Happy New Year 2017

    “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:1

2016 was a wonderful year for us. We spent most of it in Johnsonville, SC doing rebuild, recovery and sharing HIS love with others. This was made possible by the doors God opened and all the many volunteers who responded to His call to go and serve. Thank you to each and every one who responded and those who were not able to respond but still prayed and supported the NC Baptist Rebuild in 2016.

2016 also brought some changes in our family.  We welcomed our newest grandson, Walker William Andrews, on April 30 thanks to Matt & Tanya.  We are head over heels in love with him. On a sad note they lost their beloved Ellie.  She was the golden retriever they got before they got married and was the inspiration for naming their bakery, Yellow Dog Bread. Our oldest son Josh has turned a new leaf in the pages of his book. Our daughter Kim’s husband, Brandon, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 was declared cancer free this year. Kim also went back to school and is now a CNA-1 and has a new job. Thank you for all your prayers.

Over the past months we have been able to spend some time with family and enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. We have also been doing some prep work for our new call. NC Baptist asked us to serve again as rebuild site coordinators, this time in Lumberton following Hurricane Matthew.  As of January 1 we have 10 homes ready to start rebuilding.  The work will not only be in Lumberton but also the surrounding 30 miles which includes around 4000 affected homes. Many had insurance, some had savings and some will apply for SBA loans to get their homes livable again. We believe however there are roughly 500 to 1000 that will need some kind of help so they can return home.  This opens the door for NCBM and others to help those in need and share His Gospel as we work.  At the present time NCBM will continue to be set up at Hyde Park Baptist in Lumberton.  We are working to obtain a building which we can relocate in.  This will allow Hyde Park to have their facilities back so they can continue to grow.  The new location will allow us to better serve the volunteers and home owners needs.

We had two teams come to serve in rebuild this week.  We look forward to seeing each of you soon as we all continue to answer the call.

Specific ways you can pray for us: A new building for us to move into; more volunteers to accept the call; the lost in the area to accept Christ.

Carolina Rebuild October 30–November 2, 2016

     1-Tennessee Chainsaw Team, Knoxville; 2-Morganton Baptist Church; 3-Jack & Sharon McCormick-SC Coordinators; 4-Jim & Nancy-Survivor Care Chaplains; 5&8-TN Chainsaw team at work; 9-Some of the SC Feeding team; 7-A chainsaw cross; 9-Headed home.

This has been a emotional week for us.  In case you haven’t heard-we are leaving SC so we can help out in NC. We will surely miss all of the friends we have made here since we started back in January. Jack and Sharon will be coordinating the operation now for SC Baptist.  

We started the week with two great teams doing rebuild and tree work.  David, Ann and Billy spent a good part of the weekend and Monday packing up.  On Tuesday morning David headed out to spend time with Cathy before being called to a NC site.  Ann and Billy left Johnsonville on Wednesday afternoon.  We will be spending some time around Momeyer and then move to a site somewhere in NC.

A special THANK YOU to each and every person who has served with us in Johnsonville this year.  We also thank God for sending you. Together we have made a difference in the area.  Please continue to pray for the area and stay in touch with the home owners you met.

Carolina Rebuild October 23-29, 2016

     This week we had volunteers from First Baptist-Iva, First Creek-Iva and SC Campers on Mission. Our neighbor Mason volunteered for his second week. With no chainsaw teams this week we were able to concentrate on rebuild again.  Teams worked on floors, ceilings and tarping roofs.

Carolina Rebuild October 16-22, 2016

     1-Two Illinois Chainsaw Teams; 2-Northbrook Baptist, Boiling Springs, SC; 3-Region 8 Feeding; 4-Hickory Grove Baptist, Charlotte; 5-David Fuss (Not sure what we would have done without him); 6-Curtis & Joyce Thrift (two more that helped keep our sanity); 7-Reg. 8 Rebuild and Randy & Pat from Florida.  For the second week straight we have had a full house of volunteers,  Some have continued to do rebuild work installing floors, finishing sheet rock, installing tile and building decks. Others did chain saw work.  They cut trees on the ground and on top of homes.  The removal of trees from the top of a home requires skilled cutters.  They were assisted by a boom truck provided by William of Johnsonville Mechanical which made the job a lot easier and faster.  Teams have all gone home now but there is still lots of tree jobs, rebuild jobs and a few tear outs to be done. Ann took a day off from her admin duties and went to Lumberton to work with the childcare unit.

Carolina Rebuild October 9-15, 2016

     1-Grassy Pond Baptist, Gaffney, SC; 2-Johnsonville Baptist Youth; 3-Morris Knaup, Ashville;  4-Bennett Baptist; 5-Cumberland Plateau Baptist Association, TN; 6-Lisa & Bill Sherill, Greenville, SC; 7-Ewing Baptist, KY; 8-Heath Team, Greer, SC; 9-Gary & Royce, Knoxville, TN; 10-Prosperity, SC Chainsaw Team; 11-Region 7 Feeding (Diane, Larry, Barbara & Bernice); No photo: Tucapau Baptist.     Hurricane Matthew paid us a visit on Saturday so our work started Sunday morning with the arrival of our first chain saw team. They only had to walk out back and across the street to start. During the week they spread out from Johnsonville to Hemingway and Lake City.  Fortunately for the flood victims from last year the flooding was not as bad this time.     On Sunday afternoon the rebuild teams began to arrive with all offering to do what ever was needed.  With more saw teams coming Billy choose to keep them doing rebuild.  They installed and finished sheet rock, repaired overhangs on a home and worked on flooring.

The Johnsonville site is still in need of volunteers to remove insulation, spray homes for mold, cut trees and rebuild homes from last years storm.

Carolina Rebuild October 2-8, 2016

   Only had 5 volunteers last week (Community Bible, Highpoint, Winton Baptist and Hayes Barton) and that was just for a few days. Billy was busy working on finishing a roof and working with contractor who is helping us get a handle on the roof jobs so he didn’t get many pictures.  However volunteers did repair some electric, remove moldy wet carpet, hang insulation and sheet rock in a house.  Hoping Matthew doesn’t cause problems and Chris can come do mud work next week.

Like each of you we have been praying for the people and areas affected by Matthew.  We know many of you will respond and help as mush as you can.  We to would like to join you BUT a few years back we felt the call to serve in the rebuild ministry of NCBM and have been blessed by doing so.  Ann and I are glad that NCBM made the decision also to stay with a project when we feel it is one GOD has called us to do.  So we are staying in Johnsonville during the passing of Matthew putting trust in GOD that he will protect us. Two small teams arrive Sunday and we will resume the task of rebuilding and sharing the gospel Monday morning.  Several have canceled for next week.  I ask you to pray and follow the call where GOD wants you to serve.

Carolina Rebuild September 25-October 1, 2016

     1-Region 5 Feeding Team (Jamie, Patsy, Bill & Tom); 2-David Fuss finishing up his month here; 3-Chapel Church-York, PA; 4-Colonial Baptist-Thomasville; 5-Union Baptist Association.     This week we had two small groups all week.  One group took on a roof project and after it was dried in and the rain came they started to remove damaged and molded areas inside.  The other team worked with David on two homes we were doing a total rebuild on and they are now complete and the families are returning home 11 months after moving out.  On Saturday we had a group of 24 including youth and all the way to senior. They all went to one home and split up. A group tackled the sand which needed to be put under the home as well as a diversion ditch in order to help keep water from standing under this home.  The others split up inside to replace insulation, ceiling sheet rock and floor decking.  For this family it is a blessing to have a roof that no longer leaks and a home that is becoming free of mold and unsafe floors.

It has been a year since the rain/flood event happened in South Carolina.  Although many homes have been repaired and families are now living in a safe and secure home many have yet to be repaired.  Most of these families have little choice but to continue to live in their home which still have roof leaks, mold in the walls, ceiling and floors along with floors that can not be walked on. Currently NCBM has 89 open rebuild jobs on the roster.  However I know of two other lists that include 48 additional homes in the Johnsonville area that have asked for help but have not received any help yet or put on any rebuild list.  Please pray for these home owners and consider a trip to Johnsonville to help rebuild hope and homes as we share the gospel while repairing homes.

Carolina Rebuild September 18-24, 2016

     Our volunteers this week: 1-Region 2 Feeding Team (Janet, Andy & Rita); 2-Green River Baptist Assoc. Rutherfordton; 3-Welcome our newest staff member Patches who watches over the beverage table; 4-Biltmore Baptist; 5-Flat Rock Baptist, Hamptonville.     Teams worked on various projects this past week.  They kept David and I on the move so we did not get many pictures.  However lots of work on homes and souls was done.  Three homes received new floors and covering along with ceiling replacements. A set of steps was built along with under skirting a mobile home.  Lots of painting done.  Molding installed, doors hung, plumbing completed, electric and other stuff on two home which are all but ready for the families to return home.  As I write this and think back on how much was done this past week it is obvious why we didn’t get many pictures and that GOD was definitely present.

SCBC has agreed to hire a local Christian contractor to help get shingles installed on the many roofs that have been leaking or have tarps on them for the past 11 months.  This will help get homes dried in so teams can concentrate on the inside work.  But we still need help doing roofs and now the inside work amounts increase so let us know when your team will be coming to South Carolina to help rebuild homes and share the gospel.

Carolina Rebuild September 4-17, 2016

     Week of September 4-10: We took some time to go home but Billy was missing Johnsonville so much that he came back early. While David and Billy were waiting on teams to arrive they did some prep work at Mrs. Rosa’s.  William, who lives there also, pitched in to help as we laid floor decking.   Shiloh Baptist, Garner arrived on Thursday night to work Friday and Saturday. They were a large team so they split up and worked on multiple homes and projects. They did trim work, sprayed ceilings, reinstalled doors and stained trim.     Week of September 11-17: 1-Region 3 Feeding Team, BJ, RW, Nancy & Debra; 2-Shoup's Grove BC, Icard with David Fuss, Meena Evans, & Doug Estep; 3-We had a bit of rain this week; 4-Friday night lights in Johnsonville; 5-New Hope Baptist, Monroe and Fairfield Community Baptist, Marshville with Paul Langston.     The Shoup's Grove team laid flooring, did lots of trim work, painted and plumbed.  God knew we needed a few guys who understood mobile homes and they were a big help.  New Hope and Fairfield came together and then split up to install 2 metal roofs.  The mobile home roof was a basic install but the older house had lots of repair before they could install the roof.  Both roofs are complete and look great. 

Progress on repairing homes continue at a good pace.  Best of all the teams have been able to share the gospel with lots of the home owners.

Carolina Rebuild August 28-September 3, 2016

     The SC Campers On Mission were with us for another week.  The guys heard about a family on our list that needed a new roof so they choose to replace the roof.  A B and Ruth Ann came to do feeding and brought Chevy.  As normal they worked on a site in the mornings.  They helped hang insulation, sheet rock and paneling.  William jumped in to help also.  At the Wednesday night service they needed a piano player so Ruth Anne stepped up. We all headed out early due to Hurricane Hermine was on the way. 

We don’t have any volunteers until next Saturday so we will be in Momeyer for the week.  I know it’s that time of the year when volunteer turn out is low BUT NCBM still has 94 job requests waiting and 45 of them include roof repair and tarping.  These 45 homes could use roofing teams before the next storm comes ashore.