The Adventure Begins

First stop on my journey to Papua: Indiantown, Florida! A pretty random place to go first, I know, but my boss Gary was sending me to get some specialized flight training with an instructor there. I would spend three days training, take Sabbath off and then leave the country for good early Sunday morning.

My home away from home. In Indiantown, FL.

The training was quite the experience. The course was supposed to be a kind of Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT) program and I'd mentally steeled myself for the worst, i.e. using one of those barf bags for the first time following some unusual attitudes. I could have saved myself the worry, because flying through those maneuvers couldn't have been more of a blast!

My instructor, a seasoned aerobatic and tailwheel pilot, coached me through the 3 days of intensive ground and flight training. I relearned the fundamentals of turning flight and using the sight picture, how to let the airplane do the flying rather than overcontrolling, and my personal favorite: how to recover from an inverted attitude. We also practiced a bunch of tailwheel takeoffs and landings, since I'll be flying a taildragger in Papua. As we taxied back to his hangar after the last session, I felt like I'd really gotten a taste of what flying as an art form can be. It was great to be a student again and experience raw flying again.

Would have taken a dip if I didn't have to keep my clothes dry for the trip!

On Sabbath I visited Jupiter - yeah, it's a town in Florida - and had a lovely time worshiping with a very welcoming congregation at the Jupiter Adventist Church. And of course I managed to meet people who knew people that I knew! Then a long walk on the beach and finally back to the hotel room for my last night in the U.S. It was a strange feeling climbing into bed knowing that I was really going to be on my way in a few hours. I tried to relax my mind, and finally drifted into a restless sleep.

The light notes from the final movement of Mozart's piano concerto number 15 filtered into my subconscious at 2:45 a.m. and pulled me back to reality. Today was the day. I'd planned to wake up to this piece for a long time. I associate chapters of my life with certain melodies and this one just seemed to fit the mood in a way that I can't really put in words. I let the music continue playing as I climbed out of bed and dressed, the pianist and orchestra skillfully evoking a sense of poignant transition.

Opted to skip the early morning curbside fest.

After lugging my 3 heavy suitcases, 1 carry-on suitcase, jam-packed backpack and pillow down the stairs to the front lobby, I surveyed the sign posted on the inside of the entrance with some dismay: Do not open this door for anyone. This is for the safety of the inn. The inn staff had told me how to unlock the door and get back after hours, but I suddenly didn't feel quite so safe venturing out with a warning like that. Every single day of my stay in the town I'd seen police activity, and it was a little town. Oh well... I briskly stepped toward the parking lot, eyeing the bushes by the hotel, and then drove my rental car to the curb in front of the hotel entrance.

As I got out, a vehicle drove by on the main road and seemed to be slowing down. I looked up the road behind it and saw some blue and lights come on. Great. Well, at least it was comforting to have the police nearby. I quickly loaded my luggage up and then climbed in, mentally checking that I had everything - yup, I think I got it all. With no one and nothing really to say goodbye to, except 3 police cars with lights blazing a half block away, I pulled out and drove away into the night.

When Tomorrow Arrives

Somehow I managed to survive the last few hectic days before departure as I did my best to downsize all my belongings that I wasn't taking and pack up my room so everything I left behind would be portable. I didn't quite get all the things done on my to-do list as I would have liked and instead figured out quite quickly what things could be deleted without creating a hardship. Making a return at Walmart was something I could skip, but having a ravioli dinner with a friend I wouldn't see in person for months wasn't something I would trade for a world of crossed-off checklists.

The night before my departure I said my last goodbyes to friends on campus and then returned home to burn the midnight oil tying up as many loose ends as possible. I finished boxing up my room and taking out the trash and then I stopped and surveyed the empty looking room, letting out a big sigh. I glanced at my watch and saw the time: 12:30 a.m. That's when it hit me. There's a saying that tomorrow never comes. Well, this time it did. August 21 had arrived.

Two of my dearest people got up with me at the unearthly hour of 3:30 to take me to SMF airport. It was a miserable thing saying that goodbye. If only I didn't have to leave those I cared about most behind. Perhaps it's just the smallest taste of a goodbye that was infinitely more difficult, when God "gave His only begotten Son" to this dark world. I suppose if Jesus was willing enough to leave His Father's personal presence for 33 long years for my sake, shouldn't I feel it a privilege to do something so comparatively small as leave home for His sake?

The sun was just rising as my Southwest Airlines jet passed over the crest of the Sierras. I waved farewell to California and then let sleep close my exhausted, moist eyes.

Between Here and There

The road to becoming a missionary pilot is often pretty long. On the podcast Plane Faith, it was not uncommon to hear the guys sharing that it took them quite a few years to go from the first step of deciding to pursue the calling and finally reaching the mission field, as it takes time to get through all the training and life experiences on the way. I also met a missionary pilot at Oshkosh a couple years ago who told me it took him 2 years to get his visa for Indonesia. So I guess I was basically on track in pretty much every way!

Once everything aligns, though, it's a mad scramble to get all the tasks done that are necessary to finish before I can head out. After spending the last 2 1/2 years having no definite departure date, I'm suddenly realizing how little time I have to get so much done! It seems my to-do list gets longer as the days before my departure quickly evaporate.

But ready or not, I will be on my way August 21! It'll be a 3-stage trip getting to my ultimate destination. My first stop will be Indiantown, Florida where my boss is sending me to take some preliminary Upset Prevention & Recovery Training (UPRT). Then early Sunday morning, August 26, I'll start my 29-hour journey to Jakarta. After several days of paperwork in Jakarta, I'll finally catch my last flights to my new home in Sentani, Papua.
 
It's going to be an interesting journey for sure!

You really think I'm all packed already? Hehe...