Move Ahead Monday

Now that we're all back from Thanksgiving, here's an update from the hangar:

Honduran 206
The push is on to complete the project before December 24th. Mike is putting together the logbook entries to document correction of the more than 400 discrepancies encountered in the course of restoring the airplane. Andy is cutting and fitting new "floor boards" to protect the aluminum floor panels from damage in the rough and tumble world of missionary transportation. Jim will soon fit the plastic side panels to the cabin interior.

Andy cuts new floor boards.

Andy checks the new floor boards for fit.

Brazilian 206
The wings are prepped for paint and the rear window is going in the fuselage. Once the window installation is complete the fuselage will be ready for paint. After painting, new floor panels will be fabricated and work on the instrument panel will begin. In preparation for assembly, many of the other airframe components have already been painted.

Ian drives rivets to secure the 206's rear window in place. Josh is inside bucking the rivets.

Paul works with the bell cranks that guide the steel cables operating the 206's ailerons.

Canadian 337
As Chuck continues to inspect and repair the airframe, Dale and Scott are nearly prepared to assemble the first of its two overhauled engines.

Chuck installs an in-board flap on the 337.

Scott checks data and organizes engine components for assembly.

Fresno Bible Church Worship Team

Fresno Bible Church's worship team practices every Wednesday evening after prayer meeting. I've been blessed to play the drums for the past three years. Here are some snapshots Karen took at last night's practice.

From left to right: Josh, worship leader and acoustic guitar; Kyle, electric guitar; that's me on the drums; Alison, vocals; Ben, electric bass; and Kendra, vocals. Helen is our keyboard player but she's right behind Josh so you can't see her. Karen's also part of the vocal team, but she just finished her latest six week rotation.

Badabada-Badabada-Boom!

Making Laundry Soap

One of Karen's homemaking skills is making her own laundry soap. Why do that, you might ask? Well, Karen's done the math and her home made detergent allows her to wash 32 loads of clothes for 81 cents worth of raw materials. That's right. Karen can wash 32 loads of laundry for 81 cents TOTAL. That's 2.53 cents per load AND it gets the clothes clean!

All it takes is a little time, a bar of Fels-Naptha soap, some Borax, some washing soda, and storage containers.

Karen shaves, chops, and measures some of the soap bar--

stirs her bubbly brew in a bucket after mixing the ingredients in boiling water--

and pours it into old milk and detergent containers for storage.

Pretty amazing. The stuff really does work. If you'd like the recipe, let us know and we'll pass it along.

As a bonus...because Tanner hasn't had his picture on the blog for a while, here's Tanner enjoying his bean bag this afternoon.

Tanner takes it easy on a cold, wet day in Coshocton, Ohio.

Home Improvement Project: Utility Sink

Yep, we survived another home improvement project. This one was small scale compared to others but still necessitated several trips to the hardware store and a request for assistance to our local home-improvement project problem-solver and all around nice guy, Tim Obarow.

When Dad and Jane were here on vacation last month we toured Keim Lumber. During our walk-through of Keim, Karen noticed a plastic utility sink on sale. We'd discussed the benefits of having a utility sink in the basement several times over our seven years of marriage but the timing hadn't been right. Suddenly, the time was right.

We ran back out to Keim the next weekend, picked up a sink kit at "floor display" prices and brought it home. This past weekend we purposed to put it in and were doing fine until we needed to remove the old spigots from the galvanized pipe for replacement with new ones. We tried some alternative methods of working with the pipes to no avail with a growing fear we would soon create a real plumbing problem if we continued down the path we were on.

A quick visit across the street and I found Tim in their garage working on their car. I explained our dire straights and Tim was kind enough to come over with two pipe wrenches. Hmmm, PIPE WRENCHES. What a concept. They proved to be quite the tool in Tim's hand and the hard work was done in a manner of seconds after we'd already invested a good amount of time not getting the job done with the wrong tools.

Karen didn't waste any time putting the sink to work. It's now the #1 dog washing station. Bending over the tub and wrestling with reluctant and resistant Cocker Spaniels takes its toll on middle-aged knees, backs, necks and arms. The sink is a grand improvement. Both Tucker and Tanner were comfortable and relaxed in the utility sink and it's a comfortable height for standing and working. Ah, the simple things that make missionaries and missionary mutts happy!

Karen washes Tucker in our new, basement utility sink.

We praise the Lord for another practical addition to His house provided in His time, in His way, and at a good-stewardship price.

Personal Update and MMS Pocket Calendar Mailing

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for being patient with our posts. Let's see if we can bring you up to speed--Karen and I enjoyed a wonderful weekend during which we took on another home improvement project (I'll post about that tomorrow), prepared and taught another Sunday School lesson with the young adults, nailed the music set on worship team, and I even made it out in the 75 degree weather Sunday afternoon for nine holes of golf ($10 with cart) at our local course shooting a 51. Considering that includes two 7's and an 8...I didn't do too badly on the other six holes. Karen rode her bike to the park and walked with a friend. It was very, very nice.

At MMS we just completed the annual pocket calendar mailing. Everyone who donates to MMS over the course of the year is sent a nifty pocket calendar for the upcoming year as a tangible thank you. Writing the accompanying cover letter is one of my annual responsibilities.

Karen photocopies and folds the letter, runs the mailing labels, and organizes the mailing. Once the mailing is organized, a couple other MMS wives come in to do the labeling and envelope stuffing. Then Karen seals and posts each letter on the handy-dandy MMS postal meter.

Karen, Dana, and Sherry work in the MMS conference room to label and stuff the envelopes with the letter and calendar.

Karen seals and posts the envelopes.

Here I am in my office with the actual letter.

Another MMS wife, Kristin, helped with labeling and stuffing the envelopes but she helped from home so wasn't in the photo. Thanks ladies for being such servants!

Once all the envelopes were all stuffed, sealed, posted, and placed in postal trays, we drove them down to the post office loading dock for mailing. For those of you who have graciously donated to our ministry over the past year, THANK YOU... and be watching for your 2010 pocket calendar!

Three New Families Begin Service With MMS!

Over the past two months, we've been blessed to welcome three new families to MMS: the Beckwiths, the Gettles, and the Newmans. It's my pleasure to introduce them to you.

Mark, Jenny, and Abigail Beckwith
The Beckwiths come to us from England and are missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship, United Kingdom. They'll spend two and a half years here as an apprentice family helping us maintain missionary aircraft. After completing service with MMS and gaining his FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanic certificate, Mark will continue in ministry by joining one of the many MAF flight programs operating in remote locations around the world.

The Beckwiths

Paul, Kristin, Grant, Cole, & and Evan Gettle
The Gettles drove up from Alabama to begin apprenticeship. Before making the move to Coshocton, Paul worked for several years as a quality control inspector for a large company that manufactures the engines used by many missionary airplanes. Paul & Kristin still seek the Lord's will for which mission to join after completing their term with MMS. (Karen and I are administering Pre-Service Orientation to the Gettles today and tomorrow!)

The Gettles

Jim, Mary, Jordan, Catherine, and Danielle Newman
Jim & Mary are missionaries with World Gospel Mission and came to us after completing nine years of service with WGM's flight program in Bolivia. Jim is already an experienced A&P mechanic and has come onboard as long-term staff in the role of Production Mechanic. Jim and Mary are maintaining their relationship with WGM and will serve with u in an "on loan" capacity.

The Newmans

We are thankful for the Lord's leading and provision for each of these families. Please keep them in your prayers as they adapt to life in Coshocton and learn the routines of hangar service.

We're Doing Well & Staying Out of Trouble

We're all doing well out here in Coshocton, Ohio. I'm just finishing a round of chemo-creme treatment on my forehead which is a bit discomforting, but I'm now on the healing side of the process, which is nice.

Karen had a great weekend in Pennsylvania with her family and seems to have fought off the migraine headache that had been lurking for several days (Praise the Lord!).

Tucker and Tanner are still living a dog's life and never cease to be overly excited whenever we come home. Our evening "Couch Time" together is one of Tucker and Tanner's favorite parts of the day second only to breakfast time, snack time, and getting dog biscuits every time we leave the house. Sometimes we're not all that sure whether they're happier when we leave or if they're happier when we come home!

Karen and I will administer the first part of Pre-Service Orientation to the newest MMS family tomorrow. I'll continue the orientation on Friday while Karen shifts over to work for the MMS accounting department.

We're both discipling individuals from our church, we have at least seven more weeks leading the young adult Sunday school class through a study of Grace Walk, and I'm still playing drums for the worship team. Karen just finished her latest shift singing on the worship team.

It's prayer meeting and worship team practice this evening!

I'll see what I can do about taking some photos...

Thanks for paying and praying so that we can serve. It's a privilege to serve as your missionaries.

Chris Rice: Go Light Your World

There are a lot of great songs about the missionary call and purpose. I just thought I'd share one with you from Chris Rice. Thanks for making our missionary service possible through your gifts and your prayers. And through our service, together helping transport and deliver "lit candles" to the remotest parts of the earth through the use of airplanes.

MMS mechanics on Rapid Response in Uganda.