Future, faith, & joy

When we arrived in Spokane almost 2 weeks ago, I had very little idea of what to expect. I'd visited here once, and Garry had been here multiple times. Still, there were so many questions. We spent a day driving around with a great real estate agent right after we arrived, and I returned home totally overwhelmed. Wow, how was this all going to work out?!

Then Garry spent some time at the hangar and in meetings with various teams at Moody Aviation. He spent hours in his new boss's office. And he came home so encouraged that the enthusiasm was catching! I spent quite a few hours chatting with various women-- asking about life in Spokane, Moody aviation, and the local homsechool climate. A loan officer began to work on mortgage options and was persistent in pursuing various avenues.  We toured Moody Bible Institute, Spokane, and heard parts of how God has been working there. God's Word and His eternal truths struck us in relation to moving and new opportunities here.

In each situation, in every opportunity, it was clear that God is here and He is doing something. His purposes are becoming more clear, His calling irresistible. We love being involved in what He is doing, and we see Him at work in Moody Aviation in exciting ways. 

The future remains unclear in terms of the physical aspect of housing and many other areas, but we've been encouraged once more that God is working His perfect plan, and we are convinced that we are meant to be part of His plan here in Spokane. What a joy to see God leading our steps and bringing us to an understanding of His plans!

Bozeman, biking, and travel notes

Garry arrived home very early on Sunday morning and Monday we started packing. Catching up with a few people between other tasks kept us busy Monday and Tuesday. Jet lag really didn't hit Garry hard this time, which was a huge blessing! Tuesday evening after Kevin's class we headed out for Spokane, crossing the border just a bit before midnight. I don't think we've ever left on a trip quite that late!

With three drivers it wasn't too hard to drive throughout the night and arrive in Bozeman, Montana early the next afternoon. An upgrade to our room was a nice surprise and gave us room to relax a bit. We unloaded our bikes and took off for what we thought was a nearby trail... I guess it was far away, because we had to turn around before we got there, though the boys did some fun riding anyway.

Thursday evening we arrived in Spokane and are blessed to be able to stay in Crossover Church's house! Since then we've done some house hunting, touched base with friends, and made a few new friends. The boys have done some trail riding and we've all done some relaxed riding. It's been a bit of a whirlwind few days, but many of our questions are being answered and we're learning lots.

Yesterday Kevin headed home to be back in class this morning. He had a God appointment on the way, which we are interested to hear the outcome of. This week promises to be full as we connect with various people and learn more about the area, life here, and the people we look forward to working with! 

Nairobi & home

Garry just messaged me from Amsterdam! He's on his way home after a great week in Nairobi. He enjoyed seeing the program there. He was blessed by many of the interactions he experienced and watched. He got to spend some time with my cousin. He learned lots at the course he completed. He spent some time at a wildlife place and checked out a few interesting restaurants. What more could you ask for from 10 days in Africa?!

This week was about setting up and running a SMS (Safety Management System) and the various things that are involved in that. Teaching times and practice times reinforced many things Garry's already learned as well as broadening his knowledge. From the paperwork involved in reporting hazards, to incident investigation, to interviewing people, they covered a lot of ground in one short week. (And yeah, if Garry laughs when he reads this, it may be edited at a later date!)

Besides the experience of Africa and the amazing people he met and worked with, we are blessed by how God is bringing things together for our time at Moody Aviation. We plan to head to Spokane early next week to check out housing, have some meetings, and make plans to move there within the next couple of months.

Kevin has started part-time studies at SBC and is enjoying his classes. When he's not studying he's working, coaching badminton, or driving somewhere. He plans to do this semester at SBC, then transfer to a University in Ontario next semester.

Kaleb continues to hone his biking skills and is getting excited to move to Spokane and have some great mountain trails nearby. He's also been trail-building with some friends as well as making movies.

The path ahead seems unclear at the moment as we move into yet another new situation. I'm excited about what God is doing, and at the same time I wish I saw it more clearly. I was thinking the other day how this is an opportunity for faith. A chance to let the bedrock of faith in God and His goodness overwhelm and comfort me. An opportunity to grow. A chance to ask God what He is doing and see Him answer. Trial, challenge, or opportunity? It's so much in our perspective. And each moment we choose which perspective we take! And while we choose our perspective about the future, we also walk in this moment, doing the one thing that is ours to do right now!