Schmidt Journey

While the Cat's away, the Mice will play!

2012-01-25T09:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Tyler went to a FIRC conference (Flight Instructor Renewal Course) in order to keep his Certified Flight Instructor rating current. Because this meant 3 full days by myself (the weekend-2 nights), I'd been preparing for this weekend alone for quite awhile, finding friends that can keep me company while I'm with the kids. However, it had been a horrible week: first Aaron got sick, then Caleb, and most nights we got very little sleep, and none of us had any energy. I thought, "Of course this has to be the weekend Tyler is gone, when I am already sleep-deprived and not feeling great myself!". (recognize a little self-pity?) But, lately, the Lord has been showing me just how powerful He is and the power of prayer. I am so blessed to have several strong spiritual prayer warriors on my side, as well as supportive and encouraging friends. There was not even one moment last weekend where I felt like I couldn't handle things any more, or felt discouraged, or even like crying (for those Mom's out there, you know how hard that is when you're sleep deprived!). I know that it was God's power working through the prayers of my family and friends, and, of course, the friends that spent some time helping me!

Now, I feel slightly self-conscious typing this. I realize one weekend home alone with the kids is nothing in the long run. There are many people parenting on their own all the time, or for a year while the husband serves overseas with the military. But for me, this long weekend alone was a challenge. I am so thankful the Lord could use even this little time to show me that He will always sustain me, that His power alone can wipe away discouragement, strengthen us emotionally and physically, and He always provides what we need when we need it.

Caleb, Aaron and I attempted to do a few fun things this weekend, though we couldn't go out much due to their colds and the snow/ice we just got. Here's a little snapshot of our time while "the Cat" (Tyler) was away!

Trying our hand at a new granola bar recipe...yummy!

I'm just too cute for my britches...

Playing in the new play tent/tunnel

We used crushed fruit loops to make a colorful picture on construction paper with glue

Until later!

Renae

So...what is a piston engine?

2012-01-04T21:59:00.000-08:00

For the past three weeks (excluding Christmas) I have been working at Moody Aviation in Spokane WA, changing out two Cessna 206's engines. This is not regular maintenance that usually happens everyday so this was special for me to get in on the experience and get my hands greasy. After being at Spokane Turbine Center for the last two years and not touching a piston engine in that time, being involved in this project is great.

Since this is the next step in the process to going overseas we are excited about how God is leading us to Moody to get some more experience before heading to M.A.F for a technical evaluation this October.

This is what a Cessna 206 looks like without an engine, all bare and ugly.

IO-520 engine just "hanging" around

Christmas time is here....

2011-12-29T18:21:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We pray you all had a splendid Christmas rejoicing in our Savior's birth. For our holiday celebrations we were joined by most of Tyler's immediate family. It was wonderful to share the joy of Christ and the gift of family during such a special time.

Tyler is still enjoying his holiday break up through next Monday. So far we have been staying in pajamas half the morning, playing with Caleb's train sets, doing a little shopping, napping, and trying to finish up or get rid of all those holiday sweets. Plus of course the few house projects we'd like to accomplish while Tyler is home all day.

We can't believe how much both kids are growing. Aaron is starting to cruise around the furniture. He is all smiles and happiness (except for last week while he was teething and dealing with a second cold...). Caleb is picking up more and more phrases and words, like "Ow knee mama" when I banged my knee on the stairs earlier while chasing him. It's fun to be able to communicate with him more as he develops.

As usual, we can't resist putting up a few pictures of our lives. Here are some Christmas photos to enjoy!

Aunt Danica and Aaron

Playing "Bohnaza" card game

4 generations of Schmidts

One happy child

Christmas Day meal and one happy family

Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-16T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is one holiday season that we do not have to travel, and instead, family will come and see us. To celebrate, we decided to upgrade from our scrawny fake tree to a real Christmas tree. We went to our local tree farm and got to pick out a beautiful 6 foot tree and cut it down. Here are a few pictures of the event.

What is a family event without a picture?

Peeking through the acres of trees

Caleb had a fun time running in between all the blue spruce and pine trees

Renae and Caleb posing

Renae and Jodie Toews "clink" coffe mugs while watching the men "work" :)

Bringing out the mountain man in Tyler as he poses with his latest "kill"

Warming up by the fire after a long walk at the tree farm

Aaron helps Russ Toews (Jodi's father-in-law) get a baby fix

The tree almost didn't fit though our back door

There...it is straight as long as you tilt your head to the left

Caleb gets into the decorating spirit

The final resting place

Getting lights up

Playing with the light settings on the camera

Caleb has discovered how to plug in lights now

"Squirrel" (for all you Pixar fans)

The final touches and we will have a beautiful tree.

Merry Christmas to all of you and thank you for your continuing prayers and support. A new letter from the Schmidt's will be coming soon in the mail with news about Tyler's switch to Moody Aviation, his tentative date to take technical evaluation next year, and progress on our support team raising.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles!

2011-12-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

Trains...

Planes...

...and automobiles

Imagine taking enough trips in a year to travel by plane, train, and automobile all in the same year! That is the kind of year it has been for us. Beginning with last Christmas, when we flew to ND for deputation and vacation, followed by a summer trip by automobile to ND for more deputation. Then an unplanned and spontaneous flight (in the Kodiak!) to ND, again, while Renae spent time with family and Tyler spent 11 days on the Kodiak touring the east coast. Then ending with our recent expedition, yet again, to ND on the train for the week of Thanksgiving to spend holiday time with my (Renae's) entire immediate family (which we were not able to see earlier in the summer). Talk about being traveled out! We are ready for a nice long break from traveling now as we settle back into our routine again in Spokane.

We are so thankful that we were able to spend lots of time last week with my brother and his family, as well as seeing extended family for Thanksgiving, and sharing a Christmas celebration with all of my immediate family. Unfortunately many of us shared in spreading the joy (or dread) of the stomach flu! It managed to pass to most of the kids and some adults, making the trip a little less fun but just as memorable. Poor Caleb caught it the morning we left on the train to come back to Spokane. Oh the joys of catching throw-up while traveling on a train!

Here are some pictures of our time with family:


Caleb on the train with a bucket near by

Family picture

Everyone is helping with the puzzle

Renae's sister Andrea and Tyler's cousin Jonathan, who happen to be married :)

Renae's brother Ryan and Mindy with their twin girls Emma and Aubery

They all wanted to play piano

Aaron was happy to just standup and grin

All the little babies of the family, just missing the three older kids.

Today is Tyler's last day at Spokane Turbine Center. Tomorrow (Friday) he will move his stuff out of his office there and transfer it over to Moody Aviation. We are excited at this next step towards preparing to join MAF. Tyler is tentatively schedule to take his technical evaluation (TE) with MAF in October of next year. Please being praying with us that he would be able to adequately prepare for the test, and that God would overcome our burden to student debt so that we will not have that obstacle still in our way in a year.

Thank you so much for praying with us and sharing in our lives.

holiday blessings (and hopefully not such a long wait until our next blog...)

the Schmidt's

Living in the "Now"

2011-10-04T18:26:00.000-07:00

Tyler and I have now lived in Spokane for over 4 years. When we first moved here, our immediate plan was: attend Moody Aviation flight school for 2 years. After that we knew Tyler would need to gain more experience and we would need to pay off student debt, but did not know the "where" or "how" of these two things. Neither of us thought we would end up staying in Spokane as long as we have.

The move to Moody is not that far, only down the road.

The Lord certainly surprised us by opening up the doors of the Spokane Turbine Center (STC) internship, and allowing us to be missionaries with Proclaim Aviation these last 2 years. We are so grateful for the time we have spent with STC, but as we continue to move towards to an overseas missions, we are taking another step in that direction. Starting in December, Proclaim is allowing Tyler to switch his responsibilities at STC over to Moody Aviation as a maintenance instructor for the 4th and 5th year students. The goal of this is to give him the required maintenance experience on the single piston engine (like a car) that he will need for the technical evaluation (TE) he must take to join any mission organization. We are also hoping that switching over to Moody will give him a little more time to fly the aircraft he will also be tested on, a Cessna 206.

Cessna 206

Our original plan was for Tyler to take his TE in 2012 at Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). As we continue to pray about this, we face two issues: Tyler may not have enough time in flight and maintenance to prepare him for the test by spring, and, our other big obstacle of our student debt. We still have a little over $21,000 in school debt and to be able to join MAF we need to be debt free (or very close). Because of these two factors, it is more likely that our goal will be for Tyler to take the TE in 2013 sometime. We are in constant communication with the MAF recruiters about our time table for TE and a date has not been nailed down as of yet. It will still be an act of God (a miracle) if we can get our debt down to almost zero by that time. But when things are impossible for man it just opens up the way for God to work in a mighty way, and this is a great opportunity.

Sometimes I (Renae) feel like we are often in "limbo land". We know we're not here to stay, yet we are not at a point where we are able to go overseas. It makes it hard for me to feel "settled", and to make permanent connections. We are still learning how to "live in the now", and make all the relationships and interactions we have here as important as if we were going to live here the rest of our lives. I, personally, am learning how to ask God to help me live how He would want me to each day; to love Jesus, to love people, be myself, and take advantage of the opportunities we have here and now while we wait for the next bend in the "Schmidt journey."

Please pray for us as we:

Make a plan for Tyler to take the Technical Evaluation (TE) in 2012 or 2013
Reduce our school debt to zero by our TE date
Try to take advantage of opportunities to know and serve people better
Learning how to love God more and teach our kids to love God through our actions

til next time,

the Schmidts

There and Back Again...

2011-09-09T15:29:00.000-07:00

The Schmidt's are finally back in Spokane after almost 2 months gallivanting around the States. It has been a wonderful summer seeing family, visiting supporters, and flying the Kodiak to new places. Over the two weeks that Tyler was gone he had traveled over 4800 miles, given rides to 300+ people and gained 17.8 hours of valuable flight time in the Kodiak. The Spokane Turbine Center crew also visited over 9 States on this trip, and even got to play a little in the Colorado mountains with the Kodiak. We are so thankful for the safety that God provided during that time and the almost problem free trip with the Kodiak (some lights didn't want to work on the Kodiak).

A heavy dew on the cowling at Smoketown PA

Ken Smoll and his dad, fixing the strobe lights that didn't want to work. This was due to the moisture from the dew getting in the power box of the strobes, but as soon as they dried out we were set to go. Thankfully it was not a major problem at all

Tyler doing what he does best! Shutting the door

Tyler flying on of the many legs to the next destination

Jeremy and Jill Hart were our host family in Colorado and good friends of Ken's. We took them out to Eagle CO for lunch in the mountains and had a blast.

Got to see some pretty neat stuff like this waterfall

Also thunderstorm clouds started to "pop" and we got to "work" the weather and fly around some rain showers

The Hart family and STC crew in the Kodaik heading back to Centennial/ Denver CO

The dramatic walk away (with theme music of course) after a good flight

These are some of the kids we gave rides to in Grand Rapids MI from Western Michigan Aviation Academy, some of these guys had never ridden in a plane before

The man in the white shirt is Dick DeVos. He is the one funding the Western Michigan Aviation Academy and invited us back a second year to give rides to the new incoming freshman class.

Our "small" Kodiak parked next to a Gulfstream 5 in Dick DeVos's Amway hangar.

All packed and ready to head home!

Tyler is snoozing while Aaron is contemplates the complex pattern on the blanket he is face planted on

After two weeks of not seeing my family I am sure glad to be reunited with them

As we passed through North Dakota to pick up Renae, we were able to give a ride to Renae's sisters family. It was their first ride in an airplane and they enjoyed it!

Rain or Shine

2011-08-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

Day two was a little wetter than yesterday. We had just started to set up when the rain clouds started to come in and we had to wait out the rain.

The Kodiak getting a little wet

The Nate Saint's Piper Super Cub (replica) with a wing of the piper cub that was in the "End of the Spear" movie

Alisha, Ken and Anna waiting out the storm and getting some paper work done

Rain, rain, go away....

Thunder storm clouds building while we were flying

All in all this was a great weekend over here at Smoketown. We had a safe conclusion to the airshows and gave rides to about 100 people. I was able to meet some old friends from Moody and spend part of a day with them and also meet some new people as well in between giving safety briefings for rides.

One such person I met was very interested in missionary work and how the airplanes could do such radical maneuvers such as land on short sloped mountain airstrips. After a while our conversation steered from airplanes to spiritual things and I realized that this man wasn't a Christian. Even though we were at a missionary aviation fest there were people at the event that were not believers but were curious onlookers of what we do. That drove the point home that there is a mission field in every heart and soul that we talk to and even though this man was not very open to talking about Christ, I pray that the seed that was planted will not return void.

Thank you for your prays as we continue to travel and give rides. Please pray that Renae will be able to handle our very energetic two year old Caleb and our newest addition Aaron till I get back.

Smoketown PA, Missionary Air Festival

2011-08-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

The Spokane Turbine Center crew has arrived in Smoketown PA, and have been busy giving rides and giving safety briefings to passengers before they take their rides. That is my job, to give a safety talk to the passengers about how to operate the doors, where the fire extinguishers are, what to do in an emergency, how the seat belts worked and how not to throw up. Sort of like a glorified airline stewardess :)

Talking to folks about the Kodiak

Giving the next ride a safety briefing

Loading the passengers

Helping put on the seat belts

A little girl excited about her first flight

Passengers are all set and ready for lift off, Tyler just needs to get out of the airplane

The Kodiak in Rugby, ND!

2011-08-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

after landing at the Rugby Municipal Airport

Who would have thought that the fabulous Kodiak airplane would fly to my hometown of Rugby, ND? Yesterday, on the 18th, we flew directly from Spokane to Rugby in less than 4 hours. This was the first leg of the long Kodiak tour that Tyler, his supervisor Ken, administrator Alycia, and Ken's daughter Anna are on. The four of them will take the Kodiak to Smoketown, PA where they will participate in a mission aviation airshow and give rides on the Kodiak. After several days here, they will continue on to Michigan and Colorado before returning to ND to pick up me and the boys to return to Spokane. During the course of the tour they will continue giving Kodiak rides to students, friends, church groups, families, and others interested in learning more about Spokane Turbine Center and the Kodiak. If you are interested in finding out more about their schedule, contact me or Tyler and we will let you know where they will be at and when.

During this tour please pray:

-protection for the pilots and guests
-good sleep and energy so the pilots will be safe
-that the Lord will lead hearts to support STC's ministry and/or get excited about mission aviation
-good weather for flying
-me (Renae) and the boys as we stay with family but are without husband and father for 11 days!

We are so thankful that Rugby ended up being "on the way" for this trip. I know God would give me the grace to have taken care of the boys alone during this time, but I am so happy that He worked it out that my family can help take care of us too!

Aaron loves his bumbo seat! Caleb loves getting dirty...dust and dirt from rocks plus bubbles...

Anna (Ken's daughter) helping with happy Aaron

Caleb fell asleep for maybe 10 minutes of the trip...this after waking up before 6a.m.

trying to get a family photo in the Kodiak. Tyler did not fly this leg so he could help with the kiddos during the flight.

More to come soon!

the Schmidt's

Missions and mosquitos

2011-07-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know where Tyler and I come from, I guess you could say we both are old-fashioned conservatives fashioned in the Midwest, North Dakota more specifically. Although Tyler did not live there, his mom and that entire extended family lives there. I, Renae, am actually from ND after moving there when I was nine. Now, to make our connection even closer, my sister is married to Tyler's cousin (don't worry, there's no blood relation there and we're not Mennonite). Because of these many connections, North Dakota has become somewhat of a "home base" for us since we got married and now as we seek to raise a support team for our time doing missions.

The extended Deckert Clan

We were able to spend the last month on vacation with family while also using our Sundays to share our presentation at several churches. One thing we both love about North Dakota is how the small communities and bodies of believers feel just like family whether or not you really know the people. You can hardly meet someone new without having some kind of connection through a common friend or relative. We were so blessed by the few churches we visited and their love for the Lord and their enthusiasm for our ministry. The Lord also provided a new church support, as well as some individual commitments. And in answer to a previous prayer request on the blog, all of our Sunday's were filled!

Foggy morning drive to church in Grace City ND

Caleb helped navigate for us and pointed which way to go

We enjoyed the time with both of our immediate families. Caleb and Aaron loved having their aunts, uncles, and grandparents around to dote on them. We celebrated Caleb's 2nd birthday (coming on the 25th), and enjoyed a family reunion over the 4th of July weekend. I bravely fought off the mosquito's (they just LOVE me) by staying inside as much as possible when they were out looking for victims. We could continue sharing more about our trip, but we'll just post a few pictures before this becomes a novel.

The three Schmidt brothers

Mom Wissink with her two newest grand kids

The Fred Schmidt clan together at last

Aaron giving Tyler's Mom a big smile

Fred Schmidt with his two grand kids

Grandpa and Grandma Wissink holding

Caleb's second birthday cake made by Renae's sister Andrea

Real men grill out in the rain

Caleb is getting use to the idea of getting in the water

We got to have some summer fun on the lake

Until next time,

The Schmidts

Road Trip Mementos

2011-06-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

You know you're on a road trip in the northern Midwest when...

your windshield is constantly covered in bugs
you are avoiding roadkill every couple of miles
you pass a sign for a road named "Bad Route Road"
you no longer have to watch out for curvy roads...it's completely flat
wonderful and amazing thunderstorms
we have not even been here for 2 days before Renae has several mosquito bites...

We are so thankful to have arrived at our destination safe and sound, with sanity of mind intact! Caleb and Aaron handled the traveling fairly well for being so little. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

One of Caleb's activities was to take out all the tissues in a box. He had a lot of fun and was distracted for a few minutes.

Caleb and Aaron on the bed at the motel.

We weren't kidding when we said there were a lot of bugs on the windshield.

Stopped for a picnic and no Aaron is not the main course.

Everyone else got to take a nap and Tyler was jealous..

...so Tyler decided he needed to sing an opera song to help keep himself awake.

Also,as many of you know, there is devastating flooding going on in Minot, ND, just west of Rugby (where we are right now). Because of this, many roads are closed and we had to change our route a few times to be able to get here. Renae has two cousins that have had to evacuate, and there are so many lives around here that are being affected by this. Please pray for Minot and the surrounding areas where so many people are without homes or any personal items. We remember that our treasures are not here on earth, but in heaven. Yet it is devastating to lose everything you have.

Till next time,

Schmidt's

Sweet Spring Blessings

2011-06-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Besides the birth of our precious Aaron Benjamin, we have had many more sweet blessings this spring. Here are a few of them in pictures and words.

Renae's mom here to help for a week

Tyler's mom back from Ecuador to help us

2 healthy, growing boys!


As Tyler's parents transition from Ecuador to the US, we were blessed with their company for several weeks.

The Lord provided a "new" minivan for our expanding family

Tyler and I were able to go on a nice date and enjoy a flight together; I love being married to a pilot!

The Clark family stayed in the guesthouse while helping at STC. What a blessing their friendship and mentoring was to us! Caleb loved having big brothers and a sister to play with.

Spring means time for planting and new growth

Caleb and his new sandbox

Clark kids and Caleb

sweet smiles


The STC team: Christopher, Tyler, Alycia, Ken, Jeremy

We are so thankful for the many ways the Lord has been with us and blessed us these last couple of months!

We leave June 23 for vacation time with family and to spend time building our support team. Please pray for:

-Safety traveling

-the Lord to guide those that He wants to join our support team

-one more church (for July 10) to share our presentation with

-unifying and encouraging time with family

-spiritual encouragement and growth for our marriage and family

-increase in our monthly support, as we are at about 40-45%

He has arrived

2011-03-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Aaron Benjamin Schmidt has arrived. He came at 6pm on Monday night weighing in at a hefty 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 20 inches long. Renae is doing just fine and has returned home when Aaron was only a day old. There were no complications and we are very thankful that so many of you prayed for us and Aaron.

What chubby cheeks he has

Getting warm under the heat lamp

Sleeping after a hard day of labor

The proud parents

Caleb meeting his brother for the first time

Till next time,

The Schmidts

Stearman Flight

2011-03-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

Today I got to do my first stearman flight and aerobatic flight. I had a BLAST, doing a couple of aileron rolls, loops and a hammer head. The weather was so beautiful after being rainy/snowy that there was no excuse not to go flying when I was asked.

With an open cockpit and a rumbling 450hp radial engine in front it didn't take long to leap into the air and start clawing up into the sky. I don't think I could wipe the grin off my face if I wanted to. This was definitely an experience that I don't want to forget.

Thanks Jay for the ride!

Teaching in Sub Zero

2011-03-02T14:22:00.000-08:00

Just like the mail man motto, "in rain or shine, snow or blizzard..." snow and wind didn't stop class time. I dragged out those poor students, from the warmer hemispheres, for PT6 engine runs.

They were good sports about it even though it was around -7 degrees with wind chill. They even said they learned something about the engine while they were losing feeling to their toes. Now before you label me a "mad professor" or something worse I want to point out that I was out there freezing with them. Due to having only a limited amount of time with our students that fly in from all over the world. Weather can hinder some of the learning opportunities, but I think we just made some memories for Dave and Jon to take back with them.

Here is a short clip of a startup of the PT6 engine

Not all of my teaching had to be done outside in the snow. I picked up a section in Kodiak Systems and taught about autopilot operations. It was my first time and it seemed to go pretty well, although I was a little nervous teaching guys that have already 1000's of flight hours of experience. Later there is a possibility to take more sections of the systems course later to help relieve some of Ken Smoll's work load. It is amazing how much more you learn about a subject when you have to teach it rather than just sitting in a class and learning. At the moment my responsibilities have returned to developing some more curriculum while the students finish up different courses and return home.

Till next time,

The Schmidt's

Indonesia, Africa, South America...?

2011-02-20T08:28:00.000-08:00

Just last week STC finished yet another round of training pilots on the PT6 engine. I did a lot of sitting through classes again, refreshing my knowledge as well as making changes to the workbook. During these weeks of training, Renae and I had the pleasure of housing two of the men upstairs in the guest house. As always, we were blessed and encouraged as we shared several meals and the super bowl party with them. Ricki and Daniel are both heading out to the mission field of Indonesia later this year as first time missionaries. And, both of their wives are also expecting! Needless to say, we had much to talk about and were able to learn more about candidacy with MAF and the preparation part of becoming overseas missionaries. Renae and I are discovering that there is always something new to learn and think about as we continue this path of missionary life.

Recently we have been challenged both by the Lord and the president of Proclaim Aviation to really be praying about when to start the application and Technical Evaluation process with a mission organization. Since we have been in the mindset that it could be 4-5 more years before our student loans are small enough to start that process, it is exciting to think that we might be able to begin several years sooner than expected. There is a possibility of fund-raising support to help with our loans so that we do not have to wait as long to go overseas. Please pray for us as we pray about this, for the Lord's ultimate timing and for Him to make it very clear what our next steps should be. At the soonest, I might be able to take my technical evaluation in January or July of 2012.

In the meantime, we are still trying to decide on a name for our newest baby coming in about 5 weeks! It is so exciting to look forward to the blessing of another baby. Renae is definitely ready to be done being pregnant, although neither of us are looking forward to sleepless nights again. (at least it's only a short phase of our lives, right?!) As always, we pray the Lord make his peace known to you each day and gives you joy.

serving Him,

the Schmidt's

Special times sharing at churches

2011-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

"And my God shall supply all your needs, according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19

We have just come back from visiting family in ND, and while we were there we had an opportunity to take some time to share our missions presentation in three new churches. It was wonderful to share our passion for missions to people that do not know what mission aviation looks like overseas. We have met many great people that want to see us succeed and have joined our prayer support team. We realize that without this vital ministry we could open ourselves up for spiritual attacks. With the different contacts we have made this past trip we are praying that the Lord will continue to bring more financial support in addition to prayer support. We are content to wait on Him as we know that the Lord knows our needs and He is faithful to supply all that we need. Many people have been very generous this past Christmas and we are so thankful to them and that the Lord spurred their hearts to give.

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!

2011-01-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

Negative temperatures, mountains of snow, endless prairie, icy roads, yep, we are back in North Dakota for the holidays! Not only have we had the blessing of spending a few weeks with family, but the Lord also provided a few opportunities to share about our ministry with Proclaim/Spokane Turbine Center at a couple of churches. We have one church left to visit and share with this coming Sunday. It is so exciting to us to be able to share about the impact Spokane Turbine Center is having on missionary pilots overseas and to share our vision of us going overseas in the next several years. We both still feel the Lord's calling strongly to pursue overseas missions and are excited about the new prayer and financial supporters He is bringing alongside us.

Here are a few pictures to give you a small idea of what our time in ND has been like thus far:

Caleb's first haircut!

the cousins watching cartoons in their little chairs

sledding down the hill of snow in the yard!

opening gifts-Caleb loves his new Scout puppy!

family pictures-Renae's sister's family (with a 3rd due in February)

Renae's brother's family with their 9-week old twins!

the 3 of us, soon to be the 4 of us!

swimming at our hotel pool in Bismarck-Caleb seemed to enjoy the slide

5 cousins now, with 2 on the way...my how our families are growing!

Thankful thoughts

2010-12-06T19:41:00.000-08:00

Even though it's only been a little over a week, Thanksgiving already feels like ages ago. It's amazing how quick the switch from Thanksgiving celebration is to preparation for Christmas. Despite the short holiday celebration, we greatly enjoyed our time spent reflecting on what we are thankful for and enjoying fellowship with family. We were blessed to have all of Tyler's siblings and other extended family join us for the thankful celebrations. It was such fun having everyone stay here in our house, and Renae really enjoyed hosting the meals and planning for several days of company.

Around a beautifully set Thanksgiving table, we all drew a question about being thankful and later shared our answers. It was fun to hear the different things we are all thankful for; for example, the invention Uncle Ron is most thankful for is ...airplanes! Go figure, in a family of pilots... In the past year, Renae is most thankful for the gift of being a stay-at-home mom. Tyler enjoys showing his thankfulness towards others by giving gifts, and expressing words of appreciation or some act of service for that person.

We enjoyed a little black Friday shopping, and had a Schmidt family Christmas celebration on Saturday. The Lord blessed our time together immensely!

Tyler, Kyle, and Trevor enjoyed setting up their own obstacle course in the backyard and played a little airsoft

Attempting to get Caleb playing in the snow...he wasn't so sure

about it! We got several inches over Thanksgiving week.

It's a......!

2010-11-17T14:41:00.000-08:00

I promised that I would share with you our news after my ultrasound last week, so, here goes... It's a BOY!! Yes, another little Schmidt baby boy. I am feeling slightly outnumbered, yet am filled with joy and excitement about the new baby. We are so excited to have a little brother for Caleb. As Tyler said, "Now he will have a little brother to roughhouse with!" You can see what Tyler loved doing with his little brothers. It will be such fun to observe how different our two sons will be. I think we are both most excited about Caleb having a playmate - he just loves other kids and playing with them/ observing them.

We are supposed to see some snow this weekend, but this is at least the 5th prediction we've had and still no snow. Next week Tyler's siblings will come to spend Thanksgiving at our home. It is the first time we've stayed home for a holiday and we are super excited to have family here to celebrate Thanksgiving and an early Christmas. We hope you all have a wonderful holiday whatever you do, and appreciate the many blessings God has given you over the last year.

Many thanks to you for your friendship and support in our lives!
Renae for the Schmidts

Christmas music before or after Thanksgiving?

2010-11-09T19:51:00.000-08:00

I would rather not get into a debate, knowing that many of you are advocates for the "after Thanksgiving day listening to Christmas music idea", but we have never been able to hold out that long! Ever since we got married, Tyler and I have either been year-round Christmas music listeners or would start about mid-summer. However, this year we have actually made it until October! That's right, for the past few weeks we have been enjoying the heralds of angels and the anticipation of family togetherness that Christmas music alone can bring. It strikes me that though all the sentiments of Christmas are great to look forward to, I do not spend much time anticipating the true reason we celebrate. That is why during our pre-Christmas listening time this year, I am trying spend more time thanking the Lord for the perfect Gift He gave us. (having a baby moving around inside me does help me remember to do this too!)

This past weekend Tyler and I were blessed with the chance to attend a Weekend to Remember marriage conference. What a gift to married couples! If all couples could attend one every few years, I think it would help many more marriages stay together. I was reminded and convicted of the importance of making our marriage a priority above the family. Since becoming parents it is so difficult to love and cherish Tyler the way I did before our precious boy came along! I am so thankful of the reminder and commitment to put our marriage first (which will hopefully start including some fun and creative dates planned by both of us!). I am looking forward to the challenge of showing Tyler how important he is to me both through dates, prayer, and special reminders through the week.

Tomorrow I have my 20 week ultrasound to make sure the baby is healthy, and also to find out if it is a boy or a girl. We did not find out what we were having before, but are most likely going to this time. Of course I could wait another day and then post this blog so all of you would know, but you will just have a wait a week or so while we let all our family members know!

I hope this entry finds you healthy and joyful, abiding in the strength of the Lord.

More Fall Happenings

2010-10-27T21:38:00.000-07:00

Goodness, time flies when you have a full work schedule and a family at home to keep you busy! Since our last update we have had several things going on...

First off I had the option to go to Prairie School of Mission Aviation at Three Hills Canada. This was the last flight on the summer tour with the Kodiak. It was only a day outing but was a good opportunity to show off the plane to some of the future missionary pilots and tell the students there that they could also get their turbine training at Spokane Turbine Center. I was also excited to go because this would give me some more flight time in the Kodiak. As we were passing over the Rockie mountains, I was once again awed by God's power and majesty in the creation I was looking at. Some of the mountains went straight up 3 or 4 thousand feet with no interruption in its climb for the skies. Even though we were cruising at 19,000 feet I still felt very small compared to the peaks that were jutting up all around me. On our return trip back to Spokane we started to run into weather and the night time. The temperatures were starting to drop and ice was starting to to form on our wings faster than it could sublimate, so that started to get the heart rate up trying to think of our "outs" (ways to get out of the weather) and options. It was good experience for and it was amazing to use the full capabilities of the G1000, using the XM weather which overlays where the precipitation is happening over your moving map. All in all the flight was completed successfully even if it was long day and we didn't arrive back home till the wee hours of the morning.

Most recently I have finished my Certified Flight Instructor Instrument rating as of Oct 22. This has a huge burden mentally for me and hasn't been easy. I had been working on this rating for almost a month and was starting to get some pressure from work to get it finished since they needed me back at the "office" and not boring holes in the clouds all day.

Caleb is lovin' life as he figures out new skills and develops his own little personality! Around 14 months he finally took off walking, and now he never stops! He is a busy little guy, and keeps us entertained and on our toes at all times. He's really smart too. One of his favorite activities right now is taking at least three of our pot lids and spinning them on the floor. We watched him the other day and he has a method: he holds them a certain way to be able to throw them so they always spin, and he can have all three lids spinning at the same time! It's pretty incredible the things they can figure out to do. One of the cutest things he does is "talk" on the cell phone. He has a toy phone that he holds to the back of his head and walks around gabbing like he's talking on it. Precious! He also loves to stack things and knock them over, and if we'd let him he'd pull all of the toilet paper off the roll.

Big news in our lives right now: Caleb will soon be a big brother! Renae is about 19 weeks pregnant and due around March 20. We should find out soon whether it is a boy or a girl. We are SO excited about the blessing of another child and the joy it will be to have two little ones to train and love.

Renae still loves the blessing of being a stay-at-home mom and is keeping herself busy with a women's Bible study, Tots and Co. at church, spending time with other moms, and teaching a couple piano lessons. She also enjoys the "baby" reading time at the library once a week, which apparently is just a hilarious time observing fifteen babies together with their parents singing and listening to short stories.

I realize this entry is a little lengthy due to our lack of current updates...I will try to post sooner so that you don't feel as if you are reading a novel! Hope you enjoyed the current news, and feel free to send us an update on your lives too! We would really enjoy hearing from you. God bless!

We love the fall...

2010-09-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Fall just happens to be my (Renae's) favorite season. I love September in Spokane, and especially love picking peaches and apples and enjoying pumpkin donuts at the local fruit orchards. Life has been busy since we returned from our 6-week long trip this summer. Though I enjoyed the time with my family, I am so happy to be home again. As fall starts, so do programs that I am going to try being involved in this year. I will soon be attending my church's women's Bible study, and also Tot's and Co. Both will be a nice outlet for Caleb and I.

Tyler and I were so encouraged by several people who have committed to supporting us during our vacation/deputation/work(for Tyler) time. We were especially blessed to share at my home church in Rugby, and experience the love and support of those that I have known for a long time. I am sometimes still overwhelmed and discouraged by the amount of support we need to raise, and the lack of traveling time we have to visit churches or people. But we have seen God provide so much already and know that it is not anything "we" can do, but what He can do. Tyler has to remind me often that God will raise the support we need, not us.

Though Tyler is back to at STC, he is spending much of his time at Moody Aviation once again, working to get his CFII, which certifies him to instruct instrument flying. Pray that he would continue strong with his studies and work hard for his flights and the lessons he has to teach, as studying can get very tiresome!

Caleb continues to outgrow the baby phase! He has taken several steps on his own, though does not try it very often. He babbles all the time, but not recognizable words yet. And last week he decided to see what it is like to play in the toilet. "Why haven't you let me do this before, Mom, this is fun!" He could probably spend the entire day outside and be a happy boy, except for meal times of course. We love watching him change and grow all the time!

Thanks so much for all your prayers, hope this gives you a snippet of our life recently.

End of the Line

2010-08-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

My first Kodiak tour has come to an end. I am excited to be going home and seeing Caleb and Renae but also sad that I won't be able to fly the Kodiak on a regular basis. We have traveled in the last 10 days from Grand Rapids Michigan to Akron OH to Norfolk VA passed Washington D.C's busy airspace and then back up to Lancaster/smoketown PA. I have enjoyed getting to "know" the Kodiak by flying for several hours and just familiarizing myself with the G1000 avionics package.

We just finished yesterday the biggest mission aviation air show in the world! This is located in Smoketown PA, just a few miles east of Lancaster. The airfield is located in a contrasting environment with aircraft flying overhead and buggies driving in the middle of Omish country. Even some of the locals came out to see what all the noise was about.

At the moment I am waiting to board my first flight of three today. Even though it is 5:30 am here on the East coast it is funny to think that I was awake and driving to the airport when in Spokane the clocks were only showing 12am. I only wish I could be with my family for breakfast this morning, guess I just have to wait only a few more hours. The trip was a good one but I am very ready to be home with my son and beautiful wife.

How many people can you fit in a Kodiak?

2010-08-18T15:59:00.001-07:00

The answer to that is 74...well 74 people over the course of 10 flights.

We were very busy giving rides to some students from Western Michigan Aviation Academy. This is a new charter high school for students that are interested in aviation as a career. We were there to help start the school year out with a thrilling ride in the Kodiak to almost 160 total students over a two day period. It was a great time seeing the smiles as they bounded out of the airplane, chatting and talking with their friends. For some it was their very first flight and they were nervous when I first sent them off on the flight but were grinning from ear to ear when I opened up the rear door.

Tomorrow we will head over to Virginia and then to Smoketown Pennsylvania. This has been my second business trip away from Renae and Caleb and I am excited about return home already. This has been a great opportunity for me to be able to gain some more flight time in the Kodiak as well as meet a lot of people that have been praying and supporting Spokane Turbine Center.

Kodiak Tour in Full Swing

2010-08-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

Spokane Turbine Center has been giving rides for the past week in the humid air of Missouri. The reason we are doing this is to let people know more about what mission aviation is and how it is a necessary part of overseas ministry. My job for these tours is to get people to sign up and give their weight (oh the horror!) for a weight and balance calculation for the Kodiak, and then give them a safety briefing like you get on a big airliner. This group above is from a church in Muskegon MI where most of the kids have never been on an airplane before. It was funny to hear Jeff (the pilot) comment that as soon as they started to taxi the kids would start to scream with delight and they would not stop screaming till they touched back down on the runway. All of them had a wonderful time and would pile out of the plane with huge grins on their faces asking if they could go up again. This is one way that we can influence some of the kids into thinking about becoming pilots and hopefully for missions as well. I did talk to one lad that was in sixth grade and because of this flight he was very interested in wanting to learn how to fly. Just like me when I was a young boy. It is amazing what one experience and the Lord can do to shape the rest of your future.

2010-08-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

Oshkosh has been a BLAST! In between working at the Spokane Turbine Center booth I have been able to visit the many different exhibits, see vintage aircraft, watch air shows and talk with different pilots. This air show has so many different aircraft that come from all over the world, and it is fun to see new designs of aircraft as well as the older "war birds." One of my favorite parts was being able to go to the section of the airfield that was a reenactment of the old WWII base. There were reinactors that were living just like they did on the battlefield almost 70 years ago. They had the tents set up, full gear on, the trusty jeeps and other vehicles and some various weapons that they use to back then. I had a lot of fun taking pictures and talking with them.

As I "work" the booth I met many people that have a passion for missions. To be able to talk with people that have the same focus is refreshing. My job was basically to network with the mission people and to let the reps from different colleges know that we offered turbine training at a low cost for their students. I also met some wonderful people that encourage me about our support raising. As some of you already know that we are only at 25% of the needed support level that we need to be at. These veteran missions told me that they had been in many hard situations but every time the Lord would provide just enough to see their needs met. Those words were helpful to me to stop stressing about what we were going to do about deputation while in North Dakota, since not much interest was generated from different emails and phone calls. Our support will come from the Lord and I should not be concerned about thinking of what people would be able to "afford" to support us financially. All that is needed is trust what we do will please the Lord and He will meet our needs.

Road Trip To North Dakota

2010-07-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

The summer schedule is here and the Schmidt family is about to go on another journey. What started out as a family vacation has escalated into a month and a half trip. We are doing a deputation (missionary term for raising a support team) trip for Proclaim Aviation in North Dakota where many of our friends and family are. I have an opportunity to work a booth at AirVenture the worlds worlds largest airshow on behalf of Spokane Turbine Center, and then go on the Kodiak tour.

Vacation in Rugby ND: July 16^th – 24^th

Airshow at OshKosh WI: July 25^th -Aug 1^st

Deputation in ND: Aug 2^nd -11^th

Spokane Turbine Center Kodiak Tour: Aug 12^th -23^rd

Return to ND: Aug 23^rd

Return to Spokane WA: Aug 26^th ???

There are still a lot of details that need to be filled in, but if you could pray for us as we begin this journey for:

Safety while we are on the road for 3,000+ miles
Caleb (and us) since this is his first long road trip confined to a tiny car-seat
For people to join support team

Thank you to all that are already apart of our support team and help keep us going through prayer everyday.

Kodiak Tour

2010-07-07T16:40:00.000-07:00

I (Tyler) just accepted to go along on part of the Spokane Turbine Center Kodiak Tour that is starting on August 13th in Grand Rapids Michigan and ending (for me) in Smoketown Pennsylvania on August 23rd. I am VERY excited to be able to fly the Kodiak while in route to the different destinations and get some turbine flight time. Some of my other responsibility on the tour will be to coordinate loading of passengers on flight tours in the Kodiak and manning a booth answering any questions about Spokane Turbine Center or about its wonderful yellow aircraft. This is a great opportunity for me but also means that I will be away from Renae and Caleb for about 10 days, which will be hard. The plan is for them to stay in ND with family till I return and then we will make our trek back to Spokane.

2010-07-05T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today Caleb and Renae got to go and pick strawberries at one of our local fruit farms. Although most of what Renae picked did make it home there were a few that were tasted for "quality" control by our "little man." Green Bluff is a group of farms that in the summer and fall grow cherry's, peaches, apples, strawberries, pumpkins and all sorts of different fruit and vegetables that you can go out and pick yourself. There is something special about going out into the field and selecting what you want fresh from the brush or tree. We have been coming here for almost three years and this is where we get our fruit that lasts us throughout the winter in the form of smoothies and homemade jam. Now that we have the fruit all that is left is washing, cutting, cooking and packaging the fruit into jams or freezing it for later.

Renae and Caleb: A Day at STC

2010-07-04T20:03:00.000-07:00

Caleb and I just got to spend an entire day helping out at STC! We braved the long day away from our normal routine in order to give the secretary a break, and also to be a part of a safety seminar that the STC staff are going through. Most of the day was spent in the classroom for Tyler and the other staff, learning about emotional and mental safety for flying and living on the mission field. The information was also helpful for me, what little I was able to sit in on! There are so many ways that we need to prepare ourselves for that kind of service. Often in every situation and relationship on the mission field, emotions, stress, challenges, trails, etc... are heightened. For this reason we have to be even more prepared, especially our pilots, to have control over our minds and emotions to be able to deal safely with our situations and relationships. The number one relationship with Christ has to be our priority to be able continue to serve others and not burn out. We praise God that He is the one that gives us the strength and wisdom to deal with all this when the time comes! Caleb enjoyed crawling the long halls of STC, rolling and chasing after his ball, while I answered phones, played with him, and listened to some of the classes. We are so grateful to be a part of the ministry and training that STC is offering to missionary pilots and mechanics. The men being trained here are already using these new tools where they are at overseas. I am so thankful to have observed some of the things that they do here at STC! Although I will say...Caleb and I are BOTH ready to return to our normal routine at home tomorrow. Whew!

2010-06-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

We just graduated class 12 today from Spokane Turbine Center (STC). The entire course started on June 7th covering subjects like PT-6 engine familiarization and how to do in depth inspection on the engine, to Garmin 1000 maintenance practices and finally Kodiak Systems which is basically a class teaching some of the differences about the Kodiak compared to other aircraft. Sean Cannon (wearing the hat) has been here in Spokane for entire three weeks which is a long time to be away from his family. We have had him over for supper several times (to make sure he wasn't getting thin) and even do other activities outside of the classroom setting together. Sean and his family will be going to Indonesia with MAF and the training he has taken at STC for the Kodiak will help him maintain the the aircraft in the harsh conditions of the jungle. Before going to Indonesia they will be in language school for about 9 months learn the language and the culture in which they will be living in. You can pray from them as they transition from their home in Colorado to the islands of the Pacific.

MAF Kodiak passes through Spokane on its way to Nampa ID

2010-06-24T07:42:00.000-07:00

A new Kodiak that was just delivered to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) passed through Spokane on its way to the missions head quarters in Nampa ID. It was neat to see yet another Kodiak ultimately going to end up somewhere in the world serving overseas as a tool for Jesus. We had just finished a class of Spokane Turbine Center students and they were able to get a ride in this very new aircraft back to Nampa. This past class was a lot of fun to get to know and find out more about where they were serving at and what kind of things they were doing in normal life overseas. David Holsten was one of our students and guests in our house this month and he was from Borneo Indonesia. It was a great encouragement to talk and see pictures from where he is serving at, and to hear that life carries on in a somewhat normal way just like here in Spokane. One thing that I may have taken away from our time with David is that we did not have a specific area in the world that we felt that God was nudging us to serve in. Now that we know more about Indonesia we will see how that "seed" of interest will grow.

Thank you to all that are praying for us, we appreciate them very much in our day to day activities. It is amazing looking back on certain events to see how God had protected us, like a near accident in a car, or provided a wonderful house and yard that we can grow our garden it! God is good in times of plenty and in times of need, no matter what, the Schmidt family will choose to praise His Name.

2010-06-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Spring is still lingering here in the inland Northwest. Although we are starting to see the signs of warmer weather coming with our grass growing long and our garden is starting to sprout from the ground. Yes this year we are trying our hands at growing a garden. We have planted all sorts of veggies from corn to lettuce and even some cantaloupe. At the moment just our corn and green beans are starting to peak through the soil, which makes us very excited to see that some things survived the few nights below freezing temps.

Renae has been busy keeping the house clean as students go through a three week classes Spokane Turbine Center (STC). It has been so fun and encouraging to get to know these guys that have come from all over the world to train here on the Kodiak. We can hear what their stories are about living overseas and what kind of struggles they go through adjusting to life in a different culture. It helps us see where we want to be and how the Lord is directing the path that we are on even though we cannot see very far along the path. Renae is also enjoying the days she has to see Caleb grow up and develop into a little boy. He is starting to learn to crawl on his hands and knees but still prefers to scoot on his tummy. Caleb is also discovering how to open and shut the doors on cupboards, but his favorite thing to do so far in the kitchen is when the fridge door is open to try and get his head into the blast of cool air flowing out.

Tyler has been working on changes in the Kodiak System curriculum for the next class which will emphasis maintenance aspect of the PT6 engine and the airframe of the Kodiak. While he and Jeremy Toews (the other intern instructor at Spokane Turbine Center) have been chipping away at the curriculum and they have been trying to get some flight training in the Kodiak the week before classes where scheduled to start up. Regrettably the Kodiak was delayed in Sandpoint ID at the Quest aircraft factory for modifications, so Tyler will have to wait a little more till he can finish his training in it. While not at work, the lawn has started to grow as well as the weeds. So he is busy spraying and mowing the lawn trying to make it look good. Tyler has also been given a Mazda pickup truck from a friend. This new little project was totaled by the insurance company because it was rear ended and the bumper fell off and the frame was a little bent. It has been a good learning experience to try and heat and bend metal back to where they will fit again. This little truck comes at a very good time because the Buick that Tyler has been driving around is starting to really show its age after only 261,000 miles. We are very thankful to get this gift from these very generous people.

Caleb dedication this past Sunday

2010-03-01T20:31:00.000-08:00

Caleb was dedicated this past Sunday. It was such a special time with friends and even some family (Ron & Anne Schmidt) attending the service. During the dedication the pastor usually gives the meanings of the names of the babies while he holds them, and what he said about Caleb's name surprised us. It means "dog" in Hebrew....of all the things to name our son we had to pick that one! However we were naming him after Caleb in the Old Testament and didn't think of looking up the Hebrew definition. However the character of the Biblical Caleb changes definition of the name from "dog" to "tenacious dog" because of Caleb's faithfulness to God when everyone else around him shrank away. Then to top it off they said my name's meaning, which is "roof layer" or "tile worker" because Caleb's name is Caleb Tyler Schmidt. So now Caleb's full name is Tenuous dog "woof" layer ;). It was very amusing but still meaningful for us to be charged to bring Caleb up in a home that is centered on Christ and a biblical based teachings. I (Tyler) am just starting to feel the immensity of the job that my parents had when I was small. I think God has a very humorous side because if Caleb is anything like I was when I was a kid we are going to be have some VERY interested life ahead of us. Till next time...

Moody Aviation Promotional Video

2010-02-14T20:12:00.001-08:00

Lots to catch up on

2010-02-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

2009 has come and gone and we have been very busy since then. Once again we went chugging down the railroads tracks to North Dakota to be with family over the holidays. Blessedly, we were able to spend about a week with both sides of the family! It was the first time in three years that Tyler's entire family, plus two new additions (Caleb and Trevor's wife, Kristen) have been together. Needless to say the Lord provided just an amazing time for us to all be together and celebrate the birth of our Savior. It was even more difficult to leave this year, knowing that we will not see Tyler's family for a long time and that Caleb will not get to be spoiled by his grandparents very often! Family is so precious, this we are being reminded of every day now that our family continues to grow.

Tyler has now settled into his internship position at Spokane Turbine Center (STC). However, he never exactly knows what he'll be doing each day! There are still a lot of things that need to get done as STC gets on their feet, and he is assigned to a variety of tasks. One of the main projects he has been working on is developing a curriculum for the Kodiak systems. The men that come and study will soon have a workbook to use for study and to take home for future reference. This has been a challenging but fun project for him to be working on.

Renae just recently chose to take a leave of absence for the remainder of the school year so that she can stay at home with Caleb. God's timing could not have been more perfect, as Caleb came down with an awful virus just a day after she finished her final day of teaching and performing a choir concert with her kids! He has been a pretty sick baby for the last week, but is finally acting like his normal self except with a bit of a cough still. She is so excited to stay at home and focus on being a home-maker, wife, and mommy.

Caleb is such a joy in our lives! Nothing makes us smile more than hearing him laugh and seeing him growing and happy. He loves to play on the floor with his toys, putting everything in his mouth! He rolls over all the time, and has tried to get his knees under him...but still has some work to do there before crawling. He loves his baths, jumping in his jumping johnny, eating vegetables, kicking his legs almost constantly, touching our faces, and so much more! We are just so thankful to have a healthy baby boy to love and experience life with.

We are enjoying being the hosts of the STC guesthouse. It has been a huge blessing to us, allowing Renae to take this leave of absence to stay home. Recently we are renovating our kitchen to give us a little more room for the table. Tyler is enjoying the hands on work and learning about construction. He also loves having a garage with plenty of space for him to get his hands dirty working on different projects, one of which is his love for fixing airsoft guns!

I PASSED!!!!

2009-12-03T16:32:00.000-08:00

hooray!!!
I passed my CFI checkride the first time through. There were a lot of people praying for me and I could tell that I was able to answer questions easier than expected and fly well. Also another praise was that the weather was clear and beautiful, something out of the ordinary for Spokane winter weather which is usually low overcast. I feel that a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders and I can think once again. So to celebrate we are going to I-Hop and going to do some Christmas decorating :)

CFI test

2009-12-01T16:55:00.000-08:00

Well the day has finally arrived! I am taking my Certified Flight Instructor test this Wednesday. I am nervous and I would really like to pass the first time through so that I could get this behind us so we can move on to Spokane Turbine Center and start the process there. Thanks for all your prayers.

Baby Caleb

2009-10-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Short History

2009-10-12T19:31:00.000-07:00

A LITTLE ABOUT US...

I (Tyler) grew up as a missionary kid overseas with Mission Aviation Fellowship where my dad flew for missionaries and the local people in Africa and South America. That is where my passion for aviation grew. After graduating from an MK school in Quito, Ecuador, I moved to Omaha, Nebraska, intending to get a Bible degree at Grace University and then continue with Moody Aviation in Tennessee. Due to some changes, I stayed in Omaha for five years, completing my Bible degree at Grace and Airframe and Powerplant degree through Iowa Western.

Renae is a native of the northern US. Though born in Oregon, she spent about half of her years in North Dakota, where she graduated from high school in Rugby. She followed in her parents footsteps both in choosing her college and her career. Those steps took her to Grace University in Omaha, Nebraska, where she majored in Bible and Music Education, like her dad. Her love for music developed through her family and church experiences. She now teaches elementary music here in Spokane.

As you have probably guessed, we met at Grace University in Nebraska. Funnily enough...we met through our family. My cousin is married to Renae's sister, which does not technically mean we are related (for those of you wondering). We began dating our junior year of college, and tied the knot in August, 2006. We spent that next year finishing up school and jobs, then followed the Lord's direction to Spokane, WA, where Moody Aviation had relocated. Tyler started flight school at Moody in the summer of 2007, graduating this past spring. We also had another wonderful change in our lives this past summer, with the birth of our first child, Caleb Tyler Schmidt, born July 25.

Presently, I am finishing my Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) training in order to start an internship at Spokane Turbine Center (STC) in Spokane, WA. When I finish CFI, I will be training with STC in order to start teaching classes on the Garmin 1000 (advance avionics used for navigation and flying, like a GPS). While many things have changed for us and are still changing, we have experienced a great peace and direction from the Lord in the last few months. This internship will help me gain experience, and I will also have the ability to use Moody airplanes to gain flight hours. These things will help prepare me as we look forward to getting on the mission field in the next several years.

2009-09-23T10:54:00.000-07:00