Zach and Jane Keller Training to Serve in the Philippines Waiting
We are still preparing to leave for the Philippines and some days it’s hard not to be anxious and impatient with the process. I look forward to the day that we all pile on an airplane and finally go. It seems that we have been getting ready to go FOREVER…and then I have to remind myself to be thankful for the process… sometimes it is just as important as the going. It really helps me to look back and remember God’s faithfulness in our lives. He has used us in the lives of others and continues to prepare us for the job He has for us. I am determined to be patient, as we watch Him work and enjoy His love and faithfulness everyday. He continues to be all that we need. I’m sorry if this sounds like a sermon…it’s just what is spilling out of my heart right now.
I wanted to give you a little glimpse of what we’ve been up to these last few months. When Zach returned from Arizona as a newly licensed helicopter pilot, he immediately began looking for opportunities to build hours. (He currently has 120 hours and needs 250 hours of experience before he can fly for NTM in the Philippines.) He made so many calls and followed every lead…but nothing. He has to few hours, so we quickly learned that no helicopter company would be able to hire him…insurance just won’t let them. We have continued to pray that Father would provide the hours Zach needs and we know that He will. It just hasn’t happened yet. Zach just found a guy that may be able to instruct him in CFI here in Wasilla. We are praying that this works out and that our Father provides the finances to finish. Please continue to pray with us about this.
There are so many ways this could all go down and because we don’t know how or how long it will take for Father’s plan to unfold…we can’t say with much assurance when we can plan to leave for the Philippines. We may stay in Alaska for the rest of the training or we may drive down to Arizona to finish up with the training and then leave for the Philippines from there. We hope to be on our way to PI this fall/winter. They really need our help setting up the new flight program in Luzon so we can start service to tribal locations in the spring of 2010.
We have begun getting our paperwork in order. We have been able to finish work on the cabin so it will be ready for renters when we go. We’ve started packing and are in the process of acquiring the things we’ll need to pack to ship over…things like homeschool materials, linens and other household stuff. Zach has started packing his tools. We found a company in Anchorage that ships flat rate boxes to Manila (big ones)! Zach has also been able to do some A&P work and flying jobs (fixed wing) and is currently repairing a fifth-wheel camper trailer that was given to us to sell.
A big highlight for our family this summer was being able to be apart of a big family wedding. Zach’s cousin and my longtime childhood friend got married this month and a whole bunch of family came up to Alaska for the big event. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with everyone and be apart of such a joyous occasion. There were cousins and second cousins, Aunties and Uncles everywhere! Craziness!
Spring Newsletter 2009
For many reasons, that we unfortunately do not have room to discuss, NTMA has decided to pursue the use of helicopters in the Philippines. They asked our family to consider being a part of this project by returning to NTMA in Arizona so Zach could train in the R-44 and get his helicopter rating. After much consideration and prayer we decided to step out and follow what we believe to be the Lord’s leading. Although this has delayed our departure, we could not ignore the very significant need to have a helicopter program running in the Philippines within one year. Zach began training in the R-44 this past February and a few weeks ago passed his commercial check ride… praise the Lord! He is now living in Phoenix with a friend completing his instrument rating. When the instrument rating is done he will have 100 of the 250 hours required before he can fly in the Philippines. What next?… only the Lord knows. We wish we could answer that question with confidence, but we can only share with you our plans, knowing full well they are subject to change. We hope to be able to build more hours this summer in Alaska and then return to Arizona this fall to finish advanced training and Robinson maintenance school. That would put us on track to be finished with helicopter training by November or December. We will then immediately depart for the Philippines to begin language training and help with setting up the flight program. This is a costly, complicated process and we would really appreciate your prayers. Six months ago we were eagerly making preparations to leave for the Philippines in what we thought would be just a few months. But, alas, we are still here and not there. This has come as no surprise as we know that our best made plans are never certain and are more likely to change than they are to remain the same, especially in this line of work. We try not to be anxious about the delays and everyday uncertainty of our situation. We know our Father has been preparing and equipping us for something great. We know WHO directs our steps and we will gladly take His perfect plan over any plans we might have of our own.
“You shall be my witnesses...
even to the remotest part of
the earth.” Acts 1:8b
God’s heart for the unreached people of the Philippines has become our heart. Our mission as a family is to expand the reach of the Gospel to those who have never heard by providing air support for missionaries in remote tribal locations. He has given us the desire as well as the tools (like the Cessna 185 & R-44 helicopter) required for this task. We are so thankful that He has chosen us for this task, for His Glory.
Please Pray...
-that we will not relay on our own understanding but trust and depend only on Him.
-for opportunities to share the hope that is within us with those we meet and interact with everyday.
-for peace, wisdom and direction as we face important decisions.
-that the Lord would continue to equip us with everything we need to do what he has called us to do.
There is a very specific need for the helicopter in the Luzon region of the Philippines. Right now our missionaries are being serviced by JARRS pilots but they will be pulling out of the Philippines in April, 2010 leaving our missionaries with no transportation and air support. Some of the tribal works can be reached either by foot trail or 4X4 trail, but some are just inaccessible without aircraft. The point is, if we don’t fill this need soon, the work in that area will be slowed dramatically. Right now there are two of us pilots training in the helicopter. We hope to be ready to leave for the Philippines by December of this year so we can begin language study and also begin setting up the new flight program in Luzon.
A Word From Tov
This little guy is such a hoot. What’s not to love about this face?
Today I decided to confront Tov about a problem I noticed he had with dressing himself, something I believed every four year old should by now have figured out. No matter how many times I reminded him, he failed to put his underwear on the right direction. I should have known that he would have a perfectly good explanation for putting them on backwards time and time again. When he was dressing himself this morning, I discreetly pointed out that he needed to turn his Lightning McQueen undies around…they were again on backwards. He was very indignant with his reply, “But Mommy…then I can’t see the pictures!”
Helicopters and Tribal Evangelism
Our family is so honored to be chosen for this task. This helicopter training is not something we pursued at all and there have been many times that Zach and I have looked at each other and said, “how did this happen?” This wasn’t in our original plan but it must be in God’s because he has swung the door wide open on this one and made it effortless for us to walk through.
Having a helicopter, complete with pilot, will be such a blessing to the tribal evangelism effort.
There are locations in the Philippines that are extremely difficult to reach, and having a helicopter available will save enormous amounts of time and make it possible for missionaries to live in these remote locations, with their families, and still have a link to the outside world.
We are so excited to be a part of this new plan for the Philippines. Zach is doing really well with the training and enjoying every moment. He took his solo flight a few weeks ago and has completed all his solo night flight hours. His check ride is scheduled for April 14th.
We are all so proud of him!
Back Together Again
Being separated from Zach stunk. I thought I would enjoy the pining and the waiting by the phone and the mushy emails, but things aren’t right when he’s gone. I’m not right. Which really makes sense when you think about it. We are one so when we are separated we should feel incomplete, which is exactly how I felt. I know there will be many times in our future when we will have to be apart, and even though it is not something I plan to get used to, I know God will give us the grace to deal with it. The mushy emails will help.
So now we are back in Arizona and it didn’t take Zach long to pile us into the borrowed truck (thanks Talbots!) and take us on one of his explores. It was a wonderful day to enjoy being together. We ended up on top of Montezuma’s Pass with beautiful views of the Cochise Valley bellow. To top things off, Zach took us all out to eat which is something we haven’t been able to enjoy as a family in…well…since we’ve had kids! Zach and I realized that the moment we’d been waiting for finally arrived. The kids were a delight. They sat, they waited, we chatted, we ordered, they colored quietly, we didn’t have to cut up anyone’s food in little tiny bits, we didn’t have to take multiple trips to the bathroom and we didn’t have to make any threats! It felt like a dream.
Miah took this picture of us. Not bad, huh?
What is it About the Beach?
I am convinced that heaven will have many beach like qualities. Every time I am there I get this very strange feeling…that I’m at home, that I’m alive, that life is good…it’s unexplainable. I feel like a cover girl when I’m on the beach…easy, breezy, beautiful, even if in actuality, I’m a gritty, windblown mess, I can’t help but feel beautiful when I’m on the beach. We went to a couple of beaches on the California coast and the weather wasn’t particularly nice. The sky was overcast, at times it drizzled and the wind was brisk…but that didn’t change anything for me. I know that having the kids with me really adds to the experience. There is nothing like a frolicking child, frantic with excitement to give you a good dose of healthy perspective.
There is much more to this story. The reason I found myself on a beach in California is because the kids and I traveled to Palm Springs to see my Aunt and my Grandma to spend some time with them before traveling to McNeal, Arizona to reunite with Zach. What ended up happening, was my sweet sister Emily AND my sweet sister Katy (who is currently living in Italy) were both able to not only join the kids and I in Palm Springs, but they were able to book tickets on the very same flight, AK to CA. Their seats were right next to ours! My sweet baby sister Susie had responsibilities she could not get out of (We missed you so much Susie!)
The week we had together was such a gift from the Father. While we were there together I realized that I have never really spent quality time with my sisters since we have all become adults. The time we spend together is usually in a mass of people and chaos as is the norm for Miller family gatherings. It was extra special because Emily is about to become a mommy in April and Katy is right behind her, Due in July. With Katy returning to Italy and our family moving to the Philippines within the year, it may not happen again for some time. God arranged a special rondevous just for us. A few days after Emily left to return to Ak, Katy and I borrowed Grandma’s car and drove to the coast. Our only purpose was to find a beach and spend the day on it. It was such a blessed day.
(I would have pictures of us sisters together, but I am waiting for them to be sent…hint hint 
Generator up in Flames
We had an incident this morning. Our generator shed, that houses our battery bank, generator, inverter and everything needed to make it possible to live “off the grid” in our little cabin, burned up today! It caught fire and exploded into flames, burning completely up in about a half hour. Zach isn’t exactly sure how it happened. He was in the generator shed, cleaning and maintaining and we have a little propane heater in there, so he thinks that the pilot light on the heater caught on something and quickly ignited the extremely flammable urethan insulation. There was propane and flammables in the shed so it went up fast. Zach got out in time, but the back of his vest melted and his hair and eye brows got pretty singed. There is a fuel tank outside of the trailer (that we just refilled with desiel fuel) that we threw snow on to keep from catching. Thankfully it was raining today and the surrounding trees didn’t catch. We are so thankful that no one got hurt, the cabin stayed out of harms way and the firemen got here as quick as they did. It’s a miracle they made it up the driveway! Now we are praying for wisdom about what to do next. Do we try to build a system again before Zach leaves for Arizona in two weeks? Do we move out of the cabin and wait until he gets back to fix it? We are praising God that our insurance will cover the damages…we weren’t sure if they would since it isn’t our actual dwelling, just an outbuilding, but still a very essential part. Zach has already rigged a temporary generator so we can use water/phone/computer…he’s amazing.
January 2009 Newsletter
After 2 years of wimpy winters down in America, Jane and I are enjoying our last Alaska winter for while. The busy summer and fall has turned into a much quieter winter and we have been making the most of a little extra free time. It feels like calm before the storm of an overseas move. We have been savoring our time with friends and family and constantly amazed at the generosity and encouragement we receive from our WBC church body.
Jane and I realized that while we have told many people about our change of plans, we have never sent it out in update form. So for those of you who have not heard; about a month ago we received word that the Philippine field was interested in purchasing a helicopter to meet the needs of that field. They asked us if we were interested in being part of this project by returning to Arizona to get my helicopter rating. We were excited to be part of the project but disappointed to delay our departure to the Philippines. After much consideration we have decided to take this next step and follow what we believe to be the Lord’s leading, in His perfect time. There are many good reasons to get this done now rather than later, so I will be flying back to Arizona this February for a few months of helicopter training.
There are several reasons why this will be a faith stretching experience. First, I will need to move back to Alaska this spring with my brand new helicopter rating and try to get a job flying to build hours (NTMA requires 500 hours minimum). It’s hard to find people that will let low time pilots fly their very expensive helicopters. Second, Jane and I pay for all our own training expenses. As you can imagine this will not be cheap. Third, there are no guarantees in this. There is very good reason to pursue putting a helicopter in the Philippines but we (NTMA ) have not done it before and therefor everything will be new and that brings uncertainty.