Extreme Makeover's "Move that Bus!" Finally Heard by the Hurston Family

The moment that so many spectators, guests and VIPs had been waiting for had finally come. Amid Florida's bright blue skies and cheering crowds, the Hurston family, having been away on their San Diego vacation trip, pulled up in a black limousine and parked next to the Extreme Makeover's eye-catching bus. The moment had arrived.

Though my wife and I had visited as spectators to the build site (and were even grafted in as official volunteers on the night before the reveal) we ended up watching Friday's live reveal care of the Internet. In a reportedly first time ever occurrence, Extreme Makeover had a live web cam running, provided by Teksita of Melbourne, Florida, and it even included sound! Clearly seen on the video image, Ty Pennington and the design team welcomed the family and did the preliminaries while the bus blocked the view of the house. Then it was time. The crowd began to chant, "Move that bus! Move that bus!" and move it did.

How do you describe in words what a facial expression tells? Gratitude, relief, tears, excitement, laughter, wonder... this family reacted! And it looked anything but rehearsed to me. I especially got a kick out of the 13-yr old son, Peter, as his jaw dropped open and seemed to just stay there, a slight smile playing across his face. Joe Hurston, the father, at several points raised his arms to the Heavens and looked upward. The mother and oldest daughter appeared shocked and exhuberant.

I'm happy for this family. I believe that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and LifeStyle Homes have done much more than just build another house. They have provided a refuge and recharging station for this very giving family. You see, the Hurstons, even though they've been living out of an RV for months and months due to their home being destroyed by a burst water pipe, are still helping others. They have not let their unlivable home stop them from giving, helping and reaching out to disaster hit areas such as Haiti and Indonesia.

From every one that I've talked with, both on and off the build site, the Hurston's are described as a caring and giving family. Somehow I don't see them as a family demanding a new home for themselves. Not when they've seen the squalor and desperate situation that a large percentage of the world lives in. I hope that every time I'm prone to complain that my "house is too small", or that I don't have enough "things" that God keeps gently reminding me that Americans are very rich in comparison to so many other countries.

Voyager - Pure Water from the Undrinkable

Joe Hurston runs Air Mobile Ministries which builds an amazing product. It's called the Voyager -- a water purification unit that can literally take water that dead bodies have been in and create pure drinking water. One of AMM's employees was on hand at the Hurston's build site when I happened to visit. As a demonstration of Voyager's filtering capabilities, a drinking cooler was setup on the ground. In the bucket were pine cones, dirt, pine needles, branches, rocks... admittedly, not a dead body, but not the kind of water that I would initially think of just dipping my hand into and drinking. An intake hose ran from the bucket up to the Voyager water purifying unit. At the top, clear water was discharged. I had just placed my hand under that water, mimicking like I was going to drink it, when Joe's employee said, "Let me help you there." He then handed me a small Styrofoam cup. Now I was on the spot, to go through with this. I'd come this far, so I plunged in, filling the cup halfway and downing the water. The taste was actually pretty good - and that's coming from a big water lover. (More on Voyager)

Air Mobile Ministries has as their mission statement:

Air Mobile Ministries is a faith based evangelical group that provides disaster relief. Our mission is based upon the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35 and 40:

"I was thirsty and you gave me drink."

"Assuredly, I say unto you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me."

On the Internet broadcast it was announced to the cheering crowd that Bank of America had provided funding for a trip to Haiti where more Voyager water purification units were handed out. The Ford Motor Company is also giving Joe's 1972 aircraft a makeover as well. It will receive a new Garmin navigation system, extended fuel tanks, and a new paint job. In addition, Bank of America is also donating $100,000 to the Hurston family and to Air Mobile Ministries. Wow! I believe that might be the largest donation to an Extreme Makeover family yet.

The New Hurston House

Extreme Makeover and LifeStyle really went all out with their design of the new Hurston home. They have built the first photovoltaic Net-Zero energy home ever featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In the backyard a state of the art wind turbine also supplies power to the home. Why, even the chicken coop is solar powered. It is estimated that by the end of the year, the power needs of the house will be completely provided by the solar panels and wind generator. A true green house.

Not just the Hurston's Helped

Every time I stepped onto the Hurston's property during the build, I couldn't help but think: Extreme Makeover and LifeStyle Homes aren't just helping one family - they are equipping a group of people to help hundreds, maybe even thousands more.

Thank you, Hurston family, for your willing and giving heart. May God richly bless you all as you continue to give to the poor, the weak, the thirsty. No doubt, Jesus sees, and is pleased.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Sources:

Extreme Makeover Home Edition Space Coast / LifeStyle Homes: Click Here
LifeStyle Homes Facebook Page: Click Here
Air Mobile Ministry (The Hurston's Ministry Page): Click Here
Teksita - Online Multimedia Communication & Promotion: Click Here

Additional Extreme Makeover Articles:

Touring the Site of the Hurston's Extreme Makeover Home: Click Here
Where is the Extreme Makeover Hurston Home Located? Click Here
Extreme Makeover Home Edition Coming to the Space Coast: Click Here
Extreme Makeover Water Edition: Click Here

Photo Gallery:

Extreme Makeover Pep Rally at Kennedy Space Center: Click Here
See the design team during their "stuck bus" moment at the airport: Photos -- Video
The Night before the Extreme Makeover Reveal: Click Here
Signs seen in and around the build site: Click Here