April Update 2024

Hi all!  I want to start this month’s update with a huge thank you to everyone who gave a little more than normal last month.  God used it to help us on Ocracoke when we were stuck, and to help us pay our taxes (For those unaware, we’ve always gotten a return before but due to our high rent, we owed this year and it was unexpected).

Lots of things have been happening lately in our life on a sandbar. We were so excited to be able to go over to Ocracoke to help with the NC Baptists on Mission Dental Bus in any way that we could. We had some extra time to visit with the volunteers as the ferries weren’t running for a few days and we couldn’t leave the island. It was so neat to watch how God used his people to volunteer at practices when dentists couldn’t get home, and to watch the grateful people of Ocracoke as these volunteers gave of their time and finances to be there. I felt very much a part of island life as my xtratuff boots fit in with most of the folks on Ocracoke! We are so thankful for all those working so that we will hopefully be able to host the bus on Hatteras in January of 2025.  Did you know that a large part of the population on Ocracoke is Spanish speaking?  It truly solidified a need to learn Spanish in our family, though the nursing volunteer did a great job communicating the information needed.

The Ellingtons renewed their lease on their townhouse/duplex? Until December, and though rent did go up, it was a minimal amount, and for that we are grateful.

Baseball practice has started for both Jeremiah and Elijah, and we’ve been running about 5 practices a week (between the two) when weather cooperates. KJ and I have enjoyed getting to know some of the parents we  haven’t met before and Sharon even made some fun sweatshirts for her and some of the other Moms to wear.  One of Elijah’s assistant coaches is pastor of a Church in the Tri villages and is from Avon. He expressed excitement at what we are doing, and He and KJ are going to try to get together at some point for lunch.

Easter was so much fun!  We spent the Saturday before at an egg hunt and festival put on by Calvary Chapel Hatteras Island and KJ was asked to pray over lunch and had a great time visiting with their new pastor.  On Resurrection Sunday we had a gorgeous Sunrise service on the beach with KJ sharing from the scriptures as we watched the sun rise behind him. We had a homeowner on the island join us as he walked over to see the sun rise and said he was pleased to see we were having service. We had an egg hunt in our Buxton neighborhood and invited some vacationing kiddos to join us, and all the kids definitely made quick work of 1,000 eggs! After that we had a covered dish style Easter meal at our house, once again inviting those who wanted to celebrate with others from the island to join us.

Sharon attended a community meeting about contamination on our beach in Buxton, and an old Navy base that was not cleaned up as it should have been.  Because they have closed a large section of our beach, it has caused some problems for businesses and rental houses in the immediate area as most folks don’t want to rent a house near a beach they cannot use.

KJ has officially joined the Avon Volunteer Fire Department as their chaplain, and is excited to have another way to serve the Avon community.

Though the weather has caused us to miss some weeks, Sharon and her ladies are continuing their study through the book of Proverbs on Wednesday nights. Last night they took a week off from studying and went out for supper at a local restaurant and just enjoyed the time strengthening relationships.

We are so grateful for your prayers and support because we know that without you, we could not be here, and God is doing amazing things!  As you pray, I have a few specific things I would ask that you pray about:

-Give praise that a young Mom asked one of our core team members for a Bible, and One Church was able to provide that for her.

-Praise God that KJ has been asked to provide deeper study with someone he has been mentoring.

-Pray for the logistics of the Dental Bus coming to Hatteras and for Krissy Watson as she organizes that ministry for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.

-Pray for Calvary Chapel Hatteras Island and their new pastor.

-Pray for our family as we now have a year of rental income and are trying to get pre approval for a USDA loan to start looking for something affordable to purchase in Avon. (If you have real estate or mortgage experience, we would love your thoughts and advice!)

-Pray for those involved in our current Bible Study and for those interested in coming that are too anxious to walk through the door.

-Continue praying for those we have been serving in love as we share Jesus with them.

-Pray for Ocracoke as the large swells and overwash are causing problems for tourists approaching the island by ferry (the only way), and tourism is the main source of income for many.

-Pray for all the service workers as business is picking up and many of them will soon be working multiple jobs where they are unseen and often treated as less than.

I know that is a lot of requests, but prayer is the work, and our God is an awesome God!  We love you all and are so thankful for your support through prayers, cards, texts, phone calls, and sacrificial giving.