Share Your Passion | Take to the Skies | Arby

Guys, prepare yourself for an epic post.  That cool kid sitting in the airplane?  That's Arby.
Arby is on my brother dorm and as I've gotten to know him this year, he has become a true friend.  Goofy, silly, and caring are just a few of the words that describe this Filipino pilot.  Arby grew up in the Philippines and has a passion for missions.  He has lately been trying to convince me to teach there and I told him only if he is my personal pilot.  Arby is loves what he does.  I have seen few and far people between in my college years that are as passionate about what they are studying.  Arby's hope for his future in aviation and missions is the coolest.  See for yourself.

Flying has always been such a wonder to me! From as long as I can remember, it has been in my thoughts and conversation, never losing its spark of interest in me. People have asked me throughout the years what I’ve wanted to be when I grow up. Each time I have given the same answer for that very question—“I want to be a pilot.” I am proud to say that by God’s grace, I am doing something I have always dreamed about. Once I turn the keys to bring the engine to life, an aura of adventure and excitement fills me up from head to toe! Even the burst of power on takeoff brings a heightened sense of command as I lift off of the ground and take to the skies. The view from my classroom (and later my office space) is dynamic; my eyes are nurtured with something different each time. When it is time to bring my machine back to the confines of the earth, the mastery of my skills all come together to a singular phase: landing. It is a momentous battle with the wind and a fight that must always be won. Flying is always a fascinating experience.

For a large portion of my life, I have wanted to fly with the Marines. Their commitment to duty and the instilled pride has drawn me to them. To me, they were a cut above the rest. I wanted to earn the title of “Marine”. This changed when I had broken the wrist on my dominant hand while playing sports. It left me out of action for 6 months. You can imagine the troubles I went through with only one hand to use. It was gruelling, but what I started to notice of the Lord was of far greater importance. He has been pouring out His love on me and it was only then that I started to see and believe it. From then on, I decided that I wanted a part in showing His love to others just as He showed it to me. I wanted to live my life for my Father and serve him the best I can. I wanted to be a missionary pilot.

God has opened and closed many doors that have transformed my life. He put me through a 12-month intensive program to train me as an aircraft mechanic (something at the time I didn’t know I needed to be in order to serve as a missionary pilot). I didn’t like it at first but once we started getting our hands dirty with actual planes, it became a grown-up version of Lego to me. Now, by his grace, I am going through flight training. I have a few hundred hours to rack up in the plane before I can even start training for the flying later in the mission field, but I know for sure that the journey is worth it. I love how he has taken me through the winding, scenic route around the curves of the mountains instead of the straight shortcut that runs in between the trees. There is so much more to see and do by taking that path, and I am grateful for what my God has done. He has instilled in me a passion for the Great Commission to the unreached people groups in third world countries. When that time for me comes, that will include flights to small dirt strips in the midst of mountains. MEDEVAC flights are a possibility. Flights with cargo of all sorts including food, medicine, or even live animals! People need to be moved from point A to point B. What could take 2 weeks of hiking through unforgiving terrain can be shortened to a mere 20 minutes of flight. What’s really exciting is when the Bible is translated in a people group’s native tongue. I would have the honour and privilege of delivering those Bibles and seeing the joy that it would bring! I may not be at that stage in my life yet, but I know all the work right now and later will pay off and cultivate relationships that point right towards Christ.

 He hadn't been to the Asian market before, so we went there afterwards.  He was pretty excited to find some boxed Filipino food.


Thanks so much for taking me flying Arby!  It was SO great!