New Job

David and I have chosen to participate in a small group through church. We have both individually appreciated the community and growth of being in small groups of believers. After we married last year, we hoped that growth would occur as we joined a small group together. However, multiple part-time jobs soon interfered with our ability to be involved in any small group or group Bible study.  Our current transition of work and ministry is finally allowing us to be a part of a small group as a couple. What a blessing! There is no greater privilege than to learn within community.
The small group is studying the book of Galatians with the help of a Tim Keller publication, "Galatians for You." Right from the beginning the study overwhelms you with a fresh sense of the grace God has shown us and the prominence of this grace in the gospel. Today's study focused on Paul's testimony that his life was not spent in an effort to receive approval from men, but to please God. Tim Keller used an example of how a child lives when they are trying to earn their parent's love or approval versus a child's response when they already know they are fully loved. A child who knows their parent loves them still wants to do what pleases their parent for the parent's benefit, not out of their own desire for approval.
One of the study questions given for reflection said, "How are you most tempted to fear men and seek their approval? What would change if, in those moments, you lived to please the God who is pleased with you?" The question prompted me to pause and reflect on how I am tempted right now to revere the approval and attention of people. I have often wrestled with an imbalance of desire to please certain people rather than a desire to please God. I do not find life pleasant when I am striving to please other people rather than be pleasing to God.
I think this season of life, faith, and following God provides a lot of occasion to reflect on, "Who am I living to please?" One of the hardest things about becoming involved in full-time, faith-supported ministry is asking for support. People don't often approve of or enjoy talking about money, especially if you are asking for their money. What have my own responses been in situations where I have been approached for a financial contribution?

• I'm already giving to someone else
• I don't have any extra money to give
• What are you doing to try and earn the money yourself?
• How do I know what you are going to be doing with that money?
• Is this some kind of swindle?
• I wish I could give to every person I know in ministry! Somehow that doesn't seem fiscally responsible...

Do any of these responses fit you? Have you heard the same thoughts in your head? Will similar thoughts pop into your mind if I approach you next week with a request for a financial donation?

I seem to have a pretty good idea of how and when I am tempted to fear men. I don't want to offend anyone or turn them off from the ministry I serve or the purpose of Christ. I don't like leaving a distasteful memory in people's hearts about my self, my family, or my God.  Yet, God has called us to provide a service free of charge. It's kind of hard to live off of that.  I admire the Apostle Paul's dogged pursuit of preaching the gospel "free of charge." He often wrote of his efforts to not be a burden to the new believers when he first presented the gospel in a city. Sometimes, he worked to cover his own expenses, even paying for his companions' needs. Often, another church from a previous trip would send gifts to meet his needs. Regardless, Paul's primary goal was that the gospel would not have come with a price tag to those who need it.

I am reading through Acts 20 today in conjunction with my Galatians study. Paul states to the church elders from Ephesus, "But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God." That statement brings me back to the question "What would change if, in those moments, you lived to please the God who is pleased with you?" What would change if I lived like Paul did? Is my life worth nothing unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus? Is Christ's mission to spread the message of the gospel and the hope of the resurrection more important to me than what other people think of me? 

I think a lot of Americans, myself included, derive our identity or our worth from our jobs. Here's a question: What if the job to which God has called you is one that brings you criticism, disapproval, and rejection? Would you finish that job? Would you share the gospel with that coworker who is Buddhist or the neighbor who is Jehovah's Witness? Would you leave a financially secure position and nice home to move to a foreign country with only financial donations to support your family?

Would you confront your boss about a business practice that is unethical or illegal? Would you tell your parents the truth about your addictive habit and ask for help to overcome it? Would you warn a friend that their lifestyle has terrible consequences like AIDS?

What job has God given you?  "What would change if, in those moments, you lived to please the God who is pleased with you?"  Timothy Keller, "Galatians For You"

P.S. I may be sending you a request for financial support.... just remember the request is from God, with my signature at the bottom. :o)

Moving Day

It is hard to believe how quickly a year can pass. On Labor Day, David and I celebrated our first anniversary. We enjoyed cinnamon rolls (family favorite) for breakfast, grilled burgers, and hiked Castle Rock at sunset. Thank God for Labor Day and our anniversary coinciding this year! It was wonderful that David could enjoy a day off. Especially since we moved the two days previous to that Monday. Our move from Denver to Castle Rock went as smoothly as possible. Several family members, a few friends, and our neighbors showed up to help us move. We had everything loaded on the moving truck in a few hours and were finished moving by dinnertime.  Thank you to everyone who helped us move!  God has really blessed us through your visible acts of love.

One of the greatest surprises in the past year has been God's answer to our prayers for our neighbors. Here are some of the surprises we've experienced the last month.

• Our upstairs neighbor, Lynn, has been studying the Bible with me for a few months. She wants to continue studying together by phone or email if possible. She really connected with the Bible study by Chip Ingram that we started a few weeks ago and has put applications in place in some major areas. Praise God for his grace in her life!
• Another woman who lives with a neighbor shared how she had walked away from her relationship with God; I prayed with her earlier in August. She has shared several ways that God is leading her to return to him including marrying her boyfriend instead of continuing to live with him unmarried.
• Our neighbor, Marsha, went to church for the first time! She has been very sick and dealing with alcoholism, addictions, and spiritual warfare. Pray for her salvation. She asked for a Bible of her own. Her friend (the woman mentioned above) has been reading the Bible and praying while staying with Marsha and this has peaked Marsha's interest in things related to God and Jesus. We spent significant time sharing the gospel with Marsha our last week in Denver, despite packing and moving. Marsha was moved to tears when I (Allison) brought her a Bible the following week. 
• Our neighbor from Burma was helpful to us during our move. He stated that he often comes to Castle Rock and would like to visit us here. We encouraged him to connect with us soon. 

Praise God all our neighbors are being impacted through our lives and our love for them in Christ! We are amazed and so blessed that they all want to stay in contact. Christ's love is contagious and worth keeping around~

We ask you to join us in prayer:

• for our landlord as he and his new wife move into a neighborhood desperately in need of Christ. Pray that God would strengthen this couple to continue reaching their neighbors with the hope of the gospel. 
• for our families as many of our siblings' families are going through transitions with work, home, and church right now. 
• that we would be a blessing to my mom and sister as they open their home to us for a little while. 
• that God would give us grace to be living in someone else's space with little room to call our own. 

God is so good to us. We are excited for all the next year has to hold!

MMS Aviation evaluation week

Here are the details on our trip to Coshocton, Ohio....

• Saturday at 1am: David and I (Allison) arrived at the Port Columbus, Ohio, airport and bunked down for the remainder of the night. We picked up a rental car at the airport at 9am and drove 1 1/2 hours to Coshocton, Ohio.
  
• The MMS Aviation HR director and his wife, Dan and Juli Pottner, met us at Stalter House, a house owned by the mission organization. We ate lunch, shopped for groceries, and settled into the house MMS Aviation had arranged for our accommodations. We contemplated exploring the neighborhood but settled for a 4 hour nap instead.
• Sunday morning: David and I attended a local Christian and Missionary Alliance church and worshiped with the church body there. We were warmly welcomed. 
• Sunday afternoon, we explored the local historic village and enjoyed a tour about an antique toy collection from the 1900s. We managed to stay inside shops each time the pouring rain ensued. After our adventure to the past, we returned home for another nap and enjoyed an evening walk around the neighborhood which included the county fairgrounds.
• Monday morning: David arrived at the hangar in time for devotions with the staff and apprentices and began a three day work evaluation. David helped with an annual inspection of a Diamond DA40 plane. During this time, he measured the cable tension and  ROM of the rudders.  I (Allison) enjoyed a prayer meeting and potluck with some of the staff wives and learned a lot about their lives, challenges, joys, experiences, etc.
• Monday afternoon: One of the staff wives provided me (Allison) with a very thorough tour Coshocton and the nearby Amish country. The best part of the tour was arriving in Berlin, Ohio (not Germany sadly) to sample cheese at Heini's, one of the local cheese markets. Heini's is renowned for its cheeses, fudge, free samples, and Amish heritage. David helped disassemble an engine block to replace O-rings and then reassembled the engine block.
  
• Monday evening: David and I were only slightly lost finding the way to dinner with the Director of Training and his wife, Bob and Lisa Schwartz. We spent a delightful evening learning about Bob and Lisa, their missionary experiences, MMS Aviation, and being tactfully interviewed. Bob Schwartz has a degree in Biblical Studies, Counseling, and maybe a few other things. You can definitely tell how much God has developed a caring shepherd's heart in this man.  We spent quite a bit of time with the Schwartz family over the course of the week.
• Tuesday morning: David returned to the hangar for the 7:30-4 work evaluation. David worked all day removing paint from an airplane's wings so the exposed metal could be assessed for damage. His afternoon was filled with drilling out rivets and removing damaged sheet metal.  I enjoyed a quiet morning writing some thank you notes and cleaning up at the Stalter house. Lisa Schwartz joined me to share some leftovers for lunch and we talked a long time about family background, Bible college, mentoring, and what my (Allison's) role as an apprentice wife might look like. Lisa shared a lot about her life as a single missionary and, later, a missionary wife. Lunch lasted into the afternoon but there was just enough time for some email communication before David arrived home.
• Tuesday evening: Dinner at Dwight and Rena Jarboe's house, CEO and President of MMS Aviation. We enjoyed a home cooked meal again and the graciousness of hosts we had barely met. We also enjoyed learning about their mission experiences; Dwight is a wonderful storyteller. Our evening wrapped up with a playfully competitive game of Phase 10. You may guess who the winner was but the answer will not be David.  He was a good sport about it.
• Wednesday morning: David began his day at the hangar with a devotional about shepherding your wife. The guest speaker, a local pastor, asked each man at the table to share who he was and how long he had been married. The expression on the pastor's face indicated he was a little surprised when he started with David and learned we had only been married 10 months! :o)   That morning, David began the process to install protective rubber boots on the horizontal stabilizers (the small wings at the back of the plane). These boots help protect the leading edge of the stabilizer from rocks and other debris kicked up on dirt runways.  I arrived at the hangar around 10am for an impromptu meeting with Bob and Lisa Schwartz to discuss everything from finances to ministry roles. 
  
• 2 hours later.... I (Allison) headed to the home of an apprentice and family for a lunch meeting the MMS apprentices' wives' held in my honor, so to speak. Several of the current, past, and future apprentice wives gathered together to meet and welcome me to the group. We did not have an invitation to join the mission organization yet but it did not make a bit of difference in the warmth, friendship, and fellowship I found among these women. Two of the staff wives organize and co-lead the bi-monthly meetings for apprentice wives to mentor and help prepare them for the mission field while their husbands go through the training program.  Meanwhile that afternoon, David replaced a vacuum pump on one of the planes in the hangar. This required removing ducting and contorting his body to reach two of the bolts. It was a good test of creativity and persistence. David also completed a test for mechanical aptitude that afternoon.
• Wednesday evening: David and I enjoyed the hospitality of our Human Resources director(s), Dan and Juli Pottner. Technically, Dan is the one who earned the job title but we could easily tell how crucial teamwork was in this couple's life.  They shared about the neat experiences God has used in the past couple of decades to prepare them for the HR role at MMS Aviation. Dan originally was invited as a mechanic's apprentice in 2011 but the mission organization later realized God was providing Dan to fill a much needed position in HR. We stayed pretty late at the Pottner's house but stopped to admire the beauty of the stars over Coshocton on the way back to the Stalter house.
• Thursday morning: David enjoyed sleeping in a couple of hours. David and I appeared before the Selection Committee at 9am for our final interview. The committee was comprised of the CEO/President Dwight Jarboe, Director of Training and wife, Bob and Lisa Schwartz, and Human Resources Director, Dan Pottner. Since we had visited with each of these staff members throughout our evaluation, there were relatively few questions remaining to be asked. We each explained verbally our personal testimony of faith in Christ and how we have grown in relationship to him as singles and as a couple. We discussed briefly the current life situation and what obstacles are yet to be addressed as we pursue ministry in missions. (The Selection Committee had already reviewed each of our applications as well as the evaluation forms submitted by each staff member with whom we interacted from Monday through Wednesday.) We were asked to wait outside the office while the committee discussed their decision. When the President welcomed us back into his office, the committee at MMS Aviation invited us to join the mission organization and offered David an apprenticeship. Our orientation began immediately afterwards.
• Thursday morning and afternoon: We sat down with the CEO and the Human Resources Director to look over the training handbook that will be our resource for partnership development or deputation. As we build relationships and grow a network of people to partner with us in this ministry, we will be seeking churches, businesses, and individuals to support our ministry both financially and in prayer.  
• Thursday evening: David and I were invited to dinner with another couple who is serving at MMS Aviation and gaining work experience. Joel and Abrielle Braxton are Moody graduates training to serve as a pilot/mechanic and a nurse on the mission field. They are in the application process for long-term service with another mission organization and raising support. We had a lot of fun hanging out with peers and fellow servants as we ate Thai food, talked and played a card game together. 
• Friday ensued with more orientation, some photo opportunities and lots of laughter. The mission is intent on providing the best support and encouragement for our faith, our marriage, and our ministry as we pursue our goal of joining the apprentices and staff in Coshocton, Ohio and beginning the apprentice training program as soon as possible. David and I left Coschocton Friday evening with full hearts and tired bodies.
  
• Saturday morning: We were grateful for the rest God had provided although our 8am flight required much too early a wake up call. David especially felt the time difference later in the day when we realized that we rose at 3am MDST. Our flights went well and we arrived at DIA in plenty of time to check with lost and found about Allison's missing ID. No results....  Pray it remains "secure" at the checkpoint and not in the hands of someone untrustworthy. My (Allison's) mom and sister escorted us home by way of Chipotle and the grocery store. Thank God for food! We had time to shower and head out to the family gathering to celebrate our niece, Cadence's, 7th birthday. I have the dinosaur hat to prove it!

Playing on the monkey bars with my younger niece and nephew.

Did you know dinosaurs came in pink?

You can find more information about MMS Aviation and how to support what God is doing through their ministry on our page titled Did You Know?.