Up from the Ashes

In 2015, the Mullins family found themselves standing barefoot and muddy, with just the items they could carry, as flood waters washed away their rented mobile home, a car, and much of the community where they lived.

“It just happened so fast, we had to run,” said Bertha Mullins. This was not the first time they had started over. The family had moved into the rented mobile home after a previous home they owned burned down. That had left them with very few worldly possessions. “The flood washed us completely out. We had just started over, and we lost everything we had. I was devastated.”

The mother of eight tried unsuccessfully to use her Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) money to buy a new home, but she was deceived and lost the down payment she gave to the realtor. Two other dwellings she found could not pass inspection with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development office. It was USDA staff that suggested she contact Christian Appalachian Project (CAP).

“When my older children were little, if we needed help, CAP would help,” Mullins said. Her family was able to get items during Christmas distribution, and her husband later volunteered with the program to make sure other families could receive toys and needed essentials during the holidays. “CAP has been a godsend,” she added.

CAP’s Housing Program assessed Mullins’ situation, including the funds available from FEMA, and determined that the best course of action was to build a new home.

“They were in a desperate situation because they had no home that we could repair,” said Bryan Byrd, CAP’s Housing manager in Johnson, Floyd, and Martin Counties. “Bertha had done everything she could to work through the situation on her own, she even secured FEMA funding for this new home on her own. But without her down payment, Bertha needed CAP’s help to take the next step.” Although she qualified for services, she was put on the waiting list while she continued to search for a usable, affordable lot on which to build and while other homes on the list were being repaired.

Like many families in Eastern Kentucky, the Mullins family needed help. CAP’s waiting list for housing repairs at the time was nearly 350 houses long. And once a home was repaired and moved off the list, other homes quickly took its place. Additional volunteers and financial support are always needed to address the housing shortage in Appalachia.

“They just couldn’t seem to get a break,” said Jamie Conley, who was a Housing caseworker at the time. Conley continued contact with the family over the two years that CAP worked with the family to get their worksite active. “I knew the fear and anxiety this family was living and going through,” Conley explained. “They had to return to a rented mobile home in the same park where they had lost their previous home and all of their belongings to a flood, which was very stressful. And then one of Bertha’s daughters passed away. It was an overwhelming situation.”

Casey Mullins, Bertha’s oldest daughter, tried to describe the devastation of losing a home for a second time. “After the flood, we didn’t have a toothbrush or anything. Everything we had was gone. Once again, my mama lost precious memories. The few pictures that had remained from the house fire were now caked in mud and water damaged. We were praying. Just hoping something would come through.”

Casey continued, “CAP extended a helping hand. I thought it was just too good to be true. Everything we had just kept being taken away. There were so many bad things happening, but then we realized there are a lot of good people out there.”

During WorkFest and YouthFest, CAP’s alternative spring break programs, students from across the nation spent a combined three weeks working on the Mullins home.

Bertha was excited to see work starting on her new house. “My youngest is seven and my oldest has a disability so having this new home is going to be a big burden lifted off my shoulders,” she said. During WorkFest, she came out each morning to visit the students, pray with them, and bring drinks and snacks. “God was the one who sent these volunteers here.”

She was grateful for the service of these young volunteers and explained that the work they did went far beyond mere construction, it created a safe space to create new memories. Bertha dreams of watching her daughter play in the yard and is excited about the memories that will be created. Holidays like Christmas and Easter will take on new meaning when they are celebrated in this new home.

Casey is also excited about everything that is in store for their future. “My little sister is finally going to have something that we couldn’t have before. She is so excited to have her own room. These walls are more than walls. They will give my mama a place to put new memories.”

Volunteers who participated in WorkFest and YouthFest changed what seemed like a hopeless situation for the Mullins family into a future filled with promise. Casey summed up the experience saying, “It’s an amazing feeling. It’s like you don’t have to worry anymore. It’s yours. CAP gave us something we didn’t think was possible: a home.” • _________________________________________ Donate at christianapp.org/MtSpiritGive to help us continue to share these meaningful stories. Find out more about volunteering with CAP on our website at christianapp.org/volunteer