PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DAN VANARSDALEN / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
THE TEAM … Pictured in front, left to right, are missionaries Harley Burger, Mercedes Burger, Siera Burger, Alexus Burger, Mekie Walz, Cynthia Burger, Rhiley Burger, Pastor Dan VanArsdalen, Deb VanArsdalen, Derek Walz, Wendy Walz, Ethan Walz, and Lay Leader Pam Walz.
SHIPLAP TEAM … Wendy Walz, Pastor Dan VanArsdalen and Lexy Burger posed for a photo while working on shiplap for the Kendra House.
By: Anna Wozniak
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
anna@thevillagereporter.com
The beginning of June saw a life-changing mission trip for 12 Kunkle United Brethren members. The morning of June 6th saw these missionaries pack provisions (provided by the Alvordton United Brethren Church) and load into two vans to make their way for Greasy Creek in Kentucky.
Greasy Creek, named after the stream in Pike County with the same name (rumored to have been used by a hog slaughterhouse to dispose of leftover pig grease), is a small village in the Appalachian Mountains.
Directly off of Kentucky State Route 3174, and 10 miles Southeast of Pikeville (the county seat), Greasy Creek has a long and proud history.
In the beginning, as people migrated to Kentucky, they settled in between the mountains in valleys known to the locals as “hollows.” Greasy Creek was one of these hollows.
Surrounded mostly by the waters of Lake Cumberland and walled in by mountains, Greasy Creek has spent most of its history as one of the hardest to reach places in Pike County.
Pike County, known most famously for being the home of the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys, has historically proven to be one of the more lucrative counties in Kentucky.
The area has roots in lumber and coal, which enabled some early settlers of Greasy Creek to amass small fortunes. McKinney Steel Company Mine came into the area in 1923, bringing with it a railroad.
This railroad saw the village connected to the surrounding area, which might not sound like such a big deal if you don’t know how hard it is to travel from place to place in the Appalachian Mountains.
The 10-mile hike to the seat of Pike County, Pikeville, could often take upwards of an hour of journeying through treacherous mountain trails and crossing Lake Cumberland.
Due to the hardships of travel, the area at one time had over 100 small schools throughout the different hollows.
This ended with advancements in travel, and the schools were consolidated after a swing bridge was constructed across Cumberland Lake in 1959.
The economy of Greasy Creek took a hit with the closure of Corrigan-McKinley Steel Company in 1930, which took over for McKinney Steel Company Mine when they closed in 1927.
This closure was the result of the death of the last male heirs and was the beginning of the end for the coal-based economy of Greasy Creek, which relied on company credit more than American dollars.
The reverberations of the decline in coal mining can still be felt throughout the area today, which is one of the reasons why missionaries are welcomed with open arms.
“Religion is the backbone of this county,” shared Christy Adkins Flemming, Research Librarian for the Pike County Public Library in Pikeville, Kentucky.
She detailed how the area has a strongly religious background, with a Baptist church being founded as early as 1872.
Home to Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and even a few Catholics, one would be hard-pressed to find a Greasy Creek resident not involved heavily in Christianity.
It’s no wonder why this tight-knit community would welcome the 12 missionaries from Kunkle United Brethren, happy to share the love of God through one another, with open arms.
“Sixty-three percent of our residents are on some kind of government assistance,” Christy shared, highlighting that many of those impoverished are elderly.
This is where the wonderful team made of Harley Burger, Mercedes Burger, Siera Burger, Alexus Burger, Mekie Walz, Cynthia Burger, Rhiley Burger, Pastor Dan VanArsdalen, Deb VanArsdalen, Derek Walz, Wendy Walz, Ethan Walz, and Kunkle United Brethren Lay Leader Pam Walz came in.
They spent four days helping to repair derelict buildings, working for the Laurel Mission under the direction of Nathan and Lyndsay Boggs.
Waking up at 6 a.m., the team headed out by 8 a.m. to their assigned jobs, helping to work on the Kendra House and a clothing store.
They also built the family of a disabled child a new ramp and deck. This was done around worship with the Boggs family and viewing the surrounding beautiful area.
The missionaries are thankful for the support of their church families, with Pastor Dan VanArsdalen sharing how great it is that “in such a noisy world, a handful of young people wanted to go into the hills of Kentucky and work to help the less fortunate.” “We all have grown.”
Quality Time … Mekie Walz, Ethan Walz, and Deb VanArsdalen posed for a photo while out spending time together spent sightseeing.