Jim flying over Niger.

SIM missionary Jim Rendel, in partnership with IAMA (International Association of Missionary Aviation), has produced a 2010 calendar that will be on sale this week at EAA's "AirVenture 2009” event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Jim's original artwork in the calendar showcases his love for airplanes as well as his deep appreciation for those who fly and support them—those who are "on mission" to help people around the world.

Jim and his wife Sandy are set up under the IAMA tent along with people from 30 other mission aviation groups. Steve Saint, recently featured in Popular Mechanics for his "flying car," and Gracia Burnham, the author of In the Presence of My Enemies, are also in attendance and will be speaking in evening sessions.

Fly Now, Draw Later

Jim's fascination for airplanes goes back further than his memory. He grew up in northwest Nigeria where his parents were missionaries with SIM for 35 years. Before he was even in grade school, he was building and flying model airplanes with his two older brothers—thanks to an uncle in the States who owned a hobby shop and kept them supplied with model airplane kits.

Jim and his siblings grew up in a remote area of Nigeria. They were 500 miles from the mission boarding school they attended. They had to fly home in a small mission plane which was always exciting for him. His early interest and experience with missionary aircraft turned into a lifetime passion, and he went on to train as a missionary pilot and mechanic at Moody Aviation in Elizabethton, Tennessee. In 1973 he returned to Niger in West Africa to fly for SIM.

	Rendel's IAMA 2010 "Fly4Life" calendar.

While he was attending boarding school, Jim’s teachers noticed his talent for drawing and encouraged him to develop his skills. When Jim was in high school, he asked his pastor for advice—should he go on to study art or aviation? His pastor answered, “Fly now while you are young, and you can draw later when you're old!”

Flying for Life

Over the years he’s enjoyed drawing as a hobby. So when he learned about the Fly4Life theme for the AirVenture show at Oshkosh this year, it presented him with an opportunity to do something that he had wanted to do for a long time.

"Flying has been my life," says Jim, "and having this opportunity to draw these aircraft and produce this calendar has been a privilege!"

If you would like to purchase a copy of the IAMA 2010 "Fly4Life" calendar, please visit the SIM USA online store, or call the SIM USA Bookstore at 704-587-1435.