Happy New Year and May Yours Be Filled With Jesus!!

It’s been a bit since I updated things.  Lots of stuff has been going on here in Houma as we continue to press on helping folks rebuild from Hurricane Ida.  It’s been over 4 months since Ida hit!

We just got back from our CHRISTmas break and this was the worst CHRISTmas for us ever.  If you didn’t know, we found out that Jim, Mary Jo’s dad had pancreatic cancer.  He went from working out 5-6 days a week, to some stomach issues about 2 months ago, which led to the discovery of his cancer and then 3 weeks later he was in heaven.  We did get to FL in time to spend a few days with him while he was still able to communicate and he knew were there and are blessed that The LORD allowed us that time.  He will be missed, but we know one day we’ll see him again!

Dad’s memorial will be on February 26^th so if you’re in the Sarasota area and want to attend, just let us know and we’ll get you the details.  We’ll be attending our annual SECCPC early that week and will be home for about 2 weeks as originally scheduled.

Our good friend Paul, who we met over 10 years ago has joined us with an undetermined end date!  He got here just before the end of October.  We met Paul when I was discipling some men at a local recovery house in Sarasota.  We did a lot of discipleship together for about a year, and he traveled with us to quite a few different places along the way.  He met his wife, Gina, while serving with us!  Here’s a link to a video with Paul’s testimony from 2011, click here.

Please keep Paul in your prayers as he has some major medical issues.  He’s a good fit for us as he keeps me from overdoing it when it comes to physical labor, and I try to keep him from the same!  Also pray for his wife, Gina, as she’s back home working through some work/education stuff and hopes to be able to move to an online type of job that will enable her to travel with him/us.

It’s also been a huge blessing for us to study God’s Word together as the three of us daily disciple one another!  Something that we all thoroughly enjoy!  Then we get the privilege of taking what we learn and know about Jesus and as we apply it to our lives and we get to be Jesus to all those we meet while serving The LORD here in the Houma area!

The leasing company for the shopping center where Grace Chapel is located, and we are living behind, has decided that we can no longer have Camp Calvary located on their property.  We met with another local pastor this week and they don't think they'd be able to commit to us being there for any length of time so declined us.  Gonna keep looking as we need to locate a place that will soon.  Was hoping to be moved by the end of next week. 

It’s a huge process for us to move and very stressful.  It will take us at least a week to pack everything up, disconnect all utilities, move all three trailers, reconnect all utilities which means running electric, water, and sewer to both RVs and electric for the tool trailer, and figuring something out for internet.  And then we get to setup, level, and unpack both trailers as well as figure out what all we need to do for all the utilities!  On top of a lot of time this will require, it will also mean more money spent getting utilities all set up, depending on what we need, anywhere from $600-$1200.  Like I said, stressful on top of all the other stuff we have going on around us!

Four of the insurance companies for homes we’re helping with have reevaluated the claims and have gotten closer to paying what is actually owed for repairs/replacement.  We’ve teamed up with a construction company out of TX who is willing to work with us and the homeowners so that anything we do can go towards helping pay deductibles and other repairs, etc, that need completed and aren’t going to be covered by insurance.  This is a process that has allowed us to help more folks and over the years and it’s been a good fit for us and the homeowners.  We pray we made a good choice vetting a few different companies and so far, Martin, the owner/GC, has gone above and beyond to help us move forward on the homes, even before we had funds to pay him for some of the work his guys completed.  He’s also helping us navigate things with the insurance companies.  Pray that he’d continue to do what he says he will and that we’d be a witness to him for Jesus.  He knows who Jesus is, but we’re not sure he actually has a relationship with Him and we keep reminding him!

Local volunteers have almost been non-existent on the homes we’re serving at, almost from the beginning.  We had a few small out of town teams early on, but by mid-October they also became non-existent.  Currently we have no volunteers scheduled to help us.  There’s only so much a couple of limited guys can do on our own so please keep us in your prayers!

We got back last Thursday evening and immediately got back to serving on Friday.  Here’s an update on the homes we’re moving forward with helping.  There are a few of them from our last update that for different reasons we are no longer helping.  If you’re interested in more background on those we’re helping, you can find it by reading our update from October by clicking here.

• Ms Pat—After we finished our initial response with assessments, tree removal, roof tarping and remediation on several homes, we began the remediation on our largest project, Ms Pat.  Up until Thanksgiving, we mostly focused on her home.  It’s a lot of work and we’re still fighting with the insurance company as they need to come up with at least another $150k more in repair money.  On top of that she has a deductible of almost $15k and we’ve uncovered termite damages on load bearing wood and a lot of disrepair to the outside of her home, including a complete seal, caulk, and paint job for about another $20k worth of damages!  I know this sounds like a huge amount, but pricing for construction labor and materials have skyrocketed over the past several years!  Repairs and painting of the outside is starting this week and needs to be complete before we can move forward inside as there are a lot of water leaks. 

• Donna & Keith.  We finally got another adjuster who agreed to do the right thing without meeting us at the home.  They sent a 2^nd settlement based on our notes, but unfortunately still missed a lot.  We did manage to get over twice as much back, but they’re still missing about $20k so more frustration dealing with the insurance company!  The roofing has been completed and they needed some reframing and moving of some electrical and plumbing and Paul and I finished up all of that yesterday.  Insulation and sheetrock are starting by end of this week.

• Ms Bonnie-We were able to get another adjuster to her home and the insurance company came up with another $11k and we think this will be good to complete her home.  Her roof is complete.  We finished the remediation as well.  Paul and I will be starting on some framing, siding, and electrical things tomorrow.  We’re hoping to have it ready for insulation and drywall by middle of next week.  Her insurance company, who dragged their feet for almost 3 months in getting her a trailer to live in and presenting a correct repair quote, is trying to bully her into getting out of her trailer right away.  She also has a single granddaughter with a 2-year-old daughter living with her.  Her grandduaghter is currently pregnant and due at the end of January.  We’re going to do our best to get her back into her home as quickly as we can, but once again, we can only do so much!

• Brad and his father-His father’s is complete.  We had met with a second adjuster, and they finally did the right thing.  Brad is still dealing with his insurance company over a few things at his home, but he has a roof and has been working on things himself as much as he can.  I see him at Wednesday night Bible study occasionally, and he says he’s OK for now.

• Ms Marilyn-We’re still waiting to get things settled with her insurance company.  We were able to get her roof done so she’s at least dry, but she hasn’t gotten enough money from her claim to pay for the roof yet!  Currently we’re at a standstill with her home.

• Ms Linda-Her fence has been replaced and some demo was completed that needed done before the roof is replaced.  She has a different type of roof that has been updated, but it involves insulating her home.  I’m currently tracking down insulation companies to discuss what the best thing to do is moving forward based on how her home was constructed.  Hoping to have answers by next week so that we can move forward with her home.

• Ms Cynthia-We finally got a 2^nd adjuster out to her house almost a month ago.  They have not gotten back to us because of the “holiday” etc while she still can’t live in her home.  We’ve got everything remediated, some deconstruction on the outside complete and the roof has been finished.  Once again, she hasn’t been given even enough money for her roof, but Martin was willing to do it anyways until the insurance company makes things right.

• Ms Cindy-The Mennonites are back and wanting to get started on her home.  Unfortunately, so far, no funds have become available.  FEMA has asked for more info on costs involved so we’re going to go over and do a materials list for the electric and see what, if anything they’ll cover.  Then we’ll go from there.  The materials for the roof have been donated so hopefully that will be happening soon!

• Shane and Deserey-Their home has the roof complete, and the remediation is almost done.  They too will need more money from the insurance company and paperwork is being completed to see what the insurance company will do.  Almost at a standstill there.

• Doug, Cindy, & Ross-Their home was the first one we worked at.  We helped them finish the tear out, dry it, and then I remediated everything.  We also helped move some large trees and debris to the curb.  They too have had some insurance company issues, mostly dealing with their roof.  I saw them last night at Bible Study and he said he thinks the roof will finally be done next week.  He’s been busy getting a lot of stuff rewired, as the house is old, and the wiring needed replaced.  Martin is going to try to get him a price on doing the drywall and as I keep doing, I’ve offered him help if he needs anything.  They say they’re good for now.  A little back story, Ross, their adult son, has a lot of major medical issues that keep him in a wheelchair and there’s not much he can do for himself.  He does some computer work to help bring money in but uses some contraptions to do it.  He cannot be in areas where there’s lots of dust and dirt, so they currently are living with relatives.  His section of the house is set up so that they can easily move him around, etc.  Would really like to see them get home soon, so we’ll see what we can do!

• A Place of Restoration Women’s Home-They did get another adjuster and another quote from their insurance company.  I’m supposed to be helping them figure this out, but there’s been some other issues that they’ve been dealing with health wise and I’m not sure where that stands.  I’ll be contacting them soon to see what we can do.

Both of our RV’s seem to be pretty problem free at the moment.  I need to get our tool trailer into the shop as one of the brakes went out and I was warned that it’s got some type of fluid in them that I shouldn’t risk doing it myself.  I’ll try to watch and maybe next time!  I’m supposed to pick up the V10 today or tomorrow and we’ll see if all the frontend and 4-wheel drive stuff is working properly.  Need to get some oil, filter, and tire rotations done soon on all 3, but that’s normal stuff!  Praying that we’re good for a while on maintenance!

I know several of you donated funds to help us with the extra stuff we had going on with dad’s death and we so appreciate all of you who did so and who have prayed for us during this time.  A church from Brooklyn had a Door Dash delivery sent to us our last night in FL so that Mary Jo, her mom, and I could have a quiet night before we left.  What a great idea and thanks to those who made this happen!  There’s always plenty of things that it takes for us to keep Calvary Relief going so if you’re interested in helping with any of the expenses, please click here.

Still in need of volunteers.  We don’t need large groups during the rebuild phase of recovery.  One to 5 people max at a time is best.  No age requirements or experience necessary, just a willingness to grow in The LORD and to be used by Him as you selfishly serve The LORD alongside of Calvary Relief.  Most of the time if I just have one or two people to be my helpers, The LORD blesses us with getting a lot done.  If you’re interested in joining us, please let us know!  For more info you can click here.

As you can see, lots of stuff to pray about and we really appreciate all of them!

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!

Love y’all and LORD Bless,

Curt & Mary Jo