Catch up and Technical Evaluation

I feel obligated to start this post in a similar manner that I have in the past and apologize for the tardiness of this post. I have much to catch up on, but will do it expeditiously. I finished my aircraft mechanic school at the end of March and God providentially provided an A&P (Airframe and Powerplant for those that don't know) job at the Olive Branch airport (5 minutes away) to get the necessary experience I need to join MAF. Words cannot describe how happy I was, and still am, to finish school! Those 18 months were by far the toughest time Jenn and I ever had. We have been able to glean a lot from that time and looking back see where God was at work. Jenn and I have had to adjust to life with me being home more than an hour or two a day. Though we are still super busy, it pales in comparison to the 14-15 hour days that we had while I was in school. I have really enjoyed working as a mechanic and have realized how little I knew coming out of school. School pretty much gives you the minimum requirements to get your license with limited hands on experience. I'm not naturally mechanically inclined, so some things have been a challenge. God has used different circumstances to humble me and show me that it's ok to not be the best at everything. But having said that, I have learned a whole lot and feel this job is preparing me for service with MAF. Jenn has been busy being a mom, as usual. Her days look a little different now because our oldest, Hannah, began kindergarten about 5 weeks ago. She is LOVING it and is doing extremely well. Her teacher has sent notes home saying how well she behaves (WHAT??) and how quick she learns. Having only two kids at home has been a welcomed relief and she is loving it. Caitlyn is still enjoying her dance classes (she's a natural) and is growing up way too fast. Our little boy Caleb isn't so little anymore. He is almost 16 months old now and is completely destroying everything in our house! Child locks - check! The girls got into things when they were young but nothing like Caleb! He loves to throw balls, play basketball, and be active. I finally have another sports fan in the family! We are so blessed to have one another and though some days are a huge challenge, we know that God has given us so much. Other than being insanely hot, our summer was a lot of fun. We were able to have a nice family beach vacation in June where we made lots of memories. We also were able to get plugged into a new small group at church which has been a huge blessing. We definitely need as many people walking alongside and praying with us as we get ready to join MAF. So about that... It seems like its been ages since I quit my airline pilot job. It was almost exactly 2 years ago. Wow! God has been so faithful despite our screw ups and lack of faith at times. As I mentioned in previous posts, the first thing we must do in the process of getting accepted with MAF is our Technical Evaluation - one week of flight and one week of maintenance evaluations, along with interviews for Jenn and me. Well, we leave two weeks from this Saturday for our evaluation! A lot has gone into getting ready for this, including physicals for all of us, mounds of paperwork, and questionnaires. Jennifer, Caleb, and I (Jenn's mom is staying with the girls since Hannah is in school) will travel to Nampa, Idaho (just outside of Boise) for two weeks. Our official dates are October 6-20. We can't believe it is just around the corner! We have been preparing hard for this evaluation and are a little nervous about it. We are huge believers that God equips those whom He calls, but on the flip side we feel there is a lot riding on this. The last two years all lead up to these two weeks. A few weeks ago we were beginning to feel extremely nervous and even a little scared. However, God has begun to calm our nerves and fears. We know that all of this is in God's hands and that no matter what happens, He is in control. How awesome is it that we serve such an awesome God who promises that He will never leave us?! The words that keep resounding in our minds is are the words of Jesus, "I will be with you". Nothing is more encouraging than that. So, as we finish preparing to go and as we are out there doing the evaluation, would you please pray for us? Specifically pray that I (Andrew) will be able to recall all of the things I have studied and perform my best. Also, pray for Jenn as she must go through multiple interviews and meet with the staff. Finally, please also pray for Hannah, Caitlyn, and Jenn's mother who will be watching them. It will be difficult being away from the girls for two full weeks. Pray their time at home will go smoothly. We will update as soon as we can once we get back. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers. We could not do this without your faithful support. Thanks again and we look forward to reporting back the results of our Technical Evaluation!