Whether You Are Young or Old God Will Use You If You Are Willing

1-Oak City Baptist Church brought a large team wanting to do what ever GOD led them to do. Tripp was the youngest (5) and GOD led him to love each of us and he also did a great devotion.  2-Don & Bill were two individuals who came, met and became a good team and I assume friends forever.  3-The Pactolus group also came with a heart to serve at whatever God needed them to do.  4-Steve Hudyma joined up with the Center Grove team from Ahoskie which heard the call for help and went.  5-And for all who say they are too old to do mission work well you need to try to hang with the Matthews group. They ask what to do and then it gets done.  So a big THANKS to GOD and his children “young, senior and in between.“

Pastor Chris from Oak City did some electrical work at Tony’s while the girls did lots of clean up.  The Matthews group worked on the Fulchur house in Avon.  They did electric, plumbing & laid flooring.

Mike Daughtery (aka Chief Mike) built cabinets for the Williams house in Avon.  Since Roy from Oak City knew Mike he went to help along with Rob. That is the largest butterfly bush in Kathy’s back yard I’ve ever seen.

Most of the Oak City team spent the week at the now “Little Yellow House” (previously red).  They cleaned up, moved sand, built and planted a vegetable garden, built an a/c pad.

They moved everything in the attic including the floor to install new insulation.  They installed floor insulation under the house and then put up the underpinning.  Chris gave lessons on pulling wire.  Don & Bill finished the rails & pickets on the rear deck.  Then they did the main part of the front deck.  They also helped get the siding started. Of course under the house was the favorite “taking a break and cooling off spot” for everyone. 

Richie (local) continued to finish the sheet rock.  He not only finished it he also did the knock down and primed the ceilings.  The Pactolus group helped get a lot of the siding done and some of the ladies have started painting the exterior. 

Lots of people this week so the dining area was full during meal times and devotions. Top right is Tripp with his mom at his side for support while he told us all about Jonah and the whale and how we should all turn from our sins.  After a long hard days work the Oak City guys said they were going to go catch supper.  Well they didn’t catch much of anything so I’m glad that Ann and Linda went ahead and prepared a great meal as they have six days a week since Feb. 1st. 

There are two guarantees if you come to the OBX to serve GOD: 1- you will get a blessing out of it while you enjoy yourself   2 – Forget your diet cause the way Ann & Linda cook, let’s just say its your own fault if you get up from the table hungry.  I assure you your belly will get full because they prepare plenty of great tasting food and deserts.

Short But Good Week

We had a short week in Salvo.  We started Monday with three volunteers – Bruce, Tim & Billy T.  Then Thad (a Baptist Man on vacation) came and helped on Tuesday.  We worked on Dean’s little red house, which by the way is not red any more and will now be referred to as Dean’s house.  We installed the windows, built a porch and steps and started hanging sheet rock.  On Wednesday Richie and Ann joined us hanging sheet rock.  Although the volunteers left by Wednesday lunch Richie came back on Thursday to help finish hanging the ceilings.   We left to go home on Thursday but Richie was still hanging rock and said he would work on it until we return on Sunday.  And believe it or not that is Billy on the pier Sunday evening fishing.

Please continue to pray for us and the many volunteers GOD is calling to go and serve. The month of July is basically open.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Obituary of Ina Claire Moore Ezzell

We went home to attend the funeral of Ina Ezzell who was our daughter-in-law’s grandmother. She was such a sweet Christian lady and will be greatly missed. Billy had known her & her husband Bill for many years.

We also were able to make a short but enjoyable visit to Lake Gaston.

Wow! What a Week!

Volunteers-David brought his transit so we could level Dean’s piling band.  Charles and Don from Roxboro finally meet.  Carey from Whiteville and Andy from Clinton came via Murphy & lets not forget our new friends Bruce, Bill & Donna from Kentucky. Wayne from Hertford.

More volunteers-AB from Murfreesboro , The Deacon Family-John, Stephanie, Sarah & Molly from Youngsville, Lisa 1 from Edenton and Lisa 2 from Roxobel, Lewis, Brenda, Linda and Warren from Elizabeth City, and George, Arthur and Charles from Roanoke Rapids.

Little Red House #1-Abode House Movers finished raising Dean’s (also known as the Little Red House) on Monday.  On Tuesday Able Marine installed the pilings. Then the Baptist volunteers cut the pilings and set the banding so Wayne’s crew could lower the house on Friday.  Although the week started off a little slow doing odd & ends due to schedule changes we were very flexible when Wayne’s schedule changed and he wanted to lower Dean’s house on Thursday afternoon. The men & women worked hard and steady to get things ready.  When Wayne had the house set down and his guys were getting their equipment up and loaded he came over and spoke precious words “It is great to work around a group like yours. They work steady and the language is clean and joyful.”  I enjoy that part a lot myself. 

Little Red House #2-If you have never banded pilings, cut and set bands or tied it all together it is a lot of thought, check & recheck. Although the volunteers had not done this before they stepped up to the plate, asked what to do and did what would have taken an average beach crew 3 or 4 days to complete in 2 days. THANKS VOLUNTEERS and PLEASE forgive me for getting a little tense and short.

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Little Red House #3-John Deacon brought his girls with him this trip. They cleaned up, installed insulation (on 2 jobs) and moved fill sand under Dean’s house.  John, Bruce, Bill and Don built the back deck.  A group came from Elizabeth City and painted trim.  Lowe’s brought the sheet rock but forgot to send anybody to put it in the house.  Again THANKS to the volunteers who stepped up to the challenge of handling 90 pieces of sheet rock.  Silver lining – the fork lift operator and a passer by both asked why we are working so hard and where we were from.  I must give Charles the credit for stopping to answer their questions. 

Elsie’s and Tony’s- Some did entrance wiring and insulation at Elsie’s and others helped frame and install underpinning at Tony & Erin’s.

Pastor Steve and Wesley & Jennifer-Couple of weeks back the college group removed the old shed at Wesley & Jennifer’s so a few volunteers went by to finish the ramp to the new shed.  Volunteers also worked at Pastor Steve’s finishing sheet rock, painting and exterior trim work.

We made new friends and formed relationships that will last on into heaven when we meet again or maybe before.  NCBM and KYBM definitely worked side by side.  Ann enjoyed perhaps her last OBX quilt meet and luncheon for this year.  Charles and Donna bonded due to she would point out mistakes he had noticed already and was figuring on a correction plan. The guys were able to put their thoughts together and figure out how things are done.  BEST of all GOD gave us beautiful scenery and great fellowship so we could enjoy another day in paradise.

Please pray we get more volunteers in the next few weeks as there is still lots of work to be completed.

Memorial Day 5K, a House Raising and Good Food

Monday through Thursday our only volunteers were Linda’s friends from VA, Robin and  Glen. We worked on floor replacement at Kathy M’s and insulation at the Little Red House. Robin and Glen also went to Avon on Thursday to paint and install base molding. Then they had some R & R time.  They are a great couple and we hope they will come again.

On Friday & Saturday we had groups from Ignite Church in Greenville.  They put up insulation & hung sheet rock at Pastor Steve’s house in the room he is fixing up for one of his daughter’s and her family to live in.

On Friday our new house raising team started bringing in equipment and then after it was in spot on Saturday they started raising The Little Red House (of course it’s not red any more).  You can see the before and after pictures but it still will go higher. God had his hand in arranging for Wayne’s crew to raise this house.  Pray for us that we don’t miss the opportunity to serve GOD as he has planned.

Ann and her friend Melinda ran in the 1st Annual Shore Break 5K in Avon.  It was a tough race ending on the beach.  Thanks to a lady that goes to Cape Hatteras Baptist Church we had a bushel of fresh blue crabs delivered on Monday.  Linda was in crab heaven.  Other than what we ate Monday night she picked the rest by her self “THANK’s LINDA”.   We are still having great meals and desserts. Normally teams will take a day off and go out at least one night for local food.  But so far the teams have worked each day they are here and everybody looks forward to the next meal with the comment “we can diet when we go home” or “This is the best food I’ve ever had on a mission trip.”  Beryl came and went.  It only left us a small amount of rain and the winds, other than for about 2 hours, were basically normal.  What beautiful sights GOD provides after a storm.

Billy did get a five second spot on WRAL.

http://www.wral.com/weather/hurricanes/video/11154956/#/vid11154956

A Great Week for Fish

On Monday the Momeyer Team arrived in time for lunch.  Of course Doug was on his second week here.  Linda and Ann were planning to have chicken for supper when we got a call that we were being given three tuna fish.  They quickly changed gears and thanks to lots of help cleaning those huge fish we were able to have fresh grilled tuna instead.  It was yummy.  On Wednesday night we went to revival at Cape Hatteras Baptist Church were Billy and Russ celebrated their birthdays.

The Momeyer Team worked on several different projects this week.  They painted at Kathy Williams’ house in Avon.  Eddie did some rough in caulking in the Little Red House.  Ann and Pastor Paul visited several people including Dean, Donna and Mrs. Janie (aka Granny).

The team also worked inside and outside at Kathy Morrett’s house and put a new roof on Pastor Steve’s house.  Alan Harris helped on the new roof too.

On Thursday Ann, Doug and Jeffrey were treated to a fishing trip by our friend Captain Tim Etheridge on his boat.  They got up before sunrise to drive down to Hatteras Village to board Born Again. Tim was a brave man to take out three rookies that had never been fishing on a boat in the ocean.   Thunderstorms were threatening but it turned out to be a beautiful day.  Thanks to our great captain we brought home thirty-two Spanish Mackerel and three Blue Fish.

Right now we only have two volunteers for next week due to a team canceling.  If you are feeling the call to serve please give us a call.

College Week

Group of college students from NC State Raleigh Wesley Foundation came out to serve for 4 days. They stayed in Kitty Hawk but worked here with us. They removed insulation from under homes, cleaned up trash pile in back of a home, demolished a shed, helped install shingles on The Little Red House,

They also removed and helped replace shake shingles on Lifeboat Church, helped unload the food pantry truck, helped gut out a home and a few went to Avon to paint with Charles.  Wow, they did a lot but then there was 24 of them. Great group of students willing to serve GOD.

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More college students came on Tuesday Douglas (NC State), Erica (Nash Community College) & Isaac (South Eastern Seminary & Wake Forest University) came on Tuesday from Momeyer. They helped install shakes at Elsie’s along with shingles at Deans. Erica also jumped in to help Linda cook since Ann was away for a few days.  Members of Cool Springs also came out to serve. The first day the worked on Elsie’s house and then they repaired around the stain glass window at Lifeboat and then installed the shakes with help from college students.

Billy has tomatoes on his vines.  Can you see it?  Ann went to Melinda’s 30th birthday party at the Lifeboat Church on Tuesday night.  She left the island on Wednesday afternoon to go to Marion, NC  via Momeyer to help with NCBM training.  She worked with the badge team (Candy, Pam and Brian) and also taught the Admin Recert class on Saturday.  Luckily she didn’t have to drive all the way to Marion but caught a ride with the Stancil’s on their luxury RV.

Our Largest Team So Far

Our volunteers for the week: Tim came for another couple of days and brought Bill & Billy.   We had a large group (21 of them) from  New Hope Baptist in Laurinburg.  Jerry Barbee came down and has been doing lots of plumbing.  Charles spent the week at Susan’s doing last minute stuff her contractor did not complete.  He also did some adjustments to our outside showers to help make them more user friendly.  Ann kept hearing about the Chicken Dance so Nelma, with the New Hope group, did a command performance before breakfast on Friday.  Nelma is the kind of lady that is happy all the time and she doesn’t mind showing it.  She says she has been doing the dance all her life ever since a talent contest as a young girl.  Our friend Gabe (local) did the knock down in Kathy’s kitchen.  Willie, Judy and William from Pilot Mountain also joined us this week.

The Little Red House: We started off the week planning to remove the roof & walls of the front room. The more we removed the more issues we found.  When we got to the floor it was in worse shape than we thought so it went also.  With all removed we started rebuilding the room with new materials and a higher ceiling.

Kathy’s House in Avon:  Most of the New Hope team spent the week in Avon at Kathy’s house. They primed and painted walls, tiled the bathroom floor, finished the exterior on the porch we raised the roof on and trimmed out the windows.

Food and Fun: This week Ann and Linda cooked some great meals and desserts and made a new friend here on the island.  Mrs. Nancy is a delightful lady with lots of interesting tales to tell.  Ann witnessed a wedding on the beach and a beautiful sunset over the Pamlico Sound.

Progress Being Made on The Little Red House

Other than Tuesday we had a small crew this week.  However the LORD’s work continues.  The new rear room and main part of old house is ready for rough in.  Yes I know we left off a row of sheeting at the bottom.  That is so we can tie the home to the pilings once it is raised.

Sheetrock and siding work was done on the Williams house.  Since volunteers were low in numbers this week Ann & Linda finished painting  Linda Hooper’s house that Elaine and Alice from Pilot Baptist started.  Alan & Bob installed a walk for the temporary outdoor showers to handle the larger teams coming during May.  Our prayer is that the extra showers will also be needed in June , July & August for the many teams that have not signed up yet.  Don from Roxboro was a big help this week mainly doing sheetrock finishing.  Somehow we missed getting a picture of him.

If you enjoy the beach, great food and serving GOD then the OBX Rebuild Project is where you need to be.  Ann & Linda both enjoy cooking and anybody that has been here will agree - GREAT MEALS LADIES.   Linda had some visitors this week and Ann took the time to play grandma and play with Sydney and Millie on the beach.  Ann & I went to Home Depot on Saturday afternoon to pick up some cabinets.  On the way up the beach we came across a family who had pulled off the road to switch drivers. Not a good idea.  They were attempting to push the car out of the sand but were not getting very far so NCBM lent a helping hand and pulled them out.  You never know what or where GOD will send you to work so keep your eyes and your heart open.

Down With the Old and Up With the New

Volunteers this week-clockwise starting a top left: Steve Wilson, Jean and Alvin Wadsworth and Freddie Roberson from Williamston Baptist Church; John Deacon; Bob Silver; Sid and Betty Ann Shearin; Billy Williams;  Brooks, Mike, Douglas, Loyall and Amy from Robersonville Baptist; Charles Aultman with his going away carrot cake; Bobby Eure and Harlon Castaloe.

The center picture is Bruce and Terri Fulcher.  Bruce is the Reaching People Coordinator for Pennsylvania Southern Baptist.  We had gone over to the KOA campground Sunday afternoon to welcome Bob.  They were camping there also and  came over to say hi when they saw the NCBM logo on the truck.  They joined us for Wednesday night supper and led our devotion.  It was nice getting to know them and hear about what God is doing in PA.

The Williamston group spent most of their time in Avon doing sheetrock work on Kathy Williams home.  Charles & Bob worked on her exterior trim.

THE OLD: On Tuesday the volunteers began removing the rear room from the little red house.  There were issues with termites, rotten wood and a very small kitchen.  If you are old enough to know what the green thing is in the center you are most likely retired and should have time to serve GOD on the OBX.  For the rest of you it is a washing machine and you can also volunteer and join the fun.

THE NEW: Then we started expanding the space and building the new kitchen and bedroom.  Rafters are not my thing so Jimmy Hooper came over and helped us get started.  THANKS JIMMY.

A couple of the Robersonville group worked on the interior walls getting them on 16” centers so sheet rock will install easier.  In the center is Dean (left) and her mother Janie.  It was Janie’s birthday ( 93 ) and one of her wants was to go by the home place to see what was being done.  If you don’t recognize the center right couple it is K & Dana Brown with the convention.  They came down for the afternoon to do a story for the NC Mission Offering Video.  K took many pictures of work in process and so many of Janie that I’m sure she felt like a rock star.  I’m looking forward to the article or what ever he does with all the pictures and video.  I know it will be great. Thanks K & Dana.

Please support the NC Mission Offering.  It supports projects such as the rebuild here on the OBX which is a great way to share the word and love of GOD while we also help rebuild the homes that were damaged or destroyed  by the floods of Hurricane Irene.  Maybe GOD is leading you to come to Salvo and join us.  We accept volunteers for the day, days, week or month.  I will be praying to see you soon.

And then some of the fun stuff.

Everybody thinks Ann is on the OBX working hard.  Well she is working hard buying groceries and preparing fabulous meals for me and all the volunteers.  However she has also been training for a race.  On Sat she joined 177 others on Ocracoke Island for her first 5K.  Pastor Russ & Jodi ran with her.  Here are her stats:

Place- 109
Div Place- 9 / 16
Run Time- 32:50
Pace- 10:35 per mile

Finally Starting on the Little Red House

Steve (Who da man) came out and did sheet rock work on Linda Hooper’s home.

The returning (David Early) group came as a large group. They finished the rough in wiring at Elsie Hooper’s along with some tear out and started on rebuilding Aldeana Bruce’s home.   And yes, that is me, Billy, in my normal pose on the phone.  Glad it works so people can call to volunteer (252)885-2143.

Charles and me spent most of the week working by ourselves.  We did plumbing, electric and framing at Tony & Erin’s in Rodanthe and Kathy’s in Avon.  Did some wiring a Eric’s too.

Still lots to do so please come on down to the OBX and join the fun as we serve GOD by helping his children in need.

A note from Ann: On Saturday I took a trip up north to Kitty Hawk to run some errands. While I was out I decided to explore the Manteo waterfront.  It was a beautiful day for being outside.  I even saw something Hurricane Irene related-the high water mark on the weather tower.