2025 Year In Review

What a year 2025 has been! As we look back over this past year, we are filled with gratitude for the ways God has sustained and guided our family through an incredible season of training, growth, and preparation. Your faithful prayers, encouragement, and generosity have made it possible for us to pursue the training necessary for the work God has placed before our family. This year brought both expected challenges and surprising new opportunities, all of which have stretched us in meaningful ways.

Saying goodbye to our RV home was bittersweet, but we cherish the memories made in it! Philip embraces his role of fatherhood

EMT School

As if Philip’s maintenance training hadn’t been enough to keep his mind busy, he also decided to enroll in EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) school at our local community college alongside two of his fellow trainees. Philip truly enjoyed the course content and quickly realized just how much of his high school anatomy he had forgotten. Through this training, he learned how to identify major life-threatening medical emergencies, how to treat them, and how to respond to various kinds of trauma. Though the schooling was for Philip, it has been a significant endeavor for our whole family, and we deeply appreciate all of your prayers. Philip passed his final exam on the 2nd, and his graduation will be on the 11th.

Philip and his buddies on their first day of EMT school EMT training involves many simulations to teach students how to respond to all injuries (no one was harmed in the making of this photo!)

Bush Week

At the beginning of his maintenance training, Philip and his cohort were told that they would be participating in what JAARS calls “Bush Week.” This is a training simulation in which the training staff “crash” a plane in the woods behind the runway. The students are then called in, given their scenario, and sent out to camp while attempting to return the aircraft to working—and hypothetically “flying”—condition. Philip and his team spent five days disassembling the plane, carrying the pieces nearly a mile, and beginning the reassembly process. Due to an injury, the simulation was cut short, however the team learned vital skills that will carry into whatever overseas scenarios they find themselves. Because of rough terrain, aircraft do occasionally become damaged and require field repairs in difficult-to-access locations. This event gave Philip a realistic taste of what that could be like. It also gave all of the wives a glimpse into the impact these situations can have on families. At any moment, Philip could be called away to repair a damaged aircraft for days or even weeks, potentially without contact.

Top left: Processing chickens in the bush Top right: Fire-cooked meals and team devos Bottom left: Pulley systems transport the downed plane across a ravine with no bridge Bottom right: The whole team

Listen to that Podcast episode here!

Other Trainings

This year we also had the opportunity to participate in the JAARS Intercultural Communications Course (ICC), as well as their 4x4 off-road driving training course. The ICC course focused on preparing us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to transition into another culture that will be very different from our own. The course accomplished this by exposing us to different worldviews, various language-learning techniques, and deep-dives into spiritual concepts. It was a blessing to consider new ideas in a low-stress environment before being immersed in a new culture. The 4x4 driving course shifted gears from the classroom to hands-on training. It prepared us to drive on roads that require a bit more creativity than your average suburban avenue. Successfully driving on rugged terrain greatly built our confidence, both in our new-found driving skills and in our ability to learn challenging things.

Practicing language-learning techniques often ended in laughter

This past year has been full of stretching, learning, and preparation for the calling God has placed on our family. The Lord has continued to show His faithfulness, reveal His heart, and meet our needs. He has done this through your faithful partnership in prayer, encouragement, and financial support. You truly are a vital part of every step forward, every class completed, and every skill learned. Thank you, Friend, for standing with us as we prepare for what lies ahead. We are deeply grateful for you and look forward with hopeful anticipation to all that God will continue to do in the coming year. With sincere gratitude, The Mull Family