September 2012 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Well it is Spring again for another year. The past Melbourne winter has been extremely wet, windy and grey and to tell you the truth the past few months have been just a little grey for us as well.

All this poor weather has caused havoc with Keiran’s flying and has caused his whole class to be months behind schedule, simply because they cant fly. One upside is that they are ahead in their theory subjects and exams which we are pleased to say Keiran has done quite well in. A large problem that has come about due to the weather and its subsequent flying delays is that Keiran has now been waiting for the past 2 months to sit his Private Pilots Licence flight test—every time it looks like he will be able to do it everything seems to conspire against him! We ask that you pray that the weather would cooperate and everything would fall into place so that he can sit and ultimately pass his test this coming Monday 1st October.

 

Unfortunately, Corinne’s job came to an end at the end of August. She has been looking for Temp work with a company and has applied for several other positions but is yet to find anything. She is currently finishing her last subject of her BA, translation, and because she has to attend half a day a week she is finding it hard to get work. We ask that you pray for her during this time that she can find encouragement and strength and draw closer to God. Pray also that she can make her days productive.

Due to Corinne’s job finishing and being unable to find a new housemate we have found ourselves in a tight financial situation. After much discussion and prayer Keiran has had to drop back to part time studying and has picked up his work hours at Bunnings. This has meant that he was unable to fly last week with the rest of his class up to Arnhem Land. Every year part of the flying hours completed are done flying to and from Arnhem Land in the N.T. This is done to build experience in remote flying, but it also gives the students a taste of what they could be doing once they complete their course. Whilst up there the other students will be billeted out to various stations with current Mission Pilots and their families to get a first hand glimpse into the mission flying job and lifestyle and the challenges that come with it.

 

Pray that Keiran would be able to be positive through this unexpected challenge. He is now flying at a 50% load in between working about 30hrs a week at Bunnings, which will probably increase to 38hrs when he gets a full-time contract. It is sad and disappointing that we have had to make this decision, but we realised during it that the only reason why we were disappointed was because life wasn't happening the way that WE wanted it to happen. We trust that God is in control and Keiran is still carrying out his flying, and we are still headed towards the mission field, this is just one small bump along the road. Pray that God would give us strength and perseverance, that He grant us patience and many other things that we are sure He is currently teaching us through this experience!

We truly value your prayer and support as you partner with us through this life that God has called us to.

 

It has not all been grey however! There is a new ray of sunshine from the Sampson line, or should I say Roberts line… Keiran’s sister Ilana and her husband Andrew had their first child August 22nd: a boy named Jedidiah Abel Roberts. He was born 2 weeks early whilst Keiran’s parents were visiting us on their way back to Sydney from Africa. He is their first Grandchild.

Corinne's Brother Jarryd also got married in late June to his new wife Sarah & Keiran’s oldest sister Gemma got engaged over winter to her now Fiancé Kevin and are due to wed here in Australia in December. Pray for both couples as they prepare for and adjust to married life.

We would love to hear from you so please feel free to send us a line!

God Bless

Keiran & Corinne