Legacy

Legacy

At the beginning of June we spent a few days in Washington, D.C. celebrating my parent's 50^th wedding anniversary. We spent time with family and checked out some of D.C. We visited the Bible Museum and toured the White House. We visited my Dad’s church, the one his parents founded in the early 60’s and was Trump’s chosen place to show up on the Day of Prayer for the President. We saw huge memorials to the founding fathers of the United Stated. We walked by buildings that house the workings of the US government. We learned more about the history of the Bible and saw the progress of translation. We watched our kids interact. The time with family was amazing, the sights were very neat, but what we brought home was a challenge to leave a legacy that matters. 

Everyone leaves a legacy and that legacy is built by our choices and priorities. We speak into the next generation by our lives. Our choices impact those around us as do our words. As we head to Canada for home assignment, we are asking God for opportunities to share our vision, to talk about the things that matter and the choice to follow God wholeheartedly. We want to have discussion about the Gospel and why it’s Good News. We want to share our story of God’s faithfulness and remind all of us that following Jesus is the best choice we can make. We want to hear stories of God’s work in lives, families, and communities wherever we go. We want to talk about how every choice matters for eternity. We are excited about this time!

This weekend is graduation at Moody Aviation, and it is fun to celebrate with these young people who were just starting maintenance training when we arrived. Every class has its own strengths and challenges, and it is fun to see how those unfold over their years at Moody. We are excited about the number of students in this class that plan to move forward in missionary aviation. We enjoyed having Dr. Jobe, the new president of Moody Bible Institute, here in Spokane for graduation weekend. Knowing that we were leaving for six months made the weekend bittersweet.

In June we also visited Pennsylvania and spent time at Puzzletown Road Bible Church, the first of our visits to supporters over the next months. We had an amazing time with the people there, sharing what God is doing. We were blessed to hear what God is doing there and the passion of people to see Jesus made known in the world.

Spring Family Update 2019

It’s Spring again! The snow is melting, daylight lasts longer, and everything whispers new life.  It’s a time of promise and new beginning, of change and growth. 

Garry and I have done a lot of traveling this semester and have been blessed by the people we’ve met, the ones we’ve reconnected with, and the things we’ve been able to be a part of. After this week in Florida we look forward to being home in Spokane for a couple months, enjoying being with our people there and investing in the things God has given us to do at Moody Aviation. At the beginning of June we plan to join my family in celebrating my parents’ 50^th wedding anniversary before heading to Manitoba at the end of the month.

Kevin is thankful for the things he’s been a part of over the past few months: training at Gao Badminton in Calgary, competing for the first time since his injury at Canadian Nationals, working hard at off-court training with Sweaty Training in Manitoba, competing in Jamaica, coaching at OCN reserve in Manitoba, and joining a small tournament in Thunder Bay, Ontario. More friends have pledged financial support, enabling him to focus more on training and allowing him to continue competing.

Kaleb is busy with school, youth ministry, and work. He loves the courses he is taking this semester and continues to grow and learn. He has been blessed with great opportunities to practice what he’s learning as he invests in youth at our church and in the neighborhood. God continues to open doors for Kaleb to love people and speak truth. He is also spending a lot of time doing stop motion animation, which is currently paying the bills for him. 

We are so thankful for God’s idea of family and for the way He continues to grow and bless the four of us, our extended family, and our family in Christ. Thanks for being part of that group!

Visit to Mission Aviation Fellowship

This year our friends at Mission Aviation Fellowship invited us to join their Safety and Quality Assurance seminar in February. This seminar is really for their safety managers and program managers from all over the world, but we joined them to learn from their experience and expertise, and we are so glad we did!

Garry enjoyed the technical information at the conference and got some good ideas for how to make some simple improvements here at Moody Aviation. We were impressed by the improvement in safety that MAF has seen since they began implementing their Safety Management System. Garry was also able to share things that we've done here and talk with various people about the underlying values he tries to teach students at Moody.

While at MAF we stayed with good friends from our Venezuela years. Rolland and Jessica are great hosts and invited us into their lives with generous hospitality. It was super fun to catch up with them and see what God is doing in and through their lives. We also met up with a number of other friends, both newer and older. It was incredible to hear how God has orchestrated the path of each family and how they have grown and changed in the process. It was also fun to share what God has done in our lives and how He continues to change us.

During our time we were also able to chat with a number of people and learn what is going on in various MAF programs around the world. We continue to be amazed at the many varied ways God is using mission aviation to spread His Good News around the world. We are challenged by the obstacles in mission aviation and the need for more pilots and mechanics all over the world.

On either side of the time at MAF was a beautiful drive and great conversations in the car, sort of day-long dates. God gives good gifts, and we find ourselves continually amazed that we as a couple are on this incredible journey together and with our grown sons. And beyond that, we are on this journey with you all, people who are invested in what God is doing in our lives personally and in the calling God has our lives. Truly, following Him wholeheartedly is ALWAYS the best decision we can make!

Peering ahead

Hope is a beautiful thing, a gift of God. We begin 2019 with hearts full of hope and numbers of questions about what this year will bring. It's easy to look ahead and wonder what will happen, where we will be next, and what God has in mind. It's equally easy to look back and see the faithfulness of God and the many unexpected turns life has taken. With those two things in mind, we look ahead with anticipation, expecting God to work in this year, to continue to complete His good work in us and to do through us the good works He prepared for us before the foundation of the world.

We have seen God build many things at Moody Aviation over the past years and we look forward to those things growing. Since last summer's fatal crash we have seen God open many doors for new and deeper relationships, relationships we look forward to continuing to invest in this year. We are encouraged by the many questions that we as a community are asking and the way God answers. God continues to confirm that He has plans for each of us and that He wants to use mission aviation to help spread His Good News around the world.

January is when planning for our annual Safety Seminar really takes off. This year we are taking a break from technical subjects and focusing on how God calls us to both work and rest. Dr. Mike Kibbe is our main speaker, and his sessions will be followed by breakout sessions regarding various aspects of both work and rest. We are excited about what God has in mind for this year's Safety Seminar at the end of February!

Kaleb has registered for classes for this semester and is excited about continuing to study the Old Testament and taking a photography course. His finance course is less exciting, but should prove helpful both in ministry and work. Kaleb is also working at a local studio, Mortimore Productions, where he interned during high school. His focus during vacation has been producing a short paper animation, a passion project of his own. It's amazing to see the ways God is allowing Kaleb to invest in youth as well as grow in his media skills, and we are excited to see how these continue to work together for the Kingdom.

This weekend Kevin is on his way to Thompson and points further north as he invests in young people through coaching. Rehab has been going well, and he should be ready for badminton nationals at the end of the month, just over 3 months after his high ankle break. His progress is a gracious gift and due hugely to the expertise of Dr. Blatz at Eastman Therapy Centre and a new sponsorship from Sweaty Training. He is ready to hit the international circuit again as he pursues God's call to him in badminton.

We are so thankful to be a family and to see how God is leading each of us in various ways. And we are incredibly thankful for the team God has given us on this journey to grow and see His Gospel shared all over the world!