Please note... I'm going to leave Young Man's mission request at the top of my blog for a while... so, for new posts please scroll down.
Thanks, "Mission Control" (sorry, couldn't resist...)
(the only way I know to do this is to change the date... so if you see a MAY date at the top while it's still April.. not to worry... just scroll down for more recent posts)
Showing posts with label missions trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missions trip. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2009
Africa here he comes!
EDITORIAL NOTE:
If you are interested in more information, there are several websites which you can visit: The MAF website with information on Lesotho is found at http://www.maf.org/lesotho, and a blog written by one of the pilots can be found at http://hullsfamily.blogspot.com/.In the meantime I ask that you prayerfully consider joining my support team, this could be through monetary support, prayer support, or by finding others who may be interested in supporting me. If you have questions or would like to support monetarily, you can contact my mom via the comments on this blog.
Thank you so much for considering this opportunity in furthering the Lord's work.
2 Timothy 2:10-13
10For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
11It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Friends and Family... Young Man has sent me a copy of his support letter for his mission trip. Below is an edited copy for you all to consider. Please pass this on to others who may have a heart for MAF or for Africa. I have deleted some of the information for safety reasons, but if you wish to contact me to support Young Man please do so. Otherwise, please join us as we pray for him, his team members, and the MAF pilots they will be serving, along with their families, and the people of Lesotho, Africa.
Hello All,
Currently I am a freshman at LeTourneau University in Longview, Texas, where I am studying missions aviation. Part of our training is to begin taking short term mission trips so we may have a better idea of what is ahead of us upon graduation. Due to some uncertainty of safety issues, the final plans for the trip were delayed until very recently. I now have confirmation that I will be traveling to Lesotho, which is a small country located within the larger country of South Africa. I will be working out of a base operated by MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) There are two main services which MAF provides in Lesotho. They help transport supplies to missionaries and communities as needed, and they also provide services for medical evacuations since travel by roads can be difficult.
I will be departing on May 24th to meet with the rest of the group, and we will travel together for the remainder of the trip. The main costs for the trip are the airline tickets, which will be slightly over $1800. However, I am writing not only to ask for monetary support but more importantly to ask for your prayer support. This will be my first mission trip overseas and I know that without the Lord's strength and guidance this trip will not be a success. To that end I am asking each of you to consider how you might support me. The trip will be approximately two weeks in length, including my travel time to and from Lesotho. My main goal for this trip is not only to serve the MAF base where I will be located, but also to get a feel for the organization and make sure that I know what it will be like in this kind of service.
I will be departing on May 24th to meet with the rest of the group, and we will travel together for the remainder of the trip. The main costs for the trip are the airline tickets, which will be slightly over $1800. However, I am writing not only to ask for monetary support but more importantly to ask for your prayer support. This will be my first mission trip overseas and I know that without the Lord's strength and guidance this trip will not be a success. To that end I am asking each of you to consider how you might support me. The trip will be approximately two weeks in length, including my travel time to and from Lesotho. My main goal for this trip is not only to serve the MAF base where I will be located, but also to get a feel for the organization and make sure that I know what it will be like in this kind of service.
If you are interested in more information, there are several websites which you can visit: The MAF website with information on Lesotho is found at http://www.maf.org/lesotho, and a blog written by one of the pilots can be found at http://hullsfamily.blogspot.com/.In the meantime I ask that you prayerfully consider joining my support team, this could be through monetary support, prayer support, or by finding others who may be interested in supporting me. If you have questions or would like to support monetarily, you can contact my mom via the comments on this blog.
Thank you so much for considering this opportunity in furthering the Lord's work.
2 Timothy 2:10-13
10For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.
11It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
You shall mount up on wings, as eagles...
Well actually, it wasn't eagle wings, but it was the wings of a Cessna.
Guess we'll start about 17 years ago. This story is about Young Man. I hope to tell Senior Son's story in another post...
From an early age my boys were very different. One wanted to be in the dirt, under bushes, and up in trees, picking up every six legged creature he could find. And, to my "joy" he brought these in to share with me. Wasn't he a thoughtful boy? The other boy was a bit quieter, at times. As a baby he liked to bite noses, giggle, and eat. A Lot!
By the ripe old age of two he had made two determinations in life. You see, unlike his brother he was not interested in the bugs. He liked to watch planes fly. For big brother we would go to the state park and study every little creature we could find. We had all sorts of things to study. But, for little brother we would drive to our small local airport and watch the planes take off.
First things first. At the age of 2 we took little brother to a "Meet the Instruments" gathering at our library. One kind gentleman offered Young Man a chance to touch, hold and "play" the violin. That was all it took. He told us he wanted to play the violin. He was consistent and never gave up. By the age of 5 he was playing. And, in one of those purely "God things" it turned out that the man who introduced him to the violin became a family friend, church elder and a boss to both my sons. Isn't God amazing?
A while later... it might have been within a few months or even a year, while we were sitting watching the planes take off (and big brother was finding out what bugs live on an airport parking lot) Young Man declared he would fly a plane some day.
Now, I'm not sure how many of you would take these thoughts seriously, but we paid attention. From the age of 7 Young Man studied planes, engines, weaponry and the air force. He "knew" he was going to be an air force pilot. Alas, he learned that his eyes would not allow this and he was left in a quandary as to what to do. Now mind you, he was, at this point, merely 11 years old and in the 6th grade.
His dad and I, on the other hand, "knew" that he was called elsewhere. You see we had chosen his name with a feeling (or a certainty perhaps) that he would be called to the mission field. We chose his name for one who "came along side" of the one who spoke for God. And, when Young Man was determined to fly I had a strong feeling he'd end up as a missionary aviator. He, however, had no clue as yet. His teacher came to me one day and asked, "Do you know he's called to be a missionary?" To which I replied, "Yes." Then he asked, "Does he know?" "Not yet." A few weeks later another worker at his school came up and asked the same questions. We simply waited. One night Young Man came and asked what we thought about him serving as a missionary aviator... well, we sort of "knew" all along that God would call him. It was amazing to see the Lord's hand at work.
Time passed, Young Man finished his one year in an actual school setting and we continued homeschooling. We tried to gear his education to what he would need in his "chosen" field. During this time "At the End of the Spear" came out in both movie and book form. I thought this would be a good measure for Young Man to see what he might be called to do. First we watched "Through Gates of Splendor"... the documentary of the young men called to serve and who ended up being martyred for their faith. Later two of the wives returned and eventually God used this to bring these people to a saving faith. As I sat with my son and watched the movie and realized what God might expect, I began to shake and cry. However, Young Man looked at me and said, "Well, that made my mind up. " I figured he might have changed his mind. After all, who wants to die at the end of a spear? But, he informed me that he knew that was what God was calling him to do.
This past year was his first year in college. His program is Missions Aviation. He will graduate, Lord willing, with a pilot's license, the ability to do mechanical work on the planes he flies, an idea of how to serve as a missionary, hours of class work, mission trips, and now flight. You see, Young Man took his first solo flight. The dream he had 17 years ago came true on Monday. On runway 13O he took off in a Cessna and for one hour lived the dream of a young boy. In just 10 days he will be leaving for Africa where he will serve in his first overseas mission trip to the people of Lesotho, with MAF pilots, and 3 other students from his university.
Never underestimate the Lord. Some he calls early, some he calls late, but he has a destination and call for each of us, believers or not. I pray that you come to know the Lord of the universe as your own Father, that you may call upon the name of His son as your savior, and that He will give you a calling and purpose which will glorify Him forever.
Shalom,
Kim
Guess we'll start about 17 years ago. This story is about Young Man. I hope to tell Senior Son's story in another post...
From an early age my boys were very different. One wanted to be in the dirt, under bushes, and up in trees, picking up every six legged creature he could find. And, to my "joy" he brought these in to share with me. Wasn't he a thoughtful boy? The other boy was a bit quieter, at times. As a baby he liked to bite noses, giggle, and eat. A Lot!
By the ripe old age of two he had made two determinations in life. You see, unlike his brother he was not interested in the bugs. He liked to watch planes fly. For big brother we would go to the state park and study every little creature we could find. We had all sorts of things to study. But, for little brother we would drive to our small local airport and watch the planes take off.
First things first. At the age of 2 we took little brother to a "Meet the Instruments" gathering at our library. One kind gentleman offered Young Man a chance to touch, hold and "play" the violin. That was all it took. He told us he wanted to play the violin. He was consistent and never gave up. By the age of 5 he was playing. And, in one of those purely "God things" it turned out that the man who introduced him to the violin became a family friend, church elder and a boss to both my sons. Isn't God amazing?
A while later... it might have been within a few months or even a year, while we were sitting watching the planes take off (and big brother was finding out what bugs live on an airport parking lot) Young Man declared he would fly a plane some day.
Now, I'm not sure how many of you would take these thoughts seriously, but we paid attention. From the age of 7 Young Man studied planes, engines, weaponry and the air force. He "knew" he was going to be an air force pilot. Alas, he learned that his eyes would not allow this and he was left in a quandary as to what to do. Now mind you, he was, at this point, merely 11 years old and in the 6th grade.
His dad and I, on the other hand, "knew" that he was called elsewhere. You see we had chosen his name with a feeling (or a certainty perhaps) that he would be called to the mission field. We chose his name for one who "came along side" of the one who spoke for God. And, when Young Man was determined to fly I had a strong feeling he'd end up as a missionary aviator. He, however, had no clue as yet. His teacher came to me one day and asked, "Do you know he's called to be a missionary?" To which I replied, "Yes." Then he asked, "Does he know?" "Not yet." A few weeks later another worker at his school came up and asked the same questions. We simply waited. One night Young Man came and asked what we thought about him serving as a missionary aviator... well, we sort of "knew" all along that God would call him. It was amazing to see the Lord's hand at work.
Time passed, Young Man finished his one year in an actual school setting and we continued homeschooling. We tried to gear his education to what he would need in his "chosen" field. During this time "At the End of the Spear" came out in both movie and book form. I thought this would be a good measure for Young Man to see what he might be called to do. First we watched "Through Gates of Splendor"... the documentary of the young men called to serve and who ended up being martyred for their faith. Later two of the wives returned and eventually God used this to bring these people to a saving faith. As I sat with my son and watched the movie and realized what God might expect, I began to shake and cry. However, Young Man looked at me and said, "Well, that made my mind up. " I figured he might have changed his mind. After all, who wants to die at the end of a spear? But, he informed me that he knew that was what God was calling him to do.
This past year was his first year in college. His program is Missions Aviation. He will graduate, Lord willing, with a pilot's license, the ability to do mechanical work on the planes he flies, an idea of how to serve as a missionary, hours of class work, mission trips, and now flight. You see, Young Man took his first solo flight. The dream he had 17 years ago came true on Monday. On runway 13O he took off in a Cessna and for one hour lived the dream of a young boy. In just 10 days he will be leaving for Africa where he will serve in his first overseas mission trip to the people of Lesotho, with MAF pilots, and 3 other students from his university.
Never underestimate the Lord. Some he calls early, some he calls late, but he has a destination and call for each of us, believers or not. I pray that you come to know the Lord of the universe as your own Father, that you may call upon the name of His son as your savior, and that He will give you a calling and purpose which will glorify Him forever.
Shalom,
Kim
Saturday, April 11, 2009
A Timely Title
The blog title that is...
Changes are coming and I am having to daily lean on God and ask him to help me both trust and be joyful.
Small changes, or they seem small today, are coming in our homeschool set-up next year. After YEARS of co-oping (is that how you spell it?) with the same families we are stepping out of PART of co-op. MMH will be working on "Starting Points" with me at home, this is literature rich, but is more focused on knowing what/why you believe, then looking at how that affects what you read, watch, think, and do. We are both excited. Meanwhile Wee One and I will be working in "My Father's World" Creation to Romans. (I think that's the time period.) It means quite a bit more work in one way, but so much more joyful.
A bigger change is that Senior Son is moving back to town to become a "Bobbite"... he will be one of several young men who live with Bob who has CP, and provide all his daily care, including driving, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and "translating" to help Bob communicate with all of us. It's an incredible place to live, and Bob has been such a blessing to so many young men. We are praying that this next year continues to be a good growth time.
One of the biggest changes is that Young Man is going to Lesotho, South Africa to work with MAF for a week or so. Be sure to check out that link. I have spent a bit of time reading about Lesotho and these are things I learned this evening.
Changes are coming and I am having to daily lean on God and ask him to help me both trust and be joyful.
Small changes, or they seem small today, are coming in our homeschool set-up next year. After YEARS of co-oping (is that how you spell it?) with the same families we are stepping out of PART of co-op. MMH will be working on "Starting Points" with me at home, this is literature rich, but is more focused on knowing what/why you believe, then looking at how that affects what you read, watch, think, and do. We are both excited. Meanwhile Wee One and I will be working in "My Father's World" Creation to Romans. (I think that's the time period.) It means quite a bit more work in one way, but so much more joyful.
A bigger change is that Senior Son is moving back to town to become a "Bobbite"... he will be one of several young men who live with Bob who has CP, and provide all his daily care, including driving, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and "translating" to help Bob communicate with all of us. It's an incredible place to live, and Bob has been such a blessing to so many young men. We are praying that this next year continues to be a good growth time.
One of the biggest changes is that Young Man is going to Lesotho, South Africa to work with MAF for a week or so. Be sure to check out that link. I have spent a bit of time reading about Lesotho and these are things I learned this evening.
- smaller than the state of Maryland
- called "the kingdom in the sky" as it is so mountainous, the lowest point is over 4,500 feet above sea level
- the entire country is surrounded by South Africa, it is a "country within a country"
- 30% of the adult population has AIDS
- 10,000 AIDS orphans live in the mountain villages with little to no medical help
- more than 1/3 of the men have left the country to seek employment
- in 2007 1/5 of the population needed food aid due to drought
- less than 10% of the land is arable
- "Although some 90 percent of Lesotho’s population considers itself Christian, traditionalism and nominal Christianity is widespread with little understanding of the truth of the Gospel. "(see website: http://www.maf.org/lesotho)
All the above info is gathered from the MAF website listed just above. It is a great website with a lot of information about the country. For further information you may visit the following sites:
- http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107714.html
- http://www.africaguide.com/country/lesotho/info.htm (interesting weather info)
- https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/lt.html
- http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_949.html
So, I would like to ask all of you to be praying for our family and these changes. And, should any of you wish to help support Young Man on his trip please contact me via the blog and I'll get him to send you a support letter. His trip will cost $1,800 roughly and that's a big chunk of change for someone still in college.
Thank you all!
Shalom, Kim
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