3/4 of the Way

We've reached 75% of our monthly support...only 25% to go in the next 3 weeks! Our outgoing fund is at 58%--things are finally moving again. We were a little worried the past few weeks, as we didn't really see any rise in our support. I tell you what, this sort of thing really puts you in a position that you have to trust God completely, because it's totally out of our hands!

In other news, we spent our Saturday at the beach with Rodney and Tammi Dyrud. They are a couple we met back in April at MAF when I was going through the technical evaluation. He was doing the same thing. Eventually, we both got accepted as missionaries, and even better, we both ended up getting assigned to east DRC! So we're going to be coworkers/neighbors/friends/family. So we figured we'd spend a little time with them before we get to Africa.

Joy is feeling better; the morning sickness seems to be subsiding a bit now. At least she's not sick all day, just in the evening now. Who would have figured you'd get morning sickness in the evening!? I guess there's a lot of things I will be learning in the near future!

Be praying for us--we've got a lot of traveling to do in the next few months, and a lot of things to accomplish. We're trying to be fully supported by the time we leave for MAF training in April. Thanks for praying and giving so far. It's always humbling to remember how many people are behind us, supporting us in so many different ways. Without you, we would not be able to go!

New Tribes Aviation Video

Here's another excellent video put out by New Tribes Aviation. They do a wonderful job explaining the need for aviation in the mission world. The last ten minutes are the video about the Kodiak.

Kodiak Video

Here's a ten minute video about the new Kodiak airplane. Some of it may be a little boring for you, but it's interesting to me anyway!

Cliche' anyone?

Never thought I'd see the day...catch my drift?

14 Weeks!

That's right, baby had a birthday yesterday! Both mom and baby are doing well. Our latest checkup was good, and Joy is showing some signs of improvement with her morning sickness. It comes and goes instead of making her feel miserable all the time.

Support raising is going well; we've been able to accomplish a lot the past two weeks, although our support level is still at 73%. We are still hoping to be fully supported by April 20th--we'll see what God has in store for us!

May I Introduce

The airplane of mission aviation future has finally become a reality!


The Quest Kodiak:
I'm pleased and very excited to announce that MAF has just received their very first Kodiak airplane! This is a HUGE development, especially in the mission aviation world, as the airplane was specifically and intentionally designed, built, and customized for use in missions! It boasts a very reliable 750 horsepower turbine engine, extremely strong landing gear to absorb the abuse airplanes take when landing and taking off on grass, dirt, and gravel airstrips. It seats 10 people (including the pilot), and perhaps best of all are its performance figures:

Takeoff roll = 760 feet!
Landing roll = 915 feet!
Useful Load = 3,100 pounds!

All of these things are greatly desired when flying in a mission environment. You want to be able to land and take off in very short distances, but still be able to carry a lot of passengers and supplies. And perhaps the best part of all is that the turbine engine runs on jet fuel (diesel), which is readily available all over the world for $4-$5 a gallon. Long the workhorse of the mission aviation world, the Cessna 206 (what I trained in at Moody), runs on "Avgas," a more refined version of auto gas. It is becoming less and less available, and generally costs 3-4 times as much as jet fuel. MAF's 206 fleet is also getting old and worn out...most were made in the late 70's or early 80's.

The Kodiak will significantly reduce operating costs as it can carry 3 times as much as a 206 in one flight, while still being able to land and take off on the same short airstrips! This airplane is going to revolutionize the mission community! Thank God with us as this is a huge blessing, and the Word of God will continue to go forth!

Wow

I just have to put this link on here--these are incredible photos from eastern Congo, right in some of the spots we will be living...and I will be flying to. Somehow pictures always make it a little more real. Do check it out, it's worth your time:

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/02/portraits_from_the_congo.html

Back To Work

After a great week of vacation, it's back to work! My mom and my younger brother were able to come out here and visit for 7 days over spring break. We went all over, seeing the sights, driving around, hitting the tourist spots...most of them I haven't even been to. Here's a picture of me, Joy, and my mom with the Hollywood sign way in the background. We even got to witness some guy getting his star put into the sidewalk! We also took a day and went to a few different beaches in the area around Santa Monica Pier, and Huntington Beach. Underneath the pier, I found a little boy who thought it was great fun to pick all the mussels off the beams. It also made for a nice sunset picture. It's nice now that it stays light out for an extra hour. In Congo, it won't change at all, as we're so close to the equator. The sun will come up at 5am and go down at 5pm, and once it's gone, it gets dark real quick!

Our support is up to 73% right now, with our outgoing a little over 53%. We're trying to get everything in by April 20th when our orientation and training classes start. Otherwise, we will have to take 10 weeks off from support raising, complete the training, and resume our support raising after that...which we really don't want to do. Those 4 or 5 weeks are supposed to be when we pack our shipment for Africa and move to Canada for language school. And with Joy being pregnant, it will be really hard to raise support on top of all that's already going on! Even if you are unable to commit to our monthly support, you can still help by giving us referrals. You might not be able to help with our monthly support, but you may know someone who can! Let us know!

Correction

Make that 35 individuals!

Numbers

Did You Know?

If we find 4 more churches to commit to $200/month


-AND-


36 more individuals to give $40/month



We would be FULLY supported!

Practice

The three of us took the weekend and drove up to Joy's brother's house in central California. We celebrated Julia's 9th birthday on Friday and Saturday with a friendly game of miniature golf, and floating around in bumper boats! And, of course there was singing and candles and plenty of cake and ice cream to go around...oh yeah, and presents too!

Ranging from 9 to 7 months, we got some good practice in preparation for our own little one. Wherever we went, they always had to ride with "Uncle Joy and Aunt Tis!" Of course, we relinquished responsibility anytime somebody needed a clean diaper or a bath!

We continue to work hard with our support raising efforts. We're still writing letters, calling, licking envelopes, and emailing lots of people! Our support has risen to 63.5%, and we're hoping for a few more churches to join our team in the next month or so. We're both feeling a little better since last week too. I've all but gotten over the flu, and Joy is feeling a little better as well. We cherish your prayers!