Though we are many, we are one body (Posted by Kristine)

I love meeting new people and learning about their lives. I think I really can't get enough of it. It's such a joy to sit down with someone and hear about their lives, their world from their perspective. Throughout this process we've gotten to meet many new friends and it's been wonderful.

Anyone that really knows me, knows I love checking out different churches. I love seeing how others worship, how they choose to do ministry, whether there is an outreach ministry, hear what songs they sing and hear how the pastor/reverend/bishop...etc teaches. In the past few months we've had the opportunity to worship with quite a few different churches. Let me just say that I love it! We did a Google search the other day to check out different churches in the area and so many came up! To think, on Sunday (or Saturday for some) there are many people traveling to go to these churches to worship. Many many people I've never met, nor might ever meet, but would love to meet. All these people believe in the same Lord, pray to the same Lord and worship the same Lord.

When I think of how many local churches, I think of how many national churches there are and international believers that are meeting and lifting their voices and prayers to God. It really reaffirms to me the belief that the "church" is not composed of bricks or wood or stone, but people. Everyone who believes in God and believes that the Lord Jesus died for our sins is a part of the church. Amazing eh? So even though we are in different locations, we are one.

One of my favorite passages of scripture talks about this very thing. It's found in 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 and if you've heard us speak, you've heard this verse. I'll post it below for others to read:
1 Corinthians 12:14-20
"For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, 'Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,' it is not for this reason and less a part of the body. And if the ear says,'Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,' it is not for this reason any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now, there are many members, but one body. 

All the members, all the people around the world that believe in God are a part of this body. From China, to Canada, to Russia to Indonesia, to Kenya....etc. God has a plan and a purpose for each one of us. Seriously... if you are a believer in Christ, He's got a plan for YOU! Are you listening to where He's leading? Or are you content focusing on your own goals and needs?

There are many many ways to serve the Lord. It could be: through living out your faith at  work, serving in a local rescue mission, going on a mission trip, doing homeless ministry, doing elderly ministry. if God has blessed you abundantly with finances it could mean that you become a part of a ministry by helping it to keep going. God has a role for each of us. I want to encourage you to spend some time in prayer this week seeking where God would be leading you to serve. You can think about what you like to do and seek out a ministry that does that. A very good first step if you are unsure is to start getting involved in your local church. Try out different ministries and pray that God will reveal the one He has for you. You'll definitely be blessed. :)

In Christ,
Kristine

Welcome Wednesday!

Welcome to Taking off with the Reeds!

This blog is home to Eric, Kristine and Jennavieve Reed. We are new missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship assigned as a Pilot/Information Technology family to Indonesia. Mission Aviation Fellowship's mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. We are not in Indonesia yet, but are in the support raising portion of our ministry. We are looking for people who want to join us as prayer and financial partners in ministry. Is that person you? Do you know someone who might be interested? If so, let us know! We'd love to have you on our team. Just e-mail us at: ereed@maf.org for more information. 

In the meantime, we'd love for you to check out our blog! There are several tabs above you can click on to learn more about us and Mission Aviation Fellowship. If you want you can check out our MAF website at https://maf.org/reed  

Two of the main locations Mission Aviation Fellowship flies out of  in Indonesia are  Papua and Kalimantan. (Click on the names of the locations for more information about what MAF does there.) In 2010. MAF had the privileged to fly in bibles and missionaries for the dedication of the new translation of the bible into the Kimyal language. It was a joyous occasion because this was the first time the Kimyal had the gospel in their own language. This translation took many years to complete. From the beginning MAF was there flying missionaries, supplies and tools in and out of the location to enable the effort to continue. It's still continuing today translating the old testament. 

You can check out the 5 minute video here:

We'd love to have you join our team! Follow our page via Google Friend Connect, Email and Networked Blogs on Facebook. We also have a Facebook Group called Taking off with the Reeds we'd love for you to join as well! 

We hope to check out your blogs as well! May God bless you and keep you safe!

In Christ,

The Reeds

Obstacles abound, but we press on!

A steep runway in Kalimantan, Indonesia

It's amazing the closer you get to God, the harder yet clearer things become. We've been finding this true over the past few months. We know this is a time of refinement, for the task to which we have been called is great. Serving the Lord in full-time ministry is not what the enemy wants. It's the exact opposite. Therefore, there WILL be trouble, there WILL be discouragement. The good news is, that Jesus has overcome these obstacles (John 16:33) and He is the hope that gets us through them.

Lately we've had a string of things fail on us: We got rear ended by a semi-truck at a stoplight in town. We are safe, our car's bumper needs to be replaced though. We are slated to get that taken care of next week. Our car's touch screen went out and had to be replaced. Soon after we replaced this, our 12v battery went out in the car as well. (Thank the Lord the car died at a gas station VERY close to our home.) We've replaced it and now it's working well. But it's interesting that our car would be such a target. The very thing that helps us get to meetings and destinations to share our ministry with Mission Aviation Fellowship.

We just replaced the battery and now our furnace in the house is starting to fail and we'll likely need to replace this. Coming into the winter months, replacing this is definitely a must. Our kitchen sink is also in need of replacement, but we're holding out as long as we can. We're kinda waiting on pins and needles to see what else starts to fail around the house. It's been our goal to finish up projects on the house by the end of February so we can sell our house. Lately it's been one delay after another. We may need to ask for help to get everything finished. We'll see though!

There have been other obstacles we faced and are still facing, but are are pressing on. We know God's called us to this ministry. It's amazing to see how the unique gifts He's given both of us fit so well with missionary aviation. Right now we're working on sharing the ministry of Mission Aviation Fellowship as many people as we can so that they may join with us in ministry.

     Do you know someone who might want to hear about MAF? A friend, relative, teacher...etc?  If so, we'd love to speak with them to share our hearts and get to know them. We are looking for many people to join our team, we cannot do this ministry by ourselves. In fact, without others joining our team financially and through prayer, we will not make it to Indonesia. We'd love for you to prayerfully consider partnering with us in ministry. There are many ways to partner. We invite you to click on the tabs above on our blog (Partner through prayer, partner through giving and other ways to partner) and pray about whether God is calling you to join our team.

        Thank you again for your prayers and support. We are very blessed to have such friends and family interested in our family's life and our ministry.

Blessings,
 The Reeds

My Hearts Song..(Posted by Kristine)

God transcends time. Often I (Kristine) find that songs pass the test of time as well. As I was sitting and reflecting tonight a song came to mind. It's a song I've heard many times, but tonight, it just resounds in my soul. It was written years ago (1873) by a woman named Dorothy Greenwell and it's called, " I am not skilled to understand." Little did she know how God would use that song in so many lives, including mine. I find that God speaks often to my heart through song and when I am singing and writing music, I feel a strong connection too. Someday, I might play a song for you, but tonight I wanted to share this song how Dorothy wrote it:

I Am Not Skilled To Understand
By: Dorothy Greenwell


I am not skilled to understand
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;
I only know at His right hand
Is One Who is my Savior!


I take Him at His word indeed;
"Christ died for sinners"- this I read;
For in my hear I find the need
Of Him to be my Savior!


That He should leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange? So once did I,
Before I knew my Savior!


And oh, that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I with my dear Savior!


Yea, living, dying, let me bring
My strength, my solace from this Spring;
That He Who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior!


God is amazing. He died for each and every one of us. I may not understand why certain things happen and don't happen, but God does. God has a plan. As Aaron Schust wrote in his version of the song,"My Savior loves, my Savior lives, My Savior's always there for me. My God He was, My God He is, My God is always gonna be."  How wonderful is it to believe in such a Savior. The God of hope. The God of healing. The God who gives grace. The God who loves. The God who teaches...etc. He is THE GOD.

As I start a "New Year", I vow to do my best to praise God all the day long. To show appreciation to Him through song and through my words. Will I fail at times? Yes, I am human and born into sin. Unfortunately failure is in my genetics. But guess who doesn't fail? God. When I fail, it's an opportunity for God to teach me. An opportunity for Him to work through my heart and my mind to perfect me and draw me to Him. It's also an opportunity for me to show others that don't believe in God, that I am a real person with real struggles, but the difference is that I have the hope that comes from Christ. I know that no matter how hard things get, no matter how many times I fall on my face in failure, I've got someone in my life that will NEVER give up on me. How amazing is that?

It makes me want to dance, to sing all night, to proclaim this truth to the nations. My soul sings out. I definitely long to share this love with the people of Indonesia. To the people who are losing hope. The people who are hurting. The ones who have given up on believing anything and the ones who think they know the truth, but don't. The ones who think that they have been forgotten and left behind by life. I want to let them know that they are not alone, they are never alone for God is omnipresent and is with them. God can heal their hurts and give them a renewed hope for the future, if they only choose to believe.

 Right now because I am half a world away from those I feel called to minister to, I pray. I pray for those whom I've only met in my dreams and in my thoughts and for those I've never met that they know the saving grace of Christ. I pray for those who believe and are already there that they be open to the opportunities God provides to share the truth and for the protection of God in their lives as they do. That's what's amazing about believing in God, even though I am here, HE is in Indonesia working and hears my prayers. He hears my heart's song.