Overcoming Barriers, Transforming Lives, Building God’s Kingdom
This is quite a ministry!
Do you remember the movie “End of the Spear” from several years ago? It’s the story of 5 American missionaries in Ecuador who were brutally killed by the Waodani people in 1956 and then the miraculous bond that builds between those natives and the families of the men . Nate Saint, the pilot of that expedition, was an MAF missionary.

This is his plane (with the addition of some structural steel to hold it together) recovered from the river landing strip and a display about that event and the redemption that followed. (Interesting fact (for my hometown buddies) – Nate Saint was born in Huntingdon Valley, PA!)

Today, MAF deploys a full range of aviation, communications and distance education services to maximize ministry throughout Asia, Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America. And they currently work with over 1000 Mission, Christian and Humanitarian Organizations. Everything from Amigos de las Americas to East African Ministries to Habitat for Humanity to Kalico Free School (Haiti) to Mission to the World (MTW) to Salvation Army to Waorani Church to Zending Gereformeerde Kerken (GZK). We are working at their headquarters/training center. Pilots and mechanics (and their families) come here to train for overseas work – learning how to land on itty bitty runways, transport anything from food and medical supplies to people and livestock, and deal with many different scenarios (including kidnapping). Along with their administration building, they also have a hanger where they rebuild planes and get other planes ready for service. (For those of you who “know” planes, most of their fleet are Cessna 206 Turbos because of their capability to land on short runways. They are excited to be adding the Kodiak airplane to their fleet. These planes are larger but can still land on the short runways. Plus, they use jetfuel – much cheaper and easier to get than the Avgas that the Cessnas use. Here is more info about their planes.)

So what are we doing here?
Well, we ladies are doing inventory. We’re counting rivets, and O rings, and landing tires, and screws. It’s amazing how many little parts go into airplane maintenance.

But we girls definitely have the better job. The guys are clearing a field that is choked with weeds. And I mean choked.

And these are mean, nasty, prickly, deep rooted BAD weeds.

Weeds that do this to the bottom of your shoes…..

Gary was VERY happy to have this week over!
This is a pretty new facility, built in 2006, that not only has the large administration building and the hanger/repair building, but also has two multiplex apartment buildings and a very nice RV park adjacent to their parking lot.

Most nights we enjoy this view from our windshield as the sun sets –

So, if MAF serves 1000 organizations and we serve MAF, does that mean we’re actually serving 1001 organizations?
And I thought we were just counting bazillion rivets and digging up weed bushes.

Now that we’re settled in our October spot, I guess it’s time for a little recap of the “missing week”.

We started our little Texas adventure with visit with DD Lara. So sweet. I was only there for a couple of days, but Gary was there for almost a week. And my, was he a busy boy!
He:
installed a new garbage disposer
repaired/replaced about 6 sections of fence
installed two different kitchen lights (where no lights had been before)
replaced the front screen door latch
re-hung the back door so it won’t decapitate any of the pets going in or out.
installed outdoor lighting for the deck
installed outdoor floodlights
replaced two thermostats
did some heavy duty tree/shrub trimming
fixed second floor door
installed shower ring and plumbing to convert clawfoot tub to a shower
And they even managed to fit in a Baylor football game and a new cold.
What a good Dad he is!
I wasn’t nearly as productive, but I did help with getting the recycling under control and helped to set up some storage units. Oh, and I think I did some cooking.
Plus we got to meet the new puppy, Nali (short for Denali)-

and get better acquainted with her two cats (and the other two that belong to one of her housemates!).

They really loved sleeping on our bed. Ahhhhh Chooooooo!

So I left Gary in Waco and headed NE to Lindale and the SOWER ministry office. I’ve been elected to the board of trustees (go figure!) and was about to attend my first board meeting. Gulp.

I’m sure you’ve heard me say how blessed we are to be working with this ministry. I was honored to be asked to serve and my first official meeting went well. We have a great Board of Trustees – men and women of various backgrounds with many years of experience in our ministry. We got a lot of work done, but spent a fair bit of time laughing while we were at it. I think it will be a good three years.
And as I traveled back and forth from Dallas, I couldn’t help but marvel at the distant scenery as we flew over it.

(The actual pictures from this collage are HERE if you’d like a closer look.)

So here we are in Nampa, Idaho – just outside of Boise in the SW corner of the state. We haven’t seen too much of the area except to check out Best Buy, Michaels, Kohls, Costco, and Walmart. (It’s been a while since we’ve been so close to civilization. ) I’m sure I’ll have lots more details about this beautiful area and this exciting ministry – Mission Aviation Fellowship - in the days to come, but for now I’ll close this (not so) little recap with a shot of the sunrise our first morning (from our spot in the Walmart parking lot)-

and a shot of our first sunset as we took an evening walk -

Yes, I think I’m going to like it here just fine!

Hello!!!!
I’m sorry it’s been so long since I’ve done an update! I flew to Texas for a SOWER meeting (and a couple of wonderful days with daughter Lara) and while I was there my computer broke. Again. So I was pretty much dependent on other folks for checking email and such until I returned to Idaho where Gary’s computer was. My ‘puter is back visiting with the good (and smart, I hope) Geek Squad guys for a couple of weeks and Gary’s trusty little Dell is coming to the rescue. Once we get settled in at Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, ID, tomorrow I’ll get a little more organized.

I hope.