The mountains...

A group of 20 seminary students spent 11 days in the mountains of Appalachia exploring the vanishing traditional culture and religion.

This particular picture was taken at an old, run down Rosenwald school, last used in 1955. Today, the community has received grants to refurbish this building and turn it in to a community center. Today, there are still no windows, there is a fallen piano in the corner, steps are broken, but fresh wood sits below window frames, and roof supports are in place. There is still hope for this aging building because the foundation is strong.

And isn't that the point? A strong foundation means that even though uses may change, and the outside may have a new look, but at the heart of it, it is still the same. How is that for a metaphor for Appalachia? The mountains may have new houses on them (and some may fall), the people may change and the churches may change, but in reality, the mountain is still the mountain. What created the place known as Appalachia is still there. You can blow off the top of the mountain looking for coal or to build roads, but the base of the mountains, the majority of their height, is still there. No-one can take away an entire range of mountains and what they mean to the people except God. And as we learned over the last two weeks, God is at the heart and soul of the mountains.

Countless experiences and many jokes stay with the members of this intentional community. Love grew in our little lodge in the mountains. Experiences with God permeated the air on a day spent in silence. Meaning was found in visits with men and women in their various ministries. Knowledge gleaned from local people and transplants from around the country. Peace discovered in hopeful words. Passion conveyed in stories unbound. Struggles shared in honest conversation.

From one generation to the next, knowledge was passed. The same way knowledge has been passed for generations in the mountain.

Looks like we connected with the traditions of the mountains more than it may have looked like initially. The heart of the mountains is still there. The passion of the people, new and old, has not gone. And God is still at the heart of it.

And awesome and tiring two weeks in the mountains have come to an end. Countless documents still left to be read and papers still to be written, but the friendships, well, they live on.