The release of our pent-up breath was audible on Friday afternoon as we sat on swivel chairs in a conference room and finally heard the words, “We are accepting you as a pilot/mechanic in the New Tribes Mission Aviation training program.” 

We (Jared, Carol, and Ivan) spent the past week at the NTM Aviation facility in McNeal, Arizona undergoing an intense technical evaluation.  It seemed surreal that the past eight to ten years of preparation for missionary aviation could be decided upon in one short week!  We are vastly relieved to be through this week and to finally be able to say decisively that we are  pursuing missionary aviation through New Tribes Mission!

Our next steps are as follows:

• Return to the Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, Missouri and finish our second semester of training for overseas missions.
• Actively pursue support-raising over the coming months (especially the summer) in order to expedite our transition to a field of service.
• Move to McNeal, Arizona in late August to begin the final aviation training program (9-12 months) before heading overseas.

We are so excited about serving with New Tribes Mission Aviation!  Thank you for journeying with us through this long process of preparation.  No matter how many uncertainties we encounter, we know that the God we serve is always certain of the future…and whatever it holds, it is good.