Keith & Karen's Fall Newsletter

Photos for the Fun of It!

Part of Karen's and my recent 20th wedding anniversary celebration included watching the Charlotte Knights baseball team play against the Durham Bulls, taking a tour of an artisanal glass blowing hot-shop, a trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Karen's FAVORITE 😖), and a stop at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. It was our second visit to the transportation museum. Exciting, eh? 

It was fun to reconnect with our baseball friend, Xavier, whom we met here as a Burlington Royals (Burlington, NC) rookie in 2015. He worked his way up to AAA with Kansas City and now plays AAA with the Charlotte Knights (affiliated with the Chicago White Sox). It's been fun watching him "grow up" in life and baseball.

Xavier is a catcher/1st baseman who's played professional baseball for ten years.

I did find a couple things to take photos of at the transportation museum. Enjoy. They're just for fun!

DC-3 components and wing sections

DC-3 fuselage

DC-3 wing spar mid-section assembly

School bus grill

Restored railroad car for sorting mail between cities.

Ford Pickup Truck grill

Thanks for your friendship, love, prayers, gifts, and encouragement that sustain us in life, marriage, and ministry!

The 2022 Salsa Season Starts!

 Karen's Side-Street Salsa Kitchen is NOW OPEN!

Karen in super salsa form down on our seasonal salsa farm!

Recent Salsa History                                                                                                                      The last couple years have been rough as far as salsa. Life and ministry were so crazy in 2019 that we didn't have a salsa garden (tomatoes or related peppers). And then in '20 and '21 we lost a large portion of our tomato crop to "bottom rot" which is caused by irregular watering and/or a calcium deficiency. We had a very hot/dry season in '20 and a very wet/warm season in '21. 

Current Salsa Situation                                                                                                                  So THIS year we were ready with an improved water management plan and a calcium control regimen. Those elements helped as the tomato garden took off like crazy this spring.

Pepper Problems                                                                                                                         Of course, that means our pepper garden (jalapeno, bell, and banana peppers) nearly failed. Karen planted seeds three times in quest of germination. The third seeding grew-out uneven with 1 1/2 jalapeno plants, 7 bell pepper plants, and 1 banana pepper plant. Normally we have 6 plants each. While jalapeno and bell peppers are found retail down here, banana peppers are rather rare in our local produce reality. And if someone tells you that "Hungarian Hots" are the same thing (because they look nearly identical to banana peppers) don't believe them. So we're hoping our single banana pepper plant has a banner banana year. 

Our thin pepper patch. 

Forging Ahead, Full Speed Ahead                                                                                                That being said, WE JUST HARVESTED, PROCESSED AND CANNED our first batch of Salsa for 2022. It was a great harvest with only one tomato having bottom rot. The rest were ripe, red, and ready to be picked. This first pick produced 11 lovely quarts of Karen's Side Street Salsa.

Chopping, slicing, and dicing.

Salsa pot simmer in the North Carolina summer.

Poetry in motion.

Karen's Side-Street Salsa 2022, Batch #1

We look forward to at least two more tomato harvests this year.

Future Salsa Batches #2 and #3?

While we don't ship salsa, we do share it if you're ever in town.

Summer Newsletter

 Here's our latest newsletter for your reading and viewing enjoyment!

Speaking of Tomatoes and Missionary Airplanes

 The last week of June/beginning of July, I was back up at MMS Aviation for a Candidate Evaluation. More on that in our upcoming SUMMER NEWSLETTER! Be watching for it...👀

A slice of road-life between Coshocton, Ohio and Graham, North Carolina. 

It is no surprise there were missionary airplanes at our hangar facility when I arrived. The surprise, even after 25 years of service, is the depth and breadth of the aircraft maintenance performed by our Apprentice and Staff mechanics. The world of missionary aviation can be found in our hangars.

Hangar A, B, and C are full. It's a simple as that. Here's a rundown of what is hangar A, from left to right below: a Cessna 206 for service in Alaska, a G8 Airvan for service in Haiti, and a Cessna 206 for ministry in Mexico. The white oblong looking thing in the lower right corner is the downside of belly cargo pod for the nearby 206. There are actually TWO belly pods in this photo. The other one is right side up and looks something like a little boat.

A view of Hangar A from the mezzanine level. It's so nice to have the hangar doors open.

Major progress on an aircraft restoration can appear less than exciting to untrained eyes, but our avionics team has nearly finished the repair and rewire of this panel inside the G8 Airvan.

Senior Apprentice Bryan Martin receives a wisdom delivery from long-term Staff mechanic, Mike Dunkley. They are discussing the engine of a missionary airplane being repaired for service in Canada. Actually, the Cessna 206 in the background is also slated for Canadian missionary service.

And Did I Mention Tomatoes?

Not at MMS, of course. There are lots of things you can find at MMS, but a Salsa Garden isn't yet one of them. The tomatoes are back in Graham, North Carolina on the south side of our humble missionary abode. And its a great year for tomatoes so it should be a great year for Karen's Side-street Salsa!

Our 2022 forest of Roma tomatoes.

We don't fry them green...we slice and dice them once they're RED! Here's salsa on the hoof!

And A Dog to Entertain in All Our Humanness

We currently have the pleasure of dog sitting our friends' dog while they are out of state. This is Niner. Niner has written a short article about her stay with us on page 2 of our next, upcoming, soon to be released, Blockbuster Summer Newsletter. Did I say be watching for it? 👀

Here's "Niner" patiently waiting for us to continue entertaining her.

Thank YOU for being such a large part of transforming lives and shaping eternity through your partnership with us in missionary aviation! Without someone to send, no one can go! Thanks for being part of the team at MMS Aviation.

Hangar Shots: Where is THIS Airplane Going?

MMS Aviation receives aircraft projects from all over the world that then go all over the world to transport the love, compassion, and Truth of Jesus Christ to those people groups, villages, and tribes in hard-to-reach places. Here are some hangar photos to illustrate that reality.

Rebekah Martel, our newest staff member, removes corrosion 

from the main wing spar of an Airvan headed for missionary service in 

Haiti.

This airplane, a Cessna 206, is in for a complete control panel upgrade for service in 

Alaska.

This engine is being overhauled for an airplane that serves in 

Mexico.

This airplane, a Pilatus Porter, will serve in 

Guatemala.

Dale and Kyle repair a horizontal stabilizer for an airplane that serves in the 

Philippines.

This Cessna 206 was completely restored for service in 

Canada.

Austin Cleator resurfaces valves for an engine for a missionary airplane in 

Central America.

Mike Dunkley solders wiring on an Airbus AS350B2 helicopter bound for service in 

Africa.

Thank you for being part of this work 

to prepare people and planes 

for WORLD-WIDE missionary aviation! 

Enjoy our Spring Newsletter!