MAKE NEW FRIENDS AND KEEP THE OLD

In Girl Scouts we used to sing a song "Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other gold." What a wonderful surprise to hear the phone ring this morning and know old friends were on their way to visit us here at MMS. Part of the MMS training experience often involves leaving Ohio and traveling to other ministries all over the world to assist them with repairs on their airplanes. Our apprentices get to investigate, while helping, other ministries and often end up serving with many of those ministries. Harry and Jan openned their home to Dennis on several occasions as he did phase inspections on Agape Flight's Caravan in Florida. They have had such a wonderful ministry to Dennis as they became "home away from home" on those trips. What fun we had "catching up." Just one more way God uses each of us to minister to others.

IT PAYS TO SHOP AROUND

Dennis spent time this morning demonstrating to the staff and apprentices at MMS Aviation the proper way to use a magnetizer. For those, like myself, who lack familiarity with some of the tooling used for aircraft repair, a magnetizer is used to re-magnetize a magneto. This gives the magneto more power to produce spark. Without spark, the engine will not run. The first quote Dennis received on purchasing this small, but necessary, tool was $17,600.00. After shopping around, he was able to get the cost down to under $600. Now a $17,000 savings is something this accounting mind can appreciate. Dennis tends to be very "thrifty" and capable of fabricating many types of tooling (perhaps from years of experience in the truck world where he fabricated trailers, and the many times he has had to build whatever we needed because we couldn't afford to buy it). Just one more example of God using a lifetime of experiences to equip each of us for the task He has called us to. Nothing is ever wasted in God's economy.

U206 RECEIVES AIRWORTHINESSS CERTIFICATE

What a great week of "everything coming together" - paperwork, weather, schedules, etc. This morning the FAA spent the morning at MMS inspecting the paperwork and the airplane itself. A little after noon, the airworthiness certification was given, the papers rubber-stamped and the plane officially had come to completion. Now, after all the hours of labor spent repairing and rebuilding this plane, it is time to disassemble the airplane and begin packing it into the shipping containers that will transport this airplane to Africa. There it will be used as a training plane for missionary pilots. Perhaps, because of MMS' labor, many pilots will become safer pilots through the experience gained while using this aircraft. To God be the glory!

CESSNA U206 FIRST FLIGHT

Early this afternoon a call came over the MMS speaker system to gather around the 206 for prayer. After several days of paperwork, it was time for the airworthiness flight test. We assembled in front of the plane for a time of thanksgiving and prayer for the ministry that will be using the 206 in South Africa. After months of finding parts, fabricating others, and lots of learning opportunities for apprentices and staff members alike, it was time to finally fly the airplane. What a wonderful sight to see the plane in the air for the first time since it came to MMS for repair and to envision it being using for future ministry. This plane will now be dissassembled, put in a shipping crate, and shipped to Africa.