A Pilot's Journey In Faith

What's A Calling?

When one encounters a cross-roads in life, big decision moments, we are often given advice to heed God's calling. Especially in service to the Lord, one might be waiting on a divine calling. My calling didn't manifest in the way that I had thought it may.

When I first showed up at the mission aviation booths at the Osh Kosh 2025 airshow, I was filled with nerves. It was very much akin to the feeling I would get before important cycling races (I used to race professionally). You felt ready, excited but anxious if it'll turn out as you hope. Over the years i've learnt to recognise those nerves as a pointer to significance and importance of something in my life. If it didn't matter to me, I probably wouldn't feel those nerves. So I knew this was important. I dilly-dallied, trying to stall, so I walked through exhibits without really registering anything my eyes were seeing. I was that anxious. When I finally headed to the booths, I introduced myself and invariably got talking about waiting and wanting to see if it was a calling from God to serve in this capacity. A missionary of many years quickly corrected my expectation. He said that not everyone has a big eureka spectacle, with rays of sunlight flooding down from heaven and angels appearing before them in a chorus of song and life direction. That kind of calling, might never happen for many. He shared a book with me, Decision Making and The Will of God. I went and bought the book online, which is saying a lot for me, because i'm not much of a reader!

I didn't leave that day with a divine calling. But as I walked back to the tent where I was spending the night, I had this immense sense of peace.

Get To the Choppaaa!

When I chose to leave my job to learn to fly helicopters, many people thought I was wasting my talent and foolishly pursuing an unrealistic ambition. If you hear that enough times, doubt can creep in. Considering the hoops one has to jump through to pursue aviation, it was very daunting, and the journey already seemed long even without the nay-sayers! I made a decision to walk down this path, seeking a sense of purpose in my work and wanting to help others in their time of need. To manage all these conflicting thoughts, I chose faith. Faith that God would provide whatever I needed, whenever I needed it, if it was his will for my life.

Reverse Swiss Cheese

Those familiar with risk management and accident investigation will know the swiss cheese model. When accidents occur, it is from many individual shortcomings and circumstances (the holes in the cheese) all aligning perfectly to allow a situation to develop a hole right through the block of cheese, and the accident to occur unhindered. I have a reverse swiss cheese model for good things! Sometimes all the holes align for a greater good.

Through this journey thus far, i've kept a journal of all the key milestones, bends and bumps in the road. Looking back, those individual events all align to get me to where I am right now. Today doesn't happen as it does, without what happened yesterday, or the day before that. I am cautious not to read providence into that, not twisting the situation to fit God's calling for me. Some of them are rather uncanny though!

Those Called

It's easy to go find a job that pays well and gives you a comfortable life. Find one that flies a really cool helicopter even. But how do I want to use my limited time on this earth? Do I want to serve myself, or do I want to serve others?

Being entrenched in the helicopter world, it is another seemingly crazy decision to pursue mission aviation. With it comes its own doubt. As someone who has only served on my church's worship team, there is sometimes fear of acceptance by the church, from your friends, and even your loved ones, in doing missions work.

Who am I to go to the ends of the earth?

Am I learned enough about the Bible?

Am I an adequate role model of his teachings and laws?

Am I capable enough for the job?

Then there is support raising. Do you know how hard it is to ask people for support? Let me tell you, very hard! It takes a lot of humility to give up an easy and comfortable lifestyle, to serve Him. I am under no delusion, God never said it would be easy. In fact, it seems like its always been unfathomably hard. I think of some of the few that were sent; Abraham, Isaac, Moses, Jacob... They were gifted to be used for the advancement of His Kingdom and they made themselves available. But it was clearly not an easy path. They needed immense faith. So I hold to the same.

I have the tools to use, I am available and I am willing. All I need to do is go out in faith that if I am truly seeking to do his moral will, he will use me for His kingdom work even in the short time that I have here on earth. Those he has called, he will provide for.

So how do I know this is my calling? It's that peace that he has graced me with every step of the way.