Green light for maintenance!

We haven't had a lot of time this past week to provide updates for everyone, but thank you so much for your continued prayer and support.  We got a thumbs up on the first week's portion of the interview, which was a technical evaluation of my maintenance skills!  This next week will involve more testing and evaluation of my flight skills.  Continued prayer for safe flying and good performance during this upcoming week's evaluation process would be greatly appreciated.  We have been very blessed to visit with a lot of other MAF families who are here in various stages of their ministry.  We have made a lot of new friends, and continue to see God working powerfully through MAF's ministry and partner organizations around the world.  

Our trip out here was full of adventure as well!  We had some great family time, and got to go on our first official road trip together.  We are so grateful for how God's loving hands continue to guide us and protect us each step of the way through this stage of our lives.  Here are some great pictures of our trip!  God bless all of you and your families, and thank you again for your support!

The shirt says it all...

 We went caving at Craters of the moon national park.  It was pretty amazing!

We even get to enjoy quality time with special visitors!  Elsie and Sammy love their Papa's and Grandma's!

Love that surpasses knowledge

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17b-19)

It's kind of hard to believe that the time has come for us to interview with Mission Aviation Fellowship these next couple weeks!  It has been a bit of a process since we first heard God tugging on our hearts to consider this ministry opportunity.  God has been faithful to us at every corner through this journey, and we have been continuing to see His hand in our lives in the here and now as we continue to follow His lead.  This interview consists of several interviews for both Erin and I, but it is mostly focused on my technical skills in both flying and maintenance.

As I have been spending time reviewing all the technical training I've received over the course of the last 10 years or so, I found it beautiful that in the midst of my study, God confronted me with this verse.  At the heart of any ministry, or cause for Christ, is Jesus Himself, and His Holy Sovereign work for us.  The gospel leads back to the cross, where any of us could really spend forever just trying to grasp what exactly is going on.  This is a love that surpasses knowledge!  It is unimaginable to us, and far from intellect altogether.  It was Paul's prayer that the church would have power to "grasp" it -which has to mean more of an anchoring of ourselves on it rather than a complete understanding of it.  But as often as we can return to that posture of reflecting on the cross of Christ, and continue to ponder and receive that love that is freely given there to all who believe, He promises to fill us abundantly from the inside out.  And so, I find myself fixing my eyes on Jesus - knowing that He has His eyes fixed on me.  When all is said and done, the goal in all of this is to follow Jesus' lead in His effort to reach those who have never spent time at the foot of the cross "grasping it."

Thank you to all who have prayed for us and encouraged us throughout this process!  We ask you to continue to lift us up especially over these next two weeks.  We will be traveling with the kids a long way for the interview, and will need prayer to arrive healthy, rested, and ready for the interview process.  We also are asking for prayer for our kids as they travel a long way from normal comforts in small, five-point car seats.

May God bless you and your families richly!

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

"Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness." (Psalms 115:1)

"For the grave cannot praise You, death cannot sing Your praise; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.  The living, the living -they praise You, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about Your faithfulness." (Isaiah 38:18-19)

I officially graduated, completed the federal tests, and received my Airframe and Powerplant certificate last week!  As I reflect on the past two years, I am very thankful and full of praise!  God is faithful, and He has given us everything we needed each step of the way to complete this program successfully.  I am grateful for Erin, our families, and everyone else who supported and encouraged me throughout this time.  This is a major step completed in our journey toward responding to the calling God has placed on our hearts, but there is still much ahead of us.  Our focus now is to prepare for our technical interview with MAF, which will take place this October near Boise, ID.  Between now and then, we need prayer and encouragement to complete Erin's bible curriculum, practice and refine my flying skills, and get quality maintenance experience while working at UND Aerospace as a maintenance technician.  God has blessed us faithfully, and He will continue to lead us and strengthen us along the path He has marked out.

I hope you have reason to sing of His faithfulness, and declare His work in your life, as you consider all the ways He is showing Himself to you and your families.  Thank you again for your love and support for our family!

May God get the glory, and may He establish the work of our hands according to His good purpose!

In Christ,

Dave

Nearing the end...or the beginning!

To all who have been thinking and praying for me and my recent tests at school, thank you - I passed! After finishing the final tests of the semester, and taking the FAA written tests, I will be receiving my Airframe and Powerplant certificate!  I am very grateful for how God has sustained us and opened up doors throughout these past couple years, and thankful for everyone who has lifted us up in prayer along the way.

We also have news that I received a job offer to be a maintenance technician with UND Aerospace beginning in June!  I am looking forward to putting my skills to the test, and learning a lot from mechanics with a lot of experience during the summer as we prepare for our technical evaluation with MAF in the Fall. As we prepare our hearts and minds for this upcoming interview process with MAF, will you remember to pray for us?

-  Please pray that we can balance our schedules and allow Erin to continue to progress through her bible curriculum, for me to find time to stay proficient with flying skills, while our family has time to remain connected and enjoy a fun summer together

-  Please pray for us to remain focused on the Lord - Who continues to lead us and sustain us through each step of our process toward His calling in our lives.  He is doing a lot at our current church, and we want to continue to be faithful servants where He has us here and now

-  Please pray for our children as we transition into new schedules and lifestyle

May God bless all of you and your families richly in Christ!

What it's all about

"...Jesus said, 'It is finished'.  With that, he bowed His head and gave up His Spirit." (John 19:30)

"'And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to Myself." (John 12:32)

There is no greater mystery, and no greater victory than Jesus Christ being crucified and raised to life.  While the cross formally was known as a brutal and violent humiliation, God made it into the greatest of victories. The wonder of Jesus rising from the grave changes everything!  The power of God was not merely on display through Jesus' death and resurrection.  An unimaginable invitation has been given that beckons us to respond and live differently!  In other words, it isn't just something to marvel at and behold... but it changes us. Paul speaks to this in Ephesians, "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His Holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.  That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms..." (Ephesians 1:18-20).  Because Jesus really did rise from the dead in His body, we have hope, and we know that death has been conquered.  That is a pretty big deal!  I want to share that kind of good news with everyone!  

A lot has happened since we last provided an update.  Erin and I both completed our formal applications for MAF and have our interview scheduled in Nampa, ID in October.  We are excited to have that on the calendar, and were encouraged through the process.  We originally hoped to line up an interview immediately after completing school, but we have peace with this time-table.  Erin is progressing through bible training, and I plan on getting a maintenance job immediately after graduating so I can gain experience before our technical evaluation in the fall.  This semester of school is my last semester, and has been going great.  I was awarded a scholarship from the North Dakota Professional Maintenance Association (which I also got last year).  That is a huge blessing for us, and will more than cover all my certification test fees.  God has been very good to us throughout this program, and has opened up a lot of doors for us along the way. My oral and practical tests will be going on throughout this week, which is a major component to receiving my certificate.  After completing that, all I will have left to do after finishing school for the semester is take the written exams (about a week after graduation).  That time is quickly approaching, and has gone by fast! Thank you to all who have been praying for us and thinking of us throughout this transition in our lives.

Elsie recently got to sing a Hosanna song for Palm Sunday.  She had practiced it for about a month, and seemed pretty excited for the big day.  While most of the other kids timidly staggered out on to the stage, Elsie made her way to the center - where she wildly danced and waved her branch while singing at the top of her lungs.  It was hilarious!  She is growing up fast, and continues to amaze us with her beautiful mind.  She got to ride her big-girl Cinderella princess bike (with no training wheels), and rode just fine on her first try!  We had her get used to a balance bike last spring and summer, but we were amazed at how easily she transitioned to riding her princess bike.

Not long ago, I was proud of her lifting up her head and smiling (instead of crying) during tummy time, and now she is riding a bike without training wheels and telling me how she caught a frog on a walk with Grandma and Grandpa!  I am so abundantly blessed to be her Daddy!

Sammy just turned two years old over the weekend, and is doing awesome!  He loves tractors, airplanes, and guitars, and he wants to learn how to drive.  He is talking constantly and even sings from time to time. His favorite song to sing is either little bunny foo foo, or Jason Aldean's "Big Green Tractor".  It is so much fun watching these two grow up each day!

We are hoping to update this more frequently now that I am almost finished with school, and apologize for such huge gaps in between posts/updates. It is exciting to be almost complete with the basic requirements to be considered for ministry with MAF!  Erin will be working through her bible curriculum through the summer, and we will be seeking to develop a good balance of allowing space for her to get quality time in the Word while I prepare for the technical components of our upcoming interview (flying/maintenance).  Please pray for us as we transition through all those changes, and aim to achieve that delicate balance in our lives.  As we have experienced since we first answered the call God placed on our hearts, God continues to sustain us and direct us through each step of the journey.  When all is said and done, our prayer is that His cross and His Name will be made to increase.  Thank you again to all who continue to follow our progress and lift us up in prayer.  We hope that you all continue to experience the grace and love of our great God!  May He richly bless you in Christ!

Happy New Year!

" Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?" (Matthew 26:52-53)

"In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for Whom and through Whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered."
(Hebrews 2:10)

As this year draws to a close, I am becoming more and more humbled by the means God used to display Himself through Jesus.  The first verse above is taken from Jesus' arrest, where it appears his disciples are expecting Him to finally take charge against the Romans and lead the Jewish people to victory.  He could take charge and do much more than just overcome the Roman rule...but something bigger is going on. There is a cup He must drink, and He alone can drink it (Jn 18:11).  Angels were there to celebrate and proclaim His birth, but He has them sit on the bench during the time when you would think they would be needed most.  The coming event of the cross would cause everyone to approach in silent wonder, both then and for all eternity - "Jesus of Nazareth, The King of the Jews" (Jn 19:19-22).  It appears that this is what the angels were praising God for during the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:13-14).  Seems odd to have any King of a people, let alone the King of Kings nailed to a cross with that kind of sign over His head.  The wisdom and humility of God are magnified!  "It is finished!" (Jn 19:30), and something new is happening!  The way John Piper said it, "The wisdom of God made a way for the love of God to overcome the wrath of God, by the grace of God, without compromising the justice of God." (Desiring God) 

If Jesus had the right to execute judgment and rule (more so than anyone else), yet passed on it in order to endure God's wrath, how should this affect me?  I can think of a number of answers from the bible and experience, yet nothing will happen unless I become more humble before God.  As John the Baptist put it, "He must become greater; I must become less." (Jn 3:30)  I heard a sermon last year leading up to the new year that emphasized giving thanks as a key to remaining humble.  I believe this from practice, and want to remain increasingly aware of God's work around me so I can celebrate it and thank Him for it so that I remain in a posture of humility and reverence.

It's easy to get caught up in the blessings God gives us and miss the character of the Giver behind the gifts.  I am deeply thankful for my wife and children, but even more thankful and humbled to see how God is shaping me through these relationships.

I am eager to get out there and 'get to work' so to speak.  I want to use the knowledge, skill, and experience God has blessed me with to share the good news of the gospel wherever God would lead us.  Yet I am surrendered and humble - knowing that what is most important is that I follow Him and trust that He will determine the rest.

This past semester was both fun and a great success! One of my friends from class and I got to do pretty much a complete overhaul on this Continental IO-470 engine.  This involved taking it all apart, cleaning and inspecting everything, measuring clearances between all the parts, doing some repairs, and then putting it all back together again (the way we found it).  

We also got to do pretty much the same thing to this old Lycoming T53-L1A turbine engine (used in old Huey helicopters).  We spent the whole semester exploring every system related to both reciprocating and turbine engines... it was awesome!

Another exciting achievement of Erin's this summer was becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant).  She loves working with new mom's and babies with breastfeeding, and thought it would be a great skill-set to have for ministry opportunities down the road.  I truly don't know how she was able to do it given our lack of free time for studying, but she did great!
 

We are down to one more semester left of A&P school now, and we are both looking forward to it! Erin has started her bible school training online, and is plugging away with it little by little.  We are planning on working through the summer and doing our interview with Mission Aviation Fellowship in October this coming year.  We are excited as we approach that date, yet we are increasingly aware of God's current activity around us and are trying to keep a good balance of anticipation and faith in the here and now.  We are deeply thankful for your prayer and support as we continue following the road toward the field.  May God bless you and your families this year! Happy New Year!

What a Summer!

This summer literally flew by!  Working as a maintenance intern with the Fargo Jet Center proved to be an amazing experience for me.  I gained some confidence working on a wide variety of aircraft and learned a lot from some experienced mechanics and inspectors.  I was even invited to come help out during school breaks and next summer if the opportunity arises.  I think what I enjoyed most about it was the close proximity to Erin's family in Fargo.  I spent most of the summer riding my bike to work and seeing everyone during lunch breaks and in the evenings.  It's kind of nice to get paid to have fun all day!

We were blessed with a lot of quality time together as a family despite the busy schedules and never-ending activity.  Sammy discovered an intense passion for the riding lawn mower (which he calls a tractor).  We went camping out in Cohasset, MN at a big family reunion, and Sammy got to ride a real tractor on the family farm.

Shortly after shooting this picture, Sammy went from just saying "tractor" to "tractor-ride".  I think the boy likes tractors!

When I say that we were at the family farm (really more like a big airstrip with houses and forest all around it), I mean they even have a street named after them there! We had an awesome time connecting with family and playing on the farm.  We hope to get back to visit real soon.


Because it was so close to where I did my internship all summer, we spent a lot of time down in Fargo with what we lovingly called our commune... 3 families, 3 toddlers, 2 dogs, and lots of great memories!  We got to spend some time together out back with the annual bonfire.  Elsie and Sammy are wearing fire helmets that they got from visiting the Mentor volunteer fire dept. near Maple lake, MN.



We even got new members in the commune during the middle of June when my folks made a surprise visit out to see us and the kids (they stayed in a hotel...don't know why)!  Elsie and Sammy had no idea they were coming, so it made for a fun surprise.  Grandma Lynn and Papa Paul made clues for them to follow at the hotel, and they had to find the room and knock on it for their big surprise... and boy were they!  It was a lot of fun being able to spend some quality time with all the family each day, and share sort of a day-in-the-life of summer time at the commune.  We played at parks, went to museums, got yummy treats, toured the hanger, played at the lake, and much more.

My Dad isn't smiling because he is sad that he could not sit on the elephant.  He really had a great time at the park!

My folks never had the opportunity to come and play at Maple lake, MN during the summer.  It brought back a lot of memories my Mom had growing up on the east coast near Thousand Islands.  We miss my parents and family a lot after moving out here, and it was an awesome surprise for them to visit and share some great memories together with us.



Later in the summer, I had the opportunity to do some flying with the commune!  After getting current again in the airplane, I was able to take shuttle flights for tours over Fargo with the commune.  I also got to fly Erin's Grandpa over Devil's Lake in central North Dakota (big lake).  The airplane they have available happens to be equipped with a glass cockpit (Garmin G1000)!  This is a pretty fancy instrument package that is beginning to replace more and more of the older round-dial instruments.  MAF uses them in the Kodiak.


This was Sammy's first time in a small airplane.  I taught him how to check his six, and get behind the controls.  I even had a little ramp crew that untied the plane (I think they were excited to go fly!).  It felt soooooo good to get up in the air again!  It was a great night to fly, and a great way to end a "work" day.

 One of the more recent adventures we got to go on together was a trip to the corn field.  Because it was a friend of the family, we got to get first dibs on however much corn we wanted before they harvested it.  We picked about 12 bags of a dozen ears of corn each!  That is a lot of free corn, and a huge blessing!  The kids had a ton of fun, and we all get to enjoy the good farm food for months to come.

As the sun sets on our adventurous summer, we are looking forward to the coming year.  It's exciting to think that a year from now, we will be done with the technical training aspect of our journey, and on to where God is leading us.  The truth is that all of this is part of the journey that God has us on, and we will never stop learning!  We are learning to keep our vision fixed on the long-term calling God has placed in our hearts while keeping our eyes open to what He is doing here and now.



Looking ahead, this is going to be a busy school year for both of us. While I am dissecting and re-assembling engines, Erin is beginning to dive deeper in the Word with an online Bible curriculum. We have been majorly blessed since we set out on this road, and we are very thankful for your prayers and thoughts.

From our family to yours, may God bless you abundantly in Christ!