Most of you know that we have been praying for the past few months that the Lord would show us our next step, since things did not go as planned with us going to New Tribes Mission this August.  We met with an MAF representative, and through that we discovered that we did not feel that we fit into MAF, and also that we had more questions for NTM.  So we scheduled a meeting with the regional New Tribes Mission representatives. 

Monday’s meeting with Ken and Cindy West revealed to us so much more than we had hoped and prayed for.  This couple felt called to Indonesia when they were about our age and served the Lord there in a tribe for 21 years.  We also have felt drawn to Indonesia since we started exploring locations for service in mission aviation.  We had many questions about Indonesian culture—how perfect that God put these New Tribes missionaries to Indonesia just an hour away in Spartanburg, and here they were sitting on our couch, ready to answer our eager questions.  We had questions about everything.  What is the food like there?  They said it’s like a cross between Thai and Indian!  (two of our favorite kinds of food!)  Interestingly, Mrs. West also has a seafood allergy, just like Elizabeth, so we were able to have that question answered right away: she said most Indonesian dishes are chicken or beef, unless you live in a coastal area.  Praise the Lord!

They told us many other interesting things about Indonesian culture, and answered questions about what life is like for missionary pilots on a day to day basis.  Some of our more important questions had to do with NTM philosophy in certain matters, and in all regards, their answers solidified the feeling we already had, that New Tribes is a good fit for us.

We are ready to wait as long as it takes for New Tribes to have a need for Jamin’s pilot and mechanic skills.  If the Lord changes our direction once again someday, we are ready and open for His leading, but for now, we feel that He is opening our hearts with great joy to the prospect of serving Him under New Tribes’ leadership and in the country of Indonesia.  For now, we are absolutely happy and content to serve Him here in Shelby, North Carolina.  It’s great to know that we’re not the ones in control because we are sure to get into things over our heads.  God is the only one who can prepare the way and prepare us at the same time so it all comes together in perfect cadence.

It's been awhile since we've posted an update.  Jamin's been working on the Cessna 206 that's going to Honduras with Harvesters (check out Compass' website for more on that).  Last week he started installing a fuel step and handle on each side of the airplane to make it easier for pilots to climb up to put fuel in the wings where the fuel tanks are.  Lord willing, he'll be finishing that project in the next couple days and moving on to more things that need to be done to prepare that plane for service. 

The good news is that Compass now has the 206 that they own up and flying again.  One missionary candidate was able to use it last week to prepare for his flight evaluation with MAF, which he'll be taking this week.  Greg has been here at Compass with us, and would surely appreciate your prayers this week as he and his wife undergo the scrutiny of the staff at Mission Aviation Fellowship and also have a chance to evaluate the organization to see if it fits with their vision for service.

We are still looking forward to attending such an evaluation with New Tribes Mission next January.  We have looked into some other organizations, but none seem to fit so well with how we feel called to serve the Lord.  We will be meeting next Monday, (a week from tomorrow) with a regional representative from New Tribes who can hopefully answer any lingering questions we have about their operations and philosophy of service.

Meanwhile, Jamin had to drive to Augusta, GA today by himself to speak at Bethany Bible Chapel.  Esther had a bad case of the flu that she got over only yesterday, still with a really stuffy nose today, so we had Sunday school at home this morning.  Jamin left at about 5:30 this morning and only just got back at midnight after getting caught in some bad traffic.