Commencing Countdown!

Hey, thanks for checking in on us. We have exciting news that came after about a month of sought counsel and prayer. Many of you have read in our newsletter that MMS has approved us to raise support full-time!  But what does is really mean to raise support full-time? Well, it simply means that we will start receiving a stipend from MMS for living expenses while we raise the remainder of our support need. I will quit my job in construction and we can focus all of our efforts on sharing our vision for ministry with our friends, small groups, and churches. This is a very exciting step for us but also a little scary too. It's the point that we stop living on a system of working and getting a set wage for the work rendered and switching to a system that we rely on the Lord to provide, this is what is called in missionary circles as "faith support."  For me this is really where the rubber meets the road and we have to trust in Him.

Ever since I was sixteen years old I worked. I didn't ask for nor was I ever given money for anything. I worked "x" many hours and got paid "x" amount for those hours. So this missionary thing is very different for me. I have always worked hard and always plan to, the Bible even remarks on it in Proverbs 10:4 "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth."

April 29th will be my last day of "traditional" work. I will leave my job at Hanes Floor where I have worked for most of the last eight years. Please pray that this transition will go well and that the Lord would bless our efforts in "campaigning" for the last portion of our support need so that we can move to Ohio and begin service at MMS Aviation.   

Last month, we had a wonderful trip to Florida visiting Missionary Flights International. There was a lot of work to be done and many long days to ready one of their airplanes for Saturdays open house. This year the event ended up having between 1000-1200 people come through the hangar, with 22 flights for rides in two of MFI's DC-3's totaling around 500 or so visitor rides. It was a blessing serving there and has re-energized our passion for mission aviation and God's calling in our lives.

As promised here are some photo's from our time in Florida at MFI. If you have any questions or comments feel free to email us. Thanks again for coming. God Bless!

I tried to narrow the photo's down, but there are still 16 of them, click on them to enlarge. 

Me, happy as a clam!

This is the plane we worked on all week prior to the open house. It had just had the wings off for inspection and we were hooking the controls back up and putting all the wings bolts in and torquing them.

This is the only one we didn't work on while we were there, it ran like a champ!

You can see me holding up the camera in the reflection.

N911MF is used a lot for emergency medical flights, hence the "911" N number.

An old Albatross that sits out on the ramp by the MFI hangars.

A pretty sunset out on the ramp at St. Lucie County International Airport.

 

Starting N200MF, the Gator (green golf cart thing) has an APU (auxiliary power unit) behind it to ease the burden of start-up on the aircraft's flight batteries, it's kind of a "jump start" for airplanes.

N300MF running before the open house.

N200MF looking good, on the day of the open house.

My only DC-3 ride this year was the last open house ride, I forgot my passport and couldn't serve as flight attendant on any flights to Haiti. :( I'll be sure to bring it next time!

N400MF came back with some cracked exhaust parts, we welded and replaced the damaged parts and found the culprit to be an out of balance propeller which was changed out as well.

Just a neat view through the gear.

A hangar's view.

A different view.

Me in the cockpit..."What's this do???  Whats that do???" Just Kidding. :)


Thanks again! Keep Praying!

                                 ~Jake~