The Next Step

Psalm 37:23 says "the steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way."  Taking steps of faith along this journey our family is on to serve as full-time missionaries reminds me of a "trust walk" team-building exercise, when I was in my church's youth group, where I was blindfolded and had to trust my buddy who would lead me through an obstacle course with only verbal commands.  We have to trust that the Lord is directing our steps and rest in the promise from God's Word in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

 

Our next step is making a move to Winston-Salem, NC by the end of this month where I will be finalizing my primary flight training with Mission Flight Group, an organization led by former missionary pilots who train missionary pilots.  There I will earn my Commercial Pilot's Certificate as well as doing tactical flight training, learning to take-off and land from dirt, grass, and otherwise unimproved airstrips, as well as mastering emergency procedures.  My primary flight instructor will be Dan Kelly, a veteran in flight instruction who has the reputation of making grown men cry!  I hope they mean with his sense of humor!

This particular move comes with another level of faith-stretching decisions.  We have to find good homes for our two dogs, Lily and Carhartt, as we cannot take them with us.  We will be staying in a missionary house owned by Pleasant View Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, only two miles from the Smith-Reynolds Airport where I will be flying out of...what a blessing!  We will also be taking Mrs. Minnix' with us, our 97-year-old "adopted" grandmother.  Please help us pray for a smooth transition for us all.

We anticipate being in Winston-Salem two to three months.  We are praying for a mighty work from God for us to be able to then head to our post at MMS Aviation in Coshocton, OH.  I cannot begin work in the hangar as a mechanic until we have reached 100% of monthly financial goal that was set for us by MMS Aviation.  We began our partnership development (support raising) with our initial letter a little less than two months ago.  Thanks to many friends, family members, and a couple of churches so far, we are at 20% of our monthly financial need.  Praise God!  We covet your prayers in the area of support raising as well.  Everyone at MMS Aviation from the CEO down is faith supported by God's people.  Asking others to support us is a very new area for us.  We have come to understand that it is God's way of involving many people.  Our ministry is much larger than ourselves.  The aircraft that I will fly and fix are often literally lifesavers.  We are looking forward to seeing lives saved both in this world and for eternity!  Would you care to join us?

For more information about MMS Aviation or to join our team, please visit www.mmsaviation.org

-David