Simply the Story Workshop - Feb 2010

Regina & I

One year ago this month, I flew to Idaho to be part of a Simply The Story story-telling workshop with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF.) The workshop was sponsored by CATCH ministry and held at Castle Hills Church of the Nazarene in Boise. The intent of the workshop was to teach the Nepalese Christian community how to lead interactive discussions on Bible passages as participants grasp truths and apply them to their daily living.

 The workshop was conducted by MAF’s orality specialist, Regina Manley and her team of volunteers. It was an amazing experience to be surrounded by men and women of faith who spoke Nepali and who through a translator where able to discuss the parables of Jesus by discovering the spiritual treasures and personal applications within the different stories.

CATCH & Nepalese Christians

As I participated in the three-day practitioner workshop, I realized what a blessing it was to see the parable of the Good Samaritan apply to any culture. More than thirty people gathered in circles of 5 people per group and listened to the twelve verses carefully. It was followed by the practitioner acting out the role of the priest, the Levite and by the Samaritan according to Luke 10:25-37. Next came the questions and the discussion that make this oral inductive bible study an incredible way to impact those who participate. At the end of the session, I was not only able to memorize the parable verse by verse but most importantly, appreciate the timeless story as my new Nepalese friend and I found the Good Samaritan still relevant in our daily lives.

Group Discussion

Although I was not an MAF missionary when I participated in the eighteen hour training session, I was beginning to sense that this was an area the Lord was preparing me for. The thought that I would be sharing the Word of God with people from different ethnic groups was a dream that I had had for many years. As a result of attending this captivating workshop, I began to ask God in my prayers to make a way for me to share His ageless stories with people groups from diverse places in the world. Since then, the Lord has answered my prayer and beginning this summer, I will have an opportunity to work with Regina Manley and the outstanding MAF-Learning Technologies team. -  Laura

Never Stop Praying

        One of the many blessings our family has experienced in the last 24 weeks has been the amount of people praying for us.Whether we conclude a presentation of our ministry at a church or whether we share with a friend we’ve known for a long time, the number of people wanting to pray for us has been incredible.

Recently, we had a dear friend of over eighty years of age tell us he would not be able to come alongside and support our ministry. “I won’t be around long; it would not really help you in the long run. BUT, I will pray for you and for your children. I promise I will pray for you on a daily basis AND that I can do,” said our elderly friend to Tony and I with a smile on his face. How precious those words were to us; a pledge to pray and be involved in our ministry in a way that matters most.  

For Tony and I, a day doesn’t go by and that we don’t stop and pray for strength in our journey of faith. Without a strong prayer life, it would be impossible to move forward in faith and trust God to provide for the results that only He can provide.

One of the most memorable examples of how prayer has shaped our hearts and minds was when we contacted a church hundreds of miles from our home on the telephone. Prior to contacting this church, Tony and I had spent the morning praying that the Lord would open more doors of opportunity. An hour after we concluded our time of prayer and meditation, I picked up the phone and called a church I had never made contact before. Their name was on a list I had but I did not have a name of a senior pastor nor of a missions pastor. A male voice responded to my greeting and introduction and he began by telling me that he had been praying that his church would become more missions minded. “Sister Laura, I believe your phone call is an answer to prayer. We’ve been praying on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a greater involvement in missions and I believe you’re ministry is going to play a role in it,” said the enthusiastic senior pastor of an African American church on the telephone. My reply, “Praise the Lord! We’ve been praying that the Lord would lead and guide our steps! How amazing that He would honor our request and bring us together.”  The result of what was accomplished only through prayer gave not only the pastor but also to Tony and I the encouragement we had been seeking. The encouragement to trust in God for our heart’s desire and to know He can orchestrate circumstances and events beyond our human understanding. No wonder Scripture reminds us to “pray without ceasing” – 1 Thessalonians 5:17. 

With humility and a heart of thanksgiving, I would like to express our  appreciation to our friends and loved ones who pray for us on an ongoing basis. On behalf of our family: Thank-you and never stop praying.

-Laura

What do former US presidents and a governor have in common?

They recently commended Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) for being an exemplary organization.

Former president Bill Clinton of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund praised MAF's efforts saying the group has had a critical impact on Haiti's recovery. "By organizing hundreds of relief flights and delivering thousands of pounds of supplies, MAF has had a critical impact on Haiti's recovery," said Clinton.

I am not surprised by the President Clinton’s kind remarks about our role in the relief and rebuilding efforts. MAF has been working in Haiti since 1986 and has four aircraft at a permanent base at the Port-au-Prince airport. After the earthquake that crippled Haiti's already weak infrastructure, MAF partnered with some 60 relief agencies, transported medical personnel and aid workers, delivered critical relief supplies, and performed many emergency medical evacuations. Since then, MAF has continued flying provisions such as food, water, and medical supplies -- -including IV solution to help combat the country's cholera outbreak.

Idaho governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, made complimentary comments this week as he delivered his State of the State address at the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on Monday. Otter’s state budget recommendations mentioned Mission Aviation Fellowship located in the city of Nampa as a bright spot in Idaho’s economy, “ MAF is courageous and forward-looking; examples that we should celebrate.”

It is with a smile on my face that I count my blessings as Tony and I serve with such a quintessential organization. As someone who never envisioned a midlife career change, it is encouraging to realize that we will now be involved in a ministry that makes worldwide impact wherever we serve. We, along with nearly 200 missionary families serving 42 countries, desire to observe MAF’s mission statement: Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed.

-Laura

 

Let Us Go To Them......Impressions from our first missions conference.

The Calvary Chapel Missions Conference in Murrieta was an enormous blessing to us. Tony and I had many wonderful opportunities to share our work with pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders. The phenomenal speakers spoke on their own ups and downs of serving Jesus in foreign lands and people groups they would have never had the privilege of working with had they not entered missions.

One of the biggest surprises and delights of the three-day conference were the amount of participants who asked us to help provide educational and technical expertise to facilitate the training of new and untrained indigenous church leaders. Those that came by our table acknowledged the large leadership gap that is taking place in places like Colombia, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador to name a few. When Tony and I validated the lack of access that exists in rural and isolated places in Latin America to receive biblical and discipleship training, they asked us how soon can their village pastor come to Costa Rica and receive adequate theological training. Our answer: They will not need to come to us; we will go to them. Tony and I explained that MAF-Learning Technologies believes that remote pastors are better served by keeping them in their native country while receiving support and training from us rather than by plucking them out of their natural setting for seminary training (3-5 years) in the United States and risking the chance that they will not return to care and shepherd their flock. Our response clearly hit a nerve. The realization that ethnic Christian churches in America are often the result of national leaders not returning to their homeland to  lead their own people was quickly acknowledged. Many were able to tell us about pastors who meant to go back to Central & South America while studying in seminary or bible colleges in the West only to stay and raise Spanish speaking churches in the United States instead.

Although we did not know what to expect when we arrived at our first missions conference, we walked away encouraged by fellow missionaries and pastors and most of all, desiring to get to San Jose and assist church leaders in Latin America lead strong and healthy churches in Jesus’ name.

-Laura 

                          

                                                                                     










                                                                               









                                                                          
                                                                            

Scattering Seeds in 2011

As Tony and I look forward to the start of a new year, we realize the Lord will continue to be faithful in our journey of faith. The year 2011 will mark the year in which we’ll move to a new state (Idaho) to receive the hands on training we’ll need to prepare for our eventual cross cultural move to San Jose, Costa Rica.

The first quarter of 2011, we will be attending three mission conferences in Southern California. The Calvary Chapel Mission Conference in Murrieta will take place January 3-6 and this year’s theme is: Let the Nations be Glad from Psalm 67:4. Later in the month of March, we will be participating in two Orange County church mission conferences. We are glad to report that Brea Baptist Church & Knott Ave Christian Church have invited us to be part of their annual conferences. With so many opportunities to share our ministry with remote and isolated church leaders in Latin America, the seeds will be scattered and only the Lord will provide the fruit that follows the labor.

 Along with presenting to churches and other ministries, comes the privilege and delight to share with friends and bible study groups the work Tony and I will be a part of as MAF-Learning Technologies partners with existing indigenous churches in the developing world who lack biblical and theological training.

So where do we hope to be by summer of 2011? Lord willing, we hope to reach 100% of our funding and Idaho bound! With seven months left to achieve the goal set by MAF, we hope to be on our way with a U-Haul truck packed and moving northward to join the MAF-LT team that awaits us. In the meantime, we will be busy sharing our ministry and looking to Jesus to multiply our efforts with success.-Laura

MAF Headquarters - Nampa, Idaho

Many of you have asked about MAF Headquarters in Idaho. So after some time searching through You Tube, Laura and I managed to find a home video someone did during their summer visit to MAF. Your tour guide is Ron Hilbrands. For those of you who have heard our ministry presentation, Ron was the first face of MAF for Laura and I. We first  met Ron at a missions conference at Downey Baptist church on Saturday afternoon back in 2008 . Early on, he was our "go to" guy at MAF. Any questions we had about applications, bible coursework, references, etc... he was the one who would patiently answer them.

In the video, you will see the actual plane that the five MAF missionaries who were martyred in Ecuador flew. The plane was dug up years later and brought to headquarters. You will also see the main office and the airplane hanger where all MAF planes at one time or another go to for maintenance and repair. Ron will also share a  couple of stories on how we transport our airplanes to different program bases around the world and a second story of how he used to transport live pigs in his airplane when he served as a pilot overseas.

We hope you enjoy the video!

Tony and Laura

Working Together Part 1

One of the questions that comes up often when we share our work as missionaries with MAF is how does it feel working together 24/7?

It’s a natural question if you didn’t happen to already know that for the last 15 years, Tony and I  had been working at the same elementary school. Even though we taught different grades, the challenges of working in the same professional environment were always there.

During this season of deputation, our ability to work side by side has been enhanced. Sure, we disagree at times and even argue at times, but we also extend grace to one another during difficult times. Grace is an attribute in marriage that is undeniably necessary. When I feel frustrated or disappointed over a missed appointment, Tony reminds me it will all work out. He gives me added grace by not lecturing or down playing the situation. Tony simply listens and affirms my feelings, whether they are rational or even irrational.

At times I have wondered what it will look like for us as out on the mission field. Will we thrive as a couple? Will we bicker over unfamiliar surroundings and strange foods? I am tempted at times to speculate and predict what it will look like. However, if the past is any indication of what lies ahead, I am inclined to think we will serve as husband and wife in the same fashion as we’ve always had…with Extra Grade Required.

-Laura