We continue to press on rebuilding homes damaged by spring rain floods in Moffett, OK. Because of the disrepair of these older homes and lack of willing servants, things are moving more slowly than we'd like but we're making progress! We have had a few setbacks with things here and there, but we know that The LORD is good all the time and no matter what, He still provides opportunities for us to grow in Him and to minister as his ambassadors to those around us!
Things finally cooled down here one day last week and it's predicted to stay cool at least through this week! This is the first time we've been able to open our windows and turn off our a/c since we've been here! We've been having cooling issues with our refrigerator, which is common with RVs in this type of heat, but so far it hasn't recouped since it's gotten cooler. Pray that there's nothing wrong with it as it may need to be replaced (fifteen years old) and it would be $1,500 - and that is if I do the work myself!
We've become friends with Sylvester and Barbara, who live in Moffett and who were able to rebuild their home on their own. They live across the street from Leo and Edna. Every time we see them, we talk back and forth a little, and we've offered to help them, but they say they are fine and don't want to take from folks who really need the help! Mary Jo often goes over and sits with them for longer conversations. The other day, Sylvester told her that we've blended into their community, saying that everyone "knows Curt by name but he hasn't tried to draw any attention to himself but just shows up and works everyday." That's exactly what we always hope to do - develop relationships with people and be part of the community we are in! Keep Sylvester and Barbara in your prayers. Sylvester shared that being displaced from their home was one of the hardest things they have ever gone through. They are back in their home but there is still much to do and they are very weary.
We have a few items to finish up at Leo and Edna's this week, and then we will be ready for drywall! One of Leo's relatives is doing the install and finish work of the drywall. Then we will go back in and install the doors and trim. Then another one of their relatives is going to do the painting. When that is finished, we'll come in and trim the electric, plumbing, cabinets, flooring, and insulate the attic! We'd love to get them home by Thanksgiving! Pray that the Lord would be their strength as they wait.
We had a few days where we had some extra help, so we were able to get started on the framing, siding and windows at Miss Reba's. She is more than anxious for us to get her home completed. She is still faithfully working on something or other on her home or property every day.
We invited Reba out to dinner one night. She's always fun to be around and has lots of stories to tell about living in Moffett most of her life. We also invited Leo and Edna to dinner on the last night of CC Jonesboro's time with us. On the last evening of working, we like to have the teams share their testimonies about different things in their lives and especially their time serving with us. It's always a huge encouragement to hear and see The LORD at work in folks' lives during their time serving with Calvary Relief! It was great to hear everyone share, and we are especially excited when the homeowners get to hear about The LORD working! I know Leo and Edna were blessed, and the group was blessed to be here as well!
We have had a few unexpected vehicle issues recently. We lost the drive shaft on our V10 driving down the interstate last month, and now the brakes on the diesel are acting up, so that will go in the shop this week. We have been using the diesel on a daily basis to pull the tool trailer back and forth from Moffett. It has been a blessing as it is a workhorse. Some of these issues I could fix myself, but as someone wisely pointed out, the Lord has called us to be in the disaster field, so that work has to come first. This means that the vehicular repairs are being done by mechanics. Pray that we'd find honest mechanics who will do things at a decent price!
Both of our backs are getting much better. We found a chiropractor that is working on us and she is also giving us some basic things we can do on our own to help keep our backs healthier and avoid spending so much money! Our insurance won't cover what she's doing but since it has been helping, we think it's a good investment, but the bills rack up. We're both winnowing down our appointments and Mary Jo continues to go to a local hospital's fitness center where she does some stretching and swimming therapy, and she's also been able to get back into lap swimming. She did her first mile just last week so that's a huge improvement! I'm no longer in as much pain getting around and have to be careful with how and what I do and make sure I keep working on my muscle therapy as prescribed by the good doctor!
Our home in Florida needs our attention once again. Our renters are moving out at the end of this month. They have been great renters and we had almost forgotten we even have our home! So now we're faced with finding another great renter who will take care of our home, or deciding to sell it and all that goes along with that. We can't stop the work we are doing here, so we have hired someone to find us a renter, but that isn't cheap (and we do not make money renting our house, but only cover the cost of keeping it). We told her we are pretty picky and we are willing to wait to find the right person. We are trusting The LORD to take care of us while we're still on this earth and want to continue to serve Him in whatever way we can until we take our last breath or He comes back for us. Please pray for the decisions we need to make regarding our home.
We have no out-of-town volunteers scheduled for October. We still average about one local volunteer a day, which helps me get a lot more done with a helper than serving alone. I really don't want Mary Jo doing too much with all her back issues, and just taking care of our home, the camp and me is a full-time job! She comes out a couple times a week and does some light cleanup and spends time just visiting with the homeowners, which is much needed since I'm so focused on other things! Please pray for some help this month and going forward. We are looking for small teams (1-5 people) who are willing to step out in faith and serve the Lord no matter what the task.
Our friend, Mike, from CC Clayton in NC, is coming out to help the second week in November and plans to stay for a month. We met Mike when we were in NC helping after Florence. He showed up with his church for a day and then asked if he could come back, and come back he did throughout our whole time there and he was a huge help! His pastor has asked him to help put together a network of other CC's in NC to share info and resources in the event of another disaster in their state, so pray for this work!
Then we have Thom from CC Garrettsville , OH who has been joining us for a week or two a year since we met him over six years ago. He comes in Thanksgiving week and will be staying for two weeks, so his and Mike's trip will overlap! Thom is a construction foreman back home. He started a Bible study in a coffee shop a few years ago and that study has grown into a church plant that officially kicked off a month ago. Keep their church in your prayers! Also pray for us during this time- that it would be fruitful, that most importantly we would continue to grow in The LORD, and that we would be effective in serving the folks in Moffett and that they'd see Jesus in all we say and do!
Our website has been in the rework stage for several years now and it is close to being completed. The theme/style as it appears now is what it will be for a while! We added a review tab and would like to know what you think about Calvary Relief if you've served with us or we've served you! If you fall into one of these categories, would you please take a few minutes and let us know your thoughts! For the short form, click here!
We also just updated our prayer cards. If you would like one for your dart practice and/or want to place them at your church, small group, etc., they are in .jpeg format and all you have to do is click and print and/or order prints online or in a store like Walgreens, etc. Here's the link for our prayer card, click here.
We wish that things could progress faster here, but with limited help we can only do what we can do. The LORD continues to bless us in many ways and we're thankful for His provision, grace, and mercy towards us as we truly don't deserve it. Please continue to pray for us in the areas listed above and for anything else The LORD puts on your heart to pray for! If there is anything that we can pray for you about, please let us know! If you're interested in donating to help with Calvary Relief's expenses, just click here to learn more about giving to us!
