Flying With Faith
Growing up hearing stories about missionaries and missionary pilots might seem like an unlikely bedtime story for twin girls, but not for Caelyn and Christina Wise who are freshmen at Jessup studying aviation. Located in the epicenter of winter adventure sports and activities, their hometown, Valdez, Alaska is surrounded by the Chugach mountains, and typically sees over 600 inches of fresh powder each year. Alaska is home to the highest number per capita of licensed pilots however, there are no flight schools for residents of Valdez.
That obstacle never stopped Caelyn and Christina when it came time to earn their Private Pilot Licenses (PPL) by the time they were just 17 years old. To do that, the pair drove the 650-mile round trip between Valdez and Anchorage, over Thompson Pass, the snowiest weather station in Alaska, weekly from December through April. “I was teaching dance class on Monday nights, so we left early Tuesday morning to arrive in time for our flight instruction,” Caelyn said. They were also members of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) which helped them qualify for the CAP Cadet Wings program which paid for their PPL flying lessons in Anchorage.
It was their younger brother that brought them to aviation. “He was interested in learning to fly because he wanted to become a missionary pilot, and we thought it would be a good idea if we helped him,” Christina said. At 15 years old, the sisters were introduced to flying when they went to a CAP glider flight academy. The experience eliminated any fear of flying maneuvers, replacing it with the joy of flying. After they completed the initial glider academy training, they graduated from the powered flight academy the next year. It wasn’t long before the girls recognized flying could help them gain access to remote locations around the world to help support their earlier established passion for missions work. Learning to fly would become a useful skill to attain their passion of pursuing missionary service.
Since both of their parents have been missionaries, the whole family often participated in short-term mission trips. The twins have been to 24 countries and visited Indonesia five times, with the first time being their first official mission trip with their family when they were 10. As far back as the girls can remember, they’ve joined their family praying for others. “These experiences demonstrated that prayer is effective,” Christina said. “We’ve seen lots of healing take place as we prayed for people and saw miracles. We believe God gave every Christian the authority to do that,” Caelyn added.
When it came time to attend college, Jessup emerged at the top of their list due to their desire to pursue Christian higher education. Coming to the growing University with their PPL also allowed them to work toward another goal, to reduce a four-year degree to three years, largely due to the additional college credits and flight time they already have under their belts.
The two have plugged in nicely on campus. Caelyn has utilized her preaching skills during Encounter Chapel, Christina danced in Jessup Theatre’s fall production of “Anastasia,” and they are members of the Aviation club. Christina is a flight simulator manager for Aviation Program Director, Loo Ng, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.), and they both assist other students accrue hours on the flight simulators in the growing department. They are part of Jessup’s 2025 Global Outreach team destined for Brazil this summer to support Hope Unlimited and work with abandoned kids. The duo also plan to work part-time jobs this semester.
Gearing up for continued flight instruction, the twins embody a strong sense of confidence and purpose as they take to the skies. They aren’t just aviators in training, but vessels of hope and love preparing to carry the gospel and the boundless love of Christ to those in the mission field throughout the world. As they hone their skills and prepare their hearts, they are diligently making a difference all for His glory.
