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In Your Hands

 

Over spring break I was given the opportunity to share at the homeschool co-op that I went to in high school, and with my AWANA club, about what I am preparing to do in school. One thing that kept coming up in my mind was: God's Kingdom of Heaven is spread through His people. We are God's tools of choice, in His plan of choice, to show His love of choice to all.

 

A tool is something (or someone) who can be used to better or best achieve a goal or end. Why bring this up? Tools are important. Important to people, to life, to God, and to the Kingdom of Heaven. They are also important in aviation. Which is why it was a big deal when I was alerted to a situation with tools and the maintenance specialist (MXS) program about a month ago.

 

Due to all of the rules in aviation and schools, Moody Aviation used to only be able to provide a basic toolbox for the Airframe and Powerplant mechanics portion (which is the first half of the Moody program). When students decided to become a MXS, they would be given a half-mile long list of tools, and told to "start collecting these." For nearly seven years they have been trying to work out a deal with the government and school rules, to provide those tools as a part of the program. This is the first year that this has been possible!

 

 

The good news is: they are really good tools! The list was compiled by the instructors, who have very different work experiences and different tools to give us a very well rounded collection of tools. The majority are from Snap-On, who set the industry-standard for tool quality. Moody Aviation as a school, also gets a 40-60% off deal! The bad news however is: even with that discount, the total is just over $23,000. Nothing that God can't provide for though.

 

With this big-deal coming along, I just wanted to take the opportunity to clear up some questions that you may have.

 

One benefit in getting nice tools from Snap-On, as opposed to Harbor Freight or Craftsman: is their lifetime guarantee and world-wide service. They will replace any broken tool for any reason, and they are the only tool company that can reliably distribute around the world (kinda helpful for a missionary). Travis, one of our MXS instructors, told us a story:

 

He was trying to loosen a big bolt on a turbocharger in Alaska, the kind of bolt that doesn't want to come off. He had a long extension because the bolt was hard to get to, and a breaker bar with a three foot pipe on it. Needless to say, he got the bolt out. But at the end his extension was twisted up like a pretzel. He gave it to the Snap-On guy, who gladly replaced it and asked for the story. After hearing the story, the guy explained that cheaper tools would likely have shattered and could have injured him, it's a good thing that the extension bent instead.

 

Another thing that might help with the big picture: this week I have been working on a Cessna 206 that Moody is rebuilding for flight training. We actually just put the right wing on this Monday!

 

 

The current value of the 206 is well over $200,000, which makes the quality of our work very important even while we are in school. As a matter of fact, I used like seven extensions to get this wing attach bolt in! It took two hours! For reference my fingers don't fit in that gap. (below)

 

 

Now, how does this look for me? Well, after scholarships, the forgivable loan program at school, and the money that I have right now, I will need around $12,000 more this fall and coming spring semesters respectively ($24,000 total).

 

Beyond the excitement of working with cool tools (I'm a guy, I know, I can't help it), it is exciting being a tool in God's hands. So, would you guys be praying not just for the tools, but for my heart to serve others and my discernment of God's voice:

- that I would serve by listening, helping, and caring,

- and that I would listen to and heed God's word and counsel.

That would be most helpful. I appreciate all of you! Feel free to contact me anytime! I would love to hear from you.

 

Oh! A parting idea: I am thinking of doing a section of my blog post that would be about the "Tool of The Month" so you all can see what I am doing a little closer. If you have any ideas about what specifically you would want me to share about this "Tool of The Month", or if you have any other questions, comment below. I would love your input!

 

As a closing note, prayer is a very useful tool. So, don't forget to use it well!

 

"O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! Let my prayer be counted as incense before You, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" - Psalm 141:1-2