VBS, Ocean Baptisms & Drawing Closer to God

  1-Wise Baptist Church-Wise, VA; 2-Zion Hill Baptist Church-Rennert, NC; 3-Region 7 Feeding Team; 4-Ann did some early morning running this week with Rebecca and they were blessed with a beautiful sunrise; 5-Our good friend Paul being baptized; 6-We enjoyed The Wave Saturday night with praise and worship; 7-The candidates for baptism professing Jesus as their Lord and Savior.   Wise Baptist was a large group so they split up into several groups. The ladies did Vacation Bible School at Union Church of Lavalette in the mornings and then worked in yards and houses in the afternoons.  Along with the guys they did home tear outs, insulated homes, replaced shingles on a home, cleaned yards and did their part on fire watch (which some really enjoy). On Sunday they presented Barbara (Pastor Todd’s secretary) with funding to help purchase the blocks for the foundation of her new home and a very special block. Hopefully we will be starting on her house very soon and we will be needing lots of help.  The Zion Hill group also did several jobs. They hung and started finishing sheet rock, built a/c platforms, laid flooring, painted and built window frames and got framed (LOL).  The boys decided they wanted to help the Wise group on two days and did a little home tear out.  Hope they forget how to do the tear out when they get home.

It was a good week in New Jersey.  We saw volunteers hearts turn closer to GOD as well as residents here drawing closer.  Rebuilding homes is great but the closer walk with GOD is what it is all about.  Sure would like to see others receive this blessing of GOD at work in their lives.  We are in process of starting five new jobs and could use lots more help over the coming months.  Winter is on it’s way and we would like to see these people back into their homes before summer arrives next year.   FYI – It’s been 21 months since many people of New Jersey have been able to go home and sleep there. 

If you want to plan a future trip we have lots of openings beginning in August. If you want to do a trip now we are full for July But NCBM and the people of the Outer Banks of NC could use your help with tear outs following Authur. There are 20 homes to be torn out.

Vacation Week for Us

  We took a week off for vacation while Tim and Vickie kept things going. The rebuild/feeding/chaplaincy team came from Region 5.  The team had requested to do some ministry outreach as well as rebuilding.  They took on the challenge of contacting many of the home owners whom NCBM volunteers had helped over the past 20 months.  The report is the home owners are very happy for all the work done and materials supplied.  Some of the team did mold treatment, insulation and started hanging sheet rock.  Three team members did the cooking.  The Toms River Lions Club had asked to help buy some materials for home owners. Mel, the president with the Toms River Chapter came by to see the work and presented Tim with checks to help on two jobs.

We started off our vacation time at home.  Billy did a few jobs around the house and Ann worked one day at the Yellow Dog Bread Co. We were able to spend a few days with our son Josh. On Thursday we went to Lake Gaston.  Billy did more chores there.  Sorry, but he doesn’t know how to rest. Some of the family came up to join us on Saturday, including our grandchildren.  Matt forced Grandpa to ride him on the wave runner.  Great bonding time. Back to NJ on Sunday to start a very busy week.

Connecticut-North Carolina-Ohio-Pennsylvania

  This week we had a full house and no feeding team.  We had our grandson Matt with us so Ann really had not been planning on spending all her time in the kitchen.  Thanks to Tim and Vicki, some Union Church of Lavallette members and some rebuild volunteers she had the help she needed.  Everyone enjoyed the sing along each night with Pastor TR with the PA team, especially the action song “I Just Want to Be a Sheep”.  It has finally gotten warm enough for the volunteers to enjoy the beach after a long day of work.  We have picked the first fruits from our parking lot garden.  Some of our McElhattan UMC volunteers stayed for a second week and were joined by more members.  They split up into three work groups. A big thank you to Mary who came to serve. She is 87 and still serves GOD most every day.  Mary’s group worked to complete two small bungalows for a daughter and her mother.  They finished sheet rock, painted, hung tile board and cleaned up. The second group built a new front porch and steps for Rick to replace the ones washed away by Sandy.  They also took out an old bay window and replaced it with one donated by Home Depot. Group three helped at Pete’s to remove old flooring and replace with new plywood and tile.  They also redid his shower door which was installed wrong.   First Baptist Church, Drexel, NC came in on Saturday with a youth team.  They took a trip to NYC on Sunday.  This week they were able to meet Rob, the homeowner and help him tear out the floors in his home and treat it for mold.  This is a job that takes lots of energy.  During the week they became best friends forever.  On Friday they also help unload sheet rock for three homes.  Friendship Baptist from Connecticut also brought a youth team.  They started off their week by cleaning up two yards at homes which we are waiting on additional funding from other groups so we can start work on rebuilding them. Then they went to work on tearing out their houses.  They all followed some great leadership doing good work and wearing safety mask and goggles.  One of the youth became an adult on her mission tri and we celebrated her birthday. Our Grandson Matt, from Ohio, worked with this group during the day and played with them in the evenings.  I think he had a great first mission trip experience and made friends he will never forget.

We left on Saturday morning for a week’s vacation back home.  Please keep Tim and Vicki in your prayers as they are in charge of the NJ operation while we are away.

Three States Serving God in New Jersey

  Our volunteers this week-clockwise from top left: Staunton Baptist Church, Staunton, VA; McElhattan United Methodist Church, McElhattan, PA; Region 8 Feeding Team, Rhonda, Joyce and Larry.  Ann spent the last half of the week in Ohio babysitting the grandkids so Kim and Brandon could attend a foster care conference.  She brought our grandson Matt back to Jersey with her on Sunday.  We were treated to a sunset cruise shortly after they arrived.  Teams have been busy this week doing both recovery and rebuild.  They built platforms for a/c condenser units, tore out flooring, cleaned out crawl spaces, cleaned up a stove, painted trim work, installed a range hood, installed vinyl siding and cleaned up yards. 

Four Guys Feeding Team

  This week we had a fun loving feeding team from Region 6.  They were a pleasure to work with and they fed us good too. We also had two rebuild teams.  On the left is Central Baptist, Dunn and on the right Colonial Baptist, Cary.  Both of the rebuild teams were returning teams and we hope they return again.  The teams worked on several different projects.  They installed windows at Nick’s and Rick’s homes.  They finished installing the flooring, trim work and painting at John’s.  They hung sheet rock and mudded it at Kenny’s.  Jerry even install attic flooring so HVAC could be installed. 

Things continue to get more interesting in New Jersey every week.  At this time we are still getting numerous requests for help.  However we are having to wait a while for the case managers to get funds approved for the some of the projects.  Please join us in prayer as we share GOD’s word (whether by words or works) and determine which homes we are to work on.  Most people believe since it has been 18 months since Sandy left her mark things are back to normal.  But if you are following our blog you can see the need for more volunteers.

A Week With Westwood Baptist

  Our only team this week was Westwood Baptist from Cary but they worked really hard and accomplished a lot.  We did not have a feeding team so Ann did most of the cooking and Vicki did the cleaning, including washing the dishes that Ann messed up.  Tim cooked his famous sourdough pancakes one morning.  The monetary donations continue to be awarded.  The Tom’s River Lions Club invited us to dinner and made a large donation to NC Missions on Wednesday to be used to buy additional materials for homes we choose to work on.  All I know to say is THANK YOU LORD and send more volunteers to use this money while we share His gospel. Pam brought us a special fire hat to wear during fire watch.  If you don’t know how to grow a garden in a parking lot I challenge you to come to Seaside Heights so Tim can show you how.  And yes we enjoyed and celebrated National Donut Day all week.   The work continues at John Tool’s home.  The team laid flooring, painted and installed the sink drain.  John seams to be spending more time with each team.  Part of the team worked on Rick’s (top 6 photos) and Nick’s (bottom 6 photos) homes. Rick’s front window was rotten and got damaged badly during the storm so Billy and Tim took out the rotten wood and replaced the window. Nick, Rick and Vicki helped out. Anthony helped Rick with his plumbing.  On Nick’s home the lower 4 feet of siding was torn off by Sandy which left the paper board exposed and moldy.  So the team is removing the old material and replacing it with new in preparation for the new siding coming soon.

Rick, Nick and Anthony’s homes are all with-in a block of each other and before Sandy left so much damage which also brought the NC Baptists they did not know each other.  But now not only do they know each other they are also helping each others along side of the Baptists.  What a witness tool.  FYI – this block is also next to Grace Evangelical where teams are staying so several volunteers will walk back and forth. Vicki did this Saturday and she stated that people at 3 different homes said “Thank you for the help you have brought to our area”.  Volunteers moved around a lot this week as it seamed help was needed in a special way on different days at different sites.  They painted at Anthony’s, did yard work, hung sheet rock and posed as DOT workers.

Speaking of DOT the roads are getting better around the area. Still lots of construction going on but the best part is we now have two lanes each way to enter or exit the shore area.  So PLEASE call and make your (or your team) reservations to come to Seaside Heights this year to enjoy the fun of sharing the Gospel while rebuilding homes and lives. 

Week Two for Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry

  Our teams this week: 1-Providence Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC; 2-Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry; Our revolving feeding team from NJ/NY Baptist Convention and Living Gospel Baptist Church, Rutherford, NJ: 1-Pastor Dennis and Elaine O’Neill; 4-Diane, George and Elaine; 5-Elaine and Louise.  Thanks for coming.  The Georgia BCM group stayed on for another week. Still split into two groups group one started a new job replacing sheetrock, spackling, sanding and painting. Group two did another roofing job. Mid week the teams joined to help repair some paneling and paint it all white. When a young college group signs up to come do rebuild I must say I don’t know what to expect because some times they bring only a few skills. But I must say this group came ready to learn and a desire to work. They also had some awesome leadership. We miss them already.  We were also blessed with a return trip from Providence Baptist in Raleigh. Most of them worked in Point Pleasant Beach at John’s house. They installed insulation, hung sheet rock, mudded and sanded it, painted, installed kitchen cabinets and even worked on the toilet. Three of the guys also worked at Anthony’s to frame and hang sheet rock for a fire wall along with installing backer board.  Four of the students helped with the music at Union Church on Sunday morning as well as played and sang for us other nights. On Tuesday night we went to a supper for several volunteer groups working in Ocean County.  Cathy McCann, president of NJ VOAD presented Billy a Certificate of Appreciation plague for the work being done in New Jersey by The North Carolina Baptist Men.  Being the days are now longer and warmer after a days works many volunteers are enjoying some boardwalk and beach time.  On Monday the Georgia group took the day off and went to New York.  The two young ladies on the couch had spent most of their days in New Jersey on two different roof tops removing and replacing shingles so when they sat down it wound up being a well deserved nap.

The requests for help rebuilding homes continue to come in.  We still need many more volunteer groups to sign up and make the trip to New Jersey to help share the gospel by giving the people hope and encouragement as we rebuild homes damaged by SANDY.

A Visit From Home

  The Region 9/10 feeding team was great this week.  They put in some extra work and even made lunch time special.  They had called earlier and asked if they could bring a few extra guys who wanted to do rebuild. They brought many skills with them.  They built a ramp for Bob so for the first time in 17 months he could leave his home on his own. (local guys have been carrying him up and down the steps).  They also finished the trim work at Margaret’s and installed countertops at Jayne’s.  Paul helped them remove Margaret’s wall air condition and repair the hole.     A team also came up from our home church, Momeyer. As always it was great to be with folks from home. They split up and did many tasks. They hung sheet rock, sanded and painted, packed up belongings and put them in storage unit, put down floor decking (not shown). Pastor Phil blessed the sheet rock that was being hung while the guys kneeled and prayed.  Al from California also worked with the Momeyer team.   We also had a group from Georgia Baptist Collegiate Ministry. They are students from several GA colleges. Being a large group they also split up.  They have installed floor insulation, worked on flower beds at Union Church, moved furniture and belongings back into a home, did yard cleaning for several seniors, reroofed 2 homes (with the help of Greensboro Presbyterians) and demolished a damaged deck. This team came in on Monday, May 19 and are staying until Friday May 30.  How’s that for commitment?   There was also a lot of memories made. Buying ice cream from the truck, putting together puzzles while fellowshipping, Ann doing precleaning before washing spatulas (Billy’s birthday cake), beach time, meeting Nick the parrot, Tim showing how to finish off a desert, watching the local cops do their job, and three got hot so they went for a dip (or was it a dare?).

Work requests continue to come in. Therefore there is still a need for rebuilding teams. We have space left for others over the next 3 months and then the winter has LOTS of open weeks that we need volunteers for.  To volunteer contact Billy or Ann Layton.

Thank God for Grandsons and Presbyterians

  With no scheduled volunteers for the week Ann & Billy took a quick trip to Ohio to spend Mother’s Day with Kim, Brandon, Matt and our foster grandson.  On Saturday morning Matt cooked his first pancakes for us. He did a great job.  Then we had to opportunity to baby/kidsit while Kim and Brandon went to a class. We had a great time.

On our way back two Presbyterian groups called and needed somewhere to work. One group started replacing the roof on the Jolly home. The other group split up. The guys worked on closet shelves while the ladies cleaned up a house a few doors away so it can be retreated for mold and then rebuild can start.  On Saturday Ann & Vickie went to Ocean Fun Days in Island Beach State Park.

We are in the process of starting eight new jobs and need volunteers.  We expect to continue to get new request through the end of the year so please consider coming to New Jersey to help.

Please share the following video with your churches and friends.

A Week Away and Biltmore Baptist Week

  We didn’t do the blog last week because we were home in North Carolina getting some much needed chores done.  It was good to see family and friends and attend Momeyer Baptist Church.  We also spent a little time at Lake Gaston working in the yard.  Clockwise from top left: Region 7 feeding team led by Terry Barnes; Feeding team serving Tom Leeper who leads the Biltmore team; Dianne Leeper doing final trim touch up on Anthony’s home (best ladder ever); Biltmore team plus three that came with the feeding team. We are always excited when the Biltmore team comes every other month.  We know from experience that they will get a lot of work done.  Some of the guys helped Rick pull wire while others did some additional framing repairs.  Several worked at Jayne and Ashley’s caulking, final painting, installing kitchen cabinets and laying flooring.

The weather is warming up in Jersey which is a sign summer will soon be here. The roads are also getting repaired and opened to make ready for the summer tourist.  Many people have been to New Jersey over the past 15 months and helped the NCBM work on 74 homes getting them ready so the home owners could move back to their primary residence.  Many of them were living in motels or with relatives and are now glad to be back home.  I know GOD is still calling volunteers to respond to New Jersey to help rebuild the homes damaged by Super Storm Sandy.  While working on these homes the door has been opened wide many times for the message of GOD and HIS love to be shared.  If you can come and help we have many weeks with openings and many with no volunteers that need to be filled.  So please share the need of volunteers at this site with anybody you know that may be interested in helping us serve GOD in New Jersey.