Hello
and welcome to my web journal. This is where I will be sharing a little bit
every few months about my journey to becoming a missionary pilot. I'm glad you
are along for the flight. Please make sure your seat belt is firmly fastened as
we get ready to take off!
"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their
strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not
grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:31
My
name is Michael Meyers and I am a former missionary kid. From ages 9-15 I lived
in the small Brazilian town of Assis in the state of São Paulo, where my
parents started a missionary organization called Open Arms
Worldwide (formerly Open Arms Brazil) to work with at-risk children.
As
far back as I can remember, I have been fascinated by all types of motorized
vehicles. Cars, trucks, boats, boat-trucks (yes I have driven the D.C. Duck,
though in the river, not on the road). I love to understand their mechanics,
operate them, and just be around them. I don't think this trait of being
mechanically-minded is a mistake but a gift from God that I can and should use
for His glory. My special focus on aviation started through my mom's work with
the airlines when I was very young. She would take me to work with her some
days and I would spend hours just watching the planes. Whenever we would
travel, which was fairly often, I would make a point of speaking with the pilot
as we entered the airplane. Many times I was invited to sit in the captain's
seat; hundreds of buttons, knobs and displays all around me. This was pre-9/11
of course, when airport security was much less strict.
My
first experience in a small aircraft would come later when we moved to Brazil.
A family friend flew us to his farm far in the interior of Brazil in his 4
passenger, single engine plane. We flew low over portions of the Amazon and
several Indian villages along the way. To say I was ecstatic would be an
understatement. I was 9 years old and I knew right then that I wanted to become
a pilot.
In
December 2013 we returned from Brazil, the national leadership of Open Arms
having grown to the point of near self-sufficiency and the opportunity for a
new outreach presenting itself in the Sterling area. We never completely
removed ourselves from the goings-on of Open Arms in Brazil; my dad was and is
still the President of the organization and I participate in most of the
short-term mission trips as a translator. My heart was set on becoming a pilot,
I just didn't quite know what kind of pilot yet. For a year or so I had
the idea of applying to the Air Force Academy, until my aunt suggested that I
look into missionary aviation. I had read the story of Nate Saint when I was
very young, but hadn't thought much about missionary aviation since then.
Something stirred in my heart at the thought of it. Through our church I had a
chance to meet a missionary pilot who served with Missionary Aviation
Fellowship in Papua New Guinea. I was captivated. Since that conversation over
lunch I haven't given a military career a second glance. Here was an
opportunity to use my God-given gifts and my love of flight to serve Christ in
the mission field which I was already familiar with. I made my goal to move
back to Brazil and serve as a pilot, possibly with Open Arms or a coalition of
Christian non-profits; to ferry supplies and people to and from our more
hard-to-reach locations in places like the Pantanal (Brazil's wetlands region)
and the Amazon.
In
2014 I enrolled in the Liberty University School of Aeronautics, majoring in
Aeronautics specialized in Missions. I completed my first year with a 3.73 GPA
and earned my Private Pilot License within a month of the end of the Spring
2015 semester. For my second year (2015-2016) I decided to study from home,
finishing the majority of my general education classes for a fraction of the cost.
Besides saving money I have also been able to work almost full-time hours and
put money away to help with next year's tuition costs. My plan is to return to
residential status Fall 2016. At the time of this post I have almost finished
classes for the Fall 2015 semester and am registered for my next semester of
online classes.
Starting
now I will be posting quarterly updates on how I am doing in my classes, any
important events or activities I have participated in, and any prayer requests
I may have.
Please
pray:
- For the peace-of-mind, focus and joy of the mission team going to Assis in January which I will be translating for.
- For my continued academic success, and that I would not get bogged down by classes and work.
- That I would be open to any opportunities for sharing that may open up during my academic career
Thank
you for keeping me in mind, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
