Taking Care of Business At MMS Aviation

 Greetings from Coshocton, Ohio! 

I'm up at our hangar facility this week to assist with the In-Hangar Evaluation of Tyler and Sharee, a young couple from PA who've applied for Apprenticeship. This evaluation is the final step of their mobilization/application process and, should the eval go well, results in their change of status from Applicants to Approved Candidates and initial orientation for Partnership Development. 

The unusual aspect of Tyler and Sharee's application is that they have BOTH applied to the apprenticeship program. This is the first time at MMS that both husband and wife have applied to become missionary airplane mechanics. Usually one of the two enter apprenticeship. It's an exciting time in the hangar. 

Sharee completes replacement of an airplane tube and tire.

Tyler demonstrates his soldering ability.

Our staff will keep them busy Monday-Wednesday on aviation maintenance tasks and evaluate their technical and non-technical skills. Thursday morning we'll have an interview with Tyler & Sharee to debrief their week of evaluation, discuss the results, and if everything's within  training parameters, invite them into the ministry. If an invitation is given, they'll have the rest of Thursday to discern their response. Should they accept our invitation, we'll spend Friday in an administrative orientation and prepare them to be trained and and then coached through developing the team of financial and prayer partners necessary for full-time ministry.

But there are some other things going on in the hangar as well.

Supervisors Jim and Mike perform a static leak test on cockpit instruments.

CEO Phil Maddux inspects Austin's rivet exam during Basic Training.

Josh and Bryan learn maintenance of the PT-6 engine under Chris Jutte's supervision.

Volunteers are helping reassemble the cockpit of this missionary helicopter.

And here are the two major projects in Hangar A: Missionary Air Group's Cessna 206 (foreground) and Gospel Carrier International's Super King Air 200 (background). You can't see them but there are several engines in the engine shop for overhaul!

Thanks for being part of it all through your friendship, 

love, gifts and prayers.

Watch for our latest Coshocton Flyer newsletter coming to a mail box or inbox near you sometime before Thanksgiving!

It's Salsa Season and Summer Newsletter Time!

And a Bonus Backyard Bird Shot of what it means to REST.

Ordinary Time

In the Christian liturgical calendar "Ordinary Time" can be defined as, "...two distinct segments which together comprise the majority of the Christian Year: the time between Epiphany and Lent, and the time between Pentecost and Advent. Ordinary Time presents us with an ongoing opportunity to witness to the living Lord who makes all things new."

This is Ordinary Time at the office.

There is such a thing as "Ordinary Time" in the mission world as well. It's the part of ministry that isn't glamorous, newsletter worthy, and doesn't earn an extra special rating on the kingdom expansion meter. It's called getting up and showing up. It's going to the office or the village or the medical clinic or the hangar or the cockpit even though it's the last thing you want to do and then faithfully doing the mundane things that are the grease of "thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." It's reflecting Jesus as we can, where we can, when we can, to the degree enabled and empowered by His Spirit to do so. It's falling over and getting back up. Again. It is the never-ending practice of giving and receiving grace.

And with that come God's gifts of beauty, distraction, creation, and renewal. It's cyclical, it's seasonal on multiple conceptual layers and, through His grace, we have the blessing of a new moment to follow each past moment until our future moments become eternity.

Here are photos from some Ordinary Time in and around Graham, North Carolina.

Local Car Show

Hike on the Haw River

Reconnnection with a baseball friend: Xavier Fernandez, Birmingham Barons

Backyard Birds

Mac-N-Cheese Dogs at a Sock Puppet's Game

Thank you for being part of our lives and ministry in Ordinary and Extra-Ordinary Times. We serve at His pleasure through your generosity, friendship, prayers, and encouragement. 

We are so blessed to have you as part of our past moments, this moment, and the moments to come.

Spring 2021 Global Flyer Newsletter

 Here's our latest newsletter!

Bonus Bird Shot #1: Eastern Bluebird

Bonus Bird Shot #2: Northern Cardinal

Bonus Bird Shot #3: Carolina Chickadee

Thank YOU for being part of this ministry, having a hand in its Kingdom outcomes, and direct involvement in transforming lives and shaping eternity through your friendship, gifts, and prayers.