Peace & Immanuel...

Rushing, buying, wanting, longing... Our American Christmas season has become so encompassed with self and the desire for more that the true meaning of Christmas has become lost.  Instead of counting the sparkling gifts labeled with your name, why not unwrap the gift of a baby who lay in a manger over 2,000 years ago? Jesus Christ came as an innocent child, to take on our yuck, our sin, our selfishness so that we may have life eternally.  The treasure and most priceless gift you could receive this season is to stop and identify the treasure, a child who came to this world to bring you peace - Jesus Christ. 

Will and I have began our new venture in life as missionaries. In the season's hubbub, instead of buying we are simplifying. We have been selling much of what we possess in order to move overseas.  It is refreshing not buying each other gifts for Christmas (we made a few homemade gifts).  We have instead chosen to be grateful for each other and what we have already been given. We are remembering the reason and purpose of Christmas - it all began with a sweet infant baby born in a manger.  Jesus came not to gain anything, but to give of HIS life. What an incredible thought, to give ones life without seeking anything.

It makes us stop and think what is our purpose here? Are we living life for ourselves? Or do we have a greater purpose?

As we are preparing to go overseas, God has been reminding us about the gift that we are giving to the world. We are desire to teach the world about God's peace, hope and salvation.  

MAF adventures - Candidacy January 2011!

Welcome to MAF! 

Thank you everyone for the prayers.  Well, God has given us "the thumbs up" to continue our journey to serve overseas! We have been formally invited back to MAF for Candidacy and officially join the MAF team in January 2011!

Birthday Night Out!

We are still in a state of attempting to comprehend that we have actually made it through our evaluation and passed! Years of hard work and listening to God's calling led us to our evaluation at MAF and now... it is over! And the joy of next phase begins!  Over the next month we will be wrapping up our current jobs and preparing our hearts to serve overseas! Will and I could not be more grateful to be invited back... it is truly an answer to months and years of prayer.


Here is a recap of our time at MAF:

Our little friendly Mr. Squirrel 

We were there for about two weeks. Our adventure began before we could even unlock our MAF apartment door.  We were warmly welcomed over for dinner by our neighbors Ricky, Heather and sweet little Elise!  What a joy it was to get to know the people that we will be serving beside for years to come!  Throughout our time, the common thread at MAF was Christ's grace and love.  It was evident in everyone around us; people were genuinely raw and real about their faith.  It was refreshing to observe people who loved Jesus with all their heart, mind, soul and strength (Matt. 22)!

Being silly playing on the "display hose" at the firehouse!

Our stay included road trips, evaluations, many belly laughs, fun times downtown Boise, dinners with the MAF staff, birthdays and countless other memories.

Our evaluations were two different dynamics! Will's eval was a maintenance evaluation: spending most of his time at the hanger working on various projects with his Maintenance Evaluator, Doug.  My evaluation was a "social eval": I stayed "hard at work" building relationships with the staff of MAF (aka chatting with the women :)

At the conclusion of our time (and after MANY prayers) Will passed his evaluation with "flying colors" (no pun intended) and I passed the social aspect as well.  At this point, the board invited us to come back for Candidacy as a Maintenance Specialist couple for January 2011! We are so blessed and look forward to officially becoming a part of the MAF team!

God's beauty surrounds us daily...

God is so good! Thank you all for the continued prayers!  Our hearts are to follow our GOD wherever HE leads our family. Thank you for joining us on this journey!

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11 

Vulnerable Love and 10 Days...

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.  Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.  The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation.  The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.”  The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis


Let us love with an all-consuming, vulnerable, Christ-like love... Will and I are preparing to go to MAF in 10 days for our evaluation.  We are daily reminded of our purpose... To love the world unabashedly, purely, and rightly. To proclaim God's true and HIS salvation!  Remembering, "This is LOVE: not that we loved God, but that HE loved us and sent HIS Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." - 1 John 4  Let us go into the world and tell of this vulnerable love.

To the Least of These...

"Whatever you do to the LEAST of these you do unto ME" - Jesus (Matthew 25)

What a humbling thought... I rush daily through the hubbub of life, sometimes without even a glance at the hurting, hopeless, and lost.  I am so consumed with my own thoughts, agenda, and "to-do's" that I lose focus of my purpose.  I to quickly forget what my CREATOR, God, designed me to be. We are children of God (Gal. 3:26). Therefore, we need to have the heart and mind of Christ - Love.  Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrong. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. Love NEVER fails (1 Cor. 13). What does that look like? How do I show Christ's love to the world? 

I got a glimpse of what that should look like last night at the grocery.  I had just finished bustling through the store with my list of items. I totaled everything in my head and was so proud of myself that I was under budget!  I slipped into the line behind a single woman... Finally no waiting in the grocery line! 

Then I watched a scene unfold before me.  I gazed only to find a woman - tired, worn, weather... Her forehead furrowed as she was trying to understand what the cashier was saying. I listened in. The cashier said, "I'm sorry, but it is saying you have insufficient funds." The woman's shoulders sagged as if the weight of all 60 something years had just fallen across her back.  Her only words were soft and saddened, "I checked this morning and I had $29.04 left in my account. That should be enough to cover my groceries... Please could you check again? Or start removing things until it accepts my card. I need to take something home..."  

My heart broke. My mind racing - $29.04 left to her name... Then the selfish part of me went to look at the registered, just to make sure she didn't owe too much money. I immediately began the mental excuses for my glance, "Well, we don't have much either. We have so many bills to pay.  I need to make sure her debt is not too much..." 

I stopped, horrified by the thoughts that flashed through my mind! Would Jesus have thought these things. NO! HE would have loved selflessly and met this woman's needs.   

I thought about what HE has done for me on the cross...  Did HE, Jesus, stop to assess how much I sinned? Did HE pause before dying for my sins to measure the depth of my debt to say, "Will this cost me too much"? 

NO! Jesus died for all my sin because HE loved me selflessly, beautifully, and perfectly.  "For God so loved the world, that HE gave HIS only Son, that WHOEVER believes in HIM should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 

Who am I to call myself a Christ-follower and choose not to love as Christ.  I need to stop and choose to love period.  

So, the question still is pressing into my heart - Will I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the helpless (Matthew 25)... How I love the "least of these" is how I love my Savior... 

Carol walked away with tears threatening to breech the rims of her tired eyes. Her small, tired, weathered hands clinging to the groceries that God alone provided... 

Our LONG Overdue Story - God, Facebook and Us

So it has been an entire year since our worlds collided. Literally!

Many of you are probably wondering our story which God so perfectly ordered long before we became one...

The story begins on Facebook (yes Facebook) around June 18th, 2009. Well, actually the story begins far before this point. Will had been praying from Vancouver, Washington that God would give him a wife who would long to serve besides him. He was desiring to serve God with Mission Aviation Fellowship and serve Christ overseas. I (Nan) was on the other side of the states in Birmingham, Michigan working as a Medical Device Sales Rep. I had told my mom around June 1st, 2009 that I thought God had intended me to be single for my life. My mother (in her wisdom) told me she thought God desired me to be married. So, that day we began to pray for my husband (not knowing that it would be my Sweet William).

Flash forward now to June 18, 2009. Will Grant had commented on a FB post of our mutual friend. It was not his post that intrigued me as much as his picture. Will's picture was the gorgeous expanse God's beautiful creation - the mountains offsetting a rugged wooden cross. I was newer to FB and thought in order to ask this "Will guy" where the mountain-scape was located I must friend request him. So I did. We exchanged a few pleasantries like: Who are you? How do you know our mutual friend (Will attended APU with him in Cali and I went to school K-12th Grade back in Michigan with our friend)? Where do you live (Will - Washington and Nan - Michigan)? Where is your picture (Alaska)? And that was that! I added Alaska to my "bucket-list" of places to go and closed that chapter.

Two weeks later I get a random, yes random, email from Will Grant that said, "If you are ever in
the Pac NW and want a plane ride to the beach let me know." My initial thoughts... "Ummmmm... Okay?" I decided to play the game and told him via email, "Okay, as long as we go back-packing and whitewater rafting I was in for the adventure. Smile." Then we started emailing back and forth. Then one Saturday afternoon we finally talked on the phone. It was decided that I would think and pray about coming to Vancouver, Washington for a visit. I talked with my godly and wise mama. She told me she would pray about the decision and get back to me with her thoughts the following day. Well, she did! And she told me she had peace that I should go...

So, the next month and a half Will and I chatted on Gmail video chat for hours each evening. It became more and more apparent that what was happening between us was not just about us. God had brought us together, no question! I was in awe as Will was such an amazing leader in our relationship. I never had experienced a relationship with a guy that put Christ before me in everything!

On August 12th, 2009 I flew into PDX and met my Sweet William for the first time. I knew this was the man that God desired for me to marry. Later that night over dinner Will told me he loved me... out of exhaustion (up since 12:30am PST b/c of the time difference from Michigan) I said, "Yeah, me too" to Will's declaration of love. Poor guy thought I wasn't interested (but I was just so tired I couldn't think of a better answer)! But, later that night we talked further and he realized that I decided to and longed to love him as well! Over the next two weeks we grew to know each other deeper and realized that our hearts were desiring the same thing in life - to serve God together in whatever capacity HE (God) desired for our lives.

The second day into the trip we were informally engaged and Mom and Dad Grant were busy planning our Honeymoon for December! I flew back to Michigan and begin the chaotic process of closing the Michigan chapter of my life... putting in my 2 weeks notice at work, saying good-bye to friends and family, packing up my condo, selling things to pay for the cross-country move... And spending every spare moment having coffee dates with my mom who I knew I would dearly miss!

On Labor Day, 2009 Will flew in to Detroit to move me out to the Pacific North West! We loaded up the Penske truck and spent the entire day with my wonderful mama. Then we had to say good-bye. It was the hardest good-bye I could have imagined...

We began the journey which lasted for two days. The first leg was made up of many laughs, a 24-pack of Red Bull, countless King Sized candy bars, and amazing memories. One memory that will never be forgotten was in Miles City, Montana. After driving from 5 pm-8pm the next evening we finally pulled over in Miles City, Montana to get 2 hotel rooms for the night (separate rooms of course). We had just finished watching football when I told Will how hard it was to have just left my family. He comforted me and asked me to close my eyes because he had a surprise. Due to the fact I was more than sleep deprived after 35 plus hours without sleep, I thought Will had a surprise to welcome me to Washington and my new home.  I closed my eyes. When I opened them Will was down on one knee. He asked me to be his family and walk beside him, serving our God for the rest of our days. Of course, I said, "YES"!

We finally arrived in Vancouver, Washington after our two day trip exhausted, but happy! William moved me into the home of some girls from the church until we got married. Well, that only lasted for two weeks time. Both of us decided there was no point to waiting to get married until December. We wanted to honor God in our relationship and knew that we would have to bump up our wedding date in order to remain pure and honor GOD first. So, we went to the courthouse in Hillsboro, Oregon on September 25th, 2009! We moved into a little apartment and began the most incredible marriage that was perfectly ordered by our God!

Since then we have experience an incredible journey that daily strips us of ourselves (especially me) and teaches us to put God first, then each other, then others and THEN ourselves. It has been an amazing year of our lives. Happy ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!

Each day, God draws our hearts closer. We feel that our next step is to join Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to serve God overseas in the coming days. If you would join us in prayer as we have our evaluation with MAF in October, 2010 and will hope to join in January 2011.

Thank you for joining us in this joining perfectly designed by our God!

Aerial Shots & 25 Days...

25 More Days of Training
Life has seemed somewhat of a whirlwind over the last several months... We are fully immersed in our training: flying 3 days a week and engulfed in aviation books the 3 opposing days. I (Nan) have become the designated back seat passenger on our training days. I spend my time observing the radios, techniques, and activities of my fabulous pilot hubby. I must say a pilot's job is one for an incredible multi-tasker! I never knew so many things could happen at once: Talking to ATC (Air Traffic Control), using the instrument panel (which provides the pilot with info about the flight situation of the Cessna 206: height, speed, altitude etc), maneuvering, dealing with passengers (me) and "simply" flying! But pilots, like my hubby, do it all!

Aerial Shots and Life Lessons
God has a funny way of teaching us lessons through daily life, if we listen... I have seen this as my back seat flying days have lended to the learning of photography. I daily undergo the task of snapping as many aerial shots as possible until I have obtained the right focus, lighting and perspective. This is similar to my relationship with God. Day by day I can choose to have the focus and perspective of being overwhelmed by the stress of this season - unsure how our bills will get paid, where we will be this time next year or how... well you get the point. Drowning in worry. OR I can choose to simply TRUST GOD. Not to be trite; it is true. Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in him (God) at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." God knows all things and will take care of HIS people, I must choose to rest in that promise. So instead of drowning in worry, our family has chosen to Trust in God always and find peace in HIM!

Well, in this process of trusting, Will's pilot skills improve daily as we draw closer and closer to our deadline at MAF (October 11th-22nd). We pray each morning and night together that God will prepare our hearts to deepen our trust in HIM each step of the way! Thank you for joining us in prayer as we step closer to our time at MAF...

Wing Walking... Life's Adventures

Ahh the thrill of wind brushing its airy fingers through my hair as I walk boldly across the wings of my husband's airplane mid-flight... Well, I didn't exactly wing walk, but my hubby and I watched a "wing walker" and her husband's pirate performance during my first airshow!

The airshow was perfect. I now grasp the awe of a child, as everywhere I looked there was something new to discover! I must say, the day was a bit easier to navigate when your CFI, pilot hubby is the tour guide. It was an exhilarating day from start to finish as well as a fabulous date with my hubby! I am again amazed to see God using simple experiences, such as the airshow, to catch a better glimpse of my hubby's God-given passion for flying.

Our summertime has flown by as well. This season of life has entailed the norm: working, studying, flying, and trusting God to reveal HIS hand and purpose in each day. Additionally, we enjoyed some special moments: our wedding photo shoot (a year delayed), time at the beach, hikes, the airshow, and just life together... As we are preparing in this season for MAF we both sit back in awe how God is allowing us to do life together. We are nearing a year of marriage and I must say I cannot remember life without my hubby! It is a gift from God to walk daily beside your best friend! We are excited to watch what God does in the days to come! We now only have 41 days until our evaluation and discovering the next page in our story. Thank you for your continued prayers.


Blessings,
Will and Nan

Cannon Beach...

God provided the perfect getaway weekend for my hubby's 29th birthday. A beautiful and gracious couple from our church gave us a weekend away in a little 1920's cottage in Cannon Beach, Oregon! It honestly could not have been more ideal! I asked Will to work over time Monday-Thursday because we were having a birthday adventure Friday afternoon! I picked him up from work at noon on Friday and kidnapped him (Blind-fold and all)! Eventually I let him see and he figured out that we were spending "the afternoon" at the beach. Only later to find out that we were spending the WHOLE weekend at the cottage thanks to our dear friends.

We enjoyed relaxing walks on the beach, talking for hours, attempted frisbee in the rain/wind, experiencing adult sugar highs (ice cream and confectioners chocolates in the same sitting after sharing a 20-slice pizza)and no communication with the outside world for 3 whole days! I was a good wife and packed Will's study materials so he could stay mentally sharp as our evaluation is drawing near... He studied for an hour or so while I enjoyed journaling on the couch, listening to music and the rain... It was the best mini-vacation and weekend of memories in our lives! We could not be more thankful for God allowing us to have this time of refreshing together as we are in the final stretch to our evaluation with MAF.

70 Days...

Only 70 days until our Technical Evaluation with MAF. Our eval is just around the corner now! My hubby is sitting in our office rigorously studying in order to be as prepared as feasibly plausible.

Two to three times a week you will find us sitting in the crush of I-5 Vancouver traffic in order to put in some 206 flight time. My role (when there is not another CFI on board) is to call out instructions at random to my Captain... "Your engine is out..." Or, "Altitude" if my hubby varies more than 20 feet in his altitude levels (which he rarely does). These are only a few of the factors that my hubby will be assess on in October.

Over the last weeks Will has had a LOT of flight time. This last weekend, we had the honor of flying people from the "All Church Picnic" at Pearson Airport! It was a wonderful event where families from the local areas came together for sermons, worship & music, games and of course, airplane rides!

Will was the designated 206 Captain for the entire day. What we thought would be only a few flights quickly turned into a 6 hour day. Over 80 people signed up for their airplane experience. As the day neared a close, we sadly had to turn people away... However, a memorable ride for both of us was our last flight. Saorsa, a 6 year old boy, told us that he was going to be an astronaut when he grew up. However, he FIRST must become a pilot! By the end of the flight, and after Will's continuous instruction, Saorsa turned to his Rodger and said, "Dad, I am gonna teach you how to fly one day!" Will now has his youngest pilot/fan in training :)

It was a joy sharing Christ with the people around us in the midst of the chaos... The chaos of flying 80+ people, collecting donations, manning the lists of people awaiting plane rides... Oh, and on empty stomachs because the wife (me) forgot to pack lunches because I assumed (lesson one - never assume) an All Church Picnic meant, food was provided. Oops! But, my kind and wonderful hubby gracious ate the few granola bars I could scrounge up with a smile on his face as he continued to fly the eagerly awaiting passengers!

On our way home from the picnic we recalled the variety of passengers. Passengers who were retired pilots flying again to remember when... or the 206 flight filled with 5 boys (one of which lost his lunch mid-flight)... or the children who's eyes were filled with wonder upon their first flight...

It was amazing to realize how opportunities like this are God's blessing and HIS way of preparing us for the next step in our lives. We long to continue to bring hope to a world of people who may not have touched hope in tangible ways. Finding hope through God's unconditional love, or receiving practical things such as food, water or medicine. This is the "hope" that we will have the privilege to bring wherever God sends us in this world.

God has given my hubby the gift of being an amazing pilot and us together, the ability to show God's love to people. We cannot wait to see what the next page in our story may be as we step another day closer to our journey at MAF, in God's perfect time...

I thank my God when ever...

Our lives are so good. I could not be more grateful! Or could I?

As I was reading this morning God taught me a few much needed lessons... Philippians 1:3 says, "I thank my God when ever I think of you..." God stopped me in my tracks as the first few words took root within me... "I thank my God when ever..." Do I? Well, often yes. BUT when ever? This was such a good reminder to me that everything that Will and I have been blessed with is from GOD. It is not ours, but HIS. So as I am struggling some days with being grateful, I am stopping to remember how good our God is to us... Today I will thank God WHEN EVER, period!

Moving = Downsizing & Sunshine = Flying and Hikes

God has an amazing way of teaching one to trust HIM in the daily details of life. Our lives have been chaotically fabulous all in one breath! About a month ago we found out our old apartment management team thought it would be brilliant to increase our rent 20%. Needless to say that was not "in the budget" due to Will's flight preparation for MAF. Will and I began to pray intensely that God would provide. And HE DID provide more than we could have imagined! We are now renting a condo from a Christian couple and have moved in over the last weeks. The Grants are now settled in to our charming 800 sq foot condo! It is such a blessing...

Moving has also prompted us to downsize. We moved from an apartment with a garage to a condo with none. On that note, we are busily craigslisting, ebaying, and consignment shop selling (Nan is trying to reduce her plethora of clothes). All of the selling is going directly into our "Flying Fund".

God is continuing to take care of us in more ways than we can imagine... Simple things like at our new home we get basic cable (aka Discovery Channel is all that matters in our house lol) and internet for FREE! Little savings add up quickly and we couldn't be more thankful to God!

And then yes, I did say SUNSHINE! Portland has finally awakened to the fact it is summertime. We, PAC Northwesterners, are getting hit full force with some heat! Today is peaking at a mild 99 degrees. BUT on the wonderful side, the sunshine equals time for my hubby and I to hike up Saddle Mountain and fly. We thankful to God for what HE has provided for us each day!

Please continue to pray as Will is rigorously preparing for his evaluation with Servant Wings in late August and final evaluation with Mission Aviation Fellowship in October. We are in God's hands and fully confident that HE will direct our steps! Thank you for joining us in prayer...

Blessings,
Will and Nan Jane Grant

110 degrees and 17 weeks to go...

Well, the final press for the finish line is underway. We just returned from a fabulous and much needed vacation (thanks to Mom and Dad Grant) to Palm Springs, California... We enjoyed many memories of 110+ degree days, tennis matches, the Air Museum (a highlight of course) and some relaxation poolside! We are now beginning our final leg of preparation for our evaluation with MAF. From here until his technical evaluation in October, you will find my hubby studying most evenings and flying every Saturday possible. I am honing my teaching skills daily as I continue to work as the Children's Director at our church.

It is hard to believe that we are so close to pursing the passion God has laid upon our hearts of missions. We are looking forward to the coming days as God continues to direct us! Thank you for all your prayers...

Portland Rain, 4:45am and 19 weeks...

If it is a Saturday morning you will probably see my hubby with his head in the clouds literally! Each Saturday, my hubby is diligently flying and honing his skills as he is preparing for our Mission Aviation Fellowship Technical Evaluation in October. During the week nights I find with his nose in Far Aim in order to keep sharp with his technical flight information. I have learned that is not time to chat and catch up, he is focused to say the least. I am so proud of my hubby as he pours his heart into preparing for our eval. And another perk is that I learn flight factoids along the way. Like the phrase “Three 152’s”. It is the phrase pilots use to remember cloud clearance limits. A pilot must be able to see for 3 miles, be 1000 feet above the clouds, be 500 feet below the clouds or be 2,000 feet away from clouds beside the plane… That only a bit of the wealth of knowledge I am learning on the path to becoming a pilot (or just a pilot’s wife)!
On the home front… We have had just a few unexpected events lately. One we just found out this week was that our rent was sky-rocketing come July. So, we have started the missions’ mentality of packing up and moving a bit earlier than expected. We are praying for God’s perfect fit for our new home as this move will be the last move before we pack our bags to go overseas. It has been fun preparing to move! I have been “down-sizing” and “craigslisting” our home. And yes the motorcycle is Will’s contribution to Craigslist (as pictured)! I have a few too many things: For example, I don’t think stilettos will work too well in the jungle.  God has allowed for some amazing opportunities to share HIS love… I have been able to share God’s eternal life and heavenly treasures with the people I am selling my earthly possessions to. It is wild the doors God opens when you let HIM work.
Here is a snapshot of our lives as of late: Our days begin at 4:45am to lift and run (and yes, 4:45am is not a typo btw), eat breakfast, spend time in the Word and then I drop Will off at work by 7:30am. He is working as an A&P mechanic honing his skills each day. Whew… Then my whirlwind continues as I go home to open my laptop and work on Port Kids Projects. I get to develop ways to introduce kids to the heartbeat of Christ in creative manners. This is my part-time (full-time) job which I adore! I tend to work for a few hours and then run to meeting a Port Kids volunteer for java, clean a home or run errands. God has opened up an opportunity for me to clean at least one or two homes a week which helps immeasurable in paying for our flying. Cleaning money directly goes into the “flight training fund”. And for all of you who are not yet aviation savvy… To fly an airplane “wet” (filled with fuel) costs $149/hr! So, Will’s flight preparation is a pricy thing for 1.5-2 hours a week. But, we are moving forward as WE KNOW with certainty that it is where God is directing our lives. So, Will has to be in the air more often than not. I think he would choose to fly instead of walk most days if he could. He was born to fly NO QUESTION! Then I get to pick up my hubby at 5 ish each evening… We have dinner, study and then go to bed by… well let’s just say early 
So, dear family and friends this is a glimpse into our lives as of late. We are loving life and learning how to serve God in our marriage, church and everyday life. God is good and continuously provides for our needs each day.
Oh, and 19 weeks until our evaluation… The clock is tickin’

GONE FLYING,

Love, Will and Nan Jane

Nan's First Flight Flying...

So in order to be the new wife of a pilot one must learn the basics... Not just learning the basics of marriage, but the basics of being a pilot. I had the most wonderful instructor for my first flight, Mr. William Donald Grant.

We took off on our first flight on a gorgeous sunny day, a "clear and a million day" in pilot jargon! I took off, although it seemed like I was in control, my hubby (in the right seat) was talking me safely through my first experience. I "lost my engine" on the first flight... and yes, I panicked! But, my wonderful instructor calmly brought us down onto a nice green pasture in La Center, Washington. It was truly an exhilarating flight and I look forward to when I will be able to solo ;) In quite a while of course!

Please pray for us as we continue to grow stronger together in Christ. We are praying for God's clear direction in our lives as to our next steps...

We will be back soon to update further about what God is doing in our lives...

Our Journey Together...

Yes, so I had lots of plans to start doing frequent updates after the first of the year but all of my energy has been spent trying to fill the void being laid off has created. Looking for work at this point especially at this time of the year is not easy, but I have plenty of things to be thankful for. Especially after seeing the images from Haiti. I am thankful for a dry, warm place to lay my head every night with the most beautiful bride on the planet. I am so blessed, yet some days just take it all for granted.

I would ask for you to pray for Nan and I, but anything I would say just seems insignificant when people tonight have no place to sleep and are wondering if their friends/family are even alive.

Hope that you are having a great new year as you read this!

This is character building time for Nan and I which is making us better as we pursue the path the Lord has for us.