Sunday, August 24, 2008

LOTS of Pictures from Idaho/MAF

We have officially arrived!


MAF Headquarters in Nampa, Idaho


Daniel in a 206, which is what he flew during his testing
We tried to get Reece to sit in the airplane so we could take her picture there, but she screamed when we tried to put her in there and said, "No get in airplane!!"
But, she really enjoyed exploring the golf cart that was sitting in the hangar with the airplanes
Dad and unhappy Reece in front of the plane. She preceded to have a temper tantrum after this picture. This was right after our last meeting with MAF where they told us we passed. We thought we better leave while we were ahead!
These are the brand new MAF apartments right across from the building. They just finished them while we were there, so we were in apartments about 10 minutes away. It will be nice to stay there when we go back in July because we won't have to drive much.

Reece painting in our little apartment. We usually did this outside.
Reece got a bath from Daddy every night since he didn't have to work at night! Here are all the animals getting fun hats with shaving cream. Reece loves her animals and would take them everywhere if I let her.



The first child to play on the airplane on the new MAF playground by the apartments. I had a really hard time getting her to leave.

Another one of MAFs 206's



Reece asleep after a walk in the park. Too much fun!

We bought this stroller when we got to Idaho and she loves it! She would push it around forever in the the parking lot of our apartments.


We went to a park in Bosie that has a "beach." We were one of the first families to get there on a Saturday and by the time we left, it was packed. The water was FREEZING cold, but there were kids actually in their swim suits all the way in the water! I could BARLEY put my feet in!!
VERY COLD!! But that didn't stop her!
The view of the beach from the top of the dam. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the beach.

The view of the lake from the other side of the dam.

Reece making Daddy his birthday cake


Reece in the rose garden of another one of our favorite parks.

Kisses for mommy!!

Mommy and Reece on the plane ride there...the plane ride back was NOT as pleasant!


More animals!

Feeding the ducks at the park. I think this one nipped Reece a little bit because every time we went back, she was afraid of the white one.

This time we brought Daddy (who is taking the picture). We went her a lot during our two weeks. Once, we even got to take another MAF wife from Scotland and her two boys.

Reece and Mommy about 28 weeks along with baby Joseph or ???? (By the way, Rose is our latest favorite girl name.)



As you can see, Reece and I had a blast. Most of the time, Daniel was studying or at MAF being tested. So, he didn't have as much fun as us, but it was all worth it in the end for him!

Praise God for a GREAT trip!!



Sunday, August 17, 2008

We're Back with Good News!

We got back from Idaho yesterday and we have a good report! Daniel passed both the flying and maintenance tests and we are invited to come back for what they call candidacy. Which doesn't really mean we're accepted, but they said it was 90% for sure that we would be accepted. They said pretty much the rest of it is on us-when we can come back for the candidacy.

It's kind of a complex journey, so let me explain:

After you pass the TE, you

1. Go to the candidacy class which is offered in January or July, which is a total of 5 weeks. The first two weeks is more interviews with the candidacy committee and more personality-type testing to see where in the world you would best fit. At the end of those two weeks, you are officially accepted and you are told what country you'll be sent to. You also start to receive a salary from MAF full-time. The next week is safety training and then the last two weeks is packed with classes on how to raise support. I've heard that this is a really intense five weeks. Classes are from 8-5 for both husband and wife, so you have to have a babysitter for your kids (MAF provides them and they are still in the building with you in case you're nursing)

2. After your candidacy classes, you spend time raising support. You can't have another job because you are on staff with MAF and you receive a salary from them to live off of.

3. When your support is at about 90%, you go back to Idaho for what they call flight standardization. This is where Daniel will spend 8 weeks in classes and in the airplane learning the MAF way of doing things. (I'll be able to stay with the kids during this one!) There is also 2 weeks of cultural training for both pilot and the wife.

4. When you are at 100% of your support (they say this takes 6 months to a year total), then you go to language school for about a year near or in the location you'll be serving. Then, you go to your final destination to serve!

Whew! That is a lot! :) But, while in Idaho, we got to see how much the staff at MAF cares about the missionaries and how they want you to be FULLY prepared so that you will have the least amount of trauma as possible. I really appreciate this! :)

Daniel's two weeks was pretty stressful, as it was really a two week interview with people watching over his shoulder and quizzing you one everything he knows as a pilot/mechanic. But, Reece and my two weeks was pretty relaxing! I loved being a full-time stay at home mom. Plus, there was pretty much no "to-do" list for me! Except to figure out which park we were going to for that day! We were in the MAF apartments, so there were lots of MAF families around us. They were all in different stages of the process, and one family was just back from their first 3 year overseas. So, I got to know a few of the wives and children and I got to ask them tons of question about MAF and what life was like as a missionary pilot's wife!

We thank God for a great trip and his perfect timing. We were originally planning on going to the January classes, but now for several reasons probably won't make it until July. Daniel is okay with this and knows that it is all in God's timing and control, but I'm still a little disappointed (mostly because it's half me that is the hold up--I thought I only needed 3 more Bible credits which I was going to take this fall, but I found out that I still need 6 more Bible credits.) Oh well, God knew it the whole time and it's no surprise to Him!

I have some good pictures of our Idaho adventures, so check back later this week for those. THANK YOU for everyone who prayed for us and for all your encouraging words. You have know idea what a blessing it is to know that people are excited for us and support us.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Update from Idaho

Hi everyone!
We forgot our computer, so I am borrowing a computer up at MAF, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to type.
First of all, thanks for the comments, phone calls and emails. All were very encouraging! It is so nice knowing that people are remembering us and praying for us. I feel like we already have a great support base of friends and family!
We had a meeting with the psychiatrist and with the candidate committee and those both went pretty well. Daniel has been flying the past 3 days, and today was his last day to fly. He will find out tomorrow how he did in another meeting.
Reece and I have been up to MAF only a few times to eat lunch and visit. But, we have had fun visiting parks and playing together in our apartment. A couple of you mentioned that you are praying for Reece's sleep. Although we have been provided with a pack and play and her very own room that she can sleep in, she hasn't been sleeping as well as she normally does. We are all fine and getting rest, though, so it's not as bad as it could be!
Reece and I feel much better now. I finally decided to give her the antibiotics yesterday that she was prescribed on Saturaday. I hated to give her medicine for what seemed like just a cold, but she's doing better since her first dose.
Please continue to pray for us. All is well so far, but we'll know a lot more tomorrow.
Thanks again!
becky :)

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Off to Idaho

At 6:29AM tomorrow morning we will be on a plane headed to Idaho. We are going for our two week technical evaluation with Mission Aviation Fellowship. This is where Daniel will fly with them and work on planes with them to see if they want us to be a part of their organization. We will also have several interviews and even spend all day one day with their psychiatrist! We are staying in one of their apartments and they even have a babysitter lined up for Reece for our interviews. I will mainly just be taking care of Reece and trying as much as I can to get to know the people in the office.
PLEASE pray for us!

-safe travel and a good flight with Reece. (She and I both just came down with colds!)
-wisdom and knowledge for Daniel as he is tested on basically everything he knows as a pilot/mechanic
-lots of opportunity for us to see if we fit in and click with the people of MAF
-that Daniel and I would support and encourage one another as we decide, with God's leading, if this is what we are supposed to do.

We are excited but very nervous! We can't wait to tell you all about it when we get home! :) If you have any questions about what we are doing or what MAF is about, please email me or leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it.

Love,
Daniel, Becky, Reece and Baby Perez :)

A Glimpse into the lives of a family on a journey to serve God through aviation in Indonesia!