Sitting at the Foot of the Cross at Inspiration Point at Lake Junaluska NC.
Greetings from the Stevenson family! We want to share our latest news with AWA!
This past May, we were blessed to be able to attend the Carolina Conference Camp Meeting at Lake Junaluska, NC. It was very last minute, but we did have a great time, fell in love with the area, and got to meet quite a few people at the AWA tent. How little did we know at the time how God would lead us in the near future!
“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.” Exodus 40:36-37 KJV
We sat together that early June morning of the 19th. Our minds were frozen in disbelief at the phone call. “We want you to come to North Carolina…. Is it possible you can get here in the next couple of weeks?” Pastor Ric Swaningson, Adventist World Aviation’s president, had petitioned us. What? Tears and convulsing shoulders shook me after the call was over, while I tried to process what had just happened.
We had worked with Nik Nagy on various AWA aircraft over the time we have been with AWA. Nik got a great opportunity to work at SMAT and decided to take it. Unfortunately, it was a very quick decision, as the school year is starting soon. Kyle is also an A&P mechanic and so Ric asked if Kyle would come to AWA’s headquarters in North Carolina to be the Chief of Maintenance. Ric said we needed to make a decision quick by at least the end of the day. Due to some airplanes that needed maintenance to get into the mission field as quickly as possible, we would need to be there for essential debriefing by July 15th.
The shock of the request lay heavy on our shoulders. Were we really going to say yes, pack up all our possessions, and drive over 3,000 miles to live in a new place in 2 ½ weeks’ time, just to meet a mission deadline? The shock was not solely because of the nature of the request, but because of the surprise of the answer already in our hearts. This answer had been there ever since the camp meeting, but committing to saying the words had us frozen. God’s tenderness of love and the caress of His Spirit opened our souls to speak. Once we settled in to the reality before us, we called Ric back and told him yes!
Then God moved upon Kyle to reveal the next part of the plan to see us through. “We should contact *Randy and see if he would be interested in purchasing our side of the townhome,” Kyle texted me from work. Just hearing the suggestion, the Spirit moved my heart. I knew God had prompted Kyle. I called Randy, and he was thrilled at the idea and honored we would ask him. He declared he would pay cash which would allow the closing to happen in a matter of days rather than weeks. Kyle and I were shocked at these extraordinary circumstances only God could have orchestrated. I thanked Randy earnestly and he reassured me that everything was going to be okay; that he would do everything he could to make sure our transition would be as smooth as possible, and he has kept his word.
Ric was ecstatic to hear an affirmed “yes” on coming to North Carolina. We were quite emotional, although hopeful to see what else God had in store. The rest of the week was a mad dash to get engagements in order and cancel others. While we were deeply disappointed we would not be able to have a booth at the Oregon Gladstone Camp Meeting (that hurt to cancel it), the amount of new connections and friends we have made putting our affairs in order to move has been incredible. God continues to show His glory and His authority over this whole move as each step we take and each person that steps forward to help us get ready is a proclamation that these events are part of God’s plan for our lives.
This is God’s mission, His ministry, His glory, and we have laid ourselves at His feet to be used as the vessels He has intended for us to be. God has even included my mother, who lives with us in this monumental move! She is coming too and has her own struggles she is overcoming now. God is refining us over and making a stunning canvas of His love out of the mire, the imperfections, and dedication of our lives. How far will you go to serve God? How much of yourself will you give? We look forward to sharing more with you next month!
Your AWA Mission Family on their way from Oregon to North Carolina,
The Stevenson Family
*Randy, not his real name.
