Issuu

Kentucky River

Vol V, No. 2

March 1979

1979,

Editorial REVEREND RALPH BEITING THE YEAR OF THE CHILD From the banks of the East River in low er Manhattan the U nited Nations has declared 1979 as the year of the child. We are asked to concentrate on this important mem ber of the human family during this entire year. I feel that outside of calling attention to the entire family, no better emphasis could be placed anywhere than on the importance of the child. A man wrote on one occasion that a child is G od’s sign that he is still in love with the human race. There is an affirmation in the birth of a child. If the human family is worthwhile, then the hopes and dreams that it entertains can one day be reached and the diffi culties solved. A child says among other things that there is no need to fear for the future, that no matter *how dim or bleak the present may be that man with God's grace can still prevail and overcome. A child is the renewal o f that hope for the future.

CHILD YEAROF THE In times of great material em phasis children are frequently over looked and often considered a bur den. A visitor with even a casual observation detects in our society today a real distrust of children. First of all, we feel we should not have very many of them. We are led to believe that in some fashion if we have too many of them they can burden our world and endanger the well being of us all. There is something tragically wrong about such a view . Things have never made the world a better place and things have never made a man smile. They have never made him laugh or turn and give a helping hand to his neighbor. Only people can make this world better. Only people can make our family happy. We do not need fewer children, but better cared for children, better loved children, better disciplined children. The horrible tragedy of abor tion stalks our land in almost every hamlet and village. The number of those that we kill each year now has climbed past the million mark. Those who have counseled the fam ilies that have experienced abortion know the regret and guilt that they feel for years afterwards. A t the moment, it seemed perhaps a wise thing to do but as years are added on to their experience they realize that they have snuffed out a human life that perhaps could have made a good deal of difference to the rest of the world. We see on every side the growing tragedy of child abuse. If a child interferes with the needs and

wants of the family or with its peace and quiet, frequently he is beaten, he is kicked and he is shut out. Children are not an ordinary addition to the human family. They are not cheap. They demand a great deal of time and energy. But there is no place where the human contribution to society is better re paid than the attention and the love we expend on our children. This love should not be a permissive thing that allows them to have whatever they want. It should be true love which means that it is disciplined, that it is given freely and yet demands that the love be used wisely. If we can utilize this year of the child well, we shall all be better because of it. Prayer, kindness, charity and patience are virtues that are hard to come by. But they are so vitally needed in the care and handling of children. We all need to make an in vestment this year not merely in stocks and bonds or land or housing, but in children. Allow them to be. Nurture them with love. Guide them with discipline and they shall be the crow ning glory o f us all.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK A major thrust of this issue will be on the United Nations declaration of this year o f 1979 as “The Year o f the Child.” Reverend Beiting’s Editorial will have that as its main theme and other articles included will focus on that fact. O f course, many of CAP’s activi ties center around programs for chil dren and youth, and the subject is therefore not a new one in Soundings. Other items of interest will also be included, such as the first part of Wilderness Road, Re verend Beitings latest written work, and another selection from When They Hanged the Fiddler. But one of our primary purposes with this issue is to focus on The Year o f the Child. In line with that, I want to comment briefly on one aspect of child abuse that does not receive much publicity. When w e reac about, or see on television, various accounts of “child abuse,” w e al most always think in terms of physical abuse perpetrated on a child. The typical image conjured up is of a drunken father or slovenly mother venting their frustrations or own felt inadequacies by beating, burning or otherwise physically dam aging a child's body. This does, unfortunately, occur, only too often. And it is a shameful occurence that must be dealt with, and stopped or prevented, wherever it is found. CAP has a solid record in this area in provision of foster homes, and foster care of a temporary nature until a more permanent placement can be found, for young victims of such misguided, Or perhaps even “sick,” adult behavior. This is as it should be and, as Reverend Beiting points out in this issue, CAP plans even further expansion in such facil ities. My intent is not to downgrade in any way such efforts to provide relief for physically abused children, but to call attention to another aspect of “child abuse” that is not so easily recognizable, but is no less damaging. Our society has laws “on the books,” as the saying goes, which deal explicityly with physical 2

child abuse. When a case of same is found, one can site the law and demand that the child be removed from custody of adults w ho are commiting this perverted act. The evidence is right there, irrefutable, in lacerations, bruises, burns, cuts or broken bones. All but the responsible adults are appalled, there is not any challenge, and foster care is immediately seen as a social necessity. Another form o f child abuse which often occurs is much more subtle, much more insidious, and certainly no less damaging on a youngster. It is what I choose to call ‘'social or psychological child abuse. ” It occurs when a youngster is constantly degraded, ridiculed, insulted in presence of other chil dren, or “put dow n” at every turn by an adult authority figure. This goes on, and is terribly, terribly damaging to a child's development. When w e think of physical child abuse, w e usually imagine, rightly or wrongly and accurately or in accurately, of poorer, lower class settings. But, due to its less obvious nature, social and psychological child abuse can go on in middle class settings just as easily. When prac ticed repeatedly by authority figures the child comes in contact with on a regular basis, it can be per manently damaging to the child’s whole self-image and result in serious behavior disorders. Too often, be cause of the subtle nature of such abuse, its effects w on't show up until some later time, perhaps not even until adulthood. There are no cuts, bruises, or burns there to be healed, but there are scars. Scars for which there is no merthiolatc, salve, or bandaids, but scars which are seriously damaging just the same. We need to guard against this kind of child abuse, too. I make no claims to being any kind of Bible Scholar at all, but from somewhere in the past, perhaps a scripture reading at church, I recall a phrase which bears directly on this point. Who said it or wrote it, or where, I cannot recall, but it is in scripture and has long been a

favorite of mine even before I be came a parent. “He who would slander children, it is better that he have a millstone tied about his neck and be dropped into the depths o f the sea. ” A pretty strong statement of Christian philosophy regarding this subject. Jack Little Soundings Editor Christian Appalachian Project Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

In This Issue: A Time to Remember p. 3 Left Handed and Right Eyed p. 6 Easter Greetings p. 7 Schedules for Camping p. 7 Part I, Wilderness Road p. 8 Group Home Award p. 11 Ellen Burke p. 12 We Didn ’t Miss the Bus p. 13 The Foster Home p. 14 Volunteers p. 15 New Volunteer p. 16

Kentucky River

THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE OF THE CHRISTIAN APPALACHIAN PROJECT

Chief Editor - Reverend Beiting Editor -Jack Little Production - Alton Bradley Typesetting - Jean Brown Kentucky River Soundings is published monthly by the Christian Appalachian Project Kentucky River Soundings Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

A T i m e to Re me mb e r A Story of Boys April Fool’s Day Spring was new and my thoughts went to camping, boats, water and some fishing. It seemed a great time to gather the boys of the parish and go for an outing. Through the kindness of my parents a houseboat was available for a weekend on Cumberland Lake in the Appalachian hills. With much excitement the ten young men began their preparations. They were eagerly on hand at the church on Friday evening preparing to head out for an exciting weekend of camping. With a last minute stop to buy additional fishing poles and bait, we at last arrived at the boat dock. Everyone scurried on board the boat carrying supplies of food and drinks. All signs promised a pleasant and satisfying trip. Unbeknownst to me at that time, an evil omen had appeared. A motor home had been used for transportation. One of the vol unteers from the church, who had assisted me in bringing the boys to the lake, assured me that he had the keys to the motor home prior to locking the doors. After the motor home was securely locked, I asked for the keys and was shown a set that had no relationship o f any kind to the motor home. Peering in through the side window, I could see the keys secure in the ignitjon. By now it was growing dark and there was need for us to leave the dock if a camping spot was to be found before total darkness descended. I decided to solve the problem of the locked motor home when we returned the following evening. With proper fanfare we left the dock and headed out in the gathering darkness to the upper reaches of Fishing Creek. We found a natural cove and at its mouth teecured the boat to a tree that was ^growing at the edge of the water. By this time it was well past 8 p.m. and the boys were ravenously hungry. As I prepared the evening

meal, some of the boys were given the task of making the Kool-Aid. At this time, it was discovered that the ice that had been brought along had also been left in the motor home. The ice was now keeping the keys company. Still there was no need to panic. We had brought along a couple gallons of milk. We could use it for our drink. A frantic search of the refrigerator revealed that there was no milk. Apparently, it was nestled com fortably in the refrigerator o f the motor home next to the ice. Well, you can’t have everything in Ap palachia and small trivialities such as these are easily overlooked in the excitement of an evening aboard a houseboat on such a beautiful lake. After having been fulfilled with food washed down with water, everyone was intensely interested in going fishing. Fishing poles were furnished to all the boys and they headed out on the deck to fish. You would believe from their ex citing calls for hooks, bait and the like that the entire night would be consumed in the sport of fishing. The first “fish” caught was one of the boys. A rod and reel can be a dangerous weapon. The fish showed little enthusiasm for the bait and when no bites came the younger ones began to come into the cabin. Less than ten minutes had passed when an announcement was made that the fishing was over for the night. Perseverance was not one o f our strong points. The remaining part of the evening was spent in such activities as listening to the radio (rock and roll - my poor ears!), playing Monopoly, checkers and cards. Sev eral boys were constantly in and out of the cabin. Checking to see if it was still dark, how cold it was, etc. After assuring them that they could stay up as late as they wanted (everyone was concerned about how late they could stay up) most of them quietly got out their sleeping bags and went to sleep. A few hardy souls had me play games with them until 1:30 a.m. My God! Don’t they realize that I’m 54

years old!!! The next morning around 7 o ’clock I could hear the stirrings and rumblings of nearly a dozen young men. Some were going out to catch the fish that had eluded them the night before. Others were just simply investigating the new day that was out there. Still others were asking “Where’s the food?” During the night the wind had Come up and all the driftwood on the lake had been blown into our cove. The cove was now totally filled with driftwood. The house boat was a large one, some 58 feet in length, and the wind had blown it around so that it was now tight against the driftwood blocking the mouth of the cove. There was, however, no ques tion about it, the driftwood was an exciting challenge. The boys simply had to find a means of freeing us from this predicament. A long aluminum pole with a boat hook on the end was on board. This became a ready ally for them in their attack upon this vast array of driftwood. There was constant arguing about who had the right to use the pole and for how long. After about a half hour o f attacking the driftwood, one o f the boys came in and announced that Mike had lost the hook o ff o f the pole. He had pulled and pushed against the logs until at last the hook had come off. No one knew where it had gone. With a stern warning that we must be more careful and that there was really no need to push and pull on that driftwood pile in the first place, I turned my attention to fixing breakfast for those that were inside of the cabin. It wasn’t very long before I heard a rumbling on top of the boat. We had brought along an outdoor beach umbrella that the boys had put up on the roof o f the houseboat. It was to provide shade that would be needed during the course of the day’s activity. As I looked out the window above the sink I could see the umbrella hang ing down covering the window. It was turned inside out. Scurrying up ta the top deck we discovered 3

WHO’S IN C H A R G E O F TH E BOAT??

that the wind had snapped the pole supporting the umbrella in half and the umbrella had blown over the side o f the boat and was now turned inside out. The life o f the umbrella had been exactly ten minutes. With a heavy heart and a little frustration, we quietly wrapped up the remains of the umbrella for its final burial. We stored it beneath the rear deck. I returned to the chore of fixing breakfast when two of the boys came rushing into the cabin with the news that I didn't have to worry about the hook on the end of the pole any longer. For a fleeting moment a feeling of joy came over me. I reached out with hope and said, “They found the hook?” “N o,” they yelled back, “they didn’t find the hook, but Scott dropped the pole into the lake and it sunk”. We didn’t have to worry about finding the hook as there wasn’t any pole to put it on. I couldn’t argue with that logic. There really wasn’t any need for worrying about the hook any longer. After breakfast was completed and the attempts at fishing had been resumed and then discarded, all of their energy was directed towards that mammoth island of drift against which we were still held captive. There was now a feeling on the part of all that we ought to leave this place and head out into the lake and enjoy the day. There was no way in which we'could get the 4

boat free, however, because of the force of the wind against the side of the boat. Several o f the young men came up with the idea that they could walk across the lake on top o f the driftwood and get to shore and then shove us out into the lake. After discarding this idea rather quickly, I told them that we would wait until someone came along with the runabout. We would have them secure a line to the stern of the boat and simply pull us out into the lake where we could then operate on our own power. Within fifteen minutes such a runabout came along. With loud shouts, waving of arms and running about aboard the boat, they attracted the young man who operated the run about. The young man was in experienced in the art o f towing. He was convinced that if he took a running start he could pull us much better. Needless to say, after one such running start the rope snapped in half. Well, it wasn’t too great a loss. We still had another of our long ropes. We secured that to the boats and with some shouted in structions I indicated to him that he should go slowly until the slack was out o f the line and then pull. This procedure worked and we were free. Out in the middle of the lake the motor was started and we proceeded on our own. All in all, it had been an exciting morning. We had lost a few items, but the

day was sunny, if windy, and we were free cruising on the lake. Going down Fishing Creek we came at last to an area that allowed us to beach the boat. Here the ^ boys could explore the lake shore" and go hiking over the hills. Some wanted beyond all things else to build a campfire. So we secured the boat in another small cove, this time making sure that we were on the leeward side of the bank so that the wind would not be a problem for us. The boys set out to explore the land and to build their fire. After having selected a place out on the graveled shore of the lake (removed from all veg etation), I allowed them to build a small fire. They were enjoying the fire until someone discovered the existence of a lizard in a fallen tree. A huge lizard hunt was organized and everyone went scur rying in pursuit o f the lizards. Visions o f a lizard zoo came into everyone’s mind and they were each convinced that they should take a couple o f lizards home with them. What better way to demonstrate to their parents their outdoor ability. ( After all this excitement, I had to reorganize our troops. Four were stationed at the campfire, the other five were assigned to the lizard hunt and one was to assist me back on the boat in preparing the lunch. Hot dogs had been put on the grill and we were just about ready to enjoy the noon meal when the boys who had been at the fire came running towards us with the news that the grass had caught on fire and that it was heading our way. Sure enough as I looked up there came a wall of flame moving towards the front o f the houseboat. It appeared that the boys who had been left with the fire had gotten more excited about the lizard hunt and had left their post. A sudden gust of wind somehow carried a spark to a nearby grass patch and the fire had begun. I quickly called off the lizard hunt and got everyone back in the boat as the fire wasi coming directly at the boat. We^ had two lines out from the bow of the houseboat to trees on the bank. One rope was released, but before

the other could be released the fire had come up and burnt the rope in half. Our second and final rope had now met its fate. ^ We succeeded pushing off from the shore just in the nick of time before the flames came to the spot where our boat had been moored. We got out of the cove but were being buffetted by the wind once again. We were anxious to get back on shore to see if we could put out the grass fire that was now raging alongside the banks of the lake. Before very long a runabout came and landed at the small beach and two men who were in it began to beat out-the fire. We were able to get around on the other side of the beach and get to the bank. It was not an easy task since we had to push through at least ten feet of drift in order to accomplish this. We had organized the boys with buckets and brooms. They carried water from the lake and arrived with the brooms to beat out the fire. The boys headed out in pursuit o f the fire. Each fancied himself a fire fighter without equal. It was \ only after a considerable amount o f yelling that I was able to get the last boy to come back and tie the boat up so it would not float away and abandon one and all on the shore. After much scurrying back and forth from the lake to the fire it was at last decided that the fire had been put out. Everyone came back to the boat. Their shoes were thoroughly dirty and muddy and their faces all smokey from the excitement of putting out the fire. Not a great area had been affected by the fire and no serious damage had been later, they had been involved in a great forest fire. In the process o f the great fire fighting experience, the wind had once again come up. The boat had been pushed out from the shore and additional driftwood was blown between the boat and shore. It was now impossible to load the boys on the boat from the shore. I asked the men who had the runabout if they could bring the boys from the bank over to the houseboat. They were very reluctant to do this

which was quite uncharacteristic o f the boating fraternity. After several entreaties they finally relented and loaded the boys and brought them out to the houseboat. Once again, however, we were confronted with a contrary wind. It was again impossible for us to free ourselves from the bank. It took a con siderable amount of encouragement to get the runabout to tie on to us and pull the stem out into the lake so we could fare on our own, but at last this was done and once again we were free. As we started down the lake the boys returned to the meal that they had only partially eaten when the excitement of the fire came upon us. At this time they began to sit on the couches and chairs in the cabin, only to discover they were sitting Upon partially eaten hot dogs well manicured with mus tard and ketchup. Some of these condiments were naturally impreg nated into the fabric of the seats. Some of it found its way into the seat of their pants. Their jackets were stained. Wet socks were every where. Wet tennis shoes gave out a not too gragrant odor. It looked like a young tornado had playedl havoc with the insides of the house boat. It was at this time that I called for a moratorium. I stopped the boat and we threw out the anchor. An explanation o f thé facts o f life was presented to the boys. The excitement had to stop.

The destruction had to end. We had to get on a more sane footing if we were to survive the rest o f the day. After this conference was over, I had them take a rest for a half hour. At the end of that time a thorough cleanup of the boat was to be made. Such a course was readily agreed to by one and all. After the nap, the cleanup began. The broom that they had taken to fight the fire was a nylon one. The bristles were now burnt and melted. It was useless. One of the buckets had been left back in the woods somewhere. Nonetheless, we were able to put the houseboat back into reasonably good repair. The dishes were finished and a general cleanup was made. We sailed back towards the dock and by this time everyone had quieted down so a good time was once again being had by all. As we arrived back at the dock we were, of course, confronted with the prospect of how we were going to get into the motorhome since the keys had been securely locked in side. I explained this problem to the boys. I told them that we would take all the gear on the shore and place it aside the motor home. I would then endeavor to secure entry into the motor home. With the aid o f a clothes hanger, (a most blessed invention) I was able to wiggle in between the rubber gaskets and finally get hold o f the lock button on the door and pull it up.

R EV . BE1TING R E L A X E S - BUT ST A Y S A LE R T !!

With much relief we were able to open the door and retrieve the keys. The task of loading the motor home began. We had to make a couple of trips back and forth to the house boat. Despite many warnings that everyone should check his belong ings it was discovered that many of them had left socks, shoes, jackets, sweaters and various apparel items behind. The motor home was parked at the bottom of a steep hill. After everyone had gotten his fa vorite spot by a window we backed out of our parking place and started up the hill. As we did so water began to run out o f the refrigerator. This caused a great deal of com motion inside the motor home. One of the boys decided that he would open up the refrigerator door to see what was causing this flow of water. As he did so there was a great crash. Not only had the bag of ice which was the cause of the water pouring out been left behind, but our missing gallon of milk was there as well. As the door was opened, the water came out with a gush and the plastic jug o f milk tumbled out, hit the floor and broke open. The milk splattered in every direction including over the

windshield and over the back o f my neck. Well, with a most impressive silence, I parked and ordered a cleanup of the mess. At last we cleaned the floor, got the wind shield wiped Off and the water bailed out. The refrigerator door was once again secured and we went on our way. As we drove back from the lake to Mt. Vernon and Lancaster where the boys had their families waiting for them, I could hear them talk. "I’ve had more fun today than any d$y in my whole life." Before long the entire group joined in this consensus and the inevitable question was placed to me. "When can we go again? Can we go next week?" I thought to myself, I would rather see the boat sunk in the middle o f the lake than con template a repeat o f this experience next week! I turned to prayer. Maybe the dam could spring a leak or the lake be quarrantined. Being a priest for a long time, patience was an important part of my life and so I kept silent. I told them we would have to think about it and make plans accoidingly. As I thought about this matter, I knew that it was important that we associate with our young people,

that we share with them in their excitement of growing up. It was our job to direct and control the enthusiasm that they feel. Perhaps I should take them out once again.J^ I was reinforced in this feeling by^R words of the sacred scripture when Our Lord assured us that with Him we could do all things. True, it appeared that He hadn't fared so well this weekend, but I was con vinced that given a second chance the Lord would probably do a lot better. Who knows! He may even in the final analysis overcome. So I told the boys that we would make plans and sometime within six weeks we would try this all over again. We arrived home without fur ther incident and as the boys dispersed and their parents took them to their respective dwellings I looked at the calendar trying to figure out when six weeks would come again. A t that point, I noticed that the day we had spent on the lake was April 1, “April FooTs D ay”. No wonder things had gone as they had. Maybe the Lord was getting even with me and had played a big April Fool's joke^fc on me. I can take a joke, but when w I take the boys out again, it won't be April Fool's Day. It was a time to remember!

•LEFT HANDED AND RIGHT EYED

left of the line by a good 30 degrees from where the transitman said the party should be going. If you could keep him on line he could get the job done. He was left handed and when he worked at something up close he cocked his right eye closer to his work. I always said he was left handed and right eyed. Ralph was one of the best crew members I ever had. Even when he caused me troubles, his quick w it w ould shift the blame for the trouble from him to me. Sometimes when he would get to the head of some long lost hollow, some local citizen would offer to share with him some of the home made remedies that are made in long lost hollows. It usually happened that we got to the head of long lost hollows near quitting time, and as Ralph

was always bright eyed and bushy tailed the next morning it did not interfere with our work. Once I spoke to him about the matter when it happened earlier in the day. "Jess,” he said, "you wouldn't want me to offend some of these good folks by acting like I was too good to partake of their makings. You are always harping that w e have to get along w ith every one as best w e can." If it was a problem, the prob lem was mine, not Ralph's; he en joyed it too much. On Hector Creek in Clay Coun ty we met the grand old man, Matt Hensley. Matt was a retired school teacher and he loved to talk. Matt wanted us to stay all night A with him and as it was a long d r iv e ^ back to London, w e agreed. The next morning it wasrajning and as w e couldn't survey, Matt

For about tw o years before June 1949 when I started working for the Co-op, I was employed as a survey party chief by an engineering firm that was surveying and super vising construction of electric lines under a contract with the Co-op. During the winter of 1948-49 I operated from my home at London. My crew was Walter Bowling, John McNew and Ralph Lee of London. Ralph Lee was the front rodman and chainman, the key man in a well organized survey party. Ralph was a good front rodman. He was a small wiry man and he worked with fast motions and his w it was just as quick. He could clear more sight line through the brush than any other tw o men, but he had a tendency to go off to the

the pig had been cleaned and was thought it would be a good time to butcher a hog. We got busy down laid out on a makeshift table and Ralph was cutting it into pieces. I in Matt's big tobacco barn. When the water was hot and think Matt timed it this way. the pig had been shot, Matt said to Ralph was tackling the job of me, “Did you ever meet your great dissecting the pig with his usual aunt Lee Hoskins? She lives near vigor. The long butcher knife in his left hand flashed in quick motions here.” Matt and I set out in my jeep. and his head was bent over to where This was a treat for me as Aunt Lee you feared he would punch out his right eye as the parts were fast being Bam Hoskins was the only sister separated into hams, shoulders, jowl of my Grandmother that was living and side meat. at that time that I had not met. Remembering charts of how We had a good visit with her this job was pictured when I took and when we got back to the bam

EASTER

Ag-1 in high school I remarked, “Ralph, you don’t do a very neat job.” “Heck,” he answered, “I figure that what doesn’t go into one piece goes into the next one.” Another selection from

When They Hanged the Fiddler By: Jess Wilson Complete volume, $14.00 Jackson County RECC McKee, Kentucky 40447

GREETINGS

While this issue of the “Soundings” will reach you after Easter has come and gone, it is nevertheless our wish to extend to all of you our most sincere wishes for a joyful Easter season. In the course of our lives many things are difficult and hard and perhaps at times we see little hope in the future. Despair, discourage ment and frustration are the heritage of all human beings. If there is one ¡'single event that can certainly give

to each of us hope, it is the resurrection of our Savior from the grave. A t the darkest moment in all the history of Christianity, there suddenly was a new beginning, an answer to all the fears. It was Christ standing radiant in the new life of resurrection. Only with him can we find the strength to explore new beginnings and to persevere in old undertakings. Easter is a constant reminder to us all that w e have no reason to fear, that all w e need is

As one looks out over the mountains these days he can detect the early signs of spring. The first shades of green are appearing in the darkened forest. Along creek banks daffodils and crocuses are beginning to make their appearances. If one looks carefully he can see the first signs of the birds at springtime. A robin is seen here and there and many other birds are heard for the first time since winter began. With the coming of spring and the promise of even warmer weather ahead our thoughts go to the children and the camps for the summer. This year we are happy to announce that our camp at Andrew Jackson outside of McKee, Ken tucky will be operating on as inten sive schedule as in the past. Ap proximately sixty-five young people Ixaken from all over the Eastern Kentucky area will be cared for each week at Andrew Jackson. There is a six week period beginning June 25 and going through August

SCHEDULES FOR CAMPING 4. Both boys and girls will be cared for at different times at the camp. A t Cliffview Lodge on Herring ton Lake about 10 miles northwest of Lancaster, our oldest camp will be dedicated to the service of the handicapped. A partial beginning was made in this direction last year, but this season a full six w eek period 'will be set aside for handicapped children. Some of the children will be hearing impaired children. Others again will be orthopedically handi capped. We feel a sense of real excitement as this camping period begins. In conjunction with this camp for the handicapped, a special one week period will be set aside for a trip to Washington, D.C. in a motor home furnished by the Jayco Corporation. There is a considerable amount of excitement for those young people who have been selected for this very prestigious event. Two new forms of camping are also scheduled for this coming

to rely on Him and to stay close and faithful to Him and in his endeavor we shall find success for all that we do. Our wish at “Soundings” is that each of you may enjoy the fresh hope that comes from the resurrection, that you may persevere in the program o f good that you have begun many years ago and that each new day will find us involved in some worthwhile project.

summer. One of them will be a survival camp. This camp will take high school age boys and they will spend tw o weeks out in the forest living on their own. There will be a separate group of boys for each week and they will be under the direction of experienced w oodsmen. They will carry their own tent, fix their own food and explore the trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The wild waters of the Rockcastle River will also be ex plored by this adventuresome group. It is hoped that the greater depend ence on one another will result in a deepening o f their appreciation not only o f the natural environment but o f their importance to one another. The final form of camping that will take place this year will be an ambitious venture into revisiting the past. A houseboat, the Daniel Boone, will be used to retrace the steps made by Daniel Boone more than 200 years ago as he explored the Kentucky mountain scene and 7

then eventually left Kentucky for his final journey to Missouri. Fifteen boys will spend tw o weeks retracing Daniel Boone’s explorations through Kentucky. They will begin at the junction of the North and Middle Fork of the Kentucky River ap proximately 5 miles above Beattyville and go the entire 260 mile length of the Kentucky River until eventually it enters into the Ohio at Carrollton, Kentucky. They will then proceed 80 miles north to Cincinnati, Ohio where they will

end the first leg of this exciting trip. An additional fifteen boys will then be brought aboard at Cincinnati, Ohio where they will replace the original fifteen. They will retrace the final passage of Daniel Boone and his family from Kentucky as they went by canoe down the Ohio River to the Miss issippi to St. Louis and then to St. Charles. This trip w ill go the distance from Cincinnati, Ohio to Cairo, Illinois, a distance of some 500 miles. It will be an educational

P a r t I,

Wilderness

INTRODUCTION It was in the fall of 1950 that I first came upon the Wilderness Road in Eastern Kentucky. My church duties took me to Berea to begin work on a four county parish. Rockcastle, Jackson and Madison counties formed part of this parish and the wilderness road ran through them. I must confess, however, that it would be years before I realized the existence of the road and the immense amount of history that had followed along its path. From the very beginning of my stay in Eastern Kentucky, roads were important to me. Each year would see me drive nearly 50,000 miles. Highways, however, were numbers to me. Highways like U.S. 25, 27, 150 or 421 were daily companions. Little did I suspect what a history they had. It was on a hot August after noon that I pulled off the road and sought the temporary comfort afforded by the shade of the nearby forest. I leaned against the smooth trunk of a Poplar tree and enjoyed the view of the mountains. Before long I spied a strange rock partially hidden by vines and underbrush. Curious, I got up and went over to see what the stone was all about. I found writing on the stone which informed me that the stone and its inscription had been erected by the Daughters of the American Revo lution and that it marked the Wilderness Road laid out by Daniel Boone in 1775. 8

Later I mentioned this event to an old mountain friend of mine who lived near Big Hill, Kentucky. I asked him if he had ever heard of the Wilderness Road. He began to spin stories," one taller than the other about “The Road” and the people who traveled it. I was now more determined than ever to learn the story of the road and the people who used it. For more than ten years I had used the road and been ignorant of it and its contribution to our present development. Over the years I have been convinced that the hurried pace of modern life must not distract us from the value and the contributions of the past. Because of this connection I have undertaken a study of the Wilderness Road with the idea of writing a brief but informative history about it. I can only hope that you find as much pleasure traveling this road and meeting its people as I have. Chapter I THE WESTWARD MARCH Perhaps no where in the world ! do people have such compelling desire to travel as they do in America. From the day of the Spanish and the Pilgrim Fathers, our pioneer ancestors were on the move. Maybe they were influenced by the Indians or perhaps it was the mountains or the rivers. What ever it was, going west was part of America.

trip with few equals for the history and for appreciation of the geog raphy of the Kentucky, Ohio, Ill inois and Indiana area. This tr ip ^ will begin on July 1 and end July® 28. These are the major activities of our camping program. A ll to gether some 780 young people will be involved in camping programs scattered throughout the Eastern Kentucky area under the direction of the Christian Appalachian Project.

Road Within 100 years o f the first landings on the Atlantic seaboard hardy pioneers had gone several hundred miles inland. The foothills of the Appalachians had been pierced and a few adventurous souls had even penetrated into the heart land of America beyond. Abraham Wood was one o f the most enterprising men o f the Vir ginia frontier during the 17th cen tury. By 1650, he was making* extensive trips into the Southwest!? section of Virginia. He talked with the Indians and established traving missions with them. He was put in charge o f Ft. Henry on the eastern barrier of the Blue Ridge Mountains by the Vir ginia Legislature. From there he sent out emissaries to explore deeper into the wilderness. In 1673 James Needham and Gabriel Arthur were sent by General Wood to go further than anyone had ever gone before. They reached the towering heights of the mountains that lived in the smoke (the Great Smokey Mountains). By this time they were being led by Cherokee Indian guides and were at last brought to their sacred city of Chqta on the Little Tennessee River in Eastern Tennessee. Needham went back to report to General Wood of their great discovery and Arthur stayed with the Cherokees. While on a hunting^ trip with them north of the O hio^ River, he was captured by the Shawnee Indians. Arthur persuaded the Shawnees that he could arrange trade for them with the English if

they let him go. Giving him a pouch of corn they directed him south along an old Indian trail. This was the famed Indian trail that was used by many different tribes of Indians. Arthur followed the path until he entered the Cumberland Mountains and passed through what was to be called Cumberland Gap, the great break in the solid wall of the mountains. Arthur was the first white man to ever travel yohat was later to be called the Wilderness Road. Despite the exciting news brought back by Arthur to General Wood,no further explorations w quid go on for almost 75 years. The discovery was outstanding, but the realization of what was done Was missed by all. The Indians, of course, knew the value of this overland route from Tennessee to the Great Lakes in the north. The Cherokee, Creek, Shawnee, Iroquois and Chickasaw to name a few of the tribes, used the trail from Eastern Tennessee to Lake Erie. A t times the path was used for commerce and visiting friendly tribes. In more serious times the warriors followed the path on their way to war. But the key to the path was the gap in the great wall o f the Cumberland Mountains. While the Indians must be given due credit for establishing the path, they were not the first to blaze much of the route. Before any men, there were the Buffalo. They ranged over this part of the Eastern U .S. in great numbers. H erds that numbered in the thousands were not uncommon. These great beasts followed their homing in stincts each year and traveled over great distances. Frequently, they marched in paths a hundred feet across. Grass, brush and low hills were worn smooth by their passing. The Great Warrior's Path o f the Indians was due in great part to the patient migrations o f the Great Buffalo. Chapter 2 THE PATH TO EMPIRE By 1750 the new world was at a crossroads. Colonization was

giving away to a sense o f Empire. The French had settled in Canada and had gone down the Ohio and the Mississippi. They claimed-land from the bayou of Louisiana to the frozen expanse of Hudson Bay. The English had spread from Maine to Florida where they were stopped for the moment by the Spaniards. They turned west and stood at the base of the Appa lachians. In Europe, England and France were engaged in the Seven Year War and it spilled across an ocean and was fought from Ft. Duquesne to the Plains of Abraham outside of Quebec. The force of British arms triumphed and all of North America except for the great land of the English Crown. The veterans of the French and Indian Wars were given land grants in the new land to the west to pay them for their services during the war. With the conquest of the French as an accomplished fact a strange new spirit found its way into the colonists thinking. Why should they be beholding to any pow er except thier own? The Boston Tea Party gave fair notice to this new spirit o f independence. Down in the Carolinas, a new republic by the name of Franklin was started along the Watauga River. Two men in particular were to figure prominently in our story of the Wilderness Road. They were Doctor Thomas Walker of Virginia and Col. Richard Henderson, a North Carolina judge. Dr. Thomas Walker was em ployed by the Loyal Land Company of Virginia to stake out a vast land claim west of the Appalachians. He had instructions to locate a boundary of 800,000 acres. It was Dr. Walker who gave the name Cumberland to the mountain range which he encountered on his west ward march. He named them after the Duke of Cumberland who was a British hero of the day. He was the first white man to enter Cumberland Gap since Gabriel Arthur had done it 75 years previously. Walker and his fine companions entered Kentucky through the Gap

and built the first log cabin in the state of Kentucky near the present city of Barbourville. Instead of pursuing a northern course, Walker and his companions headed back east and became hopelessly en trapped in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. He returned to Virginia rather discouraged about the pros pect of desirable land in the Ken tucky country. Col. Richard Henderson, a judge in North Carolina, had dreams o f an empire. He saw no reason to extend the territorial limits of either Virginia or North Carolina. He intended to form a country of his own. He even picked a name for it. “Transylvania,” the land beyond the mountains. With a group of in vestors, he began to raise the cash necessary to finance this dream of an Empire. He was in need of a man who was an expert woodsman and who knew the ways of the Indians. He found such a man in the person o f Daniel Boone, a fellow North Carolinian. Henderson financed Boone’s trips into Tennessee and Kentucky from the 1760's on. Boone was to make friends with the Cherokee and find a suitable place to establish this new country. Boone had found Cumberland Gap with the help of John Finley in 1769 and came upon the promised land of Central Kentucky. He followed the Kentucky River until he found a spot where he felt the capital of the new land should be built. Boone returned to Henderson and told him all was now ready for the push west. But Henderson had problems of his own, the time was not right. Boone determined to go on his own to settle this land the Indians call Kaintuck. Accompanied by his family and a group of friends, he set out on the trail followed by hunters and early pioneers. Before they could reach Cumberland Gap, the Indians attacked their group and Boone’s oldest son, James, was killed. Discouraged, the group re turned to North Carolina. It was the fall of 1774. In March of 1775 Henderson sent word to Boone to meet him 9

at Sycamore Shoals on the Watauga River in East Tennessee. The entire Cherokee nation was on hand. They were selling him the Kaintuck land for $50,000. It was an astonishing purchase. Over 20 million acres were involved. Boone helped con vince the Indians to sign the agree ment when a last minute hitch developed. With the ink not even dry on the bill of sale, Henderson com missioned Boone to plot him a trail or road into this new land of "Transylvania.” With 30 men, Boone set out to cut a road in the wilderness, a road that would prove to be the raod leading to an empire. Chapter 3 THE ROAD COMES INTO BEING The pressure to acquire Western land was now a driving force in the country. Virginia and North Car olina competed to see w ho could extend their western borders the fastest. Men like Col. Henderson wanted to bypass the colonies en tirely and set up a new nation. In addition to these pressures, the spirit of revolution w as sw eeping the land. Patrick Henry o f Virginia and the Adams of Massachusetts were assisted by John Payne,Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin. If a war came, the colonists needed to acquire the land beyond the Appa lachians to prevent them from being surrounded by the British. They needed a stronghold in the wilder ness. Everyone now recognized the great need for a road that would pierce the mountains. It had to be a road that would accommodate not only hunters and soldiers, but families and settlers as well. A road to the wilderness was by all odds a crying necessity. Daniel Boone, one o f the greatest scouts on the frontier at the time, was selected by Henderson for this task. Boone, a native of Pennsylvania, had lived on the Yadkin River in North Carolina for more than 20 years. He was now 40 years old and still seeking his 10

destiny on this new frontier. With Henderson’s money Boone employed 30 men to join him in the task of making the road. They began their work in the ex treme Eastern tip of Tennessee. The place was called "the Long Island.” It was located in the Holston River. The present city of Kingsport, Ten nessee occupies the site of the orig inal settlement. Speed was of the utmost im portance. Henderson was not sure qf the mood of the Indians. While they had signed the treaty, many others were opposed. He must get his people into the new land. Be sides this, both N orth Carolina and Virginia were uneasy about a private citizen negotiating with the Indians. They demanded that he stop. His w ords to Boone w ere "G et there as fast as you can. / will be right behind you with the settlers and provisions. ” Boone and his companions left the Long Island settlement on March 10, 1775. Their destination was more than 200 miles away. Boone had selected a spot on the Kentucky River where Otter Creek enters the river in present day Madison County. This he hoped would be the capital of the new territory of Transylvania. Leaving the Holston River, Boone and his men headed almost directly west following the southern border of Virginia. The cities of Gate City and Jonesville would later be built on this road and today the Virginia highway roughly follows the original trail. Within a week they were at Cumberland Gap and continued in their penetration of the Kentucky Mountains. Beyond the mountains Boone assured them would come the great plains o f Kentucky, a land that would gladen the heart o f any settler. From Cumberland Gap they headed almost straight north veering slightly to the west. They crossed the Cumberland River and before the second week they reached the Rockcastle River. A t this point Boone turned north at a place called Hazel Patch. A n old hunter's route went off to the west. It was called Skogg’s Trace and would be used

by later pioneers to extend the Wilderness Road to Harrodsburgand Louisville. Boone and his men were, o f course, not developing an entirely vW new road. The early Buffalo mi gration routes were used whenever possible. The great animals had cleared the path and much time was saved. The Warrior’s Path of the Indians was also incorporated into the road. Boone was, of course, making a new trace. He had a specific objective (the Kentucky River and Otter Creek). His overall plan was his own, but he was assisted by the trails of the buffalo, Indians and other early groups of hunters. While the trail Boone was blazing in the forests of Kentucky was infinitely better than anything before, it was not a super road by all odds. It was not wide enough, for example, to accommodate a wagon. Travel on the road would be by horseback or on foot. By March 22, 1775 Daniel Boone and his companions arrived at Big Hill where present Jackson, Rockcastle and Madison counties meet. Stretching out before them were the plains of Central Kentucky. Felix Walker, one of the members of the expedition, served as the historian of the trip. As he stood overlooking the valley below, he was delighted “by the pleasing and rapturous appearance o f the plains o f Kentucky. A new sky and strange earth seems to be presented to our view. Nature in the profusion o f her bounty had spread a feast for all that lives. We felt ourselves as passengers through a wilderness just arrived at the fields o f Elysium or at a garden where there was no forbidden fruit.” He found the sight "so delightful to our view and grateful to our feelings” that he kissed the ground beneath his feet. They were now nearly at their destination. Only fifteen miles separated them from the Kentucky m to River where they hoped to set up their fort at the mouth of Otter Creek. On the night of March 22, Daniel Boone made camp near the present city of Richmond. Appar-

ently, they had no fear of Indians for no guard was set. Just before sunrise rifle shots rang out, and the Indians attacked. Captain Twetty and his Negro slave were killed and several others wounded including our writer friend, Felix Walker. After the Indians were driven off, a search was made of the sur rounding area. Several other pio neers were found that had been also attacked by the Indians. Daniel Boone then returned to their camp and made medicine from various plants and trees with which he treated the wounded. Felix Walker said Boone cared for him with “paternal affection.” When these immediate tasks were cared for, Daniel Boone sent out a letter to Henderson who was somewhere back behind on the trail. The note written on March 28, 1775, stated these facts:

Boone and his company were amongst them or some disasterous account of their defeat.” On April 1, Daniel Boone reached the site he had selected for the capital o f this new empire. It would be later named Boonesborough in his honor. Here, the Eastern branch o f the Wilderness Trail ended, bringing settlers out o f Virginia and North Carolina to the land o f Kentucky. Without question or doubt, the West was now open. This road and this simple fort would remain an open door

for settlers from the east as they came to the west. Sorely pressed at times, almost overrun by Indians, it nevertheless kept alive the hopes of the men and women who would populate the new frontier and push America beyond the mountains of the Alleghenies to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. First part of a four-part series in “Soundings” of a new historical work by Reverend Ralph Beiting

GROUP HOME AT CAMP NELSON RECEIVES AWARD ■Hi

“Dear Colonel: After my compliments to you I shall acquaint you of our mis fortune. On March 25 a party of Indians fired on my company about a half hour before day and killed Mr. Twetty and his negro and wounded Mr. Walker very deeply but I hope he will recover, My advice to you, sir, is to come or send help as soon as possible. Your company is desired greatly for the people are very uneasy but are willing to stay and venture their lives with you and now is the time to flusterate the Indians' intention and keep the country while w e are in it. If w e give way to them now it will ever be the case. This day w e start from the battlegrounds to the mouth of Otter Creek where we shall immediately erect a fort. Daniel Boone” We may well imagine the thoughts that went through Henderson's mind as he received it. As he wrote later, “With me, it was beyond a doubt that our right, in effect, depended on Daniel Boone maintaining his ground. . . . It is impossible to make the picture worse. Every group o f travelers we saw or strange bells which we heard in front was a fresh alarm; afraid to look or inquire less Captain

R E V . BEITIN G, BOYS, AND V O L U N T E E R S A T GRO U P HOME

On a Tuesday evening in March, I was asked to accompany Moe Mercier, Director of our Foster Home, and the 10 boys w ho live at the home to the, Lexington Springs Motel. They were to receive an award from the Opportunity Work shop of Lexington for outstanding contributions. The evening turned out to be a grand success. The people who operate and run the Lexington Opportunity Workshop sought by this banquet to honor the people that worked with them in rehabilitation. The group award went to the Christian Appalachian Project for the Foster Home at Camp Nelson. The presentation stated simply that they were the most outstanding group o f partners working with the Opportunity Workshop in carrying out its high

ideals. A great deal of praise and appreciation was heaped upon the home, upon the Director Moe Mercier, and the staff. O i course, the boys themselves were the ones w ho by their conduct displayed the characteristics that merited the award. In many past issues of ^Soundings I have written of my times with the boys at this home and how deeply I appreciated the joys, friendships, and genuine warmth that they have for me and the Christian Appalachian Project. As I accepted the award in their name, I could not help but be profoundly moved to see a group of young men like this working together as a community and as a family. They were trying to do not only something decent for them11

selves, but were learning how to help others as w ell What a changell What a wonderful ending to a story which, for many o f them, had begun so poorly. As I drove home that evening, I could not help but think of the years that the idea of a foster home was but a dream of mine. I was not sure it would ever see the light o f day, but now it is a reality and the good that is accomplishing will bring honor to the boys as w ell as to those w ho assisted them in their maturing process. The day had a special meaning for me because earlier in the day I had been at our Family Life Center at Renfro Valley near Mount Vernon, Kentucky. I had been working with a bulldozer to level

land in preparing a site for a new foster home that will be built this year. The need for such homes is beyond appreciation, The success that we have enjoyed through our first venture encourages us to go even deeper into this work. It seemed almost like an omen that the day w e received an award for the success o f one, we were giving birth to the beginnings o f another one. People like those o f you who read this article in Soundings are, however, the real foundations of sour success, for without your love and support such dreams as these could never come about. The aw ard certainly belongs to the boys, and to the Christian Appalachian Project, but it also belongs to you. May we thank you and ask G od’s blessing upon you all.

Ellen Bu r k e

More years ago than I suppose she cares to remember a y oung lady came to us from New York City. She was as Irish as Paddy 's Pig and her name was Ellen Burke. She had the rough and tumble ways of New York and the crisp brogue of the Irish. If you'd listen to her talk sometimes, you'd think that she was a harsh person. Saying things in a very firm manner, clear and definitive in what she wanted to say. She was no “wall flower,'' or “wilting violet.'' She stood firm, her position was clear, her words were unmistakeable. Despite all this clarity and firmness and direction, there has always been another side to Ellen Burke. A person of deep love and rfiuch sympathy, especially for those who have too little love. Children seem to excite her more than any other group of human-kind. The 12

little children, the pre-schoolers, children who at times have a rough time at home. Maybe beaten, maybe neglected, maybe given simply too little love. When she first came to me as a volunteer, w e decided that her first field of application would be our preschool and child development center. For a little more than tw o years she served as a volunteer serving out of our center in Berea. Then she told me that she was no longer going to be a volunteer but that she wanted to be a “regular person.'' I doubt seriously if Ellen Burke could ever be a regular person. For “regular" means, in a certain sense, “ordinary" and I don't think Ellen would ever fit that descriptor. I told her that if she really wanted to do some good she should stay on as an employee, and to that she readily agreed. So she became the head o f our child development center at Berea, and has been same for more than four years. She has spent the last three summers as the director of our camp for young people in Jackson County. This winter Ellen Burke came down sick! Hepatitis!! One of the hazards of the Appalachian area. N o one seems to be absolutely sure how hepa titis comes about. It's picked up in some way from either eating or

drinking water or food that is not totally pure or sanitary. Many of us w ho have worked for a long time in the Appalachians come down with it. It can be a serious situation, so we were a ll^ ^ worried that Ellen might have a severe bout with this scourge. She was absent from work for over three weeks, nearly tw o of which were spent in the hospital. We are pleased to announce that the doctor says she checked the hepatitis in time and that, if she takes the proper precautions and rest, she should fully and totally recover from it. She is back at school now, teaching, and the other evening when I w ent to Berea, I caught her painting the classroom. I have always told Ellen Burke what to do, and I’ve always been firm in my direction of her. She has been equally firm in ignoring me, and so w e have become great friends. She doesn’t do anything that I tell her to, until, sometimes, maybe a week later. She’s preserved her independence, and also followed some o f my ideas, so w e both tu m ^ R j out to be pretty much the winners. But we rejoice in finding that Ellen has recuperated as much as she has, and hope and pray that by the time summer has run its course, so also will her hepatitis and that she will be able to carry on the extremely important work that she has performed in the past. Ellen has represented and illustrated the qualities that w e so much admire in our volunteers. Qualities that are deep enough and strong enough to keep them in the CAP family even after the period o f voluntarism is over. JOB CENTER-GOLDEN LINE IN LANCASTER B.J. Walthers, mentioned also in this issue for his work with a youth group in Lancaster, manages to stay busy. Another o f his endeavors is running a Job C enter^k which places people in the area a t ^ ^ no cost to employer or employee. The center works closely with gov ernment agencies and is currently

looking into possibilities for summer employment for High School Stu dents. The job service has been well Received and B.J. has been able to *lace over thirty percent of the people utilizing it. He maintains continuous contact with employers in the area, and was in at the beginning when several new busi nesses opened Up in a new shopping center outside of town. The Golden Line is a service for the elderly and has also been well received, though B.J. says it was slow getting started due to difficulty the older people have in relating to a new system. Users are encouraged to call if they need

assistance for any reason, from having someone take them out to get groceries to real serious emer gencies. In some cases it is used as a referral service when a situation arises where CAP’s assets cannot deal with a problem. A list of participating professionals in the community is kept available, as well as various state and federal agencies, and people are referred to them if the problem is one which B.J.’s service cannot handle. Supplementing the Job Center is a program which provides assis tance through workshops for young people to improve their “employability. ” It deals with dress, groom ing, behavior on the job, and

relations with other people in co operative business efforts. This is a much needed supplement in an area where employment opportunities for youth are not great, and usually seasonal in nature due to the agricultural economy here. There is considerable difference between cutting, hanging, or stripping to bacco and working in a Burger Queen or Supermarket. Recognizing this immediately, B.J. has taken care to provide training in these differences. We are sure that this endeavor, like the several other irons B.J. always has in the fire, will turn out well.

We D i d n ’t Miss the Bus

THIS WAS “ HOME” FO R A FAM ILY In the midst of the winter of ‘78,1 had the opportunity o f visiting a family that lived in Jackson County, Kentucky. They lived on the road that led to Drip Rock. As you left the blacktop road and went down a gravel path you came at last to their house. It really wasn’t a house, it was a bus. The bus was more than 20 years old. It had been a small school bus in its day, but for the last three years it had been parked on the side of the hill and fcad given shelter to a family. The ^family had one child besides the mother and father. The day that we visited, it was bitterly cold. We found the family outside the bus,

however, because despite the cold ness o f the day it was wart.ter on the outside than on the inside. They had run out of wqod for the little potbellied stove that was in the bus. Patiently, they were waiting for the father to com<a home to get more for them. Going inside the bus you won dered how in the world in the midst of weather that went as low as 20 degrees below zero these people could actually survive in a metal can such as that old bus. There was, of course, no insulation any where, roof, floor or walls. There was just the metal body that encased the bus. They had removed the

seats that were in it. Right near the door as you came in w as a small potbellied stove. They had a tiny table at which they ate. There was a little propane gas stove for cooking, and in the back they had a bed. All their belongings were stuffed inside this very small bus no more than 25 feet long. The vision o f that bus haunted me for quite a while. You could see the ravages of cold weather. They had, of course, no running water. They had to bring whatever water they could get from a nearby well. Frequently in the morning when they woke up there was a skim of ice on the pail that con tained their water. It was difficult to preserve any kind of cleanliness here when things were so cramped. The hillside had washed up against the bus and now was level with the door that entered the bus. Despite the poverty o f the bus and the stark nakedness o f the hillside where it was situated, there was something here that was beautiful and some thing that was worth saving and that was the people. They desper ately wanted an opportunity to do better things. Recently, the Mountain Hous ing Corporation of Clay and Jackson County had given the husband work in building homes for poor people in other parts of the county. Through a grant made possible by a

NOW T H EY H A V E A “ R E A L ” HOME

donation from CAP, arrangements were made for this young family to have a house of their own. During this past summer construc tion began and before winter could close in on the family again, they had escaped out of the bus and into a new* home.

The day I visited the family I came unannounced. They weren’t prepared for me, but the house was clean. They had very little in the way o f furniture, but what they had was neatly arranged and tidy. The mother was so ecstatic about the new home that she could hardly

The It was a Sunday evening and February was still a page on our calendar. I had promised to go to our foster home and speak to them about God and religion, and how it all entered into our lives. The evening was bitter cold, and it had rained most of the day, but now the rain had changed into flurries of snow. As I made my way to Camp Nelson, and turned onto the gravel road that leads to the Foster Home, I was appalled to see the rising waters of the Kentucky River. It was only inches from the road where it dips down to make its final ascent up to the home where the boys are in residence. The December Flood was not that far in the past. I arrived at nine o'clock in the evening, and the boys were waiting. We sat down, after introductions were made and old acquaintances renewed. I began to talk to them about a man that was undoubtedly the only adequate reason for all the 14

Foster

contain herself. She had neighbors in visiting her which was a treat, for never before had they been able to have visitors come into the bus. There was simply no room to ac| commodate them. But now she^ could have friends, relatives and neighbors in and they could share in each other's joys and they could profit by each other's strength. A house for a bus, not a bad exchange. I asked the lady, “Do you miss the bus?" She said, “N ot at all. I really can say I am extremely happy be cause we no longer are in the bus.” It's only one house and only one bus that has been eliminated, and the hills of Appalachia contain many more such stories still untold and unresolved. But at least w e can take comfort in the fact that a be ginning has been made, a step has been taken. Hopefully, with the help o f many people in many parts o f the country, this summer will see additional steps being made, with more buses eliminated and more housing coming into being for needy, and deserving, people.

Home

good that was being done these days. That was Jesus Christ. Lent was to begin in about a handful of days, a period of forty days that precedes Easter which men and women of every Christian faith consider to be a sacred time. For during these days they meditate on the great love this God o f theirs has for them, and

the extent to which he was willing to go that all o f us might have a chance for a better life. I talked for, I suppose, about forty-five minutes. A t last I con cluded and made some feeble apolo gies for talking too long, and then the questions came. Their own reactions, what God meant to them, • ;-S| f I I

MOE WITH WIFE AND CHILD ON LEFT, AND HIS “O T H ER " FAM ILY

S L

flsilS

G RO U P HOME D IR EC T O R MOE M ERCIER (left) AND V O L U N T E E R S WHO CAME TO HELP was a thing they talked about for a considerable amount of time. What their lives were to be about if God truly loved them in the way we had described. They all felt that their lives reflect, in some respect, a re sponse to that love. The hands of the clock w ent < 1 ast ten, and then ten-thirty, and it was finally almost a quarter to

eleven before we concluded that session. N ot because that was the time alloted to it, not because I thought that was the time that ought to be given to it, but because that was the amount o f time the boys wanted to spend. They wanted to talk about God, they wanted to talk about God and themselves, and they wanted to talk about a world

Volunteer s Despite the bad weather of winter, volunteers have come to assist us in our programs. They have come from many places in our land this winter o f 1979. A group o f fifteen seminary students came from the Seminary o f Divine Word in Epworth, Iowa. Their particular work was to assist us in remodeling Cliffview Lodge to make it acces sible for the orthopedically handi capped. A t Cliffview walls had to be removed to make the corridors wide enough to accept wheelchairs, ramps had to be made, and new floors poured to eliminate steps. A nother group came from the oliege o f St. Pius X in Erlanger, entucky. Ten of them toured the various works that CAP was in volved with in six counties. They were to serve as a task force to go back to their college and report the

work and the opportunity for vol unteering to the rest of the students. They promised us a meaningful involvement for our summer pro grams. Still another group came from the University o f Pennsylvania, fif teen strong. Their work was cen tered around the Child Development Center at Stanford. They built fences, laying out playground equip ment and generally helping with the remodeling that was going on at this important center. Others of the group worked in Lancaster, Mt. Vernon and Berea. Other groups due in during the next few weeks will be coming from as far away as Massachusetts and Illinois. We are particularly pleased to have this involvement not merely because of the w ork that these students do but because it gives them an opportunity

that they could fill with God. I could not help but marvel at these young men, and be proud of them. Their life up till now had not been pleasant by our human standards, our materialistic stand ards. A ll these young men had had some brush with the law. A ll o f them had experienced some failure in family living. Schooling had been a problem to them all, also. , As the world does its things in neat, orderly fashion, they were a step behind the rest. But as I heard their questions and listened to their com ments, I could not help but think that what they might lack in certain skills, they more than made up for in eaqerness to know about God and willingness to give of self in his service. In previous issues of Soundings I have commented on the time I have spent with these boys. Some times on a houseboat, sometimes on a camping trip. I don’t know, however, when I have enjoyed an evening as much as this one where we sat around a fireplace talking about God. If he was some deity living in some regions of outer space it would have been different, but he was a God-man capable o f loving us and giving everything he had to make our lives better. And they liked that kind of God. They were eager to have Him with them always. They're a good group of boys. I count them among my higher blessings. •

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Christian Appalachian Project Kentucky River Soundings Lancaster, Kentucky 40446

to see another part of our country and to understand the needs of people with whom they are not familiar. Through their generosity they bring to the work a depth that it w ould not normally possess. Each day they begin their work by taking time to pray and each evening after the work is completed they return once more to God in prayer. I sometimes wonder how we could ever survive if it were not for the prayers and sacrifices o f the vol unteers that come to us. Many of the good things that happen to us, the avenues that are suddenly open, the opportunities that all at once present themselves, I am sure are there because groups of young peo ple such as these prayed and offered their work as a sacrifice to God.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the work of CAP either for a weekend or for a period during the summer, or even on a permanent basis, is encouraged to write Sound ings, 224 Lexington Street, Lancaster, Kentucky 40444. NEW VOLUNTEER A t the present time we are pleased to announce the arrival of Bill McNeal of Annandale, Virginia. Bill joined us during the middle of March and is presently involved in work in two different counties. For a long time our needs in Rockcastle County have been growing and he has served on a temporary basis to answer many of these needs. He is

working with the Child Develop ment Center in Berea, the Family Life Center of Appalachia in Renfro Valley and with the home visiting* program that goes throughout R o c U P castle County. He has also assisted in some of the medical transpor tation that is going on in R ockcastle County. He spends a couple of days a week assisting in the programs in Garrard County in preparation for the summer camping programs both at Cliffview Lodge and on the houseboat Daniel Boone. Bill is 24 years old and has worked in a great variety of occupations before coming to CAP. We are very appreciative of his presence and look forward to many programs that will come into being because of his presence.

Kentucky River N O N -P R O F IT O R G A N IZ A T IO N U. S . P O S T A G E

PAID Christian Appalachian Project

Christian Appalachian Project Kentucky River Soundings Lancaster, Kentucky 40446 Name Address-----------------------------------C it y ------------------------------------ Zip.