Greetings from Skyler,
So much has changed since my last newsletter, the biggest of which is that I’m now engaged! Nicki and I met at Ethnos360 Bible Institute (EBI) during our junior semester. She is originally from Pennsylvania and was raised in a Christian home. After high school she worked as a nursing assistant for 5 years before deciding that she wanted to study God’s word in more depth. Nicki is currently working with EBI as an intern in the childcare department as well as working for Walmart in the evenings. For her internship her responsibilities are to watch the kids of students and staff while classes are in session, teaching Bible lessons and making crafts. Nicki is really enjoying her internship and learning a lot as God continues to grow her through this experience. Our wedding is planned for August 5th at the Sully Community Church in Iowa.
Another major change in my life would be that Nicki and I have officially been accepted into SOAR. SOAR (Service Oriented Aviation Readiness) is an organization based in Bolivar, Missouri that trains people to be missionary pilots overseas. Being a missionary pilot involves flying Bibles, food, medical supplies, and people to villages where ground travel is difficult. The training I (Skyler) will receive includes earning a Private Pilot's License, an Airframe and Powerplant certification, and reaching the required amount of three hundred flight hours in order for a future missionary organization to send us to the field. While I am training to be a pilot Nicki plans to work full time and provide support, encouragement, and prayer.
Our next steps will be to continue raising support to the required amount. SOAR requires us to be supported with at least $3,300 per month before moving down to Missouri and working on site. All of the support raised prior to moving is stored in an account with SOAR reserved for future use on expenses like tools, plane fuel, and certification costs. Then, once on site, a portion of the monthly support will be used as income and the remainder will continue to be stored in the account for future training costs. We will both be taking an online class with Kingdom Come Training in January in which Nicki and I will learn principles of support raising and how to proceed effectively as we pursue God’s calling in our lives.
