Worthwhile

This week when Kaleb went to work at his internship he worked on writing a script. Now, Kaleb works hard at his internship, doing what's asked, watching what's going on, and trying to learn. But sometimes, the mundane tasks make the time crawl. Other weeks the time flies as he engages with more interesting tasks. When he came home this week, he was super excited. His work may actually become part of something that is produced for the public! Suddenly, he could see the value in what he was doing. And not only did he come home excited about that work, he was excited about the editing and scripting he is doing at home on his own projects. The goal or reward makes all the difference.

In much the same way, when I read about the relief work NTM is doing after Typhoon Haima in the Philippines, it makes me excited about what we do here. When I get news of a translation project being supported by mission aviation it makes me smile. Word of a medical evacuation made possible by an airplane makes my day. These are the things that we are about, not just the physical work being done or physical help being given, but the Good News that is spread, the transformation is that is being supported by missionary aviators. As one student put it last week, "It isn't about flying and maintenance. It's about loving Jesus."

Garry has been looking for different ways to share information that is gathered, ways to make sharing learning experiences helpful for more people. He has begun to send out a QASAR letter, each one focusing on a possible hazard. He has also had his share of meetings this week. Beyond the scheduled meetings are many "chance meetings" with students and staff.

Kevin and I are both part of a writing guild started by Jerry Jenkins, and this week we were able to meet him when he was in Spokane for meetings. It was great to connect with him for a few minutes. I was thrilled when he gifted us a book he wrote about MAF's relief work after an earthquake in Indonesia, The Night the Giant Rolled Over. It's amazing to me how many things he has written about  and I feel super privileged to be learning from him on the guild.

Learning and teaching, it's really a great cycle. Growing and investing. Giving and taking. Passing on what so many have invested in us. Doing today what we can today to help future mission aviators succeed.

Opportunities to Trust

This week has presented an extraordinary number of opportunities to trust God. Not exactly big things or urgent things, but things coming to light that could dramatically change our lives. Things like new laws and paperwork. Things like a tree threatening to fall on our house. Things that can feel like you're standing on a mountain of pebbles that is starting to shift. 

These opportunities have made us ask God new and different questions. They've put our prayer lives in overdrive. They've made us sit down with our boys and discuss life and God and faith. They've made us ask for backup from the people who stand with us. It shouldn't be surprising that these opportunities for faith are also allowing us to see God work in a different way.

The tree didn't fall on the house, and as I sit here it is being removed by a small team of professionals. However, until it leaned over the house last Friday, I wasn't aware of the danger nor in awe of the size of that tree. As we've been watching it lean, measuring its location, and trying to predict which way it would fall if it did, I've come to respect that 100-foot tree in a new way. It's enormous.

This morning I got this devotional by Sylvia Gunter in my inbox. It reminded me to pray God-sized prayers. Like with the tree, focus makes all the difference. Prayer allows us to see God's power and goodness in new ways. Focusing on Him brings Him to the foreground and dwarfs our circumstances. And I am so incredibly thankful for the Body who constantly reminds us of this truth!

When unexpected things come at us, we sometimes forget the everyday things of life. Still, it is the building of day after day that creates growth and grows opportunity. Garry has enjoyed instructing in labs this week as students have completed a section on the landing gear. Various students and staff have shared experiences that helped them learn something, and he's been figuring out the best way to share those experiences with staff and students. He is also beginning to plan for our safety seminar that is coming up early next semester.

Kevin wrote an article for the Mosaic, Moody's newspaper, last week. He is enjoying connecting with some of the other Communications majors through that. Last week were midterms, a nice reminder that the semester is half over for him.

Kaleb has had a great opportunity at his internship to work through the various stages of creating a commercial for a company. It's been a great learning opportunity as he's researched and organized and planned. One of the blessings of the internship is a chance to work with Josh, a creative young man who is also interning with Mortimore Studios.

May we enjoy the journey and see life in God's perspective, whether we are facing the unknown or a world where we feel comfortable.

Mission Aviation

I've been thinking about mission aviation as a whole this week. My reflections have been on the fact that we've spent our lives in a tiny niche, and the opportunities and the impact of that niche. Most of my growing up years our family was totally dependent on the airplane for transportation, anxious to look through the incoming mailbag, sustained by groceries that arrived in the mission airplane, and living in a house held together by transported supplies. An emergency medical flight saved my life when I was a toddler. The red and white airplane was my school bus every quarter as I came and went from home. The pilot was our biggest source of encouragement, news, and interaction with the outside world in the years our family worked alone. I grew up quite convinced that pilots were superheroes.

I eventually married a pilot and found out that while he isn't a superhero, he is a hero. Together we served missionary teams in four countries and trained new pilot families at our headquarters. We served in a large program and several smaller ones. We were leaders and followers. Now we serve at Moody Aviation, and some days I think about what we're training people to do and where mission aviation is headed. 

While some of the paradigms and opportunities in mission aviation are changing, the reality is that mission aviation continues to have countless opportunities to impact the world. Traditional avenues of supporting remote church planting teams still remain. Business as mission opportunities are growing. Mission aviation steps into places destroyed by natural disasters. As I look at these realities, I believe that the potential impact of mission aviation continues to grow. Mission aviators are serving all over the world, interacting with a great number of people. The Gospel's growth in many areas continues to be possible because of mission aviation. Humanitarian aid gives mission aviation a unique voice in a world of pain and chaos.

As I ponder, I believe that the investment is worthwhile. And I am thankful to be a part of it! This week the investment looks like office work, presentations, and interactions with students and staff at Moody Aviation.