A team of 11 from Trinity Lutheran Church in Wernersville traveled to David, Kentucky to help a family in need in a very poor area in the Appalachian Mountains. We partnered with St. Vincent’s Mission who has been helping the people in that area for years. They have a very good program in place, with living quarters for our crew and tools we could use. This was a low income family that does have a member working full time but can’t make ends meet since loosing a higher paying job at the coal mine when it shut down.

We helped complete a two-room addition onto a trailer for a lovely family of five. We also put on siding, skirting, soffit, insulated under the trailer and built two sets of steps coming off their deck and a small walkway. The family assisted us with renovations and will be doing volunteer work for St. Vincent’s to show ownership in what they received.

We are grateful to the Witness and Support team at the Synod and others that helped us with grant money to make this happen. Grant money is made possible through continued giving by congregations to Mission Support. Even though each member contributed monetarily to go, it is a blessing when we can keep those costs down so more people can afford to participate and experience the glory of giving and helping others.

The reward is always the greatest to those giving, than those receiving. The more people who are blessed in knowing this, the better our world becomes. We were especially blessed on this trip because the husband of this family had stopped going to church when the hardships came and lost faith in his church and church family. Per a letter from his wife, his faith was restored when he experienced the love of helping brothers and sisters in Christ who chose to travel a distance to help his family without ever having met them before. We continue to pray for the physical and spiritual well being of this special family that was placed in our lives.

Story submitted by Dawn Hinkernell