Look Around

It seems simple enough, but how often do we go through our day without taking time to consider—to really pay attention—to the people around us? How many people do we pass by without as much as a fleeting thought? Whether I am busy, distracted, focused on my own issues and problems, or simply off in my own little world, it's easy to allow my thoughts to center around one person: me!

These past few weeks, we have been meeting with friends and ministry partners as we transition to a new place of missionary service. Though it's a lot of work, it is also a blessing to connect with so many people—many of whom we haven't seen in a long time. It is refreshing to catch up with old friends, and we have been blessed by the outpouring of support and encouragement as we move toward serving with Compass Aviation.

But there is also a flipside. For all of the happy faces and friendly greetings, we have found that many people are also struggling. When I ask people whether they have anything I can be praying for, it usually doesn't take long for them to come up with something. Whether it's a health problem, the death of a loved one, family issues, or something else, many are dealing with hurt, loss, and pain. Often, they deal with these things silently. It should not be this way! Why aren't we, the Church, loving each other and bearing each other's burdens? Why do so many people feel as if they have no place to turn for help, love, and support?

In my experience, there are a number of reasons for this. Sometimes we feel alone, as if no one will understand. Other times we simply don't know who we can talk to. We wonder how people will respond if we are open and honest. Will we be judged? Will we become the next topic in the church gossip ring? Will we be chastised for lacking faith? These worries and concerns can lead us to internalize our struggles and keep them hidden behind a facade. In some churches, it's believed that speaking negative words is tantamount to speaking curses over oneself or others, so struggles and hardships cannot be verbalized.

My point is not to write exhaustively about the reasons we keep our struggles quiet. Rather, it is to encourage you to stop and look around. Look at the people that you pass by every day—at work, at school, in your home. Maybe take a minute to ask how they are doing. Not as a greeting only, but to really ask how they are. Of course, that begs the question, "What do you do after they actually tell you?" That's an important question, but a question for another day. A place to start is taking time to look around with love and compassion, and ask the Lord to help us be a conduit of His love and peace to those around us.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 

Colossians 3:12–17 

 

A New Invitation

We are excited to announce that we have been invited to join Compass Aviation, where Aaron will serve as a flight instructor and aircraft mechanic, working primarily with future missionary pilots and mechanics. Over the past couple of years, the Lord has used various people and circumstances to clarify the ministry areas to which we feel called and passionate about serving. At the same time, it's become clear that it was time to seek out a new sending organization due to evolving roles and expectations. We remain as committed as ever to reaching the nations with the Gospel, but our specific role will be changing. To reach every corner of the world with the truth about Jesus, some of his followers must be willing to go to the nations, and others must prepare and send them. We are still willing to go, but it seems that God is moving us into a season of preparing and sending—at least for the foreseeable future.

At Compass, we will help to train the next generation of missionary pilots and mechanics for the mission field. Aaron will serve as a flight instructor, mechanic, and inspector.  We have spent time praying and considering the areas in which the Lord has gifted us, and in which we are passionate about serving. Our ministry at Compass encompasses the following areas:

• Aviation (flight and maintenance). Aaron is a pilot, flight instructor, and aircraft mechanic/inspector, and is passionate about stewarding these skills well and investing in future missionary aviators. His desire is to teach and serve with technical excellence while caring well for people. We are also open to returning to an international field of service some day—either short- or long-term—if the Lord should open the door for that! 
• Encouraging other believers. Tara has always had a gift for connecting with other women and being a support and encouragement to them. Sometimes this has been in a formal ministry role, and other times it has been through natural relationships that she has developed through the church or community. Aaron also enjoys supporting and encouraging other missionaries, and saw this as an important part of his role as a missionary pilot. Wherever we are, we want our family to be a source of life and light to the people around us—not only as a witness to unbelievers, but as an encouragement to other followers of Jesus. 
• Teaching and mentoring. Aaron has always loved teaching, and flight instructing is no exception. Aaron enjoys instructing in technical subject areas, while also being a spiritual mentor. Technical expertise is important for missionary aviators, but that alone will not prepare a person for the mission field. That preparation must include interpersonal, emotional, and spiritual aspects as well.
• Cross-cultural and international missions. Even though will be based in the United States, we continue to be passionate about reaching the nations with the Gospel. Even as we live in the USA, we will seek out ways to be personally involved in going, as well as preparing and sending others to the world.

Though we all have room for growth, we believe that our experience and gifts have prepared us well to serve in these areas. They are areas that we are passionate about, in which others have affirmed us, and in which we have joyfully served in the past. As we look to the future, we are also considering how we can better prepare and position ourselves to be a resource for missionaries in need of healing, rest, and encouragement. We are excited to see how the Lord will weave our unique passions and life experiences together so that we can better serve Him and bring Him glory.

Longing for a place to call home

Can you feel homesick when you don’t have a home? Lately, I have found myself longing to be home, while simultaneously realizing that I no longer have one—not on this planet, anyway. They say that home is where the heart is, but there is something to be said for having a place that feels like home.

Longing for home is a topic I've explored from a different angle before, but now we are facing the reality of moving out of our houses in the United States and in Bolivia, and we are unsure of where we are going next. Our plan was for our home in Bolivia to be a familiar place for our college-age children to return to—despite being on a different continent. But now that we have made the decision to leave Bolivia, we will be saying goodbye to our house in Cochabamba.

There is a part of me that longs to return to a place filled with family memories, where I can recline in a comfortable chair or in my hammock, sipping a good cup of coffee in a relaxing and welcoming environment. I wish that we had a place to host guests or to share a meal with family and friends. But such a place now exists only in my imagination.

Once again, I am reminded that the present world is only temporary. We have the hope that one day we will be resurrected to new life, in which we will enjoy all of the pleasures and peace that this broken world cannot offer. All that we enjoy now is a shadow of the things that are to come!