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Sometimes it is so comforting when we get a definite answer, even when that answer is no. Yesterday my husband and I received a definite answer to something we have been toying with for a long time. When hubby was in high school, he went on a missions trip where he flew with a missionary pilot. He had long wanted to be a pilot, but this trip gave him a desire to combine his love of flying with missions. When I was in high school, I went on a couple missions trips where I was amazed at all God was doing in the world, especially outside of the United States. These trips made me desire to serve the Lord in missions. Both hubby and I went to college with the full intent of serving God overseas. Through various means, it seemed though that every time we began to take serious steps in that direction, one thing or another would happen to close the doors, at least temporarily. God seemed to be clearly directing us toward serving him through our careers here in America. Throughout the nine years that we have been married, missions aviation has come up again and again. We knew that if we were to go into missions aviation, there was one specific organization that we would want to go with. We prayed a lot about this, and about a year ago, things seemed to be all green lights that the time was right for us to begin the process of going overseas. We began the application process with our church and pastor’s full backing. We were surprised when once again unexpected road blocks began to appear. Paperwork and messages were repeatedly lost in the mail or cyber-space so that both we and the organization thought the other side was neglecting to respond. Finally yesterday, about a year after our initial application, a representative from this organization called us, wanting to check on our interest and wondering why we had stopped communicating with them (despite numerous letters, calls, and e-mails we had sent without a response). I explained the situation to him and said we had assumed, based on the lack of response we had received, that they had all the missionary pilots they needed and didn’t need us. I suggested that he call back when hubby was available to talk with him. When I got off the phone I was confused and frustrated. Hubby is at a point in his career where some exciting, long-dreamed about goals are within reach. Why then, when things finally seemed clear, did this possibility of missions aviation with this particular organization again come up? What was God trying to tell us?

When he got off the phone with me, the representative called the parent organization to find out what was going on and why we hadn’t heard back. When he called hubby in the afternoon, we were surprised to hear what he had to say. What we had seen as a great need – that of well-trained pilots to move to the middle of the jungle to fly missionaries into and out of remote areas – had been filled. They had such a boom of applications in the past year and such little turn-over that there was a waiting list years long. We are already close to their age cut-off, so by the time a position came open, we would be considered to old to make the adjustment to missions life. They would be glad to put hubby to work at a desk job, but did not need him as a pilot. Now hubby has tried a desk job, even one that was primarily aviation oriented, and he was miserable. God clearly made him to be a pilot, not to fly a desk. He got off the phone and told me that after years of toying with missions aviation, God had given us a clear answer – no. That is not where we were needed. Now I am sure there are other organizations that we could pursue if we wanted to, but this seems so clearly to be God’s directing. This organization is where we saw the biggest need. Now I know why this possibility again came up right as hubby’s career dreams are within reach – so that we will no longer have to lay in bed at night and wonder if somehow we missed God’s best for us. There are those he calls to missions in a foreign land, and frankly, that holds some appeal to us still. In a way, the final no is a bit disappointing, but not really. We know God’s plans for us are best. For us, we believe God has shown us very clearly that no, missions aviation is not what he wants from us. He wants us to serve him in our American careers, with our American friends, and in our American church. We can support overseas missions through our prayers, giving, promoting it, and short-term help, but here is where he wants us full-time, at least unless he shows us just as clearly otherwise. Sometimes it’s not easy to hear no, but it’s so nice to have such a definite answer.