"It's Starting"

I think I've heard the phrase, "It's starting" at least 5 times in the last few days. What's starting, you ask? The tourist season on the Outer Banks. As of Memorial Day weekend, the "tour-ons" (rhymes with morons) have been arriving from the north.

Now, most of the time, "It's starting" has been stated with a tone of dread. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic (and if you know me well, you know optimism isn't my strong suit), but I'm choosing to say, "It's starting" with anticipation and excitement. Why am I looking forward to crowded streets, restaurants, beaches, and church pews? Because I see opportunity and possibility!

Here are the stats: 57,000 people live on the Outer Banks year round (that number seems incredibly high to locals when our beaches feel like ghost towns in mid-January. Remember, we live on a strip of land no more than 2.5 miles wide). During peak summer periods, the daytime population can be up to 220,000 (see http://www.outerbankschamber.com/economics2.cfm)! That's almost 4 times the normal population! And we get a new set of tourists each week. No wonder the locals are running for the hills! 1500 of those visitors are international college student workers who help businesses keep up with the seasonal population boom. People are coming from everywhere

But here's what I see: We have four times the opportunity to share the gospel with others. We have the capability of impacting the ENTIRE WORLD for Christ from our 2 mile wide strip of land. How incredible! People on vacation are more apt to slow down and consider the things that matter in life: family, friends, physical health, and spiritual health. Could we seize the moments every day this summer to show love, to open our doors and beaches to strangers, and to invite the lost into a relationship with Christ? The possibilities are endless!

I'm pumped about what God will do this summer, and I'm willing to sit through beach traffic and wait in busy restaurants to watch Him in action!