Connor Ray Toews has arrived!!

I know that this is LONG overdue, but things have taken me far longer to do as a new mom. Better late than never. Right?!

On November 24, 2012 at 2:10am, we were blessed by the arrival of our son, Connor Ray Toews.  He was 4 lbs, 15 oz, 18 in long.  Small but healthy!  He is now almost a month old and is eating lots, sleeping well and is an absolute joy!

About an hour old- after his first bath

2 weeks old- doing what he does best

That's all for now as Christmas shopping must get finished, laundry should get moved to the dryer, dinner needs to be begun, and a little boy requires yet another meal.

Fall 2012 Newsletter

A Tree Planted by the Water

There are many unknowns in life.  As you can imagine, with a baby arriving soon I have been thinking about the future more than I normally do- what kind of mom will I be, how will my daily routine change, what will my ministry look like now that I have a child, how will I know how to be a good wife and mom simultaneously...the questions go on and on.

Unfortunately, I all too often rely on my own strength, and I try to figure things out myself in times of uncertainty.  This is one of my strongest weaknesses and why the Lord loving and constantly brings Proverbs 3:5-6 to the forefront of my mind.  He says to trust in Him with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding. In all my ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make my paths straight.

When I trust the Lord with my life, He is faithful to direct my paths.  It is a time of peace and assurance that my loving God, who knows what's best for me is in control.  So why do I not trust Him all the time but rely on myself?  Relying on myself and what I think I know only has led to stress, worry, anxiety, and failure.  It is a matter of letting go of self and completely surrendering to Him.  With every minute, I need to be surrendering myself and my future to the Lord, trusting Him to direct my every step and know that He will sustain me wherever He leads me.  Where He plants me, He will faithfully provide everything I need to grow.

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord.  For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit."  

-Jeremiah 17:7-8    

(These verses were one of the Lord's loving reminders to me yesterday as Jeremy and I were reading our devotions together.  I love how the Lord speaks to us through His Word, giving us exactly what we need at just the right time.)

11 More Weeks!

29 weeks down, 11 weeks to go!  We can't wait to meet our little boy!!  It is so hard to believe how quickly the time has passed.  As reality has been setting in about the fact that we are having a baby in less than three months, we have begun the process of transforming our office/spare room into the baby's room.  Jeremy and his brother Nathan moved out the furniture a couple of weeks ago, and now we are slowly setting up the room for our son, piece-by-piece.  Last weekend, Jeremy assembled the dresser/changing table.

Today, I washed and sun bleached all the cloth diapers that family and friends generously passed on to us.  (I needed to take advantage of the hot sun while we still have it.)  Hand-me-downs is one perk to starting a family a little later than family and friends!

We have been blessed by so many people passing on things they are no longer using- pre-fold cloth diapers, a mini crib, an infant car seat, and 0-3 month clothing.  Thank you!  If he were born today (which we hope he isn't because he needs more time to grow), he would have all his basic needs met- food, diapers, a place to sleep, and clothes to wear.

Well, I won't continue to bore you with details of our preparations, but I'll take a moment to warn you- this won't be last baby post.  It is the beginning of many, many more to come.

Dust Storm Rolling Over Phoenix

As many of you know, Jeremy and I flew back to Oshkosh, WI to represent Spokane Turbine Center at the EAA Air Venture Fly-In at the end of July.  We had a layover in Phoenix, AZ before continuing on to Milwaukee.  As we were waiting to board our plane, we noticed the weather changing and the sky becoming more cloudy.  Well, we barely got out before the Phoenix airport was closed down due to a dust storm rolling over the city.  What a spectacular view from the air!  We had never seen anything like this before.

If you want to see some pictures of what this looked like from the ground, check out this link: http://www.weather.com/news/arizona-dust-storm-20120721

Summer 2012 Newsletter

Cherry Family Reunion

Every summer, my family spends one week in Cannon Beach, Oregon at the Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center.  We enjoy the beautiful Oregon coast, time together as a family, no cooking or cleaning, great teaching from the speaker at the conference center, and time to rest and have fun.  It is one of our favorite vacations- physical and spiritual rest and refreshment as a family.  Here are a few highlights from our trip this year...

Great teaching all week from Luis Palau! He spoke about imitating the life of Paul, who imitated Christ.  We came home encouraged and challenged.

The Cherry Family! Those silly little boys decided to make faces instead of smile.  Oh well. They're still cute! 

Our nephew Daniel enjoyed exploring the tide pools near Haystack Rock.

The weather was cool and cloudy most of the time, but we had a few sunny afternoons...perfect for walks on the beach.

Why walk when you can ride on Uncle Jeremy's shoulders?  Our nephew John never missed an opportunity for a ride.

We had to visit and hike around one of our favorite places in Cannon Beach- Ecola State Park.

Kodiak 100-Hour Inspection

Since Spokane Turbine Center's training is now done until August, Jeremy and Ken have been conducting the Kodiak's 100-hour inspection.  This inspection must be completed in order to continue using the aircraft for training.  They have been putting in long hours for over a week and need to have it completed by Friday, July 6 so that the plane can be used by Quest Aircraft Company for training during the month of July.  Pray that they will be able to continue to think clearly and remember all the little details in order for it to be done well and to be finished on time.  Thank you!

This Month at Spokane Turbine Center...

It is hard to believe that it is already June and that another training cycle has begun.  For the next three weeks, 12 mechanics from 4 different mission organizations are here in Spokane for the maintenance specialist course.  This training cycle includes four courses: the PT-6 Comprehensive Overview, the Hot Section Inspection and Line Maintenance, the G1000 Line Maintenance, and the Kodiak Systems.

During this training cycle (June 7-28) , would you join us in prayer for all the missionaries who will be taking the course as well as for the STC staff?  Here are a few specific ways you can lift them up in prayer...

Mechanics:

• Safety for their families at home who are in various places all around the world.
• To retain as much information as they can.
• To apply the information learned during their training to their daily operations at their home bases.

STC Staff:

• To teach and communicate the material and course work clearly.
• To be an encouragement and a support to the mechanics as they learn a lot of new information.
• To continue to stay healthy.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

"For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well."  (Psalm 139:13-14)

Baby Toews is on the way!!  Jeremy and I are excited to meet our precious gift that God is entrusting to us around December 7, 2012!

Psalm 139 has long been one of my favorite chapters of scripture.  Over the past 14 weeks, it has taken on an even deeper meaning and significance for me.  Each week as we read about how our baby is developing, see ultrasounds of little Toews, and learn how the Lord created women to provide the nutrients to sustain this little life in the womb, we are in awe of our Creator!

So far, the pregnancy is going really well.  The doctor had some suspicions about a condition that I might have that often causes premature birth.  In order to confirm that, he and an ultrasound technician have had to do extra ultrasounds.  It turns out that the baby and I are healthy, and because of this whole process, we had multiple opportunities to see our baby!  So fun!  One can't explain seeing the heart beating, watching arms and legs moving around wildly, identifying facial features and bone structures, and witnessing the baby doing somersaults (inside me- crazy!).  We are already proud parents!  

13.5 weeks

One Year Anniversary!!

A little over two weeks ago, Jeremy and I celebrated our first anniversary!  It is so hard to believe that a year has already gone by.  It has been a fun and exciting year and every day just keeps getting better! We are grateful for the Lord's many blessings, and we look forward to many, many more anniversaries to come!

To celebrate our anniversary, we went to the San Juan Islands in western Washington. For our honeymoon, we had stayed on Orcas Island, so this time we decided to stay on San Juan Island at Friday Harbor.  We enjoyed driving around the island, going for walks/hikes/runs, reading, drinking coffee while watching the ferries come in and out of the harbor, and time just to be together, away from the business of everyday life.

Me and my handsome husband!

The view of the docks from our window

We watched many ferries come and go from our couch.

The town of Friday Harbor, WA

Leaving Friday Harbor to head home

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from where every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and i Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."


-Ephesians 3:14-21

Reading Out Loud

When you were a kid, did your parents read to you out loud?  I know that when I was growing up, I loved it when my mom would sit in the hall at night and read to us.  (The only problem was that I tended to fall asleep quickly and missed most of the reading.  I had to catch up on my own the next day.)  The Chronicles of Narnia and Caddie Woodlawn were just a couple of my favorites.

Just because I'm an adult now, doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading books out loud anymore.  I love it!  Fortunately, Jeremy feels the same way.  Whether we are in the car on a road trip, sipping a cup of tea in the evening, or are sitting in the car dealership waiting for one of the recall parts on my car to be checked (like yesterday), we love reading out loud together.  The latest book we read was The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  If you haven't read it and enjoy fun, exciting mysteries, we would recommend that you read it.  Hmmm....now we just have to decide what's next. 

A Lesson In Forgiveness

As many of you know, my backpack was stolen out of my brother-in-law's car when we were traveling near Christmas time. Though not fun, it was a good reminder not to hold things too closely. Well, last night Jeremy was going to grill hamburgers for dinner. When he went outside to start up the grill, he noticed that the propane take was not only stolen, but the thief cut the propane line. The grill sits right up next to our house, so this kind of worried me. Then I realized that it could have been much worse. Our spare key was kept partially underneath that propane tank. The thief could have easily found the key and gotten into our house and taken much more. (Needless to say, we are no longer keeping a key outside. Why we have a spare key outside is a long story in and of itself. Let's just say I don't want Jeremy to have to come home from work again during the middle of the day to rescue his wife who locked herself out.)

Through this whole process, the Lord had yet another lesson for me to learn. Lately, I have been struck by the fact that I pray, but that I don't pray without ceasing like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. He has been teaching me to talk to Him all day about everything- praising Him for a beautiful day, thanking Him for a warm house when it is snowing outside, lifting up a friend who pops into my thoughts, telling Him about the needs and requests of family and friends, praising Him for who He is, asking Him for wisdom and help, and talking together about life...you get the point. One thing I have noticed is that it is often hard for me to pray for situations or people that frustrate me or have hurt me. When I do pray for those circumstances and people, the Lord loving changes my frustration to compassion as well as changes my perspective to His. A propane tank can be replaced, but there is someone out there in Spokane who is hurting and in need of a Savior.

Lord, draw this thief, whom you love dearly, to yourself. May he/she come to know the richness of your love and your precious gift of salvation.

Is there something or someone who frustrates you or who has hurt you? Instead of holding on to it, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer for the Unsaved

Over the last couple of months, Jeremy and I have joined a small home fellowship at our church. It is a wonderful group of people from around our neighborhood, whom we enjoy a wonderful Bible study and prayer time together as well as fellowship. 

Before Christmas, one of our leader's neighbors (Sheena), who had been attending for quite some time, gave her life to the Lord! Because we were meeting every other Tuesday night, Sheena's husband wasn't able to come because his work had him scheduled every Tuesday night. After our leaders prayed about it, they felt led to change our group to Friday nights in order to open up the opportunity for Brandon to attend. Last Friday was our first time meeting together on a Friday, and Brandon came with their kids, even though Sheena was sick and had to stay home. 

2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slow about his promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance." 

Would you join with us in praying for Brandon's salvation?

Jeremy's Culinary Masterpiece

For my birthday last week, Jeremy made me this beautiful chocolate marble cheesecake.  It tasted really good!!  (I had no doubt that it would.)  I just had to take a minute and brag about my husband.  He is quite skilled in the kitchen, and I was very blessed by his thoughtfulness to make this for me.   

Here is the link to the recipe: Chocolate Marble Cheesecake

Kodiak Checkout: DONE!

As many of you know, Jeremy has quite a bit of experience with the Quest Kodiak, whether it be working on the assembly line up at Quest Aircraft Company in Sandpoint, Idaho during his training at Moody or teaching at Spokane Turbine Center (Garmin G1000 course, simulator lessons, run-up stand lessons, etc). Over the last few years that he has been instructing at STC, Jeremy has been slowly but surely building flight time in Kodiak. Just recently he was able to build enough hours to do his Kodiak checkout ride. On Friday, Jeremy passed his checkout ride and is now able to fly STC's Kodiak solo! This is not only another great personal accomplishment, but it will open new doors for ways in which he can serve at STC.

STC's Kodiak

Thank you for all your prayers, support, and encouragement over the years! It is amazing to see all that the Lord has done in Jeremy's life during his different levels of training as well as his instructing at STC! The Lord's hand has clearly led him each step of the way and has blessed him as he desires to glorify God through his passion for aviation.

Snow!

The glistening white snow reminds me of Isaiah 1:18.

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."

I'm thankful for this beautiful snow and a warm house. But more importantly, I'm thankful that the Lord died and rose again for me, that His blood cleansed my life and made me clean, white like snow.

First 2012 Training Cycle

2012 training is in full swing at Spokane Turbine Center!

Last week, the first training cycle of the year began. There are three pilots here in Spokane taking the pilot's course. Isaac Rogers (MAF Indonesia) will be here for a two-week course, and Bill Burr and Mark King (both with Flying Under the Son Aviation Ministries in Ojai, CA) will be here for three weeks of training.

Please be praying...

~Isaac, Bill and Mark: understanding and retention of course information and simulator practice, their families back at home, and the ministries in which they are involved.

~Jeremy and Ken: instruct clearly and be an encouragement to these pilots.

If you'd like to know more about the mission organizations with whom the pilots serve, here are the links to their ministry websites:

1. Mission Aviation Fellowship: http://www.maf.org/

2. Flying Under the Son Aviation Ministries: http://flyingundertheson.com/

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer!

Don't Hold Too Tightly

If you are anything like me, you feel that you aren't too materialistic. You don't need the biggest house, clothes that are in fashion, or every new gadget. Then the rubber meets the road. A few days ago when Jeremy, his brother Nathan, and I were traveling in the Sacramento area for a friend's wedding, my backpack and the GPS was stolen out of Nathan's locked car in the Target parking lot of an upscale neighborhood. Could this really be happening? I quickly checked the back seat and the trunk. It was, in fact, gone. Inside were precious possessions along with a few life necessities.

My Bible with all my notes, markings, and personal dents- gone. My prayer journal that has documented my prayer life for the past three years- gone. My journal with notes, scripture and life lessons- gone. My camera (which wasn't top quality by any means) with pictures not yet saved on my computer- gone. Books, clothes, Christmas presents, phone charger, mail, etc.....gone. In the fifteen minutes or less that I was in Target, someone grabbed a backpack that will have little worth to them but was valuable to me.

I'll admit that I was frustrated. After working with security that wasn't much help and trying to file a police report because of having personal information among my belongings, I was still frustrated. But as we climbed into the car to head to our friend's wedding reception, my heart changed from frustration and anger to conviction of my materialistic nature and to broken heartedness for the lost soul of the thief. All of the things that I lost on Saturday can be replaced, but there is someone with my Bible, journals, camera, etc. who is completely lost. My prayer is that he/she opens my Bible or even reads a little of my prayer journal, and that the Lord would use this to lead this person to a saving knowledge of Himself.

Together, Jeremy and I are reading through the one-year Bible. An excerpt from yesterday's reading was the encouragement and challenge I needed as I look back on this crazy weekend. I love how the Lord gives us perfect reminders in scripture at just the right time.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:19-21

What are you holding too tightly to? Where are your treasures?

Though Saturday's events are not enjoyable to experience, the Lord lovingly uses seemingly bad situations to reveal Himself and His desire for our lives. May we look to Him as all we need and all we want.

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."