New color... new community... preparing the vessel and tending to our hearts
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| | Two things happened this week that gave our family a much needed boost. One involved the boat. The other involved our hearts. Neither was essential to getting us back in the water, but both continued to weave that thread that God is just as interested in preparing His people as He is in preparing the vessel they'll serve from. |
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| | After a few months of non-stop boat work...
checking project after project off the list...
spending long days doing dirty, exhausting work that often leaves the boat looking worse before it looks better...
We all needed a little morale boost!
We were ready for a project that reflected a bit of our family's personality and one that would simply make us smile 😁 |
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Changing the boot stripe wasn't a safety decision... |
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it was simply a "Tim living with four ladies" decision! |
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The old candy-apple green stripe had served its purpose. |
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| | When you live with four ladies, color certainly matters! |
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| | However, Tim would be the first to admit that he was just as excited as the rest of us to finally see that beautiful blue stripe running down the side of the boat. |
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| | Peeling that first bit of tape off was a moment of excitement! |
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| | Additional color changes coming soon - dark blue bottom paint and a teal pinstripe. |
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| | God has been speaking through the work! |
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| | As Izabel and I spent hours sanding away the old paint, I couldn't help but think about the way God works on our hearts. |
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| | The old paint didn't disappear with one pass of the sander. Some areas required more pressure. Others needed a gentler touch. Even after the rough sanding was complete, there was still careful smoothing, cleaning, priming, and preparing before the new color could be applied. |
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| | Isn't that often how God works in us? |
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| | Rarely is His work a quick surgery that instantly removes everything He wants to transform. Sometimes He patiently removes old habits, fears, or attitudes that have been with us for years. Sometimes He reshapes areas of our lives that don't yet reflect Him. Even after the hardest work is finished, He continues refining us...smoothing the rough edges and preparing us for what comes next. |
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As we worked through each step of the boot stripe, I constantly thought about how God doesn't simply scrape away what needs to be removed. Sometimes He restores what has been damaged. Sometimes He reshapes what has become worn. And sometimes He makes something completely new. We are so thankful for His continued work on our hearts! |
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| | While part of the boat was being restored, God was also caring for our family in another way. |
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Since arriving at the boatyard, we've visited a few churches while praying that the Lord would lead us to a church family for this season. Although our time here is temporary, we knew we wanted more than just a place to attend on Sunday...we longed to worship, grow, and be encouraged alongside other believers. |
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| | God answered that prayer by leading us to Gather Church! |
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| | The teachings are verse by verse through the Gospel of Mark, and on our very first Sunday the message was Jesus' parable of the four soils.
Tim and I immediately looked at each other because that very passage was one the Lord used years ago to confirm His calling for us to leave our home, step into the camper, and begin this journey of faith and life on mission. |
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It was one of those quiet reminders that God was still ordering our steps. |
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What a gift it has been to worship with this body of believers. We are grateful for the encouragement and look forward to continuing to fellowship with them while we remain here in the boatyard. |
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| | A new stripe on the boat and a place to worship with other believers may seem like small things, but we saw God's kindness woven through both. We know that preparation is about so much more than getting the boat ready. God is preparing our hearts, building community, and faithfully leading us one step at a time. |
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Blessings, Tim, Kim, & girls |
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P.S. God has been so faithful in building a community of ministry partners; people praying, encouraging, giving, and walking alongside us. We believe God is still growing that team! |
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If you'd like to learn more about becoming a monthly ministry partner, we'd be honored to have you join us. |
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| | Sharing the gospel on the water, supporting ministries, and bringing hope to the Caribbean. |
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