First Work Day in Lumberton

Monday, June 26, 2017

As usual for a NOMADS project our day started at 8:00 am with morning devotion. Mike, our team leader for the week, provided our message today from a one of Rick Warren’s “Daily Hope” posts entitled “Laugh, Play, Pray, and Hope.” We then discussed the day’s work and proceeded across the Interstate to Mary Elizabeth’s house. Her house was flooded about 2.5 feet above the floors. This is a multi-family house that has been almost completed by other volunteers and our team plans to finish it. Our first priority is to finish the downstairs living area so that the daughter and her husband can move back out of Mary Elizabeth’s upstairs living area. That will involve some painting, installing doors, trim and some flooring and replacing some wood plank walls that were cut out to remove wet insulation.

Today we painted and caulked in the bedroom, painted and hung several doors and installed some baseboards and case molding. Sorry we didn’t get any pictures of the carpentry work.

We met Jeff and Ann, the North Carolina United Methodist Disaster Recovery Coordinators. They were very nice and helpful. We will be working closely with them when we take over leadership. Jeff had their 8 week old Yorkshire Terrier with him and we got to play with her. Precious. He wouldn’t leave her with us. Oh well, maybe next time.

We also were visited by the security detail of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. We understand Governor Cooper has a visit to our job site planned around lunch time Wednesday. It is a followup on the relief efforts for all the people affected by the flooding. We were told it is primarily a press opportunity to encourage more volunteers to come help the people of this area. They have already requested NOMADS return in the fall. Wednesday could be interesting but of course it could also all get canceled. We shall see.

Another beautiful sunset today!