I am doing this letter backwards and beginning with the prayer requests.

AIM Air has a high standard when it comes to the quality and workmanship that goes into maintaining their aircraft; as well they should. A primary component of quality maintenance is quality mechanics. For that reason, all AIM Air pilots and mechanics go through Technical Evaluation (TE) before being officially accepted into the ranks. A former AIM Air pilot described the TE as more challenging than being shot at while flying over the jungles of Africa.  It is intentionally challenging to ensure appointees are fully prepared for what’s ahead. On Sunday; 08/04/19, I fly to North Carolina for my TE, where my skills and knowledge in aviation maintenance will be tested and evaluated for 2 weeks. I generally enjoy taking test (I know, one of those weird people) but there is a lot riding on this one. I don’t like the word anxiety, but I think it appropriately describes how I’m feeling. I ask that you intercede in prayer on my behalf; that I would cast my worries on Him, have clear thoughts and be able to rest each night to be ready for the next day. Pray also for Anna and the kids while I am gone. Anna will be parenting alone and Jude and Lydia begin school the 2^nd week I am away.

Transition. It’s not just a word to move us into the next paragraph. The coin of transition has excitement and anticipation on its face; loss and grief on its tail. Much of the process of transitioning our family to Africa has been exciting and filled with joy. As the opening song begins on Lion King, Gideon shouts out, “That’s Africa, we go to Africa, We go on a plane!” The theater was thoroughly entertained by him. However; these past few months have also had their fair share of the latter. As we move towards departure it becomes necessary to let go of responsibilities here, to free us for what God has next.

Anna and I have always desired to serve God in whatever capacities He would allow us. For our time in St. Joseph that has meant leading a small group for Renovation Church in our home once a week, serving in Renovate Kid City (RKC) and coordinating Renovations Serve the City Projects.

From September of 2018 to May of this year we hosted a ReGroup (small group bible study) in our home. We met weekly sharing a meal together, sometimes worshipping together and always studying God’s word and discussing and sharing how to grow further in our walks with Christ. We shared burdens, walked each other through heart-ache and supported each other in daily life. It is always a humbling experience when God allows me to taste what the early church was like; doing life together. Anna and I have grown and learned from each member of our group and we have seen each of them grow as well. In May we hosted our final ReGroup. Though it was not “goodbye” to the members of our ReGroup family, it did bring the grief of transition into focus.

One of the greatest joys of our time at Renovation Church in St. Joseph has been serving in RKC. Anna served in the nursery (birth – 2) and I in the preschool room. Children’s ministry is often overlooked in church as just childcare; but the impact it has goes far beyond freeing up parents for a church service. Anna would tell you that nursery would not have been her first choice in the children’s ministry; she’s not a baby person, but came to an understanding of what it really means to the babies and their connection to the church. When asked about why she serves in the nursery she replied, “They are learning trust vs. Mistrust at this age. If we can begin to teach them that they can trust us, trust the church, trust God! That is monumental!” I have always fit right in with preschoolers; I’m at just the right maturity level. It truly was a joy to teach the Bible story to a room of 2-5 year old’s every Sunday. We don’t learn theology by reading a list of theological doctrines in scripture, we learn by reading stories. Stories are an amazingly powerful tool, that’s why Jesus taught in parables. I was able to help instill foundational stories in these children, laying the ground work for how they will interact with scripture, learn about Christ, and form their theology. Yes, that’s correct, I taught theology to preschooler’s. June 23^rd was our last Sunday serving in RKC. Saying goodbye to the children we served was not something we looked forward to. It gives us peace knowing God will bring someone else in to fill the gap and continue to meet these children in His timing, but that does not diminish the sadness that confronts us when we reminisce about RKC.

We have a desire to see the body of Christ serve. To meet practical needs as well as spiritual needs. We coordinated Renovation’s Serve the City projects, teaming up with Pivotal Point Transitional housing who work to end homelessness in St. Joseph. “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” ~Matthew 25:40. It was amazing at each event to see God working in the lives of “the least” through His people.

It is exciting to look forward the God fulfilling Anna and I desire to serve Him in Africa; a goal we have shared for 12 years, but I find myself on the other side of the coin more often in this season. It has brought about all these words that I don’t like, pain, sadness, anxiety, grief (yes, I’m an avoider). In scripture David set a precedence for God centered lamenting. To lament is to feel the sadness and pain, go through the grief and anxiety but; as so many of his psalms show us, we are to come out the other side of the lament praising Him and remembering that He is good.