More about MMS Aviation

This year while we're visiting our supporting churches, instead of talking a lot about who we are or giving a lot of information about MAF UK, both of which we've shared about in the last few visits, we decided to share more about MMS Aviation which is a lot less well known. (When I say 'we' ... I do most of the the admin stuff, newsletters, presentations etc ... so with my hubby's permission, 'I' decided it would be a good idea!!)

MMS is totally unique. It maintains and repairs mission aircraft while training future mission aircraft engineers ... or 'maintenance mechanics' as they call them. MMS's mission statement which encapsulates it's essence is ... 

'Preparing People and Planes for Worldwide Mission Service'

All the staff at MMS, admin staff, trainers and apprentices are working on faith support. This means that they are not paid any wages but are supported entirely by individuals and churches. As a result, when work is done on a mission aircraft, MMS doesn't need to charge them any labour costs. In 2010 alone, staff at MMS worked on 31 missionary aircraft from 15 different ministries and invested over 11,000 maintenance hours ... saving mission aviation approximately $450,000 (£300,000) in labour expenses. I'm really proud that my hubby is able to be part of that!

Since 1975, when MMS started in a garage, it has grown unimaginably. They are now in 3 hangars and 74 apprentices have completed service, 64 of whom have served or are still serving in ministry around the world. The staff of MMS have served 96 different mission aviation organisations, performing over 475 major aircraft repairs and modifications.

MMS also sends maintenance teams on Rapid Response around the world to meet emergency needs, to places such as Florida, Haiti, Gabon. Since 1980, MMS have sent out 128 teams with more planned in the pipeline.

We are really pleased that MAF UK have secured an effective partnership with MMS to allow individuals and families like us to begin our mission journey with this hands-on training. It means that my husband, who is already an aircraft design engineer, can work on mission aircraft while training for his A&P (Airframe and Powerplant) Licence.

The training is three years, unbelievably we're already two thirds through this ... and then we've agreed to a further 8 years (two 4 year terms) on project with MAF UK. Although Mark will be certified then, I'm sure the learning process will continue daily.

Stamp of Approval

Yesterday was our third and final trip to the American Embassy in the centre of London. We're committed to three years in Ohio and have annual visas that need to be renewed back 'home'.

It was an exciting day for Abigail as for the last 6 months, she has been looking forward to going into London, riding a train and seeing the 'red decker buses', as she calls them. Whenever we've watched movies like 'Flushed Away' or 'The Great Muppet Caper', Abigail has been jumping up and down, pointing at the screen saying 'That's London, I'm going to London'!

Each trip to the Embassy has got progressively quicker for us and it seems to be more organised too ... either that or we now know exactly what to expect. The first year we waited three hours, the second year, two and yesterday we were in and out in just one hour! 

I suspect this speedy experience was partly due to it being a renewal and partly because when you take a little person in with you, they will write 'baby' on your form and then fast-track you through. It made me consider loaning Naomi out to other applicants to speed up the process for them as well ... earning some spending money at the same time! She could go in with anyone as being an American citizen doesn't need an appointment like the rest of the family.

As the visit to the Embassy is a fairly mundane experience, I found a few things to have a chuckle about in the process. In particular, the 'Please ensure your mobile phone is switched off' sign at the interview window. This only sounds slightly ridiculous until you know that no mobile phones are actually allowed in the building and you and your belongings are scanned as you go through security in the entry building on arrival to ensure that!

Each year I have also found it really amusing that the American Embassy does not accept American Express when paying for courier delivery of the passports that they process with visas. If there was anywhere in London that you would expect to be able to use it, it would be there ... but apparently not!

Once again, we got our stamp of approval and are good to return to the States ... only God knows which country's visa we will need to apply for next year!

A Taste of Home

I'm sitting on the sofa at my mum's house tucking into some milk chocolate digestive biscuits ... delicious!! If you're not a Brit, you may not even know what I'm talking about. These, as with many other things would perhaps not be on my shopping list ordinarily but knowing that if I don't eat them in the next few weeks, it will be another year until I can have them again makes them extra special!!

We've spent two years in the States and both years when we have returned to the UK to renew our visas, our first 'meal' has been a bacon sandwich ... real bacon that is 80% meat not 80% fat like the streaky stuff in America!

We've also have a little mental wish list of things that we want to eat while we're home ... anything from real cheese (not the plastic rubbery textured stuff in Walmart!), to fish fingers, to Chinese takeaway and much more!! (Where we live in the States the local Chinese Buffet consists of some Chinese food but also macaroni and cheese, pizza, frogs legs ... seems crazy to us!)

Last year when we were home, we had a week's break down in Cornwall and enjoyed Cornish pasty's and cream tea's ... more than once. As we're only at the start of our time in the UK we still have a lot more yumminess to come this year!

When we'd been back for 24 hours we took a trip to the supermarket ... a real treat to see familiar products and packets on the shelves. Although this time round there was an element of culture shock. 

The supermarket was completely jam-packed and a nightmare to negotiate ... something we're not used to anymore in small town America ... and both my husband and I looked at each other feeling totally overwhelmed which made us appreciate how much we've acclimatised to our new 'home' surroundings.

The longer we live somewhere new, the longer the local food become the 'norm' ... the more things we have to miss (and ask for in care packages) the next time we move to a different country!