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.
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| "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.
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| 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!
