Wow, it's hard to believe that a month has already flown by since I left my full-time job at Keim Lumber. On June 2nd (the first time I didn't "clock-in" at my old job), I remember thinking that I hope I will be able to wisely use my time and that I won't be twiddling my thumbs trying to figure out the next thing to do. Well, now that we're on the other side of June, twiddling is the farthest thing from what we've been doing. We are still actively working toward raising our financial support to begin serving at MMS Aviation, and June has been a good month in making connections with new people.
To start the month out, our family had a garage sale to get rid of a lot of our stuff. It's amazing how things accumulate (especially when you have kids). Later this summer, we'll be moving down close to MMS Aviation (Coshocton, OH), and we will be moving into a smaller house. Plus since we will (Lord willing) be moving overseas in a couple years, we are feeling the need to really evaluate the difference between needs & wants when it comes to possessions. The neat part about this sale, is that we rented one of those yellow roadside signs to advertise the sale. Because of what we wrote on the sign (see above), we had many many opportunities to share with people about what God has been doing in our lives, and where He is leading us in missionary aviation. We were so encouraged by many folks, and we hope that we were able to encourage / inspire them as well.
Then on the second week of June, I (Jason) and my oldest son had a unique opportunity to go on a 46 mile, 3-day canoe trip with a group of men that we had only met once before. Through a friend / former coworker of mine, we were able to join the 3rd annual "Allegheny River Canoe Trip" that a group of men from another church in the area have been doing. Despite rainy weather, and a river that rose 2.5 feet overnight, we had a really good time. This was neat for us to be able to fellowship with brothers-in-Christ that we barely knew, but felt totally comfortable with. And again, we were able to share with all these guys how God has been at work in us, and working through us.. Who knows where some of these conversations may lead?
Over the third week of June, our whole family had a wonderful opportunity to be a part of a 3-day Spiritual Life Conference that was put on by MMS Aviation and by a ministry team from Bethlehem Baptist Church (Minneapolis, MN). This group from Minnesota came to Coshocton, OH, specifically to minister to those who serve at MMS Aviation and their families. The adults had times of worship and a seminar on conflict resolution, and the kids had activities and workshops. It was a great time for the whole family, and we left feeling encouraged, uplifted, and so eager to begin serving at MMS Aviation.
Finally, over the last week of June, I (Jason) and my 2 oldest sons went on a week-long campout with a boys ministry from our church. This ministry is a lot like a Christian version of the boy scouts. It focuses on men working with boys in the areas of leadership, evangelism, and discipleship - all in an outdoor setting. This particular campout was with 6 other churches from Ohio & Indiana that have the same ministry. We had a wonderful time learning how to be "Quacks" for God (Romans 12:2), and also in doing a bunch of fun boy things.
I helped out all week with a craft project that was turning wooden duck calls on the lathe, and helped the boys & men make close to 100 calls. This was a lot of fun for me working with these boys, but also meeting the men from the other churches. It's so encouraging to see men that are willing to step up and show the boys in their lives what it means to be a man of God. Plus I was able to make connections with pastors from 3 different churches, and hopefully this will lead into opportunities to be able to share about our ministry at their churches.
So we are staying super busy in our efforts to raise our financial support. We are so thankful that God has given us so many opportunities to share with others, and will continue to do so in the coming months. We know that we will soon be busy with serving at MMS Aviation, but for now, we are really enjoying meeting new people and sharing about the ministry that God has called us to!
