I JUST NEED TO PRESS ON. 

GOD HAS NOT TOLD ME TO QUIT

SO I MUST MOVE FORWARD.

ONE STEP AT A TIME

ONE DAY AT A TIME

—

PICK OUT ONE THING EACH DAY TO WORK ON.

DO NOT THINK ABOUT THE PAST.

TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME.

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT,

YOU WILL BE CROSSING THE FINISH LINE.

—

If you think of it, please pray for me.  Within the last few years, I have struggled greatly with anxiety and fear.  Some have told me I have a fear of success.  I do not know, but it results in extremely low self-esteem. Through God’s power, I hope to overcome these debilitating fears and severe self doubt.

Thank you.

—

“Now may the GOD OF HOPE 

fill you with ALL JOY and PEACE in believing,

so that you will ABOUND in HOPE 

by the POWER of the Holy Spirit.”

(Rom 15:13, NIV)

 —

Here is a MUST SEE VIDEO for anyone who needs to PRESS ON:

by Steven Furtick, Pastor of Elevation Church

August 23, 2015

God has really shown me His favor over the last few days! I am so extremely blessed to be His child and very excited to be part of His team — making Him known and striving to show His love to others.

This past Wednesday night, the spiritual warfare began.  It was heavy upon me and I couldn’t seem to shake it.  I felt alone, I mean, I knew God was by my side, in fact He felt very close but I felt that I was facing something that no one else, up to that point, had gone through.  I opened my email and there it was, an answer to my prayer.  A friend I had been confiding in shared with me a story of someone they had read about that was facing the same battle. In that very moment, I felt a chain break around my heart and mind.  I am not alone in my struggle. I just wept.  I was in such a dark place and I was just crying out to the Lord.  I wanted deliverance and the Lord to set me free.  As I was sitting in my chair weeping, a friend texted me asking if I was okay.  It was clearly from the Lord.  Later, she said that she had been burdened to pray for me all week.  I had been heavy on her heart and she was not sure why. Now we knew.  After reading the email, letting the tears out and texting a few friends, I began to feel better.  It felt like a very special moment.

Let me pause this story to give you some background. I had been in need of $3,000 to continue my flight training. The goal was to finish my pilots license by the end of the year when my written test expires, but I lacked the funds.  I sensed that the Lord would provide but I was not sure how.  I did know that I should be receiving some travel reimbursement from the military from my time in Utah but I had no idea how much I would receive.  I expected that it might be somewhere between $50 and $2,000 — a huge range.

I had received an email confirming that the reimbursement had been processed and I was surprised at what I saw.  I didn’t say anything to anyone.  I wanted to make sure I understood the email correctly. I wanted to see the funds in my bank account.

So there I was Thursday night, after the broken chain, tears and encouragement from others, I felt like I should check my bank account.  There it was– a deposit of $4,582.60!!!  I was instantly filled with an overwhelming joy.  I felt like God just said, “I love you and you are going to make it.”  I was so in awe of Him!!!

Apparently, God was not done blessing me yet. The next day, while I was closing out my day at work, a customer came in to see if we could look at his airplane.  Something minor had broken when he landed and he was hoping we could take a look at it.  While his plane was being looked at, we were able to talk for a little bit and he asked me if I was enjoying my time working toward my mechanics license.  I said something about wanting to fly but how I had run out of money.  I also mentioned that I had just received more funds but I don’t know if he heard that.

After his airplane was repaired, he asked the director if he could take a student up flying and Jon said, “yes.”  The pilot pointed to me and told me that we were going flying.  It was such an unexpected blessing!  It had been 3 months, almost to the day, since I had last flown.  As it turns out, the pilot was actually a flight instructor who trains airline pilots on the Boeing 737.  I was shocked! He gave me several compliments and reiterated those to Jon when we got on the ground.  It was such a boost of confidence. Once again, I felt like God was saying, “I love you.” It was such a special time.

Since then, I have been able to share my passion and ministry with many people who seem to be excited about this journey the Lord has me on.  God is doing great things!

I plan to start flying this week.  The plan is to fly 2-3 times per week.  I will be flying after work on Tuesdays and Thursdays and when I can on Saturdays.  I would appreciate your prayers as this time will be demanding.

Thank you all for your continued prayers.  I hope this letter shows you how powerful prayer  and encouragement are.  I pray that we would all go out of our way today to encourage one person.  The world would be a happier place if that became a pattern.  I know that being on the receiving end of that is priceless.

Stay strong in the Lord and I will write again soon,
Most gratefully His,
Liz 🙂

It was a good week.  We got a lot accomplished in the hangar and my family got to visit last weekend for Emma’s birthday.  She is 6 years old now! It was very special to spend some memorable time with her.  We spent time doing one of her favorite things– swimming.  The family enjoyed time together at the lake on Saturday.  Emma used my hands as a diving board as I propelled her up out of the water.  She loved it!  On Sunday, Ben (her dad) and her grandparents were able to join us for more time at the lake.   The entire weekend was fun.  We went to a small train museum, ran errands and had a family meal on Sunday afternoon.  It is always nice to spend time together.

As far as work in the hangar, I was able to remove a magneto, do more airplane paint stripping, participate in several annual inspections, remove and replace a couple of starters as well as a voltage generator.  I am sure there was more that kept me busy but those are the things that stick out in my mind.

This coming week, I am REALLY looking forward to hosting some missionary friends that I met during my time job training in the military.  I was stationed in Texas at the time while Dave and Jill were on deputation trying to promote the ministry God had called them to while seeking prayer and financial partners as well.  I attended the same church that they were members of.  We have remained in touch, off-and-on, since we met, 4 years ago.  When I heard they were coming back to the States on furlough (from Africa), I emailed them, hoping we would have time to meet up.  Lori, the Missionaire director’s wife, asked if they would be willing to speak at Missionaire and offered to host them overnight.  They were happy to come and, as it turns out, I get to host them! I am excited!!! 🙂

Well, I hope you all are doing well.  (Notice I didn’t say ya”ll, aren’t you proud of me?) Thank you for your continued support. It means so much!  Well, stand firm, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Continue to grow stronger in the Lord,

Gratefully His,

Liz 🙂

Time has gone by fairly quickly.  I have been working at Missionaire for 6 weeks already.  I am learning, not just about maintenance, but more importantly about some areas in my life that the Lord needs to refine.  It is funny how you can be blinded about an area of your life that needs work and then suddenly, it becomes apparent to you how weak you are and that you need the Lords help and strength.   

“Seek the LORD and His strength;

seek His presence continually!”

(1 Chronicles 16:11, ESV)

In stark contrast to my last prayer letter, with there being so many churches to choose from, I have chosen, at least for now, a church that is 25 minutes from my apartment.  It seems like a long way to drive but for now, this seems to be the Lord’s leading.  I attend a small group Bible study on Sunday nights which has been extremely nice and is led by the pastor.  It has been great to get to know people there, especially the pastor and his wife.  Everyone seems so nice and have a heart for the Lord.  There is also a young adult group that I have become connected with which is also a blessing.

At Missionaire, I have been involved in many maintenance tasks from removing cylinders to stripping paint off of airplane parts.  I have posted a few pictures:

A Cessna 172 that Missionaire owns.  We are giving it a face-lift 🙂

A door off of the 172  (before and after the paint was removed)

A beautiful engine of a Cessna 150, owned by an aerobatics instructor in Sewanee, TN.  Catherine Cavagnaro trains pilots how to do spins and loops..you know all that crazy stuff!! 🙂 Allan, my trainer, looks on.

 http://www.aceaerobaticschool.com/aerobatics/

My sister was able to come visit the second weekend I was here. It was fun! There is a small lakefront beach about 7 minutes from my house.  The area where I live is surrounded by beauty.  There is a large lake, great playground area, small camping site, tennis courts, multiple athletic fields, trails and a swim center.  I truly love it all!

Thank you for reading.  I hope to post an update next week with a picture of the fully paint-stripped 172.  Thanks again.  God bless you all, Liz 🙂

It was my Friday off from work and I had scheduled a flight.  The flight ended poorly and I was pretty discouraged about it.  It was heavy on my mind when I woke up Saturday morning.  I remember crying out to the Lord, literally, asking Him to help me.  I know He has called me to fly but Friday, I really struggled.  There was also the realization that my savings for flying here in Utah was running low and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to get many more flights in and continue toward my license.

A few minutes later, a thought occurred to me.  I have been in Utah for 3 months.  I work 9-hour days, trying to study for a couple of hours each week day, when I am not flying, and then fly twice a week.  I could probably use a break.

I think God planted the following thoughts in my mind.  “Why don’t you go to Missionaire for a week?”  I could use money that has been donated to my account there and get some flight practice in at half the cost of what it is to fly here in Utah.  Not only that, but I would be getting a break from work, which was much needed.  It sounded like a great idea!

I ended up calling a few people to get advice and then worked out details.  The Friday before Valentine’s Day, I was on my way to Missionaire.  I would be there one week before coming home.

A Beautiful, Icy Airplane

Unbeknownst to me, the weather in Tennessee was much worse than that in Utah. There was freezing rain, snow and sleet.  As you can imagine, that kind of weather is not conducive to flying.

While I was not able to fly, Missionaire had recently acquired the management of a nearby airport.  The staff and students spent the week painting and doing construction.  We were giving the airport a ‘face lift’ of sorts.  It looked great when we were done!

Painting at Sewanee Airport

Goodbye C827CH

While I was away, I received a sad text.  My flight instructor informed me that the airplane I had been training in had crashed.  Everyone was okay but the plane was not salvageable.  I was able to see the plane when I got home, and let me just say, it was sobering. It reminded me, once again, of the need for thorough flight planning and on a broader scope–to be diligent in my studies; always learning how to become a better pilot.

Naturally, after both of these realities, I was disappointed.  One thing is sure.  Satan is pulling out all of the stops.  For some reason he doesn’t want me to fly.  I keep thinking there must be people whose lives need to be rescued.  People who need to be changed by the message of  Jesus’ love.  I need to persevere.  The flight is real and Satan WILL be defeated!

Thank you all for your faithful prayers and support.  It really means so much to me.  Please continue to pray that God provides partners for my training ministry.  If all goes as planned, I will still need an additional $467 per month to stay at Missionaire for one full year.  If God is touching your heart, would you be able to donate $20 a month toward my training ministry? The needs around the world are great and I am truly thankful for all who have sacrificed so that I can receive the training I need.

Have a great week in the Lord!

Liz 🙂

Hi Friends,

Has it been a week already?  Time goes so fast!  This past week I flew into Toeele Valley Airport which is kind of in the middle of nowhere.  It was neat though, a very nice runway. I am planning to solo there on Tuesday.  There is not much traffic and will be a time for me to gain more confidence before attempting the busyness of a towered airport.

 http://www.panoramio.com/user/290390

While en route to this airport, I was able to fly over Salt Lake City International Airport which is literally 10 minutes away.  It is the biggest airport that I have flown over so it was neat to see the heavy airplanes taking off and taxiing, as well as the overall layout of the airport.

 “SLC airport, 2010” by Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org

I wanted to post a little bit about my job quickly.  I am an F-16 mechanic and I currently work at a facility called Flight Test.  This is an area where a jet receives tests,  some on the ground and some in flight, to see if the repairs made were adequate or if any further repairs need to be made.  There is a lot of troubleshooting involved.

Here is a picture of the F-16:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Valued_image_set:_F-16_Fighting_Falcon

Here is a picture of the F-35.  I do not work on these jets but they are also repaired on this base and occasionally take off near where I work.

wallpaperswide.com

I am very blessed to be working here.  I am paying off debt and learning so much about aircraft maintenance.  It has been great!

I am going to go for now.  Please pray for my upcoming flights.  I spoke with my instructor last week and asked him if I could have my license by April and he answered with a resounding “Yes, definitely.  I don’t see why not.”

I am excited to accomplish this great feat.

Thank you for your prayers and taking your time to read this update.

Liz 🙂