Two Weeks at the Beach

For the first time in our lives we have spent two weeks at the beach.  Most people think of sun and fun when at the beach. Well we have had lots of fun serving GOD and he has sent us several storms.  Most of all we have reunited with old friends who came over to help and made many new friends as we work side by side serving our LORD.   The residents are working right along side our volunteers.  Even though we have only seen the beach a few times it’s been a great trip.  Ann did get to climb Cape Hatteras Lighthouse one night and she really enjoyed that.  We’ve had some delicious seafood too. 

On Saturday, the 10th,  there were only three work team members here so we joined in to help do a tear out in Shelia’s home which is next to Top Dog Grill where we stopped to eat 5 years ago.  On Sunday we moved from Frisco to Salvo and set up the DROC at the fire station. On Monday another team from the Gastonia area arrived along with our cooks, Iva and Judy from Momeyer.   Elsie, with the Gastonia team, helped cook too.

The Gastonia team accomplished a lot of work.  It was fun getting to know them.  They were planning to leave on Saturday morning but when the Stumpy Point ferry closed on Friday due to lack of water in the sound after a storm they panicked and made 10 pm reservations for the Ocracoke/Swan Quarter Ferry.  They packed up so quick and left mid afternoon to make sure they had plenty of time to get there.  The funny thing is that the Stumpy Point ferry opened back up at 6 pm, long before they got on the Ocracoke ferry. Arrival and departure from the island is by ferry or medical helicopter only so they pack the ferries. 

Our Trip to Hatteras

On Thursday morning we headed to the ferry.  Since the road was washed out by Irene the ferries are the only way to get on or off the island.  We were blessed and only had to wait in line for one and a half hours before boarding.  Others have had waits up to six hours.  Sharon had gone over the day before to meet with Pastor Russ with Cape Hatteras Baptist Church and find us housing.  Operation Blessing was using the church so one of his church members let us use a second row beach cottage in Frisco that he was caretaker for.

Once we arrived on the island we were greeted with piles and piles of debris that had been removed from the homes of full time residents.  They have been helping each other but are so grateful for any help we can give them.  The wind damage was minor here but the flooding was major.  I have made friends with the sweetest lady.  Her name is Janie and she was born here 92 years ago and has lived here all her life.

Hurricane Irene

On my last blog post I told you we were monitoring  Hurricane Irene forecasts.  We decided to leave Colerain on Thursday, Aug. 25 so we could prepare for the storm. We didn’t get much damage at our house but as you probably know by now Eastern North Carolina took a pretty hard hit.  So on Sunday, August 28 we headed out, first to deliver a bunk trailer to Kinston and then on to Williamston where I was to do Admin work.

 I was happy to be joining our good friends J.E. and Betsy Skinner at their church, Memorial Baptist.  Other friends working there were Jimmy and Pam Lawrence, John and Peggy Gore, Jo Davidson, Bill Fogerty, Brian Moser and many others.  Gary, the White Hat from Arkansas was great to work with.  He brought a 31 member chain saw team.  While Billy and I both spent our nights in Williamston, Billy spent most of his days transporting shower and laundry units to Hatteras Island.

We spent one week in Williamston and then actually got a whole day at home before being transferred to Manteo where Billy was to Blue Hat the recovery operation.  We were only in Manteo  for two nights and closed that site down.  Billy had seen so much need for NCBM’s  help in the Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo and Avon villages when he was there the week before delivering the shower/laundry units that he knew that was where God wanted him to go next.  He was given permission to go and take a team with him.  There was a team from Icard in Manteo and they gladly accepted the call.  Also our good friend Sharon Chilton-Moser had been released from the “secret bunker” and she was ready to get her hands dirty.  Stay tuned for more on our trip to Hatteras Island.