Note- This wonderful true journey was also in our Fall issue, but we always have so many new readers we didn't want anyone to miss this great story, or reading it a second time. It's truly heart warming and should put your heart right for Christmas.
By Zack and Sarah Loving
Surrender.
I found myself leaning over the kitchen counter completely in shock. Zack, my wonderful husband, had just told me he felt God calling him to sell our home and move to begin flight training for a life as a missionary pilot. “How could this be God?”, I questioned him. I questioned because I had no desire to uproot my new little growing family. We had a small home near my sisters and both sets of our parents. Our sweet 7-month-old needed his grandparents near and as much as he needed them, I needed them too. I had no idea how to navigate being a new mom alone.
I cried (and cried some more), but began to pray through this for several months and wrestled with the idea of missions. I asked God to make it real to me personally. My answer came in dramatic fashion in September 2008 when Hurricane Ike brought not only wind and rain but also a string of break-ins along our country road. We returned from evacuation to find our little paradise broken into and our small amount of valuables stolen. In that moment, a still, small voice spoke Matthew 6 to my heart, “Do not keep hoarding for yourselves treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure” (Matthew 6:19-21, TPT). I heard that voice so clearly telling me to trust Him, to trust His leading, to surrender. I remember that moment of surrender so well. I now know that was only the beginning of many such moments.
Zack had a vision of flying at just seventeen years old. In this vision he saw himself delivering supplies to people in a remote area. This sent him on a search to find out what it meant to be in missions aviation. As God began to unfold the complete meaning of this vision, He was preparing both Zack and me for this journey toward a life of missions.
Ultimately, God led us to LeTourneau University in Longview, TX where Zack began his flight training in January 2009. As he worked towards his degree in flight and aircraft maintenance, we had our second son. This season was hard for our young family. Zack was a full-time student and worked part time. To help make ends meet, I babysat several kids at our tiny apartment in married student housing on the LeTU campus. I often questioned if I had really heard God that day at my kitchen counter. There were times we literally counted pennies for grocery money. God supplied in miraculous ways over those years, and I was always amazed at the random checks in the mail and other ways He would meet our needs. This season was a time of learning that He is our provider.
While at LeTourneau, we met Dwayne King, the director of Kingdom Air Corps. Based in southcentral Alaska, KAC trains missionary pilots in the mountains and tundra of the Last Frontier for real world situations that are often encountered on remote mission fields. Zack made a couple of initial trips to Alaska while in school but the year after his graduation, we found ourselves once again praying for God to show us our next steps. While seeking direction through prayer and fasting, we met a young man who prayed over us and told us he felt that God was going to send us north. About a week later we received a call from Dwayne with an offer to join KAC as a flight instructor! Zack could gain valuable experience while also preparing other pilots for a life in missions. This was an easy step since we just had confirmation a week earlier during prayer.
We agreed that this was another time to surrender and moved our family to Alaska in the summer of 2015. I will never forget the night we loaded our family’s belongings in that shiny silver Dodge Caravan but knowing we did not have enough money to complete the 80-hour drive from Texas to Alaska. I looked at Zack and asked him, “What are we going to do?” He responded with confidence, “We will drive and, I don’t know how, but somehow God will provide.” We did not tell our families about our financial situation. We only prayed. The morning we left, two different people pulled in and said God told them to stop and give us some money for the trip. It was just enough to make the trip all the way to Alaska! We were on our way in this crazy adventure of missions.
That first summer in Alaska we began training a pilot from an organization working in Thailand and Burma where there has been over 75 years of ongoing civil war and genocide. The next year KAC decided to donate a Cessna to this group, and we were selected to help develop their flight program in Thailand. Our flights to the border brought medical supplies to those working on the front lines and patients back to the city for treatment.
I found myself leaning over the kitchen counter completely in shock. Zack, my wonderful husband, had just told me he felt God calling him to sell our home and move to begin flight training for a life as a missionary pilot. “How could this be God?”, I questioned him. I questioned because I had no desire to uproot my new little growing family. We had a small home near my sisters and both sets of our parents. Our sweet 7-month-old needed his grandparents near and as much as he needed them, I needed them too. I had no idea how to navigate being a new mom alone.
I cried (and cried some more), but began to pray through this for several months and wrestled with the idea of missions. I asked God to make it real to me personally. My answer came in dramatic fashion in September 2008 when Hurricane Ike brought not only wind and rain but also a string of break-ins along our country road. We returned from evacuation to find our little paradise broken into and our small amount of valuables stolen. In that moment, a still, small voice spoke Matthew 6 to my heart, “Do not keep hoarding for yourselves treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure” (Matthew 6:19-21, TPT). I heard that voice so clearly telling me to trust Him, to trust His leading, to surrender. I remember that moment of surrender so well. I now know that was only the beginning of many such moments.
Zack had a vision of flying at just seventeen years old. In this vision he saw himself delivering supplies to people in a remote area. This sent him on a search to find out what it meant to be in missions aviation. As God began to unfold the complete meaning of this vision, He was preparing both Zack and me for this journey toward a life of missions.
Ultimately, God led us to LeTourneau University in Longview, TX where Zack began his flight training in January 2009. As he worked towards his degree in flight and aircraft maintenance, we had our second son. This season was hard for our young family. Zack was a full-time student and worked part time. To help make ends meet, I babysat several kids at our tiny apartment in married student housing on the LeTU campus. I often questioned if I had really heard God that day at my kitchen counter. There were times we literally counted pennies for grocery money. God supplied in miraculous ways over those years, and I was always amazed at the random checks in the mail and other ways He would meet our needs. This season was a time of learning that He is our provider.
While at LeTourneau, we met Dwayne King, the director of Kingdom Air Corps. Based in southcentral Alaska, KAC trains missionary pilots in the mountains and tundra of the Last Frontier for real world situations that are often encountered on remote mission fields. Zack made a couple of initial trips to Alaska while in school but the year after his graduation, we found ourselves once again praying for God to show us our next steps. While seeking direction through prayer and fasting, we met a young man who prayed over us and told us he felt that God was going to send us north. About a week later we received a call from Dwayne with an offer to join KAC as a flight instructor! Zack could gain valuable experience while also preparing other pilots for a life in missions. This was an easy step since we just had confirmation a week earlier during prayer.
We agreed that this was another time to surrender and moved our family to Alaska in the summer of 2015. I will never forget the night we loaded our family’s belongings in that shiny silver Dodge Caravan but knowing we did not have enough money to complete the 80-hour drive from Texas to Alaska. I looked at Zack and asked him, “What are we going to do?” He responded with confidence, “We will drive and, I don’t know how, but somehow God will provide.” We did not tell our families about our financial situation. We only prayed. The morning we left, two different people pulled in and said God told them to stop and give us some money for the trip. It was just enough to make the trip all the way to Alaska! We were on our way in this crazy adventure of missions.
That first summer in Alaska we began training a pilot from an organization working in Thailand and Burma where there has been over 75 years of ongoing civil war and genocide. The next year KAC decided to donate a Cessna to this group, and we were selected to help develop their flight program in Thailand. Our flights to the border brought medical supplies to those working on the front lines and patients back to the city for treatment.
One of the most impactful trips into Burma was to deliver pain medication to a young boy named Hae Ku who was struggling with a rare form of eye cancer. Although we had brought him into town for treatment, the doctors were unable to do anything to help him so we had to take him back home. Hae Ku’s family had fled to a refugee camp along the Thai/Burma border after their village was attacked by the Burma military. His condition came with painful, debilitating migraines and was further complicated by their extreme poverty, the unrelenting jungle heat, and a continual fear of attack. After he arrived back home, we made another trip to deliver morphine patches that would help ease his passing. Climbing up the bamboo ladder into their small hut was an emotional experience as he lay in the corner, wracked with pain. Hae Ku went to be with Jesus a few weeks after that trip, but the impact of his life stays with us.
Moments like this became the backdrop to our regular trips in and out of Thailand and Burma. From 2017 to 2023 we saw how missionary aviation could meet the great need in Southeast Asia. We were blessed to make these extended trips as a family to and from Alaska, Texas, Thailand, and Burma. We would “move” to each location for 4-6 months at a time providing flight training and program development. So many stories of God’s faithfulness came from those years. Our boys were able to experience the world and see the provision of the Lord firsthand as Mom and Dad prayed for direction.
The Thailand team came full circle when our main Thai/Karen pilot became a flight instructor and could pass along his expertise to others. Our goal was to train him to bring relief to his people in war torn areas and we are so excited to watch him supporting his native people and training others in his own country! Reaching that goal (see 2 Tim. 2:2), we surrendered yet again as God asked us to return to Alaska in 2023 and establish a base to advance missions aviation in the Last Frontier. We continue to travel to other countries and partner with organizations around the world to start new aviation programs.
The remote areas of Alaska still depend on aviation since 80% of Alaska’s 240 native villages lie beyond the reach of any road. Our heart is to see revival spread as we connect with the villages and bring teams from the Lower 48 to encourage and support those not on the road system.
One of our goals is to support the extensive Alaskan missions community with housing and transportation, both in the air and on the ground. When missionary families need to come into town from the bush, we provide them with a place to stay and a vehicle for their appointments or resupply trips.
Among other needs, we are praying for a multi-engine aircraft to further accommodate year-round missionary and work team travel throughout the state. Our goals, current needs and partnership options are found at www.lovinglifemissions.org. Please join us in prayer and support for God’s provision and direction.
That gentle voice I heard years ago keeps calling. He calls me to surrender. And through that over-the-edge surrender I have seen him take our family from a small town in East Texas to the vast wilderness of Alaska and to the jungles of Thailand and Burma. Adventures that are beyond anything I could imagine! He has turned my fears into great confidence— confidence in Him, who He is and His leading.
He is searching for hearts that will surrender and say, “Not what I want but what you want— Your will for my life.” What Is He speaking to you today? Is he calling you to a deeper surrender? Is He asking you to step out of the boat and trust Him? He is so faithful! If you feel Him calling you to a new business or a new location or maybe just to invite your neighbor over, I pray you feel that confidence today and step out into your new adventure of faith.
The Thailand team came full circle when our main Thai/Karen pilot became a flight instructor and could pass along his expertise to others. Our goal was to train him to bring relief to his people in war torn areas and we are so excited to watch him supporting his native people and training others in his own country! Reaching that goal (see 2 Tim. 2:2), we surrendered yet again as God asked us to return to Alaska in 2023 and establish a base to advance missions aviation in the Last Frontier. We continue to travel to other countries and partner with organizations around the world to start new aviation programs.
The remote areas of Alaska still depend on aviation since 80% of Alaska’s 240 native villages lie beyond the reach of any road. Our heart is to see revival spread as we connect with the villages and bring teams from the Lower 48 to encourage and support those not on the road system.
One of our goals is to support the extensive Alaskan missions community with housing and transportation, both in the air and on the ground. When missionary families need to come into town from the bush, we provide them with a place to stay and a vehicle for their appointments or resupply trips.
Among other needs, we are praying for a multi-engine aircraft to further accommodate year-round missionary and work team travel throughout the state. Our goals, current needs and partnership options are found at www.lovinglifemissions.org. Please join us in prayer and support for God’s provision and direction.
That gentle voice I heard years ago keeps calling. He calls me to surrender. And through that over-the-edge surrender I have seen him take our family from a small town in East Texas to the vast wilderness of Alaska and to the jungles of Thailand and Burma. Adventures that are beyond anything I could imagine! He has turned my fears into great confidence— confidence in Him, who He is and His leading.
He is searching for hearts that will surrender and say, “Not what I want but what you want— Your will for my life.” What Is He speaking to you today? Is he calling you to a deeper surrender? Is He asking you to step out of the boat and trust Him? He is so faithful! If you feel Him calling you to a new business or a new location or maybe just to invite your neighbor over, I pray you feel that confidence today and step out into your new adventure of faith.
About the Author
Please reach out if you would like to learn more about this amazing ministry, or to support this ministry. You can find out more by clicking here www.lovinglifemissions.org
|
About Zack and Sarah Loving
Zack and Sarah Loving, along with their three boys, have been full-time missionaries since 2014 serving primarily in Alaska and Southeast Asia. Their journey to missions began when Zack received his flight and aircraft maintenance training in 2009-2012 at LeTourneau University in Longview, TX. They currently reside in Wasilla, AK where their non-profit organization, Loving Life Missions, works to support missionaries throughout Alaska with transportation, housing, and other support resources. Basing in Alaska, they also continue in global missionary aviation development. |