Serving Together At Our First SOWER Project: Mission Aviation Fellowship

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We pulled into the RV site at Mission Aviation Fellowship in Nampa, ID, late afternoon on July 3rd. We had just spent the last four nights boondocking in our RV, which still needed some fine tuning in order to make the space livable full-time.

A man and his wife eagerly walked up to greet us in our truck. They were wearing SOWER name badges. We weren’t sure what the protocol was but we needed some time to regroup after all we had been through to get to this moment.

We pulled into spot #10 and immediately started to set up house. For the first time since June 19th, Matt’s motorcycle was unloaded from our tiny living and dining area. We breathed a big sigh of relief. The space felt huge compared to what we had used for the last three weeks.

It felt like the group leaders were eager to meet with us and tell us about the projects at MAF, but we were exhausted – and hungry. They were kind to meet with us after dinner. (Next time we will be more diligent to arrive on site earlier.)

I dug out our name badges and we pinned them on for the first time. As we walked towards the massive fifth wheel with two decks, I couldn’t help but wonder what people thought of us in our smaller 28-foot travel trailer with no slides. We do have a deck though – and it’s amazing.

We took turns getting to know one another, reading the SOWER guidelines, and then discussing the possible projects for the week.

There was a new volunteer coordinator at MAF and this was her first interaction with SOWERS. It sounded like she was still getting used to the position. Her family had served as missionaries in Haiti for seventeen years, I think, and even though they had been back in the states for four years, things were still an adjustment.

Monday morning, we found ourselves meeting for our first team devotions in a small conference room. We weren’t sure what to expect, and I guess every Group Leader (GL) may do things a little different. This was our leaders first time leading, so they were diligent to do everything by the book. I appreciated this so we could get a clear picture of what to expect. Matt is more of the laid-back type who likes to really visit and get to know a person, rather than focus on protocol sometimes. That’s probably why we compliment each other so well – business and play.

After devotions, the men met with the base ops coordinator while the women went back to the volunteers work station. MAF treats their volunteers very well. They had hot drinks and snacks available, along with t-shirts, and water bottles.

We listened to the list of possible projects. Both the GL and I had a background in office work so the computer projects made a lot of sense for us. We began data entry for 227 scanned documents immediately.

The men had a variety of projects lined up, which included building sixteen tall bookshelves for a new library inside the family center for missionaries. They also moved furniture, built office cubicles, mowed the grass, and spent countless hours playing in mud – fixing the sprinklers.

Week two – I sewed some masks for staff and volunteers with my new Mini Sewing Machine. It was a last-minute purchase after we couldn’t find the power cord and pedal for the sewing machine, which I brought with us 900 miles. At 2.2 pounds, the Mini is very appropriate for our tiny space.

Unfortunately, allergies got the best of me on work day #8. They had been building up since we arrived and I found myself with an intense head cold. Our sleep situation hadn’t been helping either. Even though we loved our new Weekender Mattress, the drop to a full size when we were used to a king was very difficult. Tense muscles and Charlie horses have become somewhat of a nightly occurrence for me.

Matt’s adjustments to this new way of life have included trying not to hit his head on cabinets and doors, or kicking things in close proximity on the floor. It is a small space for a big man. I feel like it’s a fancy treehouse – I love it!

During our stay at MAF we heard amazing testimonies from missionaries (now employees) and others who resided in the RV parking area. Their testimonies of sacrifice and courage found only in the Lord, inspired us to press on with our travel journey as long as God calls us to. He is our Provider, our Comforter, and our Healer. He knows what is best for us – even in the middle of COVID and political unrest.

As part of the missionary candidates training, a security team comes in to practice car hijacking at gunpoint and other unruly behaviors that may be experienced while serving overseas. Matt said it really hit him hard when he saw the children participating in some of the exercises. This was partly because we’ve lived through some unruly behavior and scary moments with our traumatized children.

I later asked him, “Do you think it would have helped to practice some hard-parenting exercises prior to receiving our kids?”

While our training had included many scenarios that could arise, and videos of others role-playing, we could see by watching the missionary families that there was something different about experiencing it firsthand – before the real deal.

The fact is, I don’t know that I would have been strong enough to go through all those situations beforehand. Sometimes the Lord just gives You enough grace to make it through the moment. I remember countless times in our adoption story where God intervened to keep someone safe or minister to a broken heart.

Serving at Mission Aviation Fellowship was a great way to start our journey with SOWERS. As we prepare for our next project at Flying H Youth Ranch in Naches, WA, I remind myself to guard my heart. We will be working with troubled teenage boys. I can already feel my heartstrings tugging.

This I know, my God is able to supply all that these boys need by the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) I do not have to fix everything. I need only be present and willing to be used by Him.