Burning up Engines...

The Pratt and Whitney PT6A engine-the engine of MAF's fleet in Papua!

So we have been a bit silent lately.  It's not for lack of creativity, nor lack of things to do....in fact it has been quite the opposite.  Nearly three weeks after Ellie's birth, I headed off to the Northwest to catch some refresher training time at Spokane Turbine Center, and caught the added bonus of the flu!  The object of my time out there was to prep me for operation and use of the Pratt and Whitney PT6 engine found both on the MAF Kodiaks and Caravans.  The method was the "sponge concept".  Fill up with as much information as possible, pray that none of it seeps out in the next 14 months, then just like a sponge there's bound to be something left to eek out when it's needed.  Pumping up with knowledge they did, but sadly my first 3 days there- the flu "squeezed" some of it out.

Imagine this thing spinning around at 38,000 RPM-it would make a great juicer!

The training itself was good but it was the simulations and the engine operation that were the highlight of the trip. My dialog with the instructors sounded something like this:

Master check, ignition check, starter engaged....positive engine speed....initializing fuel...., watching engine speed and temperature. 

Jon do you see that light?

What light, oh the Red one in the corner?

Yep.

I see it....wait it says "Fire".

That's right you are on fire!

Thankfully I was able to simulate a quick escape without any real bodily harm done, (minus my hurt pride for not realizing that I was blazing).  That's what training is for, right?  I burned up at least three engines in different situations at what would have been $275k per rebuild. I spent a lot of simulated money!  It is amazing to me to see how "fragile" these engines can be, but if you do it right they are a remarkable machine. These are the tools we have to use, bringing  hope and encouragement to remote and isolated people.

Perplexed that this little wheel costs around $70-85k.  Handle with care!

It was really amazing to see the Lord's provision during this time. While I was away from home studying, burning up engines and recovering from the flu, my poor wife was left with home with the kids.  To add to that she came down with the strep throat and both kids had colds.  We are so thankful for you who stepped up to the plate with meals and child care so that Amy could rest and I could continue our last bit of training before leaving the country in 10 weeks!  We are all healthy now and looking forward to some good holiday cooking and shopping.  We're trying to soak it all in- the last few weeks will certainly fly. 

Spokane Turbine Center class, made up of mostly MAF people we will be serving with in Indonesia!

So INCREDIBLY Grateful... for YOU!

Hello dear ones!

Well, I am slowly emerging from life-with-a-newborn fogginess and have lots I'd love to say to you, but know that little Miss Ellie will be waking up any moment demanding her lunch-after all it's been a whole 2 hours, she IS starving! (This is joyful sarcasm, trust me!  Ethan would have been happy to starve at this stage-thank the Lord Ellie loves to eat!!)


The overwhelming emotion I am feeling these days is intense gratitude-appropriate as we fly through November-although for the life of me I can't figure out what happened to August, September and October!  Anyway...  

One of the lessons I learned the hard way during my first introduction to parenthood is that it's ok to ask for help.  See I had (sometimes still have) bought into the lie that it's better to do it yourself, to have it all together and just power through.  HA! Ha ha ha ha! NOT true!  When Ethan was born I thought I knew what I was getting into, then life as a new mom sent me for a tailspin.  I just wasn't willing to admit it yet- after all I was independent, able to handle anything, right?  At the time my closest friends were the people I had been working with- not usually the demographic that comes and does your laundry or watches the baby so that you can catch up on rest- and so I relied on my mom, a friend who was persistent in asking and a few of my mom's friends to bring meals, but mostly I struggled through on my own with lots of tears and prayer.

Ellie & Grandy (Yes-the picture taking torture was my idea!)

Now, I feel like God has richly blessed me (our whole family, really) with a second chance to see what a blessing and encouragement it can be to be vulnerable, admit weakness and show others you truly DON'T have it all together.  Since the week Ellie was born, there has been an outpouring of love and care that many of you have shown to our family.  It has come in all sorts of shapes and sizes- adorable little outfits for her now and in Indonesia, open-ended gifts to get whatever we will need as we pack to go overseas, open-ended offers to come to our house or take Ethan out for a special treat, all of you who have brought dinner to our family (seriously HUGE for this mama who cooks because, well-we have to eat!) and even something as simple as a friend walking Ethan into his preschool class so I don't have to haul Ellie in and out of the car. 

Ethan & Grandpa wrestling- my parents have been a huge blessing!

 Do you know what an incredible blessing you have been to our family and to me personally?  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  God is using you to show me the blessing of living in community and NOT having it all together, but relying on His provision and His Body to fill in and overflow my weaknesses.  Thank you sweet friends, you are priceless!  May He richly bless each of you! -amy

And We're Back...I think? What time is it?

The other day Amy and I had one of those moments when you just have to laugh, or else.   The gravity of our current context was pushing down on our shoulders with relentless force as we realized the situation that we are continuing again from the beginning....PARENTHOOD!  Yup, before I go knee deep into the details of poopy diapers and sleepless nights, I should make a formal announcement to all of the watching world...that God has blessed us with many more months of sleepless nights, Oh no I mean a beautiful and healthy baby girl.  We became parents of two last Thursday and have been enjoying mostly every moment of it.

Our baby girl graced us with her presence just after Amy and the doctor had posted her eviction notice the day before.  Since she was overdue and expected to be a "pleasant" sized baby the doctors kindly encouraged us to consider inducing labor before it was too late.  So out of persuasion and the desire to see and hold our little girl we scheduled her to be induced Thursday at 8am.  Little did we know that just as we would turn into bed Wednesday evening, Amy would look over at me and smile the last of her beautiful smiles for a time as she jubilantly and somewhat hesitantly told me that her water had just broken.......and what follows next was both a scene from a movie and a miracle in its own right.  Once Amy's water broke contractions hit hard and fast....something like 3 minutes apart and only about .5 to 1 minute in between.  This was the real thing, no more false labor! The challenge at this point was that since we had so many episodes of false labor, we had just sent Amy's folks home for the evening...and it was now 10:45 pm.  Our little boy was fast asleep in his bed and we didn't want to wake him and add to the trauma that was already besiging him as he was facing the reality that our family was about to change.  So we quickly called her folks and asked them to kindly make their way back to our house....NOW!  With contractions getting shorter and shorter and the evening growing longer and longer, we were not sure what to do.   As the doctors strongly encouraged us to get our behinds to the hospital or at least go find my baseball glove, God showed up in a miraculous way escorting Amy's dad back to our house with all green lights in about 20 minutes of the 45 that it usually takes...thankfully with no police cars in trail.

Then we were off as I got to learn the truest definition of the phrase "climbing the walls" as Amy, my kindhearted and gentle wife proceeded to disassemble the truck we were driving in piece by piece as we made our way to to hospital, contraction by contraction.

Long story short we made it and at 4:35am, our 9lb girl was delivered sunny side up! At the moment we are all recovering and seeking out a new way of life for our family of four.  We are also continuing to make tremendous strides towards our goal of reaching Indonesia, and can now begin the process of paperwork,visas, and passports.  Pray that this would all go smoothly as it often has a very long history of being a very bump road. 

We truly realized that we were in over our heads as we both looked at each other the other day at the doctors office and laughed at the fact that each of us had a child in our arms, one in tears from the trauma of a flu shot and the other in tears because she was stripped down to nothing for the exam. The only challenge is that at this point only one of them was potty trained, and one them was definitely not.   Reminded me of the old saying about "a bird in the hand, is better than two in the bush"...that was no bird in my hand!

Waiting Expectantly...

We're in a weird time right now.  Waiting for the birth of our daughter (who, quite honestly, we thought would be here by now even though she's not due for a few more days) and at the same time making as many preparations as we can for moving to Indonesia.  If you look at our to-do lists, they are a strange combination of making sure we have diapers, wipes and other baby basics in between filling out visa paperwork for us and passport applications for the kids, making appointments to draw up our will, researching water filtration systems, etc.  Life just looks different right now than it ever has before- in a weirdly good way.

The cool thing in all of this is that it feels like God is making sure that we see He is walking with us in all of it.  Every sermon, Sunday school lesson, Bible study is tracking EXACTLY with where we are in that moment.  Last Sunday, our Sunday school started a new series looking at  "Good Church: Bad Church" using 1 Thessalonians as our example of a "Good Church."  The question essentially was- what are the marks of a 'good' Christian and thereby a strong church?  There were several points I'd be happy to share if you're interested, but (of course) the one that jumped out at me was-  that a good Christian and a strong church waits expectantly for the imminent return of Jesus.

The teacher asked if anyone could identify with that and I almost jumped out of my seat (as if I could move that fast these days :D).  Oh, yes! We are waiting expectantly for this sweet girl to make her appearance.  Any plan that we have is with a caveat of "if we can!" or "if she hasn't come yet!"  But what about the rest of my life, or yours?  In normal life, do I make decisions and plans as if Jesus could show up at any moment- changing everything?  What would it look like if I did?  What if I made a conscious decision to live each day, each moment as if it were the last?  How would my conversations change? My plans?  My priorities?

So as I try my best to be patient and wait on the Lord's timing to meet this baby face to face instead of foot-to-ribs, He is teaching me to look at life as a whole expectantly.  I certainly don't have it all figured out, but- hopefully with time (ironic, isn't it?) my outlook will change and I can live with waiting...expectantly!

Oh baby... (No, she's not here yet!)

Well, we are a few short weeks away (really any day now is fine with me!) from welcoming our baby girl into our family- in a lot of ways it is really hard to believe we’re already at this point!  Last week, some of the women who have been our “family” since I was a girl threw a baby shower to bring a little pink and purple into our house and celebrate the spice this little one will add to our lives.  With all of the traveling we have done in the course of this pregnancy, it was really the first time I’ve been able to stop and just enjoy and really celebrate the fact that we are having a baby girl!!  It was so fun to get things for her- she will no longer be relegated to the world of truck blankets! :D  According to Murphy's law- our camera didn't work so these are from a friend's phone...

There must be something in the water- we had baby girls due in October (me), November and December!

Just one of the delightfully girly things we were given!  Thank you all!!

 

Me and Baby Girl, My Mom, Aunt Judy-our hostess, and My Sister

Come on sweet girl!  We're ready for you! ; D

And I have the rash to prove it....

The Lumber

Just as i turned the page, I felt it.  I wasn't quite sure what "it" was though....first it started with a little wiggle of the floor lamp, then it gradually got stronger and more defined.  As I set down the book that E and I had been reading I noticed it in the walls, this time more pronounced.  Was the room really dancing or was the shake that I felt a figment of my imagination?  I really started to question my own sanity until my little boy while looking at me asked "whatsat" (Roughly translated "whats that")?  Sure enough the room was shimmying around like a dancer with no rhythm.   Ahhh, the great Eastern Earthquake of 2011.   I thought for sure that natural disasters only happened one at a time, but as many of you experienced these last two weeks this is certainly not true.   Who would have thought that the East Coast would have seen an Earthquake and a massive Hurricane only a few days apart? 

Some have said that it is judgement from God, others a sign that the end is near!  I personally think it is an opportunity to realize that control, is more of an illusion than we think. Seriously stop to think about it... how many of you thought that you would be the proud owners of a shiny new generator within the past two weeks?  Even with this downturn in the economy a man could have made himself a fortune with a small truck load of generators and a few sump pumps.  In many respects I don't think we realize how dependent we actually are, dependent on our lights to work when we flip the switch, dependent on our A/C to keep our homes cool, dependent on the refrigerator to keep that prime cut of meat delectable instead of rancid. In a lot of ways I thought that I would have to go to a foreign country to see the kind of disruption that old Irene caused many of you.

Although these things are at best an inconvenience, they are also a great opportunity to walk with our fellow neighbors, friends and family in a time of despair just like I think Jesus would have done.  This past week I had that opportunity to walk in some of your shoes.  I had the chance to see the devastation that passed some of your homes and landed on others.  I had the great privilege to show the love of Christ, just as I would want to see it, while at the end of the street the world walked by without ever knowing your despair.  I recently had the opportunity to join the EFCA Disaster Relief group, along with 4 other men from our home church in Charlotte in walking along side those suffering the effects of Irene in Greenville, NC.

Don't tell Mom.  These may or may not be power lines.

Why Greenville? You might ask yourself this question since the epicenter of this storm hit much farther north in many of your own back yards.  The simple answer is because just as in many other areas, this area also had people in need.  When we arrived in Greenville, I was surprised that I didn't see widespread damage.  In fact it almost seemed that life was just as usual, businesses running, traffic lights working, and A/C cranking.  But if you looked closer down the side streets and alleyways you would find widespread damage in the lives of families that the storm chose not to pass over.  People who were living a total hell, as all of their earthly possessions and more costly than that, their security had been stripped away, shadowed by the many limbs and debris of fallen trees into and through their houses. 

Newest definition of "Tree House"

Many of these people had no means to help themselves, some of them had no idea where to begin, and the world just seemed to walk by on the other side of the road.  Sadly I would have been one of them if I had not been invited to go along on this trip.  My mind was not focused on serving those in my own community.  My mind was securely distracted with packing and moving our family to serve the "least" of these 10,000 miles away from home.  How foolish!  Lord, thank you so much for allowing me to serve those in my own back yard and giving me a greater perspective of serving You through serving people.  I can tell you this, there were many logs rolled, many pounds of wood moved, but also many lives touched, many of which will hopefully be for eternity.  It was a great opportunity to serve the Lord through serving people, but also a great reminder of why we are going....and I have the poison ivy rash to prove it.    

This is the "One".  Poison Ivy....lovely little thing.

Looking back.....

On top of the Mountain

After so many months on the road going through the motions and emotions of life we realized tonight through a phone call that we are just beginning to process all the things the God has done over these last months.  In many ways we have gone through the motions, pressed forward, put our heads down and forgot to see how God has and is opening so many doors.  A few weeks ago we called it being Numb.  Now after a bit of time and space I think we can begin to reflect.

After an experience like this you would expect mountains of stories demonstrating His provision and power.   Those stories you would expect to be large and grandiose, just like our God right? Full of thunder and lightning.  Stories of triumph and victory.  The funny thing is those stories have been manifested just as God speaks... in still small voices.

That's not to say that He hasn't shown up in LARGE ways He has, but more He has been constant, like a constant melody, quietly playing through the various verses that make up life.  Always there, consistent, and definitive from one note to the next.

He has been the simple things, like the provision of a car, or rather a truck for us to use for an entire two months while we were in Idaho.  A truck that frankly I was skeptical about because lets face it a family of three on the front bench of a small truck with a two year old in his massive car seat doesn't sound like the model of space and luxury.   But that truck was such a blessing to be able to have  sense of freedom and independence while at MAF, giving us mobility and the opportunity to turn a temporary relocation into a home away from home and a connection to new church and family that we would have otherwise never met.  E still to this day laments leaving his red and white truck, although it was really red and silver.  

He showed up in providing the perfect family to rent our house while we were away, when we were beating our heads against a wall trying to figure out what to do with our home while we were gone.   Rent?  Sell?  It was the perfect time to sell, just not according to the numbers or the professionals, but renting wasn't going to work either.  What were we to do?  Then He shows up providing a family who had been looking for a place to stay in Charlotte, moving in just two weeks after we left and one week before we got back!  And to top it all off, they took better care of it than we do and now we feel bad because we know how good our home can look!

He was there when we needed family when we didn't have any close by, or at least we didn't think we did.  Salt Lake isn't exactly a stone's throw, but close.  He provided in getting to see and spend quality time with family that we had not seen since our wedding.   Turns out that we didn't have enough time there.  But we'll be back....

He was there when we were faced with having to go north for a full week of training, which could have been completely depressing sitting in a hotel room in Sandpoint Idaho by ourselves.  But instead the time went too fast as we thoroughly enjoyed spending time at the ranch, building a bond with a family that truly inspires us to be all that Christ would ask us to be.  We really felt at home there, and E still talks about driving the ATV's and riding the horses.

 He has been there in the discouraging times as we are walking through the heartache of watching another  missionary family intending to go to the Congo in Africa, possibly being lead in a different direction, as they have struggled over these last 12 months to raise their support and are now in the final stages of options with MAF. (To the Fuller's: our hearts are saddened and we are praying that God gives you His peace no matter what the outcome!)  It makes the high times, like when we received our final checkouts at MAF for overseas service really confusing allowing the mind reel as to why it seems that He has chosen our family, out of a pool of many talented and special families to Go.   
He was there....He is there!

There really are so many more examples, both small and large of how the Lord has been working through this journey in some capacity.  Over the last 4 months we have traveled over 4,704 miles by air, 4,503 miles by car, shared on 5 consecutive Sunday's across 4 different states, had no real travel problems, and are closer as a family than we have ever been before.  If that's not a testimony to God's great faithfulness even in the small things, than I'm at a loss to know what is. 

There is really are so many more to share about, but I suppose that much more and I'll have you all falling asleep at your keyboards.

These stories are just the model of the God who is walking and guiding us from one chapter to the next.  I suppose this is how it will be overseas, and throughout our history,  as it has been for many before us...

Sitting down in the Valley.

Fireman Fun & Home Sweet Home!

Ahhh... Well, after four months on the road we are home!!! For now anyway... :D

 

The last leg of our trip was spent in Baltimore enjoying our time with family and touching base again with "our" two churches and making memories. We were excited to be able to jump in and join with Edgemere Free Methodist for the community Fireman's Parade.  We had a blast decorating the float and of course Ethan was over the moon- as you can see the theme was racing!

Getting the float just right!

The final product!  Kudos to Donna, the visionary!

And did you notice what the event was?  The Fireman's Parade!  There were probably 30 fire trucks from all over Maryland of all shapes and sizes- a 3-year- old boy's dream! 

"LOOK Dad!!!!"

The kids enjoyed throwing candy out to all the parade goers, even though they may have taken out a police officer or two with poorly aimed lollipops along the parade route.  It was so fun to hang out with our Edgemere friends and join in the fun of the parade reaching out to the community.  Thank you! Such great memories!!

E was so excited to throw treats out!

Here we go!

The whole crew!

And Perry Hall family- we really had a great time sharing with you, but we had no chance to take photos!  Thank you for your warm welcome and all your prayers as we go- you are such a blessing!

So for now- we are home in Charlotte!  We plan on being here at least until baby girl is born sometime in September/October and we get used to being a family of four before heading to Indonesia.  Thank you to EVERYONE that we met and spent time with over the last few months- if it weren't for you we would have lost our marbles a long time ago.  YOU made our time so precious and God has used you to teach us and bless us beyond our wildest dreams.  THANK YOU!!  We miss you!  And for our Charlotte friends, we look forward to seeing you in the coming weeks!!

Numb.

Flying Friends in Pensacola, Fl

When we set out to start this blog we wanted to be able to connect you all with the realities both positive and negative to this journey that we have set out on.  We want to be able to share with you the realities of ministry, the things that we experience and the ways that we see God work in our lives and the lives of those around us, not to mention daily emotions that surround each and every day.  These days have been hard to describe.  Each and every day that has seemingly brought us to new and exciting places, new people and places to share about, the joy of seeing God work in each of our lives in different ways and in different paths, the beginning of new adventures and relationships, and the bittersweet goodbyes that we have still yet to process.  It would be an understatement to say that emotionally, we are Numb.  Surrounded by a deluge of emotions, I'm not really sure where to begin.  We have seen the Lord in so many different ways along this journey and He has used you all to reveal so much about who He is and the sovereignty that He displays over the universe. From the overwhelming sense of gratitude that we have towards the hearts of the Lords people who gently and quietly respond to His call bringing us up to 100% in our outgoing support and only 20% left to be provided for in regular gifts, to the fear that we experienced as we found ourself over 600 miles away from familiar with contractions in a hotel room with and an unborn baby still with eight weeks left till delivery.  All of this He has worked to display His mercy and provision, and the undeniable dependence that we have on Him.  In many ways we feel that God has been training us for what He has next.  I think He has been revealing Himself regularly showing the steadfast mercy that He is. A sovereignty that we often forget, or choose to ignore.

So as I sit here in Baltimore, MD after being everywhere from Orlando, Pensacola, Charlotte, Ocean City New Jersey in less than a month I am in awe of the God who shows up when we need Him most.  When even our emotions betray us and our nation faces the utmost in insecurity, the Lord reveals Himself as a constant thread weaving time and uncertainty together with the skill of a craftsman.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." ~Isaiah 40:28-31

Sound familiar?  To me it does......

Celebrating a weekend in Ocean City, NJ

Re-uniting and building friendships in Pensacola, FL 

Enjoying sweet time in Orlando, FL

It's the People, People!

You’ve probably heard the saying a thousand times- “Home is where the heart is.”  Well, we have a whole new appreciation and understanding of “home” since we’ve been uprooted for almost 3 months now.  It used to be that when I thought of home I thought of our little red house in Charlotte, but in the last few weeks I’ve learned that home is not necessarily the house you live in or the bed you sleep in (although at almost 8 months pregnant I am longing for my own bed!)- it’s the people you’re with!

We have been phenomenally blessed with dear friends, many of whom we didn’t know this time last year.  As I look back at the journey we’ve taken in the last 11 months, I am dumbfounded at God’s graciousness and goodness to us.  Every place we go He provides a new “brother” or “sister” who encourages us along the way.  It’s hard to explain and I’m afraid I’ll just talk in circles if I attempt- but the clearest way I can see this is in the old phrase…  If “home is where the heart is” then God has and is expanding our hearts over and over again.  I can honestly say that there are a number of different places where I feel at home, all because of you, the people who are sharing life with us as we go.  You are praying for us, you’re welcoming us into your lives, you’re opening your homes to us and sharing your hearts, telling your stories- what a privilege!  Thank you!  You are what keep us going and remind us of the joy of why and what we are doing in the midst of transition after transition.  Blessings, blessings, blessings on you friends!  I wish I had photos of everyone who has made such an impact in our lives recently, but these few will have to do.  

PS- If I chose to post your goofy pic, forgive me!  You capture some of our fun memories!

 

Ethan enjoying a snow cone with new friends.

 

Miss Nancy sharing her "lion" with E.

 

The Hamiltons truly welcomed us into their family!

 

Memories with my mom and sister

 

Jen and E are kindred spirits! :D

 

 What we all wish we could do in every photo, right?  Fun beach memories!

Reflections...

Well, we are back on the East Coast- gearing up for another at least month of being on the road and reflecting on all that God has been teaching us during our time out West beyond all of our formal technical and cultural training.

If you had asked me a year ago if we were ready to head overseas, I would have said, "Yes!  Absolutely!  We're ready to go right now!"  But it is increasingly obvious to me that God will have us ready in His perfect time and way and is teaching us all along the way. 

Most recently I think He has shown us over and over (and I'm sure will continue to in the coming months/years) that "home" is not our house or our stuff, but our family.  I am learning to be content, to even enjoy the simplicity of living with what is available; how to adjust, form a new "normal" and find the silver lining of each place we visit or live no matter how long- a week, a month, a year.  If my husband and my son and, when she comes, my daughter are there- we are home.  Yes, there are things/routines we do to make each new spot "home" like making sweet tea (ironically enough- we don't really make iced tea when we are in Charlotte, but when we're traveling we do!  Somehow it makes wherever we are feel more like home!) or the normal bedtime routine for Ethan.  Yet, even those things are secondary- home is with my boys (and soon-to-be girl).



Another amazing thing that God has been doing in us over the last 2 months is that even though we have never been to Indonesia- somehow it is beginning to feel like home!  While we were at MAF there were a number of families that came home from Indonesia for their 6 month furlough and we were able to talk with them about life there, what they loved, how they were able to relate with people and help meet needs where they lived.  It was so refreshing and exciting to be able to get a clearer picture of  where we will be living and serving-  we can't wait to get there!  In His time He is preparing us, moving us, molding us.  We'll see what  the next few months bring and what He has up His sleeve for our next lesson!

Now- just for fun... here are a few of our favorite things about Idaho:


- The coffee!  Northwesterners love their coffee, they brought us Starbucks after all!  For example: in random (ie-gas station, grocery store, pawn shop) parking lots you will find little espresso stands, there are lots of different drive thru coffee chains and out of this world "Mom and Pop" coffee shops.  The last 2 weeks there I found the BEST coffee shop- if you are ever in the Boise/Nampa area go to the Flying M Coffee Shop. 

- Tillamook Ice Cream.  Seriously- better than Edy's- so creamy.. phenomenal ice cream- especially when it's stinkin' hot outside.
Ok now that I've gotten the food thing out of the way (remember I am in the last trimester of pregnancy)...

- The mountains, the view- breathtaking!  And to get into stunning scenery it's rarely more than an hour away.  This (besides potatoes) is what Idaho is known for and rightfully so- there were a couple of times when we were driving that I had to make a conscious decision to stop gawking at the view and drive.

- The weather.  Ooh, Idaho is nice in the spring/summer!  There is almost zero humidity and the temperatures were really comfortable- coming back to NC has been a rude awakening!

- The produce. I never realized how many of our fruits and veggies in NC come from the West Coast and the berries, cherries, apples, etc.  are sooo good and much less expensive.  It's great!  Boise has a really great Farmer's Market that has phenomenal food and a large section of local arts too.  It makes a great Saturday morning outing, just in case you're in Boise on a Saturday in the summer. : D

-Of course, it's always the people you meet and get to know who make a place extraordinary and we made some great friends while we were there who really helped Idaho feel like home.  To all of our Idaho friends- Thank you and we miss you!

So...that's a few of the things we enjoyed over the last couple of months and how God has been teaching us and preparing us to be ready to serve Him wherever we are.  Blessings on you friends, hope your summer is spectacular!

Serial Number 55

A few weeks ago we set out of our temporary home in Nampa, ID to go deeper into the unkown jungle of Northwest Idaho.  Sandpoint more specifically.  As we were preparing to go I knew that most of my days would be spent in class and that Amy and Ethan would be "home" couped up in an unfamiliar area, in an unknown town, for an unspecified amount of time.  Needless to say we didn't know what to expect as we packed our bags.  Just to emphasize the point its barely 70 degrees during the day here! ( We're not complaining, just surprised and perplexed as to what to pack for such cool weather).   What we found once we left the southern foothills of Idaho was not at all what we expected.  Beyond the most spectacular views, was a simple little respite in the midst of the mountains.

"Rough Jungle"

We were headed up North to continue my technical training on our newest aircraft at the best place to learn about it, the factory.  This factory in specific was the production facility at Quest Aviation, manufacter's of the Kodiak.  A few weeks ago you may recall that I mentioned that this airplane was creating quite a bit of buzz in the aviation community, especially because it is the first "purpose-built" missions aircraft.  It was specifically designed to positively impact the world and as a result MAF operates quite a few of these little beauties in the most isolated and remote areas of the world. Nestled in the northern woods we found the unexpected.  Amongst the scenic trees, lush mountain landscapes, bordered by picturesque water folliage we found a small group of people building an aircraft for the future.   In most production facilities you would find many average joes, coming to work punching the time-card, performing their assigned task, and then leaving for the day hoping and dreaming for the weekend and maybe a sense of fulfillment.  This didn't seem to be the case at Quest.  The Average Joe's there come into work daily, weathering the economic and political storms of a new upstart company, hoping and praying that their daily duty will have an impact on eternity far beyond the day's grind.

The infamous #55

Nowhere was this more evidenced than in Serial Number 55. You may ask yourself, "What is Serial Number 55?"  At this point S/N55 is no more than just sheet metal and a couple of loosely assembled parts.  If you were to look at S/N55 you would see nothing that would catch your attention, and frankly from the outward appearance S/N55 struggles to find it's identity either as an airplane or a glorified Coke can.  It doesn't look like much.  But as you dig further into the build sheet you would find S/N 55 is the next MAF aircraft awaiting completion and its new assignment in Indonesia.  If you peer down the hull of the empty fuselage you might be able to hear the audible laughs of missionary children being carried back home to their loved ones after a long trip.  You may see the tear stained portion of carpet just below the woman who is sobbing for her injured spouse laying next to her on their way to receive medical help.  You could possibly hear the sounds of rejoicing as the engines shut down for one final time as the delivery of Bibles is off-loaded into the hands of the national church for the very first time ever! These are all things that you may see as you peer down the skeleton frame, but one thing that you most assuredly will see are the signatures and Bible references that the cast of "Average Joes"  have placed in strategic areas for mechanics in the future to find on subsequent inspections.  Quotes and references that remind the mechanics, why they are there doing what they are doing.  In this instance one gentlemen wrote a reference to Isaiah 43:10:

"You are My witnesses, declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am He.  Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. "  

On this side of the world I can't even begin to tell you what kind of an encouragement this will be one day.  To unbolt the headliner of this aircraft, looking for a possible problem that probably doesn't exist, for the millionth time and find this simple message reminding me why we have come so far and who we represent.  At least then I won't have to mentally picture the people we will be serving, they'll be right in front of us.

To top it all off we had the great privilege to stay with great friends of our family.  Our first real "Ranching" experience!   Their hospitality and heart for ministry is a true testimony to each of us.  They made us all feel as if we were at home.   Ethan got to ride horses, tractors, ATV's, go-karts, and every other movable object with an engine.   As far as I'm concerned you can't get any closer family than that, even if their not immediately related.  We can't wait to see them in Indonesia!

Thanks to all of you who made our time in Sandpoint unforgettable!