Firmly Planted

Don't you love to look at tall tress standing firmly upright? To see the incredible weight and length the roots can sustain? Those are the kind of roots I want, the kind of roots we only grow when the winds blow hard and the rains pour down.

I've been pondering roots and growth. The depth of truth we need to stand firm in a world that seems to be always pulling us away. The truth we have opportunity to plant in one another's lives, and the potential it has to grow tall. The importance of what we tell ourselves, our kids, and our friends. The power of both love and bitterness to grow.

And that pondering has brought me to think on our own stories and how we interpret them. How the truth of God and His reality in our lives is meant to color and change the stories we tell ourselves, and how we tell our own story. He allows us to interpret our past and our present in His truth and reality. And what an amazing reality it is!

Garry is busy doing various kinds of presentations lately as he moves ahead with a Safety Management System he hopes to share with others in the mission aviation world. It's a huge project that will take several years to unfold, but we are super excited about the potential it has to help us be both effective and efficient while making the best possible use of Kingdom resources. It really is amazing to be here and a part of what God is doing here!

Kaleb is becoming the neighborhood "house watcher" while people are gone. He is watering and mowing lawns as well as feeding some pets. It's a great opportunity to be part of the neighborhood!

Kevin is back in Washington working on his US Immigration. It's good to have him home, and we are praying for opportunities for him to move ahead with his training while he is here.

Today is a classic west coast day, wet and overcast and rather inspiring. May we each be inspired to reach for all God has for us and stay firmly grounded in all He is and has done!

Whirlwinds and WIGS

Covey often talks about whirlwinds and WIGS (Wildly Important Goals). It's the concept that life is a whirlwind that will devour all our time and energy to maintain, unless we purpose to reach for other goals. It's the reality that every day brings challenges and opportunities that keep us moving, but sometimes these things are just spinning us around. It's not that the whirlwind is not important-- it is often made up of things that keep the family/organization/community moving and producing. But when that is all we are doing, we can lose our sense of direction and lose sight of our purposes.

Ecclesiastes reminds us to Remember your Creator in the days of your youth," and I believe for all of us, that is a wildly important goal, no matter what stage of life we are in. Keeping our focus on God reminds us that we are a part of a huge plan. And it reminds us that we are only a small part of that plan. Worshipping God keeps us humble and excited, aware of His grandeur. And He often reminds us of our purpose and calling, the things that He has put before us to keep as priorities that are individual and timely. 

What at incredible gift to be a part of something huge that actually makes a difference: what a comfort to know that the weight of it does not rest on our shoulders, but on God's!                          

We've made some fun memories and enjoyed some great blessings lately. We spent Canada Day with Garry's sister and family in BC, a great time of catching up. And amazing fireworks. Good conversations. Great food. A really good time!

After working his brain hard all day, Garry sometimes enjoys more tangible projects in the evening. One of the last ones is one of my favorites, an amazing dining room table! We are enjoying eating together around it and also sharing meals with friends. Right now Kevin is home, and sitting down as four is a special gift.

We've also been working on paperwork for Kevin's US immigration, which feels like a long process. However, it is coming together and we pray that it will move quickly for him.

As the days unfold we are enjoying the whirlwind (for the most part), and seeing God do some very cool things in regards to goals. Projects are moving ahead. Relationships are growing. People are being impacted and challenged. And we are thankful to be here and be a part of the process!

Lego, Life, & Catching Up

God cares. That is the answer, no matter the question at the moment. His heart is one of love and compassion, of truth and justice, and He cares. He cares about us. He cares about His glory and His purposes, and we are in a perfect place when we care about His glory and His purposes. These things take us on adventures beyond our imagination and to places we never thought we'd be.

Like Spokane, WA! We never imagined we'd be here or working at Moody Aviation. To be honest, we couldn't quite imagine a job here that we'd really enjoy. But we love what we are doing, and it gets clearer that this is a great fit for Garry (from my perspective!) Our passion to see the Body of Christ work together and our passion and experience in mission aviation are finding a unique fit. Still, sometimes it feels like climbing this hill last Saturday...

... or exciting like the Lego Store for Kaleb. We have no clue where animation will take him, or if it has a future, but we do know that right now it is important to him. And we see how his experiences and convictions are being turned into short, quality films that require Lego, lots of Lego! While we were driving to Maine, God allowed us to spend the night in Danbury, CT o and Kaleb got to go to a Lego store and fill a small container with a huge number of Lego!

... or incredible like dreams coming true. Like competing at the Canadian Open and playing a top-ranked singles player like Marc Zwiebler in a tournament. This week has been pretty incredible for Kevin, from our perspective! He is traveling with a friend, has played at an incredible venue with people from all over the world, and has had some very cool interactions. At so many points this seemed like it wasn't going to happen, right until he headed to the court for his first game and was told he was disqualified because his shirt was improperly printed!

... or like the daily reality of office work and business meetings and assignments. Whatever the reality, we are in a safe place, anchored in a God who cares and will bring His purposes to pass.

This church in Lewiston, ME was a great reminder to me of what the Body of Christ is meant to be-- strong, beautiful, and enduring. And that happens only when we following closely after God, seeking to glorify Him and see His purposes come to pass!

Roundy Family

Kaleb and I were able to spend nearly two weeks in Pennsylvania and Maine, soaking up time with the Roundy family. If you know us, you know it was full of conversation and good laughs! It's been a long time since so many of us were together, and it was amazing to be gifted this time together.

It was so much fun to reconnect with my parents, my brothers, and my brothers' families. We are all growing and changing, yet there is so much that we have in common. Our lives have each taken very unique paths, and yet there is something similar in them. Our children are all being raised differently, yet there is something the same in all of them. What a blessing! And what a reminder that what we plant in our children will be part of them forever!

I could ramble on about all we did and how much fun it was... after all, it was 10 years ago and 4 children less when we were all together. Six years ago many of us were together, but my sister-in-law and their children were missing. If you see some of most of your extended family monthly, weekly, or daily, enjoy it! It is a blessing and a gift, as this time was for Kaleb and I and the rest of my family.

Soon I'll blog more about what Garry did while we were gone and a few more details of our trip. For now, I need to play catch-up in the office!

Grad, Goodbyes, and a Visit

This was a weekend of goodbyes for us as we attended Moody Aviation's graduation events and also said goodbye to Kevin. Goodbyes are always a bit bittersweet-- that they are bitter is sweet because it is a gift to have friends and family that you enjoy. 

Graduation events included a brunch, commissioning service, and dinner cruise.  Each of these events was a celebration of students and their accomplishment in completing a very challenging program. Graduates from Moody Aviation have invested countless hours over the course of 5 years to complete a BS in Mission Aviation. Graduates are pilots & mechanics or maintenance specialists, and many of them will go on to serve all over the world. We enjoyed hearing parts of their stories, seeing various ones receive special awards, and being part of these special events. As graduates head out to the next stage in their journey, we pray for clarity in where God wants them to serve and perseverance and faith as they continue the journey.

Kevin headed back to Manitoba this weekend, ready to get back to work and training as he prepares for the Canadian Open next month. He is currently in reserve, as there were many entries and he hasn't competed internationally yet. We are praying he gets into qualifying. We have enjoyed having him here, simply spending time together. The guys took me out for Mother's Day one day, which was super fun. We were also invited to a cabin on a nearby lake for a day, a cabin that includes a barn turned into a badminton court! We enjoyed spending time with some of the local players and making some memories.

This coming week promises to be exciting as well, as my parents are flying Kaleb and I to Pennsylvania. My dad is having surgery at the end of the week, and I am thankful I can be there during that time.  Besides the surgery, we plan to have a lot of fun and enjoy being together-- it's been over 2 years since our last visit! If things go as planned, we may be able to attend my niece's graduation and see my brothers and their families!

Family and Fun

Family and fun. It is really great fun to be together as a family, and we've been enjoying it. We've enjoyed meals together, gone mountain biking (ok, Kaleb did some awesome jump runs and the rest of us just rode), played badminton, shared terere in our living room, and worked at various projects. The history I talked about in my last post has come to bear as we've discussed the past and dreamed about the future for us as a family and for us as individuals. It is good, so good.

And yet in the midst of the fun and the good there is also pain. Last week ended with a fatal accident involving two pilots. These guys worked at Felts Field, close to Moody Aviation and were friends with various staff and students at Moody. Those who witnessed the accident were affected. The whole team was affected as we grieved and tried to understand. God's truth speaks into this, and we are so grateful. Grateful for the way each joy and sorrow is an opportunity to grow and learn and see God and one another in new ways. Pray with us for the families and friends of these men.

All over the world there is pain and tragedy, and where our lives have intersected with these places or people, we are affected. I suppose that is why we each have limited experience, because we simply could not bear to be personally invested in all the pain and joy in the world. Rather, we are given a community and place and time, and in these areas we invest and care deeply. And for those things that are outside of our knowledge or experience, God has given someone else the opportunity to invest and care deeply. 

It's back to the beauty of diversity and the function of the Body of Christ. Each of us appointed to a unique call, together accomplishing the eternal purposes of God. 

History

History.  It gives us roots and depth. It proves that we can survive, and even thrive. At least, that is what history says to me today. This is the Spokane County Courthouse, and I love it! I love the history and the architecture. We walked by it last Sunday on our way to watch the Bloomsday Run, a local fun run that attracts nearly 50,000 participants (this in a city that is home to just over 210,000 people).

You can tell I've been thinking about Spokane this week... mostly due to the Spokane Leadership Prayer Breakfast we attended on Thursday. It was a real privilege to be part of this gathering on the National Day of Prayer, to gather with others who are passionate about God's ability to change us and change our communities and our city. We enjoyed meeting various people at the breakfast as well as being part of corporate prayers for the families, churches, businesses, and leaders of this city. Here, as in your town or city, God is doing something and we can be a part of it!

I have also been reminded of history as Kevin got home on Thursday afternoon! We have a rather unique family history and it is such a privilege to all be together again, enjoying conversations, memories, and a few traditions. And obviously NOT taking photos, since I don't have even one of us together! Today the guys are getting some "men time" while I take care of some office stuff.

History. We're making it today, leaving an imprint on our world. Let's leave a Godly one!

Whirlwind week

Yup, a whirlwind in a lot of different ways. Kevin had the biggest week of all of us, playing an exhibition game against Peter Gade (former world #1) and making it to quarterfinals at Jr Nationals in both singles & doubles! We see God's hand in this is so many ways, even in the fact that Kevin is in the badminton world right now, living truth as he feels God would have him to do. And part of this journey has been you who showed up to show him support, to watch his games, to chat a few moments when possible-- to remind him of the people who are standing behind him in this unusual journey. At the top of this page is a link to another page where I chronicled the jr. nationals and exhibition journey a little as well as open letter to Gade, a reminder to myself of the value of dreams.

Here is a short video of one of Kevin and Gade's rallies lat night:

What we didn't know when Kevin was asked to play was that this would mean other opportunities-- hitting with Gade, Snider, and the other pro players, photo shoots with VIP ticket-holders, and a late dinner with Gade and the other players.

Here in Spokane we've also been on a bit of a whirlwind. The school year is coming to a close and end-of-year events are beginning. Yesterday Garry went white-water rafting with the graduating class and staff. It was a great connecting time, away from the office doing something fun. After the rafting trip we met at a home for a cookout with many staff and students. It was amazing how God allowed me to meet various people and opened conversations for all three of us.

This journey is never predictable, never boring, and seldom easy. And yet how rewarding to place the little bit that is our lives in God's strong hands and see him lead and multiply.