WEEK TWO GETS UNDERWAY

We woke up this morning to an outside temp of 35 degrees. It feels kinda cold for this neck of the woods. After a hot breakfast of oatmeal (yes, Bob actually asked for it) we got dressed for the cold and headed to the work site. There was no visible frost but when Bob went back to the pile of insulation board he was able to gather up enough frost to make a real, live SNOWBALL! We're told that the weather will stay like this for the first part of the week and there is a widespread frost warning for the entire area tonight. I know what most of you Yankees are thinkin'...BIG DEAL! :)

Our Americorp kids are off to Taladega, Alabama for a week of orientation so our crew consisted of the two construction supervisors, Jack and Gabriela, a couple of great local volunteers and our Care-A-Vanners team of 5. As the weather warmed so did we and it turned out to be a great and sunny day.

I have set up a site where we will post lots of photos as we go. Any time you'd like to check out new photos just click on this address: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yankeepreacher/ It doesn't seem possible that we are in our second week of building and that we will be leaving these folks in just a few days but the chill in the air is reminding us that there is more work waiting for us to the south.


One final note. The folks from the Chatham Habitat For Humanity office have been out to visit the work site several times and tell us that there are photos posted of our team, the volunteers and the work being done. It is on their website. To check it out just click on the following link: http://www.chathamhabitat.org/detail.php?s=4


This morning's devotion began with a story and then a scripture. I'll post it here in case you'd like to read it too.

“Who Are You Workin’ For?”
Habitat Devotion – Siler City, NC
October 28, 2008

In the days of the stagecoach, a man undertook a journey. He was informed that there were first, second, and third class passengers. However, all the seats on the coach looked alike to him, so he purchased a third-class ticket. All went well for a time and the man was congratulating himself upon saving some money. Presently they came to the foot of a very steep hill, when the driver stopped the horses and shouted, “First-class passengers, keep your seats, second-class get out and walk, third-class get out and push.” What we need in the family of God is more third-class passengers. Those who will push! Not first-class, who are contented to sit and look on while the others are working, not second-class passengers who walk away when real work comes; but third-class passengers who are willing to get out there and push!

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23, 24

Do you want your life to really mean something in the long run? Do you want it to have value in God’s eyes? Put your faith to work! Find new opportunities for service but remember, it’s not about you…it’s about God.

“… let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16


Thanks for checking up on us and to those of you who leave comments or send us emails (at yankeepreacher2@gmail.com ) thank you. We always enjoy hearing from friends and family back home. God bless. As always, we look forward to seeing you "on the road".

PIG PARTS AT PIGGLY WIGGLY

Fran just reminded me that I forgot to share with all of you about an experience we had recently when we stopped at the local Piggly Wiggly grocery store one night this week after work. As we walked the aisles looking for milk we came to the meat display and discovered lots of pork cuts we had never seen before. There were, among other things, pig's snouts, pig's feet, pig's ears, pig's stomachs (maws), head cheese (souse), sliced jowl meat just to name a few. There was also an "economy family pack" of pig skin which, when unfolded, stretched about 6" by 18". I guess it can be sliced up to make homemade fried pork rinds or a football, I guess. Bob's cholesterol went up 100 points just reading the labels and looking at the offerings. There was frozen chitterlings (pronounced "chit-lynns") and 25# buckets of lard. The only thing we couldn't find in a package was that pig's squeal! As we walked away from the meat case we encountered a family pack of chicken feet. That's right, pale, with nails, chicken feet. I'm not sure exactly how they are prepared or if they might be used as back scratchers! Once again, we realized "we aren't in Kansas anymore, Toto!" Bob hurried to the chip aisle and bought some "chip & dip" to replace some of the visual images of his trip through the Piggly Wiggly. Just another interesting experience living our here "on the road".

SURPRISE SHOWER!

We finished our first week at the Siler City build on Saturday. We had a nice surpise at the jobsite yesterday (Saturday) when our daughter, Jenn, showed up midafternoon with a plastic pumpkin filled with CHOCOATE!!! We knew she was planning to come by to check out the build on her day off but everyone was surprised to meet her and all enjoyed her bucket of candy. It was a great way to get a little boost of energy to finish off our week.

This morning (Sunday) Frannie and I drove to Cary, NC (about an hour) to attend church with Jenn. Frannie had to make a quick stop in the "powder room" at Jenn's home and then next thing I heard was her cry for "HELP!" I rushed to the bathroom to find that the hot water knob had broken off in Fran's hand and the hot water was gushing straight up into the ceiling and spraying all over the bathroom. Everyone went into crisis mode with towels, wrenches, flashlights and all. The light in the bathroom blew with all the water on it and finally the water was shut down. Crisis averted.

Checking the clock, making it to church on time was going to be close but, with Jenn at the wheel, knowing the short cuts, we made it to church just as the praise band was warming up the congregation. It is a very new church which meets in a building which looks very much like a warehouse. They are currently holding two Sunday morning services with lots of praise and worship music and a positive message from their pastor. It is already an active and outreaching church family.

After church we made a stop at Lowes to pick up the parts necessary to fix the broken faucet and, after a stop for a little lunch, we returned to her home and got out the Mr. Fix It tools while Frannie did some laundry. After all those years when Jenn was in college and came home for visits accompanied by her baskets of laundry, mom and dad finally had the chance to bring their dirty laundry to her house. :)

We had rain much of yesterday with some clearing and even a few minutes of sunshine in the afternoon. With three houses under construction at various stages of completion there is lots of outside and inside work so when the raindrops start to fall equipment and volunteers can move indoors and keep right on working. Today has been beautiful with temps in the 70's. A cold front is on the way with temps anticipated to settle in at the mid 50's to 60.

We have received initial information about our second build, in Sebring, FL. We will be staying at a 4H Campground. We will learn more of the specifics at our orientation meeting on our first Sunday.

We plan to set up a site at Flickr. com to post photos as we take them. We will post the link on this blog site as soon as it's up in case any of you would like to 'see' what we have been doing. We have received emails from several of you. Thanks for writing. It helps us stay connected with y'all.

I'll close with another story from this week's experiences. After work on Thursday, Frannie and I drove to a local quilt shop (there's a surprise). It's in an old gas station, the style with two posts supporting a roof over the gas pump. It's hard to miss it 'cause it's painted completely in a bright pink! Well, as Frannie was checking out an amazing collection of quilting "stuff", etc., I decided to take a nap in the truck. A few minutes later the owner of the store walked out past the cars and right up to our truck. I sat up and said hi and she handed me a paper towel with a scoop of something soft and brownish on it. She asked, "Have y'all ever tasted persimmon puddin' ?" She continued, "One of my customers just brought me some and I gave your wife a taste. She really liked it so I thought you ought to try it too." There it was again, real southern hospitality. Oh, by the way, that "persimmon puddin' " was pretty darn good too! Love to y'all and we'll see you "on the road".

GETTING OUR HANDS (and the rest of us) DIRTY !

We began our first Habitat 'build' yesterday. It is taking place in Siler City, NC and is part of an entire development of Habitat homes being constructed. We are actually working on three different homes, located near each other in the development, at the same time.

Our day begins at 8:30 AM where we gather to meet the days volunteers, for safety reminders, job assigments and devotions before we break up and head to our various assigments. We are meeting different volunteers every day. There are people who work the same day each week while others come in larger groups on Saturdays (sometimes). We are working with two construction foremen/supervisors on the site, along with three Americorp youth. We are meeting, and working side by side, with lots of great folks. Funny thing is they all have an accent. What do you make of that?

So far Bob has been working at hanging siding, framing up walls for an addition and building a back porch on one house while Fran has been painting trim, puttying holes and setting nails and filling them in on finish trim work in another of the homes. Today Bob got the chance to work with the man who will be moving into the house (Arturo) and his brother. Their English is limited and his Spanish is non-existent so, mostly, they smile and gesture. Bob was not actually working at the same task but interacted with both men throughout the morning. It's a great program.

As far as the weather, we have had nice, sunny days. Yesterday it ended up in the low 70's while today was a little cooler in the low 60's. Nights turned quite cool yesterday when the temps dropped into the upper to mid 30's. We heard from up north that they were forcasting possible snow flurries! Seems a little early for that.

All in all we end our days feeling tuckerd and dirty but pleased at the work accomplished, the fellowship of the workers, and the opportunity of the experience. Todays devotional was based on James 2:14-18, 26: "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."..."Faith without works is dead."

It's a great reminder that we are all to be busy "doing" according to God's will and leading and not just giving lip service to needs we become aware of. May others see, by the way that we live and the way that we serve, that our faith is alive, meaningful, sincere, effective...that it's real faith!

God bless. We look forward to seeing you "on the road".

WE'RE THERE !

Hi all! We arrived at our host site on Sunday afternoon after joining brothers and sisters in a morning worship at a Black Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. What an enthusiastic, energetic, musical worship experience! It was great to be able to walk into that church as total strangers and have almost everyone in the congregation make a point of walking over to us to introduce themselves, give us a handshake or hug, and tell us how glad they were that we joined them. It’s great as Christians to know that you have “family” all over the place. All you need do is walk in the door of a Bible believing church and know that you’re with family. By the way, to any Fowler Baptist folks reading this, the service lasted 2 hours! And to think that some of you thought an hour and a half was too long. We were so into worship and the word that it didn’t feel much more than an hour. I guess time really can seem to stand still when you’re having a great time “in the Lord”.

We set up our rig, along with two other rigs, in a corral at a horse farm owned by two wonderful folks by the name of Richard and Nancy. They open their farm to RV Care-A-Vanners when they come to town for a build. They said that they used to see the Care-A-Vanners campers parked in a parking lot behind a church in town and they felt that volunteers should have a more homey and private place to set up and relax during their down times while serving here so they made the decision to open their farm to folks like us. What a blessing and what a selfless ministry this couple provides. God bless them in their service to him and to the people of this community.

Sunday night we attended a welcome dinner and orientation at a local church where we met other members of our building team including young adults who work full-time for the Chatham Habitat for Humanity under a program called Americorps. It is like the Peace Corps but more nationally organized. We also met local construction supervisors and members of the Habitat Board of Directors but the greatest opportunity tonight was when we met two of the families whose homes we will be working on the next two weeks. There are actually three homes currently being built for three Hispanic families who will be working with us on the weekends. Their English is limited so one of the Americorps men acted as interpreter. What a unique opportunity. I continue to hope that by sharing our experiences that some of you who read this blog may find inspiration to participate in some way in the future yourselves.

This build is unusual in that we will be working Tuesday through Saturday instead of the usual Monday through Friday schedule. That is the way this local Habitat organization schedules their builds so volunteers can have the opportunity to work with the families who will be buying these homes. Guess I’d better start learning some Spanish, huh? We have been very impressed by the friendliness of the organizers and the detailed way they are keeping us informed. They treat the visiting volunteers very special and repeatedly thanked us for coming to help. They said that they depend on such folks from outside the area as they are limited in how many volunteers they can draw from their local areas.

Finally, our fellow RV Care-A-Vanner builders include Tom and Mary Jane from Pittsburgh, PA and Hank and his dog, Roger, from Boston, MA. All three are retired. Tom and Mary Jane are on their way to Florida and, like us, this is their first Habitat build with the Care-A-Vanners. This is Hank’s 2nd Habitat build. They, along with everyone else we met tonight are very nice. There is the possibility of a couple more RV Care-A-Vanners joining us today or tomorrow. We look forward to beginning our two week’s work with them all.

Oh yes. I may have the opportunity to lead brief devotions at the worksite as we begin our daily work. Pray about that please. God bless. We’ll see you “on the road”.

FAMILY CONNECTIONS

Hi all! We made it to Chapel Hill today, arriving in the early afternoon. We stayed out an extra night on the road as it appeared that we would have to drive long into the night to arrive here at Chapel Hill. We stayed at a park set up specifically for people on the road who are looking for a place to pull off for the night. It was very nice and had the best bathrooms and showers I have seen in a campground. That might not seem that important to you but when you're on the road it is very nice to have clean, well maintained bath houses.

Today we drove across the Blue Ridge mountains into North Carolina. The weather forecasters called for heavy rains and, for once, those guys were right on the money. We had heavy weather for most of the drive but it's quieted down to a brief drizzle now and then tonight.

We selected this first Habitat build in NC so we could see our daughter, Jenn, for a couple days. Usually we would see her once a year, maybe, but with this new season in our lives we are able to connect with her a little more often. That's another blessing. Actually I'd have to say that God has blessed us with two great kids. They're both great young adults but, as a dad, I can still call them kids! Frannie and I are very proud of both of them.

In keeping with the title of this post, "Family Connections" I would close with a reminder that we all need to do what we can to stay connected to those we love. Life is pretty short, really, and we need to let our families, especially our kids, know that we love 'em.

Well, we'll write more later. In the meantime, thanks for keeping up on our journey. Oh yes, one final observation...these NC drivers are crazy!!!! :) God bless! See you 'On the Road'.

WE'RE ON OUR WAY !

Well, we are finally on the road. We left this morning, Wednesday, at 9AM after some last minute work at the house. The weather was great with sunshine all day and a high around 75! Traffic was not too bad most of the time. There was a lot of construction on Rt. 81…surprise, surprise!! The thing which struck us both was the wonderful fall colors. Though they were more full in the North Country and weren’t quite at peak as we headed down through PA, they were amazing. To see the rolling hills of PA covered in brilliant yellows and oranges (color, not fruit) was just great. It reminded us once again of the tremendous creativity of our God.

This was our first trip with the truck and trailer loaded for an extended stay and both performed beautifully. And the best part of that was the price of diesel fuel. We started the day paying $ 3.89 in Mexico, NY and ended the day paying $ 3.51 in Carlisle, PA. Mileage is running around 11MPG so far. Considering the fact that we were running about 70MPH and most of our day was spent going through the hills of PA that isn’t too bad for mileage.

We are a little over half way to our first destination in Chapel Hill, NC. We should arrive there Thursday afternoon and see our daughter Jenn on Friday afternoon and Saturday. Sunday we will move a little further west and set up for our two week build. We will keep you posted as we progress through these events to give you an idea of what it’s all like. Remember, it’s our first time too. So far it’s great.

Oh yes, Frannie said that she wished she had taken a picture at our last fuel stop. Today we discovered the “Flying J” Truck Stops. What a place. They are located all over the country and provide a wide variety of services for the long distance trucker, of which we say hundreds and hundreds on the road today. Those folks are so important to our economy and it’s got to be a tough way to make a living. Anyhow, on entering the store we found a well supplies automotive supply section, a Chinese take out counter, a pizza counter, a full-service sit down restaurant, a deli cooler with sandwiches, salads, etc., a truckers lounge with phones, showers, etc. to help them with their work. There was a coffee counter which Bob had to sample. The place was amazing. Our last fuel stop today was at the Carlisle, PA “Flying J”. We found over 100 tractor trailers parked all around the place. They were coming and going so much that we had to wait for three to turn around in front of us in the parking lot just to be able to drive in to find the fuel we needed. All the fuel pumps, both those for the trucks and those for all us “civilians” (non-truckers) were full all the time. It was quite a madhouse. Anytime you are travelling on the interstate keep your eyes peeled for a Flying J. You won’t be disappointed with the price of gas or all the other great stuff to see inside.

Well, tomorrow we will head on through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and, finally, North Carolina, Lord willing. Keep your prayers coming. It was a very safe drive today and we’d like to keep that up. More soon. Thanks for caring enough to check on us. If you're are visiting our the site, don’t forget to drop us a line at: yankeepreacher2@gmail.com.

FINALLY, SOME REAL DETAILS

We received lots of info today from our contact for the first Habitat build in North Carolina. Since we are new at this we will share more of the details about how things operate. Maybe some of you will decide to try something similar in your future.

We now know that we will be working for the Chatham Habitat for Humanity and doing finish work (touch up painting, installing cupboards, finishing trim) on one of three houses they are currently building. This group has built 82 houses in 19 years. That's pretty amazing! They have also added staff and opened two resale stores where construction related items are available for sale to the general public with the profits going to finance Habitat builds.

We will be parking our trailer at a farm called Horse Heaven Farm. I'm guessing that there will be horses there. The house we will be finishing is actually located in Siler City, about 10 minutes from the farm.

We are discovering that these builds seem very well organized with lots of advance information going out to team members involving local place to visit, shop, eat, do laundry, etc. as well as details about the site where we will park and the site where we will build. It's all very encouraging and now we feel like we have a better idea of what to expect this weekend.

Please remember to pray for us on Wednesday and Thursday. Those will be our travel days and we would appreciate your prayer support. God bless. Thanks for checking up on us. We'll keep you posted. Looking forward to "seeing" you 'On the Road'!

Don't forget. You can email us anytime at: yankeepreacher2@gmail.com.

GOD IS SO GOOD !

Well, we're almost ready to "hit the road". The trailer is just about packed. The final preparations at the house are nearing completion and we are beginning to get excited about the start of this new adventure. We were reminded, once again, about God's provision and guidance. Yesterday I (Bob) was trying to locate a campground near our daughter where we will spend a couple days before reporting to our first build this next Sunday. I found a very small park (56 sites) and gave it a call. Within moments after connecting I found myself talking to a man named Tom who, it turns out, was on his way to his church youth group. We spoke of his ministry and ours and the conversation ended with his promise to call back after checking on available sites back at his part. Within minutes the promised call came in and I was told that, as expected, the park was completely full...however...if we didn't mind sharing a site with a trailer already there, we could double up on that site for the three days in question anyhow. There it was, another confirmation that God already had things well in hand and just waited for us to act to see what He had already arranged. God is so good!!! We saw this as yet another confirmation that we are right where God wants us to be right now. Please remember to pray for us on Wednesday (10/15) that our first day on the road is safe, and uneventful. We look forward to "seeing" you 'On The Road'.

Here's a verse to put in your heart. It came to mind when we got the confirmation above. It's found in Proverbs 3, verse 5. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths." Sure fits, doesn't it?

God bless and thanks for checking on us.

GET READY...GET SET

Well, we are in our final week of preparation. Frannie has just about finished setting up her "sewing room" in the trailer and Bob is busy organizing the tools he will need for living "on the road" as well as participating in Habitat for Humanity "builds". We will be participating in 3 builds at the beginning of this winter starting in Pittsboro, NC on October 19th with two to follow in Sebring, FL and Vero Beach, FL.

We are working with a subgroup in the Habitat organization called "RV Care-A-Vanners". Members of that group participate in Habitat "builds' which are located in areas where housing for volunteers is not readily available. So, we bring our "houses on wheels" with us. We will set up in a common area and spend time working and eating together during our stays. We will tell you more about the specifics as we experience them ourselves.

We hope you return to this site often to read of our progress. Since we will be dependent on locating WIFI "hotspots" to connect to the internet our updates and responses to your emails may not be frequent. Be patient with us and we will respond to your emails as time, available connections and new updates allow.

Our anticipated "launch" date is Wednesday, October 15th. Please pray for our safe travel as we begin this adventure. The first leg of our journey will cover about 700 miles towing a 32' travel trailer. It's a crazy place out on the road so we would really appreciate your prayer support.

Here's a verse of scripture that is helping us and we hope will help you as well. It's found in Jeremiah 29: 11. "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." Aren't those great words for all of us? And don't the ideas of "hope" and "a future" remind you of what this Christian experience is all about? God bless and we'll be talking to you again soon from "on the road".

Feel free to email us anytime at: yankeepreacher2@gmail.com