Appalachia Mission: An Investment with Enormous Returns

by David Hileman

No running water.  A roof that doesn’t leak when it rains, it becomes a waterfall.  A house without interior walls.  You are in a wheelchair and your house doesn’t have a ramp to the second floor living area.  All of these exist in our own back yard, in eastern Kentucky.

Hand in Hand Ministries is a faith based Louisville organization that addresses these basic essentials in life.  This past spring, Hand in Hand was the recipient of a grant from Epiphany.

In these tough economic times, this grant is an answer to many prayers.  It will be used to continue the work in Appalachia, where we serve the poorest of the poor.  The funds will be used to fix the leaky roof, build wheel chair ramps and provide for other “basic” home repairs.

The ability to positively impact someone’s life by giving them something we all take as a given changes not only their life, but most importantly, changes ours.  The grant received is much appreciated and is an investment that will yield returns beyond expectations.

Epiphany has had on on-going relationship with Hand in Hand for several years as have I.  This summer will be the third trip to Appalachia with Hand in Hand for all Epiphanites, young and old, skilled and novice.  We are scheduled to go between June 20-26^th.  Anyone interested in additional information should call David Hileman at 243-3105 or contact Sister Larraine.