We have been back from Wisconsin for two weeks now, where we represented MMS Aviation as part of the Missions and Humanitarian Flying feature of Airventure 2009. We went early to assist in the setup operations and remained to the final disassembly 12 days later. Michele worked as a dining room supervisor for MASA (Mission Aviation Support Association), from 7AM to 8PM nearly every day. I rotated shifts at the MMS display table in the IAMA (International Association of Missionary Aviation) tent with 32 other missions.

A separate tent located near show center was known as the 'Life Tent', and bore the banner, "We Fly 4 Life". Inside the Life tent were a series of 9' x 7' pictorial banners that told stories relative to the missions theme. Missionaries with field experience worked shifts inside the tent to elaborate on the banner stories and answer questions that visitors had.

There was also a mission presence at the Seaplane Base in the form of Edgar and Geisella Schreiber and Karl Neilson from Canada. They flew in from Canada in the Cessna 185 that MMS had restored three years ago. Edgar's plane was newly mounted on the amphibious floats that had also been restored at MMS. He took the opportunity to make several flights with other mission pilots who had thousands of hours of floatplane experience and made some great connections in the process. I even got my first floatplane ride!

Too many things happened to chronicle here, but our photo album is posted for your perusal. Enjoy! -Tim

Photoshop.com Album

For the past two and a half years MMS has been restoring a Cessna 206 operated by a mission in Honduras. The airframe was so corroded that a large portion of it has been replaced with new parts. That project is nearing completion, with new paint, and reassembly of the major components, it looks like a new airplane.

From this................

To this..............................

Stay tuned for the final wrap of this project and the airplane's return to service in Honduras!

As many of you know, one of our cats, Red, died suddenly the day before our departure for California. Our remaining cat, Frankie, walked around looking for Red for awhile after our return, so we thought we'd better get her a companion before too much time passed. The local Tractor Supply Company keeps animals from the local shelter in their store, so we went to look.

Sure enough, they not only had kittens, but a brother and sister who had been rescued from a busy highway. We couldn't seperate them, so we took them both. Frankie now has two playmates, Lucy and Herbie. They are the perfect kittens for us, although Frankie is still adjusting to the idea.

They play hard and sleep hard! It's tough to get much done with the entertainment they provide.

The week following our return from California, our daughter-in law Jessica, her mom Dee, and grand-daughter Sophia drove out from PA for a weekend visit. We had a great time! Of course, we toured Longaberger and Dresden, but also rode the Canal boat and had some fun with a tee-pee Michele made.

Sophia celebrated her 5th birthday just before coming to Ohio, so we extended the celebration with one of Michele's custom birthday cakes.

The weekend sure went fast, but grandpa got to play, and grandma got her nails painted!

Slide show-Relay for Life, 2009

Cheryl and her husband Paul came up with a great way to honor our loved ones, that of a slide show that ran continuously showing their pictures. This was a very moving experience, especially to walk into the camp and see my dad's at his and my mom's 50th wedding anniversary party, the year before he died. This impacted others as well and gave us great encouragement to keep walking and praying.

CMA Relay for Life Headquarters

Inside of our tent, you see Cheryl W. and Jim P. They spend countless hours attending meetings and planning for the event. Jim's personal goal is to have some one from our church walking the track the entire 24 hours. I'm happy to report that we accomplished this goal, again! Thank you Jim and Cheryl for all that you do to make this a huge success!