Walk By Faith
The amazing thing about a faith ministry is that you're stepping into the Red Sea every month. We have been learning to walk by faith and not by sight. Each month is a new adventure and faith building experience. Though the expenses continue to grow, with fuel and maintenance costs, more missionaries and church plants, somehow His work keeps moving forward. Despite the apparent challenges, we continue to pray for more, as we see the needs of His work, and God has not failed.
The last email we sent was right before Christmas from Montana. We had a nice relaxing couple weeks with my family before returning to the Philippines on the 5th of January. I had mentioned in the email that we had made an offer on a Philippine registered 1973 Cessna 206F for $85,000 and they had accepted that offer. When I got word that they accepted the offer we had only $14,000 in an airplane fund. Within a couple days of our last newsletter that amount had come up to $66,000. This was a big answer to prayer. I told the owner that I wanted to do a more detailed inspection when I returned and then we could work out the payment options.
I spent a day doing a much more thorough inspection and everything seemed to be fine so I asked them to write up a deed of sale and give me their bank account information so I could work on getting the funds transferred. We were still $20,000 short but I thought I would just work on an agreement to pay the rest later as God provided. Right before going to the office the next week to work out the final details, I checked my email and the GMI accountant had sent me an email saying $20,000 had come in the last 2 days of December and that gave us just what was needed. We didn't know how God would provide for the other expenses we had for the month, but we trusted God and proceeded to complete the payment and deed of sale. As an added bonus, the exchange rate went up after we initiated the funds transfer, and as a result we overpaid them by about $700 which they refunded to us. We serve an amazing God.
Another answered prayer came the day I was inspecting the Cessna 206 and I began thinking about how we needed another pilot. I had been in communication with Jason, a young pilot from Papua New Guinea that was in the Philippines learning to fly. He had expressed to me his desire to be a mission pilot about 6 month ago, but I had not heard from him since. I was thinking I should email him and see what he was doing. When I got back home that evening I found an email from Jason saying he had finished his flight training and wanted to work with us. God's timing is perfect, Jason went to Palawan a couple weeks ago and has been flying and working with Sean, and it is a big blessing to have his help.
I have been completing all the licensing requirements for this new airplane and renewing paperwork on the R44 helicopter which has taken a lot longer than we had expected. But we are finally ready to fly the new plane to Palawan this week and start using it for God's work. We praise Him for all these answered prayers.
"In the up-building of His work, the Lord does not always make everything plain before His servants. He sometimes tries the confidence of His people by having them move forward in faith. Often He brings them into strait and trying places, bidding them go forward when their feet seem to be touching the waters of the Red Sea. It is at such times, when the prayers of His servants ascend to Him in earnest faith, that He opens the way before them, and brings them out into a large place." Christian Service p. 277
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