Dear Team
(We sent this out to our missionaries in Palawan. Maybe others will enjoy it too)
Dear Team,
As part of this PAMAS team we thought you might be encouraged to hear some of the amazing things God is doing with this 2nd project. Many of you have heard little bits here and there, but let us share with all of you some of the miracles taking place here in Northern Luzon. As you know we have been praying about this 2nd project for a while now. We have planned to expand here to Luzon (and all over the Philippines) from day one of starting this PAMAS ministry around 3 ½ years ago. So, we have been asking God to prepare the way for this 2nd project all along. We fully expected God to answer these prayers for His work as He has miraculously done all along, so we are not surprised at what He has done, but we are overwhelmed with praise to Him who is showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is leading!
First of all, God has already provided (on arrival) a spacious, mostly furnished, and well located house for us to stay in, rent-free, for as long as we need it! Did you catch all that? It even has a large garage which Dwayne and Dan have been keeping busy in every day! God has thought of everything. This is a true miracle, one that makes me smile every day! We fully expected to pay some kind of rent, but as you know we didn’t have the funds this month (and had no promise for future months) so we trusted God to provide—and He did—beyond our expectations!
Secondly, God seems to have directed us to this particular area to base (time will tell, though). We had heard the Cagayan Valley Adventist Hospital was friendly and mission minded, but we were not prepared for the reality and extent of this. The Hospital staff and local church members here have given us a very warm reception and we see that they are sincerely active in ministry and mission work. (This week I’ve been enjoying helping with a smoking cessation seminar and getting to know all the friendly staff!) They are regularly doing medical missions to the surrounding mountain areas and villages and they are excited about the prospects of our air support to make these efforts even more effective. We can see the great benefit of being near this area so we can work together even more effectively with these active members and also we see the benefit of being close to a Hospital where we can bring more serious patients and assist them as necessary. The potential here is huge of what can be done with a helicopter and airplane to reach out farther and deeper to the unreached people.
To top off all of these miracles, by the first day of our arrival we already had several land prospects of where we could build a base (hangar/housing/airstrip) for this project, one of which was and is a very serious potential! (It is located in a rural setting, 25 mins south of here, adjacent to a 7th day Adventist church!) There is no doubt God is leading in this! He seems to be working more quickly than ever to move things along for His work to be accomplished.
We hope this encourages you and reminds you how this is God’s project and we are very privileged to be a part of it! We also hope it helps you see how your individual part is very important in this project. Without you we could not be here starting this next project.
Keep up your great work, Team! Thanks for all your dedicated and faithful help and prayers.
God is opening doors in Luzon!
Dear friends and family,
We're here at a little Tiki hut restaurant with wireless internet this morning to do some quick emailing so I'll try to write fast. We arrived at our new place at 1a.m last Wednesday morning! It took us around 8 hours from Manila (traffic is much less at night). We had no idea what to expect of the house that we would stay in. We just knew it was "unfinished" and not being lived in consistently for the last 10 years or so. We tried to expect the worst so we would be pleasantly surprised. Sure enough God did it again! He has provided for us beyond what we had ever imagined! The house is owned by an Adventist family staying in Manila now and though it needs a fair bit of cleaning and a few fix-up jobs, it is quite adequate and spacious. It has 3 small rooms (with beds), 2 bathrooms, a huge living room and medium kitchen with a refrigerator and one burner propane stove! AND it has a large garage for the guys to work in! (they will be building a block making machine and a trailer to pull behind our vehicle to haul supplies for our future building project)
The house is located in a little subdivision in the city of Santiago in Cagayan Valley. The houses are close together but it is away from the heart of the city, so besides the neighborhood cats and dogs it's pretty quiet. The owners sat down with us before they left to discuss the arrangements. Basically they said "we want to be a part of this mission, we will not charge you any rent, we hope you will stay forever, and we are family now!" All they ask is that they be able to come stay here now and then. There is no doubt God is leading us to this new area!
When we arrived in the middle of the night, the water pump was broken so we had no water for the first day. (We used the neighbor's bathroom and the hospital's showers) Luckily we had our own mechanics along and they were able fix it in record time. The owners were very impressed and happy to have them now staying in their house! They (the guys) are already doing other improvements on the house as a thank you to the owners for their generosity.
We have been amazed also at how God provided some basic kitchen and household supplies for this new project a months ago through a family at AIIAS that donated everything they couldn't carry back with them when they returned to the states. It is high quality, practically brand new stuff too!
Everyone we've met at the Adventist Hospital and at church has been so friendly,eager to help us however they can, and anxious to work with us. Many are active in medical missions and various ministries already so this will be a perfect place to base, if God continues to open the way. Friday Dan and Dwayne went out to look at some property and they came back with glowing reports of a pretty good possibility of where we could build a hangar/housing and runway. There is an Adventist lady that had already offered to donate a section of her land but there was no stretch of it long enough for a runway. So, one of the layworkers that Dwayne and Dan had met a few weeks ago had started to ask the owners surrounding that land if they'd be willing to sell and so when the guys went yesterday he had already done all the groundwork (they hadn't even asked him to!) He said the owners are willing to sell and he gave the amounts that each want (which is quite reasonable actually). There is a long strip just long enough for an airstrip up on a ridge. The land is out away from the city about 25 minutes south. Today we are going out there again to take some food to the layworkers (who are apparently about to starve) and we will do some more checking around of the land.
Tonight the hospital is starting a week long smoking cessation program which I'll be assisting with (I'll be a small group facilitator). I offered my help and this is what they needed help with, so I pray God will help me! It will be fun. I have "helped" with one other stop smoking program in my life so that is the extent of my experience.
So far everyone seems to be speaking English and Tagalog around here so I will continue to work on my Tagalog even though Ilocano is also common around here. The people being targetted this time for the smoking cessation program will be the affluent and business people so they will all know English. They will wine and dine them for free and it will just be a service to the community and ministry of the hospital.
The vegetables around here are cheaper and there is more variety (tomatoes, zuccini, and celery!). There is even a grocery store with some specialty items we couldn't get in Puerto (salsa, corn chips, soy milk, black beans etc). It's a very crowded little store with tiny isles but there is alot avialabe if you're patient enough!
Wish I could write more but we gotta run. We still have a bit of cleaning and fix-up jobs to do before the house is livable but we are very happy and just excited at what God is doing.
Hopefully next month we will be able to get some internet at our house. Thank you so much for your continued prayers. Please pray for God to direct us to the right land and provide for the purchase of it.
Medical Team visit 2010!
Well, we had another absolutely blessed and wonderful time with Dr. Norbert's medical team from the states.
You will enjoy the slide show "video" below, if you have a few minutes to watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQn5j0LzBdY&fmt=18
You can also see all the pics here:
www.norbiespics.shutterfly.com
Sunday morning our adventure began. We left before sunrise in 3 vehicles to drive to PFM's Tagbanua project, 4 hours north of here on the other side of the island. We saw a whirlwind of patients--over 450--many with breast cancer (I'm not sure why--some say it's from the nearby Nickel mining). One had stage IV cancer and will be treated in Puerto Princessa. It was fun to see our whole team of 11 (plus two missionary children) in action--joined with the 7 from Dr. Norbert's group and one nurse from Palawan Adventist Hospital. The rain began to pour in the afternoon and soon the tarps were leaking onto our pharmacy table and makeshift area where I had also started to see patients. We relocated as best we could into the crowded church and finished the patients without too much delay.
Sunday night we spent by the beach in Quezon so we could get an early start for Abo Abo medical mission on the way home the next day. Monday morning was cloudy and threatening rain, but God held it off 'til we made it up the hike to the village to hold clinic. We had fun with the primitive, needy, but friendly people there. Many had Malaria. The Doctors kept teasing with Michel and I because we would be shouting back and forth from the registration to the pharmacy things like "Just give the patient Malaria meds if I write "Malaria"! And then every once in awhile we'd hear a snide remark from a doctor (teasingly), saying "why is there already a diagnosis on this patient?" What fun.
This was the same group that came last year, with one addition of one new one (Bill) who took most of the pictures and did a great job. They are such a great group. So easy going and easy to work with--and so much fun!
The dentists saw over 250 patients in 4 days--most of which were multiple extractions! I was impressed.
The rain started pouring right as we were finishing up which made for a very slippery trail back to the trucks! Everyone figured out eventually that it was best to just take off your flip flops and let the mud squeeze through your toes so you could stay upright.
Tuesday we saw several hundred more patients in Maiinit (which means "hot" in Tagalog--everyone sweat buckets and proved the name true) Again, we saw alot of Malaria, worms, and dental extractions. We were able to hand out children's and adult vitamins and worm medications to almost all the patients.
Wednesday was our last medical day and we held it out at our hangar. We had a good turn out again and by then we were getting more efficient. I was very happy this year to have so much help that we were able to do continuous health lectures throughout the medical missions (every patient was required to listen to a lecture before getting their medicines).
Thursday morning we left bright and early to head to Puerto and show the group our beautiful beaches, coral and fish. They had a great time and the weather was perfect! It was a great way to relax after a very busy week.
A BIG Thank YOU to the Stevensville SDA church in Michigan through Dr. Norbert and his Global Village Ministries for another successful trip, for taking your vacation time to come and help the people of the Philippines, for the generous donations of thousands of dollars worth of medicines, supplies, toys, clothes, Felt set, school supplies, and more! We were blessed once again beyond words. We look forward to your next trip!
We're back at AIIAS now. Our new SM girls arrived and are all trained in now. (see their dialy adventures on their blog link under "blogrolls on this site) We're heading up north next week to start the Luzon project! Thank you for your continued prayers for this project.
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 (Filmed in 2008)
Some days are like that
A well written, true to life picture of mission life in Palawan by Kiana Binford, return AFM missionary teacher to Kamantian (and former hutmate of Wendy's):
Kiana with some friends
I just want to say before you read this that it's because of prayers from you back home that we make it through days like this. I want to thank all of you that pray for us out here and to tell you please keep it up. It is one of the biggest blessing of our lives here.
Some days are like that:
Tuesday, August 24th
The days had been full and finally today we had a few minutes to organize and ready the hut we were moving into. Joha was cleaning some storage barrels and I was about to head to class for the afternoon high school session when I saw them walking up to the clinic.
A family of four, Mom, Dad, 9 year old son and a bundle in mom’s arms that appeared to be a small baby. Mom was tired, hot, and obviously not feeling very well but when I took a look at the baby it was she that I most worried about. I asked her age, two years and five months and not more than a small pathetic lump in her mother’s arms. Her brown eyes and a face that looked aged looked up at me as if to say, “I need help”. Her body was hot though she had little to no fat to speak of. I told Joha that she looked pretty bad and definitely (even from an untrained eye) starving. I said a little prayer and went to class leaving Joha to talk to the patients and knowing she was in for a handful.
A little while later Joha comes to tell us that Dwayne’s Helicopter (from a sister GMI project) will be coming soon to get the little girl and her father and brother. The mom would hopefully be able to follow on a later trip. Joha said, “She’s very sick and there’s no way I can even begin to get an IV in her.” We said another prayer and watched a little while later as Dwayne carried off the three family members. That afternoon I returned to the clinic to visit Joha and the mother, Nulita.
Nulita smiled, though obviously not feeling well, and said good afternoon. She was very meek and shy, but very sweet and gracious. She was not able to go out on a different flight so she would spend the night in the clinic. We gave her some food, which she ate little of and Joha gave her medicine for Malaria. Her fever was running about 39*C since she arrived. Nobody here likes to spend the night by themselves and I felt sympathy for her knowing that she was all alone and probably worried about her child. We told her we were right next door and to call if she needs anything.
That night was team meeting….we got to bed late.
Text message from Wendy (Dwayne’s wife, a nurse who used to work on this project): “It’s a good thing the baby is down here. She has severe malnutrition, severe pneumonia, severe dehydration, and probably Malaria. She’s on oxygen right now and needs serious prayer.”
Wednesday, August 25
The morning dawned with chickens as usual and I ran to class. “Today” I said, “I would move some stuff and plan curriculum.” But when I came back from teaching in the morning and rounded the corner I stopped. “Is it Sunday,” I thought. The clinic porch was full of people. It’s normal for Wednesdays to be a little busier but this was ridiculous. I shook my head feeling sorry for Joha all by herself and ran to the new house to see if there was anything I could do to start moving in. Joha followed me inside and we found Kuya building a shelf. “You guys need to pray with me,” she said.
She explained that she was feeling overwhelmed with the days events. “The baby girl died last night in the hospital and Mom has no idea. They are bringing the body later and Father requested that he be the one to tell her. Mom didn’t take her medicine as directed and is still hot, the clinic is teeming with people, many of which have been sick for a long time and are only now coming for help. Parents are being uncooperative and irresponsible with giving medicine to their kids and besides that they just carried in another inpatient. A very old lady, (Mother of five generations) from across the island. ” Joha asked that we would pray for her to find love for her patients and keep her cool and be gentle when she rebukes for taking so long to come. “They don’t understand, a baby just died because they waited too long to bring her…”
We prayed asking God for a portion of his love for the people and that somehow the death of this child would work out to His glory. We prayed that the people on the porch would be able to recognize God’s love in our works and that He would be magnified. After the prayer I told Joha that if she needed me to do anything I would do it. She asked if I would help with some of the patients. I did what I could, helping Joha as best I knew, and the patients were one by one taken care of and left. Meanwhile a few of the school boys quietly came and got shovels to dig a grave up the hill out of sight from the mother. No time for lunch, I ran to the school. It was last exam day for the high school students and I didn’t want to be late. I’d eat later.
3:30PM – I was just starting the students on their English exam when I hear Joha on the radio. “Kilo Bravo, Kilo Bravo….I need your help.” Nulita’s husband decided it would be best for someone else to tell his wife gently so that she wouldn’t be shocked with the news as soon as they arrived with the body. Wendy texted us and told us, we should tell her as soon as possible because the helicopter was preparing to come back in. Joha asked if I would help break the news since she had no other family or support around for her. I told her I would and headed to the clinic praying God would give me words to say.
Nulita was in her room, still fevering. “I keep giving her medicine and her fever just won’t go down,” Joha was perplexed. She smiled up at us and we greeted her. We talked a little bit about how she was feeling and she answered sweetly, smiling all the time, though with high fever for so long she had to be miserable. Then we talked to her about the Father God who created everything and who has strength to heal all sickness. She smiled some more and nodded agreeing. We told her that He alone could take away sickness and that he would work through the medicine to make her well. “Yes, true,” she agreed. We told her we’d like to pray with her and ask for God to be with her and make her well. She said she would like that, so searching for the right Pelawan words I asked God to be near her, to comfort her, to heal her and to help her to understand the greatness of His love for her. That she would be held in His arms and be blessed as His child. She smiled as we finished and I told her that she can leave everything to Him. And then I had to tell her, as gently as possible, for how does news like this ever feel like anything besides a ton of bricks, “Your daughter is no more.”
We held her as she sobbed until she asked us to leave and said she was going to sleep. We told her the helicopter would be here soon with her husband and son. Walking outside we noticed a group gathering outside. By now word had gotten around and people came to watch the burial. We heard the helicopter land down the mountain a ways and waited for them to arrive. I wanted to know what the husband would do to comfort his wife. Pelawan culture is not very affectionate, let alone in public and often times husbands and wives barely speak to eachother. But this Nulita’s husband had seemed considerate, by the way he helped her walk to the clinic and by the way he asked for no one to tell her but himself. She certainly needed comfort just then.
They rounded the curve, someone carrying the body wrapped in a cardboard box and a tadyung (traditional cloth they use for everything), and stopped looking at the clinic. The husband sent someone to ask if his wife wanted to see the body. We told him that he should come in and speak with her. He went into her room and spoke to her, “Sweetheart,” he said, “do you want to come look?” Again she began sobbing and he held out his finger and she held it, the extent of display of affection that culture that they felt comfortable with. He spoke to her some more, calling her sweetheart, and I strained to listen but didn’t understand everything. “It’s not your fault,” he said, “It was the sickness.” Finally, he convinced her to come to see the body. He walked out with her, holding her arm until they reached the place where someone held her tiny child who, until yesterday, she had never been separated from.
The father began to speak to the spirit of the child, introducing it to her mother and telling her that she used to drink from her breast and that she took care of her while she was alive. He then asked someone bring a cup with a little cooked rice, he held it out to Nulita who lifted her shirt and he explained to everyone watching that it was their custom to bury a child with it’s mother’s milk. Nulita squirted some breast milk into the cup and sat slumped down as father brought the cup and the baby, and anyone who wanted to follow, to the burial site already prepared.
At the site, the father again spoke to the spirit of his dead child. He asked the spirit not to torment them or to haunt them in the days to come. He exhorted the spirit to go on to heaven quickly and not linger and frighten them. He reminded the spirit that they were good parents to it when she was alive and presented the breast milk and the rice as though as a peace offering or bargaining chip. “We provided for all of your needs in life,” he said. “And look, we are preparing for your needs in death too.” After the prayer, the father asked Napthali, who was also at the grave site, to pray as well. Napthali prayed his prayer to Father God in heaven asking his blessing on the family that their grief be not long. He was sure to mention that death was like a sleep and that no conscious spirit of the child was floating around trying to scare her parents. He mentioned the hope of those who followed God, that they would see Jesus again in the final resurrection. Two very different prayers for two very different beliefs.
As Joha and I waited with Nulita for them to return clouds gathered overhead and it began to sprinkle lightly. It seemed appropriate given the circumstances. We listened to the dirt fall loud on the cardboard the little girl was wrapped in and Joha rubbed Nulita’s back. I stood nearby wondering how much comfort strangers could be.
Later – Everyone returned to the clinic and Mom and Dad thanked everyone present by shaking their hands for their support. I sat on the steps of the clinic and tried to look disinterested and Husband and Wife and Son spoke to eachother about their experiences during the last 24 hours. They seemed at least happy to be reunited. Mom was still hot, so Joha gave her Fansidar (which normally accompanies Malaria medicine but cannot be given to nursing women)
Then Dad asked me if it might be possible for his wife to speak with the other inpatient (the old woman) because she thought they were related to each other. I thought it curious since that had been in the same place all day and still had not spoken to each other. I told him it was perfectly fine and as he got up to go into the clinic, he suddenly stopped and said “Oh, no I can’t.” As he sat down I, confused, tried to tell him that it was fine, for him to just go on in and speak to her. He answered me, “no, I can’t I just heard a voice.” He explained that God had spoken to a bird which at that very moment had spoken to him telling him that because of the sicknesses of the two ladies and because of their sins, they could not speak to eachother. “Some other day,” he said. I wondered if he realized that the lady come a quite a long way to the clinic and would probably never make it there again. The Dad saw my confusion and graciously continued explaining in words I’d never heard. I further wondered if I would ever really understand the language or the culture.
Still Later – I cooked a quick pot of lentils for supper, none of us having eaten since breakfast, when they rang the bell for prayer meeting. Food would have to wait until after.
Prayer meeting is a blessing. But sometimes, when you’re hungry, and tired, it can seem long. 8:15PM, prayer meeting finished, we are walking back to our house after saying our goodbyes to those that came. The moon is bright and I’m looking forward to eating and sleeping. “Tomorrow,” I thought, “we’ll move.” Joha told us that she was just going to check on Nulita’s temperature.
A few minutes later Joha calls Carrine and I telling us to come quick that she needs us to help. I asked what was up.
“Well, you know, I was sitting in prayer meeting earlier thinking, all we’d need is for Mom to go crazy after all this.” Joha’s voice sounded a bit urgent . “And, well, she has.”
News like that in the mountains is not taken lightly. There are only two reasons for someone to go crazy: Physical and Spiritual. And the latter one is almost more likely and more usual than the first. Probably because of past experiences and because I knew Joha was serious, my heart caught in my chest. We sent word for Kuya Napthali to come and we headed right away to the clinic where we found Dad outside her room, shaking his head, “She’s never been like this, her mind has always been good.” And then turning to Joha, “What did you give her earlier?” Joha explained that the Fansidar could possibly be a factor but that it was likely the shock of the day coupled with the high fevers were contributors too.
We found Nulita on the floor in her room breathing very quickly and speaking random nonsensical sentences. “It’s broken.” “I’m dead, believe me, I’m dead.” “I’m crazy.” “Look at my hands. Isn’t that nice?” “Uh Oh, no more.” She was moving around though not violently. Turning her head from side to side and occasionally focusing right on someone’s face and try to explain how her throat was broken, etc. She would not answer any questions asked or really seem to focus on anything. We decided that it was probably not a Spiritual possession but mostly a physical reaction from everything going on. She was hot again….or maybe still, so Joha gave her another shot of Paracetamol while looking for something she could find to give her to calm down. We all sat with her, and amidst her random words we prayed with her and sang with her. We tried to speak with her, but she would not focus on anything.
Joha finally decided to give Diazapam to calm her down knowing that it was a risk. The medicine could make her calm, it could make her worse. And many times, if the situation is spiritual, medicine makes it worse. Nulita’s husband came in while Joha gave her a shot and told us that he needed to go to sleep. He had a horrible headache after spending all night in the morgue with his daughter’s body. (He also had Malaria) He told us he’d get up in a little while but that he just needed to sleep a bit. I felt for the man, he had been through so much. He didn’t have the strength to deal with a crazy wife too. His family needed him to be strong. We told him that it was OK but that he should try talking to her first. Kuya explained how her mind was having a hard time focusing and that she just needed to train her mind to focus on something. The man agreed, though explained he didn’t think it had worked because he had tried speaking to her earlier. We urged him to try again so he knelt down next to his wife and said, “Sweetheart, stop saying those things. You’re not making any sense. Stop. Tell me, do you know who I am?” At the sound of his voice Nurlita turned her head to face him. Her crazy words were now directed to him. Her husband waited for her to answer him and she just kept repeating gibberish. He shrugged and said, “see, it’s not working, she doesn’t know me.” We pushed him to continue. “Keep trying,” we said. “Ask her a question.” A couple minutes passed. We watched as she tossed her head from side to side and insisted that she was dead or that her throat was broken.
“Sweetheart, stop talking about your throat….stop saying that. I asked you if you knew who I was. Do you know who I am.” As soon as he said that we heard her answer, “Yes, I know.” We looked up, encouraged, but not sure if it was still part of her stupor or if she actually knew, he said, “Who am I then. If you know me, who am I.” Her head tossed. He looked down sure she wouldn’t answer. “You’re my husband,” she cried reaching out her hand for his. “That’s right,” the four of us said in unison and the husband took her hand and held it. He kept asking her questions, and she, little by little responded to more of them. Slowly, she quieted down. Her respirations and heart rate came down a little, and soon she was able to ask us questions and tell us she was thirsty. We let the husband go to sleep while we waited in her room for a long time, singing, and talking to her now in her right mind.
12:00 Midnight – We left the clinic, husband with his now lucid wife, and thanked God for his miracles. The moon was beautiful and bright, tomorrow would be the school party and program, we would have visitors come from across the river, the Old Grandmother would be carried in a basket part of the way home but for now, feeling quite starved, we decide it’s time to eat.
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.