Check this out!

I have a confession to make (Ricky). I have secretly begun a musical recording career. (Not really.) But I have had fun trying to record some mellow acoustic songs with my guitar recently. Here's my little studio setup:
And if you want to grab a listen, click on "Ricky's Songs" to the right.

The next steps?.......

I had a very special opportunity to talk to a couple named Jason and Joselyn Thiemann the other day. (www.maf.org/thiemann). Jason and Joselyn are exactly where Heather and I hope to be in about a year. Jason has finished all of his training as a pilot and a mechanic, and they have gone through the interview process with Mission Aviation Fellowship, and they are accepted and getting ready to go serve in a small country called Lesotho contained in South Africa. So I talked to them for a long time about the process they have been going through. They had nothing but encouraging things to say about what they have experienced with MAF. It was very refreshing because, as friends and family know who ask us, the exact process we need to go through to become an MAF staff member has been sort of fuzzy. We know the big picture...which is get flight training, get maintenance training, get bible training, then apply with MAF. But since we are getting close to applying, we are trying to figure out what all of the next steps are. We had an idea, but after talking to Jason and Joselyn, the picture is very clear. When we apply with MAF, we will go out for two weeks for an evaluation (they test my flying and maintanance capabilities) as well as our maturity and spiritual preparation. If they accept us after the evaluation, we go back a couple months later for a six week time called "canidacy" which is a pretty intense time of preparation. It is at that point we would be official staff members. Then we are sent out to raise our ministry support, which takes their staff on average six months. After that we go back to Boise (where their headquarters are) and I would do a few months of intense flight and maintenance training to prepare me for the type of challenges missionary pilots face. There would also be classes preparing Heather and I for life overseas. So after that three months we would be ready to go! So from the day we go out for evaluation, to the day we are fully trained and ready to go it could be about a year. And after that our first year on the field could be language training. So from now until the day I am actually flying for MAF on the mission field could be a few years. We knew all of this coming in. That is part of the reason why we chose to come to SMAT for training. The 1 year maintenance program and the at-your-own-pace flight training (without having to earn a degree) were the quickest (and also most cost effective) options. But we also know that the time and preparation is very well worth it. I will someday be flying the Lord's precious children and servants into some of the most difficult landing strips in the world. It is a huge responsibility and privelege and to cut corners in preparation would not be a good idea!

It's snowing sideways outside. It's very warm and cozy in here. I love these types of saturdays. We had not much of anything planned for today. Heather's got all our Christmas decorations up and in their places. The lights on the tree go between disco-style blinking to gently fading in and out. Christmas music has been on and off all day. Various Christmas goodies and drinks are in the works for tonight as some friends make their way over for the evening. We've got the TV set up, with space next to it on the table for this computer. On the TV tonight we will watch Mizzou (Heather's college) fight for a spot in the football national championship game. At the same time, on the computer, we will watch Arizona State (my college) battle their archrivals Arizona. I know the Christmas season is about the birth of Jesus, but football has also been a big theme it seems. During our thanksgiving trip to Missouri, I went to two games on successive days with Dave, Heather's stepdad. It was a blast though. I got to see #4 Missouri beat #2 Kansas live and in person. What a spectacle that was. We went to watch the Chiefs play the raiders (in an infinitely less-hyped game) the next day. We got to spend time with a lot of Heather's family on thanksgiving. We also got to help my good friend Brad in his proposal plot to his girlfriend (now fiancee) Rochelle (sp?). Brad helped me in my proposal plot with Heather a few years back, so it was only fitting that we help him out too. It was at the same place that we got engaged, the plaza in Kansas City. Heather walked into a coffeshop where Brad and Rochelle were, and handed a rose to Rochelle. Brad had a special bible verse attached to the rose. Meanwhile I was just down the street placing some flowers, a blanket and a special gift in a horse-drawn carriage and kept watch. Brad and Rochelle arrived, he helped her into the carriage, and they disappeared around the corner. Brad proposed there in the carriage. What a romantic dude! Brad threw a party at his house afterwards where we got to meet Rochelle and congratulate her and Brad. We also got to see some of our good friends from Missouri that we haven't seen in quite a while. What a special thanksgiving trip.There's a photo from our 3rd anniversary night a couple weeks back. I surprised Heather by having flowers waiting at the restaraunt. (It's a trick I pulled years ago....I am out of new material, so I am recycling all of my old ideas!) We had a very special evening. My good friend Jeffrey helped me out by coming over and lighting some candles, starting some fun Sinatra-like music, and planting some sparkling cider and chocolate strawberries before we got home. It was very fun.