We’ve been very busy here in Venice from Ian relief/recovery. We just finished with our last out of town servants team until after Thanksgiving and it’s been a whirlwind of activity!
We’ve accomplished quite a bit of work, mostly in the trailer park. We’ve had many opportunities to minister and pray with folks there, some we aren’t even helping!
On top of that, the ministry that’s been going on at Camp Calvary has been great! We start our time with the servants with all of us giving a short testimony of how The LORD met us before we became followers of Christ! We end our time with them going over all that The LORD showed them and/or did in their lives while they were here!
We’re always blessed to hear when those with us open themselves up to hear from The LORD and then they respond to Him, live it out while here, and we get to see a glimpse into what He is working out in their lives! We often say it’s a tiny glimpse into heaven! One night at the local homemade ice cream shop, one of the girls from CA got to sing and play guitar with the local guy who is always out there in front of the shop. She got to lead us in 3 worship songs a week after the gay pride parade was in the same area! What a blessing! Here's the link to the video I made, https://youtu.be/WUVs8--NkL4 .
The past few weeks have been an exciting time of growth and fellowship among us here at Camp Calvary. We pray that they will continue to press on and into Christ as they continue on their walk here on this earth!
We had teams from Hawaii, California, Virginia, Georgia, NC, PA, and FL panhandle as well as a few locals including a group from a church in Bradenton last Saturday!
One couple we helped early on, are both in wheelchairs. Their carport was ripped off and rain has continued to soak through their door. This resulted in the floor giving out, so a couple of the guys redid the trusses and subfloor and made it safe to roll over again. Another couple has so much mold growing in their home that I could hardly stand it. Their home is damaged beyond repair. I suggested several times that they move out and they have options, but said it’s too much to process right now. They have many areas in their floor that have given out, including right inside their doorway. We were able to get that shored up so that they can get in and out as they begin packing up their belongings.
Since Ian hit, there have been 2 suicides in the park and 2 more folks that we know of have admitted that they were contemplating the same. There is serious Spiritual warfare happening here and we are on the front lines. Pray for us and them in this area.
The requests for help have continued, though they’ve slowed down some. I still have several to assess and many that we haven’t had the chance to work on yet. Some we’ve finished up what was needed, and many that have a way to go! We’ve got some of them torn out, drying, waiting on mold/bacteria spray, and then rebuild.
When Nicole was headed our way, the requests ramped up. After Nicole, many more issues were found, even on ones we had already tried to stop the water from entering. This also created more requests for help.
The main issue with drying and spraying and moving forward on many of the homes, is to make sure no more water will come in. The way these old trailers were built and then the way they were ripped apart from both storms, have left many unknows. It’s been quite a challenge as we’ve never worked on trailers before.
Also, because most of them are 50ish years old, they don’t conform to any of the codes present today. The city is requiring that anything that is majorly damaged be rebuilt to current codes. This creates a huge problem with the roofs, carports, sheds, gutters, siding, and lanais, all areas where water is entering the homes. In the main park we’re serving at, they own the trailer, but rent the lot, and it isn’t cheap. The park requires a carport and shed and have given the residents 6 months to comply. Like many areas we serve at, they really want them gone and are making it easier to just walk away, than to rebuild. This area is in high demand so bringing in newer modular homes is far more attractive to both the corporation that owns the park and those wishing to invest and move here.
Simple roof fixes range in repairs from $5k, to a rubber type roof that cost $9k if they want to wait several months, or $13-15k to get it done in a couple of weeks. I have come up with an alternative, roll-type, roof made for mobile homes, and have secured enough of the roll roofing for about 10 trailers. But it will only work to go over certain roof materials. I’m trying to get to all the homes that we’ve been working on to see if we can do this on their roofs. It will still require some prep materials, and of course, I need willing servants to help with the installation.
We’ve been able to help with 2 sheds so far. These sheds are used to house the water heater and the washer and dryer. One, was built off site, delivered, and secured, and we built out the inside for electric, water, and sewer. The other one is a metal shed that came in a box, and we put it together, secured it, and then built out the electric, water, and sewer. I’m sure they’ll be a few more of these that we’ll work on.
The carports and lanais are another issue. Even though the homeowners can pull their own permits, they must provide an engineered stamped drawing, which is costly, get the permit, and then go through the inspection process. Materials alone for these will cost a lot. I’ve heard that a carport with no shed underneath will be over $15k to have someone else build. A shed built is over $5k and that doesn’t include all the electric and plumbing, so add at least another $2k.
If you add all of that up, then add in the inside damages, it hardly seems worth fixing. But unfortunately, some of these folks have lived here for years and have little to no other choice. It’s overwhelming just thinking about it. We know we can’t help everyone and we’re praying as we sort all of this out and we ask that you’d do the same!
We didn’t have any volunteers this week, but that’s been good for us. We haven’t stopped moving since we left Louisiana the week before Labor Day. We’re still doing a lot of stuff in Camp Calvary, taking care of some physical ailments, and doing some work and assessments out in the field.
We’ve got a group coming in from CC Philly next Tuesday to serve for a week and then the next week’s group just cancelled. We then have another group from CC Philly arrive the week after. Our good ministry friend Thom and his mom, Chris, from CC Silver Creek in Garrettsville, OH, is arriving for 2 weeks next Wednesday and will help with oversight with the teams. Chris from Panama City will also be retuning the week we lost the team so it will be the three of us that week.
Then we shut down camp for a couple of weeks for CHRISTmas with our families. We don’t have too many servants signed up for next year, though some have expressed interest. We only want teams of 4-5 during this phase of serving. If you’re interested, let us know.
Our V10’s new water pump in our new motor went out. Because we weren’t in LA where it got replaced, only ½ of the cost was covered by their “nationwide warranty”. We also discovered that the catalytic converter is bad and an issue with a vapor canister attached to the gas tank, so it’s in the shop and another $2k of work. Still a lot cheaper than a replacement, especially since the truck originally cost us nothing! The van and the diesel go in for oil changes and checkups in a couple of weeks. Pray there’d be no issues with them.
As I’m writing this, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We’ve got so much to be thankful for, especially here in America. We’re even more eternally thankful for our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who humbly came to this earth and sacrificed His body and blood for ALL the sins of ALL the world so that any of us who accept Him as our Savior and make Him The LORD of our lives, can eternally be forgiven and live forever in heaven with Him!
If you’re interested in growing in The LORD as you selflessly serve others alongside of Calvary Relief, please let us know! For more info on joining us, click here.
If you’re interested in helping with any of the expenses with Calvary Relief, please click here.
If there’s ever anything you need prayer about or just need to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and let us know!
Here to serve and disciple until He calls us home,
Curt & Mary Jo
