A Season of Growth, Change, and God’s Faithfulness

We have had a very busy and exciting spring and summer! As we look back over the past several months, we are filled with gratitude for the many ways we have seen God provide, open doors, and allow us to serve others. Exciting News: A New Home for Our Gymnastics Ministry

We have some exciting news to share—our gymnastics facility in North Carolina is moving! The building we were renting was sold, which meant we needed to find a new location. While this was unexpected, God has faithfully opened another door. We are excited to be moving to a new facility in the next town over, located in the same plaza as our church, Multiply Church.

This move brings both challenges and incredible opportunities. Please pray with us as we raise the funds needed to prepare the new building and get our programs started in this new space. The cost of relocating a facility is significant, but we know God is faithful and will provide as we continue to walk through the doors He opens.

We are especially excited about the opportunities this new location will allow us to offer, including adaptive gymnastics programs, continued involvement with Special Olympics, homeschool classes, circus foundations, aerial silks, and cheer. Our desire is to create a place where people of all abilities can discover their strengths, build confidence, and know they are valued. Celebrating Courage Through Special Olympics

This spring was filled with many exciting moments through our Special Olympics gymnastics program. In May, Linda traveled to Colombia to assist with a gymnastics camp. Her international experience was especially helpful as she helped the team navigate the city of Medellín and support the camp activities. Shortly after returning home, eight of our Special Olympics athletes were invited to compete at the State Games in Raleigh for three days of competition, friendship, and celebration. We continue to be inspired by the Special Olympics oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." Our athletes truly lived this out. They showed tremendous courage, perseverance, and determination—and they also brought home an amazing 44 gold and silver medals! One of the most powerful moments happened during the floor routine competition. One of our athletes had practiced his routine many times and knew exactly what to do. But when his name was called and it was time to perform, fear took over. He froze and forgot everything he had practiced. He wanted to quit and said, “I can’t do it.” Linda was able to come alongside him, encourage him, and gently talk him through the moment. With support and reassurance, he found the courage to try. Not only did he complete his routine, but he received the highest score among all athletes in his division! Moments like this remind us that victory is not only found in medals. True victory is found in courage, confidence, and realizing that with encouragement and support, “I can do this.” Congratulations to Jared, Matt, Joel, Melissa, Phuong, Christelle, Chloe, and Becky. We are incredibly proud of each of you!

In June, we hosted a special performance featuring all 16 of our Special Olympics athletes. It was a beautiful evening celebrating their hard work and accomplishments. Due to changes in the format this year, we were not able to bring every athlete to the State Games, but this performance gave everyone the opportunity to shine. Trauma Recovery Retreat: A Weekend of Healing and Hope

In June, we were once again blessed with the opportunity to host a Trauma Recovery Retreat at Bear Lodge Cabin in Georgia. We gathered an amazing group of women for a weekend of fellowship, prayer, encouragement, and healing. The women who attended came from many different backgrounds and carried many different experiences. Some had experienced adoption trauma, some had spent years serving on the mission field, some were grieving the loss of their mothers, and others were walking through seasons of health challenges, major life transitions, divorce, loss, anxiety, depression, and trauma.

One participant shared: "I didn’t want to come, and I especially didn’t want to do any kind of therapy. But Linda made the therapy part fun and engaging, and there was never any pressure. By the second day, we were all asking to do more therapy. I learned that I really did have trauma and needed to process all that I had been through. Since returning home, I feel less anxious and depressed." Stories like this remind us of the importance of creating safe spaces where people can be honest, receive support, and begin the journey toward healing.

“A Cup Full of Dreams” — The Tea House Vision The restoration of the Tea House continues, and we are excited about the vision God has placed on our hearts. “A Cup Full of Dreams” is a working name that represents our desire to dream big and create a place of belonging for people from all corners of the world and with a variety of abilities. Our hope is that the Tea House will become a place where people can gather, fellowship, serve, and build meaningful relationships. We dream of a place where individuals of all abilities can contribute their gifts and where proceeds can help support both local and international missions. Please continue to pray for the restoration process, funding, strength, and the right opportunities to bring this vision to life.

Prayer Requests We are so thankful for your prayers and support. Here are some specific ways you can pray with us: Please pray for the new gymnastics facility—for the funds needed to complete the move, prepare the building, and successfully launch our programs. Please pray for Linda’s health. Her back continues to be a challenge. She recently underwent another procedure on her back and is scheduled for an additional neck procedure in August. Please pray for healing, wisdom for doctors, and renewed strength. Please pray for continued guidance and provision as we step out in faith and follow the opportunities God places before us. We are reminded again and again that God is faithful. Even when the path is unexpected or challenging, He continues to open doors and provide exactly what is needed. Thank you for walking alongside us through prayer, encouragement, and support. We are grateful to be part of a community that believes in the power of serving others and bringing hope to people of all abilities and backgrounds.

Ways You Can Partner With Us As we step into this next season, we invite you to partner with us through prayer, encouragement, and financial support. Every contribution helps make this ministry possible and allows us to continue creating opportunities for individuals of all abilities. Help Us Move Into Our New Gymnastics Facility The cost of relocating our gymnastics facility is much greater than we anticipated. From moving equipment to preparing the new space and getting programs up and running, there are many expenses involved. We are praying for God’s provision and for partners who believe in this mission and want to help us create a place where people can grow, belong, and thrive. If you feel led to contribute toward the gym move, your support would make a tremendous difference as we begin this new chapter. Sponsor an Adaptive Athlete

One of the most exciting opportunities with our new facility is the ability to offer adaptive gymnastics classes year-round.

Many of our athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities have a desire to participate in sports but are unable to afford the cost of tuition. Currently, Special Olympics gymnastics is only available seasonally for approximately three months each year. While we are grateful for that opportunity, we know our athletes need and deserve more opportunities for growth, friendship, fitness, and confidence throughout the year.

With our new facility, we hope to offer weekly adaptive gymnastics classes and provide partial and full scholarships for athletes who are unable to pay the full tuition.

By sponsoring an adaptive athlete, you are not simply paying for a class—you are opening the door for someone to experience belonging, develop independence, build confidence, and discover what they are capable of achieving.

We would love to partner with individuals, churches, and organizations who share our vision of making gymnastics and sports accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or financial circumstances. Thank you for praying with us, believing in this vision, and helping us continue to create spaces where people are valued, included, and given the opportunity to shine.

Spring Update 2026

The Sheppard Family April 2026 update! Thank you all for the continued love and support for our ministry! Good things are happening in 2026 for us and we are so thankful to get to share the things God has blessed us with! "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:19 The Sheppards continue to serve as missionaries in the local community and abroad. Ron continues to work in North Carolina at a company that builds airports as well as the company in Oregon that builds bridges. Linda continues to coach gymnastics, serves within the adoption triad, assists individuals with disabilities and the elderly, as well as organizes various sports projects with a focus on healing from trauma.

Special Olympics: We pray for the continued ability to serve within the various ministries the Lord has entrusted us with. This past year we were grateful to have been able to help with various community projects and programs the latest being Special Olympics North Carolina, Gymnastics. We have 14 athletes in our program now. We continue to stay active with Special Olympics in the States. We host pratice every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 at our gym, Union County Gymnastics. We had the pleasure of participating in the Union Diversified Industries Prom again this year. Many of our special olympics athletes attended.

Transportation Bus: As part of our ongoing work with Special Olympics North Carolina we transported our bus to North Carolina from Oregon. Please contuine to pray for the funds for the bus as we will be using it to transport athletes to state games in May of this year. We are still in need of some minor body work and paint as well as repairing the wheel chair lift. We look forward to many years of service with the transportartion bus! Georgia: We continue to host Retreats at the Bear Lodge Cabin in Georgia. Our next one Women's Retreat with be a Trauma Recovery retreat in June. We continue to serve with outreach events at the cabin. We continue with the restoration of the Tea House. We pray that it will serve as a place of inclusion for people with disabilities, provide jobs and ministry funding.

UPCOMING PROJECTS: We have several upcoming projects happening in the near future. Guatamale mission trip the end of April. Please continue to pray for the family of Javier as it will be one year since his tragic death. Columbia Gymnastics Retreat in May. Family: Linda traveled to France and Belgium in March to see our son David. Linda continues with Physical Therapy and is healing from her many back surgeries. Naomi is turning 16 and contiues to help at gymnastics. She is an offical volunteer for Special Olympics this year. Christelle, Phuong, and Melissa participate in gymnastics and are looking forward to state meet in June. Julia was accepted to nursing school and is doing very well in Oregon. Eight of our children are in North Carolina. The rest are in Oregon/Washington except for David who remains in France for the past 6 years.

Please continue to be in prayer for all of our missions in Haiti. We do not post many details due to security concerns for our staff and dear friends who remain in Haiti. There are several upcoming projects that we are praying for guidance and safety. We are in prayer regarding potentially moving our ministry to another location within Haiti and also praying regarding working with Haitian refugees in other caribbean countries. Please pray for peace and for all of the unrest and rioting that continues on.