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By Kelly Filgo, June 7, 2010

Last Tuesday, June 1st, the population of Waco, Texas increased by two when Matt and Kimberlie Dillon arrived in town. The two day drive from Minnesota was shared with their parents who came to help get them settled. Apart from being a little nervous about jumping right into the Texas summer, the Dillons are happy to be here and are excited about the doors God has opened for them in Waco.

Matt and Kimberlie Dillon

Matt and Kimberlie recently graduated from the University of Minnesota in Duluth; Matt with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Kim with her Bachelor of Music in Oboe Performance. Recently, Matt was kind enough to be interviewed for the Wings website. Here is what we talked about…

WfC- What are your hometowns and how long have you been married?

Matt- I am from Duluth, MN, and Kim grew up in Preston, Minnesota. We’ve been married since July 11th, 2009 at about 3:32pm CST.

WfC- You are beginning flight training at Wings for Christ, but Kim has a special reason for coming to Waco as well, right?

Matt- Kim is getting her Master of Music degree in Oboe Performance at Baylor School of Music and she will be a graduate assistant there.

WfC- Many mission organizations require their pilots to hold an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic’s certificate. Will you pursue that while in Waco?

Matt- I’ve thought about taking my A&P at TSTC, but I’m waiting for now… it’s undecided where, but eventually, I would like to pursue that.

WfC- How did you find out about Wings for Christ? When did you apply to become a student here?

Matt- I was searching for flight schools in the Waco area and your website was the first result. I applied back in February, 2010. I was very excited to apply as God had been laying aviation missions on Kim’s and my heart more and more recently.

WfC- Tell us more about that.

Matt- I’ve always been interested in aviation since I was little. I first heard about mission aviation through mission organization representatives at various airshows. I always thought it would be a great thing to do and knew I would love doing it, but I never felt called to it or that God was opening any doors at that time. It wasn’t until I spoke with a Mission Aviation Fellowship representative at a missionary conference called Urbana this past December that I felt God opening doors. The MAF representative and I talked at length about the possibility and what the process would entail. I applied and was accepted to the School of Mission Aviation Technology in Ionia, MI. However, God kept opening doors for my wife at Baylor. I struggled with this as I still felt called to aviation ministry and was wondering if I would have to put it on the back burner while my wife finished grad school. Trusting God, we moved forward with the Baylor process, and it was during this time that I found Wings for Christ. We’re praising God for his faithfulness and how he works beyond our understanding. Kim is now able to get her Master’s degree the same time I am investing in my training as a pilot. We feel called to mission aviation, but not much more has been revealed to us than that. We are taking these next steps in faith. We would like to pursue service with the MAF in the future.

WfC- Have you or Kim been involved in any previous mission work?

Matt- I have been to a few different Habitat for Humanity projects and had done some relief work in New Orleans after Katrina. Kim has been overseas, not specifically as a missionary, but has been in music trips and has played in several countries including Turkey. We have done ministry on campus with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and have been involved ministry at our church.

WfC- What are you most excited about when it comes to learning to fly? Most scared of?

Matt- The best part of learning to fly will be working in something I am passionate about. I love aviation. The scariest part about training for mission aviation is learning to trust God in everything- in finances; in where we will be serving, whether in the US or overseas; in safety; in ministry; etc. We have continually seen God’s work in our lives in times of trial and have grown because of it. However, it is still a scary thing to not be in control and have to rely so heavily on God. Both my wife and I are very mission-minded. Kim’s passion is music and my passion is in aviation. For us to use our passions and gifts for God’s glory is something very fulfilling.

WfC- How will your bachelors (and Kim’s Master’s) degrees play a part in your mission goals?

Matt- I have a degree in engineering that I hope to use on the mission field. Whether in maintenance of aircraft, or as a “tent making” job in a closed country. Similarly, Kim hopes to use her education in music overseas. If in a closed country, she hopes to learn their music styles, play in their professional orchestras, or open her own studio to teach music lessons. We have been looking to join the MAF and after talking with them, we found that they not only need pilots, but they also need technology specialists and teachers. Kim’s Master in Music degree will equip her to teach, something that can be used by the MAF for missionary kids overseas, who need English-speaking teachers.

WfC- What do you think about your new home of Waco?

Matt- After visiting Waco during Kim’s audition at Baylor, we fell in love with the people down here. God was opening so many connections for us that we feel like Waco is already becoming a home to us. I’m deathly afraid of temperatures above 70 degrees, but Kim loves warm weather and should feel right at home. She just got a job at the local YMCA as a lifeguard and instructor for this summer.

WfC- Have you found a church home yet?

Matt- We’ve visited Antioch and liked it, but we have not decided on a church yet. Kim and I both have a desire to become heavily involved in a church while we are living in Waco.

We hope this has helped to introduce you to our new friends Matt and Kimberlie Dillion. They are a great couple who are humbly preparing themselves for a life of service to Jesus. We are so thankful that God has brought them into the Wings for Christ family. Please help us welcome them to town. Waco is blessed to have them!

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By Kelly Filgo, April 24, 2010

The stormy early hours of Saturday morning turned into a glorious day of perfect temperatures and sunny skies for twenty volunteers from Highland Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. The volunteers were part of a city wide day of local missions awareness sponsored by the church, called ‘Q2′, according to Lisa Fuentes, the group’s coordinator. Each quarter of the year at Highland, there is a special emphasis on some aspect of missions work and the second quarter of the year has been devoted to local mission support.

“Not everyone can participate in national and international missions, so this is a way the missions committee at Highland can expose the congregation to places close to home where they can be involved,” said Fuentes. Nearly one hundred and fifty volunteers gathered at the church this morning and were sent out all over the Waco area to learn about and serve local missions and ministries. Mission Waco, Care Net of Central Texas, Generations of Hope and many other groups were visited by groups from Highland. The volunteers were allowed to pick which organizations they wanted to serve, and many were interested in learning more about Wings for Christ.

The painters at work.

The team that came to Wings today worked mostly in three areas. One group made tremendous progress in our painting and rust prevention project in the maintenance hangar, painting all the exposed metal frame of of the structure from the top of the walls down a deep green color to match the exterior trim. A large part of the metal rafters were painted as well, but a lack of tall ladders prevented reaching the peak areas. The group even painted the air compressor to match and it looks like it is brand new.

Another group removed old sheet metal and wood from the old tee hangar. This is the first step of renovating the hangar in preparation for its use as the future home of Burt’s Blessing, our Cessna 172 project plane. This was difficult and dangerous work, and we appreciate the folks who climbed ladders and swung hammers to get the work done.

Removing sheet metal from the old hangar.

The final group worked on something you might not associate with the ins and outs of running a flight school, but is very vital to our mission. They worked with Cheryl Hull on a historic preservation scrap-booking project, taking multiple dozens of old pictures and newspaper clippings and organizing them into a visual history of Wings for Christ. Many of the images are from the early 1960′s and the very beginning of Wings for Christ. Cheryl filled in the details and the volunteers cut and clipped the pictures into a wonderful set of pages documenting our nearly 50 year history.

Making history with scrap-booking.

Overall, the volunteers from Highland Baptist Church put in over 60 hours of volunteer time in just a few short hours. They also had a chance to learn more about Wings for Christ International Flight Academy and how we are serving Jesus Christ through aviation.

All of the people at Wings for Christ would like to thank these great volunteers and Highland Baptist for their work and support. We welcome you back any time for more opportunities to serve or just to visit and do some hangar flying.

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By admin, November 9, 2007

Monte’s daughter Ruth, son Robert and two friends Racquel and Kate were traveling from Waco to Franklin on a Friday night to see Isaac Michael play his district championship football game. They never arrived. An accident occurred and Ruth’s Baylor classmate Kate Bronstein was injured critically. Later, on 11-14-07, Kate went home to Jesus. This is yet another of those times we have to hold onto or rather be held on to by the Lord. Please pray for the Bronstein family during this season of grief and loss. Please keep Ruthy in your prayers.

Update 11/19/07:
Kate Bronstein memorial service at First Baptist Church, Spring, Tx. A memorial scholarship fund had been established at Baylor University in Kate’s name.