Internships, apprenticeships, understanding God's direction

     There are a lot of opportunities ahead of me and possibly changes to my plan of how to get to my final goal of living on the mission field as a pilot. I am not sure where God is leading me at the moment, but I would like to ask for prayer as I am facing some important decisions for next year. I have been considering leaving College for a year or two in order to save enough money to come back and get the rest of my pilots license and finish my degree in Aeronautics. If I did leave I would be either interning with a mission organization in their aviation program or becoming an apprentice for my mechanics license. This would all be after I finish my Sophmore year of College and have my private pilot license.

     Tonight I was able to meet with a Wycliffe rep and ended up with a lot more information than I was hoping for! He talked about staying away from debt because it will keep me from accomplishing my goal. As an example he told me of one man he knows who got his degree in four years and spent another seven years paying off student loans, in estimation he has seven more years to pay off his debt, and his plans of becoming a missionary has taken a back seat. Satan uses debt to prevent people from becoming missionaries Instead of procuring thousands of dollars in debt, we need to trust in God's provision. Because of this I feel that God is leading me away from College for a time to learn and grow in Him and once I am ready and have the money I can come back to Liberty. 

      We also talked  about possible internship opportunities. I can intern with Wycliffe on a JAARS base in Papua New Guinea or in Brazil and I can do it through Liberty so that I can get credit towards my degree while I am away. He also gave me information about a maintenance program in Ohio which focuses on equipping students for the mission field.  I will also be looking at other apprentice opportunities where I can earn money and get trained to be an aviation mechanic. 

      At the moment I am waiting for God to take me where He will, I am waiting for Him to show me where to go. I am trusting that He will lead me and guide me in these decisions. I would ask that you pray for me as I make a decision about my future, that God would lead me, open the right doors for me, and that I would understand His direction in my life.

I got to fly about 500ft from a great wall of clouds!

The great tower of clouds!

The general aviation side of KLYH!

Earlier this week my mom was saying how when we pray very specifically God answers very specifically. And this is so true! God wants us to tell Him exactly what we want or need and He will answer us! This Friday I was going to be flying a cross country and I passed by the apron where all the planes are parked and I said, “God, I would love to fly 8LU, could I please have that one for my flight?” When I got to the dispatch desk I was told I would be taking 8LU! Just a small insignificant detail that didn’t matter and yet because I asked Him for it, He made sure I got it! 8LU is a beautiful airplane and one of the newest planes we own! I love God! We took off for my cross country but had building cumulus clouds in front of us after about half an hour and they were much lower than they had been forecasted. We couldn’t go below them because we were going to be flying over mountains so we tried to go around and above them. For about 10 minutes we were swerving and climbing until we decided that it was just not possible and had to turn around. They must have gone from about 5,000ft to 10,000ft. I got to fly about 500ft from a great wall of clouds! It was magnificent! Imagine the Great Wall of China looming in front of you, made out of solid fluffy white clouds and you can get a small taste of how awesome it was! God is such an awesome creator! 

Clouds just kept building!

My view every time I fly

I had a friend come with me so I got a lot of pictures of the flight from her! 

Just me and God

I love spending time with friends and having a great time, but I appreciate my time alone. After a busy week I need a break from social life. Sometimes I am worried that people think I’m just unsocial, but I’m an introvert and covet spending time by myself. Time to just sit and enjoy not talking. Quiet. Silence. No appointments, no talking, no rushing. Being an introvert does not mean that you are unsocial, just that you need to re-fuel by being alone. 

Just me and God!

My peaceful view at the moment! Blue sky, mountains, and a few wispy clouds! (and a light post...)!   AND NOW WE HAVE SOME OLD AIRPLANES PASSING BY!!!! Love the sound of an airplane engine!

God has answered my prayer!

Once again God has answered my prayer! I now have an office job at LU school of Aeronautics! Not only did God give me a job, He also gave me a job at one of my favorite places! I will be at the airport more than ever and will be getting paid to do so! I have to work harder to manage my time so that I can work hard in my two leadership positions, study to receive good grades in all my classes, and be a great employee at my job! It will be a busy and crazy semester but I know that God will be with me all the way! I simply have to trust Him and work hard at what He has given me to do! He has given me so many amazing opportunities this year and I am so thankful that I can trust in Him! Those who don't trust God really miss out on the rich blessings He gives to His children! Once again on the side bar another prayer has changed into a praise! Thank you so much for your continued prayers and encouragement!

to know the definition of pneumatology...

     Well, it’s September and the third week of school has begun. I have realized that I need to set my priorities when it comes to completing my homework. It is Sunday night and I have two options: reading and studying for my Theology class or studying and reading for my flight block. The obvious answer dawned on me, studying aviation of course! Why? Because I won’t need to know the definition of pneumatology while at 4,500ft in the air and dealing with bad weather ahead and an electrical failure. Not that all the ology’s aren’t important for my exams, but knowing them will never be a question between life or death.

     Learning how to fly is a process, not something that comes the moment you step into a cockpit. I have an expectation for myself as I go through my flight training. I don’t want to have to ask the silly questions or hear all the silly mistakes I made during our flight debrief. As pilots we are trained to focus on the main thing in front of us, whether we are taking off, cruising, landing, or taxiing. For me the main thing in front of me is learning and I need to focus on that. I have an instructor for a reason: to answer silly questions and to lecture me for silly mistakes I make during my flights, to teach me the basics and make sure I can fly. During my training I ned to be willing to learn. I hate being wrong, but without admitting to my mistakes and limited knowledge, I will not be able to learn what I need to know. Education is something we have to approach with an open mind, ready to be filled with knowledge from those smarter than we are. I may not be the best pilot yet, but I still have years of training ahead of me!

    

     And I know that I am where God wants me to be. He has chosen me for a special purpose! Isaiah 41:9-10 says that He has chosen me and has not cast me away. He wants to use me! He has chosen me to be His servant, His messenger, and have told me not to be afraid or discouraged, because He will strengthen me and help me! It also says that He will uphold me with His righteous right hand! I love to think of Him holding me up and to know that if I fall He will catch me before I hit the ground! Because His hand is right behind me! I love this verse because it reminds me that God has chosen me to be His servant, to represent Him through my career! I believe He has chosen me to be His pilot and that is what I want! It may feel like I will never be able to learn all I need to know, but I do know that He is helping me and with God all things are possible!