Challenges Inspire More Prayer
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Karusuan and the Prayed for Helicopter
Karusuan with the all purpose building in background built by the villagers
Wendy Harris
We don’t often get around to writing follow up stories from previous newsletters but here is one we had to write. You may remember a story I wrote 2 years ago while we were in Palawan of a village man that showed up to church one day requesting our help saying, “We don’t want any other religion in our village except the religion of Kamantian." (Many people associate our work with AFM's because we work together to reach the Palawano people.) Though we have many requests like this, somehow this one seemed different and it was hard to say no to his urgent plea to start a church in his village. We felt we had to at least go and make a visit. So two of our local Bible workers and I made arrangements and the next week we arrived at the designated meeting place. We were surprised to learn that the village was actually a couple hours hike up the mountain, with 5 crossings of a raging river! Durialan, the village leader who met us told us that many people were waiting for us because they wanted to learn about the Bible. We looked at each other wondering what to do as we were unprepared for a hike, but we decided without hesitation that we must go! We set off on an adventure with homemade walking sticks and with Durialan to help us cross the rivers. We arrived to the beautiful mountainside village with luscious greenery and a spectacular view of the ocean. We had the most wonderful visit with the friendliest, most eager villagers of Karusuan. We shared with them about a loving God who gave His Word to us in a book so we could learn about Him and know how to live. They were amazingly attentive to our stories and health lectures. We asked them if they had ever heard the story of creation or Noah or Jesus but they all said “no”, they had never heard any stories from the Bible! When it was time to go, the inevitable question came, “When will you come back?” We had to honestly tell them we had no idea how long it would be. We told them to pray for more missionaries and/or a helicopter that could help make the best use of the missionaries' time and also help with their medical emergencies.
The Rest of the Story
As we suspected, with limited missionaries and with our return back to our other airbase in northern Luzon, another visit had still not been made after 2 years. We had very occasional contact with the villagers throughout the years when we would see them at the lowland market. We told them that we hadn't forgotten them and to keep praying for more missionaries and a helicopter!
The Long Prayed for Helicopter
This last May we were privileged to finally bring the long prayed for helicopter to Palawan! It didn't take long for regular calls to start coming in with requests from remote missionaries with AFM, PFM, and our project in Kabulnukan for medical evacuations. But we did not forget about Karusuan. As soon as we found them at the lowland market we told them the good news about the helicopter and instructed them how to clear a landing pad. We promised to visit them soon, but 'soon' wasn’t good enough for them and they persistently called asking when we would come to start a church in their village! They said, “Ma’am, how can we go to church when the nearest church is so far from us and the river is so high!”
First Helicopter Visit
The day finally came for us to visit Karusuan for the first time in the helicopter. The flight is only 5 minutes from our airbase (versus a 40 minute drive plus a 1.5 hour hike if the river is not too high). Many villagers were happily waiting for us! They crowded into a tiny hut near the landing pad and pressed in to hear the continuation of the Bible stories we started 2 years before. Many could not fit in the hut and had to peek through the bamboo walls, and when the rain came it was difficult for all to find shelter. We found many people with Malaria and other complaints so we treated as many as we could before we had to leave.
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Helicopter Speeds Missionary Deployment
SULADS missionaries ready for flight to their mission post
Dwayne Harris
Over the last two years we have been working toward restoring an old airstrip at Mountain View College (MVC) in Mindanao for the purpose of supporting the work of the SULADS. The SULADS had their beginning years ago as a student missions program of MVC. It is now officially a separate entity but is still mostly composed of college students and graduates of MVC. They have multiple mission schools and projects scattered all throughout the very remote mountains and islands of Mindanao as well as other areas of the Philippines. When God provided the R44 helicopter last March I wanted to visit Mindanao with it one time to help raise awareness of the need for a helicopter for that area. The SULADS missionaries annual training (of new and returning missionaries) ended the last week of May, so we decided to time our trip at that time so we could help deploy the missionaries. We headed to MVC the 1st of June with the helicopter and arrived at the newly restored airstrip just in time for a dedication ceremony for the airstrip. The mayor of Valencia attended with many SULADS missionaries and staff from MVC.
Four months ago during the dry season God moved the mayor to supply the graders and equipment for the reconstruction of the airstrip at no charge. All we provided was diesel to keep them running. So we felt it only right to give her a ride in the helicopter back to Valencia after the dedication ceremony. It was a four minute flight vs. 30 to 45 minute drive.
We immediately started making plans and arrangements for the deployment of the missionaries. Over the next week we dropped off 35 missionaries at their mission schools. The nearest school is about a 3+ hour hike and the farthest is more than a 2 days walk. We also helped them make courtesy visits to the nearby government officials of each area. The results were a huge boost in the morale of the missionaries, and a renewed interest in the work of the SULADS at the highest levels in the church and government. Part of this was simply because they had a helicopter supporting them. Our time there with the helicopter also made us see even more the huge need of aircraft in Mindanao for supporting the work in the remote areas.
When we returned to Palawan I turned around and went back to Mindanao in the twin Commanche airplane a couple days later to pick up a new missionary family to be deployed to our remote mission school in Kabulnukan. A few days later we dropped them off at the trail head to hike into the mountains with their four children. Then a few hours later, about the time they arrived, we flew in all their personal supplies, food and school supplies. They are experienced, former SULADS missionaries so they are used to hiking, but they were very delighted to have their supplies carried in for them this time.
The flight is only 5-6 minutes long to Kabulnukan. Every couple days or so we end up making flights for this village as well as the AFM project and several other similar villages where many are suffering from Malaria and other outbreaks. There are especially a lot of sicknesses right now with the monsoon rains starting again. We always coordinate the flights so that needed supplies and medicines are going in while more severe patients or missionaries are coming out. What a difference a helicopter makes to the missionary work! We continue to praise God daily for this great tool he has provided to speed the spread of the gospel to the people of Palawan. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
Flying AFM patients out (with Nurse Carrie and Pilots Dwayne and Daniel)
Charms, Strings, and Witchcraft
Wendy Harris
We ducked our heads into the small, bamboo hut and saw a young girl curled up in a dark corner on a raised, bamboo bench seat. *Amy is only 18 years old, newly married and 2 months pregnant. She recently moved to a depressed village near our airbase in Palawan. We got a full history of her illness which included panic-attack type symptoms which supposedly started as a young girl when a classmate chased her with a snake. She complained of various things including a “UTI”--urine infection, and trouble seeing. The family explained that she had been “blind” for 3 days the week before, after the last attack.
Since we were ruling out demon possession (verses mental illness) we asked the family about any charms, strings, or witch-doctor medicine that they might be using. They openly showed us the string they had taken off her waist already. They also showed us the witch-doctor medicine which consisted of some green leafy, floating things in dirty water in a big, old coke bottle. We encouraged them to get rid of all these things and they consented. I asked them what they thought her sickness was- a physical problem or a “bad spirit.” They answered honestly even using the word “Satan” to describe what they believed might be the problem.
I told our visiting doctor companions that I highly suspected demon possession but that we would probably know for sure when we saw her during an attack. We encouraged Amy and the family to pray fervently and to study the Bible. They readily agreed. They had no Bible and had never read it, so we offered to start Bible studies with them.
As we closed our visit with a special prayer, we heard a loud clunk and saw that Amy had been suddenly thrown to the floor. Her husband was there in an instant and we jumped to help him lift her back up on the bench. Her arms and legs were shaking and her hands and feet were stiff and cramping into painful contortions. She was having trouble breathing and seemed to be hyperventilating. She was moaning in distress and fear and was talking about snakes. The same thing had happened the week before as our other missionaries were having closing prayer after a visit. The doctor checked Amy's eyes with a pen light and found them fixed and dilated.
We immediately started praying for Satan to be cast away as we attempted to help make her comfortable in different ways. One of the doctors asked if there were any other charms in the house or similar things that might be associated with witchcraft. Then we noticed more strings around her wrists and ankles. We asked the family what they were for and they said “for her UTI.” We suggested they take them off (which they immediately did) and then we strongly recommended to the husband that they choose now whom they wanted to serve--Satan or God. If they chose God, then he should burn all the strings immediately and throw out the “medicine.” He hesitated and I told him he should be the one to decide, not us.
Amy began to calm down when we started singing hymns and she soon fell asleep. We praised God when the husband went out right away and burned the strings and threw out the witch-doctor medicine! We knew that God had saved this girl’s life and freed her from Satan’s attacks as they made a decision for Him.
A few days later we visited Amy with our other missionaries and *Jane (our other 18 year old friend that was freed from 3 demons and has since become a baptized, growing Christian.) We found Amy sitting outside, hardly recognizable! She was bright-eyed and smiling and so happy to see us! We continue to visit her regularly and though she struggles at times she looks forward to the visits and Bible studies. She and her husband are even attending church with us whenever they can.
Amy close to Wendy and Jane on the other side in black
P.S. Amy recently lost her baby in a miscarriage. They were so grateful for our help with getting them to the hospital during the crisis and helping them with the bill. We always direct their praises to God who is the source of all good things. We do thank you also for being a channel of God’s blessings to this ministry through your gifts and prayers which allows us to help people like them.
*Names have been changed
Onward Forward
Luzon Team
Dwayne Harris
The last month has been busy. I flew off the time required for a check ride and soon after was able to take the check-ride to reinstate my helicopter license here. We left the day after and flew up to our airbase in northern Luzon where I was able to do some more maintenance. I repainted the rotor blades and applied some approved rotor blade tape that will reduce further need for maintenance and painting. After reinstalling the blades we tracked and balanced the helicopter and fixed an oil leak. Everything seems to be working and flying very smoothly now.
We hosted a Family Bible Camp over the Easter week at the Adventist church next to our airbase and it seemed to be a huge blessing to all that attended. We were reminded that "Healthy families make healthy churches." We were thankful for the additions to our missionary team that God had orchestrated in advance to make this and other ongoing programs a success. We saw how even though we were unable to have many meetings to plan together, with a big prayer focus before and during the event it made it even more powerful.
Family Bible Camp
The following Monday I flew the speakers down to Iloilo to put on another Family Bible Camp down there. I continued on to Palawan and left the Twin Commache at our airbase there and flew commercially back to north Luzon. I then turned around and flew the helicopter back down to Manila the same day with Wendy. That night we picked up Daniel Lui, the new helicopter pilot that has come to join us. We have been processing our visa renewals and Daniel's license conversion this last week.
Welcome Daniel Lui!
Daniel Lui, helicopter/airplane pilot and mechanic from N. California will operate the new helicopter in Palawan
We will fly the helicopter to Palawan tomorrow where we can start using it where we left off three years ago (when our other helicopter was grounded.) We already have scheduled flights waiting for us for medical mission teams going into the mountains and to the remote islands of southern Palawan. We expect the med-evac flights to also pick up right away, as we continue to get texts and stories of patients in desperate need of transport. We praise God for this great and unique opportunity we have to serve "the least of these" and to speed the work of the missionaries in these areas.
We can't tell you enough how we value and appreciate your prayers and support so much! Thank you for being a part of this ministry.
A Happy Day
Dwayne was able to fly the helicopter out to AIIAS today (where we've been staying with my parents while we've been working on this), so it finally seems real now! It's a happy day!
Divine Guidance
God's Chosen Helicopter
Dwayne Harris
This last month I've been especially feeling the need for divine guidance. We have been waiting for some information on some helicopters we were looking at and it seemed to be taking much longer than expected. At the end of December we flew to manila to renew the operating permit for the twin commanche and to arrange things for the delivery of a 20ft container full of literature and Bible study guides from the Lightbearers ministry. Because of the holidays and Manila port congestions it took much longer than expected for the literature shipment to clear customs, so we have been at Wendy's parents place waiting for that also.
A couple weeks ago I decided to fast and pray specifically for God's guidance in finding and purchasing the right helicopter for our work in the Philippines. I was inspired by a friend who had recently fasted for three days and on the fourth day received a phone call with a direct answer to prayer. I fasted and prayed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Saturday morning I got a call from a pilot friend in Manila telling me there was a Robinson R44 for sale that was in the price range I had mentioned to him some weeks before. The following Monday I went and looked at the helicopter, all the while continuing to pray for God's leading if this was the right aircraft. They were asking about $290K. It is unusual to find an R44 in this country at prices comparable to the USA because of the cost of importing them (15% of the value) into the Philippines. After looking at the helicopter and talking to some friends about it I made a very low offer of $245K and the manager of the company said it was not high enough so I prayed some more and made another offer about $260K. The manager said it still was not enough and would not even tell his boss about it. I explained to them that this was all the money we had available at the moment and we left it at that.
We continued to pray, trusting that if this was the right helicopter that God would work it out. A few days later I got a call from them informing us that the manager had finally told his boss of our offer and he had accepted it.
The following Monday I went and did a more detailed and thorough inspection and made a test flight. Everything seemed to work well so we confirmed our deal and are working out the details for payment and transfer of ownership. This is an incredible answer to prayer to find a helicopter in the Philippines that is within the price range of the funds God provided. Being in the country and already Philippine registered also saves us months of time that would be needed to ship and import a helicopter into the country.
God has shown Himself faithful again in answering our prayers for clear guidance to know His will and plan. We know that many of you have been praying and sharing generously for this helicopter. We can’t thank you enough for your support!
“Now and onward till the close of time the people of God should be more earnest, more wide awake, not trusting in their own wisdom, but in the wisdom of their Leader. They should set aside days for fasting and prayer.” R&H Febuary 11, 1904
Avgas Miracle
We had been talking about making a trip to Timor Leste for about a year. The plan was to fly our Piper Twin Commanche there from the Philippines. One of the reasons for the trip was to gather information and make plans for starting a medical aviation program with a helicopter. Another reason was to film mission stories to promote the work of the SDA church in Timor Leste. God had recently provided a donated helicopter in need of overhaul for the medical aviation program in Timor. The week before our planned departure both vacuum pumps quit working on the airplane. Between the three non -functional vacuum pumps I was able to assemble one that worked. With some phone calls I was able to find one new pump that we received and installed two days before our departure.
Entry and exit permits had been obtained for the Philippines ahead of time. An overflight permit had been granted for Indonesia, but we were still waiting on a landing permit in Dili, the capitol of Timor Leste. We had been praying for God to open the way. The day before we left permission was granted to land in Dili. The last obstacle was getting fuel in Timor Leste for internal flights and for the return flight to the Philippines. There were two aircraft operators that had avgas (aviation gas), but neither was willing to share by selling us a few drums. We moved forward in faith trusting God to open the doors and provide.
We flew from Manila to Davao on Sunday morning where we filled the airplane with fuel. Although we had an exit clearance it was still a complicated process requiring 7 signatures. On a Sunday, people were not in their offices. After much prayer and five hours of acquiring signatures, everything was in place for our departure. We left Davao on schedule at 11pm. After flying for 7 hours we contacted Dili approach. Their response was, “You don't have permission to land here.” After a brief conversation and explanation they found our landing permit and cleared us to land.
We were planning to make several flights within the country but had to obtain another permit to do that, and the head of aviation was out of the country. We still had not found a fuel source and continued to pray for fuel and the local flight permits. The flight permit was granted but still no fuel. We still had enough fuel for 3 hours which would allow us to fly to Darwin, Australia for fuel if we had to, but it did not allow any extra for local flights. By Thursday evening we felt that one place had to be visited on the other end of the country to film some inspiring mission stories. We took all of the answered prayers and approved permits as a sign that God would provide fuel. So stepping out in faith we made the flight to Los Palos at the other end of the island. This left us with only another hour and a half of fuel - not enough to reach Darwin.
Interviewing church workers in Los Palos
Faith flight to Los Palos
We planned to return to the Philippines on Tuesday, but Monday morning came and still no fuel. We decided to contact one of the operators that had avgas and ask once more even though he had said no before. We tried all morning to contact the guy but never could reach him. I decided after lunch to go ahead and fly to Darwin for fuel, which was a two and a half hour flight. We proceeded to buy enough auto fuel to put in the plane to ensure we could reach Darwin and we started working on our exit clearances. I called an FBO in Darwin and learned we could not get fuel after 6 pm and it was too late to get there before then. Already having an exit stamp on our passports we wanted to leave that day so I told the Darwin airport we would fly down and sleep overnight in our plane until we could fuel up the next morning. They informed me that staying overnight in or at your airplane was not allowed and the parking fee for the night would be $950. As we were dumping the last bit of auto fuel in the tank we were pondering what to do next. There was a local airport worker standing with us as we put the gas in and he asked us if we needed any avgas. He said he knew where one drum was located. We asked him to show it to us and he took us away from the airport into town to a guy that had not only one but two drums of avgas! Apparently, he had been saving the 1-2 liters left on the bottom of each barrel from the local flight operations. After making sure it was indeed avgas we bought it and were able to fill all our tanks. We were able to leave Dili early Tuesday morning and fly straight back to Davao. God always honors our petitions though it often is at the last minute.
Dwayne with miracle avgas
A Helicopter for Palawan
We’ve always said that when God provided a helicopter it would be the biggest miracle yet. It would leave no room for doubt that there is a very powerful God who is able to provide for His work!
For more than 3 years we prayed for a helicopter to serve the people and missionaries of Palawan once again. The little helicopter that God provided at the beginning of our ministry became too old and we had to sell it for parts. It was a great tool and saved many lives. The work was growing deeper into the mountains despite the lack of transportation, but time is precious and missionaries are few. As the time ticked away, people were dying without a Savior or hope for a better life.
Flying plywood into the mountains for a new clinic (in the old helicopter)
One day a friend offered a generous amount towards a helicopter provided we come up with the matching funds. We shared the need with our friends and family, and they responded! The money started coming in quickly. The long prayed for miracle was becoming a reality! A few months later a large donation was made to complete the $300,000 goal! What a mighty God we serve!
We do have a powerful God that is able to provide for His work!
Shattered Leg on the Mountain
Elias with AFM missionary, Napthali
Just last week we received the news of yet another amazing story. This time it was Elias, the new (and first ever) SM doctor at the Kemantian clinic. He and some others were on their way to the church and school in Kensuli, across the river. He slipped on the bridge and his cleats caught between the boards . . . and in that split second, you can imagine how His life may never be the same! His foot was shattered in 4-5 places and his ankle was bent at a 90 degree angle.
Bridge to Kensuli
Elias is not a small guy (285 lbs) and the nurses and Palawanos alike were wondering how this was going to work! One new comer asked if there was ANY other way to get him out. Carrie said, "Yes! With a helicopter!" . . . If only!
Eighteen Palawanos graciously carried Elias 7 hours out of the mountains, in the dark! Sean flew him to Puerto Princessa the next morning to the Adventist Hospital. He is in amazingly good spirits and plans are being made for his transport to Mexico where friends will do his surgery. He hopes to be hiking back in to Kemantian by January. (Let's pray for that miracle!)
Loading Elias into the PAMAS mission plane
Saving Lives
Seems like more and more emergencies are happening lately that could have really used a helicopter. But it's no different than it's always been, it's just that with our visit to Palawan we have been reminded again of the ongoing need. There are also other reasons for needing a helicopter. There are many areas in the surrounding mountains that are still isolated from the outside world, and unreached by missionaries of any kind. Transportation is critical to open up these areas where it takes a full day's hike or longer to reach. Other ministries also need our help with emergencies in the small islands off the south end of Palawan where there is no health care and travel by boat is difficult or impossible during some times of the year. Many lives will be saved physically as well as spiritually when we get a helicopter back in operation.
Helicopter Fund Progress
We continue to ask for your prayers for the rest of the funds needed to purchase a used helicopter for Palawan. We have $255,500 pledged or given towards our $300,000 goal. This leaves $44,500 still needed to fulfill the matching funds pledge.