From ashes to renewal: meeting Kelly and Junior

One of the key parts of Mission Trips to Harlan County, Kentucky, are home visits. After picking up some bags of food and toys for various families, the group splits up into cars to deliver the goods to the immobile and those who cannot make it to the big giveaway.

The home visits in Harlan County are unique. Bobby, the elder gentleman who started the Cranks Creek Survival Center so many years ago, was generally the one who gave the directions to each of the homes. I had the pleasure of meeting him on my trip in 2019; unfortunately, he was no longer with us for this trip. Bobby had a passion to help people in this area and had dedicated his life to it. His spirit was lively. But one special thing about Bobby was that he was blind in his later years. Many of the homes in the area did not have addresses, streets were gravel roads and there was no cell service to look at a map or call for clarification. So, we would sit with Bobby, car by car, and he would tell us how to get there.

“Go down this road. Then, when you see a big red sign, turn left. Go up the hill a while and you’ll see a cream house with white trim. If you can’t find it, ask around and folks will get you there.” While he had an incredible memory, you can imagine that some things changed over the years or that a few details were left out. Finding each house was an adventure but somehow, we always managed to complete the mission. Each car pinned coordinates on a map or did their best to update the directions for the next year’s group to assist with finding the homes.

Having been on this trip previously, I knew what to expect, but it was a new adventure for our high schoolers. We were given five families to visit and started on our way. The first home was a family in Cumberland, about 30 minutes away. We were unsure of the address but the phone number on the slip was correct, and the family confirmed they had moved further away recently but could still use our help.

Upon arrival, I noticed the homes appeared to be government subsidized housing units. They were different than the run-down trailers filled with bugs that I encountered in 2019 but nevertheless, still plain and what we would refer to as “sketchy” in middle class suburbia. I felt the atmosphere of the car shift as we pulled up to the unit and I knew this was a new scene for our high schoolers who lived in very different neighborhoods. Silence fell over the car and the bubbly teenagers became very reserved.

After knocking on the door, we were greeted by a girl – about the same age as the students I had with me – in Chubby’s pineapple shorts and a trucker hat. The parents, Kelly and Junior, then came to greet us and open their home to us, where we began to get to know each other. The two had been married 20 years and had four kids. They had lived in their forever home in Corbin until it burnt down the December prior. Discovering it had been arson, they were left without anything right before Christmas in the middle of winter. To say they had a rough year was an understatement, but they persevered.

Though they had no possessions, they had each other and a hard work ethic. The home they now lived in was furnished, clean and had a beautiful Christmas tree lit. They had relocated and Junior had found a new job to provide for the family while Kelly homeschooled the kids each day. As I looked around and took in the apartment, it wasn’t all that different from some of my friends’ places.

I noticed rather quickly that Kelly had put up faithful sayings on the walls and waited for the right time to ask about faith. To my excitement, she shared that they had all been baptized this year. Though she had believed in God before, as they fell on hardship this year, she turned to her Bible and read it all the way through. She said she kept going back to the Bible and decided it was time to fully devote herself to God. Her enthusiasm struck me. How beautiful her faith amid suffering. What a testament to how the Lord works through the times of loss and defeat for His good.

One year ago, this family’s home burned down, and they experienced more hardship than I had ever known. This year, the entire family was baptized and started a new future together. Though times were still hard, they had a joy that radiated from them. As we prayed together, I thanked God for bringing renewal out of the ashes. I prayed for him to start renewal in all of us that matched their determination and eagerness to consume the Word of God. Though their means were simple, this home was filled with abounding love and faith. Praise God for their faithfulness and conversion!  

“Bless our God, you peoples; loudly sound his praise, who has kept us alive and not allowed our feet to slip. You tested us, O God, tried us as silver tried by fire. You led us into a snare; you bound us at the waist as captives. You let captors set foot on our neck; we went through fire and water; then you led us out to freedom.” – Psalm 68:8-12