Operation Macayla

Site Work Has Begun

There is excitement in the air as Regina, Doug and Macayla see the trenches being dug for the footings. Unfortunately, the morning after the footings were dug and rebar put in place mother nature delivered one of her “frog-stranglers” associated with a line of strong thunderstorms. The trenches were flooded and silted in causing the work crew to bring in a sump pump so they could remove the rebar and re-dig the trenches by hand! In spite of this inauspicious start optimism abounds.

Site Work Is Completed

Kim Cheek, Case Manager, Camp Gulfside, confirmed that the site work has been completed and they are waiting for the house! Kim and Phil Fairchild, Construction Coordinator, Camp Gulfside, have been really busy meeting with the Code Office in Waveland to make sure all the permits are pulled. They have been assured that an inspector will be available to do the mechanical inspection with same day notice so as not to delay the construction. Once again, it is awesome to see how God brings the right people together to do His work.

Regina, Doug and Macayla are so excited they can hardly wait to have a real home again.

All that site prep sure paid off!

Things you learn when building a house to 90% completion in 10 days:

1. We have a just-in-time God.
2. His timing is not always ours.
3. He does have a sense of humor.
4. God’s Angels come in all shapes and sizes.
5. He sure wants Regina, Doug and Macayla to have this house.

There were some glitches and there were some hitches but by the grace of God amazing progress was made on the house. The house showed up on the flat bed, just-in-time, on Sunday evening March 18. There was plenty of discussion as to how to get it unloaded Monday morning but it was determined that we had plenty of person power to handle it.
From there it was a matter of great planning by Dick Lee and his crew in the pre-fab stage and construction coordination by Don Himes. How is it that 30+ people, most of whom had never worked together before, could work as a team without getting in each other’s way? How could it be that it didn’t rain a single drop in southern MS for two weeks in the spring? That took some Divine Intervention!
Time for the engineer to shoot the floor elevation. What, three inches short, how can that be? Are the pilings sinking? No, the benchmark must be rising!! Oh well, off to Lowe’s for about 900′ of 2″ x 2″s. With those and the 3/4″ sub-floor we were close enough to pass inspection. Unfortunately, that cost us about a day of production. Undaunted, the fearless crews worked on.
There was plenty of excitement to go around. Doug, can you say hurricane straps? We figure there must be about a ton of straps and clips in this house. If this house comes apart we don’t want to be anywhere around.

Reinforcements! This is the team from Aldersgate UMC in Greenville, SC. Click here to view their web site of the weeks activities.
It’s all about the relationships. Without Ken Morris responding to God’s call, none of this would have happened. Thank you Ken, Regina, Dick Lee, Kim Cheek, Phil Fairchild and countless other servants.

Be flexible so you won't get bent out of shape!!

This team of three different churches from Western North Carolina (Etowah UMC, Mills River UMC and First UMC – Hendersonville) lived up to this old axiom of mission work to perfection. Once again, God proved that he is a just-in-time God and he has a heck of a sense of humor!

This was crunch week. Typically, one doesn’t feel a huge burden of pressure while serving on a rebuild team because there is usually another team coming behind to pick up where the previous one left off. That is until the last team!! We had a deadline. We were hoping to dedicate the house at 5:00 on Friday the 27th and this team was bound and determined to make sure that was going to happen. Phil Fairchild at Camp Gulfside had done a great job of providing teams from West Virginia and California to finish, prime and paint the sheetrock since our last trip. One of those teams donated money for the laminate floor covering and furniture for the house which was a real Godsend. It was up to the team this week to install the flooring, kitchen cabinets and countertops, bi-fold doors, base molding, window and door trim, paint, appliances, touch up paint, troubleshoot electrical outlets and switches, paint, install fans and lights, hot water heater, commode, vanity, paint, finalize the plumbing… You get the picture. By the grace of God and His willing servants it all got done…but not until 4:30 on Friday. That is when our helpful inspector, Walter, gave us the final OK. We owe him a great debt of gratitude for his cooperative spirit. Yet another God moment. Then the previously mentioned furniture showed up, all of which had to be assembled. It was, shall we say, an unexpected pleasure for the team. At 5:00, time for the dedication, there was total pandemonium. At 5:40 the dedication began. Many thanks to Rev. Paul Thompson from Mills River UMC for organizing and leading the proceedings.

This was a special team in a special place sent to do a special job. They even dug deeply into their pockets to purchase the stove, microwave and dishwasher for Regina. Thanks to them and all the other volunteers from Carpenters for Christ, Camp Gulfside, MSN and the many financial supporters Regina, Doug and Macayla are living in their first house. Now Regina can go about the business of getting corrective surgery for Macayla this summer knowing that she has a healthy environment in which to recuperate. She also can be secure in the knowledge that God sure did want her to have this house. Amen!

Be flexible so you won't get bent out of shape!!

A Message From Regina:

The house is GREAT!!!! I have some pictures for you as soon as I figure out how to get them off of my new camera. The kids are really enjoying their bedrooms, as am I, of course. I don’t think they have slept so sound as they have the past weekend. The beds in that FEMA camper will definitely be something we all WON’T miss, that’s for sure. I have had to drag Macayla out of the bath tub several times already, if I didn’t she would be so pruned we wouldn’t be able to recognize her. I guess that goes without saying that she absolutly loves her tub huh. They haven’t asked me, “MOM can we go somewhere we are bored”. I guess they want to take in the new house for a while, which is fine by me too. Doug stays in his room mostly, typical teenager I guess , or he really really likes his room.

Well if I don’t get off of here they are going to hound me to death.They are making sure I tell you HELLO for them before I go. Doug says Peace Mr. K.C.. Macayla said she’s sending you a hug. And we are all sending you lots of Love and Thanks for all you have done for us. This house is definitely more than we could ever ask for from anyone and God sent his angels here to make it our home. It takes special people to do what you and everyone else that have passed through these doors have done. Not to mention the families you and everyone else left to come to do the work of God and give us a beautiful home. Please make sure you send our Thanks to your family for allowing us to have you here with us. Always remember these doors are always open to you. Bless You and yours.

With All Our Love,

Regina,Doug,Macayla

Missionary Supply Network teamed up with Carpenters for Christ in Corry, PA and the Mississippi Methodist Conference’s Camp Gulfside in Waveland, MS to provide a three bedroom house for the Spiers family. Carpenters for Christ raised the funding for and pre-fabbed the house. Camp Gulfside provided the case management, funding for site preparation, foundation project management as well as teams for labor. MSN provided volunteer teams for labor and additional funding as needed to finish out the house. It is truly amazing to see how God uses ordinary people to accomplish His miracles. How else could teams of complete strangers complete a three bedroom house in 71 days from ground-breaking to move-in?

Urgent Need

Regina Spiers, Macayla’s mom, advised us that Macayla will be undergoing corrective surgery prior to the end of July. The surgery will involve cutting her right femur in two and attaching a metal plate and screws. They also will do corrective surgery on her right foot to straighten it and allow her to walk heel to toe in the future. This will necessitate her being in a wheelchair for up to six weeks.

Regina is trying really hard to provide for her kids, but there is only so much she can do with the income from Pizza Hut and McDonalds. I am afraid if she tries to purchase a vehicle right now she will have to let other things go like utilities and insurance.

The family is in desparate need of a vehicle that will accomodate a wheelchair. If you would like to donate a vehicle or would like to contribute to the Macayla Vehicle Fund, please call KC at 864-275-7323. We would hope that we could raise at least $5000. Checks should be made payable to Missionary Supply Network for Macayla Vehicle Fund and sent to 356 Pimlico Rd., Greenville, SC 29607. Your contributions are fully tax deductible. Unfortunately, time is short. Regina will need a vehicle to bring Macayla home from the hospital by the end of this month.

Urgent Need

I am pleased to report that we have purchased a 1999 Oldsmobile Silhouette Premier Edition minivan for $1200, which is well below fair market value. This is from someone who was on the team that finished the Operation Macayla house. As it turns out, he had been praying about where the van could be best used for the Kingdom when he got the email from us requesting assistance. Is God awesome, or what???

In addition, we have received a total of $2050 in donations from individuals to be used to purchase the van and pay taxes, title and registration fees. We have also received $500 each from two churches, Buncombe Street UMC and Aldersgate UMC, in Greenville, SC to be used for the Macayla Fund or other projects for Katrina relief. Any money remaining in the account after paying for insurance and gas will go to help offset some of Macayla’s medical expenses.

When I called Regina to tell her about the van she immediately started crying and a said “You don’t know how much this means to our family. Thank you all so much!”. It looks like the surgery date has slipped into August. We will be just in time by taking the van to them on our next trip on August 12 – 18.

I would like to thank all of you who have stepped up as the body of Christ by giving your prayers, time, talents and resources to Macayla and her family. We are not only rebuilding homes, but lives as well. God bless you all.

A Message From Regina

I just wanted to write to inform everyone of Macayla’s surgery date now scheduled for Aug 31, at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans La. The surgery will consist of an incision to the outer thigh on the right leg about 4-5 inches long. When inside they will cut the femur bone completly in two. They will then piviot the knee to the right to the degree it should be then a pin will be placed inside the femur bone and a metal plate will be clamped to the bone for reinforcement. Then she will be closed up from that part of the surgery. Then they will proceed to do 3 small incisions to the heel to go in and do a heel cord extension. Then she will be casted to a certain position from her foot to her knee. She will be in a wheel chair for at least 6 weeks. So this will put me out of work for a little while. I know God has his eyes on me, and I know he will provide but please keep us in your prayers that the surgery goes well and she makes a quick and wonderful recovery. Bless you and thank you once again for everything everyone has done for us.

The Spiers Family

p.s. Here is our home phone number 228-466-2916 just incase you guys want to call and check up on her. I’m not sure how often I will be back on here to check my messages when she has her surgery.and please forward this message to anyone else you may think would like to know as I only have a limited amout of email addresses for everyone, thanks…

Praise Report

By the grace of God and help from many of you we delivered the van to Regina, Doug and Macayla on August 12th. Needless to say they were extremely happy. It even led Doug to say “Hey ma, we’re rich now!”. Regina loaded up the kids and a couple of their friends this past Sunday for a road trip after church to Dauphin Island, AL so Macayla could enjoy her last weekend swimming and playing before her surgery. That is something they never could have done with their old car.

Please put Macayla and her family on your prayer list. For those of you who have met Macayla you know Regina needs lots of prayer as well as she tries to keep her in her wheelchair for six weeks!

Macayla's Surgery Postponed

Macayla’s surgery has been delayed due to a blister on the heel of the foot to be operated on and also due to her having a bad cold. The doctors do not want to risk infection. Stay tuned for the rescheduled date.