Greetings,

A year ago Michele was in her neck brace awaiting the insertion of a subcutaneous port to begin her chemotherapy to treat Lymphoma. Today she is cancer free, and we are debt free, despite the generation of over $280,000.00 in medical expenses. Praise God! It is easy to praise God at the end of a trial that has a happy ending. Many people suffer illness and trials that do not have happy endings.

Michele and I traveled to Wisconsin in July to help represent MMS Aviation at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual event called AirVenture. We have made many friends in that area over the years, including relationships with local churches. I was invited to speak in the morning service of one such church. As I struggled to put together a presentation that focused on MMS Aviation, I had no inspiration. Then I sensed God telling me to share from the heart, to wit, He gave me a message on suffering. When I say, "He gave me," I mean to convey the message that the scripture references flowed in a way which produced the sermon theme in a very coherent way.

Upon delivering the sermon, it became clear that God had intended this particular subject for a congregation that had many hurting souls. As usual, His timing was impeccable. In the weeks which have passed since then, it has been on my heart to share the content of that sermon on the blog, but I wasn't sure if that was a directive from the Holy Spirit or some display of ego. This morning, I prayed that God would either give me peace to leave it alone, or compel me to action. As our pastor began his sermon on, would you believe, "Suffering and Trials", I felt that familiar urge to comply. The result follows forthwith. This was about six pages in my hand written scrawl, so I won't be offended if you don't read through it. On the other hand, maybe it is being put here for you...

Ephesians 5:25 says, "Husbands love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it."
When Michele was diagnosed with cancer, it became my mission to be Christ to her, in the same way as Christ cares for, and relates to His church. But what exactly does that look like? Several scripture passages came to mind:

  Philippians 2:5-8, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

 Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."

1Peter 4:12,13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy."

And finally,

Isaiah 53:10, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand."

What is this strange relationship between suffering and sanctification? Philippians 2: 13-15 gives us a hint: "For it is God Who worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." 

God has modeled sacrifice in the most extreme way, through the example of Jesus' life and death on earth. Simply stepping down from His throne in heaven to live as a man on earth is a huge sacrifice.But Jesus' years as a human being were lived in a totally sacrificial way. He could have chosen to be born in America in the latter part of the 20th Century, where He could have been a member of an affluent family, gone to private schools, drove a Corvette, had His own office at the family business, and a penthouse apartment. He could have died peacefully in His sleep, and arose on national television during global coverage of His funeral. But the reality was the exact opposite.

He was born to poor parents who were transients at the time of his birth. He was born under the cloud of illegitimacy, and spent His early years one step ahead of authorities seeking His life. He grew up as an apprentice to a carpenter, a physically demanding occupation, requiring exertion and sweat in a hot climate. The society He lived in was highly prejudiced and never let Him forget that Joseph wasn't His father.

When He began His ministry, neither His family nor His community believed in Him, to the degree that His home congregation wanted to kill Him. He got up long before dawn and lay down to sleep late at night after ministering and preaching all day. He was tired and hungry and walked hundreds of miles.

At the end of His ministry on earth, He wasn't simply killed, He was savagely beaten and put on public display. Not only was He jeered at by the crowd that He fed and healed, but He was abandoned by His closest friends. His death was designed to inflict the most pain, over the longest possible time span. And yet the scriptures say, "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him."

In our self-centered understanding, such a statement seems unspeakably cruel. Is it any wonder that the world, our world of relativism and so-called tolerance, has pushed the name of Jesus out of sight? So is such a statement based in sadistic pleasure, or does it mean something else altogether?

Consider this scenario: If you had a loved one waiting for a heart transplant, would you be pleased to receive the call that a heart was available? Sure you would. But how does the family of the donor feel?

Humanity is under a death sentence for sin. We desperately need a donor who will serve our sentence for us. God donated His Son. What's more, He was pleased to do so. There is our example. When we are participants in Christ's suffering, we have the opportunity of sharing His grace...or not.

Let's face it, everyone suffers. While the degree of suffering varies greatly, no one is exempt. The question is; what does suffering do in your life? Does it make you angry and bitter? Do you want to hurt others, so they can feel what you feel? Do you worry about the possibility of suffering, and do everything in your power to minimize it?

Or do you greet suffering as an opportunity for personal growth? Do you use the lessons you've learned through suffering to help others through their dark hour?

The passage in Isaiah 53 goes on to say, "He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities." (verse 11)

Since God is not willing that any should perish, (Ezekiel 18:23, and 1Timothy 2:4), it pleased Him to provide the means to deliver souls from damnation. It also pleased Jesus to be that provision. Hence the statement in Hebrews 12:2 that He endured the cross, "For the joy set before Him."

This is all fine as an academic exercise, but what about reality? All of the work God does in the life of a Christian will bear fruit only if we join Him in the effort. Jesus said:

  "Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: And you shall find rest unto your souls." (Matthew 11:29)

We don't usually associate a yoke of endeavor with rest, but Jesus put the two together. Note that He gave two instructions:

1. Take My yoke upon you
2. Learn of Me

What do we learn of Him? That He is meek and lowly in heart. Are you meek and lowly in heart? It's hard to be, if you're not coupled to His yoke. Learning of Him prepares us to act like Him when trials enter our lives.

Think about this: Every army that has ever fought a battle has had to fight their first battle. What keeps a soldier from running away during that first exposure to violence? It's not natural to rush toward someone trying to kill you, so why would anyone do that? How could someone overcome the natural preservation instinct and act contrary to their fear? The answer is, preparation. The soldier is trained to act a certain way, no matter what. He rehearses this training until his mind is convinced. He acts, because he has decided to act. With the decision firmly made in advance of the challenge, the probability of following the training improves exponentially.

Suffering serves as the Christian's basic training. Hebrews 5:8 says, "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered." 
This learning comes from experience. It does not mean that we are beaten until we obey. Have you ever talked with someone who said, "You don't understand what I've been through!"? No one can ever say that to Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 tells us,
  "For we have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

If suffering, the experience of suffering, is God's preferred means of instruction, why should we seek or expect an exemption? This is exactly what Peter is telling the reader in 1Peter 4:12 and 13; "Don't think your trials are strange, but rejoice!"

Peter wasn't alone in expressing this concept. James told his readers to, "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials." (James 1:2)

Knowing that difficulties are part of God's plan for our lives can help us to embrace the trials that come our way.

Learning from the experience of suffering will make us more like Christ.

Being more Christ-like will cause us to, "Shine as lights in the world," (Philippians 2:15). And that is our purpose for being here; in the world, but not of the world (John 17:15).

I had the privilege of ministering to my wife during the course of her suffering. She had the privilege of suffering in the flesh, and by so doing, she participated in the "Fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). Through it all, God orchestrated events and contacts to touch the lives of people in unknowable ways. We were ministered to by many. There were those who testified that we ministered to them. The more faithful we are to Him, the brighter the light of His gospel shines in a dark world.

Suffering is for a purpose, and there is a reward. Romans 8:18 says,
  "For I recon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."

This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13,14)

So this is both our testimony and our challenge. God is faithful, as demonstrated by the life of Christ, who suffered and died on our behalf, that we might have eternal life. Likewise, we should follow His example, and endure the trials of this life, with the joy that He gives, and He will use it for His glory.

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Hello Friends,

I am grateful to report that as of July 31st the goal of raising $30,000.00 to resolve Michele's hospital bill has been met! This is the mighty hand of God moving the hearts of friends, family, and the extended church family to bring glory to Him. May it be so, for this could not have come to pass through our own efforts.

Please know that we are extremely thankful for all of you, both those who gave sacrificially, and those who held us up in prayer. May God's riches flow back upon each of you exponentially.

With much love,

Tim and Michele

For those of you who do not receive our paper newsletter, here is our latest offering...

Greetings,


As the month of June draws to a close, I want to report where we stand on the hospital debt. To date, $7,812.00 has come in toward the debt. Many thanks to all who contributed! Our home church in Pennsylvania is collecting funds through the Deacon's fund. When they feel that they have received all the funds possible, they will write a check to our hospital, and send it to us to be hand delivered for credit to our account. I am not sure how the contributions for the Deacon's fund are being earmarked for us, but if anyone would like information about that, please e-mail us for contact information.

When I spoke to our financial contact at the hospital, she voiced the concern that I had about contributions being properly credited to our account. I know it sounds paranoid to think that a check sent to the hospital with specific direction might not be applied to our bill, but she mentioned it before I did. That is the reason I haven't advocated contributions being sent directly to the hospital.

There is life after treatment! Michele has been going to the school most days of the week, putting her library back in order prior to the start of the new school year. I am concluding work on an aircraft that will be used for humanitarian flights in Haiti, and am about to start on another. In a little over two weeks, we will be going to Wisconsin to participate in the missionary aviation component of AirVenture, which is the world's largest gathering of general aviation aircraft.

Between now and then, we will be putting together a long overdue newsletter (on paper). So stay tuned. When the newsletter goes out in the mail, we'll post it here too.

Victorious in Jesus,

Tim and Michele

Hello Friends,

Since sending the message requesting prayer for the remainder of our hospital bill for Michele, we have received numerous inquiries about contributing to the need.

First of all, thank you, one and all, for your prayers and concern! We feel very unworthy of all the attention and kindness that has been showered upon us. May God bless each of you, as He has blessed us.

If you feel led to give to our need, there are basically two ways it can be done. I don't want to muddy the waters with too many details, but neither do I want people to feel like they are giving in the blind. Since our status with the hospital is 'Self Pay', it is best if the monies they receive come directly from us. Consequently, donors can send their contribution directly to us, in which case 100% of the donation will be applied to the hospital bill.

The other option, if you want a tax deductible receipt, would be to send the contribution to MMS Aviation marked, "Preference for Obarows". If you send it to MMS, please do not write anything about medical expenses on the check.

The difference between the two giving methods is that monies received through MMS will have the 5% administrative fee deducted, and we will be taxed on the balance. Monies sent directly to us will go directly to the hospital.

We will give regular updates as to how much has been received, so you will know when the need has been met. In the event that more funds are sent to us than are needed, we will return them to the sender. However, monies sent to MMS are non refundable, so please bear that in mind.

Thank you so much, and God bless you!

Tim and Michele

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Hello Again,

I almost wrote 'January' when I typed the date. Maybe that's because I was looking at our blog posts in January just a few moments ago. I was checking the date on a post I made on January 8th. That was the day I realized we weren't going to stay below our $250,000 cap with Samaritan Ministries. In fact, we are about $39.000 beyond that. But there is good news. Since Michele is cured, and no further treatments are scheduled, the hospital is willing to negotiate additional discounts. Now, I need to reiterate that we received 40% off of all hospital charges right up front, so they have been very generous with us.

We met with Susan, a resource counsellor supervisor last week. I told her that the best we could do is pay $1,000 a month for the next 39 months. She said that would be fine, but she wanted to try to do more, so she submitted a pay-off plan to her superiors. Susan called me yesterday to tell me that if we could raise $30,000 in 90 days, the hospital would accept that as payment in full. That's good news in the big picture, but we need your help. What we need for you to do is ask God if He would be pleased to make that provision for us.

It may very well be that God knows our character will benefit far more by making those payments for the next 39 months. Or, He may bring glory to Himself by meeting that need in a miraculous manner. If the need is met in 90 days, it will surely be because God did it. There's no getting around that. But we are content with whatever decision He deems best. That's the joy of being confident in the sovereignty of a gracious God.

So please pray for God's perfect will in this matter. That's our request. We'll let you know what transpires.

Thank you!

With love and gratitude,

Tim and Michele

Saturday May 9, 2015

Good Morning,

At least it is here. I drove to the local Dodge dealer to collect the last of the parts needed to complete the rear brake replacement on our Caravan, but the parts truck hadn't been there yet, so I thought this would be a good time to make that delinquent post that's been on  my mind.

The late arrival of the parts truck is just the latest of events linked to the brake extravaganza. Last week I replaced pads and rotors on the front of the van, which took two evenings, but didn't go that badly. The rear brakes are a different story. Our van is one of last to be produced with drum brakes on the rear. Most vehicles now have disc brakes all around, and for good reason. It took two evenings just to remove the drums from the wheel. Everything was fused together with rust. Once inside, I could see at a glance that all the components had returned to their natural state; "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, brakes to rust". I bought every kit the auto part store sold, including new drums, but there were still hidden parts not present in the "complete" kits. Hence my trip to the dealer this morning. Incidentally, it took the dealer's parts professional 20 minutes to find my parts in their computer, all of which needed to be special ordered, of course.

On a happier note, Michele and I did make a trip to California for a week to see her family. We stayed with her brother and sister-in-law, who are the consummate hosts. Bless you Greg and Angie. The time went too quickly, but we got to see many loved ones. This was our first visit since Christmas of 2011, so grandniece and nephew, who were toddlers, are now old enough to entertain the older folks in the swimming pool. Michele's mom is doing well over all, but she has the physical challenges which come with age. Travel went as smooth as airline travel ever gets, so we were blest.

We were also blest with a good visit to Michele's Oncologist this week. She is no longer on the blood thinner. The Doc wants to see her every three months for the next two years, then  every six months for three to five years.  All in all, the doctor is very pleased with Michele's state of health, and so are we.

Michele was also released from the Occupational Therapist visits. She is still doing the daily exercises very faithfully, but no longer requires external supervision. She drove around the neighborhood last week, so we are one step closer to normal. Hallelujah!

Activities at MMS have been at a frantic pace. In addition to the steady stream of aircraft being repaired, MMS is hosting the annual conference of the International Association of Mission Aviation (hereafter referred to as IAMA). The conference is next week, so yesterday we moved virtually every aircraft in our facility at least once, making room for the congregants. Then in the afternoon, I stripped and waxed the kitchen floor (at the hangar). Since I still had 2% of my energy left, I went to the garage after supper and worked on the van. That pretty much bring you right up to the minute, so I'll wrap this up, and hope the phone rings from the parts guy.

Bless you all for reading and caring!

With love,

Tim and Michele