The New Place

I've promised a few of you more info on the new house, what's changed, and what hasn't. And this morning I realized a post might be the easiest way to do that. So, here are a few photos of the house as it now stands.

A few things we love about our new place:

• We are on a quiet cul-de-sac
• Kaleb has space for his animation studio
• The house is bright and cheery
• Kevin has space downstairs to spread out
• The backyard looks like it will be beautiful in summer and we have a nice deck out back
• We are still close to our church and places we are used to shopping and the drive to those places is actually easier
• Kevin is a few minutes closer to school and one of his badminton locations
• Garry and I enjoy walks around the neighborhood

This is not to say there aren't things we miss-- the view out the kitchen window and dining room was stunning. We also knew and enjoyed several of our neighbors and Kaleb particularly had a lot of friends in the neighborhood. The first house had high ceilings, which we enjoyed. We also miss the large windows in the basement.

We are thankful for God's provision of this house for us. We are enjoying where we are and are feeling very settled for the short time we've been in this place. Thanks for being part of the journey!

Praise Alert!

We got a US Immigration Fingerprinting appointment for Kaleb! This means that his process is moving along and there isn't a snag, at least in the initial application. After all the delays and questions we've had, this is a huge answer to prayer. Thanks for praying. Please thank God with us for this step being accomplished and pray for the remaining steps to go smoothly.

This weekend Kaleb was at Winter Camp, a new experience for him. I can't wait til he gets home in a few hours and tells us all about it! He is enjoying winter thus far, gaining experience riding street BMX on ice, a day spent snowboarding, and practicing winter driving. He has spent a lot of time recently on Lego Animation, his latest project being an entry for THAC that he did with a friend of his. Check it out here.

Kevin is currently suffering a nasty bout of the flu in Manitoba. He arrived there last week and has enjoyed seeing a few people, visiting some of his favorite places, and getting some training in. He plans to be there for a couple more weeks before heading to Saskatoon for Canadian Nationals then back here for school.

Then there's Garry. This week he is teaching a few classes on how to use the new risk management software. We are super excited about this. The software is a powerful tool to share information, and sharing information is key in risk management and accident prevention. Sometimes the process feels long, and yet in retrospect we see that there have been a lot of interesting steps along the way. One thing Garry has gotten really good at is putting together presentations-- good graphics with a reasonable amount of interaction to keep listeners engaged in learning. I love seeing what he puts together these days!

For my part, I spend the majority of my time helping, it seems. I love being a mom and wife, keeping three hungry guys fed. I enjoy the office work I'm doing with Garry, helping organize the safety seminar as well as learning more about the software so I can help manage it. Touching base with friends, blogging, e-mailing. Focusing on prayer for the women at Moody-- staff, students, and wives. These are the things that keep me busy these days.

Also check out and follow our new blog, where we will be transitioning everything to in the future. Our latest post is
Reflections on 25 Years Together. 

Happy New Year 2017

Despite moving just before Christmas, we made some great memories over Christmas and New Year's. We enjoyed taking about all God has done in our lives, remembering other Christmases, eating great food, drinking hot chocolate and coffee, and getting used to our new home. We also made a quick trip to Leavenworth to meet some of Garry's family for a great time. It was an answer to so many prayers about our move to have this time to slow down between moving and heading back to work. (I blogged about some of it here.)

Now we're back into normal routines and excited about what God has in store for today, this week, this month, and this year. I've been challenged once more to be present-- to live this moment rather than waiting for that someday when things will be different or better or harder or easier. To enjoy the blessings of today instead of trying to arrange blessings for tomorrow. To spend the time I have right now enjoying God and loving those around me. To use my energy pursing the things God has led me to do. Right now. It's such a simple place when I stay here. 

The first days of the year at Moody Aviation are set aside for staff meeting, planning, and preparing for the next semester. Today Garry is presenting to all staff members on how to report using the software. We are excited about the capability of this software to grow our ability to share important information and look forward to seeing how it works as we use it more widely. 

Kevin is heading to Manitoba soon to work for a few weeks there before heading to Canadian Badminton Nationals in Saskatoon, SK the first week in February. He is looking forward to connecting with various people in Manitoba and in the Canadian badminton world.

Kaleb has been making good use of his new animation studio lately. Yesterday he released his entry for a Lego Rebrick contest,  Batman At the Movies.  This weekend he'll be working with a friend on an entry for an annual 24-hour animation contest, a sure-fire way to have some exhausting fun. 

I trust your year is starting with presence in this moment and hope for the future.

New House and Home

We moved last week! In fact, it's been two weeks since we got the keys to our new place. We are currently renting from another missionary family, which is a huge blessing in so many ways. We love our new place and are feeling at home there already, despite the remaining unpacked boxes.

The move has been a blessing in a myriad of ways, most of them unexpected. We decided to take the house just before the snow fell, and moved just after the ground was well-covered. Our nephew from Canada stopped here on his way home and helped move the bigger furniture. Friends from church, work, and the neighborhood showed up to help.  With their energy we were out of the old house and had the place cleaned up in record time. The work they did was a blessing, and the friendship and community it reflected was amazing.

We are settling into our new place and love the neighborhood already. The location is not where we were hoping to be, but we are finding that is much better than we anticipated. In fact, it is better than where we were looking.

Kaleb's papers are submitted and we pray that this application is approved without any more issues. He is busy these days with a Lego animation he is doing for a contest.

Kevin had a challenging but good tournament in California last week and this week he is working in Seattle. We're looking forward to having him home for a couple of days over Christmas.

As we think about where we are and what is happening we are blessed by what God is doing. We are amazed by the prayers that have been answered and thankful that He continues to answer. As we take a break from packing and unpacking to celebrate Christmas we are humbled and blessed once again by the reality of the incarnation. God Himself becoming man. Talk about a major move!

May your Christmas be full of the realities of Christ in us, the Hope of Glory. May we celebrate Him with abandon as we thankfully enjoy the gifts He gives-- family, friends, and material goods.

Update on Questions & Challenges

I realized this morning that though I have alluded to some major challenges and possible changes, I haven't actually written down the various challenges we are facing these days. All these things came up in a matter of a week, and though some questions have been answered, others are still "in process".

Kaleb's request for citizenship was denied, which meant that we either needed to relocate or proceed with more costly paperwork. Update Nov 18: Someone generously offered to pay for the next big step in the paperwork process!

Our landlords let us know that they need to sell the house, which means we are moving sooner or later. And the process of listing (and hopefully selling) has required a fair amount of time investment in allowing them access to the house for fixing, photographs, and inspections. Currently the house is on the market and available to be shown with a couple hours notice. While the house has not shown often, it means being in a state of alert at home and realtors that want to show it having access.

The pending sale of the house also means we need to find somewhere else to live. We have often thought that purchasing a house would be a great option, but we found out that laws have recently changed. These laws basically mean for us that if we choose to purchase a home we need to change organizations. So far we haven't found anything that seems reasonable to rent: we are asking God for a house that fits our budget closer to Moody Aviation for quicker access to ministry opportunities. So far, we haven't found anything, but we are believing God for His house in His time.

We'd love for you to join us in asking God for answers to each of our questions. If you'd like to receive weekly e-mail updates with more specific requests, please e-mail me!

Adapting

This week Garry is finishing up PT6 training, a great opportunity to learn and grow as mission aviation moves into more aircraft that use a turbine engine. It's a good reminder that experience is a great teacher, but we always need to keep learning new things. People who are learning and growing are also fun to be around-- I've learned a lot as Garry has gone through this course. It's also good for those of us who often teach to be a student somewhat regularly. Being a student has its own challenges, and it's good to be reminded of that as we go back to taking tests instead of giving them and absorbing information instead of teaching it.

Kevin is also having some new learning experiences this week as he attends Moody Bible Institute-Spokane's missions conference. He's learning about various organizations that do a number of different ministries. He's interacting with mission reps and others who came to present at the conference. And the experience is taking him back overseas to what he knows and making him ponder next steps as he learns about more needs in more places all over the world.

Some of the challenging information Kevin is learning is in relation to people in the 10/40 window. While a huge part of the world's population lives there, apparently only 1% of the financial support for missions from North America goes into this area. That surprised me. I would have assumed that missions from North America is currently focused on this area of the world, but maybe not. Kevin has also enjoyed learning more about mission work to First Nations people in northern Canada, an area close to home but needy.

Our impending move is bringing neat things to Kaleb as he interacts with his friends in the neighborhood. Sometimes only in light of leaving do we get feedback on the ways our lives have impacted others. This is true of Kaleb these days as his friends contemplate the fact that he may be moving to a different neighborhood.

So many things this week remind me that God is both powerful and creative. How amazing that He gives us the ability to learn, grow, and change! How incredible that He allows us to partner with Him in His work in the world, being a part of others changing, learning, and growing.

New Blog Started

I recently began blogging at planecoffeemom.com. This is a more reflective blog, includes an updated "About Me" page, and focuses on living life well, particularly as we serve within the mission aviation community.

In time I will be migrating this blog to there, but for the time being I'll be blogging at both locations as I sort out how to integrate the various aspects of life and ministry I want to focus on.

Hope to see you there!

Training and Drills

One thing on Garry's agenda for today is a fire drill. We all remember fire drills as kids, the noise and momentary chaos until a teacher or other adult called things to order and we lined up and evacuated the building. As a kid, it seemed funny to me. I figured that in a real fire, not even the adults would be calm. I thought the drill was a useless exercise. My views have changed since then. I realize that the value of a drill is creating a memory that we can fall back on in stressful times. Things we drill become automatic responses to situations or sounds. Athletes perform drills hundreds of times. Much of magic of art is created through countless hours of practice. Performers practice and practice some more, drilling themselves and one another on how things should be. And their hours of practice pay dividends in the quality of their performance, in the seemingly effortlessness of their actions.

Many of life's outcomes are also determined by what we've been drilling: in stressful times we respond much like we have been training ourselves to respond in less stressful times. We can choose to blame other people or search for solutions. We can see life as filled with hope or perceive our situation as hopeless. We can take action or wait for someone else to take action. The possibilities are nearly endless, but it's interesting to reflect on our own intuitive responses to life, and how those responses have become intuitive.

Yesterday I took a short walk with a friend and we chatted about life and ministry. I was blessed by her near-constant references to scripture. I was encouraged by the way she is changing as she walks through life. I was challenged by her thoughts on living quiet lives. I was blessed by the way she interacts with her kids. And I realized that day after day she is practicing living better and choosing well. Her efforts made her a blessing to me.

This week Garry is also privileged to take part in turbine engine training. He is excited to learn more about how these engines work and the best ways to maintain them. This is very helpful information as mission aviation is using more and more turbine engines overseas as avgas becomes harder to find and more expensive.

Our house is going on the market this week. It's challenging. I find I'm not fond of having photos of every room on the internet, of having strangers walking through and checking things out, or of having a device on the door that allows realtors access to the house. It's giving us a chance to practice what we've been practicing.

I suppose fire drills are, after all, quite valuable!