Flying old friends

One of the privileges of serving in the place I grew up, is the fact that I often get to fly old friends.

Sitting beside me is the man who used to be the pastor in our village.

The guy in the white shirt was one of my childhood playmates.

Going to TUR

The day dawned bright and early with lots of excitement in our house.  Usually when Kars leaves on a flight early in the morning, he rises and slips out of the house without anyone else waking up.  Today was different.  The boys were up early, filled with energy, because this time we all were going on the airplane with Kars as our pilot.  Adding to the excitement was that we were going to be flying our friends, the Beck family, back into their village and staying with their family for a few days.  Although Kars and I had both been to their village home before, this was the first time for the boys to ride along and see where their friends live!

Kars left for the hangar before us, so he could prep the plane and get everything ready for our departure.  I loaded up the boys and our overnight bags in our car and we swung by the guesthouse where our friends, April and her 3 kids had been staying.   This time they had made a trip to town for the kids to do the annual testing at the school.  Ryan, their dad, had stayed in the village for the week.    He was anxious to have his wife and kids return after a week alone, taking care of their home and pets.  We loaded up their bags and supplies (they have to take in almost all of their needed supplies to live, as there are no stores in their village....think about everything you'd need to take if you couldn't go shopping for a month...or three...).  This time they didn't have tons of stuff, as they knew they'd be coming back out to town in less than a month for their annual conference.  One thing we did get to take along this time was 2 little ducklings (which once full grown, are known for protecting against snakes, a scary part of living in the jungle).

After arriving at the hangar and unloading the car, we took the kids up to the bathroom (no bathrooms in little planes!) and then waited for Kars to give the signal that he was ready for us to load in the plane.

Finally it was time to go!  We loaded into the plane.  Our youngest had the privilege of sitting up next to his Papa, as the "co-pilot".

April and I sat in the back with the other 4 kiddos around us.  Everyone was excited for the trip, including the Beck kids, who were excited for visitors to come to their house and village.  I know that there are so many things that I take advantage of having, as a resident of a town, as opposed to a remote village.  We have the privilege of having friends over for dinner or for playdates whenever we want...but living in a remote village that is only accessible by small airplane does not allow this luxury.

My husband started up the plane and we taxied to the end of the runway.  Maybe it's because I am the daughter (and now wife) of a pilot, but whenever I take off in an airplane, whether it be a small plane or a big airliner crossing the ocean, I get emotional. Today was no exception.

As we took off and I looked out over our beautiful tropical town tucked next to "our" mountain, I felt the tears coming.

In that moment, all those years of schooling and training, all the years of working hard to help pay for Kars' expensive flight school, all the steps it took to get our family from America to the opposite side of the world...all of that came into focus...

THIS is why we did it!

So that the moms, dads, kids, families, single missionaries, all those who have dedicated their lives to bringing the gospel to every people group, even in the most remote, inaccessible locations on the edge of the world...CAN GO!  So that they can serve here.  So that they can live in remote locations, with the assurance that although there is no hospital nearby, the airplane can get in and pick up their families, in case of an emergency. So that they are able to come out to town for school testing, supply buying and much deserved breaks.  Having access to an airplane and having trustworthy, safe pilots reduces the stress of their lives here.  Hopefully our service to them increases their longevity and therefore the potential for God's Word to be brought to all the people groups where they serve.  What an honor it is to serve these fellow workers for Christ, helping do our part in building God's kingdom, even here on our remote island in South East Asia!

The airstrip in TUR.
The red roof on the left of center is the Beck's house.

Coming in to land

Where the plane sat during our 2-day stay
(Note that the biggest cleared space is the airstrip: also perfect for playing soccer!)

Some of the precious kids

TUR church

Kars sharing in church

These two have been buds since before they were 2!

We all had fun visiting our friends

Saying goodbye when we headed home

Who we serve

Last month our family had the privilege of riding along with Kars on a few flights.  It helps so much to see in person what he does every day and be reminded why our family lives where we do.  

One of our stops was to pick up this dear co-worker.  If you read our newsletter, she is the one we mentioned in our newsletter in December 2016.  This is a woman of God who exemplifies perseverance and joy, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Although we were only scheduled to pick her up, we wanted to take the opportunity we had in her village to see her house.  

Walking from the airstrip to her house

Solar panels out front are her only source of electricity

She was so gracious to show us around her home

This is her "work room" where she spends most of her days,
working with local people to translate the Bible into their heart language.
She is an incredible testimony of God's faithfulness.

We brought her out to our town for a few months of working in town

Watching the airplane taxi and take-off

Almost home!  Looking out at the beautiful lake near our town.

First Flight Back

After 8 months of not flying in our country of service, I was finally able to start flying again last week. Our organization requires multiple checks before releasing a pilot to fly after a furlough. Some of these checks include.

1.) Instrument Proficiency Check (check our proficiency flying in clouds)

2.) Flight Review (check our ability to handle the airplane in emergencies)

3.) Mountain Flying Review (to make sure we're proficient flying in confined valleys)

4.) Marginal Airstrip Check (land at one of the more difficult runways prior to flying to all other runways)

 These checks took place in one simulator flight and two airplane flights with one of our instructors on board. 

 On Friday I was released to fly operationally by myself again. I got to put all that I had just reviewed into practice as it was raining all over our island. However, it was light rain and clouds without much turbulence. The weather report from interior was encouraging, so I decided to go.

After the first hour in the clouds, I could start to see things outside.

The village I was going to had fairly nice weather and I was able to drop the translator off there.

On the return flight I had a sick patient (front center) and several other passengers, who were happy to be heading to town.

All in all it was a great first day to serve again in the interior of our island. We play a small part serving the people here, not only by providing transportation, but also making it possible for the people to hear God's Word.

Bagels

One thing I really enjoyed in America during our furlough was having bagels.  Since we cannot buy them here at the grocery store, I decided to try making my own this morning.  They weren't as intimidating as I thought!  I thought I'd share the recipe I followed, in case anyone else wants to try their hand at homemade bagels.  I'm excited to try different varieties next time.

I doubled the following recipe, which made 14 bagels
(http://allrecipes.com/recipe/220619/real-homemade-bagels/)