Reflections on the Joy and Wonder of Christmas

 "And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.  We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

"He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." (John 1:11-12)

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." (3 John 1:4)

Year after year we celebrate Christmas.  Friends and family time are shared and cherished in a special way, people decorate and bake more than usual, songs are sung, gifts are given.  It is beautiful!  It should be beautiful!  It should be celebrated, and it should be special... and not just for a season.  It is God's greatest gift of love, given to us: Himself in the flesh... in the Person of Jesus Christ.  In Him is the fullness of this light and love where we are truly satisfied and find abundant life..  The truth that God chose to take on flesh, and dwell among us in such a marvelously humble way never ceases to cause my heart to stir and reflect on Who God is, and what He is all about.  It is such an unsearchable mystery! The truth of Jesus coming to dwell among us is not just an historical fact from 2000 years ago that we recall once a year and feel uplifted for a time, then go back to day-to-day life.  Jesus was born, revealed the fulness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, then He died, was raised, and ascended to the Father's right hand - where He poured out His Holy Spirit to dwell in the temple of our hearts forever!  He lives in each of us and is still at work - dwelling among His people and drawing more to His grace and truth.  He desires to abide in us and is still working to extend that loving zeal in amazing ways throughout the world.

Close to home, it is exciting to watch Him at work in our little family.  As Elsie and I were reading the Christmas story a couple weeks ago, we decided to pretend to be Mary and Joseph and find the manger for baby Jesus to be born in.  Elsie has since taken a special liking to Mary and frequently dresses up spontaneously - seeking to take on a more intimate connection to the story.  For her, the Word is coming alive!  It brings Erin and I to appreciate how God is revealing Himself in a tangible way to Elsie, and brings about many laughs along the way!  As Elsie identifies with the Christmas story, and belts out Christmas hymns at the top of her lungs, we are witnessing the Word becoming flesh and making His dwelling among us... in our little home, in beautiful and treasured ways!

Sam-the-man, Samster-the-manster, or in a recent discovery: Sambo-the-rambo, is growing up fast as a special part of our family.  It is always fun to watch the week-to-week changes in development, and watching how Elsie adjusts to being a big sister (key word=adjusts).

I hope you and your family is able to enjoy the many blessings you receive from our great God, knowing that the greatest joy we have is God with us here and now - revealing Himself in tangible ways day in and day out.

                           Merry Christmas to all!

Fun Projects

The end of the first semester is near, and I thought I would share some photos of what I've been up to all this time.  I have learned a lot and had a lot of fun at the same time!

Here is our fabric covering project for a left horizontal stabilizer, painted.... John Deere Yellow!

Here is a "buzz box" used to time magneto's on the engine.  We got to solder all of this together and keep it for our own use - pretty cool!

Here are some shop tools projects.  The first is a precision machined part using a mill, and steel stock.  The other is a 11/16" brass punch - made from a metal lathe, which I gave to my Dad for Christmas.

Finally I thought I would share a picture of my tool box.  Because we are students, we get pretty incredible discounts on tools and equipment.

May God use all the instruments He equips me with to bring Him glory!  Thank you God for a great semester (and please help me do well on all my finals). Amen.

Thank you to all who are thinking about us and keeping us in prayer!  May God bless you with a very wonderful Christmas!

The Glory of the Gospel: The Glory of God

"Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (II Corinthians 4:16-18)

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

"For God, Who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness', made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ." (II Corinthians 4:6)



I recently watched a video of this incredible story of a missionary family in Indonesia.  A man named Don Richardson and his family were called by God to share the gospel with a tribe in Indonesia who were on a deadly path to extinction due to tribal warfare and ongoing violence.  It got so bad that he shared with the tribe that if they did not soon change their hearts away from violence and constant fighting with neighboring tribes, he and his family would have to leave.

Amazingly, this led the tribes to begin working toward peace!  To demonstrate this tangibly, one of the neighboring tribes offered a "peace child" to their enemies.  Don Richardson and his family saw this as the perfect opportunity to share the gospel with them - how God sent his peace-child to the world.

That was 50 years ago, and this short video shows how the gospel has taken root and completely transformed this region into a peaceful people who are seeking God and becoming awakened to His glory:

Video: Never the Same

There is footage of MAF transporting Don Richardson and his family back to the tribe for a 50 year anniversary celebration.  I hope you are encouraged and blessed as our family was to witness and celebrate God's hand working through all His partners in the gospel, as Christ is revealed, shared, and celebrated to all tribes and nations!

To God be the Glory

"As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.  For Who is God besides the Lord?  And Who is the Rock except our God?  It is God Who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.  He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He causes me to stand on the heights.  He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.  You make Your saving help my shield, and Your right hand sustains me; Your help has made me great.  You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way." (Psalm 18:30-36)


















This pretty much sums it up in words far better than I could have imagined... we have a great life!  We have been so blessed by the hands and heart of God!  Look at the darling wife that God prepared for me, and the children we have been blessed with!  We recently celebrated five years of marriage in September (and have been a little on the busy side with moving and settling into a new rhythm with school and Erin beginning a new job - which explains the delay in updating our blog lately), and as I reflected on what we have experienced in just five short years together, I have truly been amazed by the consistent way God has blessed us.  We certainly have witnessed the hand of God working in our lives, and are thankful for these immeasurable gifts He has given.  What will the next five years hold?  How about the next ten or twenty years?  Even a lifetime!

Before Erin and I were married, we both went through a time of waiting on the Lord and growing independently with Him first.  There is a special verse/story from Genesis that remains an ongoing reminder to us today about God's Sovereignty and unique plans for His children:

"So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her." (Genesis 29:20)

Jacob waited for God's timing.  Jacob trusted God and His unique plan.  I often wonder what it would have been like if Jacob wasn't willing to wait for Rachel... I'm sure those seven years of waiting were not just a walk in the park for either of them.  It certainly wasn't a walk in the park for us.  Looking back, however, I am amazed what God taught us during that time, and I know we are better together today because of it.  In a sense just like Jacob, they seemed as mere days in the grand scheme of the rest of our lives together.

That is similar to where we find ourselves now.  We are adjusting to a new schedule and lifestyle with the recent move and many changes.  Through it all, we remember how God has worked in our lives in the past in perfect faithfulness, and in ways that surprised us.  Behind the scenes, God is good... infinitely good, and we can trust what He has planned for us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next years ahead.  We are witnessing many answers to prayer, and are thankful for all who might be following us and lifting us up.  School has been going great, and Erin's job is a perfect fit for our already tight schedule.  We are surrounded by family, and are settling into the church we went to during college.

We hope you and your families also can reflect and enjoy the hands of the Lord touching your lives as He has touched ours... that you will also know in increasing measure how great our God is to His children!  May God bless you!

"Now to the King Eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (I Timothy 1:17)

In deed, to God be the glory forever!

Charting courses

"The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding.  In all
  your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 

"Many plans are in a man's heart, But the council of the Lord will stand." Proverbs 19:21

When we first committed ourselves to follow the Lord in this direction toward ministry in mission aviation we still had a lot of questions.  The calling was certain, the resolve in our hearts to follow the calling was certain, but there still remained a gap between where we were and becoming equipped for this kind of ministry.

Where do we attend school?  Do we just up and leave our current jobs?  How do we provide for our family while we receive training?  How long will it take until we can actually begin ministry?   

There were what seemed like a never-ending stream of questions like this.  We thought it best to pursue SMAT because it seemed like a unique program that was specifically designed to be technical mechanic training for those pursuing mission aviation.  It remains a well respected program, and is set apart across the country for providing the necessary training in just one year.  The one-year component of SMAT specifically appealed to us because we thought it best to get the training done quickly so we could get to the field and begin what we felt led to do.  We sort of started to believe that SMAT was the only way this would work due to the many steps necessary before getting to the field.  As we shared our story with others before moving this direction, one of the first questions that everyone would ask is "Why SMAT and Michigan?"  At first glance, anyone looking into our story and how Michigan fit into the picture would say "That's an awful lot in just one year. for you and your family."

After visiting the school and the town of Ionia, we remained very impressed with the school itself, but had a number of reservations/concerns about the impending burden that would be placed on our family.  As we brought these concerns to the Lord, we did so with an awareness that our Lord does not promise us comfort and easy life as we follow Him.  We expect to be challenged and placed in circumstances that stretch us.  What we experienced as we brought our concerns before the Lord about all this, was an ongoing uneasiness about the direction we were going by heading to Michigan and attending SMAT.

Thankfully, the Lord does promise to direct our path and shepherd us carefully as we wait for Him earnestly and patiently.  We reached out to close supporters of ours, our pastor, and friends and family to seek what we should do.  While not attending SMAT or moving to Michigan was becoming more clear to us, what still remained unclear was what to do next.  We needed some specific and clear guidance from someone who had known us for some time and been with us throughout the journey of responding to this call on our lives.  Our Lord is gracious and loving, and provided exactly what we needed!  Out of all those we could have received council from, the one we sought the most were some friends of ours who had served overseas with MAF for several years.  They had known us before we felt convicted of our calling and been an ongoing guide as we discerned this path for our lives.  As we tried to contact them, we realized that they had just begun a lengthy 28-state roadtrip across the country and would likely be unavailable for some time.  Then after several days of no response, we received a phone call from them and had an opportunity to actually meet up with them to discuss everything.  What an opportunity and answer to prayer!  After sharing our concerns about Michigan, and looking carefully at our options, we found the answer we were looking for and a plan for how we can continue to respond to the calling toward the field while taking concerns we had about Michigan/SMAT to heart.

At the heart of our concern was how continuing toward Michigan might result in overloading us with tremendous burden in such a short period of time.  We knew there were plenty of two-year programs out there, but thought that SMAT presented us with an accelerated opportunity to be more efficient and get to the field sooner.  As a result of this mentality, we became very mission-focused at the expense of real needs that existed within our family.  Discussing our options with others led us to consider a two-year program closer to family support so we could spread out the burdens we faced.  The college Erin and I both attended for our bachelor degrees has a partnership with a local technical college (details) for aviation maintenance.  The program is setup in a strikingly similar fashion to SMAT - just spread out over two years instead of the one-year timetable.  We have been assured by MAF that the program will equip us for the technical training we need.  We will be living in the town we first met!  Having lived in Grand Forks during college, we are both familiar with the community, and will be close to family.  Dave will also have valuable opportunities there to gain maintenance and flight experience that are unique because of previous experience with the college.  Erin is still hoping to practice nursing in a local hospital part-time to provide living expenses for basic family needs.  It seems that there are a number of doors opening for us as we have pursued this direction.  It has been an exciting time of seeing God at work - directing us carefully each step of the way! 

We have a tremendous peace as we set out in this re-directed path.  We feel like we've found some sort of middle-ground between meeting family needs first while continuing to pursue our calling toward the field.  Often times, it seems that the journey is more important than the destination.  We are thankful how the Lord has carefully taken us by the hand and led us to the next step we should take on our journey, and adjusted our focus where it needed to be. We pray that those who followed us and prayed for us as we set out toward Michigan will continue to follow us over a more extended timetable.  We want to thank everyone for supporting and remembering us since we left our home in Washington to pursue this calling.  We will be updating our blog regularly to share the latest of our journey and progress with training.  We trust God will continue to guide us and remain faithful to equip us where He has called us.  We pray you and your families will experience the same ongoing peace that results from leaning on His everlasting arms (see John 14:27).  May He be near and present in your deepest needs as He has been in ours!

God bless you all!     

The Simon Family

On the road again...

Moving always seems to revolve around milestones of some kind.  It is a surrendering of sorts for some things for something new on the horizon that seems to be beckoning right around the corner.

In my sophomore year of college, I made a journey along Interstate-90 from Washington eastbound toward the Midwest with one of my best friends.  It was a major transition.  I had spent the first year of college without a car - getting around by finding rides from friends, taking the bus, and spending time doing what I was supposed to do in school.  Having my own car in college was going to change all of that completely!  I would sort of be on my own for the first time, and have complete freedom over where I went and what I did.  It was during this time of my life when I put my faith in Jesus, and began to grow as a follower of Christ.  It was also during this time that I began several life-long friendships, including the love of my life.  I didn't know what would happen after I graduated, but I knew I was in the right place.  God was with me, and I could feel Him leading me on.

Fast-forward about seven years, and Erin and I found ourselves on the same interstate, driving the opposite direction just after being married.  I had successfully escaped with the best North Dakota had to offer!  We were off to find the tulips, and smell the flowers, and get the tulip monsters that come after you (apparently, you do a lot of abnormal things when you are in love)!  We settled in Vancouver, WA, and began building our nest.  We made new friends, continued to grow with family, and were blessed to add Elsie and Samuel to our journey as we attended to what God was doing around us.  We didn't completely know what the road ahead looked like, but we felt assured of His Presence and activity around us.

Now here we are driving on the that same interstate again heading eastbound toward the next chapter in our lives.  It seems like I-90 should have some special meaning for our family!  As I spent time reflecting on these milestones, I was deeply humbled and comforted by God's activity in our lives.  Like the earlier milestones in our lives, though I don't know the final outcome, I know we are following the Lord.  If you were to tell me where I was going to be back in college on that drive with my friend, I would not have even conceived of such tender blessings.  To experience walking with the Lord is to live abundantly! (John 10:10)

God has carried us through all our lives, and He still continues to lead us on into new adventures!
 
  "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you.  I have made you,   
     and I will carry you, I will sustain you and I will rescue you." (Isaiah 46:4)

We can rest on God's promises and trust them completely.  As we look back through our lives, His promises ring true, and even go beyond that - into places that are beyond ourselves as we could have imagined them!  What an awesome God!

  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

God, our lives are in Your loving hands!  All we are, and all we have is Yours!  Thank you for your promises!  Thank you for the peace that You give us in your abiding Presence that is like no other comfort this world can offer.  May we continue looking into Your eyes, and depend on You to sustain us and keep us along the roads You establish.  Thank you for these tremendous blessings and encouragements!  Thank you for leading us to a life of abundance with Your Holy Spirit!

A special thank you to our friends and family in Vancouver, to Greg and Christine Ireland for their special help and fellowship this past week, and everyone who made us meals and cared for us.  We love you, and we will keep you updated until we see you again soon!

Samuel Judah Simon 04/20/2012 8 lbs. 15 oz.!!!

This is a story of God's perfect faithfulness and grace.  We have been given a son, and we are filled with joy and reverent awe!  Samuel Judah Simon was born 04/20/2012 at 0048 and is doing great!

For some time after having Elsie (2), we had planned on growing our family but it seemed that our efforts were unsuccessful.  We began to get discouraged and were very active in prayer, but still realized no positive pregnancy test.  It was during this time that I had been reading in the Gospel of Luke in chapter 11, where Jesus is instructing his disciples how they should pray.  He tells them a parable of a man who goes to a friend at midnight asking for loaves of bread, and boldly knocks on the door expecting some help.  How are we to expect God to respond to us when we knock boldly at His door into the far reaches of the night?  Jesus tells us what we should expect in the heart of the Father, "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.  So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened."  We both got down on our knees in our frustration and discouragement and prayed, 'Okay God, you ask us to pray with persistence and to knock louder, so here we are at the door!'

One of our favorite stories in the Bible that really stood out to us after discovering we were pregnant, was the story of Hannah and Samuel.  Hannah's womb was barren and she was in a similar place of discouragement and frustration with no children of her own.  She also was waiting on the Lord, and looked to Him prayerfully putting her full hope in His hands.  1 Samuel 1:10-11 describes her urgent need, and her persistent prayer, "She, greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.  She made a vow and said, 'O Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life..."  Later, we find that God heard her prayer and answered it, "It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying 'Because I have asked him of the Lord.'" (1 Samuel 1:20)

Our story is similar, and will be an unforgettable demonstration of God's faithfulness in our lives.  He heard our need, and He blessed us with a son!  His middle name 'Judah' comes from the story of Leah, who bore Jacob three other sons, then had Judah, saying 'This time I will praise the Lord." (Genesis 29:35).  We are praising our Great God also, and hope that our little Samuel Judah will come to know the God who gave Him life and praise Him forever.

May our little Samuel be a blessing to God as he will always be a blessing to us!  Thank you God!  You are good!

Thank you for all those who prayed for us throughout the pregnancy and into today.  We are very blessed, and will be delighted to share our little bundle of joy with all of you soon.

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely, I have a delightful inheritance." (Psalm 16:6)

Recent visit to MAF headquarters

While on a recent overnight in Boise, ID, I was blessed to have the whole morning off from work.       What to do, what to do? I know - I should call and see if the folks over at MAF's headquarters in Nampa (20 minute drive from Boise) and see if we can arrange a tour!

Dave (seen above to my left) and Crissie Rask were gracious to walk me through the various departments and introduce me to all the wonderful people who make MAF's ministry happen day in and day out.

It was humbling to see department after department working in a specialized area so diligently and thoughtfully.  For instance, there is a staff position that strictly handles travel for MAF missionary families and staff around the world.  There are departments that assist with support raising/ministry partnership.  There are departments who assist families with counseling and mission-readiness.

Each corner I turned, I noticed pictures on the cubicle walls with faces of people all over the world where MAF is presently serving.  As someone who have heard the call of the Lord to 'go', and minister overseas among the people in a foreign country, it is humbling and encouraging to find others with the same call to minister right here at headquarters.  Without them, the missionary's job becomes saturated with a number of challenging logistical obstacles that keep them from effectively serving those they are called to.  In addition to these staff positions, there are a number of volunteers who come from all over the USA to give their time for MAF's ministry. Just think how many more have received the gospel because of this kind of partnership and dedication!

"From Him, the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
                                                                                         (Ephesians 4:16)


It is a beautiful sight to witness the body of the church in unity - rooted in love toward those we are ministering to!  Whether we are singing on the worship team, welcoming others into God's house, answering phones and scheduling meetings for staff, keeping the books, praying, creating an outreach program for youth, writing a sermon, or sharing the gospel overseas, we are all giving our time and sharing our gifts in the body for the glory of God.

May MAF continue to have its arms outstretched in love and humility as it connects the church to so many people in isolated areas who are hungry for God.

Thank you Crissie and Dave Rask for sharing your time with me for a great day at 'work'!

Accepted to SMAT!

We have been accepted into SMAT (School of Missionary Aviation Technology)!  SMAT is in Ionia, MI between Grand Rapids and Lansing.  It is one of the only one-year Aviation Mechanic programs in the country, and is designed specifically for those pursuing mission aviation.  

We are thankful for your prayer support and eager to take this next step in our journey toward the field.  Our primary focus is still the preparation and arrival of our new little bundle of joy that is expected on April 13th.  Our preliminary plan is to move to Michigan sometime in late July or early August.  Immediately after completing the program, we intend to pursue ministry with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of faith, Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross..."   Hebrews 12:1-2

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