Tag: Airplanes

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A huge win!

I feel like I have been saying this for the last few newsletters but this month has been busy! I am going to do my best to keep this brief.

IAMA Conference 2023

We recently had the privilege of attending the 52nd Annual IAMA Conference hosted by LeTourneau University in Longview, TX. This event brought together mission aviation professionals. This provided a platform for knowledge-sharing, networking, and collaborative discussions. Our time at the conference proved to be an inspiring and enlightening experience, reinforcing the vital role of aviation in advancing global missions. From talks on bridging the generational gap to industry insights and technological advancements, we are confident that the impact of the conference will be impactful throughout our ministry and beyond. We look forward to implementing the insights and lessons learned, furthering our mission to reach the unreached.

Julia’s SOLO

One of Seth’s goals before July was to get Julia to the solo stage of her training. There were many ups and downs for both of them but they worked and pushed forward to accomplish this goal. On June 13th Julia was able to solo her first flight. Her next goal will be to get her Private Pilot certificate. This accomplishment represents not only her personal growth and dedication but also signifies the progress we are making in training and equipping qualified Missionary Pilots.

Bailey’s Private

Another goal for Seth was to get Bailey done with his Private Pilot training. On June 16th Bailey took his check ride and received his Private Pilot certificate. Bailey continues to push toward his goal of getting to the mission field. While he still has 2-3 more certifications he is one step closer to it this month. These achievements demonstrate the tangible ways in which we are empowering individuals to become proficient pilots, ready to serve in the mission field.

AJ’s CFII

AJ is officially an Ethnos360 missionary! We have enjoyed having him back for the summer after 9 months of training with Ethnos 360 in Camdenton Mo. He and his family are a blessing to have at SOAR. On June 16th AJ also took his check ride for his CFII certification and passed. This was one of his final goals to complete at SOAR and with Madeline’s help, he was able to finish up his flight training. In the next month, we will be sending him with our blessing to McNeal, Arizona, Ethnos360Aviation’s home base. It has been energizing to see the work God is doing and that we are sending more pilots and mechanics to the field. It is through such milestones and accomplishments that we witness firsthand the impact of our ministry, as lives are changed, communities are touched, and the Gospel is spread to the ends of the earth. AJ and his family are evidence of this.

Prayer Requests for the June:

1. Wisdom and Guidance: Please pray for our leadership team as they make important decisions regarding the growth and direction of SOAR. Pray they would be filled with wisdom, discernment, and clarity as they navigate various challenges and opportunities.

2. Missionary Candidates: Lift up our missionary candidates who are currently undergoing training and preparation for their future service in the mission field. Pray that they would be equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge, and resilience to fulfill their calling. Ask for God’s protection, provision, and spiritual growth in their lives.

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.

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Pushing through winter!

Winter Weather

This month has been met with some difficulties with the weather and training. Despite this Seth and Bailey have been pushing toward the goal of getting Bailey to be solo ready. The days that have been clear weather enough to fly, have been extremely windy. Bailey has been working hard, and should be ready to solo by the end of this week. Pray for him and Seth as they push toward this milestone. This is the first big milestone for Bailey, and Seth’s first student to reach solo.

Join us!

In March we are planning to speak at our home church. We would love for you to come and hear as we share a ministry update with our sending church LifePoint. We will be sharing a brief time during the morning services and have to opportunity to share more in-depth during our Night Of Worship in the evening. Be sure to mark your calendars on March 19th and join us.

Contact Us!

Ways you can be praying for us & SOAR in 2023

• That God brings clarity and unity and we are able to find direction as a leadership team.
• That Seth is able to get his CFII done this year.
• That God grows and shapes our candidates to be used on the field and that he opens doors for them to be able to serve.

Ways to Give!

Ways you can be praying for us in March:

• That God will continue to provide the remaining partners needed.
• That weather will clear for Bailey to be able to solo.
• That God shows us direction for the next season here at SOAR.

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Going on year 3!

For those of you who are new to our journey, we thought we would share a couple of videos about who we are and what we do.

This is a video we created about us personally and the beginning of our Missions journey.

A little bit about us from when we began.

This video features Nathan White who completed his training through SOAR. Do you know someone who wants to become a missionary pilot? This is a great resource.

The journey of a missionary pilot from one of our former missionary candidates.

This video is about another organization, Ethnos360, where three of our Missionaries are serving. Church planting and bible translation are a big part of their work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi2xVzWqxVg

We are so grateful to be a part of SOAR and to be able to partner in the work that these organizations are doing.

These are the faces of those we have sent from SOAR. Pray for them as they serve all over the world.
These are our current missionary candidates. Please pray for them as they work on gaining the skills, knowledge and attributes to serve on the mission field.

Looking Foward into 2023

Training new flight students from the start is both rewarding and nerve-racking. For the last 3 weeks, Seth and Bailey have been working hard on Bailey’s first flight milestone, his first solo. The weather has been challenging with freezing conditions and high winds limiting the days that are beneficial for Bailey this early in his training. Pray that in the next weeks, he can achieve this milestone. Seth will also begin working on his CFII rating which will allow him to teach pilots to fly in instrument conditions.

Seth and Kerrick Tweedy our CEO have been working together weekly to teach Seth some of the business aspects of SOAR. This allows Seth to take some of the daily operational load from Kerrick and allows Kerrick to do more strategic partnership and relationship building. Kerrick has taken up the role of helping the International Association of Missionary Aviation(IAMA) as CEO to help guide the overall industry to new horizons. This doesn’t interfere with his role at SOAR but it helps it. It aligns with our vision as SOAR to be more intentional in providing readiness to non-traditional candidates.

Top Left: Our first day Jan 2021. Top Right: Kerrick and Seth sharing SOAR’s story. Bottom Left: Bailey and Seth. Bottom Right: IAMA’s tent at EAA AirVenture.

When we began this journey 2 years ago we weren’t quite sure what God had in store for us. As we begin this new year we are looking back to see how God has been faithful. From getting us here on his time to launching mission candidates. In all of it, he has proven that he is doing the work at SOAR.
As we begin this next year please pray for us. Pray for unity within our team. Pray for God’s Will, that it would be the direction we are constantly aiming for. Pray for our missionary candidates currently training, and the missionaries we have launched to the field. Pray for safety. Pray for families and marriages. Pray that God’s name is made big both here at home and abroad. We are so thankful we get to partner with him in what he is doing. We are so thankful for those of you who have chosen to partner and help us do what God has called us to. We could not do it without you.

Contact Us!
Ways to Give!

Ways you can be praying for us & SOAR in 2023

• That God brings clarity and unity and we are able to find direction as a leadership team.
• That Seth is able to get his CFII done this year.
• That God grows and shapes our candidates to be used on the field and that he opens doors for them to be able to serve.

Ways you can be praying for us in February:

• That God will continue to provide the remaining partners needed.
• That we can make time for family.
• That God shows us direction for the next season here at SOAR.

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Big News and Transitions

Summer to Fall

Wow, We feel like we have been running at 100 MPH since the Spring. This spring we gave ourselves a deadline for Seth’s training and that meant that we have used our extra focus on that since then. That doesn’t mean we have slowed down in other areas it just means pulling up our bootstraps and doing our regular jobs along with allowing for time for training. It’s been hard but well worth the effort. 

EAA Airventure 2022 was a success. We met with lots of other organizations, shared what SOAR is doing with a local group, served in our booth, and got to see some pretty cool things. We are so grateful for the opportunity to serve SOAR in this way.

During the summer we participated in Oshkosh EAA Airventure. This was our second year attending and it proved to be a great week of engagement with other organizations. This is always one of our priorities when we go. 

In the fall we started another year of school. This marks our 9th year of homeschooling. Bella began 8th grade and Jordis began Pre-K. We also added volleyball to our school schedule, it’s been such a joy to watch Bell learn and grow in something she enjoys

In October we spent an evening at the Ethnos360 training center in Camdenton, Mo. It was such a great night of fun and fellowship. We were thankful for the opportunity to see their facility and to get to know these missionary pilots who are being trained to be sent. The partnership between SOAR and Ethnos360 will help us to be able to send more missionaries to the field.

Cookout time at the Ethnos360 training center in Camdenton, MO

Lastly, we have been serving with the youth and production teams at LifePoint. We have been doing this for several years and we love serving in this way. Students always challenge us to grow in our faith. Worship production gives us an opportunity to use our talents and skills in unique ways.

This summer and fall have been extra busy with events. We have loved this season of serving with the youth.

Big news and Transitions

It’s official! Seth has completed his CFI certification. We will fully admit we were not sure if we would make this deadline. The instructor we were using pushed hard and we are so thankful for that. We are also grateful for each instructor who poured into Seth. Without them, this could not have happened. We genuinely believe that each of them was brought to us at just the right time. Each one contributed to his training in a way that we believe will benefit SOAR in the long run. All of it for God’s glory and mission.

Greg and Micki Shetterly have been such a huge blessing to us and to SOAR this year. Micki is an experienced flight instructor and Greg is a flight examiner. Both have been pushing Seth to not only complete his training but to also go above and beyond so that SOAR can be a good steward of the candidates that God brings to us.

This month Seth will begin training his first missionary candidate, Bailey! We feel such a sigh of relief and excitement and we begin serving in a different capacity at SOAR. Seth’s roles that will continue are safety, some airport/city management, and now adding flight instruction. Right now he is tasked with the big job of organizing the fight curriculum. Thankfully he won’t be doing this alone. The group of instructors that have been so vital in getting him to his goal are also going to be involved in getting the curriculum organized. We are ready for this new challenge and ready to see how God uses us in this new season.  The last transition will be one more rating. The next goal is CFII. This will be during the same time he begins training Bailey. This one is not as time sensitive so we are hoping to have a bit of reprieve while we focus on other goals personally.

Bailey George has been with SOAR since the spring. He will be Seth’s first student as we work toward training Missionary Aviators.

Partnership Focus

As we wrap up this last goal of getting Seth’s ratings done we are now shifting our focus to getting new partners. This will be a lifelong journey as we continue to work at SOAR. We need YOUR help. If you know of someone who might be interested in our story or what we are doing at SOAR please let us know. You are also welcome to share this newsletter with them! If you are not currently a partner with us through prayer or financial support we would love to share our story with you. Please contact us for more information. Thank you to everyone who has partnered with us on this journey. You have been such a support and blessing to us in ways we could never repay. Thank you!

Contact Us!
Ways to Give!

Ways you can be praying for us & SOAR in 2022

• That God cultivates relationships and we are able to find direction as a leadership team.
• That Seth is able to finish his ratings and begin the work that he feels God has called him into.
• That God grows and shapes our candidates to be used on the field and that he opens doors for them to be able to serve.

Ways you can be praying for us in November:

• That God will continue to provide the remaining partners needed.
• That we can find rest in this busy season.
• That God shows us direction for the next season here at SOAR.

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Spring has sprung

Gratefully Full

What a great month this has been! With churches opening again, we have been able to visit more churches to help us finish our partnership goals. This is a new challenge for us to be speaking in front of large groups. We much prefer to be behind the scenes. We have been so blessed by the words of encouragement and prayer from these people. God has been using them to encourage us to keep moving forward and he has opened doors for us to meet with new partners. We are so grateful for the pastors and members who have taken the time to listen to our story.

We were so grateful to share our heart at His Place in West Plains, MO. The words of encouragement were so uplifting to us.
Thankful to Selmore Baptist in Ozark, MO for allowing us to share what God is doing and for the Q&A!

This month has also been a busy month. Seth has been flying with the instructors as often as the weather and his schedule will allow. The next rating he is working toward is his IFR(Instrument Flight Rules). This is one of the more difficult ratings to get. It is about 80% academic and 20% practical skills. Our instructors have been working him hard and we are grateful for that because the end goal is to be training competent mission aviators.

Deb has been working with the marketing team to help SOAR better define their message. This is exciting work, and the fruit of this will help other mission organizations and the general public understand what we do. SOAR has a unique role in mission aviation and she is enjoying helping them refine what that message looks like.

Seth and AJ scouting out a new grass runway in Arkansas.

SOAR is growing a lot in a short period of time. We have taken on several new members that will be a huge asset for us as an organization. This has brought some challenges in space and organization, but we are working through that. God has been sending some unique people to help us. Please pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our leadership as they try to understand what His vision is for this organization and how to steward the people that he is bringing for His glory.

Foundational Intentionality

One of my (Seth) current flight instructors is a very successful United Airlines pilot. He felt the call to missions at a young age but the opportunities never came. He is currently serving at SOAR two days a week coming alongside us to help develop the flight department. The thing I appreciate the most about him is his wisdom. It has taught him that the foundation of God’s word is essential, even in our everyday tasks. Yes, I know this idea sounds elementary but we begin each flight lesson with a foundation of Gods word. Sharing where we are individually in Gods word and how that applies to what we are doing. All this happens before we brief our flight or even talk about flying. I challenge you to try this in your everyday tasks and be amazed at the difference it will make.

Ways you can be praying for us:

• That God will continue to provide the remaining partners needed.
• That God will continue to create unity and a clear vision for what comes next with SOAR.
• That we will always be quick to give God all the glory for the work he is doing.

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Who Ordered this Weather?

Never Ending Shifts

Practicing simulated instrument flying doing steep turns with only instrument reference.

Here we go again. This past year has felt like change after change. From the sale of the house to the shift in jobs, we have not felt settled. This month starts another shift for us. The first week of January we began working at SOAR. This was a bigger shift than we were expecting. Now our side work that we were doing in the evenings and weekends is now our day job. Things that we would normally wait till we had spare time are now our main focus. Seth began his more intense flight training and Deb began helping with marketing. This is also the first time we have ever worked in the same office. We are having to think through how to create separation of work and family. As we switch from a full schedule with every evening booked to living out intentionally during our daily schedule. I really think God is shifting us from our old focus’ to new goals and to a focus of long term goals and really leaning into Him and the path that he has lain out before us. This takes lots of intentionally in prayer and study of his word, and extra focus to slow down and listen. We would love some feedback on what tools and disciplines that you guys use to be successful in this area. It has been a huge shift for our family but ultimately he is working for our good to do what he is calling us to.

Winter Flying Woes

Weather dictates so much of when we do and don’t fly in light general aviation airplanes. I (Seth) find myself becoming much more aware of the weather conditions daily. I have been trying to keep a schedule of flying 3 times weekly. This is certainly difficult during the winter months. Battling clouds, precipitation, and winds when is warms up a bit as they can easily get above the airplanes maximum wind rating. I am trying to get through my instrument rating within the next three months. When trying to earn a new rating in an airplane its important to be consistent and frequent to polish those skills as they are being learned.

This last month one of the Mission Candidates and I flew down to northern Arkansas to a grass strip to scout it for future training flights. This is part of a long term goal of mine to build a network of places to fly that will give our students more of an ability to learn advanced skills that they will need before getting to the Mission Field.

Scouting grass airstrips for more intentional training. This one is in northern Arkansas

Ways you can be praying for us:

• That relationships will be built at SOAR and God helps us love those around us well.
• That God will continue to build partnerships.
• That Seth will be able get the remainder of his flight hours quickly.

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