Mission 329 Report
November 2014

This is a report for Mission 329 by Grace on Wings.

Departure:  Atlanta, Georgia

Arrival:  Indianapolis, Indiana

Date:  November 6, 2014

Mission Report

All tucked in aboard Nellie and ready for take-off and it seems that we have a mechanical problem. This means we will need to switch planes and move all of our equipment (monitors, IV pumps and such) over to Abe. It would be easy to view this as an inconvenience from a human perspective or perhaps we can see it as another incredible opportunity to see how God works, by placing His hedge of protection around us . (Do we make this about us or about Jesus?)

So, on a cool cloudy Thursday in Indy we begin our journey to Atlanta to pick up Phil, an air traffic controller from right here in Indianapolis. Not only is he from Indianapolis but, from the very tower that directs us, Grace on Wings, in and out of our home- base airport for every mission that God allows us to do. (We cannot let this opportunity to offer a huge thank you to these men and women pass by.)

As we enter Phil’s hospital room we are greeted by his wife Stephanie and one of Phil’s best friends. Phil has suffered multilple fractures from the accident involving him, as a pedestrian verses a motorcycle. It is evident that just the move alone from the bed to our stretcher will be quite painful for him, with these fractures and the loss of the depth perception that he has also suffered. It brings to mind Ps. 6:2b O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. Agony is not a word we hear used very often but I think that it clearly describes how Phil was feeling.

As we make our way from the hospital to the plane I discover through speaking with his wife Stephanie that the 3 of us graduated high school together and have not seen each other since. Now doesn’t this make the world seem smaller. It is also evidence that we never know when we may see someone again and under what circumstances. ( How am I living my life? How about you?)

Once we had gently placed Phil aboard Abe we made him as comfortable as possible. During our flight Phil shared that while in Atlanta these past few weeks several of the air traffic controllers there were able to collect money for he and Stephanie. He said that he only knew about 2 or 3 people there and he seemed surprised at their generosity. After some light conversation both Phil and Stephanie rested quietly for the duration of our flight. Once we were picked up by the tower in Indianapolis many voices were overheard welcoming Phil home. As we moved him from the plane to the ambulance here in Indy, he was greeted by several fellow controllers on the ground who had been anxiously awaiting his arrival. We were able to safely deliver him to a local hospital here much closer to his family for his continued recovery.

I ask you, in retrospect, should Phil seem surprised at the generosity from those who did not know him? That they would care enough to help? Since I myself do not know any of these people, I do not know if they have a relationship with Jesus or not. What I do know is that many of us including myself profess such a relationship. Aren’t we called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to all of His people in many different ways one being our generosity?

2 Cor. 9:11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. God gives us resources to use and invest for Him. When we invest what God has given us in His work, he will provide us with even more to give in His service. Are people seeing God’s generosity through us as believers?

I must also add that seeing someone from my high school days gives me cause to reflect on my own behavior both then and now and I am ashamed to say it is not always Godly. It makes me realize how my own behavior not only affects every aspect of my life but how it is setting a continuous example to others. 
Isn’t this true for all of us? What do others see when they see me / you? Do they see Jesus? Are we living our lives for ourselves and others or are we living it for Him being a witness to others for Him? Are we being that pipeline of God’s generosity to others or are we just a holding tank?

My challenge for you today is this: “are you willing to give up all of the temporary enjoyment found here on earth for the promise of eternal glory with our heavenly Father? 2 Cor. 5:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

We must all make a choice each and every day to follow and serve God or not to follow and serve Him. You can be assured that GOD CERTAINLY DOES NOT FOLLOW NOR SERVE US!  If you have not already done so, what choice will you make?
Thank you to Hal and Stephanie!

Joshua 24:15 But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Many Blessings,
Shelli Engle RN

Grace on Wings 

P.O. Box 455 
Plainfield, IN 46168 

877-754-7223 – Toll Free
317-248-0910 Office
317-248-0900 Fax
317-796-3863 Mobile

“Showing Christ’s Love Through Aviation”
 

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