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“You are not just fixing up houses,” said one resident of Oceana, WV to Tracy Killmer the Leader of our Reach Mission Team. “You are giving this community CPR.”

Our Reach Mission Team returned from Oceana, WV on July 26. The median income in Oceana is $20,400. The median price of a home is $57,200. The population declined .5% over the past five years. As the coal industry continues to struggle in an economy sensitive to the ecological cost of coal, there is little to keep young people from finding opportunity elsewhere.

“I guess it’s like most West Virginia small towns. Coal is not like it used to be and drug problems that are ruining all of small town America,” said one resident. “I don’t know what the answer is, other than lots of prayer.”

Planning for this year’s trip began in the summer of 2007. Tracy Killmer worked with General Manager Jim Tracy to reserve 50 spots with Reach Work camps International who host a number of work camps every summer. Recruiting for the team began in November 2007.

The youth who participated on the Reach team experienced the power of commitment-backed love in a big way.

“There is so much love in every room you walked into,” Maggie Parrot said. “There was just so much love. I felt so blessed to have that.”

“My crew scraped, primed and painted a fence,” Maggie said. “And we painted three rooms. Scrapping was pretty hard work; I’d never done that before. During devotions everyone had a story you could relate to, so it is real easy to bond that way. I am so excited for next year!”

Daniel Hellstrom speaks very enthusiastically about his experience.

“Reach was the best week of my life. It was a great experience being there and helping people. We felt like we were changing lives.”

“We primed and painted the house,” he continued. “We cleaned out the rain-gutters, which were clogged with rotted leaves. Older kids repaired the rain guard on the roof. The owner of the house was so excited when he looked at the house, and was so grateful.”

Daniel also talked about the quality of community he experienced.

“It was so helpful to have friends there. We felt so blessed to be together. During the devotions everyone opened up about their feelings, and we prayed together and worshiped together. You learned a lot about each other listening in this way.”

Margaret Hellstrom talked about her time in Oceana as well.

“It is the most amazing experience of my life,” Margaret said. You meet so many new people. Every single person was from a different state and a different church. We worked really well together. You get so close to God and it is great to be able to make a difference in someone’s life like that.”

The Reach Team will present a report to the Vestry at its August Vestry meeting. They are already planning for the 2009 Mission Trip. To learn how you can get involved, or for more information contact Tracy Killmer.