Stories from the Field: Life-saving work in South Sudan

Once again, I would like to share about some of the amazing work MAF does around the world, and one of the amazing organizations MAF partners with. This story comes from South Sudan, a country we feel a particular heart for because of two awesome people--Chris & Karyn Ball, who are serving there with MAF! It is also a particularly meaningful country to me, Kelly, after I read an INCREDIBLE book by Emmanuel Jal, called War Child. Please, if you get a chance, read this book. It will forever change you.

In South Sudan, MAF and an organization called Tearfund have an ongoing relationship, with MAF helping Tearfund overcome impossibly difficult travel situations to minister to the poorest of people there. This particular story happened back in May. MAF pilots were able to fly over 1800 kg of "Plumpy Sup", a nutritional supplement that has worked miracles in helping malnourished babies and infants.

For the full written story, click here. Otherwise, Pilot Ryan Unger made a brief video that highlights some of the work Tearfund was doing that day in May. Pray for thire continued work in South Sudan as there is still much unrest and violence in the country, an impending famine, and a great need for MAF's lifesaving flights. For more prayer points, check out MAF UK's Pray for South Sudan.

Our God-Possible Goal

I've invented a new word to describe our current fundraising goal: GOD-possible.

It basically means us surrendering to the fact that we cannot raise all the money we need to raise, in the time we want to raise it, without God working big time.

So ... I'm putting it out there into the blogosphere: our God-possible goal is to have the last 45% of our monthly ministry support (around $3,300) raised by August. Ouch ... that sounds like a lot of work and a lot of ... impossible-ness.

But, it's out there now, so I guess I'm asking you ... if you pray, please start praying about this. Pray big! We know that God's timing is perfect, and that He already knows when we'll raise all our money and where we'll go. But because I need big goals to be motivated, and because we believe God can do incredible things, pray big. Pray for God to do the impossible.

Thanks, blog readers and prayer partners. So, so appreciative.

Kelly :)

Here comes the sun!

May has been a month of many blessings. It has been a somewhat restful month since we haven't had as many presentations. It was a well needed rest as we prepare for a crazy June and July and we recovered from an insane April. That being said, presentations, dessert nights, airshows, and meeting up with friends as we discuss support raising has become the new normal.

As we head in to June, we look forward to all that God has prepared for us and look back on what He has done for us. Some of the highlights of the past few weeks include:

• Two young girls from Sunday school set up a "lemonade" stand in their front yard to raise money for our mission work. They sold cranberry juice and made a whole $3.75 to contribute towards our mission efforts! These two girls are an incredible witness to us and to the faith that can move mountains! We were humbled by their heart for building God's kingdom.
• Several kids took part in our MAF May Challenge and we are still waiting to see the full results of how much money they raised! Their enthusiasm was contagious and we were excited to partner with our Sunday school in this effort.
• On May 31st, we had the opportunity to set up a booth at the Waterloo Aviation Fun Day. This was a long but fun day exploring different aspects of aviation and sharing with a different crowd than we usually do about our future work with MAF. We even got to take a ride in a helicopter!
• About a week ago, we hit the 100% goal in our one-time, outgoing funds! That means in only six months we raised $35,000 thanks to people like you! We feel incredibly blessed and just give God all the glory for making this happen!
• We ended the month of May off with a bang as we hosted our biggest and most successful dessert night at our home church of West London Alliance. We were praying for 60 to 80 people to come and we had over 60 people show up to listen, learn and enjoy some delicious desserts with us! That same morning we had the opportunity to present during the morning service at our church, and between the services and the dessert night we raised almost 10% of our monthly support (in one day!) with more anticipated to come in over the coming weeks! That brings us extremely close to 50% of our monthly support raised ... Definitely a glass half-full! Thank you to the many people who came out, gave, prayed, or help prepare food for the night!

Now as we head in to the summer, we are excited by all the activities that are planned or yet to be planned. We have church presentations and weddings, camping and road trips, air shows and soccer games, retreats and charity golf tournaments. If you don't see us for several weeks at a time you know why... we're gearing up for a busy, busy summer! That being said, we would love to meet up and share conversation, encouragement and fellowship over frozen yogurt, an iced coffee, or a good old-fashioned backyard barbecue! 

Here's to a fabulous May and the start of an amazing summer! We thank God for each and everyone of you and pray His blessings on your summer!

Tasty Tidbits of Life on the Field

Every once in a while, I stumble upon some interesting blogs from the field that I think just exemplify the good work MAF is doing around the world. Here are some tasty tidbits of life as an MAF missionary ...

From Lesotho:

In Lesotho, MAF staff had the opportunity to participate in a "Letsema"--a partnership to complete a project for the good of the community. In a very remote village called Lebakeng, the airstrip had become unsafe due to deep ruts. This airstrip is an important lifeline to the people in the village to receive medical care. At best, without MAF and the use of an airstrip for quick medical evacuation, it takes a minimum of 16 HOURS to get to a hospital--lots of walking and if you're lucky, you'll catch the once-a-day taxi/bus, followed by at least 10 hours of public transportation to Maseru, the capital city! But with MAF, it's just a short 40 minute flight! WOW!

In April, the community invited MAF to come help them fix the airstrip, recognizing the vital importance it had in the community. 80 people gathered together to fix the airstrip and work shoulder to shoulder. The cost? Two flights and enough food to feed everyone. And the other cool part ... after everyone was fed, the Gospel was shared and Sesotho bibles handed out--one for each village represented! Some people even heard the good news of the Gospel for the first time. Now that ... that is good news! See full story here: http://www.mafblog.com/stories/it-takes-a-village-part-1

Working shoulder to shoulder to fix the airstrip ... looks nothing like a Canadian airstrip though, eh?
Photo by Kimberly Baker

From Mozambique:

I recently read the blog of MAF'er Jill Holmes. She recounted some of the work MAF flights had made possible over the past year or so. Take a look at some of God work that is going on:

• MAF flies a missionary along with some much needed supplies to a village, where two missionary families are teaching the Bible chronologically. 
• MAF flies doctors and workers to a titanium mine. When one worker got a serious head injury, MAF flew the man to a hospital--a journey that would normally take hours on very bumpy roads (not exactly preferable travel for someone with a head injury!).
• MAF staff, along with Mozambique pastors/evangelists often get the chance to show the JESUS film in different villages. This is an important ministry in sharing the gospel.
• See Jill's blog here: http://holmeslogbook.blogspot.ca

Delivering an injured mine worker to safety ... Photo by Jill Holmes.

BIG MILESTONE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

We won't keep you in suspense any more ... our big exciting milestone announcement is ...

Drum roll ...

Are you ready?!?! ...

We've reached 100% of our OUTGOING, ONE-TIME FUNDS!!!

Hurray! That's $35,000!!!! This is the fund that gets us overseas, gets us through language school, covers things like visas, immigration, moving our life overseas, initial training and Marcel's maintenance standardization, and LAUNCHES our long-term ministry!!

Crazy right? 6 months ago we started on this "Impossible to man, but possible to God" journey, knowing that it would take a miracle (or many small, every day miracles and acts of obedience) to raise the funds we need. And now, we've completed Part 1 of the journey.

All that being said ... we're not close to leaving yet. Don't worry, we're still here for a while. Because as awesome as it is that we have raised our ONE TIME funds, we still have LOTS to raise in our MONTHLY support before we can go. We're almost at 40% of our monthly support. Will you help us SOAR in this next stage of our ministry by praying for us ... specifically for our upcoming London Dessert Night, for God to reveal new supporters and opportunities to us, and for us to trust Him with everything we need?

Thank you friends and family. Because really--this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT would not have happened without you. Your financial blessings have brought us to our knees in thankfulness many times. You are all truly a blessing!!!!

Six Reasons to Support a Missionary

1) The early Christians did it. There are many instances in the Bible where the early church worked together--partnered together--by sharing their resources and supporting one another. Take a look at Acts 2:44-45, "And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need." In Paul's letter to the Philippian church, he commends them for partnering with him in the spread of the gospel. How did they help him in his travels, without leaving their own city? Take a look at Philippians 4:10-19. The gifts the Philippian church supplied to Paul were a "sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God." 

2) It allows "their" ministry to become "our ministry". One of the biggest things "we missionaries" learn in training, but have trouble conveying to our supporters, friends, families, and congregations is the idea that a supporter is NO LESS IMPORTANT than the missionary themselves. We are a team ... and when you support a missionary, you literally join them in the ministry, making it "your ministry." How cool is that? You don't even need to leave your home town (or your house for that matter) to be a part of God's ministering work all over the world!

3) The Bible commands us. Not only does the Bible say, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit ..." (Matthew 28:19), but it also contains an abundance of verses about sharing, giving, and helping those in need (see for example, 1 Timothy 6:18-19, Luke 12:33, and Matthew 25). One of the easiest ways to "go therefore" is to support your local missionary and by providing for them, you are extending your ministry to the nations! 

4) God blesses the cheerful, generous giver. Proverbs 11:24-25 says, "One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." See also 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. God loves a cheerful giver and a cheerful giver gives great glory to God! God is the provider of all things, and though our giving may not result in long term financial rewards here on earth, God most certainly will bless our giving with earthly grace and heavenly rewards.

5) It promotes Christian unity. Is there a better display of Christian unity than when Christians across all age groups, genders, socio-economic divides, denominations, and geographic locations work together to make something happen? Romans 15:6 says, "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."

6) It broadens your view of "the church". I cannot describe how much my view of the global church has changed since joining with MAF. I had no idea that a church here in Canada looks drastically different than one in Bangladesh! And at the same time, I am constantly in awe that we all worship the same God--we may have different languages and cultures, yet Jesus Christ died for us all and is the head of all our different, many-cultured churches!

7) Their (Our) work can't happen without you! I'm gonna talk shop here. I'm not the mechanic in the family, but I think a plane is a perfect example of how important missions supporters are. Every plane is held together by a number of rivets. They are small, and seemingly insignificant all by themselves, but you certainly wouldn't want to fly a plane if you knew even a few were missing! Those small rivets, working together as a team, are what keep a plane together. Likewise, every single supporter, working together as a team, are what keeps a ministry together, functioning, growing and expanding!

Finally ...

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever.”

10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Renewed Passion

Yesterday, God refreshed my heart in an unexpected way. Yesterday was Compassion Sunday at our church, and I was a bit sad, because I was really just hoping for a "regular ole Sunday"--you know, sermon with a good message and some application.

Well--thankfully, I got a good message and application anyway. Message: there is a lot of poverty, a lot of hurt, and a huge mission field out there. Application: do something about it. Application to my life: although I can't adopt another Compassion child right now :(, our work through MAF is going to help so many organizations and people (like Compassion) do their work more effectively and reach the poor and needy! Not only that, but soon (oh so soon!) Marcel and I will be on the front lines of the mission field ourselves, coming face to face with many children, many of the poor, and Lord willing, offering our time and energy to them.

It might seem weird that seeing all the hurt and poverty still out there in the world refreshed my heart. But it did! Because sometimes I forget that we're going out to do something about it! Sometimes I forget that what we're doing is meaningful! Please don't mistake this as pride in what we're doing--rather, a renewed passion for our work. And I hope this inspires you to find a renewed passion in your life--that YOU, wherever you are, are needed there! There are hurt, lonely, hungry, poor, and lost people in your life, in your community, and you ARE needed!

April Showers bring MAY Challenges, Newsletters, and Presentations!

Happy 1st of May!

With the end of April and the start of May comes our newest newsletter.

It's also the start of our super simple MAF May Challenge for kids! What is the May Challenge you ask? It's a calendar, with a different challenge each day to encourage kids to collect spare change for our ministry with MAF! There's prizes at the end of the month, opportunities for parents to pray with their kids about missions, and educational material about what MAF does and who they serve! So check out our website and download a calendar for a kid in your life!

May also brings a more relaxed month of presentations (thankfully!) that gives us time to ramp up to what we hope will be our biggest presentation yet: June 1st, Dessert Night in London!!!!! FINALLY! It feels like we've been waiting and waiting to present in front of our church and our London friends and family, but the day is coming! Would you consider coming out to support us, hear our story, and consider partnering with us? The dessert night is June 1st, 7:30 pm, at West London Alliance Church.

Hurray for May!

The Wall

We've hit it. THE WALL.

The wall of being tired of presenting. The wall of "I'm done with asking people for money." The wall of I just wanna have a normal job.

You know, the wall that forces you to say, "God ... we need your help. We can't do this on our own. In fact, we're kind of tired and worn down, and more than a little bit clueless what to do next. We're lacking motivation. We need your strength."

THAT wall. It's a good kind of wall I guess.

Because when everything else wears thin ... it forces us to rely on God.

And God hasn't just built a ladder over the wall. He's made a way through the wall that's pure delight. The delight of walking closely with Him and feeding off of His strength. The delight that comes when we cling to Him and rest in His peace.

"God ... walk us through this wall."

Very Important People

Awww man ... I just watched the coolest video this morning! Thanks to our friends serving with MAF in Kenya/South Sudan, Chris and Karyn Ball, who posted this video yesterday. Here, I've included it below.

What's so cool about it? This video profiles the work MAF is doing in South Sudan--a country just wrecked by war and poverty. And why do I like it so much? Because every time we present, we quote (or when we have a brain fart, "paraphrase") Matthew 25:40, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"

MAF's VIPs aren't necessarily the rich or the powerful. They are the very important people in Jesus' eyes: the poor. The isolated. The world-changers. Missionaries. Pastors. Regular everyday people that Christ holds near and dear to His heart. 

Travelling All Over Northern Ontario

Hello blog world! It's been a week or two!


We just got back from an intense--but intensely awesome--road trip through Northern Ontario. What a great trip--full of visits with friends, presentations, maple syrup, and reliving some of our favourite memories!

Very serious business.

Woah! Look at all the syrup!

Our first stop was St. Joseph Island, just east of Sault Ste. Marie. If you've never been to "the Island" here's our tourism plug--you must go! And we recommend going during syrup season! We stayed with Pam and Joe Hawdon and were blessed by their amazing hospitality. We got the pleasure of seeing these two in action as they restart the Hawdon's Mountain Ridge Maples business. For the past few years, they've been making kettle maple syrup over the fire, but this year, they've taken over the Hawdon sugar shack and are going in to full-scale production of wood-fired AMAZING maple syrup. This was so much fun to see and we learned so much! If you're interested in some syrup, Pam and Joe will be visiting in June, and they can bring you some! YUM!

It was also cool to see Pam and her baby bump. We just praise God that
this amazing couple is having a baby--because we know this is something they have been waiting on and praying about for a LONG time!

Island Dessert Night--cupcakes,
cupcakes, everywhere!

 While it was fun to visit the Island, we were also there on "business". Marney and Jonathan Stewart opened up their home to us to have a dessert/information night and share about our ministry with MAF. This was great! Naturally, we went a bit overboard on the desserts but we were so very blessed by the crew that came out! One of the highlights of the night was meeting Eric and Hannah-Lee Lawrence, who not only provided worship for the night, but also shared their experience teaching in Papua New Guinea, where their school was only accessible by MAF plane! They had nothing but great things to say about MAF! We were so encouraged by them--and by everyone--that my heart is still glowing!

After the Island (oh--I forgot to mention, it SNOWED on the day of our dessert night! SNOWED!), we made our way to Massey to visit Marcel's relatives, Ben, Jodie, Avery, and Carter. All I can say is--what a fun family! We love visiting them and of course, playing with their large assortment of "toys". Marcel got a chance to ride on the snow mobile, and I built an extensive snow fort with Avery and Jodie.

Finally, Saturday night we pulled in to North Bay for our presentation Sunday morning at Greenwood Baptist Church! It's been a few years since we've been back to the Bay, so we had to drive around and see the sights. Somethings have changed--new residences and a gym on campus?!--and some things haven't (Burger World! The Moose!). My heart skipped a beat as we drove by Founder's House ... sometimes I completely forget I ever lived and worked there as a Residence Don. We were nostalgic for the good old days of life in the Bay--that's where Marcel and I first met and started dating!

Snow?! April 4, St. Joseph Island

Sunday morning, after breakfast at Burger World (who knew it was so empty at 7:30 am ... glad we weren't there at 10 am!), we drove over to the new Greenwood Baptist building. This was our first time there, and it looks great! We were so pumped to see Pastor Tim and many other familiar--and new--faces! It felt like time stood still--but it also made us feel old when we didn't know ANY of the university students.

The congregation was so welcoming, and many of them had heard of MAF before, so that made our job a little easier! Some of them even knew Chris & Karyn Ball--missionaries with MAF in east Africa! We felt so encouraged after our presentations, and many people showed a great interest in tracking along with us or financially supporting our ministry with MAF! We even had one boy sign up for our newsletter because he wants to be a missionary pilot one day! It was like meeting Marcel as a child ;)

After church, we had lunch at the student luncheon with our old friends Paul and Jenna! Mini NCCF reunion! We then went over to Twigg's to meet up with Alicia (my sister from another mister) and her fiance Dustin. Good ole' Twigg's--where memories are made. 'Twas a great chance to catch up on everyone's lives now that we live all over Ontario.

At Twigg's with Jenna, Alicia, Dustin, and Paul.

After coffee, we were back on the road for our "almost final" stop of the trip--Toronto to have dinner with Monique and Kristin! It was so good to see these ladies again and catch up on their lives--not to mention have an amazing dinner and share about our ministry with MAF!

Catching up with Monique and Kristin!

Well, after all that, I would like to say our trip was done, but we still managed to squeeze in a few more stops. First, Ancaster for the night. Then, breakfast with the amazing Josh and beautiful Natalie--where I discovered what Dutch pancakes were! Finally, finally, finally, we stopped by the MAF office in Guelph to deliver donations and catch up with Cliff, Ken, Karen, and Lauren--some of the amazing staff team at the MAF Canada office. This was the perfect way to end our trip and prepare us for the busy upcoming weeks!

Overall, we felt so blessed and encouraged on our trip. I feel like I'm on repeat saying that, but it's true! I'm still praising God for the friends and family we got to see, for the words of encouragement, for the excitement everyone had for us, and the financial support we received for our MAF ministry! So if you're reading this, and we got a chance to hang out or meet on the trip, THANK YOU and in the words of Paul to the Colossians,"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven." (Col. 1:3-5)

FINAL PLUG: We have a dessert night on Thursday, April 10 in Ancaster! 7:30 pm @ Heritage Fellowship Baptist Church! Please come out, invite friends, and join us! We'd love more excuses to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and share in a time of fellowship and food!

Cool Donor Stories (Part 1)!

Hi there!
Just want to share two totally cool donor stories. Why? Because it shows just how cool, fun, and FAITHFUL our God can be in providing for His kids!!!

Story #1: The Great Commission

At our dessert night in Blenheim, we had the chance to meet a couple who knew my grandparents well after many years of euchre games. He was an insurance salesman, and around Christmas, had sold one of the biggest policies of his life. The commission he made from it was large, and he was excited for the extra income because they needed it! But, time after time, obstacles kept the cheque from landing in his account for weeks on end. However, God was faithful; he provided for the couple during this time ... even without the big bonus cheque. Finally, the cheque arrived--on the day of our dessert night! They heard our presentation, and came up to us after. They shared their story, excited by the way God had orchestrated everything together so that they could give us a cheque for $1000. Wow! 
"We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps." --Proverbs 16:9

Story #2: "I never win anything ..."

This story follows a common theme: financial institutions! Our dear friends and life group leaders from West London Alliance, Matt & Kate, were at a work appreciation dinner. At the dinner, there were various items up for prizes, and employees could enter tickets into the draws of their choice. Kate sat through prize after prize being given away to fellow employees, all the while thinking, "I never win anything at these sort of things ..." There were prizes for vacations, sports tickets, etc. etc. Finally, they got to the last draw of the night. And the winner was ... Kate! What was the prize? $1000 to the charity of her choice! Matt and Kate couldn't wait to share the good news with us! Over dinner, they told the story, then presented us with a cheque for MAF Canada from the account of Kate's employer--a large financial institution. What a blessing! 
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." --Romans 8:28

Praising God for YOU!

Yesterday, as we presented to Heritage Fellowship Baptist Church in Ancaster, I said a line which never ceases to amaze me, "We can't get overseas without HUNDREDS of people helping us from home."

HUNDREDS.

That's a lot.

And it caused me this morning to pause and reflect on our partners. Whether you lift us up in prayer, donate a little bit to our ministry with MAF or donate a LOT, or whether you are just a dear friend who loves us when we need it most, we literally can't do this without you.

I'm so thankful for our partners in this ministry. And I want you to know how precious and important you are too--how crucial you are to this ministry!

Planes fly on the prayers of supporters.

Lives are profoundly changed by as little as a dollar a day.

The Bible is taught, translated, and delivered to those desperately hungry for the word.

Death is conquered by life with each medical evacuation flight.

Hope is shared, heart to heart, and hand to hand, in communities ravaged by war and nature.

Your life becomes a legacy, all because you cared.

Thanks friends and family for caring! We love you, and we praise God for how important each one of you is to MAF's work!

Podcast with the Church Unity Project

We had the fun and awesome pleasure of partnering with a friend from West London Alliance Church, Nigel Garnaitis, on his new podcast the Church Unity Project. He is passionate about building networks and understanding between Christian communities and transcending denominational divides. His Church Unity Project podcast and blog allow him to highlight people, projects, and organizations that do exactly that: transcend denominational divides in their work for God's kingdom.

Not surprisingly, this is one of the things we love about MAF! You can listen to our interview here. For more information about Church Unity Project, check out the site: http://churchunityproject.wordpress.com/.

Breakfast with the Boers (Monday, Feb. 3)

So ... when I told Marcel we are making a video this morning (about 5 minutes after he got out of bed), he was not very happy. You know what I told him? "People think you're funny when you're tired!" You'll see why :). Watch our two minute video where we update you on where we are at, and what's coming up next.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, Feb. 4--Blenheim Christian Reformed "Coffee Break" presentation and an opportunity to meet with a few Chatham-Kent connections

Feb. 10--Feb. 17--Gone on family vacation with the Boers!

Friday, Feb. 21--MAF General Meeting (sounds important!)

Sunday, Feb. 23--Luncheon/Info Session at our house following second service (around 12:30)! All are welcome, see Facebook event.

Tuesday, Feb. 25--Our two year anniversary! Yay!

Thursday, Feb. 27--Dessert Night/Info Night in Blenheim, 7 pm, Blenheim Youth Centre. If you would like to attend, help us (and my mom) out by letting us know via email (kboers@maf.org) or phoning my mom @519-676-2182!

March, TBA--Dessert Night and Info Session in Ancaster, Ontario.

Feel free to message us about any of the events for more details (kboers@maf.org or mboers@maf.org). Please pray for these events as well!

A Thankful Heart

Lately, God has been challenging me to be more thankful. Have you ever been in that same place? God is so good and yet, like second nature, when I pray, I skip over my blessings and focus on what I still need from God. I make light of the many ways He has been faithful, and go right on requesting.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (New Living Translation) says: "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 

So, after I burst through the doors Sunday night and exclaimed to Marcel, "My heart is so thankful, I feel like it might explode! Like actually ... I feel like I'm having a heart attack and I just need to dance!" I'm going to do the blogiquivocal thing and share some of the good things God has done and how He has shown His faithfulness. If you pray for us, or just enjoy being happy for us, here are some things you can join us in praising God for:

- His faithfulness in bringing in new monthly partners. This past week He provided us with four new monthly supporters--some of them a complete surprise to us! We are so thankful for dear friends and family!

- His encouragement through conversations and visits with friends and family. Also, his encouragement through epically amazing food (I am 100% certain Thai food and Tim Tams will be on the menu in heaven!)

- His provision in bringing our monthly support up to 15% and outgoing funds up to 32% ALREADY! Should we start packing? YAYYY!

- His faithfulness in lining up several upcoming events and meetings for us--dessert nights, ministerial meetings, bible studies, and coffee dates!

- His mercy in allowing us to go on a family vacation in February brought to you by the the Boers clan! So pumped to make memories with the family!

For all the things God has done, and continues to do, I have to add one little thing at the end. I am most thankful that God does so much of His work through people. We are so thankful for the people God has used to bless us in the past weeks and months, and we desire to return those blessings to those people. Thank you to all of you who follow God through big or small steps of obedience! You set an incredible example to us!

"Ice"-olation and Isolation!

Brrrr .... it's COLD here in London!!!! Marcel said the wind chill makes it feel like -40 degrees Celsius out--a figure which makes me ready to move overseas any day, please and thank you!

This cold has me reflecting on the importance of MAF and their ministry of reaching the isolated. I tried to imagine this morning what it would feel like to be isolated--something that wasn't too hard to imagine on a cold day like this, where I don't want to leave my home or start my car.

How encouraging would it be to see an MAF plane land in the isolated village where you and your family serve as missionaries, bringing encouragement from other Canadians and comforts of home? 
How exciting would it be to see family you haven't seen in years coming off of an MAF airplane? 
How relieving would it be to see food, water, and basic living supplies coming from the cargo hold when your community is in the middle of an awful famine or terrible drought? 
How thankful would you be if an MAF plane brought in supplies, food, and hope in the midst of a terrible natural disaster that has left you isolated and terrified? 
How crucial would it be to your son or daughter's health if they could get a life-saving flight to a "nearby" hospital (200 miles away) after a terrible accident?

These are just a few of the important reasons MAF exists. These are just a few of the ways MAF ministers to isolated people.

I'd like to end by re-posting a couple cool photos from the MAF-US blog that show some of the work MAF staff do every day to help the isolated. Some of these pics are pretty cool and worth a scroll!!

A medevac flight for a miner with a head injury in Mozambique. Photo by Jill Holmes.

A joyful reception of 1000 Zandi language bibles along the CAR/Congo border. Photo courtesy of John Cadd.

South Sudan flight for amputees getting prosthetic limbs. Photo courtesy of John Woodberry.

The village of Kiwi comes out to greet passengers arriving. Photo by David Holsten.

Looking back and looking to the future!

Hi Everyone!

As we start back in to the "post-vacation grind", Marcel and I want to take a few minutes to share with you some reflections on the last year and updates on our future in 2014!

2013 brought many exciting new opportunities our way. As you can recall, we started with MAF in November. For Marcel, this meant a change from working on airplanes every day to working from home. As for me, I have continued to supply teach but less frequently, and also work on MAF work from home. Our job with MAF is actually a lot of fun--we get to connect with friends and family and share about a ministry we feel very passionate about! But it also requires a lot of faith and trust, teamwork, and an extensive amount of time and energy.

2013 also brought a new house in to the picture. As we talked about in a previous blog, we wanted to buy a house (specifically a condo) that we could rent out to Western students or families in the future while we are overseas. Well, we love our new house so far, and we even had over 30 young adults crammed in to the house for New Years Eve! That's one thing we could have never done in our basement apartment!

Sold! Dec. 20, 2013.

The most exciting thing about 2013 though has been seeing how God is already working in peoples' hearts to partner with us in our MAF ministry. We already have several monthly supporters, as well as many one-time donors to our MAF ministry. Despite our trepidations that no one would want to partner with us so close to Christmas, God has been faithful at launching our ministry and showing He is in control! Thank you to everyone who has joined us already! We're excited to get more people on board in 2014.

But as exciting as 2013 has been, I have this feeling 2014 is going to be the biggest year yet. New Years Day it dawned on me ... this could be the year we move overseas! This could be the year we pack everything up and take a huge leap of faith! (Extra huge right now, since we are still waiting on God's leading for where we should go.) This could be the year that this massive MAF dream comes true--a dream that really can only happen because of God's mercy. We've still got a lot of money to raise and a lot of prayers to say, but God is doing big things through MAF and we are trusting in His faithfulness to carry this through to the end. Our goal is to have all of our support raised by August--can you help us make that a reality?

2014 could be our biggest year yet ... and it could be yours too! I want to end with a challenge. I know a lot of people aren't in to New Years resolutions and things like that. But if you've been tracking along with us, praying for us, reading our blog or Facebook pages, then I challenge you to pray about how God can use you this year. Maybe it's through MAF--maybe the Holy Spirit wants to use you to partner with us in sharing the gospel. Maybe it's through local ministries or your local church. Whatever the case, don't ignore the Holy Spirit's whispers. We're praying for you too. Please pray for us.

Happy 2014 friends, may it be totally awesome and a chance to grow closer to Christ!

Kelly and Marcel

A little taste of MAF ...

Hey guys! For those of you who haven't had an opportunity to talk with us or look up what MAF does, here are some quick facts, stats and stories that give you a little glimpse into the MAF world. So whether you like numbers, or stories, I've tried to include something for both types of people here!

• MAF's mission: Sharing God's love through aviation and technology
• MAF's vision: Isolated people physically and spiritually transformed in Christ's name.
• MAF operates in 30 countries around the world.
• MAF currently operates approximately 136 aircraft worldwide!
• Almost 1500 people work for MAF around the world--expats, nationals, and support staff.
• MAF partners with almost 1500 organizations to multiply their effectiveness--including organizations like World Vision, Samaritan's Purse, Tearfund, and UNICEF.

Click here to see this 2012 MAF fact sheet enlarged. So many cool stats!

So, those facts are pretty astounding ... but what does this look like on the ground level? What are MAF pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, and IT staff doing on a day-to-day basis? We've been told it's hard to generalize--every day could look completely different! I did come across a cool story though that gives a little glimpse into one way MAF pilots and staff partner with others to "demonstrate and proclaim" the name of Jesus. It's a recent story from the MAF base in Madagascar.

A young woman in rural Madagascar was violently beat by cattle thieves and needed desperate medical attention for herself and her unborn child. It was a matter of life or death, and the only hospital that would be able to properly provide medical attention for her was in the capital--200 miles away, or a two day trek on some very difficult roads.

MAF was able to partner with two trusted doctors and fly out to the village the next day. Meanwhile, one of MAF's partners, an NGO called HoverAid, put all the necessary pieces in place to get the young woman to the airstrip where MAF could pick her up. The doctors were able to do a quick ultrasound to determine the baby was still alive--but the bleeding was such that no one was sure the baby would survive.

MAF was able to safely deliver the young woman to the hospital, and from there, to step back and pray for her. Fortunately, both mom and newborn daughter are doing well--and the young mother named her new daughter Faustine, after one of the doctors that had come to save her!

How cool is that? As Marcel and I wait to hear where we are going ... we love reading the stories of MAF's work. It fits so well with what we both believe is our jobs as "Christ-followers" in this world--to love people, serve people, and proclaim Jesus while doing so! MAF does just that--loving and serving (isolated) people! (P.S. More stories to come!)

People gathered around an MAF plane in Madagascar.

The young woman was transferred to an MAF aircraft and taken to the hospital.

Reason to Pray

Prayer is truly divine--but I find it very difficult to pray sometimes. It's that paradigm switch from thinking of prayer as a last resort--a "Dear God, help me!"-- to thinking of prayer as a first resort. But one of the things I have definitely been learning since starting our ministry work with MAF is that prayer is our lifeline. It's our fuel. It's absolutely preposterous to try to drive the car of ministry without prayer, and totally life-giving when we take things first to God.

The MAF Ministry Partnership manual has this verse in it: "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain." Psalm 127:1.

I love this verse. How true it is! Thinking back ... I can see the truth in this verse in so many areas of my life. And looking to the here and now, it is a great reminder that I need to be in constant communication with God during my work day. I need to lift up our ministry--the joys, the issues, the big and little obstacles, the donors, the friends, the prayer partners, the family. I need to lift up our needs, our wants, our dreams, our fears.

If you are reading this, I hope you will take some time to pray for us today, this week, this month, this year. It might seem like a small thing--maybe even trivial. But I will tell you the truth ... when I go out for a walk in the morning and pray, or when I'm struggling with doubt, or when I'm stressed about something that may or may not be important--I (we) need your prayers. I wait for them. I thirst for them. Like I said, they are life-giving ... and they really are felt. Thanks to everyone who has already been praying for us--and thank you if you are praying right now!! :)

Oh--and if you're wondering what to pray for, there's a list over here on the right. You can also pray for Marcel's sanity as he deals with such a crazy wife like me. :)

~Kelly