Joel's First Flight!

Being the son of a pilot, Joel must have Daddy take him on his first flight.  So for Jeremy's last time using the STC Kodiak, all four of us flew around the Spokane area together.  Connor was quite excited to going flying "in daddy's yellow airplane".

We had to convince Joel that he wanted to go flying.  He screamed until Jeremy started up the plane.

Connor and Joel fell asleep before we took off.

While both boys were napping, Jeremy and I enjoyed a beautiful day flying! It was almost like a date.

A perfect December day to go flying!

My favorite pilot!

After a little nap, Connor enjoyed looking out the window.

He woke up as we landed- slept through his first flight.

Jeremy's Last Day at STC

Last week was bitter-sweet for Jeremy.  Five years, almost to the day, after his first official day working at Spokane Turbine Center, Jeremy cleaned out his desk, packed up his office, and walked out the door for the last time as a Spokane Turbine Center instructor.  While it was difficult to leave STC after five years of serving, growing, building friendships and pouring his energy into the work at STC, it also marked the beginning of our official transition to Mission Aviation Fellowship.  We have been so blessed by the STC staff and the missionaries that have come through for training.  We'll miss you all!!  We thank God for allowing us to be a part of the work He is doing through STC for the advance of the Gospel!  May the Lord continue to richly bless the ministry at Spokane Turbine Center.

The staff at STC planned a surprise going-away party for Jeremy, complete with a Garmin G1000 cake!  One of Jeremy's primary roles at STC was developing and teaching the Garmin G1000 curriculum.

The boys and I went to STC for Jeremy's surprise celebration.

A Garmin G1000 cake!
(Jeremy helped develop the curriculum and taught the G1000 course.)

What's next for the Toews? Mission Aviation Fellowship...We start training in January 2015!

Happy 2nd birthday, Connor!!

Two years ago, we got to meet our healthy, cute little boy, Connor, who decided to surprise us by arriving two weeks early.  We can't express that moment realizing that we had been entrusted with such a precious gift!  We are so thankful to be the parents of this sweet, energetic, happy, kind boy! 

Happy 2nd birthday, Connor!  We pray that you grow up knowing, loving, and serving our Lord and Savior. 

We love you very much!!
-Daddy and Mommy

Connor Ray Toews- a healthy 4 lbs, 15 oz!

Lots of smiles and laughter!

Still No Answers

Over the last six months, Connor has gone through quite of few blood tests in order to figure out why his hemoglobin, hematocrit, ferritin, and iron saturation numbers were so low.  Fortunately, his hemoglobin and hematocrit levels have normalized with an increase of iron in his diet and a supplement, but his ferritin and iron saturation levels are still quite low.  This has lead his pediatrician to believe that he might have thalassemia, which is a genetic anemia.  We are now waiting for approval from his insurance to run this specific blood test.  The results from this test should hopefully give us some clear answers and some direction as to what steps should be taken next.

Joel, who is now 11 weeks old, just had his blood tests done for Mission Aviation Fellowship's physical exam (which is the exam that first revealed Connor's anemia).  His results show that he has some similar issues that Connor has, though his numbers aren't quite so low yet. 

As their mom, I'm not only tired of seeing my sweet boys get poked with needles but not having clear answers as to what is wrong (if anything) honestly makes me anxious and frustrated.  In my anxiety and frustration this week, I was convicted that I was not fully trusting God.  I was not trusting the Great Physician, who created my boys, loves my boys, cares for my boys, and knows what is best for my boys.  Oh how thankful I am for His forgiveness and His Holy Spirit who not only corrects me but then strengthens me to trust God all the more.

Would you join us in prayer?

- That we would trust God with the boys' health
- That we would be able to get clear answers soon
- That we would have wisdom as we seek out a second opinion

Fall Walk

Soaking in the beautiful fall colors and crisp weather with my three boys!

This Mom's Devotions

Having young children can make it challenging to find time to do anything other than change diapers, feed a hungry toddler, nurse a screaming baby, train the toddler who is curious and gets into everything, wipe snotty noses, wash load after load of laundry... How am I ever going to find time, uninterrupted time, to spend with the Lord?  I miss those pre-mommy days when I could wake up and sit on the couch for an hour with my Bible and a hot cup of coffee in hand.  This was a struggle for me until the Lord faithfully revealed how I could spend time with Him in the middle of my fun, wild and crazy day with my two little guys. 

1. Read the children's Bible to my boys-  The Bible stories in Connor and Joel's Bible are simple yet still packed with truth for people of any age.  I not only want to instill God's truth in their lives, but it is a great way to be reminded of the basics that are explained so simply for little ones.
2. Play worship music throughout the day-  It keeps the fragrance of the Lord in the home all day and helps me keep my focus and attitude right.  It is really fun to hear a little boy's cute voice sing "Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art" (which is Connor's favorite song right now).  We also enjoy Seeds Family Worship, which not only teaches and reminds me of scripture, but Connor is starting to learn God's Word through song.
3. Post scripture verses throughout the house.
4. Leave my Bible, Bible study and prayer journal on the kitchen table, open and ready for whenever I can steal a minute.

Phases of life come and go.  The boys will be grown up before I know it, and I'll be able to have more focused time with the Lord again.  But no matter what life's circumstances, I'm thankful that the Lord meets me right where I am!

Fall 2014 Newsletter

Joel Allen Toews

If you haven't heard, we are excited to introduce you to Joel Allen Toews.  On August 29, 2014, Joel decided to come a little over two weeks early (just like his brother) via c-section since he was breech and had the cord wrapped around his neck twice.  He was 5 lbs, 13 oz, and 18.5 in long.  Another small guy but healthy as can be.  Connor absolutely loves being a big brother and is gentle and loving with Joel.  It is a sweet blessing and answer to prayer!

A family of four!

One day old

Father-son bonding

Connor meeting Joel

Connor asked to hold Joel...warmed this mamma's heart.

Connor watching the Seahawks game in his new jersey from Papa and "Oh My" (Grandpa and Grandma Cherry)

Doing my devotions looks a little different these days

Connor finds it entertaining to count the buttons on Joel's pjs in addition to identifying the animals while making each animals sounds. It is so much fun to watch them interact.

Connor's Iron

Thank you all for your prayers concerning Connor's anemia.  After being on an iron supplement and changing his diet over the last couple of months, his iron level is on the rise.  Last week he had his blood tested again, and he is now at 10.2! He is .8 away from being in the normal range.  His pediatrician is pleased with his progress and plans just to keep him on the supplement until he reaches the normal range.  At that point, I think she will evaluate whether his diet is enough or if he will have to be on a lower dosage of iron to maintain a healthy level.

Thank you again for your prayers!  We are praising the Lord for this improvement!

The Next Step: TE PASSED!

Sorry for not getting this update out sooner, but Jeremy PASSED his TE!  We are excited for this step to be finished, a huge weight off of our shoulders, especially Jeremy's.  His last flight was last Wednesday and final debriefing was on Thursday morning.  Friday we had our final meeting with the Candidate Committee as well as a meeting with the Ministry Partnership director in order to talk about the next step forward.  Lord willing, we plan to head back to Nampa in the beginning of January for Candidacy/Partnership Development training.  As more specific details unfold, we will keep you updated.

After completing the TE and spending two weeks at MAF headquarters, we left Nampa encouraged by the time we had meeting new people and connecting with old friends and experienced continued confirmation that this is where God wants us. Thank you so much for all your prayers!

Summer Fun in Nampa

While daddy is working hard doing his technical evaluation with MAF, Connor is having the time of his life...

Pushing a dump truck all around the MAF apartments

Learning how to drive

Playing with water to keep cool

And more water...

Watching airplanes and having a snack

Crashing hard

The Next Step: TE Update #2 (Maintenance Passed!)

Today, at the end of the day, Jeremy found out that he passed the maintenance portion of his TE!!  We are really excited and relieved. Thank you for all your prayers!

We would greatly appreciate your prayers for next week as well as he does the flight section of his TE. Pray that he will continue to think clearly and apply his knowledge and skills to each situation in order to perform to the best of his ability.

One week down. One more week to go...

The Next Step: TE Update #1

It is exciting and slightly surreal to finally be here in Nampa for our TE!  We arrived at MAF headquarters around 7pm last night.  Connor was a great little traveler.  Thank you for your prayers for safe and uneventful travels!

This morning, Jeremy and I started the evaluation process with our first interview with the Candidacy Committee, which went well, and then Jeremy was off to the hangar to start his testing.  For those of you who would like to pray more specifically for Jeremy, he will be doing his mechanics evaluation this week and his pilot evaluation next week.

Connor has done great transitioning so far. We are praising the Lord for that!  It took him a little to fall asleep last night, but then he slept well, did great with the babysitter this morning, and was his usual, energetic self all day. Thanks for your prayers!

The Next Step: Off to Nampa for Jeremy's TE!!

Tomorrow, we are heading to Nampa, Idaho to Mission Aviation Fellowship's headquarters.  On Monday morning, we start the technical evaluation process of joining MAF.  I am involved with meetings throughout the next two weeks, but Jeremy will be kept busy all day, every day with meetings, mechanic evaluation and pilot evaluation.

Here are a few ways we'd appreciate prayer for our family over the next two weeks (July 7-18th)...

~ For safe travels to and from Nampa.
~ For Jeremy as he does his pilot and mechanic evaluations- that he would be able to think clearly and to recall and apply all the knowledge and skills he has learned and gained through training and hands-on experience in order to perform well.
~ For Connor to transition well to a new place and having new people babysit him.
~ For beneficial meetings with the candidate committee and psychologist.

We are really excited to be finally making this next step.  If you want to follow our progress throughout the technical evaluation, keep checking our blog and/or Facebook.  We will do our best to post updates.

Thank you so much for your prayers!  We appreciate them more than you know.

Blessings,
The Toews

Summer 2014 Newsletter

The Next Step: TE Prep and Connor Medical Update

After flying a Cessna 206 for a week and working on piston aircraft for a week with instructors at Moody, Jeremy is feeling much more confident about his TE, which is coming up in three weeks. Thank you for your prayers! Also, because he was gone from STC for those two weeks he was prepping with Moody, one of the new associate instructors started taking over a few of Jeremy's normal work responsibilities. The baton is starting to be passed on as Jeremy transitions out of his roles at STC.

Connor had his blood drawn again this week to check his iron levels.  We got his results yesterday, and his iron levels are lower than they were two weeks ago.  This is causing concern for the doctor, so she is sending Connor to a specialist.  Anemia runs in both sides of our families, so we aren't concerned, but we'd appreciate continued prayer as we work with doctors to try and increase his iron levels.  On a good note, no one would ever be able to tell that Connor is anemic.  He doesn't show any of the symptoms.  He is active, has color in his face, eats well, learns and discovers new things every day, and sleeps well, for which we are thankful!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Connor!  We will keep you all posted as we get more information.

The Next Step: Medical Physicals

As a part of the MAF application process, Jeremy, Connor and I had to have medical physicals. Jeremy was able to complete his, and I will be able to finish mine once the baby is born in September. Connor is almost done with his, which brings me to why I'm writing. Connor did great for all his tests! He didn't even wince when his blood was drawn. What a trooper! Anyway, when the results came back from his blood work, it was clear that he is anemic (apparently a pretty common problem for toddlers). His doctor won't finish and send MAF his physical paperwork until his iron levels rise. He is now taking an iron supplement, and I have changed his diet to incorporate more iron rich foods as well as foods that increase the absorption of iron.

Connor goes back in to have his blood drawn and tested on Monday, June 16th. Would you pray that for his own health and for finishing his physical paperwork that Connor's iron levels will rise to a satisfactory level? 

Thank you for your continued prayers as we keep moving forward with MAF! 

The Next Step: TE Prep

Many of you are aware that last November we turned in our application to being the process of joining Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).  Once some more paperwork was filled out and sent in, we were able to schedule a technical evaluation (TE), which is one week of flight testing and one week of maintenance testing for Jeremy. We are scheduled to be in Nampa, Idaho at MAF headquarters July 7-18 for Jeremy's TE.

Over the last five years, Jeremy has been focusing on turbine training and maintenance while working at Spokane Turbine Center whereas his TE will be in a Cessna 206, which is a piston aircraft. (I add that information because only 4 years ago I knew nothing about airplanes. :) ) Needless to say, it is going to take a shift in thinking for Jeremy to get back in the mindset of piston aircraft. In order to get him refreshed and ready, Jeremy is doing some TE prep work with Moody Aviation. This week he will be doing flight preparation and June 9-13 he will be doing the maintenance preparation.

Would you pray for Jeremy as he studies and prepares to take his TE? Pray that during his preparation with Moody and during his personal studies that everything he knows will flood his memory and that he will be comfortable with flying and maintenance in the 206 again.

Thank you for your faithfulness in lifting us up in prayers as we move forward with joining MAF! We are blessed by your support and encouragement!

Winter 2014 Newsletter