Three Years Later

    It was recently bought to my attention that I have not written a blog post in over three years, since before I left Canada! I sincerely apologize for this, and I will endeavor to do better. I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you, but I will do my best. I have found that living in Congo uses up most of my mental space, leaving me with little capacity for all the stuff I used to do. It's worth noting that I do have a half-written blog post in that I started drafting, but never finished. Sorry about that.

    So what does one write after a three year absence?

Celebrating a friend's birthday

    I don't know. I don't feel that I should write and update on what I've been doing. It's been too long, and let's be honest, you can read my newsletter and follow my Facebook if you really want to know what's been going on. (I also have an Youtube channel if videos of my flights are your jam... Though I don't post to that very often either.) After significant deliberation, of approximately 10 seconds, I think I should write a reflection on the lessons that God has taught me over this time.

The moment you take a photo
All the kids come swarming

    God is Lord over everything, and His timing and plans are always better than mine. Shortly before I left Canada, MAF had to evacuate our longtime base in Nyankunde due to militia fighting, moving to the nearby city of Bunia. Now, for those who are unfamiliar, Nyankunde is a small village on the side of a large hill (some may call it a small mountain, but they are wrong. Trust me, I'm a B.C. boy, I know mountains). Our base there has a gorgeous view of the valley; it is quiet, peaceful, and one of the prettiest places I've ever been. Bunia is a city of over a million people, not far from Nyankunde (I have a video of the whole trip). The sound of mosques and churches accompanied by the constant roar of traffic is the soundtrack of everyday life. Dust clogs the air, and the view out my bedroom window is a cement wall. Suffice to say, we were all eager to return to Nyankunde as soon as the security situation improved.

My pets also make life nicer

    But that was not to be. Instead it was decided that the security situation was unlikely to improve over the long term and so we would be starting a permanent base in Bunia instead. The disappointment was palpable. But as I always say, "it is what it is", and so my colleagues and I made the most of our new lives in Bunia. Blessedly, I found myself a great community of people my age and my season of life with whom I became very close. Along with the various ammenities in the city, like a tennis court, a pool, and plenty of restaurants, I was able to build a social life and find much needed recreation. 

    I would not have had these things if we had moved back to Nyankunde; the small village just doesn't have that many people or facilities. Though I wanted to return to the objectively much prettier village, God knew that it would have been much harder to live there in the long run, and so closed that door for us. And I know that my colleagues feel the same way about the decision that was made.

A plane full of missionaries

There are many refugees in Bunia

    Now, I should also address the elephant in the room. I know I said I wouldn't do an update on this post, but anyone who follows my social media or newsletter knows that I've had a few rough patches with my health. I suffered complications after my appendectomy that were incredibly painful, and I suffered extensive 2nd degree burns in a welding accident. I have spent more time on bed rest in the past three years than the entirety of my life before moving to Africa! Any one who knows me knows that I don't like being inactive. I need to be doing stuff, to feel like I'm accomplishing something, and so bed rest was... hard (I know, no one likes bed rest, I'm not that special in that regard). A lot of my time was spent wondering why in the world I ever thought moving to the Congo was a good idea, especially if I'm going to be spending so much time not doing the work I came to do! Add to that all the other challenges of living overseas, and I've often questioned my calling to be here and wondered if I shouldn't just throw in the towel and go back to Canada. But every time God has reminded me that "[His] grace is all [I] need.

The kids are often excited to see the planes

[His] power works best in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). And, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5).

    I know that God called me here, and though it is hard, though it is painful, though it is discouraging and frustrating, I know that God has not released me from this service. And so I will continue to serve for as long as He has me here. As we all should, in whatever work God has given us to do.

    And who knows, maybe I'll remember to actually write blog posts along the way.

    Maybe.

The Beauty of an African Sunrise

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.

The World Has Somehow Shifted

Let's get this out of the way first, COVID19 has changed pretty much everyone's lives. Many of us are practicing social distancing, some of us are even quarantined, whether by choice, or forced upon us. How we do our jobs has changed as well, and we have to figure out what that looks like now too. Please stay safe, and let's pray that this all ends soon.

MAF's vision is "Isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ's name". Usually that means we serve and fly in small fly-in communities in develloping countries. But now we are all isolated, even in big cities here in North America!

Preparing the Caravan in Kinshasa to go evacuate some
 researchers from the jungle

Though this time of isolation is difficult for many of us, it's also a reminder of the challenges so many others around the world face every day. And even though we can't meet in person, there is still opportunities for ministry. Call a friend, call your neighbour, and just talk and pray together. Go buy groceries for someone who can't leave their house. Transform the lives of isolated people in Christ's name.

Since it would be irresponsible of me to go out and meet with you in person, I have been relying on online communication to keep in touch. Praise God for technology that allows us to continue our work despite such dramatic changes to our every-day life.

I also praise God for all of you who are continuing, and even starting, to support this ministry despite uncertainties in your own life. Your generosity humbles me, and your faith inspires me.

Thank-you.

Dominic

It's March... Already?

Wow, it's already March! When did that happen? I am torn between excited at how quickly things are moving along, and scared at how much I still need to do!

God is good, He has been providing throughout this support raising journey, my outgoing fund is already at almost two thirds raised! Thank-you to everyone who is supporting this ministry!

Praise God, the last Ebola patient in the DRC was discharged this week. Though  there is still a 42 week waiting period before we can officially say that the epidemic is over, this is an encouraging step in the right direction. (Read the WHO article here)

The last Ebola patient in DRC

Though it is exciting to see positive development in the outbreak, there are still many challenges. There are so many preventable diseases that here in North America are non-issues, but in the DRC can prove fatal.

The DRC has only 1 doctor for every 10,000 people, so getting medical assistance can be nearly impossible. Particularly for those living away from major centers. Due to the distance and poor roads, sick people sometimes can't even physically get to a hospital to get the life saving medical care they need.

Which is where MAF comes in. Though it may take several days of driving on difficult, muddy roads to get to a hospital, MAF can fly a patient to the hospital in an hour; not only saving time, but also the health toll such a journey would otherwise take.

MAF's vision is "isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ's name", and these medivacs demonstrate that vision perfectly. We are able to physically transform the patient's life as we get them the help they need, but we also take the time to pray for and with them, sharing the Gospel, and practically demonstrating Christ's love.

 I am getting more and more excited as I get closer and closer to launch day, and I'm so humbled to see God's provision as He brings in the funds that I need to go.

Thank-you to everyone who has, is, or will partener with my ministry. If you want to know more about MAF and how you can join my team, let me know, and I'd be happy to fill you in!

I will be speaking at Ear Falls Bible Chapel on March 22nd, feel free to come out to see me, and hear more about my ministry!

Back in Red Lake

I am finally back home in Red Lake after over a month away. My brain is slowly catching up.

It was great to spend Christmas and New Years with my family, and then I was off to Nampa to visit the MAFUS headquarters for two weeks.
I was there for candidacy, when they bring in all the MAF candidates and pull back the curtains to show us what MAF is doing around the world. The second week we spend a lot of time learning about what its like working in a cross-cultural environment, as well as practical lessons on how to grow and thrive in such environments.

The January 2020 MAF Candidacy Class

There were about 16 candidates in that class, much more than in my candidate class with MAF Canada! It was a huge answer to prayer for MAF to have so many willing to come and serve, the need is great, but our God is greater! And although I already knew my country of assignment, most of the other candidates did not, so it was during that trip that they found out where they were going. There was excitement all around, even for me; a few of my classmates will be joining me in the DRC.

After those two weeks, I returned to Kamloops where I started off my week of ministry partnership in Kamloops by speaking at Sahali Fellowship Church, the church that I attended when I was young. I spent the rest of the week visiting and sharing my ministry. I also got to talk to the youth group that I used to attend and share about missions with them.
Thank-you everyone who took the time to sit down with me and chat! If you missed me, don't worry, I'll be back in Kamloops later this year. I'll catch you then!

I say this a lot, but I mean it: Thank-you everyone who is supporting my ministry with MAF, you are all a huge encouragement to me.

As always, if you want to hear more from me, you can check out my webpage, or my Facebook, or you can e-mail me at dvilleneuve@maf.org

Have a blessed month!

Dominic

To a New Year

Firstly, Happy New Year!

Or not, if you're reading this later. In which case, happy day!

It's been a good year, but I'm not going to wax poetic about that. I want to talk about this month instead.

I officially started with MAF on December first, and God has been going ahead of me throughout the support raising process. It had been only a month, and I'm already past 25% of my support!

Thank-you to everyone who is supporting my ministry. Seeing this response has been a huge encouragement for me!

Last week I flew back to BC to spend the Holidays with my family. I conveniently "forgot" to tell my parents that I was coming, so they were very happy to see me on Christmas Eve. We then spent a few days in a cabin near Wells Gray Park, where we had no reception or internet (sorry if you tried to get a hold of me). We spent the day snowshoeing, reading, and playing cards.

Our little cabin in the woods

This weekend I will be heading down to the MAFUS base in Nampa for candidacy. I will be there for two weeks learning more about MAF, and about working cross-culturally.

I will then be returning to Kamloops, where I will be speaking briefly at Sahali Fellowship Church on January 18th (feel free to come if you're in the area), and meeting with friends and supporters. If you're in the area and want to have coffee, let me know!

Thank-you (again) to everyone who is supporting my ministry, thank-you to everyone who has been praying for me, and thank-you to you, for reading this.

As always, if you want to hear more, you can check out my webpage here, or my Facebook page here. Or you can e-mail me at dvilleneuve@maf.org.

Thank-you everyone, may the Lord bless you through 2020.

The Beginning

Saturday was my last day at my job here in Red Lake. I am now full-time with Mission Aviation Fellowship, preparing to serve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

As I said in my last post, my first ministry assignment is to build up a ministry partnership team that will pray for me and contribute to the financial needs of my ministry. And so, that is what I have started doing today.

From one of my last flights

I am excited to start this new season, though I am sad to leave the job I have had for the past two and a half years. Looking back, I can see how the Lord has been preparing me for this ministry, and I praise Him for His faithfulness.

From my last day

I am excited to see what God will do in and through me in this next season. Though I am nervous, I have faith that everything will work out for His glory.

Please prayerfully consider whether the Lord is calling you to invest in this MAF ministry; your support can impact so many lives for Christ.

Wherever the Lord leads you, please pray for me as I build my team and share about the calling that God has placed on my life.

You can learn more about my ministry at my webpage by clicking here, or through my Facebook page by clicking here.

Thank-you for reading, thank-you for your support, and God bless!

Dominic

On The Next Chapter

When I left off on my last post, I was getting ready for candidate orientation with Mission Aviation Fellowship in Guelph.

Well, that was last week, and now I'm back in Red Lake. It was a great week, the folks at the home office are great, and I learnt so much! It was also a blessing to go through this orientation with the Stutzmans, who were friends of mine when I was at Prairie.

A big chunk of the week was spent learning about ministry partnership, the art of sharing God's calling on my life, and inviting others to partner with me, both in prayer and financially. I also learnt a lot about how MAF works, and what the next year will look like for me.

Myself and the Stutzmans at the MAF headquarters

What do I mean by "the next year"?

Well, while I was in Guelph, I found out that I will be serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a french speaking country in central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa, and the largest french speaking country in the world.

MAF has been in DR Congo since 1961. Today, they have three bases, ten aircraft, and employ seventy nationals. MAF is committed to supporting the Congolese church with aviation and communication technology.

DRC is in central Africa, right on the equator

In the past 20 years there has been widespread violence, particularly in the east of the country. At the moment there are over 100 armed groups, making everyday life very difficult for the Congolese church. Add to this an Ebola outbreak that has claimed thousands of lives, and the need for a service like MAF is critical. If you want to learn more about MAF's work in the DRC, click here

Keeping pilots and passengers safe from Ebola

But before I can go to the DRC, I need to build up a team of prayer warriors and financial supporters. So that's what I will be doing over the next little while. It usually takes about a year to raise all the support needed, though I have heard of people getting there in substantially less time. The raw numbers are simple enough, I need to raise 6000$ in monthly support, and 30,000$ in one time support.

If you want to hear more about what I am doing, there is a ton of ways to do that. Of course if you see me on the streets, say hi! You can also leave a comment on this post, e-mail me, follow me on Facebook, or you can check out my MAF page!

I'll have prayer cards soon, so if you want one, let me know! If you want to sign up to receive my newsletter, let me know! If you have any questions, let me know! I you want to get together for coffee and chat, let me know! Basically, if you want to touch base with me, let me know!

 If the Lord is leading you to support my ministry, let me know, or just go to my MAF page and follow the links there. You can also call or email them (their contact info is on the website).

Please pray for me as I begin this new chapter and start sharing God's calling on my life, and building a support team.

Blessings to everyone,

Dominic

Completely unrelated to MAF, but we had a nice sunrise the other day

Onwards and Forwards

Well, fall has come and, in my neck of the woods, almost gone. We are falling back into our cold weather routines and, in a way, I love it.

SO

MAF has invited me to join them for their orientation class in Guelph the week of November 4th. I will be learning about ministry partnership (the part where I go around asking for prayer and money), as well as the nuts and bolts of MAF. Shortly after that week is done, I will  be heading out to raise support and ministry partnership full-time. There is still a lot of unknowns about exactly when I will do this, and where exactly I'll go, and what exactly I will be doing. Most of that should be sorted out while I'm there, or shortly thereafter.

I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also a feeling quite a bit of trepidation about starting out on this new journey. I know I've had almost a year of preparation to get ready, but the rubber is about to hit the road, and I'm going to have to take a very real leap of faith as I get ready to leave my work to raise this support.

Please pray for me as I go ahead with this that I would find peace in the knowledge that I am following in the Father's calling.

The snow started coming down this week. It looks cool with the fall colours

















 

 

I got to go on a fly-out moose hunt this fall

We were way out in the bush

And the weather was brutal!

We didn't get a thing.

Back Home

Well, I'm about a week late posting this, but hey, better late than never!

Last week I was in Nampa, Idaho doing my technical evaluation with MAF. I'll cut to the chase now; I got a positive recommend. Thank-you all for praying for me!

It was a lot of fun, but also very stressful. It all started when my flight out of Winnipeg got cancelled. Unfortunately the soonest they could get me to Idaho would be the evening the next day, but I had to be starting my evaluation in the morning! Thankfully the folks at MAF are super flexible and understanding, and we were able to fit everything we needed to do in four days instead of five.

But the Lord has a hand in everything, and as a result of that flight cancellation I had a chance encounter with a missionary working in Winnipeg, and was greatly encouraged. And to then, as if that wasn't enough, I was able to have lunch with an good friend of mine from my Thompson days!

Well, finally I made it down to Idaho and began my evaluation. The TE consists of three flights in a 206, and a flight (broken into two parts) in a flight simulator. They not only want to see that I have skill as a pilot, but also that I am a teachable pilot.

The flights were a lot of fun, but also very stressful. They intentionally don't give any feed-back after each flight, so you have to put mistakes behind you and keep pushing on.

Finally, Friday came, and I went in to debrief and find out what they thought. It was scary walking up those stairs to talk to them, all I could think about was all the mistakes I made! But thankfully they saw more positives than I did, and so I walked out of that office greatly relieved.

Now I have the next step in my application process. MAF has sent me a mountain of questionnaires asking about my mental, physical, and spiritual health that I need to answer. It's gonna be a bit of work.

Thank-you all for your prayers, please continue to pray for me as I continue to work towards ministry.

Blessings,

Dominic

The Cessna 206 that I flew while in Idaho. MAF has added extra fuel tanks to the wing, allowing it to take off on very short strips. On the left is a picture of that 206 next to a caravan; the kind of plane that I fly here in Red Lake.

Time For My Next Test

Hello all,

Things have been progressing with my MAF candidacy. In March, I did my GPSS (Global Pilot Selection System) assessment. It was a pretty intense all-day assessment of my mental capacity as a pilot. The ten page report that I received once it was all said and done is designed to be pretty honest about me and point out my weaknesses with no real flattery. It certainly took me down a couple pegs, and forced me to take a good, long, and humbling, look at myself.

Fortunately, MAF chose to continue with my candidacy, and now I am preparing for the next step in all this.

And so, I will be traveling down to Boise, Idaho to do my technical evaluation from August 12th to 16th. This evaluation will practically test my skill as a pilot, and how I face challenges throughout my work day.

Please pray with me as I go down for this; that I would demonstrate my skills without letting the nerves of an evaluation get in the way.

Meanwhile, I have not been idle here in Red Lake. Unsurprisingly, most of my time has been taken up with work. Summer is our busy season as the only way to access any of our destinations becomes an airplane. The past month or so in particular has been difficult as the fire situation here became very intense with several immense fires burning out of control near a few communities.

Believe it or not, There is not a cloud in the sky in that top-right picture. That is all smoke from the fires.

I still managed to get some personal time though: My sister came to visit me for a few weeks, and then I was able to go to BC for a few days for her graduation.

 I picked my sister up in Winnipeg in one of the company planes and flew her back to Red Lake. I didn't get a picture of it, but they actually rolled out the red carpet when I parked in Winnipeg!
One of the fun, exciting things that happen every year here is the Sucker run. These fish come up the creeks to spawn in such large numbers that you can just reach into the water and pluck them out with your hands. My sister was in town at just the right time, so of course we went to see it.



Please pray that the Lord would guide my steps as I look forward to MAF, and that I would be focused on Him as I serve here in Red Lake.

One Step At A Time

This isn't a long post, I just want to update about MAF and life.

When I last posted in November I had just sent in my application to MAF. Well, a couple weeks ago I did an interview with them via Skype. Last week I got an e-mail saying that the selection committee is happy with my application up to this point, and that we are going to continue with the process. So that's exciting.

Up next, I have to do some assessments and evaluations as well as deal with some paperwork.

Please pray that all of this would go smoothly, both as I travel for these assessments and during the assessments themselves.

Of course, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing since November, Christmas happened, which was fun, of course. And during the new year I was able to go to England to visit my extended family and attend a wedding. Now here in Red Lake, the weather is finally starting to warm up (we'll see how long that lasts), so I've been trying to get out every now and then.



Please pray with me as I go into this next chapter, one step at a time.

Dominic

  The beauty that I see every day is a wonderful reminder of God's divine nature.

 My philosophy living in a cold part of the country is that if you're stuck with it, you might as well enjoy it. Skiing and snowshoeing are common pass-times for me, and a few weeks ago I got to ride in a dog sled for the first time. Also, a good ice-
 beard is something to appreciate.

 England was cool. We spent some time in London, and also visited the seven sisters, on the south coast.