Family Update, Summer 2018

One of the things I love about family is that the family is a cultural microcosm. In our family we learn what to value, how to interact, how to interpret life, and so much  more. It seems this is the primary seed of culture. The second place we learn culture as believers should be the Church-- the slightly larger community that we interact with and from, meant to reinforce the values at home and teach us to invest and reach out. From there we expand to our neighborhood, our town, our country, and the world. It's amazing, really, the way God has arranged things to be. And we are incredibly blessed by both sides of our family that have passed on godly legacy to Garry and I, which we have tried to pass on to our boys and they eventually will have opportunity to pass on to their families.

Enough philosophy: what's up with the 4 of us? Life at work has been going well for Garry, and I've shared about his trip to IAMA, progress on the Safety Management System, and interactions at school. Life at home has been full of projects for Garry, which he actually enjoys as it gives him opportunity to work with his hands. He's also amazing at keeping up with our vehicles which are in the "needing more maintenance" stage, fixing issues with the house, and otherwise keeping things in order.

Kaleb finished school a few weeks ago, thankful to be done studying for the year but sad to say goodbye to friends who are moving away. Since then he has been pulling long days animating and editing for Stikbots, the toy company that he contracted with for an animation. (If you'd like to check them out, their YouTube channel gives an idea who they are-- an animation toy company.) He has learned a lot in the process and is just beginning what should be his final edit. In just under two weeks he heads to Manitoba for the summer, planning to counsel at Eagle Lake Bible Camp for five weeks. He's also looking forward to his friend Luke coming to Manitoba for a visit and to work at camp for week.

Kevin is currently driving to Calgary to compete in the Canada Open badminton tournament as he continues to pursue international badminton competition. (Draws and results here.) He is also going to do exhibition games and a clinic at Gao Badminton, a great opportunity. It has been amazing to watch God provide and open doors as Kevin follows the things God has called him to. After the Open he is heading our way to do a badminton summer camp before returning to Manitoba. Kevin is also planning to serve with us for a week at camp this summer.

I've enjoyed planting a small garden this year (which I may not be doing great with keeping up with). I've also been investing in Venezuela through a venture providing soup and sandwiches to some of the neediest people through some friends of mine. Overall it seems the days go quickly with office work, cleaning and cooking, and investing in relationships.

We truly are blessed by our family. This isn't just our sons but also our extended family, but the stories of siblings and parents really can't be shared on this blog!

IAMA

Last week Garry attended the annual IAMA (International Association of Missionary Aviation) conference and presented on Safety Management Systems (SMS) and the Argus Prism software we have been using here at Moody Aviation. Garry's presentation focused on the fact that SMS makes sense. He spent time explaining that just as we do preventative maintenance, we can do preventative risk management, catching problems before they cause catastrophes. He also offered other organizations an opportunity to use the same software we are using, which would allow us all to better share information and prevent incidents. Various people agreed that sharing the software makes sense, evidenced by the number who have written expressing interest in joining us on the Prism Argus software plan.

IAMA is a great community of people who collaborate to see the Gospel spread. Their annual conference is an opportunity for schools, mission aviation organizations, and individuals to get together to learn, share, and network. This year provided a lot of networking opportunities as quite a few of the smaller organizations presented what God is doing in their worlds. One particularly inspiring update was by Marcio Rempel, a Mennonite from Brazil. His passion is to help mission aviation in Brazil network well. Amazonas, Brazil their current focus, an area the size of two-thirds of the USA with very little infrastructure for travel. It was encouraging to hear how God continues to work, grow, and build in so many ways in so many places.

Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia hosted this year's IAMA conference. This was Garry's first time at Liberty and he was impressed by what God is doing there. Liberty focuses on teaching students to impact their culture as "Champions for Christ". One chance encounter was with a grace-filled bus driver who understands the value of ministering to the many students who ride his bus each day. A tour of the facilities was also impressive as they continue to expand.

Another blessing of attending IAMA was time with co-workers. Garry enjoyed traveling with Jim & Ian and attending the conference together. They shared meals and got to know one another in a way that doesn't happen quickly during work hours. In fact, Garry and Ian had a rather long, exciting trip home with many delays and a drive to Charlotte in place of the planned flight.

IAMA. It was a great place to be last week, a great opportunity to connect with others in mission aviation!