The God of Hope
Flying a motorcycle accident victim to Puerto
The last month has been very busy in Palawan with some medivac flights and making repairs and finishing some projects.
I (Dwayne) got a call from Jomar, a friend of mine that had been our foreman when we built the hangar and houses here in Palawan 4 years ago. He was in the Adventist hospital in Puerto and had just had some tests done that revealed a large mass in his bladder. He did not know what he should do so I rode the motorcycle up to Puerto and consulted his doctors to get the full story. Jomar had a tumor in his bladder that was obstructing his urinary tract and backing things up into his kidneys. I helped him get some blood donors because he had already lost a large amount of blood. He needed surgery soon to remove the tumor before it did damage to his other organs. He hardly had enough money to start paying for a surgery but at my urging that God would provide he went ahead and had surgery. After the surgery and getting all of the financial help from government sources and discounts from the hospital and doctors, they were still financially short and the hospital would not discharge until most of the bill was paid. I was flying a couple people from Puerto to Mapun to visit an Adventist school down there. I arrived in Puerto early and stopped at the hospital before picking the people up and ended up giving Jomar some money to finish paying his bill so he could get discharged from the hospital. This was a financial sacrifice because funds are tight this month. Two hours later, on our way flying down to Mapun, my passengers handed me a donation-- the exact amount of money I had just given to Jomar two hours earlier. This was just a reminder to us that God knows all of our needs and as we sacrifice to help others He is standing by ready to bless with more than we gave.
Side note: They have since confirmed malignant cancer in Jomar. He needs more surgery, but has chosen not to pursue that. He found an Adventist health book (though he is not an Adventist) and is already putting some things into practice. We have been giving him more resources which he is eagerly accepting. Please pray for him and for us as we witness to him. We know God has a plan for him.
As we arrived in Mapun the people there had a patient waiting for me to medivac to Puerto on the return flight. As we boarded the plane they handed me another donation. We have made it very clear to the people there that we do not charge for medivac flights but they wanted to contribute anyway. God is good.
The island of Mapun is far south of Palawan, closer to Malaysia. It is isolated with no other way to get to advanced medical help except with our plane or by a very long boat ride that is extremely expensive, unpredictable, and often not available due to weather. They have an airstrip, but no commercial flights are ever made there.
One of the patients I evacuated was a Muslim Sheik. After his recovery in Puerto they traveled back to Brooke's Point where he has relatives, and he requested to catch a ride back to Mapun the next time I flew. I was making a flight in a few days, so I told them to come early the morning of my flight. Wendy ended up hosting the whole family all that morning while we waited for heavy rains to clear up. It was a good opportunity to get to know them and also for them to see who we are. Their granddaughter is our close neighbor and she has shown interest in the Bible and attending church with us. They told us that before we came, most people on their island just died if they had an accident or serious illness. Some of their own relatives have died throughout the years due to lack of transportation. The Sheik was always very serious looking, but when we arrived in Mapun and I was getting ready to leave, I gave him a smile goodbye and it was great to see his smile in return. They requested me to come to their home next time I go there so they can thank me in proper Muslim tradition.
Pushing the Twin back in the Palawan Hangar
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