Assignment!!!

Friends, I have great news to share!

After much prayer and counsel, I have chosen to serve in South East Asia. There is a new work that is about to start and the Lord has opened the door into this country where traditional missionaries cannot enter. It's very exciting to see how He has worked over these last couple of months by finalizing the approvals with the government and providing airplanes and personnel.

The program manager would like me there as soon as possible, but there is still some MAF training to complete, so the earliest departure in my opinion will most likely be in late August/early September 2012. I will also need to be fully supported at that time (monthly & outgoing). I wish I could tell you more details about it here, but due to the nature of the work, I need to be careful on what I write. I'll be sending out a newsletter very soon, so for those who are interested, send me your email address to april_lanigan@hotmail.com or Facebook me and I can send you more information about what I'll be up to for the next 4 years!

Thank you to those who have lifted me up in prayer - especially as I have worked out in my heart where the best place is to serve with the gifts and abilities the Lord has given me. The Lord confirmed it to me last week. I and some friends were praying that the Lord would specifically show me which country & program I was best suited to and that His answer would be all around me - wherever I looked. On Friday night I was at a conference center/bible camp where the orientation was held and another group had booked the facilities for that weekend. It was a kids camp and they were sharing the same room as we were. I asked where they were from and they proceeded to say the name of the country that I'll be going to. I have never met anyone from this particular country before and here they were - 100 people of that particular country completely surrounding me. I was absolutely speechless. I know that this is the place He has for me and I can move ahead with confidence!

The Lord has been gathering a team of people who are anxiously waiting to hear all that He will do through this particular work in SE Asia. If He's laid it on your heart to be one of my teammates either in prayer or financial support, please let me know:) It's encouraging to hear from people who are equally anticipating what the Lord will do in that country. If not yet, may I challenge you to prayerfully consider being a part of the team? I know He has some adventures for us and I have valued your encouragement & excitement thus far in my journey:)

Thanks friends:)

It's Official!!!

I have moved from a MAF Candidate to a MAF Pilot!!!!!!! Thank you for praying and being a part of this!! Your prayers have been answered!!!

Next, I ask you to pray about placement (country/program). MAF will be looking at different options this week. Please pray that both MAF and I will be on the same page as to where the Lord is leading.


Thank you!!!
April

Pictures and More!

As promised here are some pics from the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Technical Evaluation I did in Idaho 2 weeks ago.

A view of Boise and one of the mountain ranges.

I am sporting the official MAF Guest ID badge.

Here I am holding the infamous MAF Standard Operating Procedures Handbook. A lot of these procedures we use as a foundation in our curriculum at Prairie School of Mission Aviation.

Ah the Cessna 206Turbo - my swift steed for the week! I had never flown this type of aircraft before but I was able to pick up the procedures and feel of the aircraft quickly!

My Instructor Pilot Brian Shepson and I with our trusty helmets. MAF US wears helmets when they fly. Don't judge Brian...it was dress down day at the airport..;) He and I flew together all week~ I really enjoyed flying with him.


As I said in an earlier post, I sadly have no pictures of us actually flying. I guess I should have brought along a film crew...

So? What's next? Well I'm flying to Ontario next Saturday to visit family for a week and then off to Guelph, Ontario for MAF Canada's Candidate Orientation. This will be a 2 week engagement of getting to know MAF better and then hopefully at the end of that segment, they will invite me onto staff as one of their Pre-field pilots! The 13 year dream is coming true!

I should find out at that time where I will be placed. There are 2 programs in mind and I/MAF will be deciding at that time where I would be the best fit! Do continue to pray with me about placement. It's a big deal! I will need to make a decision rather soon - before Christmas I'm thinking.

Friends, thanks for being a part of the journey so far by reading the updates and praying for me! I cannot even imagine what adventures the Lord has for us in the near and distant future - but they are going to be incredible! You won't want to miss it - We are going to see Him with our very own eyes!!!!

To God be the glory, great things He has done!!

Well friends, I rolled in to Three Hills last night after a week long evaluation in Nampa, Idaho. I have to say, the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) base in the US is awesome. They welcomed me warmly and were super hospitable. I have very few pictures to show for my adventure as it wasn't exactly appropriate to take pictures during the evaluation flights, but I got some on the ground for you.

First I want to say - THANK YOU for praying with and for me this week. I woke up each morning feeling calm and collected. I had a clear sharp mind and was able to catch and correct any errors I made. I was perfectly paired with an instructor. We connected well and he made me feel at ease. In fact, I had met him 2 years ago at a booth at Oshkosh and we had spent a few hours together then as well. It was really neat that I could fly with him last week.

We were able to fly Monday and Tuesday, the simulator was on Wednesday, and then Friday we flew the last lesson - a cross country and diversion exercise in marginal weather. I had to wait an hour until the debrief. Then....to God be the glory, great things He has done! He enabled me to PASS the Technical Evaluation!!!! I am THRILLED! Praise the Lord!

After the debrief, I met with the Candidate Committee so they could get to know me in the event I was loaned to a US program later on. The people I met there were wonderful and caring.

So that's the news I've been waiting to share with you!!! :) :) :)
Thank you again!!!!!!
April:)

...pictures will come soon.....:)

A Pair of Jeans

I've never thought of myself as short, in fact, I tell people I have long legs! (ahem...comparatively speaking...) Lately, I've been wondering who the people are who design pilot seats? Are they retired basketball players who after a long career decided to take up seat design? Were they tired of sitting in cramped quarters and in retaliation determined to create their own? I wonder sometimes.

To me, sitting in a pilot seat comfortably is like wearing a pair of jeans - you need to tweak them to make a good fit! More often than not, if they fit in the hips, you gotta hem them at the bottom. Likewise, I use my "shimmies" (aka pillows) to craft the perfect pilot seat fit! Not only can I see over the panel, but I can reach the rudders too! They say that passengers like that...
Perhaps I should go into the seat makin' business myself:)

I can already imagine the commercial now....

....Are you tired of carrying around pillows to see over the dashboard? Have you heard the red wagon joke one too many times? Then we got a deal for you!! With only 5 installments of $99.99, you too can...

Hmm....

For now, I will pack up the shimmies in my suitcase and fly them down to Idaho to try on a Cessna 206 and as always, after a bit of tweaking, I'll be ready to go~

Remember that date??

Yup! It's time! In one week, I'll be on a plane to Nampa, Idaho to the MAF - US headquarters to participate in the 5 day flight evaluation. This is the final evaluation in the application process. (Yay!!) It will consist of oral and written exams, simulator work, and flights. They will be evaluating my regular flying skills as well as how quickly I pick up the new techniques they teach me.

I am really looking forward to it... I hear it's "fun"! I'll let you know later if that's a true statement... At the end of the week, MAF-US will let me know their recommendation of serving with them.

SO, this week is chuck full of preparation!!

Well Team, as we go into this week, here are some praise & prayer requests:

++++++ Praise+++++++

*The IFR ride was successful & I now hold a Single Engine Instrument Rating.
*A good rest this weekend.
*Clear, WARM weather in Three Hills

======Prayer=======

*I'll be flying a plane I have never flown before during the evaluation. Pray that my mind will be able to concentrate this week as I learn the new procedures and get acquainted with this particular manual.
*Continued good weather for some prep flights
*I'll use my time wisely
*I'll get a good rest each night
*I'll relax....(who me?)

Thanks everyone again for your prayers throughout this process and especially last week. I thank you in advance for lifting me up during this prep week and then through Oct. 2-8th in Idaho.


Psalm 63:1-8 "O GOD, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.

So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory. Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on you in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me."

Wrestling a bull

Thank you for all those who prayed for me today. Quite honestly, it was the most brutal flight test I have ever taken. Several things unfolded as we flew -

We were 30miles out of Edmonton International when the controller told us they were not taking training flights today as one of their runways was down for maintenance and they were only using 1 approach. (They had issued the notice after we had taken off.) My examiner spoke with them and asked if they would accommodate us for the flight test and the controllers obliged. Praise the Lord!

We flew into Red Deer and I was "hand flying" the approach (read: no autopilot) and I was very focused as I had not flown this one before, and as we were 5 miles from the end of the runway when we hit serious turbulence - I was hardly in my seat! It honestly felt like I was wrestling a bull down to the ground. It was intense....all the while trying to make sure I didn't go below the minimum altitude of the approach, and then I saw the needle on my instrument deflect too much and I realized I may have just failed the exercise BUT then I remembered that I could have another chance if I initiated a missed approach (a "go around"). So I did and tried it again. The second time went better...still fighting the winds and the turbulence. I felt like I was put through the wringer a second time. As we climbed back up to altitude on our way home to Three Hills, the cockpit was silent. I was arriving at the decision that I had just partially failed my flight test and was feeling rather whipped, trying to keep my mind focused for the last exercise. Then out of the quietness a voice said "Are you hungry?" It was my examiner, he had been quiet during my whole flight (3 hrs). We shared a cookie. I could have cried. We had one last item to complete -the hold - and it was successful. As I came in for landing at Three Hills, the winds were very strong - 25kt crosswind (ridiculous)...but got it down and finally, as we moved onto the taxiway the examiner told me I passed. Thank you Lord! It was truly by His grace today that we managed to do the flight.

Thank you SO much for praying. I needed it....
Hugs,
April