ONTARIO YOUTH IN MISSION 

 Most people spend their spring breaks relaxing or playing in the sun.  But on Spring  Break 2007, seventy-one teens and adults from several RCA churches across Ontario spent it working in the elements, getting up early, sleeping in stuffy dorms, dealing with a shortage of hot water for showers, and loving every minute of it.

  This was the second Classis wide youth mission trip to Neon, Kentucky to work with H.O.M.E.S, Inc. (Housing Oriented Ministries Established for Service).  HOMES mission is to provide affordable housing to lower income families in Fletcher County, Kentucky.  Due to the upheaval in the coal industry in the 80s and machines replacing human labor, unemployment is extremely high in Fletcher County.  There are many applicants for just one minimum wage job.  Consequently, finding affordable housing on a minimum wage is difficult.  HOMES, has work groups come in to donate their labor as well as a nominal fee to bring the cost of say a $90,000 home down to say $35,000. 

  The group in the course of one week, worked on three different houses plus some other local ministries such as at the HOMES Inc. complex and the local food pantry.  Many of the teens had to learn carpentry skills before tackling a project, including how to hammer.  Yet they landscaped, built a couple porches and ramps, wired, insulated, put in windows and doors, shingled, and managed to bring one house from the foundation slab and raise it to the roof.  A great deal of work was done, but not because of skill or determination.  Rather the group members were motivated by their love for God and for others. 

            But their week also included experiencing a different culture.  A local church, which the group has connected with from their trips there, invited them over on Wednesday for some Southern cooking.  The menu included kraut and weenies, beans and cornbread, plus other local favorites.  However, the Canadians arent ready to add the cuisine to their menus just yet.  They also were able to enjoy a concert by a local Bluegrass band.  Much of the cultural learning came from just driving from one place to another and seeing the poverty and the difference in life style.  They immediately noticed that almost all houses have lots of dogs and a big porch for people to sit and that family members cluster their homes together in the same holler.  Experiencing a different culture encouraged them to think about different perspectives and priorities as well as the fact that God has called us to do justice for the poor.