..8 days!

Today has been great, but long and I'm tired, so I'll keep this short:

For starters, I found out how I'm doing as far as finances go for this trip today. I've raised $1500 out of $2850. Most of that is from me and one other person (hooray for them!). I'm expecting another $200-$250 soon, which is awesome. That will leave about $1100 left to raise. That's cake. Hopefully I'll get it soon. Mike (eMi Director) says that I need to have it paid in full by the time I return from my trip. So, that means I need to get $1100 donated by September 26th! I am in faith that God will provide - with a little help from you. :)

Secondly, I had a great conversations with one of my best friends tonight. It was great. We talked about how God calls us to live out his calling on our lives daily, not just when we go do "big" things for Him - aka this trip. He wants us to be faithful with the little things before He will give us the big things. As my friend said, "If He gives us the big things when we aren't able to even carry the little things, the big things will crush us". We can only grow when we daily live as children of God and are obedient in the little things. That way, we will someday be strong enough to carry the big things that He has in store for us. It's just like working out - muscle has to be broken down so that it can be rebuilt stronger than it was before. We grow through trials, through being faithful, through being obedient.

Anyways, it was a great conversation, and it was really encouraging for me. I already know these things, but I find myself talking about knowing these things more than I live them out. Knowledge without action will lead to unfulfillment. Knowing Jesus and what he has done for us should compel us into action. Through obedience, we will find something more fulfilling than any fulfillment we can get out of doing something on our own.

It's so simple - yet so profound. It's all about Baby steps - just a baby walking with my daddy (God).

Cheers.

..9 days!

So... I'm going to take a break from posting about my upcoming trip (well, mostly) to share a cool God-story:

There is this college program at my church called Faith Works that I've been wanting to attend since they started doing it a couple of years ago. I've been really busy with architecture school so I haven't had time to do it, until now. I was really hoping to go, and was practically planning on going - then I lost my job. I was hoping to may for most of my trip to Uganda and also for Faith Works but with the recent change in income, it wasn't looking like a smart idea.

A couple of days ago, I payed the down-payment for the eMi trip which was a bit of a leap of faith - since, again, no money coming in now. I'm now still trying to raise a large portion of the fee for the trip, so paying for Faith Works didn't seem like a good idea either. Anyways, today was the last day to sign up for the early bird price for the college program. I really felt God was calling me to take it so I was planning on signing up for it and just acting out in faith (I only just came to that conclusion in the past couple of days).

Well, last night, I heard from my old job - which I thought had pretty much closed its doors - and they said they were wrapping up a few projects and could give me some work this week if I was available. Needless to say, I'm going in to work tomorrow to help them finish up some things and it looks like I'll get enough work this week to pay the tuition for Faith Works - and possibly, a little more. (w00t!) I'm reminded of these verses from the Sermon on the Mount:

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

*I know that He promises that He will take care of us if we pursue His kingdom and righteousness, but I'm still blown away when He comes through for me. He is so good.

On that note, I am still looking for contributions towards my trip. If you are able to or know of anyone who could support me financially just go to www.emiworld.org and click on the “Donate” tab at the top right of the page. Then, fill out your payment information and finally, type, “Tim Berry - eMi UK - #11008” in the “Designation” line and click the "Submit Contribution" button. I will have an update on the progress of that by tomorrow - hopefully. Look for that as well as a better project description in the coming days. Also, please continue to pray for me and the team that God is putting together for this trip. Thank you so much.

Cheers.

..10 Days

Hello all!

I leave the USofA in 10 days! I usually don't do countdowns, but I thought I'd start one on this blog. I'll aim to blog every day up until I leave.. we'll see how that goes. Anyways, for this first blog, I thought I'd share with y'all a little bit about MAF Uganda - the ministry that we are going to help in Uganda.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been flying since 1945. It is a Christian ministry that flies light aircraft to inaccessible areas in developing countries to reach out to people in need. They offer their services in areas where local alternatives do not exist or are not suitable. They are committed to provide a reliable and efficient service and operate according to the highest safety standards based on many decades of bush flying experience.


In Uganda MAF currently operates 5 aircraft from its base at Kajjansi (that's a fun word to say!). Through this airfield, MAF provides safe travel to missionaries going out to minister to normally unreachable people throughout Uganda and the surrounding areas. They also transport doctors and nurses to bush villages to set up clinics that provide healthcare (surgeries, checkups, cataract removal, dental work, etc.) to these unfortunate people groups. Another vital thing they do is deliver cargo - medical supplies, food, etc. - to people that have no other way to access it. Awesome, right?!

I just skyped with Mike Woods - the director of eMi UK and former pilot for MAF Uganda for 5 years. It was great to hear from him and to be able to learn a little more about MAF and what we will be doing for them. It's awesome to see how God has used his experience in flying with MAF to now collide with what he (or rather, what God) is doing through eMi UK. While talking with him, he continually stressed the importance of what MAF Uganda does. He said that the roads in Uganda are terrible. It is virtually impossible to travel to most parts of Uganda (and most of Africa) by car. This makes what MAF does so vital.

I will write more about what we are going to do for them on this eMi project trip on the next blog - stay tuned!

this is a photo of a MAF plane taking off from Kajjansi airfield

side note: Mike said during our skype conversation that since the airfield borders the northern side of Lake Victoria, there is a lot of marshy land surrounding the runway that sometimes alligators wander out on to the runway... definitely something to keep an eye out for!

Cheers.

..Adventure calls!

Hey everyone!

As you all may or may not know, I have been planning on going to Uganda with eMi to help design/re-plan the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) airfield base and surrounding buildings next month. Today, I finally heard back from Mike Woods (the eMi UK director). He said that the trip is definitely happening, and I am definitely on the team (w00t!). Here are a few trip details:

I will be leaving Phoenix on Tuesday September 6th at 7:25pm and arriving into Heathrow (London) on Wednesday (7th) at 1:05pm (zzz...). I'll be with my UK peeps for the next couple of days. Then we all (the entire UK team, plus a couple of fellow Americans flying into Heathrow that day) leave together to Uganda, departing 9:15pm from Heathrow on Saturday September 10th. I'll be in Uganda until the 25th doin' work (designing, etc.). We will leave Entebbe (Uganda) at 9:05am on the 25th. We'll arrive back into the UK at 3:55pm on Sunday 25th and I'll finally leave Heathrow on the 26th at 2:35pm, which will put me back in Phoenix at 5:10pm on the 26th... whew, that'll be a fun couple of days.

More details on the trip to come!

Here comes the fun part:

The total cost of the trip will be $2850, which is $350 more than I thought it would be. Also, I was originally planning on paying for it - or at least most of it. Now, since I'm jobless, that becomes much more difficult. I already have around $1000 saved up for it, but that still leaves a lot left that needs to be payed. So, I'm going to try to raise money for the remainder of the cost of the trip in the next few weeks. This is where you come in. Please pray that I could raise the money and be fully funded by the 25th of September (the due date).

Also, I know the rest of the team is still up in the air (figuratively). Some people have backed out and we might be short a few people. Pray that God raises up the perfect team to go on this trip and that we all raise the money needed to go. If any of you could support me financially I would also appreciate that. I'm not worried too badly about getting the funds needed so if you aren't able to give then that is totally fine! If you know of other people who might be interested in supporting me - give them the link to this blog. Thanks!

Donations are tax deductible if you donate online. Go to www.emiworld.org and click on the “Donate” tab at the top right of the page. Then, fill out your payment information and finally, type “Tim Berry - eMi UK - #11008” in the “Designation” line and click the "Submit Contribution" button. That should be it. If you have any questions, let me know.

If you're old fashioned, I will also take checks/cash. Those won't be tax deductible though. :/


Thank you so much for both your prayer and financial support! I really appreciate it! God bless!

Cheers.

Great video about architorture...er, architecture and why I love/hate it. :)



Cheers.

..Learning Humility

Hello again!

It's been a while, but rather than rabble on for a few paragraphs about nonsense (like normal), I'll get right to the point of this post.


The last few weeks, I've been asking God to purify me - to make me more like Jesus. One of the things that I struggle with is pride. Thus, I've been asking God for humility - to rid me of my pride. I really desire humility. I do. I desire it so much, that I've realized just come to realize that I'm proud of that desire (pride is really sneaky like that). You'll understand exactly what I mean in a few paragraphs.

Friday.

Friday started out normal. I woke up tired from the week, but after a shower and the 20min drive to work I was finally awake. I parked, set up the sun screen on my windshield and went into the office. As I entered the office I noticed that it was unusually dark and quiet (it's usually pretty dark and quiet too). When I walked past the conference room, I noticed my boss in there. I said, "good morning!"... and waited for him to reply in kind, but he didn't. Instead he said, "Tim, I need to talk to you about something.."

I went in and sat across the table from him all the while wondering I had done something wrong and was about to get reprimanded or possibly let go because of finances. Instead, he just said, "Tim, There's no easy way to say this so I'll just get right to it. As of today, we are closing our doors (filing for bankruptcy)." I just sat there, staring at him. Finally, I asked, "You're serious?" I knew he was, but that's all I could get out at the time. After he told me a little more about the situation, I just sat there for a minute, trying to process what he just told me. The company was over. Everyone there had no job. No more paychecks. Nothing. It was hard to think about.

Bankruptcy.

What a humbling word. It truly is. It tells the world that you need help. That you can't make it on your own. Without Jesus, we would all be spiritually bankrupt.. OK, this time I am going to resist the urge to elaborate on that potential analogy.

Anyways, back to my story - I left work trying to process what just happened. As much as it sucks for me to lose my job in this economy, it is probably 10x worse for most of the other guys I worked with. The ones that have families. The ones that had money invested in the company. The ones that will have a much harder time paying their bills. I feel for them. It hurts. It hurts more than me losing my job. I'll be fine.

When I got home, I jumped on my bike and rode... and rode. More than I ever have. I prayed the whole time. I prayed for all my co-workers families. I prayed that God would use this for good. It was a great time of prayer. I really needed it.

I kept thinking that this was God's way of purifying me and ridding me of some pride in my life. I mean, I just lost my job. That's a big deal and could be a source of pride, right? I thought I had it figured out. I was above it. This was just a setback for me, but God would help me out. I was handling it perfectly. At least outwardly.

I got home after a 2hr bike ride. I took a long nap and woke up in good spirits. I was handling this well. God was removing the pride... I knew what was going on and was ready for it. I'm the man. I thought I had learned my lesson and was done with it.

I wasn't.

I took a shower and jumped in the car to pick Evan up to go to a meeting for this non-profit we're starting. I was on Greenfield and there was construction so traffic merged into a single lane. I was potentially running a bit late so I looked down and pulled out my phone to look up the address for the office we were going to meet at. Then I looked up. Brake lights. Traffic had stopped in the couple of seconds I had taken to look down at my phone. I slammed on my brakes. It was too late (man, I wish I had anti-lock brakes). Tires skidding. Metal crunching. Seat-belt locking.

Pride exposed.

I never cuss. At least, I think I don't. As I sat in my car that was smashed into the car in front of me, I cussed under my breath. Instead of instantly thinking if anyone was hurt, I was worrying about how this would affect me. I might be out of a car. I got out to check the damage. It was bad. It might be totaled (this ended up being true). Not only was the physical damage on my mind, but I couldn't stop thinking about how this damaged my pride. After all, it was my fault. I couldn't get away from that. It was blatantly obvious. Whatever pride I had in my driving was squashed. I mean, this is the second time I've wrecked one of my cars. My pride was hurt, and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

Then it hit me. I realized that I didn't have everything figured out. That I wasn't able to handle the situation in the right way in my own power. That I'm selfish. That I don't always react well. My pride was exposed and I knew it. I was tested and I failed. God showed me what was truly in my heart. He showed me that I still have a lot of pride. I love that He uses the crappy things in life to help us grow and to turn us to rely on Him.

Needless to say, I then quietly/humbly walked around the wreck to see how everyone was. I had hit a girl about my age in an older car. She was still in her car, on her phone, crying. She didn't look up so I went to the truck in front of her (I hit the car in front of me hard enough that it hit the truck in front of her). A lady was in it, also on her phone, also crying. Neither would really acknowledge my presence. So I just moved my car and waited for the police/fire dept to come. What a humbling experience. Any pride I had before that accident was gone. I was humbled.

Needless to say, I learned my lesson: When I think I've got it all figured out, I don't. It's as simple as that. Humility is having a right perspective of who God is and who I am. When I realize that, I realize that I can't know everything (sounds basic just saying it, but I forget this). I am nothing without Him. All the good I do is through Him working through me. I keep forgetting that. I need wake up calls now and again to remind me of those truths. Now that I have no car and no job, I see that. He really does use all things for the good of those who love Him.

He is faithful.

This post was really good for me. I have a hard time sharing about my weaknesses but I know that even in writing this (really long) blog that God has been working on my pride. While writing, I kept catching myself trying to sugar coat my reactions and put me in a good light. I probably still did that, but I hope that you were able to see my heart through it all.

Prayer.

If you could pray for all of my co-workers who lost their job I would really appreciate it. I know that we all need God to provide for us in the coming months, weeks, and days. Thank you.



Also, I am going to Uganda in one month on a project trip with eMi UK to help MAF's airfield base with some new building designs, a new master plan, and water/waste water engineering. If you could pray that God brings all the right people to join the team and that we all are able to get the money we need to go. I had planned on mostly funding the trip, but with the recent loss of my job, I will need to rely on donations to help me reach my goal. I need about $2500 in one month, and I will be able to pay a good chunk of that. But, I will need quite a bit of money in a short period of time. So, please pray for that. Thank you!

God bless!

Cheers.