A REGULAR UPDATE:
A Quick 3 Month Recap
Crooked Paths "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Last summer, God opened a door for me to load chemicals and fuel on crop dusters. At the time, I was hoping I might end up as an aerial applicator (a crop duster), telling myself it would be a great way to prepare for missionary piloting. After the dusting season was over and after a conversation with someone from Wycliffe, I had to reckon with the fact that following my desire to become an aerial applicator would derail me from the path towards missions work. All of a sudden, I felt that I had wasted the summer learning about agriculture and chemicals, chasing the wrong dream. I felt I had even wasted all of 2020, that I could have spent it building the required experience needed to become an aircraft mechanic. Did I waste the summer? Did I waste the year? No! In January 2020, I earned my CFII (Instrument Flight Instructor Certificate), which allowed me to instruct a wider variety of students. Since then, I've gotten to give many progression checks to flight students, making me better at teaching. Additionally, my crop dusting boss allowed me to work through the winter in his aircraft maintenance shop, learning the names and uses of basic tools. God was using these things as well as the people in my life to prepare me to better serve at SOAR as a flight instructor and maintenance apprentice! I thought I had made my way crooked, but He was making my path straight. Prayer Requests
0 Comments
Kingdom Come Training Two hours a night for two weeks in April, I met with 7 strangers via Zoom. SOAR had provided for me to go through partnership development training with Kingdom Come Training (KCT). This training involved learning how to best communicate what I'll be doing and how God has lead me to SOAR and missionary aviation. It was a challenging two weeks that involved homework (oh horrors!) and encouragement from the coach and the 6 others that were also raising support to work for different missionary organizations. I now feel equipped and excited to get to share stories of what God is doing, and invite others to partner with me in it. Vaccinated Understandably, there are mixed feelings regarding the new COVID-19 vaccines. However, I am personally so thankful that I am now fully vaccinated as of several weeks ago. This means that I can visit family and friends with much less concern about unknowingly transmitting a potentially serious illness to those I love. Praise God with me for the scientific and technological advancements that we have access to today! Milestone in Flight Instruction
As a flight instructor, there are two times while training a new pilot that are equally nerve-wracking and exciting. The first is when sending a student pilot to fly solo for the first time. I hand them the keys to the plane, trusting that I have trained them well enough that they will bring the airplane and themselves back to the ground safely. The second is when sending a student to a check ride, the official practical and oral exam that will determine if they will receive their private pilot certificate. They find out if they have the skills and knowledge to be a pilot, and I find out if I transferred those skills and the necessary knowledge to them. For the first time as a flight instructor, I have a student that I am sending to a check ride! He is ready for it, and I am excited for him to move forward in his training. We both have invested much time and effort into his training, and looking for it to pay off. In 2020, God placed me in jobs where I could learn about agricultural aviation, learn how to fly an airplane with a tail wheel, earn a new flight instructor certificate, and start working in an aircraft maintenance shop. In 2021, I am stepping forward in obedience to God's call on my life to missionary aviation. I have been accepted as a missions candidate at Service Oriented Aviation Readiness (SOAR) in Bolivar, MO! What does "Missions Candidate" at SOAR mean?
It means working full time in the aircraft maintenance shop, serving as a flight instructor, and learning airport operations, all while committing to serve as a missionary pilot/mechanic once I become a licensed mechanic. Ways to support me on this journey:
|
Archives |