Helicopter Mission Video
For an exciting, first hand view of PAMAS helicopter mission, watch this Documentary and Love Story of Dwayne and Wendy Harris in the remote jungles of Palawan, Philippines.
A Sad Story
We had another sad (though common) story that happened yesterday. A very sick baby (2 1/2 year old) arrived at the clinic in kamantian the day before yesterday and they called us for heli assistance. We flew her immediately to the hospital and she was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, severe dehydration, and severe malnutrition (no doubt Malaria as well). She looked so pitiful with her limp but flailing body and heaving chest. I prayed with them before I left, fearing she may not make it 'til morning. She died that night in the hospital ;( We flew the baby and family back into the mountains yesterday to bury their dead and grieve.
The whole family had been sick and were not able to bring the baby right away. No doubt they also did not realize how serious she was. They finally stumbled down to the clinic after two weeks of being sick and that's when the dad and 9 year old son and baby were flown out to the hospital (the mom was too sick to go).
After a night in the morgue with the baby, the dad was amazingly calm and acknowledged God for His omniscience even through tragedy. As we waited for some dark clouds to pass so they could fly back in, I spent time talking with him. He thanked God and us for our help all through the years (they are frequent patrons to the clinic). They are not Christians but they have heard many things from the missionaries throughout the years. While we waited, the missionaries in Kamantian prepared a grave and broke the news gently to the mom, who didn't take it well. They prayed with her and tried to prepare her for the soon arrival of her dead baby. Sadly, when they arrived the mother went crazy (mentally). Please pray for them. They have 5 children left that need their mom. Please also pray as we try to educate the people here and teach them a Better Way.
On a brighter note, I will share with you a text message we received last Sabbath morning after making several medicine and food/supply runs to the missionaries scattered throughout the mountains the day before. The text is from Brian Glass, a brave missionary nurse working alone in the jungle a few hours hike from Kamantian:
"Thank you so much for the flights that were made yesterday and the medicine that was sent. The flights enabled 9 people to get the medicines that they needed for their Malaria yesterday. Alternatively they could have waited more than a week for the medicine to be carried in to Kamantian and then over to Emrang. Thank you very much and please let your supporters know what a blessing the helicopter is. Have a Happy Sabbath! Brian"
This warmed our hearts and we hope it will yours too, as you see a little of what your prayers and support are doing.
God’s Perfect Timing
Just a quick note to let you share in our joy of God's goodness. He has provided a new vehicle for our Luzon project already! We cannot be more thankful for God's perfect timing.
We have had a relaxing time here at AIIAS with my parents. We have had a full house with various missionaries and visitors recently--Danny (just finishing flight training) , Michel and Andrew (on his way to the States for a few weeks), Sheryl (visiting from Nursing school in Manila), and Dwayne's friend, Dan, who has come to help us with his helicopter/mechanic skills for awhile.
Tomorrow we head to Palawan with a couple new Filipino medical missionaries that will be ministering to the people in our area. We will be orienting them along with a couple other Student Missionaries from the states that will also join the team in a couple weeks. We will also be hosting another medical team from the states in a couple weeks. We are keeping busy for sure! As soon as we get back here we will go up north to scout out a place for our next project.
Summer News
We have had a great few weeks visiting family and friends, going to Eric and Katie's wedding, Campeeting, Yellowstone, G.C. and GMI retreat. We have been spiritually blessed as well as socially and physically (with great weather and beautiful sights). Later this week we will go camping in Glacier National Park, which we're really looking forward to.
It has been so refreshing to be here and it will be sad to go back next week, but we are also looking forward to the exciting things God has planned for us in the next few months. In September we are looking forward to Dr. Norbert's medical team coming again to help us in Palawan. We also have 5 new missionaries joining us in the next couple months and of course a new project to get on the way!
Many of you have been anxious to hear how things are going with a second helicopter and we finally have some news to share. Soon after we got to the States, Dwayne talked with the owner of the MD500 in New Zealand (that we still have a small down payment on). We prayed that God would close the doors or show us His will and so we continue to be content as the doors have stayed open even as the deadlines passed without sufficient funds. The owner decided to put it back on the market but he has been sympathetic and seems to still really want things to work out for us, because he said he would still honor our down payment if we came up with the rest of the money before someone else bought it.
Another exciting opportunity has opened up for us lately. Dwayne has been talking with some friends who are in the helicopter business and has been sharing with them what God has done for this project. To our surprise they offered us their R44 for a minimal amount! They are just asking from us the amount they will need to put a down payment on a replacement helicopter. We praise God for this huge answer to prayer and we pray that you will join us in prayer about this opportunity. Ideally we could use this helicopter right away, but we trust God will bring it in His perfect timing.
While Dwayne was discussing details with them the other day, they also gave us some great news that soared our spirits. They have decided to help us purchase a new vehicle for our Luzon project! This will help us out greatly, since we need a vehicle before we can do anything else. God is so good and he knows just what we need and when we need it.
Another quick update on the Cessna 180 airplane we've been planning to purchase from another mission agency in the Philippines: We recently received an email from them stating that they no longer wish to sell it to us . . . so we are back to square one on that. We will be looking for another fixed-wing airplane to purchase for inter-island travel and between our two projects.
Thanks so much for keeping all this in your prayers. We hope you are encouraged in your faith as we have been the last few months as we see God answer prayers.
It was great seeing many of you this summer. Wish it could have been longer!
Heli Update
Just want to thank everyone for your prayers for this MD500E helicopter we have been praying about purchasing. We thank God that He provided enough money for a down payment on it. He seems to be opening doors and leading us in this direction. We have done a lot of research and have found this type of helicopter to be the best for this area. It is configured perfectly for the type of medical flying we do here in the mountainous areas of the Philippines. We are ready to expand into northern Luzon with another helicopter when we return from the States and we have more pilots preparing to join us soon so we can continue to expand as God leads.
So with much prayer we have stepped out in faith trusting His promises and signed a purchase agreement and made the initial payment. We ask for your continued prayers for this purchase. We need $150,000 to complete the down payment by June 3 and the remaining $635,000 by the end of August. We see the huge need for this helicopter to further God’s work and that is why we have gone forward, trusting Him to provide. We are excited to see how He will answer our prayers. We thank you again for joining us in prayer.
Helicopter Prayer Request
May 4
We are busy wrapping up our role here in Palawan. The flying has been turned over to Andrey, and some of the medical work over to local lay workers that Wendy has trained. We will be going to the States in June to attend Eric’s wedding (my brother). We will also be attending the Montana Campmeeting and the last part of the GC session in Atlanta.
God has been opening doors here for expanding our work onto the main Island of Luzon. There is a tremendous need for helicopter air support there. On returning from the States our focus will be to start our aviation ministry in Luzon.
We returned last week from a trip to New Zealand and Australia in which we looked at 3 different MD500 helicopters that were for sale. We only were planning on seeing 2 but unexpectedly the owner of the 2nd helicopter flew us to another airport to see the 3rd one that a friend of his was trying to sell. I felt impressed this 3rd helicopter was the one we should look at most seriously. It is one of only 5 MD500’s that were configured as a medical evacuation helicopter. After looking at the maintenance logbooks and talking with the mechanic, it looked well maintained and has over 2000 hours left on all the major components.
That was about 2 weeks ago and we have been praying for wisdom and God to lead to the best helicopter and to guide in negotiating for the purchase of this helicopter. Today we have reached an agreement with the owner for a purchase price. We would need to pay $50,000 by the end of this week and another $150,000 by the end of the month, and the remainder when we ship it from New Zealand in August.
I ask that you would join us in prayer regarding this helicopter. If this is the right machine for God’s work here, we pray he will provide the needed money to purchase it.
February Highlights
Construction progress: Roof on hangar is up! Working on hangar sliding doors now. Helicopter will be moved into the hangar tomorrow!!! Getting ready to begin airstrip. Houses are more livable everyday! 
Our first joint effort with 4 different organizations: Palawan Adventist Hospital, Adventist World Aviation, PFM, and PAMAS (that’s us 
! See pics of the medical mission to the remote PFM Tagbanua 2 project in conjunction with their contextualized evangelistic meetings. Some of the things provided: Doctors, Nurses, circumcisions, consultations, meds, vitamins, toothbrushes, health education, and Tagalog sharing
pamphlets.
The helicopter has been flying more frequently during this busy Malaria/Typhoid season, bringing patients out of the mountains that need blood transfusions or more care. Multiple supply runs and bringing visitors for the missionaries has also given opportunity for more experience (in the heli) for Andrey. 
Muslim ministry begins! Thanks to Danny and Rovelyn Henson who recently arrived back from the states with their new baby, we were able to enjoy a very beneficial Muslim training seminar. Following this God has opened up doors to meet weekly with an Imam (Muslim priest) and neighboring families to study the Quran and Bible together!
On request by the Muslim families, we have also provided a Muslim friendly children’s program lead by Tonya (Andrey’s wife). This has recently branched into 5+ other programs in conjunction with Bible studies which is keeping us hopping. We also provide medical help and health education after the programs in the poorest areas.
Brooke’s Point youth and classmates reach out with some literacy programs in our area (Limbasan and Lapiak) Church members were especially targeted so they could learn to read the Bible and Hymbooks. 
Dorcas/sewing ministry by Michel (tailoring donated clothes to kids and patients sizes): Thanks to the donated sewing machine and boxes of used clothes, Michel stays very busy in her free time sewing, organizing and distributing clothes to the very needy. She has started one poor, SDA “widow” (her husband is in prison) learning how to sew and sell or trade clothes to the very poor people in her village, which also gives her a little profit and food to help her own family survive.
Motorcycles donated for Bro. Nitz (Bible worker) and one remote PFM project: This seems like a relatively small thing ($800-$900) but such a huge help to Bible workers in this country. We’ve seen first hand how it really enhances the evangelistic work.
Sponsored students to Palawan Adventist Academy get compliments from their teachers and classmates: Several are top students in their class. Joanne was voted pastor for her class. Darlene, a very sweet and God-fearing student has spent all her free time when at home (near our place) doing Bible studies with her family--often leading the studies herself. She was asked to speak at late notice for their school camping trip. She was so nervous and didn’t want to do it but everyone kept cheering and pushing her to accept. So, she prayed and asked God and her dad (Bro. Nitz) for help. It’s so touching how she tells the story. . .
“I said ‘oh lord please help me’. . . Oh how great I made it! I am thankful to God he didn’t let me alone in the time that I need his help. He is always there if we work for him. He says in the book of Jeremiah, my favorite verse, that I am going to get force to go on. He says ‘I am going to put my words in your mouth even you are a child’. We don’t need others to lead us to get support. No other than Jesus is our refuge. We pray and ask for help to God and he always hears our prayer if it is in the bottom of our heart.”
Others relate that after she spoke the teachers said “Wow, these Brooke’s Point students are really amazing!”
And God has really blessed her family because of their dedication to God’s work. With the new motorcycle and now another sponsor, they are going full time doing Bible studies and leading the new Limbasan church.
A guitar was also donated for their little church, which they are very excited about, along with English/Tagalog hymnals. They have been responsible for multiple baptisms--even just a few weeks ago--with more on the way. Darlene will be on summer break soon so she can join in the work again.
“Homes” for the holidays
Hangar trusses coming up
Dear friends and family,
We're wrapping up a most wonderful time of busyness and fun! Besides a couple trips to Balabac for medical evacuations and a medical mission to Abo Abo, most of our time has been spent working on the houses. With lots of help from friends and God we were able to get both mission houses to a livable state before everyone arrived. We moved in on Sunday the 20th and went to pick up our family a couple days later on Thursday. We had such a great time with my family! They didn't even complain about the enormous amount of bugs (no screens yet) or trickle of water for showers (still working on a decent well). Sabbath we worshipped with the Cabar church, including the newest church plant group from Limbasan. My family donated Tagalog/English hymnals to each family and a guitar for the Limbasan group, which will greatly help their spiritual growth.
After "camping" at our place for the weekend we enjoyed a few days in Puerto relaxing and snorkeling. We all opted to be together for the travels so we had lots of bonding time crammed into various vehicles and hanging out the back! New Years Eve we travelled back to Manila (to my parents place) in time for some games and fireworks with friends. We had a delayed "Christmas Dinner" on New Years day, then on Sunday Scott and Mindi (my brother and sis-in-law) and Dwayne and I took a road trip up north to visit an S.I.L. aviation project (Wycliff Bible Translators) and the famous Banaue Rice Terraces. Unfortunately the terraces were socked in by fog the whole time, but we still had a great time (Scott and Mindi are headed to a remote hospital in Niger so it was the last time we would be able to spend time with them for awhile).
Thursday night we picked up Andrey from Puerto and then his wife and daughter arrived at midnight from the Ukraine. It has been a grand reunion for them! They were able to spend some good time making friends with the Ukrainian/Russian community here at AIIAS campus. Today we all head back to Puerto where we will hit the ground running!
Hope you all had a great holiday season. Thank you so much for the "gifts" and prayers from many of you this Christmas! We will try to keep you updated, though our internet will be greatly limited in our new place.
It is obvious and sobering to see how the time is so near. We don't want to miss any opportunities to reach more people before it's too late. As God continues to bless this work by providing month by month for our needs, we are grateful to Him and each of you for your part in making this happen.
Enjoy these pics of the housing progress and hangar trusses coming up by hand (with pulleys)! and time with our visiting family.
Bing and Mario arrive at church
Andrew rides a Caribao
Watching the heli take off
Second truss coming up
Student Joanne helped also
Bathroom coming along
First truss up
Andrey over Balabac
Welding the last truss
Tedious work
Sponsored students came to help
Medical Mission to Abo Abo
Sheryl helps paint
Dwayne on the job
Andrew tiling the bathroom
Visiting with church members
Trusses coming up
Andrey and Andrew are glad to be done
Visiting Kemantian
Dwayne in the heli
Grandpa takes a ride at age 86
Neighbor kids
We're moved in!
Scott, Mindi, and Wendy
Our family in Puerto
Chickens and Blood Bags
We just got back from an inspiring trip to the PFM Tagbanua 1 project. They were finishing up some evangelistic meetings and we went to support. This is one of the places we took our last medical group. It is helpful here to bring a medical team in before evangelistic meetings so they can invite everyone to the meetings while they're getting physical help as well.
Rolly with foot washing
We were impressed by the work going on there. The whole weekend was refreshingly well organized, all run by the PFM missionaries, church members, and some supporting pastors from the city. The church members were growing spiritually and the baptized members seemed truly converted and ready. They had a nice footwashing service Sabbath a.m. and baptism in the afternoon.
We plan to bring another medicl team to the Tagbanua 2 project in a couple months in preparation for their upcoming meetings as well. A road has just been completed into the project area so it will be easier to access with a team. We hope to have a projector by then to assist them with their meetings.
We are in a push to get the housing construction finished on our land by next month. Our pilot Andrey's wife and daughter will be coming soon as well as returning missionaries Danny and Rovelyn with their new baby. We are so thankful God has blessed and things have gone relatively well, all things considered. Putting the trusses up for the hangar roof will be the last big project. We are also excited about my parents, brother and siter-in-law and her parents coming for Christmas and we hope to get things done and moved before then!
Dwayne in kitchen
Thanks to our recent medical group (and many of you) we now have 8 worthy students in Palawan Adventist Academy. The government has a special grant for the school for first year students so we are helping the school reach their goal as well as giving students an opportunity they would never have otherwise. The grant also gives us p5,000 off each student every year for the rest of their 4 years!
Praise God for new bike!
We also praise God for providing transportation for our medical and missionary work with a new motorcycle! Michel especially keeps it busy running back and forth to the hospital helping patients. I realized the other day that we had a unique life when I stopped to think about the chicken in my lap, cocounts in my backpack and rice under the seat! Later that night it was confirmed as I felt the warm blood bags on my lap between Michel and me as we sped to the hospital with our donors clinging behind. We would like to purchase a couple more bikes for some worthy layworkers and missionaries we know that are walking hours every day to visit interests and do Bible studies.
Keep praying for the revival of the churches around here and the Holy Spirit to fill them. Praise God for a small breakthrough with the Brooke's Point youth who have 3 new Bible study students and are learning to be more organized and consistent with their outreach.
Wendy's Birthday
Coming into shape
Medical Mission Group Visit
This was truly amazing! Here he was, a short, muscular, healthy appearing Palawano man, lying on the wooden table in front of me, his face showing not even a trace of concern or apprehension and his friendly, intelligent eyes reflecting complete childlike trust, even though I had just slithered into his mountain village on a very slippery, steep and exhausting path a few minutes earlier, prior to which we had never met. My scrubs and hair were drenched from the constant rain, I had given up on my wet shoes and socks, was barefoot and had mud splattered on me in all kinds of places, certainly miles short of any kind of professional or trustworthy appearance.
He remained perfectly still and cooperated without showing any pain as I proceeded to prep his forehead and inject the local anesthetic around the fatty tumor which measured nearly three inches in greatest diameter and had been an unsightly bother to him for a couple of years. Rain was pelting the tin roof with such intensity and force that communication short of yelling was impossible in the nearly completed new medical clinic of Kamantian, a small hovel consisting of a few scattered huts, the George’s home, a school and a clinic with a couple of inpatient beds.
Missionary life
Dwayne:
The hanger construction has been going well. We poured the second apartment roof last night. I learned Filipinos can work twice as fast at night than they can in the day. We got the second roof poured in 6 hours instead of 11 like the first one. It is a relief to have the roofs poured. That was the last major hurdle in my mind.
Andrey has been welding hangar trusses together. We have one done and are working on the second now. We finally got the problems worked out with our generator/welder. After the second voltage regulator burned up, I threw it away and replaced it with a resistor. It is much simpler and more reliable now. Now we can change the welding amperage by changing resistors.
I have been flying more with Andrey to get him trained in our helicopter and used to the type of flying we do in the mountains. We have had a couple of emergency medical calls from the mountains but problems with the helicopter kept us grounded. Problems consisting of rats chewing the new spark plug wires through for the second time and drive belts turning themselves on their sides for reasons I have yet to figure out. We have things worked out now till something else breaks; we just installed a new starter relay so we don't have to start it from the outside with a wrench anymore.