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| Joshua and Anna |
 Josh
Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with airplanes and with flying. This became the main focus of my time outside of school when I was about twelve, and I spent long hours daydreaming, planning, and designing aircraft. I read stories of Nate Saint and others who had been so involved in the early years of mission aviation, and these men became some of my greatest heroes. It was during this time that the seeds of a ministry in aviation were planted in my heart.
When I was sixteen, the Lord spoke to me very clearly that my interest in aviation was distracting from my relationship with Him, and that I had neglected to seek His face and find satisfaction in Him alone. The Lord called me to lay down my interest in aviation and for almost five years I turned my focus on the Lord and the ministry opportunities that he had put before me.
I don’t remember hearing about New Tribes for the first time. It just seems to have always been a part of my life. During the Summer of 2000, I began seeking the Lord very seriously for His will for my life. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was to be in full-time ministry, but I didn’t yet know where or how. My interest in aviation began to grow again, but I wanted to be sure that it was God releasing me to pursue it again, and not my own desires. The Lord soon made his direction clear, and began providing for all of the training I would need for a life in mission aviation. At about this time, some family friends moved back to Texas from Wyoming. Their oldest daughter, Candy, had just returned from a trip to PNG with Interface. As we became reacquainted, my interest in this beautiful young lady began to grow. She told about her time in PNG and about the Lord’s call on her life to the mission field, and the more I learned, the more interested I became(in her and the Mission). Until I re-met Candy I had no idea that New Tribes even operated aircraft, and this opened a whole new world of possibilities. I began to pursue working with New Tribes as well as Candy, and we were married in February of 2003. In December of 2004 we were blessed with a precious little son, Joshua Christopher. We moved to Missouri is August of 2006 and our little Anna Faith was born in September. The Lord has continued to abundantly provide as we have followed His lead, and we are excited to see where He will take us.
 Candy
Growing up a preacher’s kid in Wyoming, I have always known about Christ and His Word. I have never doubted His love for me, but I don’t believe I was truly saved until the age of about 15. It is so easy for a PK or kids growing up in a Christian home to think they really know Christ when in reality, they just know about Christ. So, I basically lived on the faith of my parents and making sure I acted like a preacher’s daughter should. I did not have the personal, intimate relationship with Christ that is necessary for a true follower of Him to have. I cannot pinpoint a date upon which I was saved, but around the age of 15, the Lord convicted me of my sin and showed me my self-righteousness and how I had based everything upon my performance and knowledge, not upon faith. I truly came to know Him as Savior, not just as someone I knew about. I know that I am His and have no doubt of that.
My family has always been very missions minded and growing up Southern Baptist, every church I have ever been a part of has too. I really began to feel the Lord leading me personally in this direction when I was 11. I became very interested in specific countries and people groups, particularly in Asia. I devoured biographies of missionaries and studied about different mission organizations and the specific works they do. I don’t remember when I first heard about NTM. It seems I have always known about it. I really wanted to go on a mission trip, so when I was 16, we started checking into different ones. I discovered INTERFACE and really wanted to go, but didn’t quite meet the minimum age requirement. We prayed and asked the Lord that if this was His will, that wouldn’t be an issue. We called and it was no problem. So, in the summer of 2000, I went to PNG. That trip changed my life in so many ways, but it really confirmed in my heart that this was what God had for me and even showed me the mission He wanted me to serve with. I was planning on going tribal, but the Lord had different plans. Three weeks after I returned from PNG, my family moved back to Texas where a lifelong acquaintance of mine helped us unload our Uhaul. Well, to make a long story short, this acquaintance is now my dear husband. He also believed that God wanted him in missions, but through the avenue of mission aviation. So, putting two and two together, NTM and aviation, here we are.
My walk with the Lord has been a beautiful journey and I look forward to see where all He will lead.
 Joshua Christopher
I am 2 1/2 years old. I just moved to my new home in Arizona at an airport. Planes fly over my house everyday and I like to go see them. I like Thomas the Tank Engine. I like to play the guitar. I have my own guitar just like daddy's.
 Christiana Faith
I am 11 months old. My nickname is "Sweet Pea." I am learning to walk. I want to do everything my Bubba does and I crawl away with his toys. He is sweet to me most of the time. I am a very good eater. I will eat anything, even things I'm not supposed to. Mommy has to watch me all the time. I am a very happy little girl. |
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