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PERQUIMANS COUNTY LIBRARY
110 W ACADEMY ST
HERTFORD, NC 27944-1306
m
rEKyUIMANS
Weekly
Local family devoted to mission fields
March 2, 2005
Vol. 73, No. 9 Hertford, North Carolma 27944
ERIN RICKERT
For the six members of
the Dyson family, the cul
ture and picturesque beau
ty of exotic corners of the
world most only see on the
Discovery Channel is
where this family recently
chose to call home.
With no more belongings
than most other families
would take with them on an
annual vacation, these six
give up everyday comforts
to share Christianity with
the people of these remote
paradises as missionaries.
“The most incredible
thing that has ever been
done for anybody was when
Jesus died on the cross,”
said Tom Dyson. “To take
that to places where it has
not been yet, well what
more could you want?”
The Dysons, who lived in
the area for nearly nine
years while Tom worked as
an agricultural extension
agent for Perquimans,
Gates and Chowan coun
ties, said the thought of
devoting their lives to mis
sionary work began in 1996.
It was not until several
years later, in 2002, that the
family was faced with leav
ing the comforts of
Hertford for their first mis
sion trip.
The trip, made possible
through the help of
Hertford Baptist Church,
would take the family all
the way to Venezula.
“We decided for our fam
ily it was our calling,” said
Lorenda Dyson. “We were
really excited to go into
places that did not have the
gospel.”
The two-year trip, how
ever, would force the young
family to sell their home
and most of their belong
ings in the months before
they left.
Garage sales at the
Dyson’s Hertford residence
became a regular event and
even the children bartered
their toys — offering buy
ers instruction on how to
use them.
Everything, except a few
Hi
Tom and Lorenda Dyson and their children Miles, 15,
Keverly, 13, Skyler, 10, and Mikayla, 4 spent two years
as missionaries in Venezula and are preparing for a
four-year trip to Mexico,
small boxes and pieces of
furniture, would be taken
with them in just 17 suit
cases.
Finally) in September,
with suitcases chock-full of
schoolbooks and attire
appropriate for a tropical
climate, the Dyson’s ven
tured to Dallas, Texas.
Visa problems would
cause a seven-month delay
before they could continue
on to Venezula, but the
Dysons made the most of it
— working at the local med
ical mission.
It was during that time,
Tom was rear-ended in a
car accident and later
developed a pain in his
neck.
Continued on page 8
4?-
'rae.n.
Hertford teen goes Hollywood
/ j
I
PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
Workmen from White Construction work to remortar
the exterior of the portion of the Divers Building that
fronts Grubb Street. The workmen are repairing mor
tar.
Divers building
gets facelift
ERIN RICKERT
Just weeks after the Tin
Rabbit closed its doors for
business, preparations for
a new antique shop in the
same building are under
way.
For the last two weeks,
crews from White
Construction have been
working to remortar the
building’s exterior, repair
the ceiling and paint areas
inside.
Bobby White, owner of
White Construction, said
remortaring is almost fin
ished, but several other
repairs could force crews to
continue work on the build
ing for an additional two
weeks.
“It [the store] was get
ting in bad shape,” W^hite
said. “It was either demo
the thing or fix it.”
White said the work to
the mortaring, which holds
the building’s exterior
together, has taken the
most time because it was in
such poor condition it was
literally ready to crumble.
Friday, workmen hung
more than 25-feet above
Grubb Street as they
chipped away old mortar,
replacing it with new, and
bracing it until the work
could dry.
White said crews would
have to wait a few days for
the mortar to dry before
they could start repainting
the building and putting an
end to repairs.
The new shop, just one of
several housed inside the
large L-shaped building
that extends to Church
Street, will open soon
according to Kay Chaplain,
spokesperson for owners
KC Farms Inc.
Perquimans County resi
dent Tom Moriarty will
lease the store from KC
Farms Inc., where
Chaplain said Moriarty
will seU antiques.
“I wanted to keep some
thing there that would be
nice for the town, so I decid
ed to lease it to someone
with the same type of
things already in town,”
Chaplain said. “I think it
will be a very nice antique
store.”
Harrell gets
surprise
makeover, trip
to Oscars
ERIN RICKERT
Gena Harrell recently
lived what many would con
sider to be a modern day
fairy tale, complete with a
golden invitation to the
Oscars and $6 million in
diamonds.
Whisked away from her
Hertford home for a three-
day trip to Harpo Studios
on Feb. 20, HarreU joined
three other lucky women in
Chicago for the taping of
Oprah Winfrey's Red
Carpet Makeover show.
While there, Harrell not
only had the chance to meet
her favorite star, Jessica
Simpson, but feel beautiful
again just days after finish
ing a month of intense
chemotherapy treatments.
And in the minutes
before the show would air
Friday, the Harrells' home
was abuzz with excitement
over Gena’s trip. Inquisitive
family members, friends
and supporters came out in
droves to encourage the
young Hertford woman,.
who at 19 years old had
Ti
«ir*
Daily Advance photo by MCNAIR RIVERS
Gena Harrell waits with family and friends for Friday's Oprah Winfrey Show, a show
on which Gena appeared after receiving a glamorous make-over. She was whisked
away again over the weekend for a recreation of her make-over and a bleacher
seat on the red carpet at the Oscar Awards.
already been through so
much.
With every seat in the
house filled, Gena's par
ents, Jim and Darlene,
watched for the first time
as their daughter walked
out onto a red carpet cat-
walk resembling a movie
star, adorned in $6 million
in diamond jewelry, a high-
slit light green Monique
Lhuillier dress and long
wavy brunette locks.
It was in these moments
before and during the show.
Gena’s struggle with cancer
was blurred by the memo
ries of a trip made possible
through the support of her
family.
Symptoms of cancer
were evident in Gena's life
Continued on page 8
Webb shares unique culture with students
ERIN RICKERT
After spending more
time than usual getting
ready, fumbling through
several attempts to wrap
and fold the pleats of a
bright blue-beaded sari.
Heather Webb greeted a
wide-eyed group of
Hertford Grammar stu
dents last week.
Adorned in Indian dress
complete with jewel bindi,
many of these fifth grade
students were surprised to
see Webb in traditional
attire for the first time
since she returned home
from a month-long trip to
India Feb. 3.
Hands anchored togeth
er as if in prayer, Webb
bowed her head and uttered
“Nah-mah-stay.”
Snickering, the fifth
grade students from Lisa
Lane’s class answered
Webb’s Hindi hello back in
English.
/-
A resident of Elizabeth
City and music teacher at
Continued on page 8
■T
h
PHOTO BY ERIN RICKERT
Hertford Grammar School music teacher Heather
Webb dances to Doohm Machale with Sha'Niqua Gray
and other fifth graders from Lisa Lane's class. She is
dressed in a sarai, traditional Indian clothing.
lEKEND
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