Two Returning Teams and a Rookie Team

     1-This was the first feeding trip for our Region 10 Feeding Team and they did a super job. They found many creative ways to use leftovers. They all attend Marble Baptist Church; 2-Biltmore Baptist was back for their seventh trip.  They have become good friends of ours; 3-Billy is showing off his first tomato.  It still need to grow a bit more; 4-Another team we were happy to see come back is Center Hill Baptist, Tyner, led by our friend Billy Nixon; 5-Saturday afternoon we attended the 25th Anniversary Luncheon and marriage vows renewal for Pastor Todd and Krista; 6-The feeding team made scripture cards & shared them with people they met; 7-Ann and Elaine got a free ride on the 105 year old carousel on the Seaside Heights boardwalk.     Part of the Biltmore team spent the week working on the Woods’ house.  They worked on siding, flooring, cabinets, electric and trim work.  Others worked on the plumbing, framing repairs and pouring of missing piers at Juan & Gabby’s house.  Some helped the Soltys remove stuff from the attic of Georgette’s house so they could install strong backs in the ceiling.  On Friday Tom and Terry did more last minute finishing stuff at Barbara’s.  She finally got a gas meter on Friday but is still waiting on electric to be hooked up.

The Center Hill group built a porch and steps for the front door at the Miele home.  Then they poured concrete at Ms. Mary’s home to repair a walkway that was removed to repair a water line. They also helped dig and pour the porch piers at Juan & Gabby’s house.

It was a great week for all the volunteers.  GOD sent them challenges and they used them to continue sharing the gospel in New Jersey.  They were able to visit and share with 4 of the 5 families they helped.  Actually one of the family members told a volunteer,  “I used to attend church but fell away.  However now that I have seen all that you Christians are doing here I know I need to return to the church.”

A Hot Week in New Jersey

    1-Region 3 Feeding Team (Barbara, Mike, Shirley & David; 2-Everyone enjoyed the jigsaw puzzles; 3-Walks were popular in the evenings; 4-A favorite spot for watching the sunset; 5-Westwood Baptist, Cary was here for their 6th trip; 6-Barbara meets the team making final touches on her home; 7-Sid Pittman helped Billy for a second week; 8-The feeding team served up some great meals; 9-In their down time they enjoyed playing Tri-ominos.     The group split up and worked on five homes this week.  At Georgette’s they laid subflooring, help Paul finish rough in wiring, and helped Chris finish the rough in plumbing.  Some of the ladies helped with the final painting in her parents home, the Soltys’s.  Others removed the damaged siding from the Woods’ home and started hanging the new siding. They were also gracious enough to help unload the supplies needed for next weeks team and get it up into the house.  When the ladies finished painting at the Solty’s they came to the Woods’ home and painted some more.  Others started work at Juan’s home along with doing some final odd and ins at Barbara’s.

Team members were blessed by visiting with the home owners and hearing what they are saying about the blessings of having volunteers come and work on their homes.   We were also joined for supper and fellowship on Thursday night by Ron and Rhea Jolly.  A family that has touched the hearts of many volunteers who worked on their home and will always be a treasure in their hearts.  FYI – Ron seams to being doing great now.

Two Small Groups Ready to Serve God

  Sid Pittman came in on Saturday for two weeks to help Billy out. The Austin Grove group came in on Saturday also, making their third trip. They finished hanging the sheet rock in the Woods home as well as installing the rest of the OSB to cover the insulation down below.  Then they went to Dianne’s to complete the pickets and help Chris mud sheet rock. Sid helped them finish the OSB job on Friday. Rita and Ann did the cooking.     Steve Wells also returned with his wife and daughter.  They touched up and finished painting on three homes.  They also worked around the church helping Sid build a new sign frame, cutting the grass and weeding around the flowers.

We have several jobs going on at this time along with lots of volunteers for the next few weeks.  However there are 3 requests out there wanting our help which will not be able to be started until early July.  We will be needing more volunteers for July and August as we start these new jobs.

We Love GA BCM–Week Two

We had another great week with GA BCM. 4-This college team really worked hard and only took one day off for a trip to NYC; 3-Even though they did not get much rest they did try to enjoy themselves while they were working; 7&8-On Monday they presented Diane, the homeowner, with a bible they had all signed and gave her a big group hug; 1-Our feeding team (Joe, Kimmsy, Judy & Charles) was from First Baptist New Bern. They did a great job; 2-On Thursday night a four man team from PA joined.  They did several jobs on the Woods’ home.

The GA group was also able to meet Corrine Woods and had a circle prayer with her. The team learned how to insulate, install pickets, paint trim work, clean up, hang OSB board  and mix cement. 

All of these college kids were basically strangers when they met two weeks ago to go on a two week mission trip to New Jersey.  Now they have formed lifetime friendships as well as left a memory with New Jersey families that will also last a life time.

We Love Georgia BCM–Week One

     1-This week our group was from Georgia BCM, twelve college students eager to serve and learn. Jim and Alex (GA Blue Hats) returned as crew leaders along with Chris as group leader; 2-The group gathered around for instruction and prayer; We celebrated three birthdays this week: 3-Justin, 6-Cynthia, and Billy; 5-The weather is getting warm here so the students have been to check out the beach several times; 4-During the day the cook team helped with some painting, cleaning and door knob installation on a few jobs; 7-Paul pitched in to help us get caught up on some painting; 8-Billy & Hollis Williams returned to cook & serve the meals & brought along Bobby & Hazel Eure . 9-Billy & Bobby busy peeling potatoes to go along with the fish that Jimmy Hooper brought all the way from Salvo.     The GA group divided into two groups.  Alex lead a group that cleaned and resealed Carol’s floors, cleaned up around the outside of Barbara’s and prepared for the rear step platform so the landscapers can do their job next week. They also helped the other group at Dianne’s building the frame work around plumbing and pouring her step platforms.  They finished up the week hanging insulation at the Wood’s home.

Jim’s group has been hard at work also hanging the sheetrock at Dianne’s home.  On Friday they were able to share a little with her garage door contractors who came to hang them and on Saturday they were blessed by being able to share with the family why they choose to come to New Jersey to help total strangers – To share GOD’s Love.

We still have many open days and weeks for the next three months and are in need of additional volunteers and well as a couple to help Ann and I with leadership. We look forward to hearing from you.

Neshaminy Warwick Back to Serve

  The LORD caused the paths of a group of Neshaminy Warwick Presbyterians from Pennsylvania and ours to cross last spring.  They came back last fall and this week they joined us again in a joint effort to share GOD’s LOVE while doing a little home rebuilding.  Ann was the cook this week so the guys helped cook breakfast and the ladies helped with supper.  Part of them spent the first of the week finishing up the painting and doing some plumbing trim outs at Barbara’s.      Others went to the Woods job to help Dave finish the rough in electric.  They also installed joist hangers and porch rails. They finished up their week by painting doors going into Paul and Ellen’s along with removing old insulation from Georgette’s so the home could be rewired and reinsulated to todays standards.

As the weather has turned warm the jobs seem to be also turning.  We should finish three homes this month while continuing to work on three others.  There is also three more that we will be starting over the next couple of weeks. The LORD has always blessed us with volunteers as needed when he also sends us homes and families to work with.  I have wondered many times, as I am doing now, if the volunteers HE is calling will respond this year.  At present time I see the need for 10 more teams this summer.  If you or your church are planning a trip this year to serve GOD in New Jersey please contact us so we can let you know what dates are still open.

Another Visit from Biltmore

     1-This week we had a great feeding team from South Carolina (JoAnn, Rhett, Judy & Jeff); 2-Everyone enjoys a shoulder rub after a hard day of hammer swinging; 3-We all enjoy Pastor Todd’s bible studies; 4-Biltmore Baptist, Asheville, NC made their 14th trip; 5-Biltmore’s favorite relaxation activity is jigsaw puzzles. The feeding team enjoyed them this week also; 5&6-Friday night David & Maureen Gross invited us all over for dinner at their newly rebuilt home.  Several different teams worked on this home over the past few months.  They are so happy about the work NCBM did to their home and the love shown to them by the volunteers.  Billy presented them a bible signed by many of the volunteers.     Being the Biltmore team is large they usually split up.  Part of them worked on Barbara’s house.  They laid bamboo flooring, painted trim molding and doors, installed storm doors,  garage door and installed the house numbers.     Most of the group went down to the Woods home to get it started.  They built two entry porches and steps, rough in the plumbing and most of the electric, took out part of the old ceiling which exposed some weak framing so they beefed it up as well as the floor system.  They also did a lot of cleaning up so they and others would have room to work.

We received a request to return to Joe’s home to build him a ramp.  He has had a stroke since moving back in last summer and the girls needed a way to get him in and out of the house.

Some of the ladies also painted at Carol’s house this week.

All in all it was a busy and productive week.  However for the next two weeks we have no volunteers so not much will be done.  At this time we have eight homes to work on and finish this summer.  I am concerned that with the lack of volunteers these families may not all be able to return to their home to live before the third anniversary of Sandy’s destructive visit to New Jersey.  Please consider coming to New Jersey to help us share GOD’s LOVE in a special way this summer.  We have lots of open time so call or e-mail one of us.

Back to GOD’s work in New Jersey

Some of you might be wondering where we have been for the past month.  We took a wonderful 10 day trip to Israel.  Then we spent a few days at home for Easter.  We came back to NJ on April 5.  Then Ann went to Ohio to help take care of our 19th month old grandson.  Billy stayed here to work, all by himself for the first week but help arrived from Swannanoa on the 12th.  Ann came back on 17th.     Swannanoa Baptist Church not only supplied the cooking team but also the rebuild team.  Being a small team they basically worked together on two different homes.  At Barbara’s they painted the walls and ceilings, cut and installed window trim, laid tile for her shower wall and helped get the siding to 95% complete. They also worked at Carol’s house installing interior doors and flooring in two rooms.  While they were here last summer they had built a ramp for Mr. Bob 3 doors down the street and it needed an entry plate installed so they took care of that for him also.

The RREM program has started issuing funds to people to get their homes raised and some to start the new build process.  These funds are not enough to complete the entire project so therefore we are again getting many new calls for help.  We have lots of open slots that need filling over the next 4 months starting with next week.  If GOD is laying it on your heart to go to New Jersey to serve Him I hope you will give us a call or message us.  The volunteers here this past week were able to witness to workers on sites next door, in the drug store, doctors office (yes one guy didn’t feel good), neighbors walking by and stopping to ask why they were here and of course home owners.  So come join the work, witnessing and fun.

A Short Week For Us

     Volunteers: 1-Vicki, Tim & Jack, Greenville, NC; 2-BCM-Georgia College, Milledgeville, GA; 3-Reg. 1 Feeding Team-Phil, Kay, Billy, Hollis, Linda & Warren; 4-Curtis Baptist School, GA.

This week was full of youth. We have one college & one high school group.  The college team is working at Barbara’s house hanging sheet rock and siding.  The high school group is hanging sheet rock at Carol’s house.  Some of the younger folks also moved some sand from Barbara’s to Carol’s.

It was a short week for us because we went home on Tuesday to get ready for our big trip on Friday. Tim and Vicky came back to Seaside Heights to relieve us so we could take a trip to Israel.  Please pray for travel mercies and peace as we enjoy a trip of a life time.

A Good Birthday Week

     1-Jim & Al from Virginia; 2-Ann and Paul celebrated their birthdays; 3-It was warm enough a couple of days this week for a walk on the beach 4-Alliance College Connection, Boone (This was their 7th trip to volunteer in NJ; 5-1st Baptist Asheboro; 6-Our South Carolina Feeding Team, Juanita, Peggy and Wayne. Hope they can come back again.     This week the teams did many tasks. Part of the Alliance team insulated Carol’s floor (1) and then loaded the home with sheet rock.(2)  Some  shoveled more sand from Barbara’s.(4&5) She can now once again see her back patio.  Chris and Cody started Barbara’s siding (9) after Al and Jim had wrapped the house with tyvek.(7) On Thursday and Friday some started hanging sheet rock at Barbara’s.(8)  The rest of the crew went to start work on the Collins home.  The first job was to move the sand from the pile and level it around the pilings so the home can be moved over the pilings and set down.(6) The First Baptist of Asheboro group worked on the porch, steps and rails at Diane’s home. (10&11)