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| Scott Allen | Bennie Nelson | Clay and Dee Davis | Mike and Debbie White | Billy Diggs |
Billy Diggs
In my twenty five plus years in ministry I have had the privilege of meeting thousands of God’s wonderful servants, but very few as effective with people as
Billy Diggs. His list of
accomplishments reads like something out a major magazines lineup of “Who’s Who” in America. Honor
student in high school, champion swimmer and triathlon athlete,
Medical school student, he ran one of Norfolk, Virginia's most successful restaurants at the young age of only seventeen, is an advanced scuba diving instructor, and as an accomplished surfer he spearheaded the successful efforts to bring the East Coast Surfing Championships to Virginia Beach, Virginia. The list goes on and on. Equally as great as all of his accomplishments is the fact that he did all of these amazing things while living in a foster home out of a small suitcase.
I had the privilege of meeting Billy several years after these accomplishments on the Outer Banks of North Carolina on New Year's Eve 1980. At this point in his life Billy owned and ran an award winning restaurant in Nags Head, North Carolina and was also building what has now become one of the most successful Architectural, new home construction and real estate sales firms on the entire Outer Banks. You might ask yourself, what would cause a person to be so driven to accomplish so many remarkable things? With Billy the answer is always "others!"
Just before
he married his best friend and
beautiful wife Lynn, Billy and his four sisters had been painfully
separated by a terrible family breakup. Seeing the devastation that it caused in their lives, he dropped out of Medical school just two semesters before graduating and began the long and difficult task of reuniting his
fragmented family. Over time he was able to help relocate and put his sisters to work at his restaurant.
A few short years later due to the increasing success of his construction company he was able to begin building his mother a house on his property. Although a debilitating illness prevented her from moving into the home, it stands as a memorial to her and has housed many Precious servants of God that have been in need of shelter. Over the years Billy and Lynn have taken in hundreds of needy and homeless people. Through their endless hard work, they have been able to lead many lost to Christ, provide them with tools and training, jobs, shelter, food and a loving family environment.
In addition to all of this, Billy serves in local church leadership and he and Lynn have also done a wonderful job at raising four beautiful daughters that are all very involved in their schools and surf competitively. Billy has also started an organization called “Surf Ministries International.” With proceeds from his companies he funds surfing expeditions to remote coastal villages all over the world. There, he leads different groups of professional and amateur surfers to build and/or repair churches and when possible leave the villagers surfboards, Bibles, money and other much needed supplies.
Billy and Lynn have also purchased a home on the North Shore of Hawaii and are in the process of building a satellite office for their
construction company there. They have already begun strategic planning on how to best reach the thousands of surfers that visit the area each year.
Another of his life long visions has been to proclaim the Gospel using his passion for photography and film making. This lead him to start a surf videography organization that he has placed under the supervision of one of his proteges by the name of Nick McLean. They are now in the finishing stages of a project entitled “Noah’s Ark.” This is an amazing collection of interviews with pro surfers sharing their testimonies along with lots of breathtaking footage of them surfing the hottest spots around the world. It will reach a lot of people for the Lord.
Billy Diggs is, in fact, an awesome example of what God intends a true pastor and shepherd and friend to be! I count it a great honor and a rare privilege to walk with this precious man of God! If only the body of Christ had more Billy's and Lynn's. You can write them or send support for their work to: SMI P.O. Box 349 Kitty Hawk, N.C. 27949. Please keep them in your prayers as the battle for the souls of our young people is growing more furious every day!