We all face that day after the celebration. Whether it’s the holidays, a birthday, an anniversary, or a special visit with friends or family, the much-anticipated time is soon over, and we are left with our photos and our memories. We fall into bed, exhausted, and our alarm wakes us too early. It’s time to get back to work. If you are one who stays home, it’s laundry day, and time to put the house back together. The Christmas tree comes down; the gifts are put away; the leftovers are frozen. Blah.
What do we do with the long months of winter stretching ahead? Rather than allow our focus to be inward, often leading to sadness and depression, we can choose to focus outward. It’s the perfect time to reach out to others. Make a new friend. Help somebody out; maybe someone who is overwhelmed with circumstances or perhaps, fighting depression, himself. Please don’t think because Dwayne and I are in ministry that these emotions skip us. They do not. Well, maybe they do skip Dwayne—but they hit me every year. So, I stay busy. I’m making new friends in my exercise class; Dwayne and I are going to a missions’ conference in a couple of weeks; our church is reading through the Bible and I am trying to keep up with the daily challenge; I’m planning to visit my two sisters on the west coast, and of course, I’m helping Dwayne with all things KAC.
When I’m tempted to sink into a slump, I find these verses from Philippians 2:1-4 encouraging:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Regardless of a bit of holiday let-down, we are hitting the ground running in 2023. Excitement is building at Rock Top Airport in Pennsylvania as we roll into this week. Two avionics mechanics will arrive to install new radios into our training aircraft. This is an answer to prayer for updated flight training equipment, and we are very thankful! We have a new family arriving to serve with Kingdom Air Corps next week; he is a flight instructor as well as an aviation mechanic. They will serve until May in Pennsylvania and then move to Alaska. Several other capable and skilled volunteers are preparing to serve with us in the areas of finance, work team oversight, and maintenance. We are grateful for the generous hearts of these mission-minded brothers and sisters who have offered their talents and resources to help train missionary pilots who will serve the Lord around the world.
It’s truly amazing what God does when we ask him. If you are looking for ways to serve him this year, let him open unexpected opportunities. Proverbs 3:5-6 says: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.
Dwayne and I thank you for your continuing prayers for Kingdom Air Corps and your help and support in a hundred different ways. We look forward to serving our Lord with you in 2023.