Week #2 - Annapolis

9/20/24

We had a blast attending the Annapolis Songwriters Festival at the City Dock!

Did You Get a Boat? – Chris

The most common question I get these days is, “did you get a boat yet?” This is a fair question because that was the plan when we packed up and left Colorado. No, we have not found a boat yet, but that is still the plan, and we are still looking. So, “what is the hold-up,” you ask? Let me first explain what we are looking for, specifically, in a boat. This way you will have some context.

Our goal is to buy a boat that has enough room for our whole family to live on, semi-comfortably. We need spaces to sleep, food storage, other storage, and common area for 7 people. This requires a fairly large boat. But beyond that, we really feel like God is calling us to have room to invite others into this new space that He is giving us… this means a BIGGER boat!

You may, or may not, be surprised to know that most sailboats, that are designed to live on, are NOT designed for large families with dreams of entertaining, but are mainly geared towards small crews of 2-4 people. Putting our family on one of these boats would be the equivalent of putting us all in a standard hotel room… we would technically fit, but it is not a sustainable, long-term solution. We tried out the hotel scenario on the drive out to the coast; it would be a rough way to live!

There are larger boats, but they are harder to find, and come with a larger price-tag too. We have been shown boats that fit our current budget, and would just barely fit the 7 of us. These boats are old, and would leave us with little-or-no room to invite people aboard. And, we worry that the lack of personal/ common space would start to strain our family’s morale, and our relationships with each other. On the other hand, we have seen boats that would check all the right boxes for our needs, but these boats feel out of reach from our current budget.

With what we have been shown, practical thinking would suggest that our two options are to either buy a boat that is within our means, and make the most of it, or call it quits and go back home… But God says, “Wait.” I would tend to take option #1, and just buy something now. Quitting doesn’t feel like an option. We knew we were leaving Colorado with a budget that didn’t really fit the dream, but we feel like God is calling us to this now. I already feel blessed, beyond what I deserve, to be in a position where option #1 is possible. God has already provided so much. But God says “WAIT.” Of all the boats that we have looked at, on-line and in person, the only ones that have made our spirits excited within us have been ones that are out of our power to purchase on our own. So, we feel like God must want to do something miraculous to get us one of these boats.

There is a particular boat that we have our eye on in Puerto Rico. We haven’t seen this boat in person, but it sounds amazing! Our sailing story began in Puerto Rico, and if you know us, you know that we LOVE Puerto Rico! Lots of reasons for us to get excited about this boat. This boat is probably $50K out of our current budget (more if we want to eat food and stuff, I guess), but we believe God can make it happen, if this is the boat that He has in mind for us… So, we wait.

The waiting is really hard for me. I have been learning that I am not good at trusting God with my time. I feel like I should be doing more, not waiting around for miracles. I keep looking at it like it is a problem that God is waiting for me to solve. It feels like a waste of time to wait; like foolishness. But God keeps saying, “WAIT.” If you are praying for us, pray that we would have the patience and wisdom to wait for the very best that God has. There is a lot of pressure to DO SOMETHING because we feel time and money slipping away as we “wait.” But we know that time and money are resources that God is best at managing. We are praying that God will lead us to a boat that will fit us just right, and that he is preparing a way to pay for it. We also pray that He is preparing a guest room, on our boat, for you too.

At the present time, we are still in Annapolis, but we are considering moving South at the beginning of October. There are compelling reasons to stay is this area, and there are also compelling reasons to move on. Please pray that we would hear the Lord’s direction in this; we want Him to lead.

I hope you are doing well. Please drop us a line and let us know how you are and if we can pray for you in any specific needs that you might have. Take Care.

~Chris

We found a fun little nature hike near where we are staying... can you spot all 7 hooligans?

Who He Says We Are - Crystal

There’s a big difference between a bold and courageous warrior standing brazen in the open- sure of victory; and a paralyzed, overwhelmed soul, cowering, exposed and unsure of a next step. The difference is not necessarily situational. It is easy to feel like the second guy lately…But God keeps reminding us that’s not who we are.

In case you haven’t heard, we left our home- a good one and our jobs- steady ones. We left our friends, our family, our stability of circumstance. We have a dream-NOT a plan or the means but God keeps telling us “It’s on.”  As Emmitt would say “I don’t see a wheel….or….3…more…wheels”. (IYKYK) In our case it’s thousands, tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars that we don’t see. It feels foolish. It feels arrogant. It feels entitled and frivolous and indulgent. But, it lines up with scripture. We sing worship songs about these things all the time…I think a lot of times we don’t own these truths though.

He uses foolish things.

He feeds thousands with a young man’s sack lunch.

He conquers over 100 thousand enemy troops with a remnant army of 300 men.

He walks his people out of slave labor across a dry riverbed and then drowns their oppressors behind them.

He allows his chosen people to reap harvests from fields they did not sow.

He pardons unpayable debts.

He redeems irreparable brokenness.

He makes the oil keep flowing.

He breathes life into stinking tombs.

He heals broken bodies, stands in gaps, reknits tissues.

He drops boxes of cash on porches.

My God is not short on power or riches.

The story we are in the middle of is not just a wild adventure WE are on. It’s a call to action for everyone who’s watching. He’s got more. He’s asking you to be the guy inviting the clash, knowing full well you’re coming out on top- more than victorious. Not because we’ve got what it takes but because He does.

Foreheads of flint. Eyes full of joy.

Our family is doing what we do best; getting up to shenanigans and finding critters!

Week two - Ellis

Me and Dad went sailing with Captain Shmitty, we had a lunch that identified itself as dinner with some family, we looked at our first ketch (a monohull with two masts), we went to church, and we worked out. We're in a different place but life still feels roughly the same- I just don't know anyone or anywhere around me. Dad and I are starting work this Saturday so hopefully that'll bring a change of pace

     The highlight of the week, at least for me, was this concert we went to on Saturday. It was called the Annapolis Songwriter's Festival. It was a free show and the cool part was that is was on the city docks. I was actually pretty impressed with the production. It was a big stage and it sounded decent. They also had a full light set-up and haze. There were three bands that played. The first had a similar feel to the One Takers I thought, more reggae-y though. They were called Troll Tribe and their bassist was basically Jack Black. The third band was called Joint Operations and they were this four-piece grunge/rock band. I was really excited for them and they were the last band in the line-up so I thought they'd be really good but they weren't all I hoped for. I think the second band was my favorite but Troll Tribe was definitely close. The second band was called Jah Works and they were super good. They were an eight-piece reggae band and of the three, I think they were the only ones who didn't use any tracks which can be good and bad. Having no tracks means you can be flexible and improvise but if the band sucks, it can get sloppy. But if the band is as tight as Jah Works was, it's just awesome

~Ellis

Week 2 - Conrad

On September 11th we got permission to get on a ketch, which is a two masted monohull, that was for sale. The boat was at a private dock behind a large rarely used house. The boat was 42 feet long and could hold up to four sails at a time; two mainsails and two headsails. At the time there were only three sails up with one of the headsails missing.  All of the sails that were up were a dark green color.  On the front there was an electric anchor system, and a washing station. The standing rigging was relatively new, but there were so many cables going up the mast.

Inside the cockpit, there was a good amount of seating and a sturdy hard top Bimini overhead. The only alternative source of power other than the engine was one little wind turbine. There was space on top of the Bimini for solar if we wanted to install it later though. The walkway from the front of the boat to the back was super narrow, and it seemed like you were probably supposed to climb through the cockpit. The dinghy davits in the back were difficult to get to, but there wasn’t a tone back there.

On the inside of the boat, there were two beds, each of which could fit two people. The beds were front and back with two couches, two bathrooms, a kitchen and an engine room between. Collectively the couches could sleep three more people, making seven sleeping spots. The kitchen was a little small and a lot of the appliances were small as well. I don’t know much about engines but I would say that everything in the engine room looked nice. At the end of the tour we all had different thoughts. Not everybody agreed that this boat was the one that we were looking for and we had asked God that if it was the one that everybody would agree with each other. And so we moved on.

Bored Games - Oliver

We haven’t done as much this week so we have gotten creative. Some of our games are pretty standard such as pool or card games. But then we have also made up our own games like, who can clear the billiards table the fastest, or who can roll the 8 ball closest to the edge. The fastest time so far is 2:33, Dad got that.

We also played a basketball trick-shots game where if you got the shot then you would move on to the next level which would be harder. We also played PIG and HORSE. Then there was also slug-racing. We would find slugs and put them in the middle of a round table and pick one. Whichever slug falls off first determines the winner.

Aside from games, we have done a lot of painting and met with family or friends for a meal. We even caught fireflies. I painted a bunch of random things; a frog, a crab, and almost a snail. Overall we have kept ourselves entertained and happy.

-Oliver

Annapolis Songwriters Festival - Jasper

Hello my name is Jasper and this is my blog about the 3rd annual Annapolis Songwriters Festival. On the14th/Sunday we drove to the Annapolis city docks to see the concert. We had thought that the show was starting at 5:00 but we weren't allowed in, so we went to a shady spot by the water. We ate our pizza and listened to the busker playing nearby. At about 6:45 we started to hear the DJ playing for the concert so we headed over and got in the place. It was humongous, the stage was giant and the place was already filling up!

The Annapolis Brass Band came first, but wasn’t in the band lineup, they were very good and brassy(obviously),I liked them. The Brass Band didn’t play very long sadly. The first band was called the Troll Tribe and they sounded great. You could feel the music as well as you could hear it. The bass player was my favorite person, he was crazy, all over the place. They  played for a while, then the second band started playing. They were called Jah Works, they mostly played other people’s music, they were my personal favorite band that played. Near the end the crowd kept asking for “one more”.

The last band was called Joint Operation. We stayed for about half of it. Joint Operation was not my personal favorite, but it could be yours.  We got tired and wanted to sleep. So we went home, ate some chocolate and went to bed.

~Jasper

PARTY TIME! - Posy

When we got to Holly and Hunter’s place, it was very welcoming. We ate a very big appetizer. It was very yummy. For the appetizer, I ate two or three slices of peach, one slice of apple, one slice of pear, lots of strawberries, and some chips. I drank a 7up. I told Aunt Nancy about dancing the night before, and about a workout, and about a time when I got stung by a stingray when I was six. Mean while, Hunter cooked hamburgers, chicken, and hotdogs. When he was done with that it was lunch, I mean dinner. I ate a hamburger with chips, and more strawberries! For supper I had a coconut cookie and ice cream. Our Granny mailed us two containers of monster trail mix because she loves us so much, and Holly and Steve got us five bags of chips. Then, we said goodbye, and left. It was really fun and yummy.

~Posy