Phil and Ellen Koop Serving with NTM Aviation from the Arizona Desert This week we got a shot in the arm!
Adam, Dave, Luke, Laura
Showing is better than telling
Ellen is trying to figure it out
PDF Tags: Ministry, partnership, prayer, support
Sometimes We Need a Little Help
Has life ever gotten so busy that you find yourself going in several different directions, and feel like everyone wants a piece of your time? You feel a bit worn out and frazzled and want to say, “Hold on a minute and give me a chance to breathe and time to take a nap.” Do you ever feel that your ship is just so small that
you don’t have enough room to move around in it, and there’s a little too much in the boat with you? You look at the different responsibilities you have and wonder which ones you can throw overboard and which ones you need to keep.
Sometimes do you just feel like you can’t walk another step, and you just need someone else to pick you up and carry you or you won’t make it? Isn’t it awesome to know that we have a heavenly Father who has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. 
He will walk with us every step of the road. He has told us to “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
As we serve here at NTM Aviation, we sometimes find ourselves in similar situations. Phil planned two trips to Sanford, Florida for meetings and then at the last minute his mom scheduled back surgery. Trying to balance his meetings and care for his mom was a challenge, but we are very thankful that it happened while Phil was there. Sharon, Phil’s sister arrived in time to help bring Mom home from the hospital and care for her. Although Phil ended up being gone for 20 days the Lord provided a quick trip home for 4 days to see Ellen and catch up on a few things before returning to Florida. This trip, as well as the three weeks we were gone in July, puts Phil pretty far behind. Now, he needs to get caught up before the next trip to Florida. We praise the Lord for the strength that God has provided.
Philippines, Here it Comes
Loading the helicopter in the container
Yesterday, August 30, was a day of celebration here at NTMA McNeal as the shipping container arrived, and our men loaded it with the helicopter and miscellaneous other items to be shipped to the Philippines.
Thank the Lord with us! He has provided the rest of the money needed to ship this helicopter to the Philippines. There are many families anxiously waiting for it so that they can get in and out of their remote ministry locations.
Brian Schaadt and his family are in on northern Luzon, preparing for the day when it arrives. He was in Manila in July to take his Philippine pilot’s license exam. He is doing survey work into the tribal areas, building relationships and finding a place to use as a hangar.
Zach Keller and his family are in Manila doing language and culture study until they are needed to assist with the helicopter program in up north.
From the Furnace into the Sauna
A walk on the beach
July 24 we returned from a trip to the East coast to visit Dennis and Nancy in Newport News, Virginia and to attend a workshop at our NTM USA home office in Sanford, Florida. We thought Arizona was hot, but we were in for a big surprise when we arrived in Virginia. Some of the days saw temperatures over 100 degrees with high humidity. Living in a dry climate, I am not familiar with my glasses fogging up when I get out of the car or walk outside to the laundry room to get the clothes. I am not used to being outside for a matter of minutes and having my clothes wet from perspiration. Oh, the advantages of the DRY heat!!
Seeing our nine month old granddaughter Aurora was a huge treat. She surprised us when she came right to Phil and me as if she had known us for months. No strangeness or shyness. This was very exciting to us grandparents! She loved the Kohl’s shopping cart while we were babysitting her and buying Uncle Travis pants for his birthday. Yes, Travis was there with us, and we thank the Lord for the time we could spend with him.
The last day in Newport News, we went to the beach on the Chesapeake Bay. Aurora loved walking in the sand with Nancy holding one of her hands and me the other. This lady from the desert hadn’t been on a beach in over 20 years and loved every minute of it. The next week in Florida we got to walk on the beach again…twice in one week is a record!!!
The Creator of Diversity
Dennis, Nancy & Aurora
Aurora Madeline Koop came into the world on October 2, 2009. Grandpa and Grandma were very excited to welcome this new little one into their family and were thrilled that the Lord had provided money for them to make the trip to Virginia. Phil made it possible for Ellen to connect into the office via the internet, and so she was able to stay longer than she otherwise would have been able. It was a wonderful time to be with Dennis, Nancy and Aurora.
New Granddaughter
Aurora Madeline Koop wa born to Dennis and Nancy October 2, 2009. She weighs 6 lb 11 oz and is 19 1/2 inches long. Her grandparents and entire family are very excited to have her here.
Dining with Heroes
Our dinner guest: Fergusons, Burnhams, Rasmussens
Tuesday night we were privileged to dine with some of our heroes, men and women who have served the Lord for most of their adult lives and who now at retirement age, rather than sitting back and letting the younger generation do “the Work of the Gospel,” continue to serve tirelessly as the Lord enables them.
Paul and Oreta Burnham arrived in the Philippines in May 1970. Because of their 39 years of faithful ministry, there is a thriving church in the Ibaloi tribe today. Burnhams raised their five children in the tribe and later four of those children and their spouses returned to the mission field to continue their parents’ legacy. Martin, their oldest son, gave his life for his Lord after he and Gracia were taken by insurgents in 2001. During that year long ordeal, Paul and Oreta parented Martin’s three children back in the US, providing physical and emotional support to the family. Although officially retired from New Tribes Mission, Paul and Oreta continue to make trips to the Philippines to assist in the translation of the Bible into the Ibaloi language and to reconnect with the believers When they are in the US, they provide encouragement and a place to stay when any of their 23 grandchildren needs them. We have been friends with the Burnham family since our own years in the Philippines and were delighted when we heard that they were coming to visit. They wanted to see the three families in McNeal whom they knew from the Philippines and what better way to accomplish that than to get together for a Filipino dinner?
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She stole our heart
She arrived as predicted one afternoon the middle of May. At 6 pounds and 10 ounces you would not expect that she could make much of an impact on our lives. We knew for nine months that she was coming and had all that time to prepare. But when it actually happened, and we came face to face, cheek to cheek and heart to heart with this little bundle, holding her in our arms and snuggling close, what could we do? We were unprepared for the intense feelings that overwhelmed us as we were smitten with love for Elissa. Two normally sane and serious people became adoring grandparents and sometimes made seeming fools of ourselves. We soon realized that life would never be the same again. We couldn’t go back to whom we were before, nor would we want to miss any of this. When we walk into her house, we neglect everyone else in the room to go and get our hands on this little one. Then we can look around and see that there are other people in the room who might want our attention. If she enters our house in her car seat or in the arms of her parent, one of us is quick to set her free of her restraints so that we can snuggle her and whisper our own secrets in her ear. She has stolen our hearts, and we quickly realized the truths of what all those grandparents before us have warned us about; grandchildren are the best thing that happened to us since our own children were born. We are hooked.
The NTMA Pilot/Mechanic Wife
Twenty five years ago Phil and I met Monty and Kathie Rasmussen on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Monty was our NTMA pilot, and he and Kathie worked together as a team serving our NTM missionaries in the bush. Kathie has became a big sister to me over the years, and we often consider ourselves part of the Rasmussen family. After serving together for several years in the Philippines, we have worked with Rasmussens here in McNeal since 1992.
Our NTMA class of 2007 arrived in August of this year. We have six couples preparing to serve in the Philippines and Indonesia. The men are working all day receiving technical training on the aircraft they will be flying and servicing on the field. What kind of training do their wives receive?
In September Kathie and I began a Monday morning class with the student wives at the Koop house. Having served with Monty since 1970, Kathie brings to the class a wealth of knowledge, experience, and years of walking with the Lord. Together Kathie and I are editing the teaching outline she has used for years. The topics we cover include the NTMA Wife and: Her Rights Before God, Her Walk with the Lord, Her Relationship with her Husband, Balancing Her Home and Her Work, Her Children, and Her Relationships with Her Co-workers.
All of these topics have already been covered before in the training these ladies have received. What makes our times together different is that we cover many of the unique challenges that will be faced by these ladies as they serve with their husbands in an aviation ministry.
Please pray for Kathie and I as we teach these wonderful ladies in preparation for their ministries abroad. In addition, pray for these six, Bailey, Kelly, Jane, Melissa, Candy, and Missy, as well as Jonie, Kari, and Gloria as we spend time together every Monday morning. Praise the Lord for a couple of staff ladies and one homeschooled teen who babysit the nine children under 5 years old so that the mothers can participate in the class.
