Where have you been?!
I am sure you all have been wondering where we have been. The fall historically has been a busy season for Deb but this year was especially busy. She has taken on some extra work to help fill some of the gaps financially. This means some things at SOAR for her have taken a back seat to make sure our family is taken care of. That being said a lot of things have been happening this fall at SOAR and we are excited to share what is new and how God is using SOAR to make our Mission Candidates (students/missionaries) ready to serve on the field!
Closing out the Season
Moving out of the busy summer season the fall brings some reprieve from busyness in all aspects. We are finishing the airshow and conference season strong and are thankful for the relationships built with new potential candidates and the strengthening of the partnerships with other mission organizations. Seth and Jordis headed to Nashville, TN for the last scheduled conference of the year. This was a quick one-day event that is missions focused, it is a free event for the local community. The event allowed us to share about and represent SOAR and the work we are doing.
School is back in Session!
As many of you know we homeschool our kiddos and in the fall we began our 10th year of Homeschooling. That’s crazy to us! Bella started High School and Jordis is in Kindergarten. Bella also participated in volleyball, student council, & worship team at both church and Co-op. This has made for a very busy season but we have loved watching her grow in her skills and gifts.
WELCOME SKYLER & NICKI!
We are so excited to welcome Skyler and Nicki Redding our newest MC. Skyler and Nicki will be joining SOAR to begin their preparation for serving in missionary aviation. He was raised in Iowa and always knew the importance of missions. While attending Ethnos360 Bible Institute, God put it on his heart to pursue mission aviation. Skyler and Nicki met while at the Bible Institute and they were married in March of 2023. Once they have finished raising support and moved to Bolivar, Skyler will be training to earn both his A&P and his pilot’s license. Deb has been working closely with them on partnership development and it has been fun to watch them grow in this area and we at SOAR are thrilled to welcome them to our program.
MAST (Mission Aviation Specific Training)
I know, another acronym! While aviation is already full of acronyms SOAR wanted to muddy the water a little more by adding another! Seth and Kerrick began the year trying to focus on where we are taking the SOAR flight department in the future. We felt a sense of need for clarity in how the mission originations were viewing the candidates and their level of readiness when they were being evaluated coming out of our program when we reached out to other mission aviation training programs that were feeling the same thing. What started as a collaboration between Seth, Kerrick, and a representative from JAARS (The main mission aviation evaluation organization) turned into a summit with several training programs being represented held at Bolivar. We determined and made a list of 3 main objectives. We all need to accomplish these to make sure that all of the organizations that are training missionary aviators need to focus on them. Making sure the candidates are ultimately successful in reaching the mission field. These are: 1) Mission Aviation Candidate Testing and Evaluating Standards(When Training is completed. 2) Train The Trainer (T3) (Standard Training for all mission aviation CFI’s). 3) Standardized Mission Aviation Curriculum. Number 3 is near and dear to Seth as you will remember that God put this on his heart early on to make sure we are training with lots of intentionality. We will keep you guys posted on the progress of this as it moves forward. We have follow-up meetings scheduled in Kansas City in December and Waxhaw NC in February.
Prayer Requests for the December:
1. December MAST Meeting: Pray for safe travels as we attend another meeting in December. Also, pray for wisdom and continued cooperation between missionary aviation organizations to push forward on creating a standard for future students.
2. Missionary Candidates: Lift our missionary candidates who are currently undergoing training and preparation for their future service in the mission field. Pray for the ones who have not decided on the organization they are joining. Pray that this time at AirVenture creates clarity and direction for them.
3. Financial Provision: Join us in prayer for our financial needs at SOAR. Pray that God would provide abundantly, enabling us to meet our monthly budget and move closer to our financial target. Ask for open doors, divine connections, and generous hearts to support our ministry financially.
Prayer Requests for 2023:
1. Global Impact: Pray for an increased impact of our missionary pilots and mechanics in reaching unreached areas with the Gospel. Ask God to open doors for strategic partnerships, favorable relationships with local communities, and effective ministry opportunities. Pray lives would be transformed, and communities would be impacted through our ministry.
2. Spiritual Growth: Please pray for our personal spiritual growth and deepening relationship with God. Pray that we would have a hunger for His Word, a fervent prayer life, and a sensitivity to His leading. Ask for a greater understanding of His will for our lives and the strength to walk in obedience.
3. Wisdom in Decision-making: Seek God’s wisdom on our behalf as we make important decisions personally and professionally. Pray that we would have the discernment to make choices that align with His will and bring glory to His name. Ask for clarity, guidance, and confidence in the path that God has set before us.