Words just aren’t ENOUGH!
We honestly don’t even know how to fully put into words what we’ve experienced in receiving this boat.
How do you explain the magnitude of an answered prayer?
Many of you who have followed our journey know we have been praying and pursuing ministry on the water for the past three years. And almost exactly three years to the day from when this journey began… We officially received this boat.
We are still in awe of God’s faithfulness and the way He writes stories far beyond anything we could plan ourselves.
So jump in the water with us for a minute as we testify to His goodness.
The Backstory
It was late December after an incredibly full season.
In the month and a half leading up to this, we had moved the camper back down to Florida, taken two international trips with Hope Fleet (one to Guatemala and another to Abaco, Bahamas), and spent time visiting family.
We arrived home from Abaco on a Thursday evening, exhausted but grateful. That same night, Tim’s sister arrived from Pennsylvania for a long weekend visit.
The next morning, we woke up to a text from a friend/acquaintance asking about our schedule to potentially come look at their boat.
Now, let us rewind for a moment:
We have been traveling to Elizabeth City, NC to fellowship and serve with our Maritime Ministries crew at least once a year for the past few years. On one of our visits, we met a couple, Greg and Lyn, who had been sailing full-time for over fifteen years. They attend a church that one of our crew families also attends, so when Sundays rolled around or fellowship picnics were held and our paths crossed, we enjoyed swapping stories and talking boats.
This past fall, we were able to connect with them again, sharing more boat stories and learning about their sail plans for the season. As they made their way south toward Florida and eventually the Bahamas, we invited them to let us know when they arrived so we could share a meal together.
During their travels south, Greg reached out to Tim and shared that they had been sensing for a while that something was shifting. As they made their way from North Carolina to Florida, they began seriously considering selling their boat. Knowing we were actively looking for a vessel for ministry, they asked if we would be interested in coming to see it if they decided to move forward.
At the time, we pulled up the specs for the boat, studied the floor plan, and even drew out schematics to compare the layout and size. We simply discussed maybe going to see it someday. That was early December.
Fast forward to that Friday morning after returning from Abaco (the week before Christmas).
Before we knew it, Greg and Lyn had made it to South Florida and were reaching out again about us coming to look at the vessel. They were ready to list it, but wanted to give us a chance to see it before doing so. If we liked her, we could negotiate a price since we would be using it for ministry.
Before we even had time to discuss our schedule, Tim received a phone call from our ministry leader, Dan.
“Do you want that boat?” he asked.
“What boat?” Tim replied, completely confused.
“That Pearson 422,” Dan said.
Still confused, Tim responded,
“What do you mean do I want it? I’ve been messaging Greg and trying to schedule a time to come look at it.”
Then Dan said the words that completely stunned us:
“I just got off the phone with him… and they said they are willing to donate the vessel if you will receive it.”
Tim later said his only response was,
“Well, that would be stupid for me to say no!”
Meanwhile, I had absolutely no idea any of this was happening. When I walked into the camper, Tim simply said:
“We have a boat.”
I was completely caught off guard because I hadn’t been part of any of the earlier conversations. After he explained it all to me, I honestly didn’t know what to think. It felt surreal. I was trying so hard to keep my emotions in check because we still didn’t know many details.
The next day, while heading to the beach with family, Dan called again.
“Put me on speaker phone,” he said.
Then, loudly and joyfully:
“JELLYS… YOU HAVE A BOAT!”
The girls heard the entire conversation from the back seat. We hadn’t told them anything the night before because there were still so many unknowns.
Their reactions were priceless…shock, confusion, excitement, and about a thousand questions all at once.
We explained everything we knew so far, what still needed to happen, and that we first needed to tour the boat to make sure it would truly work for our family.
Later that same day, Tim called Greg to schedule a time to come see the vessel.
At that point, they were moored in Vero Beach, Florida…about three hours across the state from where we were staying.
We agreed to meet that Monday… the Monday before Christmas.
Touring the Pearson 422
We arrived at Vero Beach City Marina around 11 a.m.
Greg and Lyn greeted us warmly at the dock, and all seven of us piled into their dinghy and headed out to the boat. It was about a seven-minute ride out to their mooring ball.
For the next four to five hours, we toured the vessel, listened to stories from fifteen years of life onboard, talked through systems and experiences, and shared genuine fellowship together.
It never once felt transactional.
Toward the end of our time together, Greg looked at Tim and asked:
“Do you think this could work for your family?”
Tim responded compassionately, wanting to make sure they truly felt peace about such a huge decision.
“You’ve lived on her full-time for a long time,” he said. “We want to make sure you’re ready for this.”
They both smiled and replied:
“We’re ready. We already put a down payment on our next boat and close in mid-January. If this is a good fit for your family, we want you to have it.”
At that moment, trying to hold back tears, awe, gratitude, and complete disbelief, we responded:
“This would be a perfect fit for our family.”
We wrapped up the visit, headed back to the dock, hugged deeply, and prayed together. After that, we drove to the beach just to breathe and process everything that had happened.
The girls played in the water while a storm rolled through, and before long, a beautiful double rainbow stretched across the ocean.
It was one of those moments you know you’ll remember forever.
More Than a Boat
Greg and Lyn invited us to come back over as much as we wanted throughout the process. A few weeks later, we made another trip back to the east coast to continue learning the boat’s systems and spend more time with them.
Again, we experienced hours of rich fellowship, encouragement, wisdom, and joy.
Honestly, the gift has been so much bigger than the boat itself.
The generosity…
The conversations…
The friendship…
The prayers…
The testimony of obedience…
It has all left us completely undone in the best possible way.
God has continually done abundantly above what we could ask or imagine throughout this entire process.
After the holidays, we began scheduling the haul-out and survey for the end of January… and even those logistics came with their own incredible stories of God’s provision.
But those stories deserve a blog of their own.
For now, we’re still standing in awe saying the same thing over and over again…
WE HAVE A BOAT!!!!
And on February 18th, the papers were signed and she officially became ours.
Next time you give would you consider us?
