A K&K Photo Update--WITH bird shots!

Greetings, Blog Fans! Here's a quick photo update. We're working on our next newsletter, but until that hits the news stands...here are some photos to tantalize your emotional, spiritual, and relational "taste buds" so to speak. It's HOT right now...if you're interested in a weather report. Oh and did I mention HUMID?

Karen creates another quilt for kids with cancer.

Speaking of quilts, we visited Virginia's Quilt Museum.

And enjoyed some scenery at Monticello: Garden View #1

Garden View #2

Selfie AT my office desk.

Selfie OF my office desk.

Northern Cardinal on our backyard fence.

Chipping Sparrow on one of our Winged Elm trees.

And, regarding missionary aviation, Jason Maust (left) completed apprenticeship with MMS and Missionary Flight Training with Missionary Air Group (MAG, here in Burlington) to become our 4th graduate of the Pilot/Mechanic Partnership between our two organizations! Jason is pictured with MAG's Chief Flight Instructor, Sean Garrigan (right).

If you haven't visited MMS Aviation's new website: 

CLICK HERE!

Coming Back to Life?

Coming back to life after eight weeks of COVID CRAZY...who'd a thunk it? We're not even sure how to do it, but each of us are working it out as best we can, together, like it or not. No one seems to be happy. Everyone perceives others as too afraid or not afraid enough. So little "middle" remains. 

Liability and lives and liberty and limits and great loss all intertwined in a complex tapestry of political, cultural, personal, private, public, spiritual, medical, and financial threads seemingly fallen from their spools and knocked from the very loom on which we'd anticipated creating a wonderful warp and weft.

Now...what is left? Life. We ARE coming back to life. As a neighborhood, as a city, a county, state, and believe it or not, even as a nation. Through God's grace we are coming back to life.

May these photos visually inform, inspire, and involve you with our personal "coming back to life." It's going to be okay. It may not be a pretty process, but it's going to be okay. We have Christ's word on that.

Chickadee fledge feeding

Bluebird fledge feeding

Brown-Headed Nuthatch fledge waiting to be fed

In seven years of watching our backyard birds, we've NEVER seen more bird families take flight in one spring: Chickadee, Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Northern Cardinal, Eastern Bluebird, Brown Thrasher, Brown-headed Nuthatch, House Finch, and Downy Woodpeckers have all brought their fledglings to feed in our yard. We are coming back to life.

Bell Pepper, Banana Pepper, Habenero Pepper, and two Beefsteak Tomato plants.

Roma Tomato Plants (the heart of Karen's Side-street Salsa)

Our salsa garden is in the ground and healthy. We are coming back to life.

I'm back in the Mobilization Office (MOBOFF)

Karen leads a multi-mission software training session online.

After mobilizing MMS candidates from home for seven weeks, I'm back in my office downtown. Karen continues to train missionaries at MMS Aviation and around the world in donor management software from her office at home. We are coming back to life.

The missionary pilot and our staff gather on the MMS ramp to pray over the Cessna 206 before departure. It came to MMS for engine and avionics upgrades.

The upgraded Cessna departs Richard Downing Airport in Coshocton, OH 

on the first leg of its journey back to ministry in South America.

 And the hangar at MMS Aviation is back in full operation! We are coming back to life. 

Thank you for partnering with us to prepare people and planes for worldwide missionary service. Your faithful prayer and financial partnership over the time of this pandemic is a true testimony to God's grace, love, and provision. None of this would happen if it weren't for your direct involvement and personal investment in our lives.

INVEST

Keith & Karen's Spring Newsletter

Greetings from Graham, North Carolina where the shut-down continues but we're on the back side of the slope. Lord willing we'll soon meet the criteria for Phase 1 of the re-start! Here's our latest newsletter and yes, it went to press BEFORE the shut-down started. Production lead times sometime fall behind reality. May our newsletter provide a brief insight into rolling back into our roles with MMS Aviation!

Karen on "Living the Corona Life..."

 Me "facilitating" a conversation between Keith's Mom and the on line banking help line.

Keith's Mom is tucked away in her apartment being very well cared for and protected by the staff at Brookwood. We are so blessed to know she is in a good place and close by even if we can't visit right now. Yesterday she needed a bill paid so I went on the handy-dandy on line banking that I had previously set up for just such a time as this. So glad we set this up! This will be a piece of cake! Oops! The account I want to pay her bill from hasn't been activated for on line bill pay. A quick call to the bank provided another opportunity for a "quick call" to the help line for on line banking.....well, maybe not so quick. Turns out they needed her expressed permission to make any changes even if my name is on the account. The young lady was so helpful, patient and kind! When I explained that Mom W was locked in at her home and we were locked away here at our home she came up with very creative ways to help us get this little problem solved. Kudos! I did have to laugh however as I held up two phones so the helpful young lady could talk with Mom W! Corona Creativity! Bill paid!

A bear for the bear hunt!

Last Saturday our neighborhood had a bear hunt for the kiddos. What a great idea! I wanted to help the kids have a good time so I dug into my sewing stash and found some fuzzy-wuzzy-fabric that was just asking to be a bear! He fit perfectly on our garden flag post. Keith got in on the fun and put stuffed critters in the tree, on the roof and above the garage door! We had as much fun watching out the windows as the families who drove or walked around searching for bears!

Keith & I model fabric masks.

When I heard that fabric face masks were becoming a needed item I pulled out some more fabric and what elastic I had and revved up the sewing machine. There were several medical workers in our neighborhood who were glad to receive them. We kept a couple for ourselves for food hunting excursions or other such necessities.

As I hear from our many missionary friends in so many places all around the world I have been filled with thoughts of how blessed we are. I know this is hard for everyone. It is a strange and new feeling knowing that we can't just run out for a simple errand or worship as a congregation. I am surprisingly affected by that even though I often am at home anyway! However, it is a huge blessing to be "stuck" in such pleasant places: a home with a roof over my head, cool when it's hot, warm when it's cold, dry when it's raining; running water; all of the basic supplies we need (plus much more!); electricity; phone service; technology to communicate, work and connect outside of our solitude; a yard to enjoy; things to be entertained by. Not to mention a loving husband to walk this "shelter-in-place" with! The list goes on and on. It's good for me to remember what I often take for granted.

Mr. Blue heading into his nesting box.

Watching the birds nesting and the spring blooms coming and going and the trees and grasses getting beautiful and green it reminds me that many things around me continue to be predictable and life is going forth as usual in many ways. Keith caught this shot of "our" Blue Bird heading into the nesting box out back preparing for a new family. So normal! Ahhhh. Smile.

In my devotions this week I was reminded how we panic when we feel like things are out of control. Who hasn't felt that panic at least at some point in this pandemic environment that is so disrupting our lives? This really IS pretty much out of my control. However, it is NOT out of God's control and I can rest in that. I trust. No matter whether my personal circumstances seem "good" to me or "bad", I know God is using all this in big ways and small for good. He is trustworthy. He has proven that to me many times in my life.

In the midst of this time I pray you are able to let God fill your heart with trust in Him and give you eyes that will take notice of His blessings in the midst of (and even in spite of) your circumstances!