Introduction:
It was a clear pristine day as I walked to my cabin along the dirt path. I was just 10 years old and attending a kids camp in the Northern woods of Wisconsin. Just like any youngster I was kicking stones along the way.
For some reason I looked into the sky and my attention was grabbed by a long stream of what seemed to be cotton coming off the back of a big jet. I gave that picture some deep thought and imagined myself flying a plane off into the wild blue yonder. I can remember my thoughts on that day, "I want to be a pilot."
Chapter 1: Testimony
"Station 395, this is 386, do you copy? Roger station 386, go ahead. We have an emergency here and we need the airplane right away. Roger 386, do you need a stretcher or other medical equipment? There has been a terrible accident in town. One person has been injured severley and the other has died. The local medical personnel has bandeged the injured person and given him an I.V. Roger 386, I will be in the air in less than 5 minutes and estimate your station in 1 hour, I'll call you from the air."
This situation is very common in mission aviation ministry but the steps and the process to get yourself to this point and to strap yourself into the airplane's seat is a long journey.
I grew up in a Christian home with 3 other brothers and one sister. My Father was a self employed insurance salesman and my Mother was a care taker at home. I valued that my mother was at home when we arrived from school, today that doesn't happen as frequently.
My Mother was actually an MK, missionaries kid. Her parents were Missionaries to Kenya, Africa and spent almost 40 years planting churches. On my Father's side we didn't know his dad due to his death at a fairly young age.
I remember going to church at least three times a week. Wednesday was club night Sundays we had Sunday school and evening services. I remember a drive to church one day when I was quoting John 3:16, I could have been about 7 at the time. As time progressed I shared that I had asked Jesus into my heart at the age of about 7. Upon reaching 13 I was challenged by someone and ended up re-dedicating my life to Christ, the next day I told my best friend at school.
Later grade school and early teen years I seemed to have forgotten about being a pilot. Sports were now filling my spare time. I wanted to be a Chicago Cub, and also wanted to play for the Miami Dolphins or Chicago Bears. My spiritual formation took place mostly during the church's functions and activities. I didn't get too invloved in worldy activities due to the church having fun activities to be a part of.
The High school years is where my life began to take a change in direction. I remember missionaries coming to church to share and my response was always that I "never wanted to be a missionary." I give a lot of credit to my youth pastor for where I am at today. He was a mentor to me and invested much into my life.
As a Freshman I remember seeing this beautiful girl in a yellow dress in Sunday school. An upperclassman instantly shattered my dreams when he told me to forget it after I asked him what her name was. Not allowing him or anyone else to get in my way, I quickly established a friendship with this young lady. Less than two years later we began dating, and then 5 years after that we were married, 23 years ago this year.
My aspirations as a teen were more than just who was my girlfriend, as a young man I knew that I aspired to other career opportunities. Somewhere between my Sophomore and Junior year I had made a cognitive decision to become a missionary pilot. The thing was I didn't know much at all about missionary pilots, I had yet to hear about Nate Saint and other heroes of the faith. The only info I remember was that someone told me that there was such a thing as a missionary pilot and I reached back into the archives of my dreams and put my aspiration to be a pilot together with my conviction to serve the Lord.
I graduated high school and applied to the Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music. From this title you would figure I was going into a music career or the pastorate but the school had a missions program that included aviation. It was directed by a retired Air Force Coronol Clair McCombs. This man became my aviation mentor along with the other teachers and staff.
I am sad to say that in the beginning I was more interested in my aviation skills than my spiritual maturity. I struggled with the rules and parameters imposed on me and eventually almost threw my entire dream away.
After my second year I went to Kenya, Africa for a 3 month missionary internship with AIM/AIR, the aviation branch of Africa Inland Mission. What an incredible experience it was for me and when I left I knew that this is what God wanted for me.
I returned to GRSBM for my third year under the graces of the powers to be and from my personal perspective thrived in the context that earlier strangled me. In the middle of my third year my wife and I were engaged and the next summer got married. My fourth and fifth years were in the maintenance program. Most all aviation organizations required the pilots to be a mechanic as well, it makes sense but I was never mechanical in nature. I studied hard and finished with little problem. During these years my wife worked two jobs to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. Yes, the famous quote does apply to us; "Behind every good man is a great wife."
Chapter 2 - Pursuing an Organization and Field
After I graduated school we began a long process of preparing for the field. Not having anything planned we went to a short term preperation mission called "Mission Ready." This mission was located in the rural area near the Appalacian Mountains and taught us many skills in regards to the family and work. During this period of three months we contacted the South America Mission and drove to florida to have a personal interview.
....more to be continued
Theme song:
When I Get Where I'm Going
When I get where I'm goin', On the far side of the sky, The first thing that I'm gonna do,
Is spread my wings and fly.
I'm gonna land beside a lion, And run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it's like, To ride a drop of rain. Yeah, when I get where I'm goin',
There'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles, I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open; I will love and have no fear.
Yeah, when I get where I'm goin', Don't cry for me down here.
I'm gonna walk with my Grand Daddy, And he'll match me step for step.
And I'll tell him how I've missed him, Every minute since he left, and then I'll hug his neck. Yeah, when I get where I'm goin', There'll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles, I have carried all these years.
And I'll leave my heart wide open; I will love and have no fear.
Yeah, when I get where I'm goin', Don't cry for me down here. So much pain and so much darkness, In this world we stumble through.
All these questions I can't answer, And so much work to do.
But when I get where I'm goin', And I see my Maker's face, I'll stand forever in the light
Of His amazing grace. Yeah, when I get where I'm goin',
(Oh, when I get where I'm goin'.)
There'll be only happy tears.
(Hallelujah.)
I will love and have no fear.
Ah ha.
(When I get where I'm goin'.)
Yeah, when I get where I'm goin'.
Sung by Brad Paisley Written by George Teren and Rivers Rutherford.
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