About six weeks behind our latest timeline and two years behind our original timeline, Selah is finally done! A week before Christmas, we moved aboard and early this week, in the wee hours of the morning, Aaron and Captain Dan, left our home port of Elizabeth City, NC aboard Selah and started a long journey southbound.
A video of our “finished” boat below (as many already know, a boat is never truly finished)
The emotions I’ve experienced these last few weeks are unusual to me. Not ones I often feel. “Surreal” is really the best word for it all. For two years it felt like there was a giant mountain in front of us and more times than not, the thought of having to climb it was overwhelming. And then, almost as if overnight, we came to find we were standing on top of it! It feels unbelievable that we actually made it! It doesn’t seem to calculate, all those small steps and days of work, don’t really seem like they would equal this beautiful, functional boat we now live in. I feel like a proud mama who’s just given birth (without an epidural) or maybe this is what it feels like to win an Oscar (there are so many people that I would like to thank.)
I think it feels surreal because of the supernatural element of it all. The logistics and finances that have worked out to make it here are worth marveling at. What lies before my eyes today, is the culmination, I believe, of a 1,000 miracles. No single one significant alone to impress, but the consistency with which they appeared, for me, has been the proof that God has been working with us too.
Each miracle often connected to a person. A person who brought a tool, a supply, an encouraging word. Some people gave money, some gave their time, others their knowledge. Some came to help for an afternoon and others came weekly. Some were strangers who remained strangers. Many have become friends, and a few were old friends, who have been around long enough to hear Aaron talk of dreams of sailboats and ministry for over 20 years now.
I am super excited to live out these next few months, slowly moving south aboard our boat as a family. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited and yet scared. I’ve talked to enough boaters at this point to know sailboat life is a lot of work. I am nervous for the trials I know will come, but I’m equally as excited to see why God has had us walk this path these last two years. I must believe that these last two years are just the beginning of a new chapter for the Koerner family.
THE BOATS DONE, NOW WHAT?
Even though we have been at this for over two years now, we still see ourselves as “in training.” We have learned so much about building and maintaining a sailboat, but there is yet another list of things to learn and experience that can only be done by living aboard a moving boat. In about a week, the kids and I will meet up with Aaron and Selah and take Dan’s place as crew aboard the boat and continue to head south via the Intracoastal Waterway. This initial winter and spiring season, we plan to be on the move a good bit. We have many friends and some churches we would like to connect with in Florida, and we anticipate many divine appointments with people in need of the love of Jesus along the way. We hope to round the tip of Florida and make it up the Gulf Coast of Florida to the Tampa area and maybe even cross the Gulf Stream and spend a few weeks in the Bahamas if things go according to plan. But just getting the boat off the local ministry docks already feels like a major win. When the spring comes to an end, we plan to head back up to Elizabeth City for hurricane season. We are already excited at the thought of being back in this small city with a fully functional boat.
Our goal for the next two years will be to gain lots of on the water experience as a family while being in tune to the leading of the Holy Spirit to minister to those in and out of the boating community. Beyond that, Aaron still has a heart to be able to disciple and encourage young men through on the water experiences. Even further beyond that, we are already aware of needs for sailors and sailboats to reach the lost on islands communities mostly in the Pacific Ocean. But as continues to be our story, it’s all in the hands of the Lord, and all one step at a time.
As always, thanks for reading and following along. Feel free to reach out to learn more or if you’d like to be apart of our support group and get more updates or hear about more real time prayer needs.
Yesterday we experienced our first storm on the water. What started out as a nice warm sunny day motoring one of the ministry’s smaller sailboats out to our favorite local anchorage for a swim was interrupted by the sound of thunder in the distance. We quickly decided that swim time was over and swam back to the boat to head home. But the distant dark clouds got darker and increasingly closer. With the clouds rolling in from the direction we needed to go, we were unsure of what to do. We initially decided to head away from home and let it pass over, west of us, but we weren’t fast enough. Things escalated rather quickly as the concern went from the theoretical danger of lightning and the discomfort of driving home in the rain to the actual danger of bigger and bigger waves and strengthening winds. At this point, the kids and I were safe and dry below deck, but Aaron, at the helm, was already soaking wet and decided to just head straight into the storm and try to get home, but thewinds blew strong and he didn’t feel like we were making any headway. The waves came rolling in big. Only able to see a hundred feet in any direction he was finding it hard to really know where we were headed. He tried to look for the channel markers, only to realize the wind was no match for the sailboat’s small motor and he was getting too close to the edge. The kids and I down below all the while getting a good rocking. Luckily the boat had just had overnight visitors aboard, so the dinette booth below had been converted into a spacious bed complete with pillows and blankets. It made for a great spot to comfort three kids who were getting an unwanted lesson in storms on boats.
Realizing it was pointless to try to get anywhere, Aaron spotted a little cove along the bank of the river and called for me to come take the helm while he threw the anchor overboard and halted our movement. It was the turning point and our biggest take away from the day. If caught in a storm, don’t try to outrun it, or against it, best to throw your anchor, and wait.
I’m embarrassed to say that it’s almost been a year since I last wrote. Our last year here in North Carolina has been really challenging. I’ve wanted to write for months but I always love to share more than the surface level highlight reel, yet at the same time when you are going through something, when you’re in the midst of the storm, it can be difficult to see more than a hundred feet in any direction. Sometimes it’s hard to know where you’re really headed.
So a few weeks ago I created a highlight reel for you guys. Fun pictures of us getting to use our boat this summer here in Elizabeth City. Finally getting that bulkhead rebuilt. The kids at sailing camp. Yay us…and although none of it is false, there was a deeper truth I wasn’t sure how to communicate until the storm. As Aaron and I reflected back on the storm the next day, it became clear that the storm was the perfect parallel to what we feel like we have experienced here.
Life storms
It started out as a nice warm fun first summer here. We were excited to learn and get to work on the boat. But slowly the clouds grew dark in the distance, as we got a sinking feeling that this was not a simple, six month project. We were quickly feeling in over our heads when it came to the amount of work the boat really needed. Unsure of what to do, we decided initially to outrun the storm. We doubted whether this was really for us to do. Maybe another boat would be better. Maybe we weren’t headed in the direction we thought. In the meantime, Aaron became the dorm dad at the college and he poured himself into the lives of the college guys here and it was neat to watch as God renewed a tender heart in him for the young men, not in a distant land, but in his own.
But the boat was still there, and slowly, little by little we realized she was still meant for us. And slowly little by little we realized our suspicions were right. She would need to be torn apart before she could be rebuilt.
And so, into the storm we went. “Ok, let’s get this boat done, let’s do this! Let’s create timelines and plans. Let’s figure this out. If hard work can get it done, then I’m your lady”…or so I thought. Days of “can do” attitude were often short lived as we stepped forward, only to find the wind push us back two steps. Discovering more problems. Thinking we’ve come up with solutions only to find they didn’t work. Bundling up in double pants and double sweatshirts, hats and boots and climbing into damp, cold boats in the winter was the worst. The winds blew strong and often it didn’t feel like we were making any headway. The waves came rolling in big. We rose up to the peak, “yes we did it. We are making progress” and then we rode down to the trough, “another problem, this is too much!” Another peak, “God what you’re doing here is so exciting. I can see the possibilities!” Another trough “God how will we buy all the supplies this boat needs, we don’t have money to rebuild this boat”
But there’s been a turning point. We are learning daily to throw our anchor and to know our anchor. Not a thing seen and grasped with human hands, but a perfect being we’ve learned we can trust. When a storm comes, God is not asking us to use our own strength to fix it, nor does he want us to cower in fear and run. He is inviting us to learn to throw anchor and reap the rest that comes from trusting in him despite the storm. And to know that when we survived the storm, it wasn’t by our own strength, but because our anchor sustained us.
About a year into our time here, I began to realize this whole thing was just as much about Aaron and I’s hearts, as it was about a boat. My cry of “God, please let us work on this boat. And get this done and behind us” was always met with the reply of, “Laura, please let me work on you, because you can’t move on till I’m done with you” It’s rather difficult and in the end very humbling to realize that the obstacle between where you are and where you want to be, may just be you. “Can do” Laura has realized that she can’t do. This whole thing should have fallen apart a long time ago. A lot of what we have done doesn’t make sense, and didn’t make sense. And yet God has moved us forward. The fact that God has sustained our finances alone is an amazing testimony (that I hope one day to share with you). But he’s also provided places to live, opportunities to travel and take a break when we needed it. He’s provided fellow boaters who’ve had the knowledge we didn’t. He’s supplied building materials in fun ways. Free lumber in the form of old dorm beds and old church pews. He’s sustained our emotional needs as well, with our ministry community here who shares our dream of ministry and sailboats. He’s given us people to encourage our hearts and people who could relate deeply to our struggles. He’s perfectly provided for our kids’ needs too – with great friends and homeschool groups, soccer teams and church groups, and yard space, as they journey and grow with us.
It feels very brave to say, but I think the storm is clearing. I’m seeing some sunlight in the distance. In July we sold our RV and temporarily moved aboard a larger motorboat the ministry owns. But the ministry has plan to sell this boat soon, so we’ve been given till November to get our boat ready for us to move aboard. Don’t miss understand me, I cherish deeply these last two years, and hold all the lessons learned here dearly. But I long for the day when we get to leave port with our anchor leading the way, fastened to the bow of the boat, ready for the next storm.
We need you!
Will you join us in praying that the Lord will help us make our fall deadline? The majority of our financial needs and supplies appear to be met. But we are continually reminded of our need for the prayers of God’s people. You are reading this blog because our lives have touched in some way. God sends no one on a journey alone. And we are honored that you are still here with us and we ask that you consider joining us deeper in this project by asking God to give us success in making our November deadline. Please pray for physical energy to keep going at it day after day, especially in the heat. God has provided a couple men from our local church who have volunteered their time to help build cabinets and run wiring, but we could still use more hands, as often it’s just Aaron working alone. We would also love prayers for good, quick decision making skills as we are making a lot of finishing detail decisions (how high to build the bunks, how many lights to install and where).
We would love to hear from you too! We would love to answer your questions, talk more about what we hope to do with Selah, or even have you come and help if you’ll be in the area! Thank you for following along. Your continued readership as we journey, is an encouragement to our hearts!
Okay, Now for some Fun Pictures
Our daughter’s favorite way to spend time while we anchor locally here in NC on a day trip.
The highlight of the summer has been being able to use our boat (after working on Selah for 1.5 years, we were able to go sailing on her as a family for the first time this June) As the bulkhead is now rebuilt, she is structurally sound again and sailable!
Over the course of the summer, Selah took out over 100 people, including several youth groups and some family. Laura’s mom and Aaron’s parents made the list of passengers.
Rielle working on her Captains License
Laura and boat building friend, Rachel, geared up for fiberglass work
The shop vac is a must have for boatbuilding. The kids vacuum up sawdust after mom and dad reinstall the salon floors and create hatches to access the old water tanks below that will now be used as dry storage.
It’s been such a blessing to make friends with other families with kids who also want to use sailboats to share the love of Jesus. One such family came to visit this winter and it was so cool to be able to play with stuffed animals with other 5 year olds
Our local docks continue to bring the world to us. We spent a lovely afternoon early this summer with a British couple who sailed across the pond. They gave the kids a lesson in knots, and even shared a spot of English tea with us! T’was delightful (can you hear my British accent)
A video I made to share with our home church at the beginning of this year…
After finishing up as dorm parents at the college for the spring semester, we decided to spend our summer in Florida and get a break from boat work, but first we got to travel to Puerto Rico for a week and visit another couple from the ministry who lives and serves there. Jim and Staci have been doing ministry on the water for years all over the world from a house boat on the Amazon river, to youth sailing programs in Africa and now in PR. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with them and to glean from their wisdom in both ministry and boat life. We were able to do a lot of snorkeling (which the kids loved!) and took an over night trip on their sailboat. It was great to be able to show the kids potential of sailboat life!
we spent a good chunk of the summer back in the Tampa area where we had stayed in the RV for the year prior to joining the ministry. While there we officially became member of our church there. After feeling a bit like roamers, we felt it was time to have a home church again. Although we left town again for North Carolina the week after becoming members, we feel value in having a “home base” and people outside of Maritime Ministries to be connected with as we continue along our sailboat journey.
We are back in North Carolina now and continuing the work on the boat (picture of our new RV spot below.) Our time in Florida served its purpose as we were away long enough to be excited about boat work again! After all the demo and removal we did to the boat last spring we are excited to announce that we have started the reconstruction phase! It feels go to be installing new pieces of wood instead of removing rotten wood.
Our general goal is to have the boat livable as soon as possible. Once she is ready though we anticipate sticking around the local waterways of NC and VA and gaining lots of on the water experience before we are ready to use her for ministry or take her ”on the outside” (on ocean trips). But we are continually reminded and encouraged to hold all our plans and timelines with open hands as God continues to lead us one step at a time.
In two short weeks Maritime Ministries will host a maritime missions conference called “Kingsfleet” (learn more here) Kings Fleet is an international network of Christian boaters and boat ministries that use their vessels for the sake of the gospel. We are super excited to be a part of this event and to hear about what the Lord is doing around the world, as well as spend time praying for one another.
The ministry is prepping for the fall crushing season that’s just a few weeks away. This is the time of the year we are busy welcoming boats on our docks who are traveling south for the winter. It’s always fun for us to meet people from all walks of life and from all over the world. Elizabeth City is known as the “Harbor of Hospitality” and the city has placed the Ministry in charge of welcoming boaters at the city’s docks downtown as well. (Picture below – the kids working with other ministry kids to pack welcome bags for distribution to the boats who pass through the city)
A huge answer to prayer! Late this summer Mr. Cameron came to stay on our docks in his sailboat and has been working on rewiring Selah for us! A friend of the ministry, Mr. Cameron seems to be an electrical wizard and we are so so excited that God sent him our way and that he’s been willing to not only work out all our electrical kinks but he’s also a great teacher and Aaron finally feels like he’s got a grasp on Selah’s electrical system. Earlier this spring I started praying that God would send us people who could help us fix this boat. Although money is always nice, often people who know what they are doing are far more valuable I think. (Pictured below, Mr. Cameron and Aaron sit in Selah’s engine room and talk electricity.)
“Just for Fun” Pictures…
Our current RV spot is a prime fishing and crabbing location. We have been catching and eating both! The kids all have their own poles and are impressively good at fishing (well, at least mom is impressed.) A college student who grew up in the area taught me how to cook crab (I feel like this counts toward sailboat life training)
All geared up for a blustery sail on one of the ministry’s smaller boats (ok, it was only 60 degrees out). This Florida girl is already fearful of the “frigid” North Carolina Winter.
Watching the kids learn how to work with boats has had lots of “proud mama” moments. Pictured below, Aaron steers a smaller sailboat towards the dock as Everett stands on the bow with a line in his hand ready to throw to Rielle on shore.
She’s ours! While legally Selah remains under the ownership of the ministry, we have officially signed a three year charter on her. This means she’s our responsibility to take care of and maintain, but we also get to use her as the Lord directs during that time (and potentially beyond.)
We have been in Elizabeth City, NC for about 9 months now. I have so much I could write about. It’s challenging to know what to share, often because it’s hard to write about experiences you are still living through. Trying to analyze what God is teaching you. What lessons you’ve learned. What direction things are headed. But I can say I am in awe of how much we have learned and experienced in our relatively short time here.
Last fall, right when we thought we were nearing the end of Selah’s major repairs, we discovered that what we thought was some minor water damage on an interior wall below deck, was actually major water damage to a structural bulkhead wall. We were pretty defeated at the discovery and struggled for a few weeks with whether or not we could repair this rotten bulkhead and still be ready to move aboard her come December. In the mean time the college offered Aaron a position as “dorm dad” in the men’s hall for the up coming spring semester. Although the position didn’t pay, it would mean free housing for us for the spring. A break from being in the RV. Initially I didn’t want Aaron to take the job, I didn’t want to stick around for another semester. I wanted to stick to the original plan – get the boat done as soon as we could and head back south. What was next after that I wasn’t sure, But I just wanted to stick to the plan (I’m sure no one can relate) Slowly though, God showed me I was holding onto a plan and not him, and so he asked me to let it go and into the apartment we moved.
A view from our apartment window. Our youngest, Abel, watches as Aaron docks Selah on the sea wall. What an amazing gift God has given us in our time in this apartment. Free housing with a view of the intercostal and our boat tied up right outside! If He gives you a task, He will make a way for you to accomplish it!
I’m a little embarrassed now that I fought God on this plan change. God knew what was around the corner. Things I didn’t see coming. We were surprised in December to find out we were pregnant, only to be surprised again in February to discover I was having a miscarriage. I am thankful I didn’t have to go through that experience while living in the RV (or a boat!) Although tiny living simplifies many areas of life, it can create more work when it come to certain household chores. God knew I would need rest during that time and kindly gave me a laundry room and a dishwasher again for a season.
He also knew there was another rotten bulkhead in our future, and more wood rot in the deck’s core that was still hiding out of view. Eventually we had to step back and realize that this was going to be a much bigger renovation than we thought. Many days have felt very defeating. For a few months there I told God I couldn’t keep going at this without him giving me a vision for where this sailboat journey was headed. It was getting hard and I wanted some concrete reasons to keep going. Was this boat meant to be our home God? Or would Aaron use it to host camps for young men, just like his original sailboat dream years ago? I prayed for several weeks for answers, to no avail. Then one day I was asked to answer this question in a Bible study workbook, “Are you waiting for God to put everything in place before you step out in faith? (Check yes or no.) If no, is that still faith?” I found that question convicting. In that moment I felt like God said, “I’m not going to give you the whole plan, I just want you to keep going, keep working on the boat.” I didn’t get the answer I wanted (as seems to be a reoccurring theme in my life) but God gave me the confidence that this was the work to which he had called us for this season, and so again, as I let go of what I wanted, God gave me another gift along with the apartment, the peace that comes from knowing I’m right where I’m supposed to be (even if that does involve scrapping out rotten wood from 50 year old sailboats.)
As of today we are pretty confident that we have discovered all of Selah’s hidden secrets. In order to leave no stone unturned, no rotten bulkhead undetected we have removed most of her cabinets, bunks and cosmetic walls to reveal the bare fiberglass hull (see picture below). On a positive note, all the repairs we’ve made have helped us to know this boat way better than we did last fall and we have gained a lot of confidence in boat maintenance and repair, skills I’m sure God will have us tap into along this journey. We are hoping to have all of the repair jobs done by the end of our time here in the apartment come the end of May. And from there we will have to decide how we want to rebuild her interior. We aren’t 100% sure what the plan is. But I’ve been challenged to worry less about the plan and more about walking daily with my savior. Letting him lead the way as I walk in the faith that he has a plan. A better plan than me.
A view below deck. Aaron and Patrick, (another ministry team member) work to reinforce the post below deck that aligns with the main mast directly above deck. This post seen here is all that’s left of the rotten bulkhead that used to run between where Aaron and Patrick are in this picture. Unfortunately the rot went all the way below the floor. What you can’t see here is the 3 ton ram Jack that now sits between the hull of the boat and this post to support the mast while we repair the damage.
I laughed to myself the other day that I named this blog “Life From Lemons” God knew that the RV and the pandemic were not the end of the “lemons” we would encounter. We can now add our sailboat Selah to the list of lemons. But as I thought of it more, I think maybe Aaron and I are the real “lemons.” God’s main concern here isn’t boat restoration, it’s heart restoration. And oh man! Has he been working on our hearts.
Aaron recently said it best, “for every piece of rotten wood we dig out of the boat, God is also digging out my rot.”
Some Fun Pictures
“The Scooter Gang” The Koerner kids are known around campus for their sweet rides. We scooter every day to the cafeteria across the street. Not only does the “dorm dad” position come with free housing, but Aaron negotiated free lunch for the family too.
“Not as easy as it looks” Rielle tries her hand at the drill as we work to remove the cabinets to make sure nothing is hiding behind them. Daddy made it look a lot more fun than Rielle found it to be.
“Work or play” The college let us borrow their John Deere “Gator” to take loads of wood off the boat and to the dumpster. But it can also hold a decent amount of people too! Our good friends from the ministry and their kids (seen here) often come to our aid when we need help on the boat.
I continue to fit in art time when I can. My Etsy art shop (visit shop) is still selling prints and I’ve had some time to create some paintings for the apartment walls!
Acrylic painting based off a picture I took in Treasure Island, FLAcrylic painting based on a photo I took in Jacksonville, FLOne of my recent additions to my Etsy kids print shop
We are still here in Elizabeth City, NC working on boats with Maritime Ministries. We didn’t make our original deadline of having the boat ready to move aboard by the end of the year, so we are taking some time to slow down and hear from God about his plans for our boat and our family.
We’ve just ended the busy season of boaters coming to stay in our docks as they head south for the winter. We have learned lots about the power of hospitality and met some cool people.
Come January Aaron will become the “dorm dad” for the men’s dorm here at the college where Maritime Ministries is located. Unless God changes our course, we have committed to staying here till summer. Which means moving out of the RV and into a dorm parent apartment here on the college campus. We will continue to train with Maritime Ministries (which is located on the college campus) and work on fixing up our boat “Selah.” Our dorm parent apartment will have a view of the Intracoastal and the docks (and it’s own washer and dryer).
Dock Happenings:
The mizzenmast is back up! We re-installed the mizzen (rear) mast. Yay! It took about 15 volunteers to hoist this baby back in place. This was a major repair and it’s quite the accomplishment to have it done.
One thing I love about being here is there always seems to be a steady flow of visitors coming and going. Many are one timers but many come around enough to become friends. One such friend is pictured here teaching Aaron how to tighten the rigging (all those wires that keep the mast in place) on Selahafter the mast had been re-stepped (put back up)
Cruising season
October and November are busy season on the docks of Elizabeth City, as the hurricane season ends in the south, boaters head for a warm place to winter. Most cruisers we met were headed for the Bahamas and surprisingly most of this years cruisers were French Canadians. Most spoke great English though. This fall busy season the ministry touched base with about 95 different boats/boaters. We learned lots about the power of simple hospitality and free hot showers!
Two boaters made an impression on me. One was a Canadian lady who knocked on the RV door to ask for a ride to the local vet to collect the ashes of her beloved 16 year old dog who had passed away while they were docked here. As we rode home from the vet she said, “I’m not sure why, but if all the places he could have died, I was glad it happened here at the Christian college. For some reason it brings me peace.” I wasn’t quite sure how to minister to this couple during there loss, but Gods comfort and grace supersedes our abilities to “get it right”
The other boater was actually a kayaker. He slipped in on a busy day on the docks and it took us a while to realize that the kayak tied to the end of the docks wasn’t the accessory of a larger boat, but the main mode of transportation for Bob. After receiving a bad diagnosis from his doctor and not having much family around, he decided to jump in a kayak and pursue a dream he had of kayaking from Virginia to Florida. Probably in his late fifties, early sixties, his equipment and kayak were very basic. We offered him a stay aboard one of the ministries sailboats for the night on a real mattress with a proper pillow. He told us he had spent several nights tied to trees along the banks of the Intracoastal with the kayak as his bed. (We later learned that his story touched one boater so much he bought him his own sailboat to continue his journey on!)
A busy day on the docks and a rainbow! Although the majority of boaters are couples, I was a little surprised how many boaters came with kids and even a couple babies!
Two of my favorite boats from the season
Rielle and I and our other MM crew helped sailing journalist Emily move her boat. Another boater who’s come around enough to become a friend of the ministry, Emily and I had several conversations about my Christian beliefs.
The Annapolis Boat Show
We got the join the ministry at the US Sailboat Show which is a huge boating event that takes place every year in Annapolis, MD. The only non-profit at the show, Maritime Ministries attends in conjunction with “Kings Fleet,” an international network of boats in ministry. The goal in attending is to network with other boaters and to spread awareness about boats serving a greater purposes.
At our boat show booth. You can see Everett is thrilled to be there, next time we will leave the kids at home.
Abel at the docks of the boat show. The highlight of the boat show was being able to tour lots and lots of beautiful sailboats. Piles of shoes abounded on the docks as no one is permitted to wear foot wear while touring fancy boats.
Not your typical parking problem. Annapolis docks during the boat show.
Boat Parade
We hope you and your family had a great Christmas! We got to participate with Selah in the city’s annual boat parade! After spending a few hours with friends decorating Selah, the day of the parade the boat would not start (battery issues). After hours of trouble shooting by our leader Dan, finally at 5:30pm the engine turned over. It was a cold night but a blast!
Warm and buoyant. Wearing winter jackets under life jackets was a tight squeeze
Rielle and her friends help hang lights (left) Selah the night of the parade (right)
That’s all for now. Thanks for following along on our journey!
Our first week here in Elizabeth City I found myself experiencing an unfamiliar, unsettling feeling. I was so excited and anxious to get here but upon arrival the reality of the risk we had taken in moving here and the distance that now lay between us and all things familiar made both Aaron and I feel very vulnerable. There was no familiar rhythm to the days and no certainty of when ”normal” would arrive again. Sitting my my RV in a town that 7 months prior I didn’t even know existed, I had one of those, “if you had told me a year ago today that I would be here today I wouldn’t believe you” moments.
But needless to say we found our new normal and I continue to stand amazed at how smoothly everything continues to go in this new chapter of our lives. The word “redemption” has been on my mind a lot recently. For me this season here working on sailboats feels like a season of redemption. When we encountered problem on the RV, We turned to the internet. I have spent so many hours in the last two years searching the web for “how to fix RV…” We didn’t know what we were getting into when we bought our RV and often felt very alone in our repairs and renovations. Not many of our friends and family could offer advice when it came to recoating rubber RV roofs or eliminating black water tank smells. Lots of repairs felt overwhelming and daunting. Our best hope was often the YouTube video with the most views, or the RV forum with the most legitimate sounding web address. It was trial and error and often making it up as we went. I have learned so much the hard way in the last couple of years!
Work here on our future sailboat home, Selah, has been a complete 180 from our RV experience. We are surrounded with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the staff of Maritime Ministries. Here as we prep to re-paint the deck someone hands me a can of paint and primer, all the tools I need and tells me exactly how to do the job. How refreshing! No hours of google searching here! Although Selah is slowly becoming ours, she will truly continue to belong to the ministry and therefore we all (us and the other staff here) work as a team to get her ready for her next adventure with our family (hopefully starting this winter!). I feel the opposite of alone in this work, and our work together on her is always the highlight of my week. I feel a bit at times like a kid back at summer camp, exhausted at the end of the day but throughly enjoying myself and confident that God has me where he wants me!
I think of the old worship song, ”He gives and takes away. He gives and takes away. My heart will choose to say blessed be your name.” What God has taken from our lives in our trials since the pandemic, he is now giving back, in more ways than a single blog post can convey. I am acutley aware though of all those still waiting for their season of redemption, for the giving, for the rain, for answers to the question of, ”how long Lord?” I hope this small piece of my story can be an encouragement to all those waiting, that he sees us, he sees you, and he will not waste your tears, nor will he wipe them away, but rather I think he saves them to water the new seeds that though you can’t see them yet, are sprouting beneath the surface!
Getting our hands dirty – repairs and renovations begins!
We have gotten good at taking out MM’s boats and enjoying the perks of boat life but now the real work begins! We have started making all the repairs and adjustments to Selah to get her ready for more adventures. Lots of sanding and painting and varnishing are currently taking place, as well as a major repair to the aft (rear) deck of Selah which involved removing the mizzen (again rear) mast.
Rielle prepping for teak sanding and varnishing. Although her brothers prefer to play she likes to be involved in as many projects as she can.
AfterBefore
Before and after – our first of many teak restoration projects
Removing the mizzen mast in order to repair the deck beneath it. This was quite the operation and took about seven people to accomplish (side note this dock and all the boats pictured here are owned by MM)
Where the mizzen mast used to be – The top skin of the fiberglass deck is cut open to remove the rotted core. Here again! so thankful for the knowledge of these two men!
Laura Climbs Selah’s mast
Laura (at the top) learns how to climb Selah’s mast from experienced climber Rachel (below). Climbing the mast is often necessary to make repairs to lines and equipment that live up there.
The kids doing playdough inside Selah while mom and dad work on various projects above
Other Happenings
Lauras artworkAaron leading worship
The college was in need of a talent musician to lead worship for their weekeday chapel service, good thing this guy was around. Aaron’s taken on a part time worship leader position here at the college for the fall semester. Its been a great getting to know the staff and students here better! Not wanting to be left out, Laura was also able to give her talents to the college. It didn’t take long for the college to hear of her talents from their new worship guy. Laura (and Rielle too) painted this 6 ft tall, prodigal son, faux stained glass stage decoration for a recent multi-church youth event here on campus.
Aaron and Dan (the head of MM) take the colleges entire college basketball team sailing on Selah for a team-building outting.
We took a long weekend trip to Florida for Aaron to play some shows and to celebrate this guy turning 4 with cousins galore!
Jamestown SettelmentColonial Williamsburg Replica ships used by colonist
We took the kids for a field trip an hour and a half north to Williamsburg, VA to learn some history
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Rielle on the bow sprit of sailboat “More Beyond” as we head back to the docks from an evening cruise.
Well we made it! We now have the RV and the crew here in Elizabeth City, North Carolina to train with Maritime Ministries (if you are in need of the back story on why we are here click here)
We left the Plant City area in late June, spent two weeks in Jacksonville and then headed eight more hours north to the Campus of Mid-Atlantic Christian University in Elizabeth City, NC. Here we have begun our training with Maritime Ministries.
Stopped in Wilson, NC to visit this cool park with windmill art sculpturesWe took two days to make the 8 hr trek. Aaron drove the RV and i followed behind in my SUV.Our parking spot next to the dorms. Although it’s not very shady, as an RVer, I’m loving the lack of dirt outside my front door. We are also just 150 feet from the docks
Although we have spent about four weeks here, we feel like we are just getting our feet wet (pun intended). The first week was more logistics and settling in and last week covid made its way through our family. Thankfully no one got it too bad. We don’t have any big news or updates, but we just wanted to share a little bit about what we have been able to do and experience here!
Dock Ministry
A big part of what MM does is offer a free place to stay on their docks for boaters passing through. Although the slow season for the docks, Aaron and I have had the opportunity to welcome in a handful of cruisers. It is always exciting to hear a new boater has arrived, as each person or family has their unique own story about where they’ve been, where they are going and how they ended up on the water. Most of the boaters are talkative and some have even been willing to share with us their burdens and struggles in life. We are learning how God can use us simply by our willingness to listen to a person’s story.
Aaron was disappointed when his first solo trip on the sailboat “More Beyond” was cut short by a broken impeller, but it was obvious God had a purpose in this challenge. It turned out that Kevin, who had arrived the day before on the docks, was a retired diesel mechanic. Not only was Kevin able to show Aaron how to repair the impeller, he also gave Aaron a through tutorial of the workings of “More Beyond’s” engine. Aaron and Kevin were able to talk late into the evening about the challenges of solo cruising, fatherhood, and navigating our faith during these challenging times. Kevin is one of hundreds of relationships MM has formed in the cruising community.
Kevin helping to fix the water pump
On the Water
We try our best to get out on the water as often as we can. Our main goal in being here is becoming a family capable of living aboard and sailing. Aaron is specifically focused on getting ”days” on the water (a ”day” is about 4 hours) in order to get his captains license. Although a captains license is not necessary to own or use “Selah,” it would allow us to be a greater asset to MM and give our guests more confidence in our ability to host them on the water
Aaron explains the depth finder to the crewThe kids on the bow sprit, their favorite place to be“Can we jump out and swim yet?” Although we hoped NC would be cooler than FL, so far it’s just as hot. The kids are always anxious to swim. (Everett jumps off the boat into the river at sunset)Aaron in the pink shorts on “Selah” the 47’ sailing vessel we hope to sail away in when our training period is over. MM currently uses her to take larger groups out on the water for times of ministry and refreshment.
Keeping The Kids Busy
Elizabeth City is a little over an hour away from the beaches on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Our second week here, we headed over to Kitty Hawk (think Wright Brothers). We were incredibly surprised by the massive sand dunes there!
Jockey’s Ridge State ParkAbel tracking across the dunes at sunset.
We have been entrusted with giving the ministries boats regular baths. I like to refer to this as “swabbing the deck“ in hopes that the kids will find this chore fun, but the kids don’t find the pirate lingo entertaining.
“Swab that deck ye maties” – insert pirate accent
The Kids favorite way to end the day is a good dunking in the Pasquotank river. This brackish body of water is a branch of the intercoastal waterway. It runs right past MACU campus and into downtown, connecting the Dismal Swamp to the Albemarle Sound.
Taking the dinghy across the river to our swim spot. The first few swims Abel preferred the safety of the boat to the ”scary” coffee-colored waters.Abel and Everett like to double up on life jackets to duke it out.
Thanks so much for reading and following us on this journey. Please pray God gives us the comfort and encouragement we need to continue be salt and light here in Elizabeth City. God continues to bless us and make life from our lemons.
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This New Years found both Aaron and I in an emotional low. In many ways it felt like we hadn’t progressed since last New Years. Still in the RV. Still not sure what’s next for us. Still unsure where “home” is. The housing market seemingly stacked against. I came across this proverb around the holidays, “hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” I strongly resonated with a ”heart sick“ and longed for the “tree of life.”
As I’ve mentioned before, the pandemic really just compounded a feeling of “lostness” that we had already been feeling. Up until five years ago our life together as a married couple had felt fairly typical, but God began to stir our hearts, to unsettle us spiritually. We wanted to give our lives to the Lord to use for his kingdom. We wanted to live missional. The only problem was we lacked a specific calling. Neither of us being very driven, we walked through the open ministries doors that we found around us, but a few years down the road and still nothing had really “clicked.”
Then Covid hit and the feeling of ”lostness” took on a whole new meaning, as it went from a purely spiritual state to a physical state as well.
But shortly after New Years, God began to stir our spirits again. He quietly began to whisper to my heart “change is coming.” Then, sometime around February, we were told about an organization called Maritime Ministries. Located near the Outter Banks in North Carolina, MM uses sailing and sailboats as a means for ministry. If you know Aaron well then you know of his long standing dream of using sailing for ministry. It’s been a dream that started in his twenties and one he’s pursued off and on over the years. When we called up MM to hear more about what they do, we had no idea what God was about to “wow” us with. A few conversations later and MM told us that they had been praying for a missions minded family to come use their underutilized 47’ sailboat, Selah, and they felt we were the answer to their prayer. ”Are you joking me?” is maybe the best summary of how we felt about that news. It felt to good to be true! It was so encouraging to start to think about how perfectly prepared we were for many aspects of this transition as God suddenly gave me new lenses through which to see my trials. Living in an RV for the last two years has been given a new purpose as the similarity between boat living and RV living are numerous. God doesn’t waste out trials or our time!
We have spent the last several months getting to know Maritime Ministries and its staff and partnering families better, and in March we got to spend a week up at their home base in NC and got to see Selah in person. As things have progressed with the ministry, God has given me and Aaron much peace about this ministry and the assurance that our meeting them was divinely ordained.
This summer we will spend 3-4 months training with Maritime Ministries in North Carolina. If all goes according to plan, we will take responsibility for Selah at the end of our training period and plan to live, at least part time, on her. Life still has so many unknowns for us and we are getting good at saying, ”that’s a great question, but I don’t know the answer“
But I am excited despite the unknowns. God has been filling my heart with joy as he reveals to me how he has been working all things for our good, according to his purpose the whole time, that He has been preparing us and refining us through our trials, not punishing us. For Aaron it is exciting because it feels like God is bringing his dream of ministry through sailing into fruition, and for me it is exciting because it feels like an answer to a prayer i started praying five years ago, “God, show us your plan for us.”
We are so encouraged to see that God has always been writting our story even when we felt lost. He heard all our prayers and remembered our dreams. He is making life from our lemons!
“A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life”
Well we have completed one year of RV living, and since I have this blog, I feel compelled to write about it. I really wanted to make a cool video of all our pictures to share with you. This year has been full of highs and lows and of course I want to share the highs with you, but the project was too overwhelming. I even started to write out some of our best stories to share with everyone, but still, it just wasn’t working for me. So I prayed, “Lord, what sums up our year?” and this phrase instantly popped into my mind, “I just wanna know,” and since then it has been hard to get out. You see this whole year I kept telling God that I really could just enjoy this adventure better if he could just help me out on a few details, a few logistics. I mean, should I put my washer and dryer in storage? When will I need them again? Will we just be in the RV for a year or two, or more? I just need to know where to forward our mail to God. Should we renovate the RV to our families needs or should we think of it as an investment and renovate it to sell for a profit? Will the housing market go up or down, cause I keep getting mixed signals Lord! I just wanna know!!
Truthfully this phrase summaries more than this RV year. It sums up a whole season of my life that the pandemic compounded. I’ve longed for years to know what lies ahead, what the future holds. I’ve wanted adventure in life, but I’ve only ever wanted it with the guarantee that things will go the way I want, that the risk will be worth it. It’s tempting to believe that patience in the discomforts of today would be easier if I just knew how the story would go. I know my longings are not unique to full-time RV living or pandemic uncertainties. Everyone I know closely holds an “I just wanna know” question in their heart.
I just wanna know that my kids will turn out okay
I just wanna know that one day I will make a difference
I just wanna know if I can trust them
I just wanna know that one day I will be free of this
I just wanna know that I’m loved
I just wanna know one day life will feel “normal” again
The list is endless and burdensome and often changing and morphing as we go along in life. One “I just wanna know” is answered, just in time for us to needto know some other piece of information about our story. We long for certainty.
I hate to tell you that I have not discovered the secret to getting God to tell you how the cards fall. I have failed to find the magic 8 ball that reveals all we needto know and more! All I can say is that I have learned to stop asking God to give me the certainty I want. Of course the Bible is full of promises and certainties that we can hang our hats on, but truthfully, that often does not feel like enough for me. Why won’t you give me the details God? Wouldn’t life be easier if I just knew that this one thing would end up working out? God, I would sleep so much better at night if I could just know this one thing for certain.
But maybe he doesn’t give us the certainties we want because our trust would no longer be in him, but in our future. Maybe our biggest “I just wanna know” moments are the perfect chance to hold onto nothing but Him. To let Him, and the power of his resurrection be enough for today. When he keeps his future plans from us, we are forced to trust that he is good, that he is loving, that he is wise. After years of asking God to show me my future, I’ve decided to take the silence as a “No.”
“I’m sorry Laura, but you’ll just have to take life one day at a time” – God
I realized a while ago that so much of how we feel about life is based on how we perceive our futures, not on the realities of today. We spend most of our days in made up worlds in our heads. Worlds built on both our fears and our hopes. On good days we are day dreaming of what we want our lives, our futures to be and we feel good. And on bad days we are worried about gloomy futures that really don’t even need to come true to rob us of our joy, because they already have.
So instead of wishing I knew what was around the corner and worrying about what the future could hold, my new philosophy is to take life one step at a time. I’m not sure where we will be this time next year, but I’m pretty sure I know where I will be today and this week, so I keep my focus there. And as for tomorrow, well you guessed it, it “will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34)
In the uncertain moments in life, I find comfort in the old lyric, “it is well with my soul.” I don’t know how each chapter of my life will end, but I do know how my story ends. I do know the fate of my soul, my eternal destination. I have a heavenly home awaiting me. A place where I will no loner say, “I just wanna know” and that is the greatest comfort I can find, and the greatest comfort I can offer you! I hope you know the King and that knowing him brings peace to your weary hearts. I leave you with this verse, which is often salve to my soul when I just don’t know what to think…
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”
Jesus
BEDROOM AND HALLWAY BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES
We are finally finished re-doing the interror of the RV yeah! It feels so amazing to finally be able to sit down at the end of the day and not see projects! But alas, I am already planning on when I can repaint the exterior of the RV! This bedroom and “hallway” reno was mostly new paint and new fabrics! Fun fact, the “wallpaper” in our bathroom sink area, is not wallpaper at all. I hand painted each and every one of those lines! …it took quite a bit longer than I thought it would, felt a little bit like a mad woman half way through! Also can you spot my daughters drawing of The Incredible Hulk she hung for her strong Daddy?
Last time I shared before and after pictures of our RV renovation. And although it was fun to share those picture with you, renovations are not fun to live though. Pictures that took you minuets to appreciate, took us months to create. I’ve never known as much stress as I have during our renovation. There is a picture from our renovation that I didn’t shared last time, it’s what I call the “in between” picture. A picture mid renovation where the wall paper had been removed and all the ugliness of our water leak damage was on display. I didn’t share the picture partially out of embarrassment. It just felt a little too ugly, a little too real at the time. As people in the renovation world know, things usually look worse before they look better.
The “In Between” picture – When things got real!
The good thing about a RV renovation though is that one day the project is over. Eventually you patch the walls up, pick out a paint color and hang your curtains and enjoy the “after.” The thing is though, I still find myself sitting in an “in between” stage. The life of a Christian is always in process, in progress; but these “in between” seasons are sometimes so hard to accept, so hard to rest in.
In lots of ways our lives have settled from the storm of Covid, we have somewhat settled back in our home city and my husband has been able to return full time to his previous career as a musician, but life still feels very, what I like to describe as “ewey gooey.” We still aren’t sure where we are headed in life. We are still living in our RV, very comfortably, but still, it doesn’t make one feel settled. I find it really hard when someone ask what our plan is or where we will live next to just say, “I don’t know.” The conversation feels awkward unless I follow it up with, “here are some possibilities,” or, “here’s some places we might go,” as if to justify my situation. But the best answer is still just “I don’t know.” We are in the waiting. Praying and seeking but still the forecast ahead just looks foggy. We are doing one of the hardest things for anyone to do, wait.
While driving down a back road a few months back, I spotted a little old shed and although I only glimpsed it for just a second, I knew instantly that I loved it, that I had to draw it!
The before picture of the old shed
I knew almost instantly that I would recreate it as a garden shed. I think gardening can teach us so much about life. Oh the analogies I could make about pruning or good soil, but recently I’ve been thinking about spring. Specifically early spring, before the baby plants poke out of the soil but after the seeds have been planted. That time when, if you are still a beginner gardener like me, you hope and pray that something is brewing beneath the surface, that you didn’t screw something up. Plants in this stage need time and water but there really isn’t much you can do but wait. Everything in culture has the appearance of happening so fast that sometimes we forget that things take time, that renovations take time, that people take time. Sometimes its ok to wait and see what the Lord will bring about. Because I am confident that he is always at work in his children’s lives, even when on the surface it seem like time is wasting away.
I’m confident that one day God will give me the “after” picture of this season for our family. I hope and pray that at any moment we will see the new plants break free from beneath the soil and we will praise God for his goodness, for his wisdom to unroot the old plants, till the soil and replant on our behalf, knowing that we needed new plants, even if we didn’t want them. One day I hope to fully know the purpose of all life’s difficult seasons and to say, “now I see what you were planting there Lord!”
Slowly I am realizing though that life on earth is all one big “in between.” One issue is resolved, one “after” picture is taken, just to have God reach for the his gardening tools again and say “now let’s work on this section of your garden.” Half way through working on this drawing I scribbled “heaven” in the corner. I imagined that if this shed could be brought to my backyard in heaven, this is what it would look like. The more I live, the more I find myself longing for heaven, when we will wait no more. Until then, I am learning patience. As one country song puts it “the longer the waiting the sweeter the kiss”*
“…do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”**
Close up of ShedClose up of shed
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