Value

Some things feel valuable and others just feel useless. A long soak in the tub feels useless to me, for some reason. A cup of coffee while staring into space feels like a waste of time. This week we were reminded that these things are often key. They allow us to keep creating, thinking, and producing. And I think they remind us that the world does not, in fact, depend on us. That we but a small part in a big production: our part matters, but it has its time and place. And sometimes what that place demands is that we slow down and savor the moment and drink from the well of God, whether that is through the beauty he created, the activities He gives to enjoy, or the solitude that He inhabits.

We had a busy week, really. Work and decisions and company. Places to be and people to see. The normal things that make up life. And to end the work week, we went cycling at Beacon Hill. Now, Kaleb can really take advantage of much of what Beacon offers: the rest of us less so, with me at the bottom of the riding scale. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy being surrounded by beauty and away from work and home with my three men. It was both fun and refreshing.

After we went home and cleaned up, I began problem solving in new ways. I was reminded of the gift of simply being alive. I was challenged to enjoy simply being. I was extra thankful for Garry and our sons. I was ready to tackle something new. I was ready to engage in life again. I fell asleep with those thoughts and woke up thinking the same ones.

Not that this never happens, maybe it's just been a bit too long since the last time. Or maybe I was just in a better place to simply enjoy the moment and the process. Whatever the cause, I'm simply thankful.

Family & Friends

 Family and friends are some of the greatest gifts given to us by God. We've thoroughly enjoyed visits from both this summer. People from Manitoba, Oklahoma, and Kansas have graced our home, and our lives are richer for it. We are so blessed by the people God has brought into our lives and the ways our stories have intersected.

We've found some new coffee shops and tried out new restaurants. We've gone to BBQs in the park and found new places to picnic. We've taken people to see Moody Aviation and what God is doing there. And in the process of welcoming people to our home and Spokane, we've found that this is, in fact, becoming more home to us.

 Kevin is in Spokane getting his green card right now, and it's been great to have him home. He's gotten involved in the badminton community and is making friends through that as well as a Bible study. He's also been helpful around the house, doing repairs and projects. He's found a few new places to work out. He plans to head back to Manitoba to train and work in just a few weeks, and we will miss him like crazy when he goes.

Kaleb is busy doing animation these days, working on a project for Malachi Man and also creating a short film for a contest. He's also enjoyed riding bikes and showing friends from Manitoba his life here. He's found he likes cold brew coffee and joined a youth group.

Garry just got back from a trip to Bolivia and plans to head to Denver in a couple of weeks. Work has been both busy and surprising as various projects have come together. He is enjoying his responsibilities that allow him to interact with people from many different mission aviation organizations.

I've enjoyed the more relaxed schedule of summer, sharing conversations with friends and organizing things at home a bit more. I've done some writing and soon hope to finish up school planning for the next year. It's been nice to take opportunities to meet other staff at Moody Aviation as well as interacting with students.

We are so thankful for the people God has allowed us to know and the family He has blessed us with!

New Students, New School Year

Beginning are really fun. Some are fun because they are our own beginnings, and some are fun because they remind us of ours. Usually, beginnings are filled with hope, a sense of wonder and a belief that this new journey will take us somewhere we really want to be. Not always, but usually. And I think the first weeks here at Moody Bible Institute, Spokane, are particularly full of expectation and hope.


Garry and I have enjoyed several of the events for new students and the opportunity to meet a few of them. It has been great to hear God stories of how they got here and where they dream of going. It is good to share our story and the faithfulness of God through the years. It is amazing to be a part of the journey.

Besides events to welcome new students, this week Moody Aviation has hosted various mission representatives, people who give of their time to come fly with students, share what's going on in their organization, and challenge students to keep on keeping on through the program. Chapels have been great this week as different reps have shared their stories and challenged students. Meals have been shared. I've had too much coffee. And through it is all the thread of God's faithfulness and the fact that He is worthy of all worship and praise.

We serve an amazing God, and these times of new beginning and repeated reflections are good for our souls. God instituted times like these for Israel, times of celebration and reflection and worship. And we do well to take these opportunities when they come to us. I hope you have a similar opportunity soon.

Bolivia Update

Garry's been home almost a week now, and I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing about his time in Bolivia. I was a tad jealous when he sent the first photos back, just seeing how much like many of our homes Bolivia looked. Garry was at home there too, working in a flight program, interacting with some of the EMC missionaries, and speaking Spanish. It was a great reminder of how rich in experience our lives have been.

The focus of Garry's time was a flight and maintenance audit for South American Mission Air. They are facing a lot of challenges and changes these days, yet are passionate about what God has called them to do in Bolivia. They are meeting their challenges head on, focused on what God is doing. It was a blessing to spend time with them and a great time to offer encouragement and pray together.

While there Garry was also able to visit one of EMC's works among the old colony Mennonites. Some friends of ours are serving there, and it was good to connect with them and hear some of the challenges and blessings in their ministry. Garry was very encouraged by what is going on there, and it was a cool thing to be the one in a more support role of having prayed for the ministry and now seeing it!

On the way home Garry unexpectedly ran into some good friends from our Panama days and enjoyed catching up in the airport. It never ceases to amaze me how often we run into people we know from times past and how good the fellowship is!

Garry arrived home Sunday at noon and got right back into life. Last week was new student orientation at Moody Bible Institute-Spokane. We enjoyed a BBQ in the park, chatting with several new students as well as friends who are on staff. The end of the week was a planning retreat to look at the next semester and upcoming challenges and opportunities.

We are excited about what will come next, though there are at least as many questions as there are answers. We do know that there are many opportunities to invest in what God is doing and the people around us, and these opportunities present themselves every day. We are so thankful to have this opportunity to pass on some of what God has taught us over our years of life overseas and in mission aviation!

Friends, old and new

There are a number of things that make for a full life, but one of the greatest among them must be friends. Friends we've known for a long time, and new friends. Friends who make us laugh and the ones with whom we cry. Friends who help us out in tough times. Friends who offer the gift of simply being there.

In this journey we call life, we have a million opportunities to make friends, and often we do. Sometimes we don't. It may or may not be my fault, and you can't make every person you meet a friend. Still, there is that something that happens between us as we walk life together, learning and growing.

This has been a week of meeting many people, and making new friends. Garry has been in Bolivia this week, interacting with the folks in the flight program there. I haven't had much chance to talk to him, but he has mentioned several times how much he enjoyed the people. We had new friends here to visit from Oklahoma. We enjoyed meeting new people at a badminton barbecue. 

We've also enjoyed the people we already know, people who came to the house for dinner. People who had us over for pizza. A friend who took me for coffee. 

As I look at a week, I often list the tasks that need to be done or the projects I've finished. This morning I choose to focus on the people who are part of that journey, the friends who brighten the path we walk, adding depth and companionship. 

Thanks for being one of those people!

Bolivia-bound

Garry's at 30,000 feet on his way to Bolivia. He got a free upgrade for his first leg of the journey, so I'm sure he is enjoying the extra space and food. He is very excited to be part of a flight program audit there, helping the pilots and mechanics be wise in the way they do the business of flying and maintaining airplanes as well as relate to one another as co-workers and friends.

His primary focus will be on flight aspects of the program as well as interviewing personnel. And audit can be a hugely helpful thing for a flight program, and we pray this audit will be one that is helpful and encouraging. We pray his time there is a  blessing to those he serves, shining a helpful light on their technical practices and lives.

The past week has had fun and hard moments... we enjoyed visits from several Canadian friends, catching up with their lives and God stories. While riding, Kaleb's bike frame snapped in two. We enjoyed meals with friends. Garry had some great conversations with various people in mission aviation. Kevin did landscaping for a friend. We met new friends. We found a great coffee shop in an orchard close to us.

And between the bigger moments, there was the everyday. The eating and sleeping and interacting and cleaning and paperwork. I think sometimes that the moments we remember from a week are often like decorative bricks in a wall, full of color but not the main structure. The structure is built of the small moments, the moments where we live our everyday lives. We learn and practice and grow in truth in the daily things of life, and we see these lessons in a new light in the bigger moments.

Investment reflections

About 8 months ago we packed all our earthly belongings in vehicles and started heading west. The trip was exciting as we crawled along icy freeways, experienced delays when the blowing snow got too bad, and contemplated how this new venture would unfold. Moving to the west coast was a totally new venture.

Once in Spokane we joined an amazing team of people at Moody Aviation who are training future missionary pilots and mechanics. We love the passion and vision we share. We love the people we work with and the opportunities God is giving us. Our journey began in Venezuela where we worked in a large program with a lot of support, moved to Panama then Paraguay where we worked alone, took us to a leadership and training role in Arizona, and then led us back overseas to the Philippines where we trained and led a team. 

We draw on all of these experiences as we invest in future mission aviators. Experience is a great teacher, and we have many opportunities to pass on the lessons we’ve learned. As our ministry here has unfolded, God has given us (with our support team) various areas in which to invest intentionally.

Staff & students: Setting up a Safety Department gives Garry plenty of opportunities to spend time with staff and students, sharing his experiences and investing in their lives. He has opportunity to interact about technical issues (like maintenance and flight practices) as well as life as a missionary pilot and glorifying God in our unique context. We as a family also enjoy having people in our home and spending time together, sharing what God is doing and processing what it means to walk in grace and truth, to disciple others, and to be a missionary pilot/mechanic family.

Leadership: As part of the Moody Aviation leadership team, Garry has opportunity to give input on the direction and practices here. This is a great team who is passionate about providing discipleship and quality technical training to students who come to MA. As part of this team, Garry and I are engaged in a strategic planning group that is seeking ways to be more effective. Our part of the initiative is to help us understand what it means to train successful missionary pilot/mechanics. 

 The Student Success Committee is another opportunity to speak into what we as staff can do to help students be successful. It has been a great chance to speak into helping students understand their gifts and where they can be most effective as part of the Body of Christ, among other things. Moody Aviation has trained about half of the people who have served in mission aviation over the years, so the impact of this team is significant.

Mission aviation world-wide: We are in the beginning stages of a 3-year initiative to implement a SMS (Safety Management System) at Moody Aviation and offer training and support for SMS throughout the mission aviation world. We have been challenged over the past years to invest in the Body working together, and this is an opportunity to do just that as Garry leads this initiative and I contribute through the secretarial work that I do. 

This will also give us personal opportunity to interact with people from many different mission aviation organizations. SMS will be a simple platform for mission aviation organizations to share valuable safety information across organizational and geographical lines, information that has the potential to help us avoid costly incidents and accidents. It will also give us time with various mission aviation staff as we provide training here at Moody Aviation and also give requested input on various programs.

As we learn all that this role entails, we are incredibly thankful for the team that God has given us. As the opportunities expand in various directions, so do the challenges and the costs. We are so incredibly thankful for the team of people who are on this journey with us, investing in the future of mission aviation and mission aviators!

One.

Just one Body. One Faith. One Love. How incredible to be a small part of an epic Body, and epic story, and true reality!

This week I had opportunity to walk around Manito Park, and it was amazing. It struck me how many small details come together to make one big reality. The many flowers that are planted, watered, and weeded to make a garden. The time it takes a tree to grow. The many stones in various buildings. The many people who make this park beautiful. And this is just a park!

We are part of the Body of Christ, an ageless Body that was created to impact the world. A spiritual Body that exists for eternity.

And yet, this huge Body is made up of many members. Members like you and I who go to work, cook dinner, wash laundry, need exercise, need community, grow, and change. Each of us on our own is a small thing. Tiny, really. And yet together, we are a force that is changing the world. The tasks we do, the relationships we invest in the words we speak-- these all matter. And they matter not just to this small moment, but to the whole Body, forever.  These moments, these choices make a difference.

This week we've been feeling this as Garry met with a student who is entering the program and facing some challenges. I felt it when I tried to connect with a friend and kept missing her. We feel it as we write proposals and connect with people in the aviation world. Kevin is experiencing it as he plays a tournament in Seattle this weekend. Kaleb knows the reality as he and Oli interact and fill their days with "guy stuff".

I read an article the other day that was pointing out that fact that we often don't like to say "no" to opportunities. The solution? A bigger "yes", a clear understanding of what you are meant to do that keeps you focused on your unique opportunities. For us, part of the journey is finding out where in His Body and His Kingdom we belong. Of seeing the strengths we've been given and understanding where those can be used to grow His Body.

Over the next while I plan to post on the "bigger yes" for us personally here in Spokane, the things that claim our attention and fill our days, the ways we believe God is giving us the opportunity to invest in what He is doing... investing in people, in mission aviation, and ultimately in reaching the world and making disciples among all people groups!