The Mennonite Flyer

Field Trip, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

This morning, I made 6 short flights with a group of elementary students and their teachers from a local Mennonite school as part of a field trip for them.  It was a lot of fun to see and hear the reactions from some of the kids. I could tell that for many of them, what they were seeing was really altering their paradigm of what the world should look like. This was the first time in any type of aircraft for many of them. Thankfully, we had great weather and very little wind.

Fright Instruction.

Downtown Denver from 9000ft., originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

I still have the privilege of flying with a few flight students, and today found us flying north into Denver's busy airspace. This was the first time that my student had penetrated this class of airspace and he had a great time...as did I. We landed at an airport in north Denver (KBJC), had lunch overlooking the runway, and then flew 2 hours south back home. By afternoon, the smooth air of Winter had been replaced by the turbulent air of Spring and Summer due to convection, or the heating of the earth's surface. After a long flight of bumping along as a flight instructor, I begin to get a little green from just sitting while my lunch is tossed around my stomach. Thankfully, everything stayed where it was supposed to be, and I regained my land legs shortly after coming back down to earth.  When I am the one flying and manipulating the controls, I NEVER feel sick, but as a spectator I get a bit queasy sometimes, although it has never ended in losing my cookies.

Borneo Bound

For the last several months, we have not known the exact location of where we will live and serve after language school.  This morning, we heard that leadership decided to send us to Kalimantan.  It is the bigger island, in the upper middle of the photo.  We will probably be living in the town of Tarakan (see yellow pin).  The other yellow pins are the other locations of where MAF serves in Indonesia.  We will be arriving at the end of July into the town of Salatiga, also marked by a yellow pin which is on the island of Java.  We are excited to have received our assignment now, although it will still be over a year until we get there.

Right now, we are trusting God to bring in the remaining 19% support for our monthly needs, and 68% support of our one time amount.  We also need our visas to be approved before that time in order to leave for Indonesia.  Everything is turned in, we are just waiting for approval, which last we heard was taking between 3-4 months.  Thanks to all of you who are joining us in prayer through this process.

Delicate Arch

Arches Nat'l Park, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

A week ago today, my family and I hiked 3 miles to see the famous Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. It is worth the hike and my little people did great. They made it the whole way there and back without hardly a complaint. Due to it's "celebrity" status, there were a lot of people already there enjoying the view, as we did for about 30 minutes. The person under the arch is not one of us, I just included him here to get a sense of scale. The arch is very large.

On a MAF note...We will be heading north in a few hours to spend the night in Buena Vista, Colorado in order to speak at a church tomorrow. We will be sharing in both the morning and evening services. Thank you for those of you who have been praying for us as we raise our support in order to serve in Indonesia . For those of you who do not know, we are a little over 80% of our monthly giving (thank you everyone), and praying to have the rest wrapped up in the next few weeks. Currently, we are making plans to leave for Indonesia in the middle of July. We still have a LOT to accomplish before that, but so far, things are really falling together.

Black and White Sunrise

Sunrise Barnscape, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

On our way to Moab last weekend, I captured this scene just as the sun was coming up. Upon arriving in Moab a few hours later, we were glad to have left the snow country behind for the warmer sandstone desert. I have been driving by this barn next the the highway since I was a boy, and I finally had the time to pull over and get a picture. We were only 20 minutes into a long days drive at that point, and upon pulling over Brooklyn and Madison asked if we were already at our camping site. Unfortunately no, which led to the famous arrival question for the next 5 hours.

Moab Trip

Colorado River Campsite, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

Our time this past weekend in Moab, Utah was great! Some of the landscapes in that area truly do leave you breathless and in awe of our Creator. It was a great time of relaxing and being with family. We all slept well in the tent and in the back of the car since we were usually tired from hiking all day and traveling to various sites in the Moab area. I don't know that I have ever met anyone that has truly seen this part of the world and regretted it. The huge rock formations, giant cliffs, and breathtaking canyons make you feel really small. As Becca posted on her blog, I did take a lot of pictures, and enjoyed every minute of it. Some of the best ones of the whole trip can be found by clicking here.

Camping Trip

Wolf Creek Snow Machine, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

While looking at the snowy picture above may leave you wondering if we are going camping in the snow...the answer is no. However, tomorrow we will drive over the nearby Continental Divide, still buried in snow, and continue heading west into Southeastern Utah, where this very snow is now feeding the Colorado River and all it's tributaries. We will make camp somewhere in the Moab area, and take 4 days to explore the area's national parks and local wonders of creation. Our oldest two girls are ecstatic to say the least, and mom and dad are feeling similar. The weather forecast looks great, and we are hoping to enjoy a totally different landscape that is already free of winters grip. Of course, stay tuned next week for more pictures and stories.

Until then, let us remember our awesome Prince of Peace, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, scorned it's shame, and then rose again and sat down at the right hand of the Father. Thank you Jesus for your indescribable gift of salvation. Happy Resurrection weekend everyone!

Perspective

Wolf Creek Pass Summit, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

This past weekend we drove up to the Continental Divide near our home to see all the snow. As spring begins to arrive, this winter wonderland will soon be on it's way to the Pacific Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico...if the farmers and cities don't take it first.

One of the other reasons to drive there was to take some pictures of the huge amount of snow, because, despite our distaste for all things winter at the moment, we know that a year from now we will be missing the seasons, what it is to see your breath, and shiver as snow runs down your back. So, a year from now we will be able to look at these pictures and be in awe that the place we will be living in, and those that we have experienced before are all on the same planet. Crazy!

Spring Flying in the Rockies

Poncha Pass at 12,500 Feet, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

Yesterday, I had the privilege of taking a "quick" one hour flight north to Eagle airport, aka, Vail and back. The scenery was stunning as usual in Colorado, but I sure couldn't turn off the "fasten seat belt" sign. Due to the high winds in the mountains (over 50 MPH), it was very bumpy. In pilot speak, it was continuous light, occasional moderate...referring to the level of turbulence. Nothing particularly unsafe about it...just painful against the seat belt.

I am grateful my camera lens has an image stabilizer built into it. While this picture looks crisp and in focus, it wasn't due to the smooth flight. I was getting tossed all over the cockpit trying to get this picture and others (the autopilot was "flying"). Thankfully a few pictures turned out okay.

A Different Landscape

For My Friend in Burbank, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

This past week found us traveling to and from Eastern Kansas. While most of our time there was dominated by cloudy skies, temperatures were still warmer than we were used to in Southern Colorado. Spring has definitely arrived there as the grasses and trees were beginning to turn green. I didn't have a lot of time to get off the beaten path and take photos, but we did go for a "Sunday Drive" after I spoke at church. Being that the church we spoke at was in the middle of the country already, we just took the long way home and enjoyed hearing the old history of rural Kansas from Grandma. What a life she has lived, as well as those of her generation. We even saw the old outhouse still standing that almost claimed the life of my mother in law, who at the time was a small and scrawny little girl. But that is another story!

And Clyde, if you are reading this, I took the above photo, and a few others thinking of you now living in the Southland.

Standing Alone

Colorado Eastern Plains Winter, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

Sometimes, when you are serving God in the way that you believe He has called you it may leave you feeling isolated and alone at times. Of course, He never leaves us, nor forsakes us and He is worthy to be trusted with every atom of our being.

Trying to explain to people sometimes why we are missionaries, and why we would want to willingly leave the "comfort" of the USA often falls on deaf ears. Usually, when someone asks that question, they don't really care to hear the answer. However, every once in a while, someone asks that question of us, because they feel God moving in their life in a similar way to what He has called us to. I was recently reminded of something I read in My Utmost for His Highest that sums it up better than I can.

“We are not told to ‘walk in the light’ of our conscience or in the light of a sense of duty, but to ‘walk in the light as He is in the light. . .’ (1 John 1:7) When we do something out of a sense of duty, it is easy to explain the reasons for our actions to others. But when we do something out of obedience to the Lord, there can be no other explanation—just obedience.” Oswald Chambers

Cannon MAF Video

Some of you may have already seen this video either in one of the churches we have visited or in your home. I thought I would go ahead and post it here on the blog as well. The video is basically a photo slide show of our time with MAF in Latin America and what the future may hold in Indonesia.

Springtime in the Rockies

La Veta, CO. Downtown, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

A few weeks ago we battled icy roads and snowy mountain passes to get to the small town of La Veta to share at a church. Although the going was slow, we love the opportunity to travel to the places we do because it is so beautiful. We try to travel with enough extra time to be able to stop and smell the roses when we see the chance to do so. Although we are tired of cold temperatures, we are trying to enjoy them and "soak" them up knowing there will be a day soon enough where we wish for the very thing that we cannot have...a cold day.

The Dust Begins to Settle

Sandhill Spring Return, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

After a crazy few days of moving, speaking, traveling, and what not, we are finally starting to get a routine back. We are thankful that everything has gone really well up to this point, and the girls are weathering this change like veterans. Now, we are back to the MAF fires as we continue to cast the vision that God has for us to others, and excite them to be part of something with us that is bigger than all of us. What a privilege!

Transition Number ?

Tomorrow we will be leaving our current house for another.  We were able to rent out our house very quickly and now we have to be out by this coming Friday.  Needless to say, this week is a little busy as we try to pack and sort and move all of our things.  We are still very active preparing for churches and casting the vision that God has for us with MAF as well.  If you are interested in hearing my "presentation/sermon" from this past Sunday, click on this link, and go to the bottom of the page and click on the "Faith-Sean Cannon" link.  Too busy to write or post much else until the dust begins to settle..maybe next week. 

MAF News

Harrison Ford and MAF, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

Our newest prayer letter should be hitting your mailboxes the first part of March, but it is already available online. Click here to read it.

Also, Harrison Ford and MAF recently worked together...click here to read about it.

On a side note, support raising is going well, (we're at around 50% right now) although next week it might slow down a little.  We have been able to rent our house, but we need to be out in 7 days.  Next week will be busy.  Thank you for your prayers!

Snow Circles

Snow Circles, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

This is what crop circles can look like in the Winter. Pretty soon, as Spring begins, these circles will be bare dirt and they will begin to give of their precious topsoil to enhance the Great Sand Dunes National Park due to the crazy winds that are sure to start in a few weeks.

Flight to Midland, TX

Sunrise on the Plains, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

As mentioned, I had a flight to Midland, Texas this past Saturday. In order to get this sunrise picture over West, Texas I had to leave my home base at 4am. I then flew to 07V, aka Cuchara, Colorado to pick up my passengers. When I arrived over 07V to land at 4:22am the runway lights wouldn't come on. Long story short, I was able to identify the runway well enough on my third (and final) attempt in order to land in the dark. If I couldn't have made out the runway environment on my third pass I was going to turn around and go home and go back to bed. The moon was not out on Saturday morning, so the surrounding darkness was impressive. But, once I was on the ground the takeoff in that kind of darkness was easy and we were soon on our way to Midland, enjoying 35 knot tailwinds and landing 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Of course, on our return trip the same day, I paid for our quick trip to Texas with those same strong winds now on my nose. Twelve hours later, with our business in Texas wrapped up, I landed back at my home base of Alamosa and went on a hot date! I love flying.

Ingenuity in Haiti

Third World Aircraft Re-Fuel, originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

We received this picture recently of the Kodiak re-fueling in Haiti. Sometimes you have to be a little creative when the fuel truck doesn't show up, or is broken down.

I should be flying off to Midland Texas tomorrow if mother nature cooperates...pics to come of course.

Fish out of Water

Eagle Airport (aka - Vail), originally uploaded by Cielo Azul Images.

I had the privilege of flying to Eagle, Colorado (Vail) yesterday. It was a great, sunny, winter flight, with huge blue skies to match. This was my first time into Eagle airport and I did feel a little out of place. I think I was the only aircraft on the field that was powered by pistons instead of turbines. I think I counted 7 Gulfstreams, 1 Boeing Business Jet (B737), numerous Lear Jets, and countless Cessna Citations and many fancy turboprops. On top of all this fancy private traffic, the airlines also bring in skiers during the winter. Delta, American, and Continental all had their Boeing 757's shuttling flatlanders back to Texas. This is a very small airport tucked into a small mountain valley, so the presence of so many large and fast airplanes kept me on edge trying to keep an eye out for them as I landed and departed.
As I was taking off to head south back to Alamosa, I did follow a most peculiar arrangement of flight. An Aviat Husky (similar to a Piper Cub) was doing formation flying with a Gulfstream for air to air photos. When I asked the tower how that arrangement worked the pilot of the Husky chimed in and said "this is a fast Husky" and the pilot of the Gulfstream followed suit and said "this is a slow Gulfstream." It seemed to be working fine, although I'm sure both aircraft were at their airspeed limits, one on the bottom end and the other on the top.