Caleb dedication this past Sunday

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

Lots to catch up on

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!!!!

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

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

Short History

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.