Sunday, October 26, 2008

I love my boys!


There is one thing I must say. I love my kids! I am so proud of them and their accomplishments. Their accomplishments may not be what the world may consider to be much, but to me its a lot.

Ryan's little smile melts my heart, I love to look at him straight in the eyes, I drown in his love, and feel so compelled to pick him up and hug him. It breaks my heart to See him fall and get hurt, I would throw myself under him if I could.

Zachary is getting so big now. where did that little boy that doctors told me would have a 50% chance of walking go!? Now I have to run to catch up to him. Zach's laughs make my day. I swear each day that I hear that boy laugh it adds a day to my life.

God has so richly blessed me with these two boys. They make me see the world in ways that I would never other wise. We are all students to each other, they learn from me, I learn from them, and the heavenly Father teaches us all something new.

You want to hear something strange? I don't know how to act around "normal" kids. Kids that walk and talk are strange to me.

I love my kids so much! I would shout it from the roof tops. So if you ask me how my kids are doing ,I'll tell you "just great!" I mean it , they are just great! I don't know about you, but I'm blessed beyond belief.

The Crucible.

Whew, what a week! I feel like I've just walked through fire. ( No, I don't have athletes foot). God has once again saved our bacon! He is in complete control. Here's why. Earlier in the week Kristin and I were planning to fly up to S. Carolina to visit some friends, so Jeff steps up and offers to fly for me because Wednesdays flight got pushed back a day making Friday my return day; the day Kristin wanted to fly.

Thursday afternoon Kristin really needed my help and had I flown to Haiti Kristin would have had to deal with an ugly situation all by herself. The weather turned bad anyway for our flight up to S.C. and I was able to be home where I was needed. God had worked wonders in our family's life. The prayers of all the people that heard of what had happened were felt ( thank you!!!).

It is times like these that remind me that we all go through a little purifying from time to time. Like gold or steel it is put through the fire to refine it, to purify it; making all the imperfections bubble to the top where they can be scraped off. I've found the blast furnace that is life is always there to turn up the heat when it is least convenient. The only way I have to get through this fire is to keep my eyes on Christ. Every breath that I expelled had a prayer on it.

I need to be Christ-like now, and forgive the people that did this, I now that the people involved were looking out for the best and I am glad that we have people like them. I must forgive.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Kingair pilot ~ at last!

Yes, yes, yes! The long awaited Kingair has finally arrived! On Oct 5th the plane arrived, and we could hardly believe it. After so many false starts, the plane finally made it to our hanger!

Now, the first impression of this plane is not a good one. The paint has a lot to be desired, and thier are not seats except for the two pilots. She is what I call a "sleeper". Does anyone remember when a friend would have an old beat up car that looked terrible on the out side, but on the inside it would have the best stereo? And when you would look under the hood it would have a totally kickin' engine that would totally rip up the road? Well that is how the King air is. The avionics are top notch (radios for you non-flyers) the engines have been over hauled and have fresh hot sections. Kickin'!

I had the privilege of having the first flight. Our king air instructor Jim Lewis flew with me as FO (first officer). We arrived at the hanger at 6am and by the time we got all ready we climbed in.
Now one has to keep this in perspective. Its dark, and every thing we do is by flash light, Jim gets into the air plane by climbing up the little ladder and settles in. I go up, unhook the ladder from the side of the airplane and now their seems to be not enough room to get the ladder in. So here I am banging and clanging poor Jim in the head with this metal ladder that somehow must fit in the back of the cockpit. After 15 minutes we get it figured out (I know what your thinking: stupid pilots!). The plane is a lot faster than the 182 mph Caravan - the kingair will zip along at 260mph, not too shabby.

As with any thing, it still has some bugs to be worked out. But, how grateful we are to have this plane. God yet again has provided! His grace never seems to end, and not just with this plane, but with everything. If I've learned anything about stepping out in faith, its this: don't worry, God has everything under control. Jas 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for your Lord your God is with you wherever you go" How awesome is that!

Captain Mikarts

Captain Mikarts
Mark always says he has the best office view!

Hispanola

Hispanola
These are the mountains on the island of Hispanola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic)

Haitian Airport

Haitian Airport
Here is a picture of an airport in Haiti!

About Me

My photo
Mark and I created this blog so that our friends and family could see all the blessings God is pouring on our family as we serve Him through Agape Flights. Mark is one of the captains, a flight instructor and maintenance man for God! We believe that through the thick and thin of life, you have to find the humor. We want the joy we get from the Lord to be evident in our daily lives. Our children have unidentified developmental delays, because of this, we have a heart for parents of children with special needs. Our kids have brought us the biggest joy - and the biggest challenges. Through our experiences, we pray we can help others.