Our 5 Year Plan

Yay marriage! But then what? Here are some questions we've been asked recently:

·        Are you guys moving to Minnesota?

·        When is Luke done with school?

·        Is Amy going back to school?

·        Are you moving overseas this year?

·        What country will you be moving to?

To answer all of these questions we want to lay out for you our 5-year plan.

A Preface:

Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Psalm 139:16b, “All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”

This 5 year plan is OUR plan, yet we hold it loosely. God already knows everything our future holds, and as much as we plan, in order to be the best stewards of our gifts and time, we take comfort in knowing that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” (Ephesians 2:10). We hope to re-read this post in 10 years and laugh alongside you at the various twists and turns God will take us on throughout this journey.

The Plan:

June 30, 2018= Get married

Year One (6/2018-2019) = Live in Spokane, Washington; take a year off from school; work.

               Luke is finishing his 3^rd year at Moody in his 5-year program. At the end of this year (June 2018) he will be a licensed airplane mechanic. He has two years of flight school left to complete. This is the ideal year for him to take a year off to focus on building a strong marriage and to save money to complete the expensive flight program. Luke will be working full time in Spokane.

               Amy will continue her job as the “Youth and Outreach Catalyst” at Cheney Community Church. She absolutely loves this two-fold job that incorporates valuable ministry skills and experience that she can take onto the mission field later. Amy will also be applying as a substitute teacher in Spokane/Cheney as an intentional foot-in-the-door for the next year.

Year Two (6/2019-2020) = Go back to school
               Luke goes back to the hangar to start his 2-year flight school at Moody. He will earn his FAA Private Pilot License, instrument rating, and Commercial Pilot Certificate while earning a Bachelor of Science in Missionary Aviation Technology. (One instructor commented that aviation students take enough credits to complete 2.5 traditional degrees!) Luke will also have to complete an overseas internship along with other training requirements specifically designed to prepare pilots for the unique challenges of missionary piloting. You can read more about his program HERE.

               Amy goes back to school for a 1-year Masters in Teaching program for early education at Eastern Washington University. This is an expedited program that puts students in the classroom right away. She will graduate with a Teaching Certificate and a Master in Education degree in Elementary Teaching. You can read more about her program HERE.

Year Three (6/2020-2021) = Luke finishes school and Amy teaches

               Lord willing, Amy hopes to start working in a local school district right after she graduates in 2020. Luke will be in his last year of school completing various flights. Luke will be graduating in the Spring of 2021. We will still be actively involved in our church. Amy will hold on to the youth and outreach job as long as she and the church see fit.

               This will also be the year that we start to seriously consider various missionary organizations for long-term service. Each organization has their own requirements and application process. Most organizations require all student debts to be paid off before entering the field. This is a large factor in our decision to take a year off before flight.

       Our goal for all of our schooling is to be the best equipped to serve communities overseas.

Years Four and Five= Work, pay off debt, apply to organizations, raise support

               Here is where our plan turns more hypothetical. Depending on how the Lord leads us through school, we may need to spend some serious time working to cover expenses. One possible option is to move to Minnesota so that Luke can pick up his job at Vertical Limit to make fast money climbing cell phone towers. He will spend a lot of time on the road away from his wife, but the long hours and high pay may help us move overseas faster. Ideally, we would like to be able to stay in Spokane/Cheney and remain in our church community until the Lord calls us overseas.

               This will also be our time to seriously start raising support. We plan to be traveling the country to visit churches, explaining the importance of missionary pilots and teachers, and to humbly ask others to partner with us in bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to hard-to-reach peoples. Once we get accepted to a mission organization we will have a better idea of where in the world we may be serving, the monthly cost of living we will need to raise, and a more accurate timeline for leaving the states.

       We want to move overseas and start serving as soon as we responsibly can! We would move tomorrow if God made it possible, but we know we will be better servants after earning our degrees- bringing valuable skills to the communities we will serve. This process has a purpose.