Almost heaven, West Virginia. Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. Life is old there, older than the trees. Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze.This is long, but I promise it’s worth it.
As I sit here thinking about the coal mining tragedy in West Virginia, I can’t quite keep the tears from my eyes. 25 miners killed and 4 missing…3 of the 7 pulled from the mine so far are in the same family. In Montcoal, West Virginia, life will never be the same for those with ties to the Massey Energy Company mine. But, in other parts of West Virginia, life is altered all the time when a mine shuts down. And as tragic as it is to lose 25 miners (probably 29 by the time it’s said and done), you would need to see first-hand to understand just how tragic it is when a mine closes.
Let me tell you, there are people in our own backyard who need us. I am not opposed to foreign missions, don’t get me wrong. In fact, I know that there is a need in places in Africa and South America and other parts of the world for the word of the Lord to be taught. But, until you venture into a “holler” on the backside of a mountain in West Virginia, you may never know the need in our own country, as well. Those hollers hold a special place in my heart, for I’ve been on mission trips to those places in West Virginia. I’d like to go again, but work has not permitted me in recent years. My parents go twice a year to do missions work there, and my dad goes at least two more times than that to take clothes and food.
You see, in small West Virginia communities where the lifeblood was the mine, it’s a stark picture once it shuts down. A mine is generally found in the most rural of places, usually on the backside of the mountain away from all other civilization. And, despite the health risks, as well as the risks of losing your life, a mine provides a steady income for a man providing for his family. When it closes, there is no means of income. There is no way to cross the mountain to a town that has jobs. There is no money for that, and, in the winter, it is impossible to drive across many of these mountains. The roads are too dangerous once covered in snow. By all accounts, these little coal mining towns are forgotten by most.
They are places where sometimes there is no electricity. Sometimes there is no sewage system. Raw sewage runs by way of a pipe from a home into the creek below. How do I know this? Because I’ve seen it. I’ve been to these little hollers. Been warned to stay out of the creeks because of the sewage. I know people live without electricity because of a mission trip not too long ago that my parents took. Their message was “Jesus is the light of the world.” Their idea was to deliver light bulbs to houses and tell the people their message. Imagine their dismay when they came to one house and the lady that answered the door said they would put the light bulb on the mantel and look at it. My mom told the lady that they should use it, and remember the message when they looked at the light. But, this was impossible, the lady told her, because they had no electricity.
It’s heartbreaking. The people in those hollers are a proud people. They do not ask for help. But, they are ever so grateful when they receive it. When clothes and food get delivered from churches in other areas, people line up. But they are not greedy. They take only their share, careful to make sure there is enough for their neighbor. In fact, a story I think speaks to this is one I encountered on a mission trip. I noticed when we gave the children crayons to color that they only took 2 crayons and colored their entire picture with these crayons. They explained to me that at school they get 2 crayons for an entire year. Those are their crayons. When they are gone, they are gone. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Something as simple as a box of crayons that we take for granted, is precious to these kids. These same children will only take one cookie at snack time. Sometimes, if prompted they will take another to take home. Sometimes they will take one home for a brother or sister who could not come. Like I said, never greedy.
And, oh, how they love to come to church and hear the word of God or come to the bible schools set up by churches on mission trips. They will wait for hours in the cold or rain at the foot of their driveway just so they don’t miss the bus when it picks up. The precious hours they spend at church give them a little hope in an otherwise dismal situation. They need the mission groups that visit their little hollers just as much as little villages in Africa and South America and the Middle East. What a difference hearing the word of the Lord makes. It gives them hope that maybe one day their children will make it across the mountain to a college that offers them a scholarship and make something of themselves so they don’t forever live in poverty with little opportunity.
If you want a life-changing experience, one that opens your eyes to just how much you really have, you don’t have to look any further than little communities in the West Virginia mountains. There is no way to go there and not have your heart changed for the better. I promise you will never be the same.
I ask you today to say a prayer for the families of the coal miners in Montcoal, West Virginia, as well as families in the little hollers up in the mountains where mines have closed. Pray that they seek God in even the most trying times.
