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Spring time is here and baseball season is back! That means I am back to making cookies. For those who just started following us, I love to bake, and have decided to follow in the footsteps of Lottie Moon and make cookies for our neighbors. This includes two cookies for each team member after every one of Elijah’s baseball games, as well as extras for those around us in the stands.

As I sat at Elijah’s practice the other day the kiddos were getting quite vocal. I heard complaints about the ball/strike calls. Players were snipping at/and correcting each other harshly. Eventually, one of Elijah’s coaches told the team “Some of you have a bad case of run-your-mouth-itis.” He explained that those bad attitudes were not in the spirit of the game.

As I was making cookies yesterday for the game tonight,(snickerdoodles if you were wondering!) I thought about those words and wondered if I give God cause to say the same thing. I don’t have a problem complaining about an umpires calls, or other players on the team do I? Maybe not, but I have been known to say “God, that person is just not doing what they are supposed to, so of course I couldn’t do my part!” Or “I did exactly what You said! How come it didn’t turn out like I expected it to?”

Just as a team has to trust their coach, and respect their umpires and the rules of the game, as christians, we are called to trust our Heavenly Father. (Even if we don’t understand or disagree with His decisions!)  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;” Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬

We are also called to encourage and build one another up, not tear each other down. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.”  1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Thank you to all of you who are continuing to pray for us as we continue moving forward with our church plant. Here are some specific prayer requests:

-Rural church planting is a slow process. We know that many of our supporters cannot support us indefinitely, and many of our initial supporters are starting to turn their support to other ministries. We are not yet self sustaining, so please pray that God will bring us new partners to help us continue the work in Avon.

-we are currently raising funds to replace a roof for a member of the Avon Community. We have currently raised $700 of the 4,000 needed.

-We are praising God about a recent salvation, and are planning a baptism service when the ocean warms up.

-Jeremiah has made the decision to attend Dare Early College next school year. Please be praying for him and our family as we embark on this new adventure

-Please continue praying for housing in Avon. Some of the units around us in our neighborhood are selling, which makes us a little nervous about the future of our long term rental. We would also love to be in the village of Avon if at all possible.