Our Most Asked Question.

I am sure you can guess what our most asked question is.

That's right, "Where will you be serving?"
 This question has been on our minds too and we would love to have an answer.  But we don't.  In short, the MAF staff can't make a final decision until we are closer to being fully supported in our MAF ministry.  Why, because things are changing all the time, with new missionaries going overseas and others moving around, the countries that need mechanics keeps changing too.   There may be an urgent need for a mechanic in a certain country but until we have our full ministry amount raised, we aren't able to go, and there may be another mechanic that is fully funded before us, that is ready and can fill the need right away.
So.... when we reach over 50% (give or take) of our monthly ministry support things begin to change and they can begin to fit us into a timeline of a possible departure date, which then translates to being able to fit us into a need in an MAF program in one of the 30 countries around the world where MAF serves.  We are currently at 32% of our monthly ministry support.
Now as much as we don't like asking for money, we do, really want to be out there serving the people that are isolated from physical help and the hope of the Gospel.   We need you to consider if God is calling you to support MAF by partnering with us as a monthly supporter and be a part of keeping the planes running that provide this lifeline to the many people in these remote areas.  Help us jump over the 50% of ministry support, so that we can finally answer our most asked question.

Live on The Radio

Listen to RetroSwitch Live on Friday, May 2 at 7:30pm on 94.3 Faith FM, Kitchener.  Our friend Parker, is the host of the show and has invited us to come and share about life and our ministry with MAF.  If you aren't in the Kitchener area, no worries, listen online at http://retroswitch.blogspot.ca/p/listen-live-now.html

Tracking our Monthly Ministry Support

We have been so blessed and encouraged by all of those who have partnered with us in this ministry.  Our one time, out going fund is up to 90%, which is so amazing.  Thank you so much for coming along side of us with your gifts for our ministry with MAF.  We are also excited to see how God is at work in providing for our monthly support as well.  Recently we came up with a new way to track our monthly ministry support progress and encourage our supporters as well.

$7200, that is the amount it takes to support the average MAF family for a month while overseas (and we are as average as they come J).  Divide this by a rough average of 30 days in a month and it takes $240 to support us for one day. What does this mean? It means that for every $20/month of support for our MAF ministry that we receive ($20 x 12 months = $240), we can “mark off” one day of the year as having been “supported”. When 365 days are marked off, our MAF ministry is fully supported and we can head into the field.

Part of the relationship with our supporters is prayer, they pray for us and we pray for them. So as someone commits to support us in our ministry with MAF, one (or more) of these stickers will symbolically represent the day they are supporting us, and the day we will be praying for them.  Most people like to choose birthdays, anniversaries, and other special or significant days, the options are endless…. well up to 365 anyways J. The number of stickers on the calendar is fairly accurate but most of them are placed there arbitrarily because they represent supporters before we developed the calendar, so if you are a supporter, one of these stickers represents you. We’d encourage you to pick a day and let us know, we’ll be happy to move the sticker and add that day to our prayer list.  We will be praying for every financial and prayer supporter whether you give us a day or not, so you’d might as well give us a day that’s important to you ;)

 

Invited to Share

On April 13th we will be sharing at Emmanuel Bible Church in Simcoe as part of their evening service.  The church is located at 24 Churchill Circle, Simcoe and the service starts at 6:30pm.  If you are in the area or know of anyone interested in the work of  MAF and want to hear more, we would love to meet you.   We are excited to see God open this door for us to share and know that He is at work in putting the pieces together as we build our team of ministry partners.  We are encouraged by those who have come alongside us and look forward with excitement for those we have yet to meet.

MAF Multiplies the Effectiveness of over 1500 organizations . 

As we began our ministry with MAF only 3 short months ago, we had a fairly good knowledge of the work they did around the globe. But as we research ministry stories for our newsletters and for sharing with the small groups that we have met, we continue to learn more of the big picture and what MAF is a part of. We knew that MAF partners with over 1500 organizations and that's a big deal. But what are those organizations and how do we enable them to do their task. The Halo Trust is one of them. The work of The Halo Trust is incredible as they decommission land mines in countries like Angola that have been hurt by years of civil war.  Mission Aviation Fellowship partners with The Halo Trust in Angola to safely bring their workers and supplies to and from the land mine areas.  

Community Dessert Night and Connecting

Hey we are excited to tell you about our upcoming Community Dessert Night happening Tuesday, March 25 at the Forest Fairgrounds Banquet Hall.  It will be from 7:30 pm to 8:45pm with yummy desserts as well as an informative time, learning how God is using the ministry of MAF to reach isolated people around the world and how we fit into that picture.  Invite your friends and neighbours and come out for a great evening.  It is a free event but we would appreciate if you to let us know if you are coming so we can plan accordingly.
We are also working on connecting with other churches and groups in our community as well as those in a greater geographical area.  We don't mind travelling, and are looking to meet more of the people that God is already at work in calling to be partners with us in this ministry with MAF.
So we have a job for you.
 If you are part of a church or community group that would be interested in hearing about the work of MAF and the help and hope that they bring to isolated people, then we want to hear from you.    Even getting a group of your friends together and having us come and chat over coffee ( or tea :-) would be so helpful to us in getting the word out.   Maybe your church or parent's church, a group of friends you work with, or sports team you are on.  Maybe even just your extended family that has a heart for missions and seeing people helped in time of need.  Pass our name along and keep the connections coming.

Do Not be Anxious

We have had some great Co-Pilot Coffee and Dessert Nights and have been able to share with friends and church members, our excitement of how God has called us to serve with MAF.  Thank you to all who came out and for those who have expressed their intentions to be a part of our ministry team, either through prayer or finances.
As we began this week we had the task of going out and making contact with other churches specifically those in our area, with the goal of finding opportunities to share about MAF and our ministry. We were a little anxious as we went out, knowing what we had to do but not sure how to word it or who we would encounter.  We started with the closest church and went in.  We were greeted by a friendly secretary and after introducing ourselves, she was very engaging and asked us questions about MAF and our family.   She was excited about our ministry and offered information on groups in her church that may be interested in having us come and share.  We were so encouraged.  God had gone before us and made the way smooth.  We didn't have to stumble over what to say, it just came naturally.
So the next day we went out again and although there was nobody at the first 2 churches we stopped at,   the 3rd was another encouraging contact.  We met another friendly secretary as well as a retired elementary teacher who had taught Nathan and some of my siblings.   We were encouraged again by the positive response and the ease at which the contact was made.  Giving full credit to God who had gone before us and had helped us take a task that was out of our comfort zone, and make it easy.

Isaiah 41:10   Do not fear for I am with you; Do not look anxiously about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

So in the coming week we will be making more contacts with area churches, trusting God to prepare before us churches and individuals that want to know more about the ministry of MAF and our part with them.  We know that it may not always be the positive response we have received so far, but we know He has a plan and will work things out in His timing.

If you are part of a organization or church that would be interested in hearing about the work of MAF, let us know.  We can send you an information sheet that summarizes who we are and what our goals are.

Continue to pray for us this week as we connect with more churches and that God will use our words to be effective in reaching new ministry partners.   ~~ Sarah