Technical Evaluation

As much as I wanted to keep this up as it occurred, we have been extremely busy and are now back home in Spokane after spending 2 weeks in Nampa, Idaho at the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) Headquarters for our much anticipated Technical Evaluation! So much has happened in the last 2 weeks and I can't wait to fill you in! The TE is a two week evaluation of Matt's flight and maintenance skills, as well as an evaluation of us as a family as potential missionaries. Matt has been preparing for this moment for at least eight years and this was the first major step towards serving God overseas! The testing included one week of maintenance and one week of flight, with several written and oral tests in between. Matt and I were also evaluated by a family psychologist for a day and interviewed by a candidate committee. We are happy to report that Matt passed both weeks of testing and the candidate committee has invited us to come back in July for Candidacy! This will include 6 weeks of training and we will not be "official" with MAF until 2 weeks into it. During this time we will also get our country assignment!

Upon arrival we learned that we were put in a small studio apartment for the two weeks that we would be there....a small lesson in flexibility since Blake is an extremely light sleeper and would not do well sleeping in the same room as us. We ended up putting his pack n play in the walk-in shower in the bathroom! This made it interesting since I am in the end stages of the pregnancy and up several times in the night to use the bathroom, so I had to quietly sneak in at night and during naps. It actually worked out better than I thought. I have no doubt that this is nothing compared to the flexibility that we will have to exercise overseas and was grateful for a free place to stay. We turned out the lights the first night there and noticed all of the kitchen clocks (which were directly across from us) were blaring their lights and it was bothering us more than a little, so Matt got up and hung a diaper from the microwave. The sight of this, as well as the fact that Blake was asleep in the shower, got me laughing so hard that I had tears streaming down my face. Several hours later when I STILL couldn't sleep because I was so uncomfortable and worked up from being in a new place, my mood changed quickly and I ended up sitting on the floor just crying with a box of tissues, trying not to wake Matt.....there was nowhere to go! It kind of reminded me of the emotional highs and lows of camp or previous mission trips.....excitement, fun, exhaustion, frustration....

We had such a blast meeting all the other families living in the apartments and found that we had so much to talk about, all being in similar situations and on the same path. Some were there for their TE, some for pre-field training, but overall we loved hanging out with everyone. Many of them will be there when we go back in July. Blake also had SO much fun! He loved all the excitement and social interaction. There was a sandpit with toys (see below) that he played in for hours!

In between the weeks of testing we had a three day weekend and had the priviledge of being invited to dinner with three different missionary families, all staff members at MAF. It was great being able to ask them questions and hear stories of their adventures. We also went to the Boise Zoo with another family there for the TE, Eric and Kristine Reed and their 7 month old girl Jenna (see pictures below). Blake loved feeding the animals!

Two nights before leaving I started having extremely painful contractions, occuring only 2 minutes apart. With Blake I started contracting at only 31 weeks and was on partial bedrest but the contractions were never painful like this and I was only 33 weeks along. It was pretty scary. We ended up having to drive to Boise to check into the hospital there. There were so many awesome MAF families willing to help and one family immediately stepped up to watch Blake. After some testing and medication, the contractions slowed and I was discharged. I will follow up with my doctor this week.

Overall, despite some of the stressful testing that Matt had to endure, we all had an amazing time and feel even more excited about the direction in which God is leading us. We had prayed for direction and confirmation about MAF as an organization and both left with an even better feeling about joining MAF.

When we return in July we will have a newborn baby so please pray for the transition. It could be extremely difficult with a toddler and a newborn and both of us being in classes all day. Please also pray for safety for the baby and that the contractions would not get out of control. This is a pretty busy and stressful time for us both as we prepare for the baby and for Candidacy. Thanks to all who are following our journey!

Mission Aviation Fellowship Headquarters, Nampa, ID

Remains of Nate Saint's Airplane inside the MAF Headquarters. He was martyred along with 4 other missionaries by a tribe they were ministering to in Ecuador.

MAF Apartment Housing


Blake lining up cars in our room


Blake's pack n play in the walk-in-shower!

Blake having fun looking at the ducks at a nearby park

Chasing the ducks!

The Boise Zoo

Blake and baby Jenna

Feeding the Sheeps and Goats!

Bathroom Remodel - Finished!

In March we started a complete bathroom remodel because our upstairs bathroom was pretty old and disgusting and there's a chance we will be selling our house within the next year and a half if we get assigned as overseas missionaries. Matt had three days off from work and my parents came to help and watch Blake. Of course these things always take much longer and are much more expensive than expected, and it ended up taking a total of two weeks. The hardest part for me was going without an upstairs toilet for a few nights, since I'm now almost 30 weeks pregnant and have to get up several times in the night! We also had tools and chemicals everywhere and it was difficult to keep Blake away from everything. Thank goodness we had my parents helping! My dad also helped quite a bit with the dirty work, as did my mom. They stayed for a week and we couldn't be more grateful. We had a bathtub to use the entire time, since they put the new one in right away, but it was hard to be without a shower for two weeks. Thankfully our neighbor let us use theirs some, so we didn't go completely without. Towards the end Matt got really sick, probably from trying to do too much (working and then coming home to work on the bathroom). He is just starting to recover after over a week. Unfortunately now Blake and I have it. Hopefully it won't be as bad! Here are some pictures of the remodel and finished product. We absolutely love it!

Old Gutted Bathroom

My Plumber Boy. Plumbing took up most of the time.

New Bathtub

Having Fun in the Remodel Boxes!

Blake having fun in the new vanity

Measuring out the new flooring. As you can see, Blake was trying to help!

All finished!

January Snow in Spokane

When we arrived home from our Seattle vacation, we came back to about a foot of snow! It was pretty cold as well (in the teens) so all the snow stayed on the trees....it was beautiful! One day we took Blake out in it. He liked it for a while but he didn't last long. I think his hands got cold and he was pretty fussy that day. Here are a few pictures while he was still enjoying himself.

Christmas Vacation

Over Christmas we spent about two weeks in Seattle at my (Ellie's) parents house. As always, my parents were incredibly helpful with Blake and allowed us to catch up on some sleep and spend some time relaxing. Jake and Lindsey were up from San Diego and we spent Christmas Eve together. Matt and I were even able to go on a date....imagine that! We tried a nice little Thai food restaurant in Old Bellevue and then went to the new Narnia movie in 3D. Here are some pictures from the vacation.

Blake opening his new bath toy set

Taz lounging in the storage box

Once Blake opened the lego set, he didn't want to open any more presents!

Grandpa Zorro

Opening the growth chart that Jake painted for Blake. It was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!!

Grandpa showing Blake his computer game.....enjoy the moment Blake because I don't think I'll be letting you play these....too violent!

Thanksgiving

This year we were fortunate enough to have the whole week home in Seattle for Thanksgiving. Matt used some of his vacation time and we made it over the pass just in time, before all of the winter storms hit. While we were in Seattle it snowed several inches, a very unusual occurence! Of course after the first half inch the city turned into a chaotic mess and all of the schools were cancelled. We had a very relaxing week and stayed home most of the time. Thanksgiving was spent at home with my (Ellie's) family and grandparents. Unfortunately Jake and Lindsey weren't able to make it up from San Diego though.

On Black Friday I got up at 2:30 am (I know it's crazy!) and met up with Jennie, one of my best friends to hit some sales. We found some awesome deals so it was worth it! Plus it's kind of a tradition. I also was able to see my other best friend Brittany's brand new baby girl Tessa! When we returned to Spokane after the week was over there was about a foot and a half of snow! Here are some pictures from the week home.