Splish, Splash, Zoom!

We have a fun new project going at our house. It serves as science experiment, grocery investment, and possibly a way to help people in other places someday if we can get it all working well, and do a little experimentation.


Aaron has been interested in Aquaponics for a while now, and he has spent the spring finding and preparing his grow beds and fish tanks.


We don't have any tilapia yet, but will soon because we finally got some nitrates to show up last night in the water, which means the nutrient cycle is working just the way it's supposed to.

Our two grow beds are named Lydia and Lizzy. (Lydia is a little more persnickety and high maintenance. Jane Austen fans will get it.) They constantly fill and drain using the water from the tanks which contains lots of lovely fish...nutrients.

The water tanks are Legolas Gimli. (Yes, Gimli is the short one.) The Tilapia will be in the back porch in Legolas in an effort to keep the pesky raccoons from treating them like a freshwater buffet.

We've planted quite a variety of plants in the girls, and the warriors are currently protecting the Merry Minnows, but should have some Tilapia to guard soon.

Everything else is going about the same as ever. Aaron is working on the UAV's, getting the instructions and tutorials ready for the first training sessions and the day when they will finally get the planes out into field. The kids and I are schooling, living, cleaning and generally loving Florida, but missing loved ones. In the following picture, they are having Art Class with Ms. Mercy, one of our Grandma-away-from-Grandmas. They love it, and she does such a good job with them. Oh, and I get to use her computer/internet. Everyone's a winner. Except maybe Ms. Mercy, but she claims to enjoy it too.

We still don't have internet, but I...I will survive! (You have to imagine the tune for that last part.)

 

 

 

Working, Living, and Loving the Weather

Once again, it's been too long since I've been able to write anything here, and I apologize. AT&T, though, has to bear at least as much of the blame as I do. We still do not have internet, despite a few false hopes we've been given throughout the months. It's very frustrating. I had planned several things for this year that are simply not working, since I don't have regular access. There are several friends who have been very generous and allowed us to use their wi-fi, for which I am very grateful.

Right not, for instance, we are at Mrs. H's house. The kids are taking art classes from her, which is wonderful. They've painted, drawn, shaped clay, and more. It's so nice to have friends who can fill in the gaps of my teaching skillset. She is patient with them, and a great teacher. She had nine kids of her own, so that explains a lot.

We've also been able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Florida winter. The produce stands here run year-round. It has made cooking and providing healthy options for the family ten times easier. Although it was freezing cold (OK, almost freezing) when the kids did the "Marathon" in Ocala last weekend, most days have been wonderful, and the kids still wear t-shirts and shorts. Compared to this time last year when we were parked in our RV next to the frozen Chesapeake Bay, even the marathon was positively balmy.

In fact, a couple weeks ago we went out on a family hike that we thought would be about four miles in total. We finally go so exhausted, and realized we were still so far from the midpoint of the trail, that we turned around and went back. When Aaron checked the mileage on Google earth the next day, it was eight miles. Eight! I know, all my runner friends are rolling their eyes. Go ahead. The day was warm enough that we had to do some emergency surgery on Mim's long-sleeved shirt. The sleeves made great, if slightly dorky, hats. The were used for a variety of things throughout the trek.

Aaron is continuing to work on the UAV's. This is a tricky time in their development. Now that they've had successful tests, it is tempting to be too optimistic about the time when they'll be ready to send out for use. They want to know that the finished product is so reliable that it doesn't take two engineers and a couple pilots to ensure a safe flight. There are lots of little improvements and corrections, and they want to make sure that they and the eventual users can have full confidence in what they've made. There are already people who have heard about the project and who are interested in having a UAV for their missions work, so there's an added urgency to their work.

We may not have much of an online presence these days, but we're still here. We still appreciate your thoughts and your prayers more than you'll ever know.

Amazon Adventurer Returns

The misty Andes

Aaron spent the last ten days in Ecuador, and he says it was a wonderful trip. They took the UAV's down to test them in the conditions and latitudes they would actually face once in use.

They flew into Quito, then drove down the mountains to Shell Mera. They worked there at I-TEC Ecuador, testing and filming the flights, then flew down into the jungle in a bush plane with an MAF pilot.

At the jungle villages they met many of the Waodani people and had a lot of observers as they prepared for the real test of the UAV (called an RV Jet) that will most likely be used in the future. The villagers were very excited about their presence, and about the idea of a UAV that can carry emergency supplies to other villages in their area of the jungle.

The Team in Tzapino

The flight went very well. The RV Jet flew from Tzapino to Tiwaeno and back to Tzapino, dropping its cargo, a snake-bite kit with anti-venom, and returning exactly the way that it was designed. The villagers, and the engineers, of course, were very excited, jumping up and down and praising God.

One older man especially was so excited he was unable to speak properly. His own wife and son had died from bites in the jungle that happened at night when no one can fly the bush planes. He saw the possibility of this project more intensely than many.

Photo by Brian Reed

While at the village, Aaron also got to meet Mincaye. This sweet older Waodani man was one of the original group that speared the missionaries to death in 1956. Through the faithful lives and ministry of those who stayed down in the jungle, Mincaye learned to "walk God's trail." He has since traveled the world with Steve Saint, the son of the same martyred missionary, and the founder of I-TEC. If you want to know more of that story, I highly recommend the book End of the Spear or the movie by the same name. Of course, there's also an excellent documentary, Beyond the Gates of Splendor, or Wikipedia, whatever you prefer.

Aaron with Mincaye and Ompodae

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like...Summer, Really

Life continues well here in sunny Florida. We are enjoying the balmy temperatures and are amazed every day when we walk outside into the 85 degree November afternoons.

We still don't have internet. I won't elaborate on that particular topic, as it might lead me to say things I shouldn't.

The kids are doing their school work with a minimum amount of fuss, which isn't to say no fuss, but certainly not as much as there could be...or so I console myself. We've found a homeschool organization in nearby Ocala, so they've made a few friends and are being socialized, for all of you that might be concerned about such things.

Aaron and his co-workers are putting the finishing touches on the UAV's, and they are excited about the coming trip to Ecuador. As I've mentioned before, they'll be testing the UAV's with the kind of landscape you just can't get in central Florida. For example, they'll be flying over the Andes to see if the little planes can handle the stresses of wind and elevation. They'll also be taking videos of their flights to use in presentations and to study as well. I hope to be able to link to those videos at some point in the not too distant future.

The kids and I will head to Oklahoma, and Aaron will meet us there when he flies home from Quito. We're looking forward to the actual journey, which will be a long series of field trips if I get my way, but we're especially excited to get back "home" and visit family. 

We really do plan to get internet as soon as we can, and when that magical day comes, I will post much more often. I promise.

From a Distance

We are still living in the wilderness of no internet. AT&T tells me a different story every time I talk to them. It's become almost funny now. I should've kept a comprehensive list from the first conversation. I believe there is some light on the horizon, but it may be a falling star and not the rising sun. We shall see.


Aaron continues to enjoy his work at I-TEC. They have done several tests of their UAV's, watching them fly in circles around a field for an hour-and-a-half. It was encouraging if not riveting. Aaron and two other men will be heading to Ecuador in December for some jungle testing, which should be quite an experience for the Oklahoma farm boy who has never had a chance to use his passport.


We've had several family members visit over the last few weeks, some of them for a few days, and some for only a few hours. It's always great to talk with people who knew you when. We took them to the Rainbow river and sympathized with them as they dealt with the Florida humidity. We'd love to have more friends and family visit...hint, hint.


We also spent several days with the N's, a couple from Columbia who had been here for a month visiting with their new granddaughter. (The child of a couple who are doing flight training here at I-TEC) This couple do mission work with some tribes in the Amazon. They only spoke Spanish, so I had a real work-out, translating and trying to think in both languages without making a fool of myself in either one.


In short, I have much to be thankful for, so if you hear me griping about the lack of internet, put me in my place.

If There's a Wireless Grid, We're Still off It

We're still here, despite the enforced radio silence, (aargh! internet companies!) and Florida life is busy, but very rewarding. We've made lots of friends with the other workers and volunteers at I-TEC, in fact we've all started having weekly worship evenings together and hope to start a ladies Bible study and lads' night soon.


The kids and I are enjoying school and meeting other homeschoolers when possible. I say that the kids and I are enjoying school, but really I mean that I'm enjoying school, and the kids are tolerating it. I think that's about as much as you can expect for any child. I'm telling myself that anyway, so don't burst my bubble.




We've moved into a house that belongs to the I-TEC organization itself. They use this house for volunteer families so that their time here can feel like a real home. It's absolutely wonderful, and although I love our little RV, I have to say that moving back into an actual "sticks and bricks" home has been fantastic. I forgot how much I loved baths, and household appliances of my very own. We have our own washer and dryer for the first time in a year, and there's even a dishwasher!




Mim was so excited when she saw the dishwasher. You'd think she had done more than two loads of dishes in her life the way she squealed and jumped up and down. My reaction was much the same, but of course I have more dignity. (Don't ask Mim about her memory of that event. Ten-year-olds are notoriously untrustworthy.)


Aaron is working hard with the other fellows at I-TEC, testing, improving, and building the UAV's. They're looking forward to launching them in actual jungle conditions in Ecuador by the end of this year. This is the kind of job he was made for. He loves thinking of creative solutions for technical issues and procedures. I know, that's not my cup of tea either, but isn't it great that God designed us all differently? He's certainly going to have contributed more to the cause of justice with his mechanics than I will have with my current study of linguistics in the Third Reich.


A kind friend is allowing me to use her internet today, so this post has no pictures, I just wanted you all to know that I haven't forgotten the friends and family out there who keep up with our craziness, and as soon as AT&T decide they have an "open port" we'll jump back into the 21st century and the world of the world wide web.

Settling and Travelling and Generally Living

Our First (and only) Alligator!

Life in Marion County continues, and we are feeling more at home in the bi-polar Florida summer. July saw rain almost every day, but we've finally had a few days in a row where the state had a chance to live up to its nickname. Even the rainy days, though, were punctuated by brilliant sunshine, and occasionally the rain itself fell through beams of light. Very unusual to our midwestern weather sensibilites.





 We've been trying to get outside and exercise as much as possible, because you can only spend so long in an RV and still be a loving family. On Saturday we went with some fellow I-TEC volunteers to kayak the Rainbow River here in Dunnellon. It is a beautiful spring fed river, ending its brief journey in the Withlacoochee (What a name!) river, which heads on down to the gulf.

Aaron is keeping himself very busy between repairs to the RV (The new air conditioner was very welcome!) and his work at I-TEC. He sometimes carpools with the interns here at the house were we have parked the RV. There are three grown men in that tiny truck! Phil is driving, Aaron is sandwiched in the middle, and Chris, an Ecuadoran, gets the other window. Phil and Chris are working in the flight training program, or hoping to very soon when paperwork and such are arranged.

Our other neighbors here at "the intern house" are a young couple who recently had their first baby. Young Issy is the official I-TEC baby, and we are enjoying the opportunity to hold her. Jon and Tasha and great parents who plan to go to Columbia (Jon's home country) as missionaries when all his training is finished and they have raised support.

Aaron will head to Smoketown, Pennsylvania soon for a special air show that has a missions theme. I-TEC will be there along with MAF, JAARS, and other air/mission organizations. The UAV's should be a big hit, and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when he returns. The previous picture is one of the UAV's as it prepares to receive a coat of paint. We thought it looked like it was smiling and wearing a pretty stylish headdress.