ASP 2006

ASP, otherwise known as the Appalachia Service Project is a home repair ministry through which volunteers and staff repair homes for low-income families in rural Central Appalachia. Aldersgate sent a record five teams this year to assist with this project. This was my first trip on ASP & it was a real shock to see the kind of poverty that still exists here in the United States. Our family was one step away from living in a shelter. There were two adults living in the house, with five granddaughters occasionally living there as well. The house had no indoor plumbing, save for a hose connected to a well, which was used in the 'kitchen'. There was limited electricity and I believe that they had phone service. They were very nice people, and we were happy to be able to help them.

The house itself was in pretty bad shape & there were two teams assigned to separate jobs at the same location. Team Sally's job was to finish stabilizing the roof, which had become dangerous due to the recent rains that were causing the house itself to sink. Once the roof was stable, we needed to dig five 20"x20"x24" holes for concrete and blocks to act as a new foundation for the existing house. That was to be the extent of our work for the week. However, what ASP didn't know was that we had Dan on our team...Dan, a contractor in our area, determined that not only did the house need a new foundation, but that the existing floor in this room which ASP hoped to save, was a complete loss. So, we took it upon ourselves to expand our project to include the removal of the old floor, and the installation of a new sub-floor.

Team Woodstock, which included Grace, also was to repair the foundation, however, they needed to work in the front of the house. Their task was complicated by the lack of space to dig under the house - it's hard to move dirt when you don't have any room to move! They also took on a few extra projects, including digging a 100' drainage ditch to keep the water away from the house & a new set of stairs to the house to replace the current rotting set.

Both teams did outstanding jobs that would have taken others two weeks to complete. The kids and adults worked tirelessly, with an energy that at times seemed limitless. There are those who would say that it would be better just to take the old house away and put a new trailer in it's place, but I would argue that there is something to be gained by the interaction that the teams get with the family that wouldn't be there if it were a simple replacement job.