Editor’s note: Barb McCune’s testimony appeared in the May/June issue.

I have now lived more than half of my life in the United States. My earlier years were lived mostly in Ireland, the place of my birth, with some four years spent in England before emigrating to the U.S. in 1988.

During my early childhood years, many good patterns of family life in a pastor’s family were forged and were etched in my memory. It is clear, as I have observed some of the legacy left by my parents and by my grandparents (whom I never knew), that those family patterns were established long ago and have been perpetuated through several generations.

The importance of family worship in our lives has been impressed upon me. Even in my father’s later years, after he was widowed, when I spent time with him, his daily routine would include worship before we retired for the night. God has given me great reason to be thankful for His tender mercies and His promises to our family today. I have learned to follow this example in my own family experience. The desire is given freely by His mercy, but I need to foster habits and practices that will enable its continuance into the next generation.

We have lived in central New York for the last 16 years, during which we have been members of Messiah’s Church RPC, where I serve as a ruling elder. Our church had a time of healthy growth to begin with but, more recently, we have experienced some rougher times, losing members due to migration, discipline, and, even more recently, one passing into glory. We pray continually for God to build up our church, understanding that this may involve hard times as we learn to wait on His work enfolding His people.

A few longtime Witness readers may be familiar with Irish conferences held in Kerrykeel, County Donegal, in the 1960s and 70s. It was at one such weekend conference with my parents, when I was in my preteen years, that I remember watching an old black and white movie depicting the events around the crucifixion of Jesus. In observing the response of the Roman centurion—how this commander of soldiers in the Roman army was compelled by the Holy Spirit to declare, “Truly, this was the Son of God”—I, too, was quickened by the Holy Spirit to new life in Christ. My father and mother encouraged me as a young boy to go into my sleeping closet and ask Jesus to come into my heart.

Life as a teenager often presents many challenges in our efforts to understand who we are and how to discern what the Lord is calling us to in life. I had many good and helpful influences during those years, often found outside the family bounds and even beyond my local church. The wider church of God’s people afforded me many opportunities to grow in the knowledge and understanding of God’s Word and played an important role in reinforcing my faith. It taught me to recognize that the church is much more than one isolated denomination, that God’s people are found in many different denominations. One such interdenominational group was the Crusaders (not to be confused with the historical group of the same name). This brought young people together from many different churches in our town on a weekly basis and for camps. These weekly meetings and camps afforded more opportunity for growth during Bible teaching focused on the needs of young people. One particular leader of the Crusaders in our town was always interested in the spiritual well being of the boys. He noticed if your attendance dropped off and would be quick to let you know that he missed you the previous week.

During my high school days I became interested in flying airplanes. I chose to attend university after school, rather than seek a direct entry into a flying career. While at Queens University in Belfast, N.I., I took flying lessons with the University Air Squadron—a college student introductory course of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Two summer camps with the RAF in England persuaded me against Air Force life, yet I have no doubt it would have been a good flying education. After university, I gained employment with an aircraft manufacturer in England. During this time, my interest in flying increased, and I often found myself wistful as I watched airplanes taking off from the airfield at my work. In this way, the Lord drew me to push on a variety of doors leading to a flying career—from direct applications to U.K. and European airlines to Mission Aviation Fellowship. All of these proved fruitless. It wasn’t until I applied to a number of flight schools in the U.S. that I began the journey that would lead me away from England and Ireland and eventually lead to the flying career I have today.

After attending flight school in South Carolina, I found a job as a flight instructor in Michigan, where I began attending the Southfield RPC. While there, I came to know Pastor Ray and Alice Joseph. I spent a lot of time in their home amidst my busy flying schedule. It was there that I was introduced to Barb, their daughter—even though Barb lived far away in Pennsylvania at the time. In the summer and fall of 1990, she and I began corresponding by mail, which grew quickly and resulted in a commitment to marriage. That commitment facilitated Barb moving to Michigan to live with her parents as we planned our future together. We were married in 1992, and we moved to western Pennsylvania two years later. After seven years there, we were led by the Lord to our current location supporting the work of an established church plant.

Life for me now oftentimes seems routine, but it might not seem routine to many readers. My flights regularly take me to a few different Caribbean destinations as well as occasionally to the west coast. The Lord has blessed me in this way. Our life in central New York has been filled with much blessing as our small family has grown. Our girls are college students now at Geneva and are beginning to make their own way in life at the Lord’s leading. We look forward to their return home visits. We continually seek God’s guidance in all of our life’s way, and we are thankful for His faithfulness in it all.

David McCune lives in Syracuse, N.Y., with his wife, Barb. He is an elder at Messiah’s (Clay, N.Y.) RPC.