Adapting

This week Garry is finishing up PT6 training, a great opportunity to learn and grow as mission aviation moves into more aircraft that use a turbine engine. It's a good reminder that experience is a great teacher, but we always need to keep learning new things. People who are learning and growing are also fun to be around-- I've learned a lot as Garry has gone through this course. It's also good for those of us who often teach to be a student somewhat regularly. Being a student has its own challenges, and it's good to be reminded of that as we go back to taking tests instead of giving them and absorbing information instead of teaching it.

Kevin is also having some new learning experiences this week as he attends Moody Bible Institute-Spokane's missions conference. He's learning about various organizations that do a number of different ministries. He's interacting with mission reps and others who came to present at the conference. And the experience is taking him back overseas to what he knows and making him ponder next steps as he learns about more needs in more places all over the world.

Some of the challenging information Kevin is learning is in relation to people in the 10/40 window. While a huge part of the world's population lives there, apparently only 1% of the financial support for missions from North America goes into this area. That surprised me. I would have assumed that missions from North America is currently focused on this area of the world, but maybe not. Kevin has also enjoyed learning more about mission work to First Nations people in northern Canada, an area close to home but needy.

Our impending move is bringing neat things to Kaleb as he interacts with his friends in the neighborhood. Sometimes only in light of leaving do we get feedback on the ways our lives have impacted others. This is true of Kaleb these days as his friends contemplate the fact that he may be moving to a different neighborhood.

So many things this week remind me that God is both powerful and creative. How amazing that He gives us the ability to learn, grow, and change! How incredible that He allows us to partner with Him in His work in the world, being a part of others changing, learning, and growing.