Missions Is Truly A Community Effort

Your gift of $72 a month
buys this:

A missionary.

A man of integrity.
A good airplane mechanic
who has a clean track record
of 15 years of keeping airplanes
up in the air,
working flawlessly and safely.

A man of God.
One who has loved
and served God for 28 years.
A faithful man.
A man who has taught his children
and worked hard everyday
to provide.
A kind man who never
raises his voice
or threatens another.

A man of commitment.
Married for 19 years
and going on 20.
He fought for his marriage
and didn't give up
when times were tough.
He did all he could
and then some.
And His marriage is good!

A man who will maintain
the three aircraft in a land
of great need
for Christ, His love,
goodness and generosity.

A man who will share his skill
with several men from that country
who are awaiting him.
A man of patience to teach skills
and impart through modeling
of Christ's life and teaching.

A man who will lead through
quiet strength
and never through selfish ambition.

And the gospel will spread
on the wings of love
in Haiti.

The church of the Living God
has already been purchased
by Christ's blood.
He has redeemed the people of Haiti!
Let the islands rejoice.

One hundred people
giving $72 a month -
a community.
Can a city be built in one day?
Can an ocean be parted
and allow thousands to pass through?
Can a sun stand still for a day?
Can Goliath be killed
with a sling and a stone?
Can a nation turn to God
and in Him be known?

A missionary.
A man.
Filled with God.

"Not unto us, O Lord,
not unto us,
but to Your name give glory,
because of Your mercy,
because of Your truth.

O Israel (Haiti), trust in the Lord;
He is their (your) help
and their (your) shield."
~Psalm 115:1, 9

I Will Always Remember

I remember the exciting day.
It was after two years of looking
at the Mission Aviation Fellowship
website...pouring over the bio's
of all the missionaries, reading,
dreaming, hearing the call of God
and taking the steps He laid
out for us.

Then came the day when I looked
on the Mission Aviation Fellowship
website and there was our name!
There was our bio! So exciting.
I rubbed my eyes. It was real.

So with sad heart,
we hear the news today
that we are no longer career staff
with Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Our names are still on the website.
I know I will be sad when our name
will no longer be there.
So I took some pictures of the site.
And tears are falling.

It's OK. It's going to be OK.
The things that are truly important
are the wonderful people we've met.
And God did so much in our lives
through this process.

It will be hard to look at the list
of pre-fielders and not see our names.
But I will forever have the memories.

Haiti - A Land Not Too Far Away

Not long ago, in a land
not too far away -
held a distant future.
Gods light upon thee
did lay.

"Only trust", He said.
"Trust and obey."
And we did.

Not a single step was easy.
Not one ahead was guaranteed.
God, the only source of light,
took us up
and we held onto Him
through the troubled sea.

And just a breath away
lies before us a brand new land -
within the Caribbean.

Heavens gates are open wide.
And like the sea of old
where Israel waited on their God,
He answers and parts the sea
in one mighty command.

"For who is God,
except the Lord?
And who is a rock,
except our God?"

Not long ago, in a land
really not that far away
God knew!
And His light will shine.

Oh Haiti,
"The Lord rules as king.
Let the earth rejoice.
Let all the islands be joyful."
Psalm 97:1

We spent January in Nampa, ID at Mission Aviation Fellowships headquarters (or M.A.F., for short). As candidates, we learned about all the regions that M.A.F serves. We learned about Indonesia. We learned about East and West DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) in Africa, as well as Mozambique and Losotho. We learned about countries in central Asia that are closed to conventional missionary aviation programs, but allows M.A.F's humanitarian arm that operates under a different name.

And we also heard about Haiti.

During this first week, we started formulating a "top three (or four..)" list. And Haiti always seemed to be weighing in heavily. I just couldn't get Haiti off my mind. 

When we had arrived at M.A.F HQ at the beginning of the month, Deborah was leaning pretty heavily toward Africa, and I was pretty sure I'd rather go to Indonesia. But we both had said that "Haiti would be cool, too." Now Haiti was at the top of our list.

We met with the Candidate Committee that first Wednesday afternoon (January 9th) and told them what we were thinking. We expressed how we wanted to be somewhere that Deborah could mingle with the native women and minister the love of Christ to them. And somewhere that Nathan could pursue studying the French language. Haiti was number one on the list, but we had also listed East DRC (Africa) and even Losotho. The committee also met with the other couples in our class to hear their thoughts and desires, too. 

We could barely wait for the following Tuesday to come (January 15th).  There was electric in the air as the committee of seven welcomed us back to the conference room, one couple at a time, to tell us the news.  And we were the first couple to go in at 8:20 am. It was a surreal moment.  The spokesperson for the group sat with sparkling eyes as she told us the news. There were big smiles in the room as they watched our faces.  Haiti! We're going to Haiti! And we were so excited! Since all the pent-up emotions were now released, we decided a group photo with the Candidate Committee would be a good idea.

The following two weeks were spent learning about Ministry Partnership Development. We can't go to Haiti on our own, so we must find a team of partners that will support us financially and cover us in prayer so that we can go do what God has called us to. Mission Aviation Fellowship has equipped us with great tools and skills to get this done. They say it takes on average about 12-14 months to raise the necessary finances, finish all training and pack all of our stuff to send us to the field.
 

So our friends and family have to put up with us for another year. I have a feeling that it's going to go pretty fast.

Our Mission Aviation Fellowship Journey #2

Since our trip to Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, Idaho in May of 2011, our family has been steadily moving forward to continue our journey.

Old Testament Survey

One of the requirements of Mission Aviation Fellowship was to have 15 hours of biblical studies.  Several years ago, in our bible study group, we all went through the books of John, Acts, Romans and 1 Corinthians.  As we tallied up the time we spent getting ready for these throughout the years, the time studying and as a group.....we had accumulated quite a few credit hours.  But to get a better, well-rounded view of the bible, we were asked to take an Old Testament survey study.  We looked into various curriculums and studies and found the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary online courses.  These are free as well.  We have enjoyed the Old Testament Survey online course through Gorden-Conwell Theological Seminary. http://www.gordonconwell.edu/semlink/OT500.cfm.  We actually listened to our first session of 32 while we were at the Mission Aviation Fellowship base in May, 2011.  The first time we sat around the table as a family was an interesting adventure.  After that, we were able to print out study guides to go along with each session and this held the children's attention much better.  The kids found it a great time to doodle.  Amazing what one can draw when made to sit and listen.  We have all our study guides filled with notes and amazing drawings.  I'd usually make a cup of coffee and enjoy sipping on my java while listening.  We'd also enjoy snacks and drinks together.  We had to crack down a little on the doodling because the kids weren't listening well enough to fill in the answer to the questions on the study guide.  We have also learned to stop at times and discuss a particularly deep or puzzling bit of information when there are questions.  It is easy to forget that the children haven't read as much of the Old Testament as us adults.  So a little background goes a long way.

Our Marriage

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) would like our marriage to be strong.  There were patterns and issues that were pointed out in our marriage that could be devastating to us once out on the mission-field. 
Back in the fall of last year, my husband and I joined a marriage training seminar hosted by our church, Living Faith Fellowship.http://www.lff.net/  Paul Spasic, executive director of Aim-Straight Marriage and Family came and taught us how to mentor other couples.  A wonderful article regarding the heart of this ministry: http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2006-12-20/news/26944912_1_mentor-couples-marriage-family-foundations

Terry and I signed up for this marriage mentorship program ourselves.  We met with our mentor couple, Don and Beth Hendrix in the fall of 2011.  We enjoyed meeting this wonderful couple.  We met together 8 times, working through these five subjects:  "Marriage As A Process", "Intimacy", "Compatibility",  "Communication" and "Commitment".  Our mentor couple facilitated conversations between Terry and I as we discussed specific key issues in each subject.  It was a very good experience for us and one that we highly recommend for any marriage that is struggling.  In fact, we like it so much, we also trained with Aim Straight for Marriage Preparation.

Our Home

We have decided to sell our home.  There was a section of brick in the front that needed fixed.  This is now done.  We have been steadily getting rid of unneeded stuff.  I recently organized and stored my children's toys, books and other memorabilia we'd like them to keep but will not need to take with us.  As we continue on this journey, God has been giving us some answers to our questions as we ask. 



Physicals for the Children

We completed in-depth physicals for each of our three children in the spring.  These included chest X-rays, TB tests (for tuberculoses), updated shots and labwork.

Passports

We have filled out the forms for our passports but have yet to have these processed.  We are going to get these soon!

Candidacy - Very exciting news!!  We have been invited!!

Our family is very excited to share that Mission Aviation Fellowship has officially invited us to Candidacy in January of 2013!  What this means is that for two weeks, we will have an in-depth look at where MAF serves.  We will meet with the Candidate Committee.  MAF will get a chance to continue to get to know us as well as for us to get to know them.  We will have a chance to ask more questions.  We will get to know the staff and other missionaries who are on their journey.  After these two weeks, the Candidate Committee will share with us which country we will be assigned to.  And at that time, I know many of you will find out as we share the exciting news.

Then the last two weeks will be in partnership development training.  This is where we will learn how to share with friends, family and churches about MAF and believe God for ministry partners.

Prayer Support

Our family appreciates your prayers.  Even though God has called us and we know without a shadow of a doubt this is where we are to be.....the process from point A to point B is not an easy one.  There is much God is working into our hearts and helping us let go of.  The transition isn't easy if we were to dwell too much on the loss, but when we continue to hear God's voice - there is so much hope in Him through it all.  And He keeps reminding me of this encouraging verse,

"But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

God has great things in store for those who love Him!

What is Mission Aviation Fellowship? #1

Many people have asked us about Mission Aviation Fellowship or MAF (http://www.maf.org/about.)  Recently my husband and I returned from a trip to the headquarters of MAF located in Nampa, Idaho.  Many may not know, but Terry and I have felt God's call to join with them and use the skills God has given us to minister in another country.

Have any of you watched the movie, "End of the Spear?"  In this movie, 5 missionaries give their lives while reaching out to the Waoronis tribe in Ecuador.  To read more about the history of Nate Saint (one of the missionaries who gave their lives) and their story, here is a link: http://www.maf.org/nate_saint

Q.  How did it come about that we made this decision? 
A.  Good question!  Last summer, in July, my husband took our two boys, Kalin and Nate, to the airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  While there, they came upon the MAF booth.  As they were talking with the men there, my husband was told that they were in great need of aircraft maintenance specialists.  It came as a surprise to Terry to hear this as he had always assumed they could only use pilot/mechanics.  My boys were given the book, "Jungle Pilot."   Terry enjoyed his trip with the boys and came home with some brochures and information.

Q.  What happened next?
A.  (1)  We checked with the leadership of our church and asked them what they thought of this organization.  We prayed.
(2) We were then contacted by the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) recruiters for our area.  We arranged a date to meet and on a beautiful day in October, John and Shari Lemmon joined us for an evening of dinner.  They shared their experiences in Ecuador.  We asked questions.  They answered.  They left us with some video's and a MAF calendar.  We had a nice evening with them.
(3)  Later, we were sent our applications.  It took us awhile to fill out the application.  It was thorough.  It took us the longest to write out our biography.  There were details of work history, education history, church history, family history, our testimony, references, etc.  It took us longer than it should have.  But finally, on a day in March of 2011, we had completed our application and sent it in.  We were elated to have gotten it finished.
(4)  We needed 5 people to fill out references for each of us.  A pastor, parent, employer and one female friend and one male friend.  Those took awhile to get completed and sent in.
(5)  We had to have physical exams done for the whole family.  A thorough exam including complete physical, CBC, urine analysis, chest X-ray, EKG (for the one in our family 40 and over), blood type.  The children's chart information could not get transferred to their new doctor in a timely fashion, so those have yet to be done. 

Q.  What did you do while at the Mission Aviation Fellowship Headquarters?
A.  We enjoyed a tour of the headquarters.  Terry had a technical evaluation to complete.  This included written, oral and practical exams.  We also had to meet with psychologist, Dr. Todd Bennett in Boise, Idaho.  We completed a 567 question test one morning and then a family meeting with him in the afternoon one day.  We volunteered for a 5 year celebration banquet on another day.  The candidate committee met with us twice to discuss our files, ask questions and get to know us better.  In our free time, we enjoyed a certain christian bookstore and cafe called "The Red Letter."  We walked part of the "Green Belt" of Boise, Idaho.  We found a Mongolian BBQ restaurant that we all enjoyed.  We took walks.  We hung out with others in various stages of their missionary journey.

Q.  What is the next step in your journey?
A.  The next step of this process is Candidacy.  Until then, we will continue studying Old Testament Survey, work on our home and continue to organize and get rid of stuff.  Candidacy occurs in January and July.  We are invited for this in 2012.  Candidacy includes:  A thorough look at MAF, world missions and cross-cultural living.  Evaluation continues through interviews with the candidate committee.  Final acceptance and field assignment begins during this time.  Candidacy is two weeks and Deputation Seminar is two weeks.  The Deputation Seminar that follows Candidacy provides training for the support-raising process.  See link for "Steps into MAF" here: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:J2JxWT3tb5gJ:cdn.maf.org/assets/tx9PxO5Ttq_uNR931HkX7g/Steps-into-MAF.pdf+candidacy&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShUG6zBdI0frZGrcmdnNpfXRyQH84eL-C0Peg-TTG4E1ThTuEMGE68uIn-MA-i2QkK7Lh7elsLjtS_l0hxQLBwCO8e2K6zdBHecO_gdlS0MNeEpUJ-F_gvtc2ZwwGJW8fsp-90k&sig=AHIEtbTIO8Duno-1dmWa9HrrujLJNKoSLw

Q.  Will you have to sell your home?
A.  We do not have to sell our home as long as we have a rental management company to manage our property.  Terry and I have not decided what we will do as of yet.

Q.  How do your children feel about your decision to join MAF?
A.  Our oldest is excited.  Our younger two children have some reservations.  They said they will miss their friends.  We have included them in this process and shared what we are doing with each step.

Q.  Where might you be sent as missionaries?
A.  There are several bases where we might be assigned.  The main bases are situated in either Africa or in Indonesia.   

We are excited about this journey.  When we look back on our lives, we see how God has prepared us for such a time as this.  We do not know which country we will be sent to, but we do know, wherever it may be, God is already preparing the hearts of these precious people and the team, for our arrival. 

Our family would like to thank those who have helped us in this process, those of our church family who have met with us, supported us, filled out reference forms, taken care of our kitty while we were gone and have prayed.  Also to Terry's employer for being flexible.

Please continue to pray for us.  We thank all of you for your love and friendship!

Terry, Deborah, Kalin, Nate and Katie Chupp