Thanks To all of you who have been praying for my parents' situation. I was reading back down through the last few posts I'd made on the subject, and it doesn't look like I ever fully explained what was going on for the last few weeks. Here's the deal. Before the accident, the plan was that my mom and dad would come back from the Philippines on Tuesday, August 26. They would stay with us in Seattle on Wednesday; we would fly to Colorado on Thursday, and stay down there through September 7. They would stay with us in Seattle again on Monday the 8th and fly back to the Philippines on Tuesday--exactly two weeks in country. Because of the accident, plans had to change a little bit. My dad had to go down to New Tribes' flight headquarters in Arizona while he was here and meet with the board to discuss his future with NTM Aviation. Because some of the guys on the board were travelling last week, the earliest this meeting could happen was at the beginning of this week, so mom and dad got to stay an extra week and a half. They were down in Arizona Monday and Tuesday this week and then back up here for a couple of more days before returning to the PI today. It was great to have the extra time with them, even if it was a little tight in our small apartment. Also, it was nice that they were able to be here to celebrate my brother's birthday yesterday. We all took the ferry over the penninsula and had dinner with some friends who we hadn't seen in several years.
As far as the big decision goes, it looks like dad will not be flying on the field any more. My parents see God leading them in a new direction through this experience. However, as is usually the case when God leads, the destination is not clear. In the near term they plan to go back and help get the plane put back together. Beyond that, they do not know, although they are aware of several ministry opportunities, both on the Philippine Field and with NTM Avition in the home office. Again, thanks for your prayers over the past couple of weeks. The big meeting was difficult for both my parents and the men on the NTMA board, but God was with the process. Please continue to remember my family in prayer as they move into a period of transition and seek what God has laid ahead of them.
posted by Tom 5:53 PM
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Saying goodbye to summer When I got back from Colorado a couple of weeks ago, I was afraid I had missed the end of summer in Seattle. For a few days the sky darkened and air cooled a bit in a preview of things to come, but it didn't rain during that time and the sun would poke through the clouds now and again. Summer made one last appearence over the weekend, something for us all to remember her by as we head into the rest of the year here in Seattle. The thing is, Seattle doesn't really have seasons like most of the rest of the country has seasons. Summers here are great; it's never ridiculously hot, but you'll hardly see a cloud in the sky from July to September and views--everything from the city skyline to the surrounding mountains--are spectacular. Then there's the rest of the year, when the weather is exactly like what you've all heard about Seattle. It doesn't really rain that much; we almost never get a thunderstorm or a good downpour, but there is constant drizzle. The clouds come in, and the sun and the views of the mountains are gone until next year. It never really gets cold enough to be winter. I saw more "snow" in my years in east Texas than Seattle has had in the past decade. It's just mildly chilly, and damp, and gray. And nothing changes until begins fighting its way back, usually in mid-June. However, this weekend was glorious. I left for work Friday thinking the clouds had rolled in for good, but by lunch time the sun was peeking through in places. At three o'clock there was more blue sky than there were clouds. Saturday was bright and clear. From my position in the south goal of a soccer field in West Seattle I had a beautiful view of the downtown skyline, with the Stuart mountain range off in the distance behind it. By Monday morning the clouds had returned, and today the perpetual drizzle began. I have never lived here from the end of one summer to the beginning of the next, and I'm already wondering how I will hold up to the monotony. It will probably take lots of indoor activities--hockey starts in less than a month--and frequent trips to the mountains to keep me sane.
posted by Tom 9:00 PM
It starts with the shoe. Maybe the next day it's a t-shirt or a sock. You don't know if the washing machine ate it, or your roommate borrowed it a month ago and forgot that it was yours. All you know is that by the end of the week, you're walking to class naked because you don't have any clothes left.
