Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Planning for the road ahead


Since our trip to New York and our AIM Candidate Week, we investigated a ministry called Proclaim Aviation. Their passion is to get ready, willing, and able missionary pilots and mechanics out into the field as quickly as possible.
Currently our plan is to go to Kenya with AIM-AIR as short term missionaries. The purpose of this is two-fold:


  1. Gain required A&P maintenance technician experience so I can go with AIM full time as a pilot mechanic, and
  2. Get a preview of life in Nairobi and serving with AIM.
After that I will return to work at Cessna. During this time I would get back up to speed as a pilot and work on passing the Technical Evaluation. This rigorous test determines if I am accepted as a pilot/ mechanic or not. I am guessing this process will take a year. We would still have some of our school loans when we leave for Kenya full time.

Proclaim Aviation offers us is a chance to spend a year in sunny Minnesota. I will be essentially a missionary for them and obtain my A&P maintenance technician experience I need, as well as stay current with my flying, and they will help us pay off our school loans. After a year with them we will be ready to jump into the Technical Evaluation and then leave for Kenya full time, probably six months ahead of our original schedule and not carrying our student loans.

We would miss the six month preview of Kenya.

I have posted a link to Proclaim's latest newsletter on the right. It features a superb story from AIM-AIR pilot Matt Olson.

We have prayed over this decision and met with our Prayer Advisory Group. But we want to know: What are your thoughts? Original plan or plan B? Proclaim values missionary aviation and believes that the demand is on the increase. Leave a comment or send us an e-mail regarding our plans or your thoughts on mission aviation and long road to get out on the field.

3 comments:

Nancy C said...

Jerry and Breanna - Wow, Matt's account of his trip was very exciting! What an adventure.

As to choosing a plan, I don't have an opinion but I will pray that your knower will know. I'm confidant, the Lord will guide you on the path. He has brought you this far. Any decision you make should yield the fruit of peace in your hearts.
Be blessed,
Nancy C

Aly sun said...

I just caught the link to your blog from Dan and Hillary Young's blog. I love meeting friends of friends.
My husband and I just got back from a short term mission trip to Mozambique. It was incredible, unforgetable, and life changing --great experience (my 2nd trip to Africa, my husband's 4th, and our 2 year-old's first trip)! It's exciting to hear about your plans for going to Kenya. I pray God blesses your desire to follow Him.

Breanna said...

Thanks Nancy. It is very encouraging to look back on the road so far. We will be sure to keep you posted as it continues.

Alysun thanks for your message. Say hi to Dan for me! It has been a very long while ...