Thursday, January 24, 2013

Getting Settled

Hello All!!!!

So I have officially completed my first week down here in Phelps, KY. I've already learned a lot down here.  We have been working on my little cottage twice while I've been down already and it is really making progress! It feels like it is already coming together well, and we passed electrical and plumbing inspection this week! 

Let me tell you a little bit about my new home.

So our congregation has nine pioneers(including me) and four elders: Herb, Johnny, Danny and Mike.  Ironically, before Danny and Johnny were in the truth, Johnny bought drugs off Danny, 
and now both are elders. How amazing!! 
All four are wonderful, loving brothers and really keep the congregation going.

Here are our elders (left to right) Danny, Johnny, Mike and Herb.
Both Mike and Herb are also Regular Pioneers!


Here is a picture of the Kingdom Hall I took back in summertime.  It's not quite as green today.

So when we go out in service here, there are no Wawa's, Amish Markets or Starbucks.  It usually takes about 30 minutes to find a gas station/deli where we can use a real restroom and get a snack.  It's usually best to pack food here, cause sometimes we don't stop. It's always wise to have napkins or little rolls of toilet paper cause it is totally possible that you may have to use a bush or tree. Although, few and far between are outhouses that people have on their property and generally don't mind you using.  Here's one we saw in service this week!
Outside & Inside...
It's rather nice, especially since it has a seat cover!
Never did I imagine that I would be using one of these!


Our congregation has territory in Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.  This is the area where the famous Hatfield/McCoy Feud went on and the families are still in the area today.  You may notice that the outhouse had snow around it.  Interestingly, that was in Virginia and they got from 5-8inches of snow earlier this week. I live 'over the mountain' in Kentucky and we got absolutely no snow and we are so close.  Down here the amount of snow you get largely depends on where you live, as sometimes mountains separate the storms.

Here's some other neat pictures I took earlier this week of scenery:
The mountain road we were working on the other day.  I walked down the road a little bit to check out a house.  You often have to walk up/down long mountain driveways because of their conditions. 

As you can see below, there are a lot of dilapidated old buildings around.  I like taking pictures of them cause I think they are neat and have character.






I hope everybody is doing well.  More to come soon on some crazy service experiences, cause we are sure to have some!

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing, Key! I love the picture of the KH; It's very picturesque and quaint. Continue slaving for the Lord.

    Travon

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  2. Love this! So happy for you! I can't wait to hear/see the rest via your blog. What a great idea. Keep up the great work!

    Agape'

    Tee

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  3. Hey Kiersten. Thanks for sharing. What a difficult assignment! I don't think I can handle anything like this. But it sounds like a lot of fun too. Enjoy it and may Jehovah continue provide you his support! Keep me posted.

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  4. Hello Kiersten thank you for sharing your exciting adventure. It reminds me of when I did unassigned territory in Hazard County KY. May Jehovah continue to be with you. Desi & Lew Myrick

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  5. Thank you for sharing your blog.... it is so nice to hear your experiences and we hope to read more about Kentucky from you.

    We have the same experience about potty in different part of the world ( anyway I do ) ... sometimes you really need to know how to carry toilet paers with you at all time... some were very scary, you might fall in the hole !

    Perla

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  6. Hi! Enjoyed your pics and reading your blog. I'm planning on serving where the need is great next month and will be my first time blogging. Great way to share experiences and keep the friends encouraged. Lol about the elders. Goes to show we are all human and have experienced life.

    -Iulia

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