One Challenge Down

 So let's start with the big news: I now have 100% of the support I need to go to the DRC!
I can't express how excited I am, and how humbled I am by God's provision during this time of support raising.

It hasn't been easy, though to be honest the pandemic has made things hard for everyone. But God is sovereign through it all, and He has been working in my life. I encourage you to look at your life and see where He has been working.

So now that I have my support raised, what next?
I will be going to the MAF headquarters in Idaho on April 22nd, I will spend about a month and half there, doing cultural orientation and my technical standardization. On June 5th I will fly from Idaho out to Africa, Lord willing. Once in DRC I will spend two weeks getting myself settled and recieving orientation in country.

The bins I will pack my stuff into.
I didn't realize how big they are!

 It would be easy to relax now that I have all the support I need, and I certainly am planing a brief vacation in a couple weeks, but between now and when I leave in April I will continue to fundraise. Though I have 100% of my support, I would like to raise extra to make sure that I can stay overseas long-term. Of course, if you would like to contribute, you can click here for my webpage. I will also be working hard at preparing all the details of moving overseas, such as packing all my stuff together. Fortunately, when I left Red Lake I sorted through my stuff and was able to figure out what I was going to bring with me then. So all I have left to do is pack it all for transport.

I am so excited to be in this final step of preparation for the field. It has cer
tainly been a long road, and I look forwards to what God will be doing through my ministry in the future.

To November

 Welcome to November. Five years ago last week I left BC and moved to Manitoba to start my career as a pilot

 If you've ever sat down with me or heard me talk about my experience and preparation for ministry, you've probably heard about my time flying in Manitoba and Ontario, so I won't go into depth about it. But everytime I talk about it I'm amazed at how God has been working.

Last time I was living in BC I had just finished college and was trying to find work and start my career. Now, half a decade later, I'm back; but this time I'm building up my support team and getting ready to head to the DRC and serve with MAF. In many ways, things are the same, but also completely different.

It was five years ago that I left BC, but only one year ago next week that I signed on the dotted line and joined MAF. I'll be honest, I'm not where I thought I would be by now, but I don't think any of us are. It's been a crazy year, but God has proven Himself faithful again and again. So many missionaries that I have talked to have shared how the support they need to do their work has continued to come in through this pandemic, and how people are even more willing to support during this time. It is so encouraging to know that God is on our side, is it not?

And again, God is working. Last month I announced that my outgoing fund was passed the 100% mark. It has continued to grow as God has continued to be faithful: my monthyl support passed the 2/3 mark last week, and is already well on its way to the 3/4 mark! Thank-you so much to everyone who has so generously supported this ministry, I can't express how grateful I am!

The Drive

 As mentioned in my last post, I am no longer in Red Lake.

Good-bye Ontario!

Last week I had breakfast at Tim Horton's with a couple friends and then drove the 3057 kilometers back to my hometown of Kamloops. Well... I took a few days to do it, but it was still a pretty long trip!

Before I left, my car had some... issues... We fixed them, but I was a little worried about going into such a long trip. But, praise God, everything went fine. The worst part of the trip was all the wind while I drove through Saskatchewan. My car is a box on wheels, and so is pretty succeptible to wind; add the canoe on the roof, and the crazy strong winds made for a white-knuckle drive across the prairies.

All packed and leaving my appartment

I got to visit with so many friends and supporters, it was so encouraging to see everyone! And the drive along the trans-canada is so beautiful!

I am happy to be back in my old stomping grounds, though I am sad to leave Red Lake. But I'm excited to see what God does during this time as He continues to provide for my financial support!

Speaking of which... Shortly before leaving Red Lake my outgoing fund smashed through the 100% mark! Praise God! It is now sitting pretty at 109%. Thank-you to everyone who gave so generously! For those who are wondering, all the excess gets split between my first 48 month term, and treated like a monthly donation. So if you want to bless my ministry through a one-time donation, you still can, and it is greatly appreciated! (Click here to go to my ministry page and set-up your donation online).

Kicking Horse Pass. My favorite spot along the Trans-Canada

Thank-you again for everyone who is praying for my ministry, and/or supporting it financially! I appreciate all of you! If you're new and want to get involved, the link above will take you to my webpage (or click here) or get in touch with me directly!

On Leaving. Both Planned and Unplanned.

 Welcome to September.

It feels like more than a month since I last wrote a post.

August was... interesting...

I started the month off with quarantine after having traveled to the states. While sitting at home, wishing I could leave, I dreamt of camping and was planning a weekend trip. Then on my first day of freedom, I looked out the window and saw a collumn of smoke. Within a couple hours the fire grew and moved towards town. I fuelled up my car and packed a bag.

I went to spend the evening with some friends, but a few minutes after arriving we were given an evacuation notice. So off we went. We spent the first night at a church in the next town over, and then spent the rest of the week camping at Blue Lake Provincial Park. Guess I got my camping wish.

I had a great time with my friends, talking about life, going for walks, and wondering when we would be allowed home. Honestly, by the time we were able to go home, part of me wanted to stay!

There was some uncertainty. We didn't know how long we would be there for, we didn't know what we would return home to, but we found comfort in God's faithfulness, knowing that He will neither leave us nor forsake us.

And now I'm looking towards a new uncertainty. I will be leaving Red Lake, the town I've called home for three and a half years, at the end of this month. I will be driving back to Kamloops to stay with my parents until I have finished support raising and am ready to go to the DRC. As excited as I am to spend time in my old stomping grounds, I am sad to leave my friends here.

But God is constant, He is alwas with me, He promises that He will never leave nor forsake His people. And I know that I will return to Red Lake, even if its only to visit. So I look forwards to God's continuing faithfulness, whether through literal fires, or through the metaphorical fires, through change and uncertainty.

Please pray for me as I prepare to leave and plan the trip. If you live between Red Lake and Kamloops, let me know, I would love to stop for a coffee while I'm driving through!

And of course, if you aren't already, please prayerfully consider supporting my ministry. I would love to tell you more about what I will be doing with MAF in the DRC, so do get in touch!

On Seeing Friends and Risk

As I write this, I am in quarantine.

Don't worry, I'm fine. I spent last week in Idaho at the MAF headquarters in Nampa, doing safety and security training, and now that I'm back in Canada I have to quarantine for two weeks.

My trip was fun, and I learned a lot. But I don't really want to talk about that here, if you see me in person I'll tell you the stories.

Between classes I got to spend some time with the other students from my January orientation class (my last trip to Nampa). It was great to catch up and hear how they've been doing, and so encouraging to hear stories of how God has been working in their lives.

I also got to spend some time with the new program director for east DRC (where I will be serving). It was super encouraging talking to them, and learning more about serving in Congo. I also got to "meet" the two new Cessna Caravans that are headed to east DRC and that I will eventually be flying. I can't wait for that day!

As a result of the training I did, I've been thinking alot about my responsibilities, both as a pilot and as a missionary; we spent a lot of time talking about risk annalysis and management. Throughout my career as a pilot, I've done quite a bit of risk management, but now, looking at the "type" of flying I will be doing, I have some new things to think about. 

We talked about John 15:13, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (ESV) quite a bit. But of course that doesn't mean I should be cavalier about taking risks. It's a lot to think about, and one of the excercises we were given was to think about our own theology of risk, and think through what risks are part and parcel with obedience to God.

It's heavy stuff, and I don't have an easy answer. Honestly, I don't think I have an answer yet.

Sorry, no tortured metaphor this time around.

Yet Another Slightly Tortured Metaphor

Time continues along. Suddenly its July, and the heat as I write this is suffocating.

June was a good month for me; the past few months have been challenging, but God has proven Himself faithful. I have been making plenty of calls, connecting with supporters new and old alike, and my monthly support level passed the 50% mark!

As travel opens more and more, and we have more freedom to gather, I have started planning more trips to visit friends and family. If you would like to meet, or even have me come speak at your church or small group, let me know!

The houseboat after her maiden voyage

I've been helping a friend build a small houseboat for some time now, and on Canada Day we launched her. It was a very exciting feeling as the trailer slowly backed into the water and the boat floated away. And as the motor started up and we motored off, I was pretty darn happy to say the least.

But that has nothing to do with my ministry. However as I think about it, I think it makes for a good metaphor.

I've been working towards serving God through aviation for about a decade now, and the excitement as I signed on the dotted line in November was in some ways very similar to the feeling of launching that boat.

But the houseboat isn't done. She isn't much of a houseboat. She's more of a pontoon platform with the shell of a cabin on top. No bed, no table, nothing. I spent the night aboard; sleeping on the wooden floor was not terribly comfortable.

Likewise, though I have joined MAF, I'm not on the field just yet. I still need to finish the preparations. God has been so faithful, bringing people into my life who are comitting to pray for me, and to support financially, I can't wait to see what He does next, and I can't wait to see the house part of that houseboat completed.

All that to say, if you would like to support my ministry, whether through prayer or financially... do get in touch.

And I'm sorry if that metaphor kinda fell apart towards the end.

A Tortured Metaphor Around Racetracks

So I missed my May post. Sorry.

It's been a strange couple of months, and I don't think we're out of the woods yet. Though I have been wrong before.

Sometimes it's hard to see where this is all going. I don't want to wade into the internet debate about what part God has in all this, but we know that He is sovereign, and that He is King.

I've always liked watching Top Gear. A number of years ago, they were doing a challenge that involved racing super cars around the Imola racetrack. It's pretty entertaining. At one point as Jeremy Clarkson comes up a hill he shouts, "The track will be there. Keep it in!" He couldn't see the rest of the track right in front of him, but he had been there before and knew it was there. If he was wrong, he would have gone flying into the bushes. 

In a Lamboghini. 

Going flat out. 

The Lamborhini Aventador Jeremy was driving.
Also eye candy.

There are worse ways to go. 

But of course he had been there before, and the track was still there.

Now, this isn't a racetrack, and I admit that I have never been in this situation before. It's hard to keep going. I don't always know how to proceed. Honestly, it's kinda scary sometimes.

But I know that I have been called to serve with MAF in the DRC, God has blessed this endeavour, and when I have stepped out in faith He has come through every time. This does not aleviate fear, but puts it in context. Jeremy was scared as he came to the top of the hill but he kept his foot down, knowing that the road will be there. I am scared (though for different reasons) as I look at the future and our "new normal". As I look at the challenge of ministry partnership during a time when I can't do it in the way I got used to, I feel scared; unsure how to proceed. But God is there. I just have to keep going.

Whether you think God caused Coronavirus or not, whether you think Jeremiah 29:11 applies to you or not, whether you know what is going to happen next or not, God is sovereign. He will be there. 

Keep it in.