Yesterday and Tomorrow

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We are back in Oregon! Well, most of us are. After a gloriously wonderful, sunny break in Forida over Michael's birthday, Christmas, and New Years, we arrived back in Oregon a little over a week ago. Michael left a few days later for Pennsylvania, the details of which are below. WE HAVE NEWS.....!

Of course, everyone really looks at blogs to read funny or inspirational things and see pictures. So, here are the pictures!

Mini-golf on Daddy's birthday. Loving the sun!

Michael's birthday present

Cousin time!

Birthday spankings!

Isn't she lovely?

And what a handsome young man!

School by the pool

And of course, fun IN the pool!

And of course, some time at Disneyworld!

Michael was a sailor in a show called Harbor Attack. He got pretty wet!

Oooohhh, we're gonna get wet.

Michael and Jess "FlyBoarding" for their birthday (Michael in red helmet, Jess in blue)

We had some great family time

A bunch of the cousins

 

Jess's beautiful girls with K&A at a Christmas high tea

And some awesome beach time, on Jan 2nd!

Body boarding

Michael and Jess

We had quite an adventure getting home on military "Space Available" flights. We had three canceled flights, but of course, our Father took good care of us. Our first canceled flight was out of Florida. That would have been too easy. The next flight canceled was in Charleston, SC and another in Fort Bragg, NC (for those unfamiliar with Space A, you show up to literally take whatever seats you can get on already-scheduled military-mission flights, from a-hopefully-somewhere-near-you (500 miles or less?) base. Of course the military is not obligated to actually run those missions, or allow non-essential persons on board, and therefore the flights can be canceled, or no seats released, at any moment for no reason whatsoever). BUT, in both Charleston and Fort Bragg, we have friends who graciously allowed us to stay with them whilst we looked for other flights; thus, our departure to the west ended up being from Washington, DC.

After riding on a C17 from Washington DC to northern California, we were ready for something a little quieter and faster. Michael got to fly us home to Oregon in a Cessna Conquest. A great way to end a great trip!

The inside, facing aft

Bedtime; we arrived in CA at 12:30 am ET

Aaaaahhhhh, this is nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now.....for our news!

Michael got a new job, which he is VERY excited about. He has been hired as a full-time pilot for Haverfield Aviation. To quote their website: "Haverfield Aviation, Inc. is the leading provider of aerial power line inspection and construction support services both in the United States and abroad. It is the most efficient provider of energized line services in the U.S." Basically, they use helicopters to inspect, maintain, and construct power lines all over the U.S. They also use aerial saws, which hang from the helicopter, to trim the rights-of-way for power lines.

Here are a couple of videos to show what Haverfield does. This first one is incredibly interesting, but a little long (~10 min). Even if you watch just the first couple minutes, you'll be amazed! (What you see right now, in the still shot of the video is a live power line, 350 feet in the air.)

 

This next video shows the aerial saw. This is what Michael is really excited to try.

 

Michael is currently in Gettysburg, PA for two weeks in training and then he will start right away. We're not sure where yet. His schedule will be about 21 days on, 10 days off. The chief pilot today said he was excited that the kids and I can join Michael at his work sites in our traveling home. So are we! We'll keep posting updates.

One final note: we are still planning on attending Candidate Decision Camp in Trogen, Switzerland in June, for HeliMission. If you remember, this is the next step for us as we continue our journey of becoming full-time helicopter missionaries for Jesus, somewhere overseas. Our church, Grace Baptist Church, has set up an account to receive tax-deductible donations on our behalf for this trip. We calculate that we'll need about $3,400 total, most of which is for airfare. If the Lord is leading you to contribute in that way, we thank Him for providing and you for listening. :) Please send monies to:

GBC

Attn: Stephens/HeliMission

PO Box 1

Newberg, OR 97132

 

We pray that God blesses each one of you today with more of His grace!

"For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

2 Corinthians 9:12-15 ESV

 

Love,

The Stephens Family

 

 

A great picture!

Michael's co-worker just sent a picture he took today, and I had to post it. It's awesome.

Christmas Trees

Michael has moved into flying Christmas trees and it is very challenging work! Check out the videos below when you're done reading. Each load weighs between 700-1,000 pounds and consists of 10-15 trees. The trees are cut out in the tree farm, bundled together, and then flown to a landing site where they can be loaded into trucks. It requires Michael to be very precise, often having to thread the bundle through standing trees or other obstacles. Time is of the essence for each load, because the farmer is paying for the helicopter per hour and the the longer it takes the more costly it becomes per tree. Michael has proven to be very quick and efficient, almost always completing a cycle of pick-up and drop-off in less than a minute. All of his farmers have been very happy so far!

 

Michael leaning out to check the load - notice the red line hanging down

 

 

It is cold and rainy, and Michael has to regularly lean out the window to keep an eye on the line and the load. Yesterday he came home exhausted and sore (and wet and hungry!). BUT, he loves doing this! It is extremely valuable experience, and definitely could help him on the missions field someday. Not to mention he just loves a good challenge, especially in flying.

 

It is really nice to be home, in Newberg, for awhile. Most of the tree farms are within an hour of here. In fact, Oregon sells more Christmas trees than any other state, between 6-9 million each year! Check where your tree came from when you buy it this year. Michael may have flown it!

 

This will last through December 11th, and then we are headed to Florida. All four of us are SO excited. Not only will we be able to spend Christmas with almost all of Michael's immediate family, but Michael and his twin brother, Jess, will be able to spend their birthday together on December 14th. That is a rare treat for them.

 

The kids and I continue to plug along in our school work each day. They are fantastic learners and I am also getting a whole new education. It has been challenging the last couple of weeks, staying on task with the daily things, when we have some big things coming in the near future. We want the big things now! Patience truly is a virtue.

 

We hope you have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving. The deepest joy comes from being grateful.

 

Love,

Fawn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Progress!

Things are coming along, and God is moving! We have officially submitted an application to Helimission to be full-time overseas missionaries. We have never been so thrilled to hit the "send" button as when we sent off that email! We have been praying and waiting for 8 years to do that! It really reminds us how far God has brought us. When we first moved to Oregon a little over 4 years ago, for Michael to start flight training, we had no idea to what extent he would be trained. He is scheduled next week to take the last of 14 checkrides. FOURTEEN! He has received so much valuable training in both helicopters and airplanes, and we are so grateful. This week, my brother, Traber, spoke of reading in 1 Kings 8 when Solomon was dedicating the temple he had built for the Lord, and while praying he remembered from where and what the Lord had delivered His people. He spoke first and foremost about how God is faithful and merciful to us, and brings us along so far. Let us never forget to look back and be grateful for what God has done for us!

Adria reading "More Than an Adventure" - the story of Ernie Tanner, founder of Helimission

We still have much to do in this journey and we have a lot of steps to complete before we would actually be placed in the field. The next step is rather exciting for us, as we have been invited to Switzerland in June for Candidate Decision Camp. This is a week-long event, formatted in camp-style, at Helimission headquarters. It will be an opportunity for us and the director of Helimission, Simon Tanner, and other HM staff to pray and seek God's will for us. We will do service projects together and take hikes and worship together, along with up to 10 other potential HM missionaries. If both parties decide that it is God's will for us to be placed in the field, we would then proceed with the next steps: cultural training, a term at Bible College, language training, etc.

Please don't stop praying! We are just getting started! We are asking for all of our friends and family to pray for us to first love God above all else, and then love His people. We need His wisdom and direction, and truly want to be abandoned to all things of the world. Thank-you!

A recent flight over the Oregon coast

 

Blessings from beautiful Oregon!

 

 

And may God richly bless your "harvest", whatever it is!

 

Love,

Michael and Fawn

 

In Action

Here is Michael in action. He's practicing long-line water drops.

 

 

 

 

ATP!!!! and Adventures of Fall

We have fantastic news! Michael has earned his Airline Transport Rating (ATP) for helicopters. This is the highest rating a pilot can earn and is highly regarded in the industry. He's worked so hard and has been carried by God's grace the whole way. When he started flight school 4 years ago, we had no idea how far our God would take him. It brings to mind the verse in Ephesians: "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Eph 3:20-21) Thank-you Jesus!

Now that we are at the tail-end of flight school (ATP multi-engine airplane is the next and last rating) our vigor for overseas aviation missions has been refreshed again, something we know is of the Lord. We have started filling out paperwork for a missions agency we have been in contact with for a few years, and expect to turn it in soon. Please be praying with us that we trust God through the process, and are attentive to His leading. So many of you have had a crucial part in our journey, and we ask you to continue partnering with us in prayer. It is our goal to be full-time missionaries wherever the Lord will take us, for however long He will use us that way. We are convinced that our lives and our gifts and talents belong to Him, and that using them for His glory is the most satisfying life possible.

Adria's soccer team - Palto helps coach

In regards to current, daily life, as we have officially moved into fall, we've had some familiar favorites (homemade applesauce, soccer, and crisp mornings) and some new adventures (living in RV parks and moving every couple of weeks). Here in Oregon we are enjoying a late summer with beautiful, warm, sunny days. We'll take 'em! We've enjoyed some time near Newberg over the last 10 days. Now, we are near Coos Bay, OR for a fire standby contract. Obviously we don't want forest fires to start, but if they do, it will be great experience for Michael! We'll probably be here for a week or so; and we are excited that my (Fawn's) mom is coming for a visit. The Oregon coast is one of her favorite places in the world, and she couldn't resist when we invited her to come for a bit

Beach time with Palto



 

Pacific City, OR

Just before school started for Palto, we all got to have a weekend at the beach. It was sunny and beautiful, and we had a wonderful time. He is still full-time at Portland Community College in pre-nursing. He has just finished his CNA course and is looking for a CNA job. He is living with some dear friends of ours and is loving it. Please keep his family in prayer. Recently, one of the big tents that their church body meets under blew down (again) and was destroyed. They need anothe one to be able to reach out to the community around them with the love of Christ.

 

 

 

Headed Out of Newberg

 

Thank-you for continuing to participate with us as we embark on this new journey and season in our lives. We love each and every one of you, and always want you to be a part of our lives, no matter where we are. Blessings!

Fawn
 

School! and an Eternal Perspective...

The air is crisp, the soccer cleats are out, and school has started! We had our first official day of home school today and had a great time! We love doing school in our new classroom in the 5th wheel. It is cozy and roomy at the same time. We all agreed that we are in for a great year.

First day of school

Our Heavenly Father has been speaking to our hearts lately about a certain theme; having an eternal perspective. This morning I read in Luke and John about the disciple James, and three noticeable things about him. The first thing that struck me was that he was short-tempered and the second was that he was selfish. His short fuse was shown when the Samaritans didn't approve of Jesus coming to their city and James and John wanted to call down fire from Heaven to kill them. In my own understanding, I imagine Jesus to have been quite frustrated with this, in His patient, gracious way. He rebuked them, basically saying "You have no idea who I really am, or why I'm here if you want to do that." (And this is after they saw Jesus glowing on the mountainside during his transfiguration, while God's voice came from the heavens to declare who Jesus was/is.)

Their selfish natures were exhibited when they asked Jesus to promise them each a special place in His kingdom, thinking only of an earthly kingdom. They had enjoyed being in Jesus' special group of disciples and could see enjoying that to an even higher degree for the rest of their lives, being "high-ups" in the greatest kingdom on Earth.

See, James and John couldn't understand what Jesus' long-term plan was. The most they could imagine was that He was on Earth to free Israel from the Roman rule, which was, in their minds, their biggest problem. They never could have imagined that glorifying His Father and billions of souls (mine, yours) over thousands of years was what was on Jesus' mind and heart. They didn't understand that eternity and an eternal, spiritual kingdom was what motivated Jesus.

The third thing that I noticed, and that encouraged me greatly, was that James loved Jesus with all his heart, and wanted to be with Him. He was the first to die for Jesus in fact. Jesus knew this and loved James' heart, even though he had flaws. I LOVE that Jesus chose disciples who were flawed, who didn't always "get it" right away. I have many flaws, and I certainly don't always get it. I have a hard time seeing God's eternal plan and often am only looking at what's right in front of me; at what I think are big problems. But I love Jesus with all my heart and want to be with Him forever. He knows that, and loves it. I prayed this morning that He would help me to see everything in my life today through an eternal perspective. I want to see His bigger picture.

Having a little fun....

We, Michael and I and the kids, want our lives to matter in an eternal way. We want to see beyond our daily goings-on as only that. We want to see them as part of an eternal plan in which we are blessed to participate.

Eternity's already here! Blessings to you today!

Fawn