Investment Opportunities

Here at Moody we are working with people who are headed to various places overseas, former students who are paying off debt and gaining experience before heading out as well as current students. One family has just finished their technical evaluation with NTMA and plans to begin training with NTM in August. Two families are headed to Alaska to serve first nations people in a remote environment there. Another family plans to leave for JAARS this summer to begin serving with them. Yeah, God!

Apart from the ways we have opportunity to invest throughout the work day, we’ve enjoyed getting to know students and staff, having people over for meals or coffee.  One young engaged couple has been at our house a few times and has asked to spend an evening talking specifically about serving overseas as a couple. Kaleb has been interacting with the neighborhood kids, and has opened doors for us to interact as a family, sharing love and living truth. In fact, several people have talked about Kaleb or us watching their houses while they’re gone, which speaks of the character they see in him as he interacts with their kids.

While we seek to invest, we are also enjoying networking, interacting with various people who have offered to help. One such gentleman is bringing his wife and coming to spend a couple days with Garry in the office, working on aviation manuals. We are looking forward to having dinner with them and hearing their God story. Mike and Gwen work as New Tribes Mission representatives in the area, and it’s been a privilege to spend some time with them and hear how God is calling people to bring His truth to remote groups all over the world. Another young guy is training with hopes of working in the inner city, and it's been a privilege to see his heart.

Family Update

I realized the other day that I've been doing a lot of rambling here, and not a lot of updating on us as a family. We are incredibly blessed to be on this journey together as a family. We love to work and play together, and though we are in different countries, we continue to invest together. It's a privilege we don't take lightly! So here's a quick update...

Garry is busy at work pursuing various aspects of safety. These days his focus is on SMS software choices, creating an integrated flight & maintenance manual structure, addressing a small incident that occurred a couple weeks ago, updating walk-through procedures & follow-through, and strategic planning. He's enjoyed some days working in the shop and is looking forward to a visit from Jim next week to work together on maintenance manuals.

I spend most of my days at home, keeping things clean and food on the table, homeschooling Kaleb, and preparing for the people who come by. I'm also enjoying doing secretarial work for Garry and being part of the strategic planning initiative with him. Our current task is to come up with specific criteria that define what makes a successful mission aviator as we seek to make the training here as effective as possible.

Kevin is in Manitoba, training for badminton and working. He enjoyed Canada Winter Games and is gearing up for Jr Nationals in just over a month. Lately he's had a lot of opportunities to coach, which has opened some neat doors for interaction and living truth. It has been neat to see him develop more friendships in Manitoba  and we've been blessed by the various people who are investing in what he feels God calling him to in the badminton world. He was recently approached about another opportunity which we are praying about and excited to see God unfold.

Kaleb is a busy figuring out life in a new world. He is almost ready to release an animation he's worked on for over a year and we are excited about the message it portrays. He's also the big brother to a lot of the neighbourhood kids, which they love and their parents appreciate. We love the way he is making use of this opportunity and are excited to see where it takes him. He continues to do well in school. study videography, build jumps, and dirt jump.

Family. What a gift!

Hold Your Ground

Life has a way of feeling like a war, a series of battles related to relationships, habits, productivity, and value. Whenever we drive by this little coffee shop it makes me smile, and the play on words is a good reminder. of the reality of life.  I've been thinking how important it is that in each battle we hold our ground, ground gained in former battles. Each day, week, and month we have the option to build on the foundations that have been built over time, to enjoy the ground we've gained or  to destroy the things we've built, to give ground away that we've already won, to shrink instead of grow. In theory it's an easy choice.

In reality, these days of settling in a new place it is easy to feel we have no ground, that we are fighting for the same things we had in former places-- routines, friendships, productivity, etc. However,  the reality is that the ground we gained before comes with us in many ways. The relationships we've invested in have grown us, good habits can be maintained even if they need changes in a new place, and the things we've learned are often applied in new ways. Holding ground is powerful and the realisation that God has given us ground is empowering as we face the daily battles of life, no matter where we are. 

We live in a land of His choice, a life ordered by Him. He has brought us on an incredible journey this far, and the changes that seem enormous and the trials we face will look "light and momentary" in retrospect. In many ways, we can choose to see them as light and momentary now, to continually call on God for His perspective on the circumstances of life. And His perspective is certainly easier to live in than our natural one!

Garry has had opportunity to work in  the shop a couple of days this week as well as his hours in the office. Several of the guys are doing some organising in one of the maintenance shops, which is a rewarding process. In the office Garry has been working on several fronts, focusing his energy on 5 areas of safety this week. Each has seen some progress, which is very rewarding.

While I spend much of my time schooling Kaleb and doing the normal routines of keeping house, I also enjoy the time I can invest in Moody Aviation. I do secretarial work for Garry as well as investing in mission aviation through various relationships with other women.

Kaleb has been enjoying the warmer weather and the opportunities it gives for more bike riding, basketball-playing outside, and just being outside.

Kevin is back in Manitoba after Canada Winter Games, working and training. His car was broken into this week, which has given him opportunity to learn a few things he didn't plan to learn just now. He also spent a couple days up north. coaching in Grand Rapids, MB with a friend of his.

As the daily battles continue may each of us hold the ground we've been given and expand into new opportunities and areas. May we find peace in the land God is enlarging us to possess!

Here and Now

It's Saturday afternoon and I expect Garry home in a while. He's spent the day at a maintenance seminar, learning things and connecting with people. In fact, we've all had a lot of fun meeting new people, catching up with old friends, and experiencing some new things this week. I think it's been a week of connecting, and that is always a good thing!

Garry was busy with seminars this week-- first an aviation safety seminar and now a maintenance inspector's seminar. The presentations have been really good, and the connections he's made have been amazing. God's timing, and it is always good!

I'll write more later, but for now I just wanted to say how incredible it is when God brings us into contact with others of His kids and those He wants as kids, to be a blessing and to bless!

Fixed points

Yesterday Garry did some water egress training, training designed to improve the odds of survival in a forced water landing. One of the main points the trainers made was that a huge risk in a water landing is loss of orientation-- as the aircraft pitches and spins in the water, it is easy to become disoriented, and this disorientation can be costly. The solution? Hold fast to something stable! In so much of life, we escape disaster the same way, by holding fast to Someone stable.

This week has been both fun and challenging. Garry has been focusing on several different areas as he sets up a safety management system at Moody Aviation. He has been researching some new things and is organizing various things in different departments. It's fun to work with people from across Moody Aviation and get to know them in various ways. Yesterday I got to spend a little time at the hangar and was privileged to chat with one of the maintenance instructors who is hoping to head to Alaska next summer. They will be stationed on an island in a remote area of Alaska, doing aviation maintenance in support of missionaries who live and work in this community and surrounding areas.

Kevin has spent this week in Prince George, BC, competing on the badminton team at Canada Winter Games. This has been a great and growing experience as he has acted as team captain for badminton, lived in the athlete village, and interacted with a world that badly needs Jesus. He has enjoyed the badminton and has done well, placing 4th in men's singles in the individual event. Manitoba is playing off today for 5th place, a good ranking for the team.

Kaleb has been busy biking and building. These seem to be his main pursuits as he continues to grow and learn. He's also had lots of opportunities to invest in the neighbourhood as he interacts with kids and adults, seeking to be salt and light in his world.

Diversity & Change

As I think back to our years in mission aviation, I realize that diversity and change have been our life. I joined Garry’s journey when we got married in Venezuela where he was serving on loan to Mission Aviation Fellowship. Kevin joined us during our mission training in Ontario, and Kaleb joined the family just before we moved to Panama.  We began working in a large, centrally located flight program then worked alone in a couple of programs. In the Philippines our main job was training in a flight program that was a collection of 3 very small flight centers, an interesting combination of both a large and small programs.

From Latin America to Asia to New Tribes Mission’s Aviation headquarters in Arizona, we have been privileged to serve in very different parts of the world. The flight programs we've served in have varied from extremely traditional to slightly traditional. We have served locations that were extremely primitive in what was available, and places that had larger staff and more amenities. We've served missionaries from all over the world, from North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. We’ve served with people almost our parents age and people who are only slightly older than our kids. 

As the journey has unfolded, changing again and again, we have often wondered where we would end up. We’re not at an ending point yet, but this is a new place where all the places we’ve been and things we’ve experienced are valuable. Garry is working in Aviation Safety, setting up a Safety Management System for Moody which we are hoping will also be useful for other mission aviation organizations.

Moody Aviation, Spokane

Moody Aviation’s passion is to invest in all levels of mission aviation, from training new aviators to helping Mission Aviation organizations in whatever way we can.  As a team here at Moody Aviation, we are passionate about training students to be spiritually mature, technically excellent pilots and mechanics. The focus is training people to serve in missionary aviation, and the entire program and staff are geared toward excellence that is applicable in mission aviation settings of every kind. 

Our investments here are divided between the various stages and areas of training. Most of Garry's time is spent with staff right now; a staff that spans the program here-- Biblical Studies, Aviation Maintenance training, Production Aviation Maintenance, and Flight Training. Students begin their time at the Biblical Studies Campus, focusing on spiritual growth for the first year. From there they begin more aviation-specific training. Students spend their second and third year getting maintenance training finishing up with their airframe & powerpoint license. Fourth & fifth year students focus on flight training while still doing some maintenance to gain a higher level of proficiency.

Students from Moody Aviation eventually serve all over the world, some in traditional flight programs that serve foreign missionaries and some in programs whose focus is national missionaries. From church planting support to humanitarian flights, the purpose is to spread the Gospel message and the opportunities for students to do this are diverse. Some countries welcome the Gospel with open arms while others require creative ideas to reach the people.

Garry’s interactions in Safety Risk Management  and on the leadership team and our interactions with students and staff constantly draw on our varied experience and unique perspective on mission aviation, making us thankful for each experience we've had. Beyond the interactions Garry has at work, we as a family have many opportunities to interact with various people, investing in their lives around a meal in our home, chatting at a gathering, or meeting for coffee.

We are blessed to be part of the team here, continuing the journey of investing in reaching the world through mission aviation!

The Good...

In a world that is wrecked by sin, living a life that is affected every day by the fall and evil, it is easy to lose sight of the Good. But we are admonished to think about the good, the praiseworthy, the true. And the reality is, life is full of blessings. Some of the bigger ones we notice; many of the smaller ones are easy to disregard. This morning I've been counting blessings, because not only is it a good practice, it refreshes my spirit and renews my perspective!

One of the blessings of Spokane is great mountain biking, which is an even bigger blessing if you have a son who LOVES to ride! We recently enjoyed a beautiful sunny day at Beacon Hill, a local park with lots of trails and tracks. There are places that even I can ride and challenges that are still a bit beyond Kaleb's current level. It's amazing, really. Part of it is natural, much of it is the result of hard work by people who have chosen to invest time and energy making this a great place to spend a day!

Garry was upgraded to first class on his flight home from Nampa. Really, first class isn't heaven, but it is fun and we were thankful that he was able to have a good flight. A little thing, but after countless hours in airplanes over the past years, it's a blessing to be in the most comfortable part of the aircraft (besides maybe the pilot seat!).

The other day Kaleb was finishing up school and I was deciding what I should do next when it hit me just how privileged I am. I have a wonderful husband and two amazing boys. And beyond having them in my family, I get to spend time with them! I get to teach Kaleb school, go for walks with Garry, and FaceTime with Kevin, among other things. Each day brings opportunities to love, serve, and enjoy my family, and that is a gift that I sometimes forget to enjoy.

The list is more or less endless.... and I am so grateful to live this life!