There always seems to be a little bit of confusion about what Harold does. People frequently ask us what he does when he is not flying. So I thought that I would give everyone a view of my perspective of his occupation.
For those of you who don't know , Harold is a missionary pilot with Missionary Flights International (MFI). They fly mostly to Haiti, but also to other locations in the Caribbean. Why all this special attention to Haiti you may ask. Haiti is actually considered a fourth world country. A third world country is a developing country, while a fourth world country is stagnant, in some cases even regressing. MFI is the life line to the missionaries in this very difficult country. I have done some overseas traveling, and Haiti by far is the worst for culture shock that I have been in. Harold usually flies into Haiti once a week. He leaves at about 5:00 am on those days, and is back home by about 9:00pm. Occasionally he has overnight stays which he enjoys because it allows him to experience first hand what a difference MFI is making in the lives of the missions they serve.
His degree is actually Pilot/Mechanic, which is what he initially did when he first started with MFI. About three years ago they asked him to become the Executive Assistant. At first he was a little reluctant to give up aircraft maintenance since that is what he taught at Moody, but he has really found his niche in the office.
First he handles all the correspondence with the missionaries. He answers hundreds of emails a week, since they serve over 200 hundred organizations. It amazes me that he can keep all the names ,dates, packages , and special orders straight.
Next he deals with US customs. Since 911 it has become more and more intense. They have to have passenger and cargo lists well in advance, and they don't like surprises.
He also handles many of the MFI's humanitarian efforts. They work closely with Samaritans Purse in any case of natural disaster. He just sent 7000 sewing machines to 30 different countries to be used in micro business and community development endeavors. They store water purification kits and tarps to be shipped out as soon as a hurricane has passed over. He is now working with an organization called Feed My Hungry Children, getting prepackaged rice and soy packets to malnourished children. Sometimes we are so anxious to spread the gospel that we forget about the "cup of cold water". It is a lot easier to listen and understand if you are not fighting off hunger pains. Harold's goal is to give the missions every commodity they need to help plant the seed.
I could elaborate on each of these duties, but it would take too much time. Suffice it to say that I am extremely proud of him. He has had other guys tell him that they would give anything to be where he is today. These are people who seem to have it made materially, but just don't find any fulfillment. I am so glad that he followed his heart and made this ministry our life. With so much competing for our kids attention today, ministry has to be exciting to hold an attraction to our kids. Harold is living it out right in front of them that this is a "great adventure".
I am "the Missionary Pilot's Wife".
Today is our eleventh anniversary, for anyone interested. After dating for six years and eleven years of marriage, we have now spent over half of our lives together. We have now moved into the "good-bye twenties, hello mini-van" season of our lives. We are happy to inform you that we are still very much in love. The romance while very different from the dating years is still intact. It never ceases to amaze me that the bond between us has grown stronger over diaper changes, sippy cups, and mud pies. We'll go out tonight, by ourselves, and probably end up talking about the kids. Let me assure you that it won't be any less romantic than it was before, probably a little bit more romantic, because the life we share is our fulfillment. The State of our Union is strong and will remain so.
