Check Rides and Simulator Work
Check rides and simulator work is some of what Travis has been doing recently. In May he completed his check ride for instrument rating (flying by just the instruments on the dash when you can’t see out the windshield). The only tests that remain are our internal organization base check and line check which will be in the first week of July. After that he’ll be flying on his own most of the time. Please pray that these last two checks go well.
This past month on days he hasn’t been flying he’s been doing some repairs and upgrades to the flight simulator at the hangar (updating software and replacing some hardware). The flight simulator allows pilots to practice at a fraction of the cost of flying the airplane. Also you can train for emergency situations that you don’t want to simulate in an actual plane.
Family News
What are the rest of us up to? School is out for the summer so all three kids are home with mom during the week. Nathan got to spend one morning with Travis at the hangar and learned a little about fueling airplanes. The children are mostly playing outside with friends and keeping up with household chores. Hannah is looking forward to starting kindergarten in August. Becky helps with a few tasks around campus as she has time. Her main role, besides being Mom, is Children’s Church co-ordinator. Please pray for wisdom in raising our children, for Hannah to have a good transition into kindergarten, and for more staff for the school. Interested in teaching in PNG? follow this link:
https://www.ntmpng.org/nca/
Why do We start at the Beginning?
(teach chronologically through the Bible)
The aviation program and support center where we work exists to support missionaries working in more than 40 rural locations across Papua New Guinea.
When our church planters teach a people group through the Bible for the first time, they start with Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God.” Because the people often come from a background of animistic thinking and a fear of evil spirits, the missionary must establish who God is and His superiority over the “gods” that they have believed in. A familiarity with the culture and thinking of those that they are teaching is necessary to be able to replace the wrong thinking in their worldview, instead of just adding to it.
As they move forward from Genesis, each story taught contributes to their understanding of who God is, who man is, and who Christ is in order to establish that He is the answer to their problem. When the Scriptures are taught chronologically through the narrative of God’s redemptive plan, it shows that God and what He’s doing includes them and is so much bigger than their world. Like building a strong house, a strong faith starts with making the effort to build a strong foundation.
Here’s a video with more info on how missionaries teach the Bible chronologically:
https://vimeo.com/1075944996
Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and support as we serve church planters in PNG through aviation!
Love,
Travis & Becky
Ethnos360 runs two week trips for people considering full-time missions. There is a trip to PNG in September, but the deadline to sign-up is approaching fast. Learn about that trip and others at this link:
https://ethnos360.org/short-term-trips/encounter
