Asas Amphibious 206 Engine Run and Taxi Test

Just a quick post tonight! Tuesday night's are Heather's night out, when she meets up with some of the other MMS wives. (Coincidently that also means that all across Coshocton there are MMS men with their feet up watching programmes involving petrol / cars / garage experiments / police chases!!)

The week just gone has been one of settling into a routine; I have settled into my routine for getting out to work in the morning, and home again in the afternoon, Abi and Matthew are settling onto their routine of doing a bit of home-school-work in the mornings, and Heather is settling into her routine of coordinating the rest of us!!

Our furniture from Scotland is now all in it's new positions and the boxes have been unpacked - the house here is well and truly feeling like our home.

My work at the hanger is going really well. I am enjoying the hands on work, learning new skills and refreshing my memory on some things I haven't done since my days at the Nautical college in Glasgow! The last few work days have been working at the welding bench, brushing up on basic skills with the gas welding gear, finishing up today with a tube cluster (one piece of pipe, with 3 other pipes joining it at 45, 90, and 135 degrees). Unfortunately I didn't have my camera at work today, so you will just have to take my word that I passed that exercise, and have now finished my basic training! As of tomorrow morning I will be in the "Primary" phase of training, working on aeroplanes under the supervision of one of the MMS staff. The primary phase will probably last for the next 12 - 18 months, and after that I will move into "Production training" where I will be given more responsibility, whilst still learning under supervisors.

While I am in the Primary phase I will be carrying on with my study at home; tonight's job (much as I am tempted with the full reign of the tv whilst Heather is out!) is to finish reading up on the Maths chapter ready for a test later in the week. Long division took a wee while to get my head back around, but it has all clicked back into place now! That said, I have no intentions of selling my calculator just yet!!

Thanks for your interest, and if you want to see a short video of the Asas de Socorro plane I mentioned last week, doing some taxi trials and engine run yesterday, follow the link below!

A

Started at MMS!

The last couple of weeks of weeks have seen my pace of life change a little bit! I have gone from very flexible working hours based at home, to a 7:30 start at the hanger, with a regimented routine to each day. The getting-out-of-bed-on-time bit has taken a little while to re-adjust to, but I am loving being back in a more traditional work routine for the first time since last summer!


As you will know if you have been following our story so far, last summer saw me leave my job in Scotland to start work with www.maf-uk.org . Although I came from a technical background, I had never worked on aircraft before, so I needed to retrain and qualify as an aircraft engineer before MAF could have me serving in one of their field programmes.


Enter www.mmsaviation.org who partner with MAF-UK to provide training for prospective aircraft engineers. We moved to Coshocton last November, spent the last few months of 2010 settling into our new home and lifestyle on the other side of the Atlantic, and then on 3rd January I started work at the hanger! (You may have seen the “new school uniform” picture a couple of posts back!) It was very exciting to be finally starting in the role that we have focused so much of our thoughts on for the last few years! I was even able to maintain that excitement right through a day of counting nuts and bolts, as the first day back after the Christmas break is traditionally the stock check and inventory day. It was actually a really good opportunity to find my way around the store system, work out where everything was kept and try to get my head around some of the part numbers…

Counting nuts...

Since then my time has been spent with Chuck working through a “Basic training” phase where I am reviewing basic shop skills, hand tool techniques etc. Understandably no-one is too keen on giving me a rivet gun, showing me to someone else’s shiny aeroplane and leaving me to it, so the start of my training at MMS involves a bit of time making sure the basics are right. I have really enjoyed this last couple of weeks, learning lots of new skills as I have never really been involved in any sheet metal work before. I also realise that some things are like riding a bike, and are just the same as they were when I was at college in Glasgow! (Spanners are still spanners, even if they call them wrenches over here!) The last 4 years of my career have been based in an office, so it has been good to spend the beginning of 2011 “getting my eye in” again.

Measure twice, cut once...

There are very few things on an aircraft that you would want to have drop off after you leave the ground. Over the years the industry and Aviation Authorities have developed all sorts of standards, regulations and best practice to ensure that this doesn’t happen, so another significant spell of time during basic training is spent looking at these standards, where they are found, and some practical exercises on securing fasteners, safety wiring, and how to do it all correctly.

Safety wire

I also have some nice thick text books to be working my way through in the evenings. I am scheduled for an end of chapter test every 10 days or so, which should see me finishing all the theory training about midway through my apprenticeship (1 test down, 45 to go!) This is obviously an important part of the training, and balances the very practical training I will be doing during the day.

The Books!

Within “mission aviation” we have to work within all the regulations laid out by various authorities, but we are also conscious of our responsibilities as stewards of all that God has given us. This gives an added incentive to do everything we do “with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”. This is visibly obvious when you look at the Cessna 206 which MMS have been working on for some time now. It will soon be completed and sent off to work on the Amazon with www.asasdesocorro.org.br , and it is looking great! This is the view from my basic training bench this week, right under this plane’s tail, and it is a real incentive for me to do a good job when I see what I am working towards.

Asas de Socorro Cessna 206

Thursday night saw our shipment from the UK arrive, so we had a great day on Friday rebuilding flat packs (and improvising our way around some missing bolts!) and unpacking all our stuff from Scotland. The kids had Christmas number 2 as they opened boxes of their toys, and Heather and I can relax safe in the knowledge that we once again have enough teaspoons! Our new home is really feeling like home again now… I am sure Heather will be updating you all on that soon!

Thank you all for your interest in what we are doing, and for the many ways you are supporting us while we are over here.

A

Abi and Matthew's hospital update.

Matthew had a check up on his heart murmur at Akron Children's hospital. One reading came back a little abnormal (but in a small percentage of kids that's expected) and the doctor thought he could hear a second murmur also, so he suggested an ultrasound. Everything came back all clear and his heart murmur is a normal one. Matthew was very good and lay still for 20 minutes while they did the ultra-sound! I know that was the power of prayer!

The ENT specialist looked at Abi and she has very enlarged tonsils. Although they are not infected they are restricting her airways causing her to snore and be a mouth breather. The doctor would like to take them out so we are going to schedule the operation for March some time when the snow is more unlikely! It is a 45 minute operation and she gets home the same day. She is very excited about the prospect of lots of ice-cream and lollies! I had my tonsils out when I was 13 and can still remember the pain. I pray her enthusiasm will continue till March!

Thanks for the prayers. It was a long and quite stressful day travelling to an unknown place. I was very grateful to Esther who came along with me and helped to navigate and look after one of the children while I saw the doctor with the other.

Off To Work!

Well the day finally arrived for Andy to start in the MMS hanger! Usually Abi wakes us early every morning but as Andy has to be out of the house by 7.15am we need something a little more predictable. Andy has really enjoyed being in the hanger. His new uniform even has his name sewn on all of his shirts!

We returned from North Carolina last week to a little pile of mail. Thank you for the lovely Christmas cards and encouraging notes. It was great to hear some Pitlochry voices on the phone (Fergus and Christine!) on Monday and today we have had three skype calls from Scotland. My apologies to all those who are more interested in the goings on in the MMS hanger than my little "cook-a-thons" at home. :0) Andy will write the next blog post and you can hear of his news first hand.

I have been adjusting to my new life of home alone with the children all day again. It is wonderful to have time to play with the kids, do a little home schooling each day and keep the house tidy. I am really enjoying trying out new recipes and have so far made Chicken Korma, chilli, lasagna, among others without a jar in sight! Today we made fresh bread (the most successful yet - thanks Jenny), chocolate chip cookies, and pizza from scratch. The clean up takes a lot longer with two little helpers but it was worth it to see them eating their creations!

We know our shipment has arrived in America but according to the Internet it hasn't cleared customs yet. I was at a friends Lia Sophia Jewelery party on Monday night and am going to host one in my house on the 18th of Feb. I thought it would be a good opportunity to invite the new people I am meeting to our house - a house warming party with a little more sparkle! I just hope our shipment has arrived or they may be bringing a chair each!

We were back at church on Sunday and enjoyed a Southern Gospel Quartet who were visiting Coshocton. The southern accent is more difficult to understand and there were a few moments where the people around us erupted laughing, and Andy and I had knew we had missed the joke! Never mind, we enjoyed the music!

On friday Abi and Matthew both have appointments at the Children's hospital in Akron. Esther, another MMS apprentice wife is going to come with me for the day to help with the navigation and childminding along the way! Abi's appointment is at 10am and Matthew's appointment is at 12.30pm. (We are five hours behind the UK) I believe Akron is over an hour's drive away from our house. There is snow forecast tomorrow evening so I am praying the roads will be clear and safe to allow us to make the appointments. We will keep you posted on the outcome.

Happy New Year to all

love from the Swanson's x

Greetings from North Carolina!

We hope you are all having a lovely time with family and friends at this special time. Our last few days in Ohio were taken up with Abi's dancing party and then meeting Abi and Matthew's new doctor. We are aware Matthew has a heart murmur. The doctor in Scotland (we had to undergo full body medicals before we were accepted with MAF) had recommended we get a scan to check the murmur in between America and the next destination. Well the Pediatrician in Ohio is organizing this so we can have plenty time before we leave the USA if anything needs to be done. Abi is also being referred to have a check up with the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist as she has been snoring for quite some time now! Her tonsils are rather large and this may be the cause of it. So that was our first trip to the doctor in America! We were very impressed! Lets pray the outcome of the investigations are not too invasive for the children.

Thursday we set off for North Carolina to spend the week with our American Family. We had a wonderful drive and the Children were really good considering. We pass through West Virginia which is very mountainous and the icicles were impressive. I took some pictures along the way.

Once we passed through West Virginia the snow began to thin out and Abi commented on the fact she could see grass again!

(we haven't see green grass for about three weeks! )

This was the view of North Carolina as we passed through the border.

We have had a lovely Christmas and Abi and Matthew have had the added bonus of having two little friends to play with. Natalie (5) and Ace (3) were staying over for two nights so lots of fun was had. It snowed on Christmas day also and on Boxing day we were all able to get out and do some sledging! We also learnt how to make snow cream! Mix real snow with milk, sugar and some vanilla! Abi and Natalie were kept very busy with the making and eating of it!

We head back to Ohio on Thursday to give us a few days before Andy begins work on Monday. Thanks for reading the blog and for all your support and prayers. I usually post more pictures on facebook so try and befriend us there if you would like.

Happy Christmas!

Just a quick blog post tonight!!

It is Christmas eve, and the kids have just gone down to bed. We had a long but uneventful drive down to NC from Coshocton yesterday, and today has been a nice day relaxing with friends and family. This has been an amazing year for us, with so many huge changes and incredible experiences that we still sometimes can’t quite get our head’s around it all!

We have had cards and good wishes from so many of you – Thank you all so very much!! Unfortunately we haven’t been able to send our best wishes personally to all of you. We wish you all the very best as we take the opportunity at this time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ, and pray that you would know His blessing as we look forward to the year ahead.

Happy Christmas!!

Andy, Heather, Abi and Matthew.

This week has flown by! Tuesday was our first day of MMS training! Unfortunately child care did not work out and so Keith and Karen came to our home for the day and we read through the manuals while Abi and Matthew played. Then it was time for Abi's dancing from 4-5pm. After I got home I got a call to say the MMS apprentice wives were meeting that night at 7.30. Debra Coats was to be the speaker and as she only lives a few houses along, I would catch a lift with her. It was around minus 7 degrees C, dark and icy and two minutes after she picked me up the car broke down - no battery, no lights! We could not find the hazard lights anywhere and praise God we were not on a main road in the darkness! (American hazard lights are on the steering rack so I have learned!) Debra's husband Dale came and rescued us and jump started the car and then we swapped cars with him and we continued on to the meeting! Debra is from South Africa and was in full traditional dress. She told us her story and her testimony followed by sticky toffee pudding - thanks Mary!

On Wednesday we continued our induction with an in-depth tour around the MMS hanger. It was fascinating to see the different aircraft and the detailed work that goes into repairing them. In this picture you can see an airplane's floats have still to be fitted and behind the floats you can see the airplane is being suspended from the ceiling with it's tail anchored on a weight to stop it moving.

This plane started off in Alaska, with wheels, and will soon be starting a new life flying off the Amazon in South America!

I have enjoyed cooking meals for two families this week. On Friday night we had Pastor Don Lain of Coshocton Church of the Nazarene and his wife Nancy and daughters Abigail (20) and Christa (10). They have been living in New York state before moving to Ohio a few years ago and it was great getting to know them better.

We also had an MMS family round for dinner on Sunday evening. Paul Gettle is also an apprentice like Andy, however he has completed one year of his training already. His wife is Kristen and they have three boys Grant, Cole and Evan. We were able to introduce them to home made Chicken Korma!

We have managed to do a little more exploring this week and took a trip to the busy city of Columbus. There seems to be quite a lot to do there such as a science centre, indoor adventure swimming pool, and a zoo etc. We just went to see where the shops were and have a look around. The zoo etc. can come at a later date. The temperature has begun to get a little warmer around minus 3 now ;-) We decided to go sledging down the front garden. Debbie and Jeff from NC gifted the children with some interesting looking sledges which proved to be a huge hit - both for the kids and us! I'm not sure who had the most fun. Andy and I are really missing our wellies so while the kids were warm and dry we ended up with soggy ankles and socks! I really hope they arrive before the deep snow comes in Jan/Feb! We called the shipping company today and have our doubts that the stuff has actually even left the UK. Please pray that things will go smoothly and quickly in this area. We are so thankful for our house and the fact that there is at least one bed in it! Thank you to all who have, and are continuing to pray for us. We really appreciate it.

This week at church was the nativity celebrations and it was great worshiping with the choir and the children as they related the Christmas story. We are heading off to North Carolina for a week on Thursday morning which is about an 8 hour drive. Please pray the weather will allow for safe travels!

There is much more to the Song "Away in a manger" apart from the different tune this side of the pond. God made "A WAY" through the birth of Jesus, to allow us to come with all our faults, all our baggage, all our dirt and into a relationship with Him. This is the reason we celebrate, the reason we give to others, the reason we show his love at Christmas, that we might show others the "way" to the child in the Manger - the Son of the living God.

Merry Christmas

love from the Swanson's.