Wow, we are finally back in the real world again, in our own home, on a real schedule! We began a journey on May 25th when we moved our things to McNeal, AZ and then continued home to stage our support raising out of Santa Maria, CA. On July 11th we hit the road again to see family and friends, many of you, and eventually made our way back to our new home in Arizona on August 11th. During the summer we stayed somewhere in Texas; Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Atascadero, Davis, Temecula, and Sonora, CA; Eugene, OR; Yakima, Seattle, and Spokane, WA; Coeur d’Alene and Sandpoint, ID; Kalispell, MT; Palm Springs, CA; Tijuana, Mexico; Page and McNeal, AZ.
Our trip was truly incredible as we were able to reconnect with friends we hadn’t seen in years, and we thank all of you who graciously opened your homes to us and made our trip so perfect.
We arrived just in time to begin orientation classes on Monday, the 13th! It felt so good to be out of the car and into our own place again! Now, almost a week later, we are completely moved in and settled and are enjoying being with our NTMA family again. Like I said, orientation began on Monday and will go until Tuesday. We have been going over everything from where to dump your trash and grocery shop to information about all the different mission fields where NTMA is serving and meeting all the staff here in McNeal. It has really been great to have this time to be welcomed and to get acquainted with our new home.
On Wednesday, Brian will begin taking a refresher course in maintenance and flight ground school, and eventually start flying in October. Brian is definitely ready to feel at home in an airplane again since he’s been out of them for over two years now! Bailey is going to get the pleasure of taking care of the home and of Brian while he is working. She will also be taking a class from some of the wives here who have been overseas on things from flight following and radio communication to raising children overseas and getting spiritually prepared for the field. The women who are teaching the class were both in the Philippines when Brian was growing up, and one of them is the wife of the pilot who flew for Brian’s parents when they were planting a church in the Batak tribe years ago.