'Twas the week before Christmas . . . in Bayou La Batre . . .

Christmas time is rapidly approaching and the work in Bayou La Batre continues. For the past couple weeks we have had some returning friends come and help us in a great many ways. We are desperately trying to reach our goal of finishing the remaining 7 projects on our "promise list" by March. Do you wanna help?!

We must thank, Manhattan Kansas Church of the Nazarene for coming again and helping us partner in what God is still doing in many homes and lives down here in Alabama. While the Manhattan team was here, I had the privilege of delivering some gifts to some families for the Christmas season.It was a special privilege of mine to have my father-- Pastor Barry G. Whetstone -- here, namely for my new baby girls dedication, but who happens to be the pastor of the Milford, DE Church. They sent not only four teams, but a ton of Christmas gifts as well to a family they have not only adopted, but grown to love in a deep and Christ-like manner. Thank you.

With the help and partnership support of the Milford Delaware Church of the Nazarene, and C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc we had the blessed opportunity to brighten the hopes and lives of a couple families in Bayou La Batre.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc with the leadership of Troy Tarter also helped supply a great deal of joy as they too adopted a couple families in the Bayou. I speak for us all, thank you in the name of Jesus for being His hands and feet in some special and unique ways this Christmas season.

We not only "received" gifts, but we also received another team this week. Pismo Beach California returned yet again. They are working hard and will be with us through the new year as we also look forward to the arrival of another returning team from Othello Washington, and some long-term help from a couple who are coming to give two months to help us reach our goals!

Grace and peace to you all this Advent season as you allow the God who comes to CHRISTmas in you.

Until next time . . . Merry Christmas!

Things are still happening . . .

It's Sunday evening and Thanksgiving Day has come and gone, but our thanks for the teams that have also come and gone still remains!

A couple weeks ago we had yet another team which came all the way from Pismo Beach, California. Most of the team has been with us before in the Bayou, but they were fortunate to have and new member on the team for their latest missions experience here in LA (Lower Alabama)!

Every once and a while we run across a family who still is in need of some desperate help. Most often it's due to their willingness to let others get help before themselves. All of the "gutting" of homes was finished over 8 months ago, but when the Pismo Beach saw the need of the families home that they were going to be working on for the week, they wanted to do more than the "required" work. For this, we, and I know our home owners were both extremely grateful for their amazing help.

The team began by gutting the entire home . . .


. . . and then they proceeded to restore the home, as I am sure along with some "hope" in our home owner's lives!


Thank you Pismo Beach! It's amazing what a team of four can do when they give all of themselves to the Lord's service. We look forward to being with you again in the future.

It was not long after Pismo left that reinforcements arrived from Gardendale, Al. Two brave men gave of not only their time, but their vacation at Thanksgiving to bring about a great deal of thanks to some of our home owners. With the help of Gardendale's plumbing skills, and other much needed work accomplishments we are even closer to finishing the final eight projects on our current list.

Thanks again to all those who continue to support the efforts down here whether through coming, sending, or most of all praying. Until next time, keep us in your prayers this Christmas season.

If you would like to bring a team, come alone, or just help us out in any matter, please see our website (which you can reach by clicking on the logo above on the left)and contact us at any time.

Peace to you all.

We had to say . . .

November is here and cranking and we are blessed to have another team with us. Yet, even though we are glad to have our returning friends from California, we are sad to have had to say goodbye to one of our faithful long-term volunteers -- Jesse Washkau. In all truthfulness, sad only captures a bit of what we are feeling. . . We are filled with those bitter-sweet emotions of sadness and joy, which seem to kiss each other at every moment. Sad that a great team member and friend has had to leave us for the North -- Atlanta, Georgia -- and yet, excited for what the Lord has in store for him in Atlanta and beyond.

It has been a true blessing to have had such great volunteers work with us in the Bayou. Yet, our true long-termer's Jesse and Jordan were a God-sent to Charles, Danielle, and I. As Jordan has found a new home in Mobile, AL and Jesse has been making his new home in Atlanta, GA for the past week we know that God has HUGE things in store for them both as they continue to seek His face.Thanks Guys!

As October was a busy month filled with teams that came through to help us in the rebuilding efforts even a year after Hurricane Katrina, so was our time spent getting ready for Jesse's departure. However, with the arrival of the new team this week, I have already encountered how vital Jesse was not only to the work but to my sanity as well.

Finally, thank you Jesse. Thanks for allowing the Lord to use you in so many ways not only in the Bayou/Grand Bay area but also with us at the Lighthouse Church of the Nazarene. We will miss you, and already do, but we know that you are following the Lord as He leads you on this great journey we call the life of grace, mystery, and adventure!


Peace be with you and keep us in your prayers as we continue to labor down here in LA (Lower Alabama).

Virgina Came and . . .

Last day of October and this has been a very eventful month. Not only have we had a good amount of teams but we also got a GREAT amount of work done on many of the homes.

The many (i think about 5,but anyway) readers who so happen to glance here at our blog site know that we have been working on 50 differnt projects since last Novmeber. We are now proud to say that we have 14 projects left to complete. This does call for a great celebration with many thanks to our teams, and volunteers who have come to help. However, above all, our greatest thanks must and does go to our Heavenly Abba- our Lord God!

A couple weeks ago we had another team who came in just as NJ and Kentucky left. In fact, it was two teams who collaborated their efforts together from the beginning. Two churches from the Virginia Nazarene District; Lynchburg, and Charlottesville joined forces and helped us get a lot of work done on a number of projects as well as add a little bit or humor along the way. I think their motto was; "If you can't work with a little sarcasim, you might as well hit the road"! "Yeah, I think it goes right there. Good job man!"
Truthfully, they were a great bunch of people and we hope they return as well.
Thanks to all the ladies and gentlemen who came! May God bless you and your church families greatly!

Tag your It!

This past week we had two great teams with us. While TNU was heading out, Edison, NJ and Somerset, KY got “tagged” and then spent the next week helping and serving in the Bayou. It was truly great to have two tremendously flexible teams helping out wherever we needed them. I (Tim) also need to send a special shout out to Edison because part of the team was family—Thanks for coming Uncle Abe and Aunt Agar. It was really good to have family around!

In any case, as the week carried on we had not only beautiful weather but at the same time enjoyed getting to see two homes move further along in the rebuilding process. The Johnson home took a bid turn with all the mudding, sanding, and priming getting done. And NJ hit it hard with even getting a number of the rooms painted.The kids just love that they will be in their home in a matter of weeks! Thank the Lord, and thank you mission teams!

We also had Somerset helping us on some of the siding at the Johnson home, while also working to help us finish up the Jones’s home.Somerset and Edison also tag-teamed on some major jobs at a couple of our homes . . . fun times deep in trash and debris pick-up, organization, and removal!Which we know the best part of it for the girls was hanging out at the dump, right?!

Thanks again to Edison and Somerset.You guys were a blessing and it was not only great to have you pose for some pics, I mean, help us in the Bayou, but it was tremendous to see how well you worked, ate, and just were with each other and those “neighbors” you met in the Deep South!

Until next time . . . when you eat any shrimp think of us here in Bubba Gump land!

Back In The Bayou

September closed up pretty quietly, but October has been full of hustle and bustle.

We are back in the Bayou and have already seen a beautiful influx of teams. Many a thanks to Hendersonville Church of the Nazarene for bringing their team of three to the Bayou. Even though they may have been small in number, they did the work of twenty! And we are looking forward to seeing them bring another team in the future. As Hendersonville pulled out, Trevecca Nazarene University pulled in! Located in Nashville, TN, TNU brought a group of about 30 students and sponsors to help during their "fall break". (You go "volunteer state" - Tennessee).

It was a HUGE blessing to have them with us.
They helped us paint a home, landscape some property, sand some sheetrock walls, and clean up a local park in the Bayou. We (Danielle and Tim) have had many encounters with TNU mission teams before and we are continually amazed at the top-notch and most enthusiastically driven young people who come to serve.

We also had TNU help us participate in a unique on-going ministry that we find to be even more important than building homes or landscaping property-- and that's "prayer-walking". Many may find this to be senseless when there is so much "work" to be done. Or others might find that they could be used more effectively in some sort of manual labor instead of walking around the community and praying. But we know that there truly is no other tool more powerful than prayer. So, we must thank TNU for participating in what may have seemed "fruitless", even though they got a fee meal out of it at one of the best seafood restaurant in the area, due to an encounter with a generous gentleman on the road into the Bayou!.

Again, thanks to everyone and many blessings to you all. It is always a blessing to see missional minded servants in action. And from these servants still down here, keep us in your prayers.

September Has Arrived!

With only fall a few days away, we too are getting ready for the harvest here in the Bayou. Yet, we must carry on with one less person(at least until the baby is born!). With the unexpected changes and cut backs from Nazarene Disaster Response, we were thrown a curve ball in regards to our Alabama team. And with any batter not expecting the curve, there comes adjustments. However, our adjustments meant that our team found it necessary to begin looking for more substantial jobs. This is in no way saying that we did not believe that God could not provide, but is in fact saying, that we found this to be the avenue in which God would provide.

As I (Tim Whetstone) continue to hold down the fort as the Alabama South District Disaster Response Coordinator, I find myself hoping and praying for the best for my tremendous two volunteer staff members -- Jordan Mitchell & Jesse Washkau. We knew the time would come where we would need to part ways, but we had no idea that such a time would arrive so quickly.

That bitter-sweet moment has arrived yet again. The time has come for one of our crew to move on. It is with great energy that we congratulate and wish the best to Jordan Mitchell. He is already making the transition out of Disaster Response to teaching and helping disabled children at a school in Mobile, Al. Jordan, thank you for being more than a volunteer or just one of the staff here in LA (Lower Alabama). You have and will forever be a great friend!

Jordan fist came to Bayou La Batre over his Christmas break from college last year with Jesse. The two were a great help then, but I had no clue what a tremendous asset they would be to the area within just a few short months later. Jordan then came back to the Bayou over his Spring Break. It was then that I asked if he would like to help us for a longer period of time once he finished school. Long story short, Jordan signed on for the long haul. Even though the "long haul" was cut a bit short, his help, his work, and his love to serve were but only a few of the highlights that he brought to the job.

Thanks Jordan. Thank you for your service, your hard work, your friendship, but especially for your love to see that His kingdom come right here on earth as it is in Heaven. We will miss you. Keep seeking His face and living with your whole self.

As a "last hoorah" we all went to Nashville, TN last week. I was scheduled to speak at Trevecca Nazarene University in one of their chapel services and I thought it would be awesome if the whole team came along. So, Danielle, Jesse, Jordan, and I spent a week hanging with college students, eating cafeteria food (some of the time), chil'n at cool coffee shops, and catching some of Nashville's highlight scenic sights! Oh yeah, and I spoke in chapel too! In fact, if you would like to check out the chapel service it has been podcasted at: www.tnu.edu/chapel

Even though we will not be blogging much in the next couple weeks we do ask for your continued prayers. It has been slow in regards to teams coming to help in the Bayou, but we must give another shout out to Milford, DE Church of the Nazarene. They sent their FOURTH team this past month. Thank you! We are looking forward to October with seven teams on board to come. Jesse, Danielle, Charles and I will still be around and ready to get some more work done (as we know the home owners are anxious as well).

If you would like to help please check out our new web site, and come on down to LA!

Grace and peace.

Finally . . . But not "Finality"!

August 11 is here and we are less than one day away from "vacation". We know that this may not sound like a "big deal" to some, but to us who have been going, what seems non-stop for quite some time, are ready for a bit of a breather, a refresher, a rest! Yet, before we depart, there is still work to do, but more importantly, there are people to thank!

The past couple weeks have been extremely wonderful. We had three tremendous teams from: Milford Delaware, Charleston South Carolina, Picher Oklahoma, and Ball State University. It was a great week of fun in the sun. Well, even though it was a nice 110 (with the heat index on some days), the "fun" I think came from a deeper source. To see these teams hard at work in such conditions, was a most definite outright demonstration of Christ's love in action. Thank you teams.

By the way, we have never seen a "storage unit" look this good. It's like walk'n into a hardware store!

This past week has been filled with a great deal of changes as well. First we have three teams on-site. This may not sound any different than most weeks, but these three teams consist of ONE team member respectively! So, we created a new team. The three great volunteers from across the country and our Alabama South team! Thanks to Elaine, Steve, and Martha, it's been more than a blessing to have you with us this week!

We also had to say goodbye to one of our grandest team members-- Ryan Knapp (a.k.a. Pastor Ryan). It truly was a blessing to have him intern under me (Tim) this summer, and I know that we all enjoyed his companionship, workmanship, and friendship immensely. God bless you as He leads you on this wild ride of life and may you find a new way to be alive- fully alive in His grace.


Lastly, we must inform our great audience (whomever that may be of the, we think, 2 people who read our blog?) that we the "NDR Staff" are no longer "NDR Staff" but "NDR Volunteers" and have moved from working for NDR to working for the Alabama South Nazarene District. We are still doing the same job, but under a new umbrella. We ask for your prayers during this transition, and during our little break as well! And, we look forward to seeing some of you this fall! We still NEED HELP!

Until next time . . . Just a few words to chew on. . .

"The difference that we make will be determined in the end simply by how faithful we are to the Gospel. The rest has to be left to God." - Jim Wallis leader of Sojourners

"Living out of the center means that I don't figure out, I don't analyze. I simply lose myself in the experience of just being alive, of being in a community of believer, simply knowing that it's good to be there, even if I don't know where "there" is, or why it's good. An inner stillness assures me that it is enough right now to be centered, to be in Christ Jesus, and that gratefulness is both the heart of living and the heart of prayer." - Brennan Manning

We had to say farewell . . .

Farewell to our dear brothers!

The summer is quickly coming to a close and as is evident in most "short-term" missions, there are those who come and most obviously, for a "short" time! However, no matter the length of physical stay at a place, some folks make an unforgetable impact-- for better or worse, right?! Well, since the beginning of the summer there has been over 30 teams who have come and gone and throughout, there were some who had the opportunity to come and serve for a bit more than a week. And then the time came to say goodbye to some of these great people.

This past week, a couple of our "short-long termer's" had to pack their bags and head out. Yet, they did leave us with unforgetable memories, never-ending stories, and of course sweat drops of labor all over the Bayou area. It is here that I (Tim Whetstone their former team leader) would like to take say a Big Thank You to Marcus Winn, Keith Farrow, and Jeff Jordan. Thanks fellas for coming down this past summer. You were all terrific, and I know that God has big things in store for the each of you both in your never-ending de-briefing of this past experience, but in the goals and dreams that you are seeking to reach. Grace and peace be with you on your journies, and thanks for allowing your paths to cross ours here in the Deep South!

So, in this beautiful life of mystery we shall sign off with a few words and phrases to chew on:

Go ahead and chunk that thing! (Yes, "chunk" not "chuck"!)
Go ahead and swoop your card through the machine. (Yes, "swoop" not "swipe"!)
Did you just tump over your coffee? (Translation: knock over)
We will be out of pocket for about two weeks in August! (Translation: Out of town)

Until next time, thanks again to ALL our volunteers, and we catch ya on the Bayou flip side!

The story continues...

A couple photos from the Johnson home on Downey Street.

Keith and Jason working in the Lam home on Little River Road.
The story continues...
... with the help of friendly folks from Deleware, Indiana, and Oklahoma. They worked on projects all over town this week. Our Ministry Intern, Ryan Knapp coordinated clothing and food distributions to the Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre communities.


One of our longer-term volunteers, Jeff, got to practice his nursing skills by providing first aid to our local friend Blake, who cut his foot while fishing in the water at the thank you dinner at Coden Park. 3 cuts right to the bone, 11 stitches, and one sliced ligament.

Here To Serve

"Gumby" volunteer laborers from Dothan, Alabama, Noblesville, Indiana, and Toledo, Ohio contributed to the on-going story of Restoring Hope to Bayou La Batre this past week. They contributed with their time and skills to the home rebuilding and remodeling projects on Belligrath Road, Shelly Smith's home, Harber Chang's home on Saint Michael Street, and the Gartman's home on Delcamber Street as well as others. Thank Y'all for your hard work and willingness to serve.
This pool will become Ed Gartman's new flower garden.

Jekyll Clubhouse Peach

Last week, a team from Whispering Hills Church of the Nazarene from Brentwood, Tennessee and a Valparaiso Nazarene Church Middle School team worked in Bayou La Batre. They focused on projects on Little River Road. They cleaned up debris, leaves, and branches around the Bryant and Cash homes and painted the interior of the Cash home. They sure are some neat colors! Take a look. Also, check out our newly updated Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions page.

Wanna Come?!

Can't say enough about the teams that have come, but "Thank You!"

We are just about to pass another week which has been full of helping out the community of and around Bayou La Batre. Thanks to our many gifted teams, volunteers, and all those who have been supporting us through your constant prayers. If you could not tell by now, this is but a short blog blurp from yours truly, Tim Whetstone (and of course D and the little one inside!).
We wanted to take just a few minutes and thank the Lord for answering some huge prayers; he has sent us more teams, and he has sent us some amazing long-term help! Jesse and Jordan who will be with us here in the deep south for at least the next 8 months, and our summer help, Ryan, Marcus, Keith, and Jeff! All of you guys are awesome! It is a blessing to both Charles, Danielle and I to have you as part of the team for whatever the amount of time. So, thanks!

Despite the horrific humidity and heat, the "manual labor" is still gettin done! And even more than that, lives are being touched. Teams have helped us be intentional in reaching out to the community through a variety of grace offerings -- VBS's, Water Games Night, BBQ's, and even a gift to the community where one of our teams helped lower the price of gas for two hours at one of our local gas stations. They covered .40cents per gallon!

It truly is a great joy to see people back in their homes. Yet honestly, it has been even a more extreme joy to see people praying, eating, playing, giving, and just being with people in community out of their Love for Christ.


Again, thanks for your help, support, and to my boys-- keep up the tremendous job!

Siging off from the deep deep south, that's all for now.

Timmy & D

A hot shower has intrinsic value

Santa Rosa, California and Shelby, Ohio were the places that volunteers travelled from to reach the Bayou this past week. They installed windows and doors in the Lam family's home, in Julie Seaman's home they installed the kitchen sink, a washer and dryer, and the hot water heater. They're taking hot showers now in their own home. Imagine how good that first shower would feel a mere ten months after losing your home. Also, a crew hung sheetrock in one of the homes on Bellingrath road south of town. Also, Keith, Marcus, and Jeff have come down to help out the NDR team for a few weeks during this very busy time of year. Thank you guys for all of your hard work and sacrifice.

Needs for the work in BLB

Alright readers, we need stuff to continue to improve our work here in Bayou La Batre. Click on this link: NEEDS LIST, check it out, and maybe your family or church can help us with some of the items. Thanks! This list will also have a home on the right sidebar.

Bethany First Church of the Nazarene

A volunteer team of fourty-seven from the Bethany First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City worked in the Bayou area during the week of June 25.

They fixed up the property at the Grand Bay Church of the Nazarene volunteer facility, cleaned and trimmed parks in Bayou La Batre, moved load after load of debris from home yards to the Theodore Landfill, and worked on projects in bayou homes on Little River Road.

The team focused on the motto "Be Flexible" during the week as they were led by Mike McGarry. BFC also hosted a two very fun community parties during the week that provided food and fellowship for the Bayou La Batre and Grand Bay communities.