Reflections on Technical Evaluation

By John

In a profession in which a few screws failing to be tightened could result in a million dollar airplane crumpled at the end of a runway, or even worse, the death of passengers, it is only expected that they would want to evaluate my technical skills. The harsh conditions faced in Africa demand a high level of care for the aircraft, to make sure they are mechanically sound and ready to perform at a moments notice.

As I approached these last weeks, before my evaluation, I found myself imagining two different scenarios; one where I passed and one where I did not. They both filled me with a certain amount of dread. I saw my evaluators as passing judgment on who I was as a human being, not simply on my aptitude for working in missionary aviation. If I failed that would mean I was worthless. If I passed then I would be bound to live up to this label of being ‘good enough.’ In both cases I was believing the same lie: that my identity is rooted in my accomplishments.

I was reminded that my identity is not in my performance; it is not in what I do or fail to do. My identity is held secure in Christ. He died for me and raised me up as a co-heir. I am a child of the most-high God and nothing, including my ability or inability to fix airplanes, can rob that from me. I don’t have to live in fear of not living up to a standard; therefore, I am free to do my job well, in thankfulness to God for his deep love for me.

All this is to say that at the end of my evaluation I passed!

I learned a lot during the evaluation, but I am glad to be on the other side of it and moving toward Africa. I am more thankful still for my God who is the sole justifier of my existence, and he defines my worth, not anything else.

Thank you to every one who was praying for us; it was on the whole a very peaceful time and one in which we felt quite blessed.

Our Biennial Gingerbread House Contest

So, this year was the second time that we had a gingerbread decorating contest with John's family. The participants included Team Amazing: John and Clarissa. And Team Almost-As-Amazing: John's Mom, Shari and sister Rachel.

The following pictures chronicle the epic event.

The day before we had to assemble the houses. We used a kit, which made it much easier, but it also forced us to constrain our creativity within the parameters of the structure designated by the kit.

As you can see, our house (the one on the right), had some graham cracker additions that we deemed necessary to our finished product.

John'a mom giving us the look of, "we know our house will turn out better, but don't worry we'll be nice about it."

Our goal was a medieval castle, complete with mote, drawbridge, and stained glass windows...however, we decided that our food-dye stained banana chips (which were supposed to look like stone walls) really just ended up looking lame. In the end we deemed that their marshmallow cottage was the winner.




We thought the most creative element of the whole process was the "log fire" built out of old french fries. Way to go Rachel!

2010 Year in Review

We realize that January is half over; however, we didn't want to pass up the opportunity to share some of the crowning moments of the past year.

Here it is, top ten style:

10. Going on a dinner-cruise on Lake Cour d' Alene with all the Moody Staff and 2010 graduates.



9. Celebrating the last year of Clarissa's 20's (i.e. her 29th birthday) with a 1920's style Murder Mystery party. No one solved the murder and we concluded that none of us would make successful detectives in real life.



8. Running Bloomsday in May in a smashing 1 hour and 30 minutes. For you non-Spokanites out there, Bloomsday is the largest road race in the world with something like 50,000 participants. Though only a 12k race, there are always some Kenyans who fly in for the race and win it. Our hope is that after a few years in Kenya, we can come back and win Bloomsday.

7. Flying into Sudan, especially now that the next time we go, Southern Sudan will most likely be a whole new country. If you haven't been following that, you can learn more here.



6. Visiting friends in Pennsylvania and seeing a. real Amish (yes, they actually drive around in a horse and buggy on the road with cars) and b. the liberty bell.



5. Moving into a new apartment. Check out this post for photos of our new little living space.

4. Celebrating 2 years of being married by staying in a tented cabin overlooking a watering hole on the African savanna (and going on a short little safari).



3. For Claire: having reunion with some of her favorite people: Sarah G, Allegra Hochstetler, Kacy (C0x) Dudrey, and Katie Lyon. For John: The addition of several men to our missional community.



2. Making new friends in Kenya. We are so excited and we can't wait to go back!



1. The grace of God that transcends our comprehension and has sustained us throughout this year, regardless of our awareness and despite our accomplishments.

What is T.E.?

T what?

T.E. It stands for Technical Evaluation.

It is 10 days of testing a pilot or mechanic's skills to determine if they are technically competent as well as if they will be a good fit with the organization. Essentially, it is a extended and thorough job interview.

Thus we are both flying to to North Carolina January 4-17. From 9-5 (more or less) John will be asked to troubleshoot engine problems, perform routine maintenance and probably work on airplanes he has no previous experience with, and hopefully by the end of his evaluation they will tell him he has passed. At first we weren't sure whether or not I would join him there, but as we talked to other couples who went to T.E., who strongly encouraged wives to come, we made the decision that I would go too. The facility there has a pretty established community, so I am sure I won't get too lonely during the day while John is busy.

Just to clarify, we are currently accepted with Africa Inland Mission(AIM); however, this evaluation is specifically for the aviation branch, AIM AIR. We are excited about this next step, knowing it brings us to the point of just needing the rest of our funding before we begin orientation in the fall and then off to Kenya!

Please pray for safety in travel and that John would be able to accurately represent his skills and not get too stressed out over the whole thing, but would trust that God is sovereign over the entire evaluation.

We've moved!

Ok, so it was only 7 blocks. We are still in the same neighborhood of the lower South Hill, but we really wanted a little bit bigger living space because we have people over so often. We started looking for a new abode about a month ago when we found the humble little apartment that we moved into just before Thanksgiving.

We kept thinking we were crazy to go through all the hassle of moving since we are planning to move again in 10 months. However, now that we are settled in, we are really excited to be here.

Here is our living room right when you walk in the front door.

Here is the other side of our living room, facing the front door

Looking into the dining room from the living room.

Dining Room

In the dining room, looking into the kitchen through a wonderful little window.

The Kitchen (Claire's favorite room in the house)

Our tiny bedroom (yes the bed takes up the whole room) And just because I think John is amazing, I have to note that he made the frame that is situated around the bed (it was his wedding gift to me!)

Another wonderful thing about living in older homes is getting a large clawfoot bathtub.

Though we only plan to be here until September of next year (when we are scheduled to leave Spokane and head to orientation), we are thankful that we will get to spend our last months in this quaint little place, so ideal for hosting dinner parties, and generally inviting people into our home.

Pray with us that this place will be full of God's love and that all who come into it will feel overwhelming welcomed and at home!

Cliche Metaphores + Dying Leaves = Deep Thoughts

Using Autumn as a metaphor for change in life seems so cliche. However, if you live somewhere, like we do, where the changing colors deciduous leaves is so dramatic, it's hard not to get sucked into some deep contemplation on account of having the erie sense you are living inside a Thomas Cole painting. Current contemplative reflections have included the evolving awareness of how much our lives will change when we move to Kenya and (on a much lighter and strictly weather-related note) a dread of the coming winter (which is predicted to parallel the winter of 08-09 with its 6+ feet of snow; oh joy).

Here are some pics of the changing leaves in our neighborhood.






Moving to Kenya our lives will change. A lot.
As more time passes since our trip to East Africa this past summer, we are beginning to see more clearly how our lives will change when we move there. Already we are being changed. Being confronted with the poverty, the need for aviation, the beautiful people, and something else that can't quite be described only experienced, has ushered us into a season in which our perspectives are changing, our values are shifting and our hearts are undergoing some major renovations.

What is really important? How much money should we be spending on rent? How much space do we really need to live comfortably? How important is comfort anyway? Do we really need all our stuff? What does it mean to be thankful for what we have, but not find our comfort and identity in it? How should we really be spending our time? Perhaps these questions are to be expected of anyone planning to move to Africa, but we find ourselves thinking about them here and now, both in regards to our future, but also our present. These questions (and a couple dozen more) seem to creep into every conversation and decision. We look to scripture for fixed answers to these questions and see that we are confronted with the challenge (and freedom) to "walk in the Spirit." Somehow, there are no right answers, yet we embrace the Big Story we know we are a part of and use that to help us answer these questions.

There is a Redeemer, and He is redeeming brokenness. He brings beauty out of ashes and light out of darkness. He cares for the poor, He is zealous for justice, He sacrificed Himself and is calling us to sacrifice ourselves. To sacrifice our time, our perceived need for comfort and predictability and to sacrifice our own narcissistic desires to serve people who will likely never repay us (except for, of course, with their smiles and joy, which is worth more than anything money can buy).



Just give me an electric blanket and down booties and I may survive
On a much (and I do mean very much) lighter (and some might add trivial) note, Fall has been a daily reminder that Winter is coming. Already, I have begun to wear long underwear almost every day, and already I am drinking 4-6 cups of hot tea every day just so I can hold the warm mug in my hands and keep them warm. I am fairly certain that my tolerance for cold has greatly decreased over the past 5 years, and I am thinking this must be God's way of preparing me to relocate to a tropical climate. However, I still have to make it through the next 6 months of frigid Spokane tundra.

Perhaps it sounds like I am complaining (and maybe I am), but there is one thing that the decreasing temperatures is doing (maybe it the whole colored leaves, living in a painting, provoking deep thoughts thing) and that is that I am continually confronted with how easily my joy is dependent on being comfortable. If I am comfortable, I am happy. If I am uncomfortable, suddenly the wicked witch of the West (or at least a distant cousin) shows up. I am unmotivated to get out of bed (the floor is cold), accomplish anything (which would require throwing off my blanket and getting off the couch), or even invite people over (mostly because I would have to do the first two things. In a word, I become lazy and selfish. Ick. And all this just because we can't afford to heat our apartment to a charming 85 degrees. So, I am learning (or at least praying that I am) to not let my joy or my contentment be dependent upon what the thermostat says. Amy Carmichael is my hero in this. If only I could have an ounce of her joy and peace in trying circumstances (And yes, I fully realize that being slightly less warm than I would like can hardly be called a trial.) I am consoled, though, to know that the God who gave her joy and peace in her circumstances is the same God who provides for me to have hot cups of tea, and who can ultimately give me joy and peace in Him, if only I would seek it there rather than in being roasty toasty all the time.


Here are some fun pics from going apple picking.

Children of Kibera

I recently realized that these pictures were never posted! So, here are some of the sweet faces of the children we met at a school in Kibera.