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