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A Beautiful Community

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by Jessica Baylis, EM Summer Staff in Pikeville, Kentucky

Appalachia Mission Trips

The city of Pikeville was extremely welcoming and hospitable to the first mission trip team of the summer as well as the EM Summer Staff. The week had its challenges, but we could not have asked for a better team to host and beautiful community to share the love of Jesus with.

Cornerstone Christian Church was home base for the week, and they were helpful and welcoming. They gave us full access to their amazing facilities, and the congregation members were constantly greeting us and wanting to hear all about why we were there for. Josh, Jen, and I are excited to visit them when we are back in Pikeville at the end of July.

The highlight of the week for the mission trip team was the opportunity to meet Mr. Adkins—a retired coal miner and recent amputee. Life hasn't been easy on Mr. Adkins, but his outlook is truly inspiring. The team loved getting to hear all about Mr. Adkins' life—his siblings, wife, kids, and grandkids—and spending time with him, listening his stories. And I'm not sure who loved their company more, Mr. Adkins, or his lovable dog, Bruno. Mr. Adkins' deck had a new wheelchair ramp in no time, and the smile on his face as he wheeled down it for the first time was priceless.

Appalachia Mission Trips

It was also inspiring to be able to serve with the people at Helping Hands. Helping Hands is a local non-profit store that sells secondhand clothing and other items. They do everything they can to provide people in the community with what they need at a price they can afford. They do so much with minimal funding. It is evident that Cindy, the owner, cares greatly for the community; she truly puts her heart and soul into keeping Helping Hands going.

This week had its challenges, but it showed us a lot about our strengths and weaknesses. We got to experience a community much different than our own. We saw the disparity between the wealth and poverty of this community, we felt real southern hospitality, stared in awe at the beautiful country around us, and even got to learn about some local history. All in all, we developed relationships that had mutual impact. Opportunities like these present themselves when we're able to prioritize serving others above ourselves—and that's something we can continue to do in our everyday lives.

Appalachia Mission Trips


LEARN MORE | Check out our 2016 Mission Trips to Pikeville, Kentucky!
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