Two Good Teams = Lots of Work Done

The region 1 rebuild team spent most of their time working on Mary & Anna’s home getting it almost ready to move in.  They painted walls, installed floor covering, kitchen cabinets and molding.  Billy (not Layton) repaired her brick wall around the front of the house that boats had hit during Sandy’s visit.   Harlon and David helped the electrician with some wiring at Grace Evangelical Church.Woody Tucker led the Region 8 feeding team.  A different team member stayed back to help do the cooking each day while the others went out to help with rebuild work.  The last two days they all went out.  They repaired interior steps, build walls and rails, hung sheet rock and did some much needed ministering to homeowners.  Woody was found sleeping in the drive way so they chalked him out.

Prayer request: We could sure use a plumber and an electrician to work with the licensed contractor next week if you or somebody you know could come up.

Feeding Team Turns Into Recovery Team

Although we only had one volunteer sign up for this week, the Region 6 feeding team led by Jerry Barbee, still came to serve.  After breakfast they went out into the field, cleaning out a church and a home.  Then in the afternoon they would return to cook and serve supper.  Tony Treat came up to do mold treatments and accessing. Ann went home to attend her Uncle Elton’s funeral and stayed all week to help Matt and Tanya at Yellow Dog Bread Company.  She had fun but worked really hard.  Her main job was washing dishes but was also able to help make cinnamon buns and other breads.

We wonder if people will remember what we have done for them or what we say to them. I know for a fact that the residents of New Jersey that volunteers have called to check on since the Seaside fire will always remember the phone call to ask if they were OK and to let them know others were praying for them daily.

Another good testimony we hear often is a volunteer will be somewhere and a total stranger who lives in Jersey but their home was not affected by Sandy will say THANK YOU for coming to help the ones in need

Back to Work in NJ

1-Carl and Richard;  2-Garden City Baptist, SC; 3-Marion and Harry, VA;  5-Ann and Diane from Liberty Baptist, Yorktown, VA.

Ann & I had the pleasure of a date night this week compliments of the captain and owner of the River Lady.  We had a nice dinner cruise and a view of the terrible fire on the Seaside Park and Seaside Heights boardwalks.  So sad that this place that is trying to recover from Super Storm Sandy has been destroyed.We had four small teams this week but GOD's work still shined on. The SC group hung sheet rock and started finishing it in one home along with finishing the sheet rock in another and started painting.  Some of them also helped remove heating units and flooded wiring from the church we plan to move to soon. Carl and Richard joined us again and did lots of mold treatment.  The VA rebuild guys did tear out two days and then helped rebuild.  They installed flooring, repaired shingles and repaired exterior trim on some homes.  They also had a chance to visit the boardwalk the day before it burned. We also had two ladies from VA join us to do the cooking and cleaning.

Grace Tabernacle has very kind and allowed us to stay in their facility for almost 10 months now.  However they are growing quickly and need there space back so NCBM will be moving to Seaside Heights into Grace Evangelical Church.  This will locate us close to most of the proposed future work which will allow us to spend more time with the home owners instead of traveling.  The building was flooded (6 feet of water) so there is lots of work to be done before we move.  That, along with homeowners are waiting for their homes to be rebuilt so they can also move back home leaves us with a need for lots of volunteers.  Please listen to GOD's calling and wherever it is PLEASE go and serve so HIS plan can be forefilled.

Our Vacation at Home

Different people spend their vacation different ways.  With no registered volunteers for 2 weeks we went back home to North Carolina for ours.  We did get to spend 3 days at Lake Gaston and enjoyed that very much.   A little relaxing, visiting old friends and several maintenance jobs were done.  At home we cleaned, repaired eve metal and did a lot of grass cutting.  Ann spent 2 days helping our son and his wife, Matt and Tanya, get their bakery ready to open.  Ann was also able to visit some with her quilting friends.On Friday, for our last  day of vacation well it was long. We spent the morning in Momeyer.  Ann did last minute house cleaning while Billy finished cutting the grass one last time.  Then we went to Momeyer Ruritan Club to eat some BBQ chicken and visit with friends.  Then we went to Yellow Dog Bread in Raleigh to help them with last minute preps for the grand opening at 6:00.  While the property landlord was making a big mess in the parking lot removing perfectly good trees Matt cooked bread and cookies while Tanya put the first display of bread for sale on the shelves.  Several of their friends and Tanya’s family came to help  however they could.  Thanks to all that came to help because at 5:45 a man came in to buy a loaf of bread because he had to be elsewhere at 6:00.  Well from that moment until 9:10 there was a large steady crowd of customers, family and friends coming in to visit and purchase bread.  When they finally closed the doors at 9:30 the shelves were almost empty.  Many items were sold out.  Please visit them when you are in Raleigh.  They have wonderful bread and pastries.

On Saturday we returned to Jersey to continue where we feel called to be.  We pray many of you will come to Jersey to help us as we strive to serve GOD while also helping the home owners rebuild their homes and lives.

Returning Volunteers from Austin Grove Baptist Church

Our team this week was Austin Grove Baptist Church from Marshville, NC. Four of the team had been earlier in the year.  Their hearts were touched by so much need they returned and brought four more. Being it was a small group Ann, Polly and Rita did the cooking, cleaning, laundry and ice cream making.  They brought their own ice cream maker and peaches so we were good host and said yes you can make ice cream.  Polly made homemade chicken pastry one day.    They also brought a lot of laughter and joy which spreads very well.  Billy had a lot to do with getting some of the equipment ready to move but the team was nice enough to allow him to help with sheet rock mudding one day.The team finished hanging sheet rock and finished it, repaired windows that were about to fall out, cleaned cut a crawl space, laid floor decking and even took a break every so often.  We enjoyed this team being in New Jersey to help with the rebuild process and look forward to their next trip which they are already planning.

NCBM and the people of New Jersey are in need of volunteers to help rebuild the shore area of Ocean and Monmouth counties.  At this time we only have two teams signed up for the remainder of 2013.  However four other teams are working to set a week to come help serve.  We ask that you join us in prayer for the people of New Jersey as well as for teams to come and help as we serve GOD in the way and location we feel he has called us to serve.  There is so much rebuild to be done and gospel to be spread in New Jersey that if the volunteers respond NCBM could spend another year in Jersey and still only make a dent in the relief effort.  If you or your church needs more information about the operation please contact NCBM or Billy and Ann Layton.  If you need somebody to come share with you about what we are doing we will do our best to locate somebody in your area to come tell you what GOD did for them while they were in New Jersey serving. 

A Team All the Way From Germany

1-Matthews Baptist Church; 2-Region 7 Feeding Team led by Terry Barnes; 3-Mt. Olive Baptist Church, Pittsboro, NC with traveling companions from Charlotte and Hillsborough; 4-Impact Team from Germany with www.liebenzell.org; 5-Alan Harris, Conway, NC; 6-Eric and Billy Cook (Billy came with the feeding team but became a mold specialist along with Eric.Great week with first timers and returners.  Allen Harris was still here to help us oversee teams and do assessments.  Matthews Baptist returned to do whatever needed. Their second job actually finished one that they started several months ago.  A blessing to be at a home in the beginning and be there for the final.  They installed cabinets in 4 homes.  Almost time for home owners to start cooking again.  A group of young adults were in the area from Germany doing sports camps.  Being they had no camp this week they asked if they could help us. They cleaned yards, painted, moved sand, hung insulation and sheet rock, and help move the contents of one of our storage boxes.  Hard working and energetic group.  The Mount Olive Baptist group built walls, hung sheet rock and helped with mold mitigation.  Eric and Billy Cook also did mold mitigation  this week.

We are in need of additional volunteers each week for the rest of the year.  Please join us in prayer that the ones GOD is calling to go to New Jersey will listen and respond.  Along with prayer PLEASE spread the word that we need volunteers.  Let them know this is a N C Baptist Men’s operation but they do not have to be trained or Baptist or men.  They just need to want to serve GOD and help others.

A Little Vacation to Ohio

With no volunteers this week we took off to go to Ohio to see family. We stayed with Kim (daughter),Brandon (son-n-love) and grandson who they are adopting.  Started the week off with Brandon preaching and then baptizing grandson in a swimming pool, followed by a cookout and pool party. Kim had to work so we took the guys to The Wilds on Tuesday for a safari.  On nearly 10000 acres that was previously a strip coal mine there is now a wildlife conservation center.  Kim wanted the carpet out of the grandson’s bathroom so Billy was glad to help with that project. Projects make Billy happy.We left Kim’s on Wednesday morning and went to Intercourse, PA (Amish Country) and spent the night.  We visited the Pretzel Factory while there and got a lesson on pretzel shaping. We returned to Allenwood on Thursday and was met by Alan Harris who will be helping Billy for 2 weeks.  Billy and Alan spent Friday checking on the status of job sites.  On Saturday Billy worked on straightening out tool trailer while Alan built storage shelves and Eric washed the bunk unit.  Later Billy and Alan sorted all the cleaning supplies we still have on hand.

Nine Months After the Storm

1-Long Branch Baptist-Lumberton, NC (Ladies-Shower/Laundry & Men-Mold Remediation); 2-Valley Baptist, Middletown, PA; 3-Community Bible Church, High Point,NC; 4-Region 1 Feeding Team-Wayne, Pauline & Gerald; 5-Eric-Hendersonville BC; 6-Steve Wells, Seaford Baptist Church, Seaford, VA and Don Gallimore, Roxboro, NC; 7-Overflow Baptist Church, Thomasville, NC.Lots of good work done this week.  Teams tore out floors and walls of homes while other teams do the final touches on a couple of homes.  The cooks did an excellent team cooking and cleaning up the equipment.  Ann has been helping with the Grace Scouts and this week they went hiking in Allaire State Park

It has been 9 months since Super Storm Sandy struck New Jersey & New York.  Many homes have been repaired and many torn down.  However there is still many that have not been torn out or rebuilt.  Please pray for these homeowners. If GOD has laid it on your heart to go and help rebuild homes while ministering to the people PLEASE contact us or NCBM to arrange a time for you or your team.  At present time plans are for us to be here into 2014.

Summer Rush Ends With a Great Work Week

Momeyer Baptist Church, Nashville, NC   Eddie, Valarie, Doug, Iva & Judy did a paint job in one house and then moved on and caulked and painted trim in another house.  They also clean and sealed the floor at Union Church.  Doug is always eager to learn something new so I let him cut and install some missing baseboard molding.

Bailey Baptist Church, Bailey, NC  Emily & Ed rode up with the Momeyer team to to do shower & laundry which includes the four bathrooms in the church.  They also do chaplaincy so they contacted a family in need of support.Our Redeemer’s United Methodist Church, Schaumburg, IL  The group split several ways due to size and skills.  Along with other small jobs they worked steady on two large demo job tearing out sheet rock and flooring at two homes while others were were installing sheet rock and flooring on two rebuild jobs.  They also led some music during devotions. They enjoyed getting together and playing games in the evenings.Providence Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC     This team also split up.  They rebuilt two bathrooms,  built a porch and steps so a senior would get in and out easy, did a couple of tear outs, installed insulation and started replacing shake shingles on a home.  Don Galimore came in Wednesday.  He joined one of their groups as they took down and replaced the upper room steps at Union Church.Covenant Baptist Church, Shepherdstown, WV   Kyler returned from West Virginia with a group of energetic youth and leaders.  They installed the shingles on Joan’s house, installed crawl space insulation in three homes, did tear outs and moved our frozen food back into the NBCM refer.1-Region 5 Feeding Team led by Ruby Wester; 2-IL team praying for  a God led day; 3-A dining hall full for dinner and devotions; 4-Lined up at the tool trailer; 5-Faithful Don back to help us; 6-Eric the Ice Man.7-Carl and Richard came back with the feeding team to do mold fogging; 8-Eric’s home theater system with surround sound (ear buds); 9-Contents of refer moved for the third time; 10-Feeding team peeling real potatoes for supper; 11-Jackie, one of the homeowners being helped this week was so grateful that she showed up to thank (and hug) the team one more time before they left NJ; 12-Doug celebrated his birthday this week by being first in line for every meal.

Lots of Spirit led work this week.  I see it and so do the local residents.  It is such a blessing to be in a store, shop or on the board walk and a stranger walks up and says “Thank you for what you are doing for our neighbors”.

Our Biggest Week So Far

This week we had 93 volunteers on site. 1-Lakeside Baptist Church, Greensboro, GA;  2-Billy testing out Ann’s yard sale bike;  3-South Haven Baptist Church, Springfield, MO;  4-Region 9/10 Feeding Team-Cary, Kerry, Eric and Ronnie;  5-First Baptist, Staunton,VA.  Much was accomplished this week by these teams but we were to busy to get pictures.Tuesday night we received a NCMB refer trailer to replace the US Foods one we had been using.  On Wednesday morning Billy built a temporary platform between the trailers and some of the Georgia group helped Eric move all the frozen food.  Then on Friday morning the new unit shut down.  We tried to get someone from Thermo King to service it with no luck.  Billy worked on it for about an hour and then made the call to reload the food back into the old trailer.  Unfortunately we have no tractor so it all had to be loaded into a pick up, moved and the reloaded into trailer.  What a blessing GOD had the foresight that we would still need the old trailer and it had not been picked up.