Working On Ms. Betsy’s House

     Our volunteers this week; 1-Biltmore Baptist, Asheville; 2-1st Baptist Norfolk, VA & Calvary Baptist, Newton; 3-Bagley Swamp Wesleyan & Hertford Baptist, Hertford; 4-Macedonia & Williamston Baptist;-5-Reg 1 Feeding Team representing Cornith & Warwick Baptist. Not pictured-Christ Community Church, Pinehurst.     This is Betsy & her granddaughter that lives with her. This is Betsy’s house. Betsy walked in water up to her neck when the area flooded. She was picked up by a motor boat.   The Hertford, Bagley Swamp, Macedonia & Williamston teams spent the week laying flooring, installing cabinets, duct work, doors, trim work as well as plumbing, electric and painting.     The Biltmore team spent the week working on the Marsh home.  They completed the insulation, hung sheet rock and finished the electrical and plumbing rough in.  Tom spent several days at Mt. Moriah Church getting the sheet rock ready to paint.   Billy, Phil and Hollis laid flooring at the Lylery house.     The Bagley Swamp and Calvary groups removed and replaced the shingles on the Jones home.  The Christ Community group built a front porch for the Owens at their new home.   All the teams went out to eat at The Shady Rest on Friday night.

A Short Week

     We didn’t have any volunteers come this week until Thursday so it was a short but good week. 1-Ridgeway Baptist Church, Chandler; 2-Joyce & Curtis Thrift, Pittsboro; 3-Recovery ladies helping make sandwiches for lunch; 4-Austin Grove Baptist Church, Marshville and Union Grove Baptist Church, Monroe.     The Austin and Union Grove group worked at Mt. Moriah Church hanging and finishing sheet rock.  The Ridgeway group worked at the Richardson home.  They removed old floor decking, installed new floor decking and started the front porch. Joyce and Curtis came to do the cooking but Curtis also was a lot of help for Billy.

There are a lot of requests still coming in for help.  We believe GOD is calling for volunteers to come to Johnsonville and work with Him.  Hope to hear from your group soon.  Call Billy or Ann for available dates.

Lots of Work to Be Done in Johnsonville

     1-Tom came down to help out with Chaplincy; 2- The Region 8 feeding team not only cooked and cleaned, the guys also helped with electrical and flooring work; 3-Providence Baptist, Raleigh.  The Providence group split into smaller teams.  The teams worked on replacing wood slats on block walls so sheet rock could be installed and also rescrewed the ceiling sheet rock that had sagged due to a roof leak.  Another group did some touch up mud work and started painting Betsy’s home.  The final group installed a metal roof.

We are still getting new request almost daily.  Teams are starting to sign up but lots more help is needed.  Please contact Ann with your groups requested dates or sign up at NCMissions.org

Last Week in January & First Week of February

     The last week of January was very productive due to several groups of talented volunteers. 1-The Region 6 Feeding Team was led by Fred Simmons. 2-Most men know how to make a mess but Bob’s team from Elkin Valley did a great job of getting the Humpries site cleaned up along with doing several repairs to the house.  3-The Swannanoa team built two decks, a ramp and when it was raining they installed floor decking. 4-The Rockingham group stripped the roof and the other smaller groups finished replacing the shingles.  I believe Tom and Cal from Biltmore felt guilty for for leaving the week before to get home before the snow and ice started falling so they came back and started mudding the sheet rock.   Morris couldn’t make the 1st Biltmore trip so he came down this time to help do a little electrical work. Cal Jr. helped with roofing.      The first week of Febuary was few in numbers but all had servant’s hearts.  Since we had low number and no feeding team Ann did the cooking. Mark met a group in Sunset Beach to install a metal roof and complete another job. Three of them came to Johnsonville on Wednesday to install floor decking but then needed to return home.  Ricky and Mark came in Wednesday night and then helped Al and Josh almost finish the mud work at the Humphries house.  On Friday we had a visit from our leadership. I am glad to have Gaylon & Bill as leaders I can call on.

We are still looking volunteers for the next several months so sign up at NC Missions or give us a call.

Two Weeks in Johnsonville

     Week of January 10, 2016.  Our volunteers were from Calvary Baptist-Winston-Salem, Colonial Baptist-Trinity,  Mt. Vernon Baptist*Forrest City, Lee’s Chapel-Dunn & Reg. 4 Feeding Team. The volunteers worked on replacing a roof and started some ceiling repairs inside.  One team started the rebuild on a home by replacing the insulation and installing wall panels.  Another team started replacing flooring on a home.  On Thursday evening some of the ladies of the FBC meet to work on their blankets for their ministry.   Week of January 17, 2016: 1-Mark and Cheryl have agreed to help us with operations for a few weeks (hope they decide to stay);  2 John brought in another great cooking team from Region 5;  3-Billy, Cheryl and Ann doing admin stuff;  4-The Biltmore team-Looking forward to many return trips; 5-Bob came down to help access some of the possible upcoming jobs; 6-Everyone is happy to have good meals to start and end the day.     The Biltmore team as usual divided up.  Group 1 remove the shingle cap on a double wide and replaced the roof with metal.  Group 2 (and 1 until the frost left the roof job) fiished the flooring and hung drywall in a home.  Group 3 painted a house, installed a bathroom and started laying the flooring.

We have two teams coming the week of January 24. After that only 1 volunteer until Feburary 18.  Could use more volunteers for all of Feburary and March.  At this time we have 3 metal roofs and 1 shingle roof waiting to be done so inside repairs can be started.

Carolina & VA BCM On Mission in Hemingway, SC

      1-This week we teamed up with University of South Carolina, Francis Marion University, Winthrop University, & College of William & Mary BCM groups; 2-The students enjoyed interacting with the homeowners; 3-We had a great feeding team from Reg. 3; 4-After a long days work most of the students still had the energy to play games; 5-We had super crew chiefs that taught the students alot & an admin team that worked together well.     The college students helped kick off the NCBM rebuild project in South Carolina.  They helped reroof a home, build 6 porches, 3 ramps, level fill sand and clean up a lot.  Thanks to the students and crew leaders from North Carolina one home will now be dry inside when it rains, 2 ladies and 1 gentleman can now enter and exit their home on their own power instead of being carried in and out. And many days can be spent sitting on the porches thinking about the young people GOD sent to help them in a time of need.

The South Carolina and North Carolina rebuild project following the October 2015 floods is up and running.  Those interested in helping should call Billy at 252-885-2143 or go NC Missions for more information or to register.

We had two news crews to come by and do stories: College students helping to rebuild flood ravaged homes in Johnsonville and College students spend Christmas break helping flood victims rebuild

 

Serving God In The New Year

It's been a while since we left New Jersey and updated our blog.  The past 4 months have seen many hurdles for our family.  We spent a week in Johnsonville, SC following the floods.  Billy has made four trips back to NJ to finish up a job.  Ann has spent lots of time with family helping out while also enjoying home.  We had a great Christmas. Billy has been helping complete River of Life Church in Sunset Beach and doing planning work in South Carolina for a rebuild. He is now in the process of moving equipment and supplies into place for the rebuild that begins January 4, 2016.  Call, text or message if you or your group wants to plan a trip to help with rebuilding.  Be looking for weekly updates here.

Where will you serve God in the new year?

Back in NJ for Another Week

    This past week Eddie Finch went back to Lavallette with Billy. A group of Presbyterians from Lancaster, Pa also came.  Chris S., Chris K. and Paul also join the fun and lots of sheet rock was hung. Eddie also painted trim boards and caulked the exterior windows. On Thursday the local guys started mudding the rock.  Thursday night Billy and Eddie went to Morning Star Church for supper where the Presbyterian team also gave Juan and Gabby a quilt.

Chris is now working at finishing all the sheet rock spackling. Then it needs to be painted, flooring laid, doors installed, trim work installed and then all that painted.  If you or your group would like to help complete this home let me know and I will arrange you a place to stay.  Sure would like to get this family home before Christmas,  It’s almost been 3 years since Sandy destroyed their home.

What’s Been Happening the Last Three Weeks?

   

  It’s good to be home.  We were able to spend Labor Day weekend at Lake Gaston with Matt, Tanya and some friends.  We are only 50 feet from the water and have a fantastic view. Grandson Matt helped us clean the porch at Momeyer and then move the furniture on it.  We have been enjoying family at home.
Lots of work has been done in New Jersey over the past 3 years with your help.  During this time many lives were touched and reminded that GOD is in charge and will provide for our needs.  NCBM is still working on the Barriga house so volunteers are still needed.  Last week Billy went back to New Jersey to help insulate the Barriga house. No, the ceilings are not that low.  Chris is on his stilts. Inspectors have been by and given permission  to start hanging sheet rock.   Billy and a few other volunteers are going back next week to finish hanging rock, spackle, paint and start trim work. He may also go back one of the first two weeks of November if he gets any volunteers.  Contact him if you can help complete this last working site.
This week we will be vacationing in North Myrtle Beach.

Leaving New Jersey

     1-Our last Sunday sunset walk in NJ; 2&5-On Sunday after worship Union Church had cake and coffee and thanked us for our service to the area; 3-Joe Geleta presented NCBM a certificate from NJ State Police Emergency Management in recognition of our service; 4-On Tuesday night our friends Chris & Elaine joined us for a cruise and dinner on the River Lady; 6-Jerry came up and got the bunk bed frames; 7-Paul, Kevin and some of Randy’s crew helped us get the bunks loaded on the trailer early Wednesday; 8-After Jerry got in we loaded the tuck down also. Also on Monday night Todd, Krista & Barbara took us out to eat. It was sad saying goodbye to our NJ friends but it was good to be going home.  1-Six guys from Biltmore and Sharon came up to help load and pull every thing back to NC;  2,3,4-It makes packing up a site so much easier when you have a team that you can say I would like this on that trailer and that in that trailer and so forth.  I spent about an hour with the guys on Thursday morning and then I left to make several visits I thought I would be doing Friday. When I got back the packing was winding down; 5-Cal just had to find that flat tire with a screw in it at the last minute; 6-After supper on Thursday we hooked all the trucks up and did that last minute check.  Then the Gross’s came by and invited us to come to their house for breakfast before leaving on Friday morning. Well we did need somewhere to eat and we knew they could cook.  Plus we needed to get the tire patched before leaving; 7-After a basically good trip we arrived in Momeyer at 5:30 Friday afternoon.  Our neighbor Violet (who watches out for our house) had been to Doug Saul’s and picked up supper for us.  After we ate the guys helped unload some of the trailers.  They spent the night with us and on Saturday they headed home also.

Thanks to to all who helped with the take down, pack up and transporting of all the stuff.  Also a BIG THANK YOU to everybody who prayed, supported and volunteered to help NCBM share the love of CHRIST in New Jersey following Super Storm Sandy.  Volunteers, supporters and prayer helps it all work.  But we all know none of it have happened if GOD had not called and you had not responded.  WE LOVE YOU AND THANK YOU.

At present time we are still unpacking everything.  We do have 2 weeks of vacation planned and plan to even visit our lake house before it gets cold.  Where/What GOD has planned for us next we don’t know but rest assured that when we find out we will do our best to let each of you know so we can volunteer together again.