Joshua Schilling

An Appalachian Dawn

Nestled in the mountains of Central Appalachia, Clay County, Kentucky has long been at the nexus of history. For over 200 years, the people who followed Daniel Boone into this secluded corner of America generated enough heroism and infamy to salt the headlines of virtually every major newspaper in the land. Sadly, much news was dark - vicious feuds, crushing poverty, pervasive corruption, and epic drug abuse. By the early 2000s, the situation was so bleak that many families fled to greener pastures. Those who remained battled hopelessness as illicit drugs threatened to consume an entire generation. And then it happened. As a desperate band of believers cried 'Enough!' the Presence of God descended on the town of Manchester, and transformed it into the City of Hope.