The final copy of Bev's book, "Going Home," has been sold.
Beverly Walker: The Story of a Gifted Giver
My name is Beverly Walker and I currently live in Missouri. My father was born and raised in Letcher County, in the Southeastern Kentucky coal fields. I am the first generation in 141 years not born in what is now Letcher County, so my ancestral roots run deep in these ancient southern Appalachian mountains. I am descended from the Halls, Maggards, Robertsons, Boggs, Bohanans, Bentleys, Crases, Penningtons and Whitakers. These mountains are my ancestral home, and the older I get, the more I feel drawn to them and to their people on an emotional and spiritual level.
In 1995, I began making almost annual visits to Letcher County, researching and documenting my ancestors. Genealogy has become a serious hobby for me, and one which I enjoy immensely.
In 2008, I responded to a lady named Pamela Richards who posted on a mailing list on the Internet, seeking information regarding the Mullins family of Letcher County, Kentucky. To make a very long story short, the end result is that for the past year, I have been working with Pam as a "technical consultant" (she calls me a copy editor) as she worked on her book, Singing From Silence: Rich Mullins, Love Beyond Fear, her personal memoir about her
unique friendship with Contemporary Christian Composer/artist Rich Mullins. Rich Mullins descended from the Mullins family of Letcher County and Wise County, VA. He and I share five of our ancestral lines together.
Pam and another mutual friend of ours "ganged up on me" and convinced me to publish my previously unpublished genealogy research on Rich Mullins' family lines as a companion book to hers. Following Rich Mullins' example, we searched for a worthy charity to which we could contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sale of our respective books. I felt directed to find a worthy cause in Letcher County, in honor of Rich Mullins and our commonly shared ancestral roots. I contacted a cousin of mine who lives locally in the area and told him what we planned to do and asked for his recommendation. My cousin, John Bedwell, pastor of the Little Dove Primitive Baptist Church at Eolia, recommended Revelation Ranch...he had seen the Revelation 22 drama team perform several times, and knew about the Ranch's ministries. After doing our cursory research online, we decided to follow his suggestion, sight unseen.
Pam and I also decided to kick off the promotional tour of her newly published book in Rich Mullins' ancestral homeland. We attended the Genealogy Jamboree in Cumberland Gap, TN and visited as many local venues in Letcher County as our limited time allowed. Pam made an appointment for us to come out and visit the Ranch on June 12. Suffice it to say that I was SO moved by the atmosphere during our visit to the ranch, I decided that simple monetary support to the ministry was not enough. I found a cause that required my wholehearted, personal involvement. I could do more. Because I have been abundantly blessed and already have everything I need and most everything I want, I pledged to donate all the profits from the sale of my book Going Home: A Sojourner's Appalachian Roots to Revelation Ranch's ministries.
Note from Pam--Having walked into a number of local Letcher County businesses with Bev, I can now attest that nearly everyone in Letcher County is one of her cousins!
I am blessed by her story: like the faithful servant who invested wisely, she has found a way to use her talents to support the work of the Revelation Ranch as these youngsters share the love of God through their creative gifts. Words cannot thank you enough for everything you have given, Bev.
In 1995, I began making almost annual visits to Letcher County, researching and documenting my ancestors. Genealogy has become a serious hobby for me, and one which I enjoy immensely.
In 2008, I responded to a lady named Pamela Richards who posted on a mailing list on the Internet, seeking information regarding the Mullins family of Letcher County, Kentucky. To make a very long story short, the end result is that for the past year, I have been working with Pam as a "technical consultant" (she calls me a copy editor) as she worked on her book, Singing From Silence: Rich Mullins, Love Beyond Fear, her personal memoir about her
unique friendship with Contemporary Christian Composer/artist Rich Mullins. Rich Mullins descended from the Mullins family of Letcher County and Wise County, VA. He and I share five of our ancestral lines together.
Pam and another mutual friend of ours "ganged up on me" and convinced me to publish my previously unpublished genealogy research on Rich Mullins' family lines as a companion book to hers. Following Rich Mullins' example, we searched for a worthy charity to which we could contribute a portion of the proceeds from the sale of our respective books. I felt directed to find a worthy cause in Letcher County, in honor of Rich Mullins and our commonly shared ancestral roots. I contacted a cousin of mine who lives locally in the area and told him what we planned to do and asked for his recommendation. My cousin, John Bedwell, pastor of the Little Dove Primitive Baptist Church at Eolia, recommended Revelation Ranch...he had seen the Revelation 22 drama team perform several times, and knew about the Ranch's ministries. After doing our cursory research online, we decided to follow his suggestion, sight unseen.
Pam and I also decided to kick off the promotional tour of her newly published book in Rich Mullins' ancestral homeland. We attended the Genealogy Jamboree in Cumberland Gap, TN and visited as many local venues in Letcher County as our limited time allowed. Pam made an appointment for us to come out and visit the Ranch on June 12. Suffice it to say that I was SO moved by the atmosphere during our visit to the ranch, I decided that simple monetary support to the ministry was not enough. I found a cause that required my wholehearted, personal involvement. I could do more. Because I have been abundantly blessed and already have everything I need and most everything I want, I pledged to donate all the profits from the sale of my book Going Home: A Sojourner's Appalachian Roots to Revelation Ranch's ministries.
Note from Pam--Having walked into a number of local Letcher County businesses with Bev, I can now attest that nearly everyone in Letcher County is one of her cousins!
I am blessed by her story: like the faithful servant who invested wisely, she has found a way to use her talents to support the work of the Revelation Ranch as these youngsters share the love of God through their creative gifts. Words cannot thank you enough for everything you have given, Bev.
