I (Jamin) have more respect for this country now than I did this morning.  This morning I didn't have quite the appreciation for the medical facilities, and the ease of service, and the genuine interest in our well-being as Americans that our government has given us.

This evening I got to see it all in action, and having seen the medical services overseas growing up, and anticipating living in a country without adequate medical facilities, I realize just how good we have it.

From my perspective, I was at work, with only one more hour left before the end of the day.  It was noisy in the hangar I was working in, and it turns out I missed two frantic phone calls from my very concerned wife.  She was smart, though, and called Dustin, my coworker and friend who happened to be in the more quiet, adjoining hangar.  The first thing I hear is Dustin saying, "Jamin, it's your wife" as he hands me the phone.  Little did I know that I was in for six hours of stress and emotional tension.

Esther had taken a spill by tipping over a chair, with herself in it.  The result was a mess.  Esther had split open her lip and was bleeding from inside her mouth; A LOT. It took Daddy rushing home to hold her and humor her with some Veggie Tales for her to simply cry and not scream.  That permitted Mommy to call the doctor and find someone to watch baby brother.

We're so grateful for the blessing and comfort that the Compass Aviation Ministry family is to us.  The Edmonds gladly took care of Jaren, while everyone else lifted us up in prayer as we went to the children's clinic, where we were told we had two options: leave it alone and let it leave a really ugly scar on Esther's famous smile, or take her to the Emergency Room and get stitches.

We opted for the stitches, and were very glad we did when the doctor discovered more extensive damage to her gums and frenulum (the bit of skin that connects your upper lip to your gums).

Esther did very well, and we are so proud of our tough little girl.  She was walking around on her own, not crying, before we went to the emergency room, even smiling for the camera despite her injuries! And although she cried a lot when she was injected to put her in conscious sedation, she was obedient and didn't kick or scream.

It hurt us, as parents, to see her being put through all this; especially seeing our lively and upbeat girl quickly turn limp and unresponsive.

The procedure went quickly, and it wasn't more than 25 minutes and she was slowly starting to wake up again, moaning for daddy.  We spent another few hours as she woke up, making sure she could keep a few liquids down and that she was recovering fully from the drugs.

At home again, six hours later, we were all able to change out of our blood-stained clothes, and after singing and praying with Esther, she said, as she always does, "goodnight, close a door."  I tried to leave the door open so that there was more light in the room so she wouldn't get scared in the dark (because an aftereffect of the sedation drugs is oftentimes nightmares), but Esther said, very sternly, "no, daddy; not leave it open. close a door."



All that said, we are very glad that our Esther is a tough little girl, and bounces back quickly.  We're also very grateful to our God that the cuts weren't worse, and that the doctor was able to find and fix things that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.  We're also thankful to God that we live in this country, which has helped provide us with amazing medical care.  And last but certainly not least, we're SO thankful for those who have lifted us up in prayer and who continue to do so; entrusting us into the hands of a loving and caring God who works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Jamin was originally planning on traveling to Minnesota this Labor Day weekend to go to a good friend's wedding.  That trip unfortunately fell through, but we know that oftentimes our plan B has been God's plan A all along.

Instead, the entire family stayed together and we all traveled up to Pennsylvania for the Greenwood Hills Labor Day Conference.  Jamin was not very excited about a very long drive with the kids through holiday traffic and after looking at the weather, decided it was a good time to utilize a resource that Compass had provided him: we would all fly.

If this wasn't enough, he found a good location en route that had affordable fuel for the plane and a free shuttle van to one of Virginia's largest attractions: the Luray Caverns.  Expecting to spend one hour there, we actually spent two marveling at the formations and giving glory to God for his handiwork through nature.  Even that was far too short, but with the kids getting restless and us running late we departed again for Pennsylvania.

Needless to say, we arrived a little late (whoops), but the people in charge were very gracious in getting us from the airport to the conference (only a twenty minute drive).

The conference was packed with wonderful exhortation, reconnecting with friends, and making new ones.  We were privileged to see God use things that we would consider to be bad (like running late for supper and missing half of it), for good (like meeting people who needed encouragement and a listening ear).  It was wonderful to be a part of the body, building each other up towards works of service to our God.

It all ended too quickly, and we (literally) flew home, having saved ourselves at least 8 hours of travel time (which is why I have the time to be writing this now!).

Pictures will follow shortly.

We're simply glad that God would use us for His glory, encourage us, and show us how all things are in His control, even when they don't go according to plan.

Jamin has achieved one of his major goals coming to Compass.  This week, he made a flight into Charlotte-Douglass International that put him over the 300 PIC hours (pilot in command) required by New Tribes Mission!  This goal seemed so far-off when we came here a year-and-a-half ago, and now it's hard to believe we're here already.  Praise God for his abundant provision and wonderful goodness to us.  We are constantly in awe that He would chose us to further His kingdom, but after all, He chooses each one of His children in a special way.

Last week we were rewarded with a refreshing summer get-away with Jamin's family.  His parents, grandparents (on his dad's side), and both his sisters with their husbands were able to come.  We drove up to Lake Nantahala in the mountains of western North Carolina where we basked in the coolness of higher elevation.  In addition to all the fun times on and in the lake, we also had wonderful fellowship with all the other couples who are also missions-minded.  Jamin's grandparents worked in Italy for over 25 years and still (though in their 80s) make yearly trips back to speak and counsel the believers.  They founded the Italian Bible Institute that just celebrated its 50th anniversary (see the article in Missions magazine about the school).  Jamin's parents spent about 16 years in the DR Congo and are starting a new local assembly here in the US together with several other families.  Jamin's sister Janna and her husband Nate have just joined the mission's group Pioneers and are praying about where specifically the Lord would have them to serve.  They are burdened for Muslims and have narrowed the field down to Chad and one other location in North Africa.  His other sister Joy, and her husband Jeremy, have just returned from a six-week vision trip to Chad where they hope to one day work with nomadic people groups.  Even after seeing the hardships of everyday living there first-hand, their zeal is not diminished.  And so, all three Peck children hope to be on the mission field within the next three years, if the Lord allows.  It was such a blessing to spend this time together as a family as we know time grows short to when our teary goodbyes will have to last 4 years between furloughs.

After such a delightfully cool and relaxing week, it has been hard to return to the heat and daily chores of Shelby.  Jamin is often working in contorted positions inside airplanes on the ground (sort of like working under the dash of a hot car with no ventilation).  We are certainly looking forward to some cooler weather in the fall.  It makes us wonder what sort of climate awaits us on the mission field.  It will probably be tropical, but could perhaps be higher elevation, which would be less muggy.  We know that God gives grace in the moment, and that is what we pray for each day.  We are amazed by His provision.

We are preparing for our trip to Nantahala soon.  We'll be spending time with Jamin's family at a house near the lake in western North Carolina.  I can't wait for everyone to see how much fun Jaren is.  He loooooves being tickled, and he's only 3 months old.  It's surprised me how quickly he's gone from a baby who just eats and sleeps all the time to an interactive child who loves to bounce in his doorway bouncer, who reaches for things, and who wants to talk and laugh with anyone, but especially his MOMMY!  :)  Makes me happy.

This past weekend had its share of adventures.  In Lincolnton, GA, Esther made friends with 94-year-old Grampy, with whom she had a surprisingly lot in common, as we ate dinner with the Thorpes.  He has had a series of strokes and now lives with his daughter.  They both need help in so many areas, they're both a bit tough to understand sometimes, neither of them functions well on little sleep, and they both say "no" when they mean "yes". The Nichols family opened their home to us.  Esther made fast friends with their four children, especially 4-year-old Jesse, who was enchanted with Esther's name.

Sleeping all together in the same room has its challenges, but despite them we rested and woke up to the delicious odor of cinnamon rolls in the morning. 

I thoroughly enjoyed spending all of the first service in the sanctuary while Stephanie watched my kids in the nursery.  Thanks, Stephanie!  Between services we got to meet many people who were encouraging in their interest in the work we are doing and the future work we hope to do.  One comment that struck me commended us for perseverance in the long path one has to take in order to reach a mission field in aviation.  As Jamin always mentions in his presentations, the path to mission aviation always takes at least 8 years from first vision to the foreign field.  It takes determination to stay the course.

After all the meetings were over and nearly everyone had left, Esther approached Jamin and said, "Daddy, I broke a sink."  Now, with her limited language, Jamin and everyone around him though, "Surely she meant something else."  But Jamin decided to check it out anyway.  She showed him the water fountain she had been trying to get a drink from, and sure enough, she had pulled the whole thing out of the wall.  It's pretty comical to think a 30-pound 2-year-old could muscle that piece of equipment away from the drywall.  Weakened by countless other toddlers likely leaning on it the same way, it finally had to give way on OUR little trouble-maker. *shakes head*

Even more adventures awaited her that afternoon.  Two hours of staying up past her naptime apparently impacted Esther's logic, and she ended up impacting a lamp-post in the Nichol's living room.  Thankfully, though, a long nap and then a swim in the pool restored her to her previous mood of cheerfulness just before we began our drive home.

We are grateful to God for safety as we travelled, especially as we drove through some thunderstorms with strong winds.  It was hard to believe that it had only been one day since we had left home and then returned again.