Prairie Aviation Safety Workshop

The focus of safety in mission aviation continues to change as we seek to use the resources God has entrusted to us more wisely and efficiently. As we continue to learn, we develop a deeper appreciation of how trust on a team improves safety and how much we must depend on input from every level of the organization in order to function safely.  

Just over a week ago Garry was invited to attend a safety workshop hosted by Prairie School of Mission Aviation and presented by Larry Heintz from Mission Aviation Fellowship International. The focus of the workshop was how to set up an Aviation Safety Management System and building trust among team members. He loved his week with other pilot/mechanics, learning and sharing about aviation safety!

This was a small workshop, with usually just 5 people in attendance. Of those five, 4 were from a Mennonite background and 3 of those had grown up on dairy farms. (I've been trying to figure out how dairy farming and flying are related... I have some ideas, but given my limited understanding of dairy farming, I think I'll be silent about those!) It was a very profitable week for Garry and the Prairie Aviation team as they learned and shared ideas.

Now Garry's home again, dividing his energy between aviation safety, planning a trip to Spokane, working construction, and helping with some relief stuff in the Philippines. With all that's going on, we're enjoying the long days of summer!

Film and Faith

Over the past couple of weeks Kaleb has been busy with filmmaking. He entered a 48-hour film contest a couple weekends ago. At the end of the contest there was a screening at a small theatre in Winnipeg, the first time of of Kaleb's animations has been on a big screen! To add to the excitement, he won Best Editor! Last week Kaleb started 2 weeks of Teens Summer Film Camp. It's been a great experience. It's been a great opportunity. It's also been full of challenges.

This small thing feels like a reflection of so much of life. Kaleb has had opportunity to walk into a world he can relate to, and that has given him chances to both live and share faith. Being involved in a world that has its share of darkness has been awesome-- how often do we get a viable chance to walk with new people along new paths and live in a way that is sometimes dramatically different than anything they may have seen or experienced?

Besides this entry into a new world we thoroughly enjoyed the EMC Convention, Dad and Doris were married last weekend, and Garry is headed home from a trip to Calgary. I'll post more later....

DVBS

This week Kaleb and I have had the privilege of working with a great team of people at DVBS. This has been an opportunity for the Blumenort Church to reach out to kids in the community as well as bless our own families. For Kaleb, it's been a chance to get his feet wet leading kids in a group setting as well as connect with other young guys his age. And he's found out he loves it:)!

I spent most of my time with various other leaders, helping where needed. It was a super blessing to see these women in their world, to work with them in areas they are passionate about and feel called to. I loved the heart at DVBS, and I was privileged to be a tiny part of it!

Meanwhile, our friends in the Philippines have presented the New Testament to a local ethnic group. It would have been so much fun to be there.... to fly in visitors, to become visitors at this location, and to experience the joy of people who have God's Word in their language for the first time! What a blessing to follow the celebration on Facebook, to see the photos and hear many thoughts regarding this celebration. To consider the 25 years our friends, Bill & Donna, have dedicated to this translation. To ponder the many others who have been involved in the process over the years. To know God speaks truth when He says in Isaiah 55:11, "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

I pray you have a beautiful weekend.... we're enjoying the EMC Convention in Winnipeg this weekend. So far, it's been a huge blessing and encouragement, both to listen to the speakers and to connect with both old and new friends!

Change...

Change is usually a process.  Looking at the beginning and the end is rewarding, fulfilling, encouraging. But the process can be discouraging, overwhelming, and discouraging at times. Our humanness loves the product, the ending, the finale. And while we are "on the way" we often lose the journey in longing for the destination. And sometimes we journey to places that we find we'd rather not be, destinations we've chosen because of their allure and find that they are just illusions. Because in the end we want God, we need God, we long for God. But in this fallen world we try to fill those empty places in a  million ways.

And why I'm blogging change again, I'm not quite sure. It's simply on my mind.... we don't know of any bigger changes in store for us than moving to Washington in the fall (hopefully).

This is a boat loaded with relief goods for delivery in the Philippines. It looks pretty big... and pretty small compared to the size of the waves sometimes. Typhoon Haiyan was long ago in most of our memories, a large disaster halfway across the globe. But for those affected, daily life continues to be a challenge. A lot of aid has been delivered, many houses have been repaired, supply lines have been re-established in most places, and much good has been done for victims. However, for many daily life continues to be a struggle, an ever-present reality of need. The Gospel is coming in with continued aid and support. Pray with us for continued spiritual fruit, for courage and hope to overcome the losses and bring joy.

Also in the Philippines this week, the newly translated Southern Palawan New Testament is being presented. A church is receiving the Word of God in one book. A celebration of amazing proportion is taking place in a small village in southern Palawan. Amazing to consider. And from here, our prayers and praise mingle with theirs, one in heart and Spirit.

Meanwhile, we live in our great little house in Blumenort, doing life. Living as a family, loving God. Taking opportunities to be part of a family camp, a school classroom, a meal with friends, a conversation with a stranger at the grocery store. Excited about God, growth, and change. Blessed to be part of what He is doing right here, right now. (And yeah, maybe next time I'll blog about some of those things!)

Swirling Minds...

I just can't get over the change of seasons... and this year seems especially fast. One day it was frigid, the next quite comfortable (read, above 25 C). Things turned green in a matter of a couple of days. From a thick coat to shorts overnight. It's just..... strange, maybe? We're loving having picnics in the back yard, walking in the sunshine, and throwing a Frisbee in the grass. It's rejuvenating. It's fun.

Garry had a great time in Alberta, connecting with various people in mission aviation. The conference was both encouraging and helpful. He enjoyed getting more insight into where mission aviation at large is right now and what those in the community are thinking about and planning for. He was privileged and blessed by spending an evening with his aunt and uncle.... And this  is where I keep getting stuck! Stories that aren't ours to share, people other than ourselves whose lives intersect with ours in incredible ways. And yet it isn't our story. I can't pass it on. So I try to keep things general, but then the blog is.... blah!

The things swirling around my mind might make for interesting reading, but I think not. The schedules and plans and lack of plans and wondering and strategising are no doubt quite like your mind. Then there are the good conclusions, the grand truth of the Bible imprinted on our lives.... but it sounds trite when I pound it out on the keyboard. 

And so, I've just blogged about .... nothing. Which is why I've been putting it off. But alas, it can't be put off forever if I'm to keep my part of the blogging bargain by writing a blog. So, I'll keep pondering and wondering and sharing my ramblings and realities. And being thankful for an amazing group of people who get on here to check on us, to know how to pray for us, to be supportive of what God is doing in and through us. Thank you:)

Spring...

Garry's loving spring-- the smells, the melting snow, the full ditches. I, on the other hand, find it messy and a bit depressing. It's a matter of perspective: Garry grew up with spring, and to him, spring is a promise of summer. I didn't grow up with changing seasons, so spring is simply today-- muddy shoes and rainy days.

Life's rather like that, isn't it? Hope makes all the difference! If we know that today's efforts lead to something good tomorrow, we are content putting in the effort. If we are convinced we're making a difference, we gladly give it our all. On the other hand, if we feel like our efforts our futile, our work unappreciated, we quickly give up. It simply isn't worth it!

In some respects, all of life is the muddy spring of reality-- a precursor to a beautiful forever. All our troubles are light and momentary, all our efforts small, yet worthwhile. The sun shines some days, but the ditches are full and the roads are muddy. 

We've had some sunny days this week... weather wise and in life. We are excited about the relief efforts in the Philippines that we continue to be involved in. Houses are being built, boats are being built and others repaired, truth is spreading. Things with Moody Aviation are also moving along. This week we turned in another stack of papers in our quest for a US visa. In just over a week Garry is heading to Alberta to network and learn with other mission aviation organisations on behalf of Moody. Kevin has been at Jr Nationals this week in Vancouver, and he has had both fun and opportunities there. Kaleb enjoyed a bit of paid work this week and is excited about his many ventures in movie-making and biking.

Time Management

I've been doing just a bit of study about time management.... and I was reminded that we can't manage time. Time marches on. We choose how to spend it, but we can't stop time, speed it up, or slow it down. We can, however, find peace in this moment. We can enjoy beauty, choose to love, and see the Hand of God in what is happening.

Some times are easier to see the beauty in, some times are harder. We get lost in pain, buried by grief. We are transported by beauty, lost in grace. And yet, at the end of the day, our choice is simply our response. God has ordained the days of our lives, and He alone is God. Our choices influence our lives, change our paths, and are part of our reality. But there are many things that are outside of our control, beyond our grasp. 

These days I feel like I am fighting with time, struggling against the limitations, out of sync with reality. I've been stalled in the process of finding new routines in a new home. I'm tired. And I've been grouchy.

But as I sit here and reflect I'm reminded that good choices are worth the effort. I don't have a choice about moving, it's already done. Things cannot go back to the way they were, I cannot choose to hide in my comfort zone. But I can choose to see the beauty, to experience the grace, to enjoy God's peace,  and to reach out to those around me. Or I can choose the other side of each of those coins. And my choice will determine at least part of how I experience each day....

The power of a song...

There is power in song... and in smells and sights and sounds. Power to not only change our perspective, but sometimes to take us to another time and place. Last Sunday morning I was in Blumenort church, standing just in front of my padded pew, singing along, worshipping. The light was just right, the temperature was comfortable, there was enough space for everyone to be comfortable, the sound system was great, and the music was awesome. Everything was just as it should be, just as it is most Sunday mornings.

As we began to sing "Because He Lives," I was suddenly a young girl, sitting on a hard slat wood pew, singing my heart out to a poorly tuned piano. Swatting biting gnats. Surrounded by friends, all of us hot and sweaty. The air barely moved despite the ceiling fans overhead and the windows that had only screen to cover them. A leader in our mission community had suddenly passed away the week before, but he and his wife had chosen this as the theme song for our field conference. So we all sang, tears often running down our faces. I cried not for the personal connection I had with this man of God, but for his family and our community. I cried for the reality of death and the uncertainty of life. And last Sunday I cried again, this time for the blessings of life that we leave behind as we move on, for the multitudes of opportunities and experiences we as a family have had, and for the simple reality of living in a sin-filled world.

Life's like that, time sometimes stands still and sometimes rushes by. Things transport us to other times and places and we relive our memories. Or we are stuck in the present, caught in our circumstances and chores, sometimes paralysed by indecision or the magnitude of things before us. One day, beyond time, we will see things as they really are, and we will worship the King. Maybe then we will understand our memories and our present, for we will be truly free!

Beyond time travel, we moved last week and are quite settled into our new place. Kevin should be home from Kansas next week. Garry is busy with various aviation and relief-related projects. Kaleb is making great animations and working hard at school, though he isn't thrilled that he got to spend his spring break moving instead of enjoying friends and time off. I'm blogging when I'm not cleaning or cooking or teaching school. I hope you have a blessed day, rooted in the beauty of the moment while blessed by memories....