From the Shenandoah to South Dakota

Despite touting itself as a First World nation, the United States contains areas such as neighboring Kentucky, where Americans themselves live in Third World conditions. Courtesy Photo

POVERTY, HUNGER, SURVIVAL. Images of poor towns in Third World countries may come to mind when presented with these three words. Like most Americans, I too had a similar initial reaction. However, a simple alternative spring break to Chavies, Ky., opened my eyes to the unfathomable.

This spring break, from March 7 to 14, popular events such as relaxing at a warm beach threw itself at me, but I knew that God called me to serve those in need first. The Catholic Campus Ministry, in collaboration with the Appalachian Service Project, a Christian organization devoted to rebuilding homes in Appalachia, hosted a service trip to Kentucky to do home repairs for the less fortunate.

Our group of 14 James Madison University students was ready to face the challenges in Kentucky. I had my preconceived notions, but shockingly I had no inkling of the severity of hunger, poverty and struggle for survival in Kentucky.

On a wonderful Sunday afternoon, we drove past many average houses along the narrow and windy roads in Kentucky. Suddenly, the scenery changed; trash and car scraps began to fill the sides of the road, wild chickens and dogs roamed around freely, and then the houses came in to view. Houses? The last time I saw houses like these was during my travels to Third World countries in Asia.

I was so shocked that this was happening in my own backyard. The first thing I noticed was a piece of tarp used for a porch wall with cutout windows. Even worse, there was a makeshift outhouse and a well to draw water. At that moment, I could only pray to God and hope that our actions this week could make a difference in their lives, and hopefully inspire others to open their eyes and take action.

Upon receiving our assignment, we noticed that there was much more to tackle at the site than painting, installing a gutter system and building stairs for the front porch. There were people who lived in that house too, and they deserved as much attention as the stairs that needed repair.

Despite their hardships, the family that we helped exhibited the greatest amount of love and concern for each other. They cherished the simple things in life and shared a familial bond unmatchable to the rest of the world. It saddened me to know that one of the family members was extremely ill and the other was blind.

Toward the end of the week, the blind woman slowly came out of the back door to draw water from the well. As the woman gathered her two buckets of water, she struggled to make her way back. We offered to help, but she just smiled in response. There were no stairs in the back porch, so as the woman lifted her leg to feel for the edge, she began to spill a lot of water.

Carefully, I extended my hand to lift the water bucket, and in that very moment she released her hand. As much as we wished we could heal her eyes, we could not. What we did do was build stairs for the back porch, hoping that it will help guide her way. In addition, the daughter-in-law had fallen off a ledge and broken her leg, but because she could not afford surgery, walked around on practically one leg. I noticed that she stumbled and fell quite often, but she immediately rose to her feet, unafraid of picking herself back up and facing the world. It is through these little actions and subtleties that made me a stronger person after this week.

Readjusting to Harrisonburg was difficult, as I constantly pondered the poverty in Kentucky, all over America, and all over the world. Thankfully, it just takes a little faith in action to make a difference and to give the less fortunate love and hope — hope that there are those among us striving to lend a helping hand.

Mr. Wiggins is a sophomore at James Madison University and an interpreter volunteer at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic.