do things from the mother of the family. She had worked in construction when she was younger. Other than her, we were on our own. I think we surprised them by finishing our project."

Bolin related that the project had not been completed by their 4:30 p.m. quitting time on Friday, and they were heading home the next day. She explained that all six of the teens voted to finish the project on their free time Friday night.

After dinner, having completed seven hours of work, they returned to finish the room.

"We celebrated when we returned to our lodging that night," Bolin exclaimed.

Emily Millar, one of the six youths, explained in detail why she and her peers went back that Friday night to finish the project.

"We did it because of the family. We all fell love with the children, the father and the mother," Millar said. "We wanted to finish the house so they could have a warmer, better and more pleasant life. We wanted them to not have more leaks."

After dinner, everyone went back to the project site, and around 10 p.m. they finished painting. "We were relieved. We were ecstatically happy. We all gave high fives," Millar explained. "Then we drove back, and I crashed into bed. I think the guys stayed up until midnight because they couldn't sleep."

According to Bolin, the teens worked five, seven-hour days, Monday through Friday, on their mission trip. A typical working day started onsite at 9 a.m., after an 8 a.m. breakfast. Each day ended at 4:30 p.m.

Lunch was 30 minutes and was eaten on site. Bolin pointed out that Saturday and Sunday were traveling days.

"None of these kids had construction skills, Bolin stated. "I think Warren George, Kelsey's father, who was the male counselor, was the only one with any experience. The work put calluses and blisters on our hands, and they were tired every night. I am so proud of them."

The Appalachian Service Project takes applications from families requesting repairs on existing homes and the building of new homes, and their representatives sift through all the applications to identify families the group can help.

The repair of the bedroom addition the youths worked on had been approved in September of 2007, and when they arrived, another group had put drywall on the walls.

The holes in the roof, allowing water to leak inside, were still there. The familywas unable to repair the bedroom or pay for repairs because the father was disabled, and the mother was not able to do the heavy work either, though she had construction knowledge.

The family existed on $1,200 a month. Because of these facts, the Appalachian Service Project approved their project.

"We fixed the roof good. The kids will remember this trip. My kids were excited about the work they accomplished. They personally saw who they were helping. They got to talk with the family and play with the kids. The older boy (took) them horseback riding. They spent a lot of hours with the mother. They liked her. We were the ones that finished the job," Bolin said.

According to her, this trip was a personal experience for the youths, and it gave each a personal view of poverty.

"They learned that poor families can have strong, closerelationships. I think this trip was perfect. We helped a family, andthey taught our kids a good life lesson," Bolin explained.

To Millar, the trip was much, much more than just a good life lesson. Millar explained that when you go on mission trips everyone feels good, but then you come home and pick up your life where you left off. Afterward, she explained, you have your memories of helping people.

According to her, a veteran of three mission trips now, you go back home and wonder what you are going to do with your life. "I found what I want to do," Millar said. "I want to do mission work. I don't have to worry about my purpose in life any more. I want to do God's ministry."

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