As the semester ends, our minds are stuffed full of practical information and thoughts about the Lord and what He wants from us.  We eagerly anticipate a break from the breathless pace of classes during the summer so we can spend time just mulling over what we've heard and letting it all sink in and change our thinking.

We have gone through rough days of not wanting to do all that's demanded of us here.  Our attitudes have not always been the best.  But the Lord has met us in our weakness and brought along many godly influences that gently lead us back to Him.

In fact, of all the information that has been dumped on us this semester, there is one thing that stands out to me above all else.  Just walk with God.  Let go of "your ministry"; let go of your agenda; let go of your expectations; let go of your possessions; let go of your goals & passions.  God just wants us to walk with Him.  He's going to keep calling us back to Himself, through difficulties.  In each one, He will ask us again, "Do you trust me?"  "Am I enough?"

Who are you walking with?  Your friends?  Your ministry?  Your husband or wife?

It's a walk, not a run.  It is intentional, and we're moving forward.  But live in today, and walk with the Lord.

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.