Worker profile: Lee and Peg Martin
Service program: transForm
Serving since: 2017
Assignment:
We are serving in McDowell County, West Virginia, as Location Coordinators with SWAP (Sharing With Appalachian People), a 35-year-old program of Mennonite Central Committee. SWAP’s goal is to bring volunteers to Appalachia to better understand the context, engage in mutually beneficial relationships with local folks, and make homes safe, warm and dry, all in the name of Christ. We work for homeowners who are unable to make needed home repairs. We provide food service and lodging for volunteers, plan and lead their work, provide building materials, facilitate encounters with the local community, and relate to local churches and non-profit organizations.
Biggest challenge:
Our greatest challenge is discerning which jobs to take on, as the applications we receive far outnumber the work we can accomplish. It is hard to see people, including children and the elderly, living in houses that are literally falling in and down around them, desperate for any help available, knowing we can’t say “yes” to many of the requests.
Biggest joy:
Our greatest joy is seeing God bring together people who share their gifts, faith and life experiences with each other, while much needed work is accomplished for people living in substandard housing. For example, just this week we encountered a homeowner that a number of volunteer groups worked for last summer. She beamed as she spoke of the love she experienced and how God answered her prayers, strengthened her faith, and transformed her into a more talkative person as she realized workers really wanted to hear her story and get to know her.
A typical day:
During our SWAP season in the summer, the day usually begins around 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. for the cooks. As breakfast is being prepared, lunch supplies are arranged for the volunteers to pack bag lunches beginning at 6:30. Breakfast is served at 7:00 and volunteers have their group devotions and are ready to gather for last minute instructions and a word of inspiration by 8:00. The Job Site Coordinators lead volunteers to their worksite where they work until lunchtime. If homeowners or neighbors want to talk, we encourage volunteers to make visiting a priority. Work for the day is wrapped up around 4 p.m. when the groups return to the SWAP site in time to be ready for dinner at 6 p.m.
Throughout the day, Lee travels from one worksite to another to give guidance, answer questions, and make note of needed supplies. Peg is back at the SWAP location working with the cooks, communicating with upcoming groups, planning menus, generally keeping things going, being available to run errands, and with any luck, making a surprise run to the worksites with snacks and cold drinks.
After dinner we offer a short devotional time followed by a local speaker or musician, or a presentation to promote discussion and learning about the area and culture.