Twin Commanche arrival
Twin Commanche arrival with Cessna in the background
Dwayne with his parents, getting ready for takeoff
The last month has been busy and gone by too fast. The week
before Christmas Gary Roberts arrived in Davao, Mindanao with the Twin
Commache after 71 flight hours. A week before he arrived the Civil Aviation Administration of the Philippines instituted a new memorandum that said no private
foreign registered aircraft can operate domestically in the Philippines. This was not good news for us as the Twin Commache is still US registered but it was too late to do anything about it so we just prayed and hoped for the best. I had submitted a request for a waiver of this new regulation but being just before Christmas nothing was happening quickly and when I met Gary in Davao we still did not have an operating permit so we were stuck there. I asked my friend in Manila to also apply for a one time flight permit from Davao to Clark so we could at least get up to Luzon.
We went Friday morning to the Davao airport and started working on refueling the plane and getting the seats back in after pulling the ferry tanks out. It was getting early afternoon and still no permits but we needed to move the plane to park in another place longterm. So I left Gary with the bags to find commercial tickets and I moved the plane to the other side of the airport. I got a call from my friend in Manila after I parked the plane saying he just received a one time flight permit from Davao to Clark.
Fortunately Gary had not purchased tickets yet so we stayed the weekend there and flew the plane up to Clark on Sunday. We had just enough time to get back to Manila and get a good nights sleep before Gary's flight back to the States on Monday morning.
I had submitted a request again for a waiver of the new regulation and prayed we would be able to get an operating permit so we could fly the twin Commache again. I just called this afternoon to see if any progress had been made and they told me a 6 month operating permit was ready to pick up so we are praising God for that miracle.
I drove back to our airbase with Wendy's parents on Christmas morning and they stayed with us for a week and helped with some of the finishing work on our new container house. The day after they left I headed back down to Mindanao with Danny and our Cessna 172 to look at some potential airstrip sights and to meet and plan for our
future aviation work in Mindanao. We arrived back in Luzon a day before my parents arrived for a visit from Montana. We have been enjoying our time with them.
The ladies-Wendy and her moms
News and Progress
From Dwayne:
Things have been a little busy lately. We have been
working like mad to get one of the container houses finished so we
could move down and start living at the hanger. We just moved down
yesterday and like our new house and surroundings very much. All we can
hear at night are the crickets and Carabao, a welcome relief from traffic
and dogs in our previous residence. Finishing the airstrip here is
our next big job now that it is starting into the beginning of dry
season and we have airplanes to use on them.
A couple weeks ago I got a call on a Friday afternoon informing me a
check ride had been scheduled early Sunday morning. So Saturday
evening I boarded a bus and rode all night down to Plaridel where the
check ride was to take place. Sunday morning I took the check ride and fixed a
helicopter for the flight school that had arranged the check ride. It
worked out well and the flight school shouldered all the costs of the
checkride since I fixed their helicopter. Monday morning I arrived
early in Manila and picked up the certificate of airworthiness that I
was waiting on, and was able to fly our C172 back up north here on
Monday afternoon.
Gary Roberts left California for Hawaii in the Twin
Commache last week. He made it with no problems other than his HF
radio quit working so he was not able to communicate easily with the
ATC service. He was hoping to be in Indonesia by Friday so we are
praying God will give him good winds and weather the rest of his
flight. We don't know yet when he will arrive here.
From Wendy:
Yes, it has been very busy lately, but so much fun! It was hard to leave Santiago and all the patients and friends that we were visiting, but thankfully I was not working alone and Tanya continues to nurture all of them. We're loving our new place. We are still working on it even as we live there, but every day things get better and it's so much fun at this stage. The weather has been so cool and nice, and it almost feels like winter! We don't have internet yet, so we are writing this quickly so we can send it in town.
It is so nice having a clean, new place to live, on our own again, for the first time in a long time. The container houses are amazingly very nice and it doesn't seem too small yet (without any furniture!) We only have one gecko so far and we have managed to hide from the ants too (it's only been two days!)
Here is another story that is not uncommon, but it shows how God answers prayers and provides for His work. At the beginning of this month we checked how much money had come in for the month, and realized without a miracle we would have to halt all our projects and half all our missionary and Bible worker stipends. We informed our team (and didn't tell anyone else) and we all continued to pray, without any complaints, that God would provide somehow if it was His will. Within a week, God had answered our prayers! We "happened" to find out that someone had sent a large donation that would be arriving in time to GMI so that we could arrange for it to be sent with the rest of the donations for the month. We are still rejoicing at God's goodness!
Many of you were asking about the Typhoon that hit the Philippines recently. We were not affected by the storm, but, as often happens, we had requests for help. One friend called to say her whole seaside town where her parents still live was destroyed, and after two days she finally got word that they were alive but had no supplies and all the bridges were washed away into the area. Unfortunately we have no helicopter yet, and the airplane can only do so much, especially if there are no airstrips in the affected areas. There are so many stories like this, but all we can do is keep praying!
That brings us to the next news. A generous family has offered us a basically new R44 helicopter at half price if God provides another $200K. This is really a great offer and a very good helicopter for these areas. Thank you for your prayers for this.
Thank you also for your continued prayers and all your faithful support that keeps this project going!
Dwayne and Wendy
Andriy making kitchen cabinets and bed for hangar apartment
Dwayne and Wendy work in the kitchen and bathroom
Tanya checking the colorings at the neighborhood ministry
Every Nation Tribe and People
Placing the poultice during charcoal demo
Cutting out door for hangar apartment
Andriy welding on the roof
Andrey hanging drywall in the future kitchen
A note from Dwayne:
It has been almost 6 weeks since my return from the USA from working on the Twin Commache. Gary Roberts is still waiting for clearances and approvals to be granted before he flies it over here. Hopefully by the end of November he will have made it over here. I spent the first two weeks here in Manila processing the transfer of registration on the Cessna 172 , things have been moving slowly. We left the papers with a friend and headed back up to Santiago to continue the work on the hanger and making the containers into living quarters. Andrey had finished the windows on one side and had all the metal studs welded in place. Over the next couple of weeks we put walls in for the rooms, and put sheet rock and insulation on the walls
and ceiling, and made a kitchen counter.
I thought the papers should be ready to pick up on the plane last week (but they weren't) so Wendy and I are back in the Manila area trying to finish that so we can start flying again.
We still have some pending flights to make to the Batanes islands. They are an isolated island chain off the north end of Luzon where the church is working with LIGHT in establishing some work up there.
We are planning to move into one of the hanger apartments by the end of November. We continue to pray for dry weather both at our Luzon airbase and the Palawan airbase so we can finish the runways so they will be usable now that we have airplanes.
Wendy and Tanya continue ministering to the depressed neighborhoods around the Adventist hospital where we currently stay. Showing concern for people's physical needs and teaching them how to live better still seems to be one of the most effective ways to reach the people for Christ. The LIGHT missionaries and local church members help in this ministry also, but it's not enough to keep up with all the requests for Bible studies and home visits.
As we see the big need for work in the cities, we are not forgetting the neglected people in the remote areas. Many Christians don't know that there are still hundreds of people groups in the world that have never heard the name of Jesus and don't even have a Bible in their language yet. In the Philippines alone, according to one report, there are 97 distinct language groups (out of 170 some total languages) that still have no Adventist churches (and dozens of those have virtually no Christian presence of any kind). So many people are ready and waiting to accept the Good News, but we need to pray for more workers and resources to reach them.
Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations (people groups), and then the end will come."
Revelation 7:9: "...before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb..."
We thank you all for your continued prayers and support to help accomplish this great task.
Dwayne and Wendy Harris
P.S. We just learned the amount that God has provided for us this month and we want to thank you for your donations that will allow us to finish the one hangar/container apartment and help with the cost of flying the Twin Commanche over here.
Prayer Request: Please pray for the Revival and Medical Missionary Training program at the Divisoria church in Santiago, being held this month. It will be put on by the Mayoyao and Santiago LIGHT missionaries. This is being done in response to a "dying" church asking for revival, and the need for more missionaries.
First Believers Baptized in Mayoyao
Dear Friends and family,
Thank you so much for your prayers and support for the recent Mayoyao meetings!
We are so happy to share how God has lead and blessed the work in this area (it's about 3 hours drive from our place in Santiago, Isabela in northern Luzon). These were the first evangelistic meetings ever held in this area that we know of.
A little background: Our missionary partners, Briane and Joy Lupkey and their two small girls dedicated their lives this last year to opening the work in this beautiful, rice-terraced area where there are no Adventist churches within 2 hours drive. With the help of several young adults from the LIGHT medical missionary group, they have built close relationships with many of the people using simple methods which lead to Bible studies like taking blood pressures, assisting with lifestyle changes, using charcoal and hydrotherapy, massaging, praying, and singing with patients and neighbors. We have found this to be such an effective and fun tool to reach the people of the Philippines!
This last August a bigger team of trained young-adult volunteers were brought in to Mayoyao to prepare for the evangelistic meetings which were held in September. All of this was done by faith (including this whole year of missionary work), and we praise God that through His grace and the help of local friends and family all expenses were taken care of.
The district pastor of this Ifugao region, Jonathan Ayangao was the speaker. A year ago he held "cottage meetings" in this area and several wanted to be baptized but he felt they were not ready yet. Braine and Joy came about this time and were able to continue studying with these people and many others until they realized it was time for some evangelistic meetings.
Everyone involved was careful not to work for "numbers" but for lasting and deep commitments to Jesus as their personal Savior. We praise God for the 15 people who made this commitment and were baptized on the last weekend. Two of these were pastors from other denominations! One of them continues to regularly share with his church members the things he has learned and is facing significant persecution so please keep him in your prayers!
Briane and Joy continue to oversee the Mayoyao project to ensure that the new members receive nurturing. They have also added another project to oversee: the Santiago LIGHT Bakery/restaurant project which has been developing over the last year. This family has sacrificed alot to work as full-time missionaries with only the promises of God that He will supply all their needs, which He has faithfully done. Though they have faced trials of sickness, and at times financial needs, God continues to protect their family and give them strength to continue on with the work God has given them. They continue to be invaluable partners with our PAMAS team with their experience, language skills, and many talents they have dedicated to the Lord.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Mayoyao and all the PAMAS ministries. Enjoy the pictures. More updates and pictures will follow in another email.
Dwayne and Wendy
Current Needs:
--Sponsors for Mayoyao missionaries: $300/month for one family, $50-$100/month for singles (or any amount would help!)
--Fuel to fly the 6-seater Twin-Commanche from the U.S. to the Philippines (approximately $7,000)
--Funds to complete the hangar/housing complex and runway in Luzon ($15,000) (At least $2,000 needed ASAP to "finish" one container house)
--Bibles and sharing materials for evangelistic meetings, village Bible studies, and medical missions ($5/Bible, $4/100 pamphlets)
--Blood Pressure Cuffs and Stethoscopes
--Helicopters--$250K each
Pastor Jonathon lectures at the Health Expo
Palawan Medical Mission Trip
Dear Friends and Family,
After months of planning and preparation and a very eventful week, we're happy to report another successful mission trip to Palawan! The group we hosted was led by Dr. Norbert Schwer with Global Village Ministries (who has been a blessing to the Philippines and countries all over the world). There were 7 visitors from the U.S. and 9 Filipino volunteers besides our regular team and local volunteers in the area around Brooke's Point. We had a diverse group of different organizations, religions and cultures and it was great to see how God brought us all together with a common purpose to serve Him. Though Satan tried to disrupt things in many ways (sickness, injury, loss of luggage, rain, serious patients, transportation issues, and even death, to name a few!), we praise God that He was the victor and everything continued on smoothly despite it all! We were blessed with a great team once again that pulled together with God's help to accomplish much in a short time. We pray for the physical and spiritual healing of those we ministered to. Below are some pics that will tell the story.
A great big thanks to:
--Gigi Deoso who spent many months organizing the group and who stuck with us 'til the last even after losing her sister
--Michel and Andrew Hahn (and AFM) for the delicious food, the use of the truck, and many other details!
--L.I.G.H.T. for providing dedicated medical missionaries to help with spiritual and health counseling, lectures, worships etc!
--PAMAS Palawan team for an awesome job of tireless prep work, early mornings, late nights, and all without complaint!
--Pastor Malabad and the Palawan Mission for their thoughtfulness, help and great food in Puerto Princessa
--Dr. Norbert, GVM, & Stevensville SDA church for all the meds, toys, clothes, & donations, & for making this trip happen!!
Other news and quick update: Dwayne is in the U.S. getting the Twin-Commanche airplane ready to fly over here. Please pray for that process to speed up and for God to provide for the fuel to get it over here. We'll keep you posted, especially when he gets ready to fly (maybe a few more weeks still). As soon as he gets back he will get the licensing worked out for the airplane and we'll be back in business! There are several remote places with airstrips and missionaries that are ready and waiting for us to take them to these areas to help. We continue to pray and believe that God will provide helicopters also to reach the mountainous areas that have no airstrips. We have been told multiple times how the helicopter is greatly missed in Palawan and that some patients have even died when they might have been saved if they had gotten to the hospital in time.
Our Mayoyao team is getting ready for their first evangelistic meetings in a few short weeks! Please keep them in your prayers as well.
A New Heart for Jeric
By Tanya Mershalova 
The first time I met Jeric was on May 7 at the entrance to the hospital. I was waiting for him and curious what he would look like. I was told that it would be easy to distinguish him from other boys because of the color of his skin. Not because it was dark, but because of the bluish color. Every doctor knows that's a sign of heart disease. Yes, Jeric has suffered from a congenital heart disease for his 7 short years. He was found in a remote mountain province by our missionaries and visiting medical team during their medical outreach trip in July 2011. Since then Jeric’s life has been different.
Wendy, with the help of the visiting medical team, found sponsors for surgery and long preparations were made. When I got to Santiago this past April, Wendy was about to leave to the U.S. and was anxiously looking for someone to take care of Jeric’s case, which was rapidly progressing toward surgery by this point. I volunteered to do that and now I was staying and waiting for our first meeting.
In the busy hospital lobby I noticed a mother with a little boy that looked 4-5 years old. They seemed shy and lost in a different world. They tried to stay out of the way and protect themselves from the people running to and fro who seemed so different than them. I knew this must be my patient, so I went to them with my welcome smile and they smiled back at me. The first step was made.
Very soon I found that Jeric was a brave boy and he quietly endured all the medical procedures. Despite his calmness, I knew it would take alot of effort and adjustments for this family until the operation would be done. Manila is so stressful and different from their quiet place in the mountains of northern, Luzon. The first problem we met was the air conditioning. Maroline, Jeric's mother physically couldn’t bare it. She felt so bad whenever she was in an air-conditioned building or bus. She vomited the whole way to Manila. I felt so sorry for her. The Philippine Heart Center where the surgery was to be done was also air conditioned as well as the taxis and most buses. I was so happy to have any air conditioned place, but sacrifices must to be made. During our many weeks together we traveled in non air-conditioned buses and jeepnies, and in taxis with opened windows, covering our faces from the smoke and smells of Manila.
Our first day in the Heart Center we waited for the doctor’s appointment for 12 hours. I realized this was not going to be easy. Jeric was under the Social Services, charity program so waiting for 8-12 hours to get any paperwork done became our habit. Though it was tiresome, God was doing miracles for us every day. While other charity cases were waiting to process their surgeries for years, we finished within 3 weeks. There were always people sent by God to help us in different ways. Some shared food, others their houses, time, and money. Jeric and his mother could see God's hand working so obviously. All the papers were complete, finances were provided by our dear sponsors, and surgery was scheduled for June 7. That morning I rushed to the waiting area at the O.R. I saw Maroline with her fears and worries written on her face. There was no time to say anything. I just hugged her tight and we cried and prayed together. Eight hours went like 8 weeks until the doctor finally came out and said that the surgery had been successful! We instantly bowed our heads with joy to say thanks and praises to our God. It was Jeric's 7th Birthday. What a wonderful gift from God- a new heart!
The following days were challenging. Jeric was transferred to the intensive care room. In the waiting areas we could see parents and relatives of other children who had undergone surgery. Some were happy and laughing. Others were crying over dead bodies of their precious ones. It was a time for learning dependence on God and much prayer.
At this time Jeric’s father joined us. Dr. Mary (an Adventist Optometrist) and I started Bible studies with Jeric's parents. Other parents started joining us too. They were coming and asking for prayers. We spent many occasions holding their hands and praying with them. In those corridors we all became very close to each other as one family.
The next huge challenge was to find 22 blood donors to replace the blood used for Jeric's surgery! It sounded impossible to me. Where would I find so many donors in a place I was not even familiar? We prayed, and soon we could see what a blessing it is to be a part of the family of God. With the great help of Sofia, a friend and student at AUP (Adventist University of the Philippines) who organized group after group of friends to come and get tested, we ended up replacing not just 22 units but 24!
Finally the time came for Jeric to be transferred to the wards. It seemed that all our worries were behind us, but the struggles continued. For various reasons the doctors were not ready to let us go. They found Jeric’s heart beat to be irregular and it had to be taken care of before he could go. They were considering putting a pacemaker in Jeric's chest, which would mean another surgery! I knew God was in control from the beginning, but this news was like thunder to me from the sunny skies.
We were all so tired and everybody just wanted to go home! But God said, “Not yet…” That same afternoon Maroline began asking me questions, out of the blue, about the Sabbath. She said she was excited to know more about it. She even started to read the Bible Study lesson on her own but couldn’t understand it. She said she couldn't wait for our regular Bible study time with Dr. Mary at 5p.m. In my head I thanked God that now I could see why we couldn't go home yet . She had already accepted God as her Savior, but now she was ready for more truth.
Thank God the doctors decided not to do the surgery but to try medications first. It meant more time for Jeric to be in the hospital but it also gave more opportunity for Maroline to learn more about God.
Weeks went by and Jeric's arrhythmia thankfully resolved on the medication. We got the good news that Jeric would be discharged, but we knew by experience not to get too excited. Sure enough, the discharge was cancelled again when they found his oxygen level was running very low. After more tests, many more days of waiting, and lots of prayers, they said he would be ok and would not need more surgery. (His condition was just so bad to begin with that it was a possibility that everything would not be completely solved with the surgery.)
Finally the day came when the doctors decided Jeric could be discharged even though he still needed oxygen. He would have to have oxygen at home and stay close by to the hospital. About this time some heavy rains caused major flooding in Manila and the discharge was post-poned one last time for a few more days.
Then the day finally came. Wendy was able to go to Manila and work on the process. It took all day to get all the requirements done, the bills paid, the oxygen tanks purchased and everything arranged. But on August 12, at around 8:30 p.m. Jeric and Maroline were finally discharged and free to leave the hospital and go to a relatives' house nearby! It seems unreal and I can't imagine that it's finally over.
But is it really over? Will Jeric ever get off oxygen? How will we keep up with all the expenses and logistics of the oxygen and continued medications and appointments? Will he continually need check-ups and medications for the rest of his life? Will he ever be able to go home to the rest of his family?! I believe that whatever happens, we do not have to worry about anything. God has proved faithful all along the way, and we believe He will continue to provide what is best. God will make a way and most importantly He will do His best to make sure that this family is in heaven with us some day!
Please pray with us that Jeric's family will continue to study and grow in their faith during this time of waiting. For the meantime we pray for the witness of the Adventist community in Manila on this family. And for the rest of the family back in their mountain home, we pray for their growth with the Philippine Frontier Missionaries. (The father actually used to be antagonistic to the work there, but since the surgery, he has been warm and friendly towards their mission!)
I pray that I will not be meeting Jeric and family any more at the entrance of a hospital, but at the entrance of heaven!
Summer Escapades
Dear Friends and Family,
Though we are not polished speakers by any means, we feel privileged for so many opportunities to share with others what God is doing in the Philippines.
Here are some highlights of the summer so far:
-Celebrating Grandma Guptill's 90th B-day and Mother's day in Oregon
-Meeting nephew Alex and attending his baby dedication and first birthday in Loma Linda
-Soaking up the beauty of Yosemite with dear missionary friends
- Remembering Grandma and Grandpa Davis at the family reunion in Georgia and watching the next generation of cousins meet
-Bonding time with sister, Anna and visiting Duffy cousins with three new little ones
-Goofing off with old friends and roommates in Chattanooga
-Eating blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and Nectarines
-Learning great stuff and being so inspired at Montana Campmeeting--Jesus is coming soon!
-Hanging out with all the cousins in Montana and bonding on the road trip to Yellowstone
You can see more pics of our summer escapades on facebook (WendyGuptillHarris) where various friends have tagged us in their photos.
We have one more week in Montana then we're off to Michigan for our two last weeks. Dwayne hopes to do some flight training there for his multi-engine rating in preparation for the "new" 6 seater, Twin-Comanche airplane that GMI is giving us!
Our other exciting news is that we were recently able to purchase another airplane, thanks to your support! It is a 4 seater, Cessna 172 and it's already in the Philippines. These two airplanes will be a great help in different ways (one will take heavier loads and go farther and the other will go into shorter strips and be cheaper to fly).
Airplanes don't take the place of helicopters, though, which are still really needed to go directly into the mountainous areas. After a year of dead ends for new blades for our outdated, little helicopter, we decided to take the opportunity to sell it for parts to a flight school in the Philippines which has the same type of helicopter. So, we ask for your prayers and we are excited how God will provide TWO helicopters (one for Palawan and one for Luzon!) to support the remote mission projects throughout the country.
Dwayne has recovered completely from his gunshot incident (he was back to work and doing fine since about a week after the surgery). He did notice a little irritation in his gums when we arrived in the States and ended up needing some more work done. His cousin, a dentist ,referred him to his Periodontist friend who found two cracked teeth (which he had to remove. Thankfully they were in the back 😉 and cleaned out a bunch more bullet shrapnel in his gums. He put some bone grafts in the empty holes, and didn't charge a dime for the whole thing!
We appreciate your prayers and support so much, especially over the past few months with all that's been going on! We continue to be amazed at the events of this world and can't help but wonder what another day will hold. May we "watch and pray" and make our priorities straight so we won't be taken by surprise!
The Family of God
By Dwayne Harris
It has been a week since we were discharged from the Cagayan Valley Adventist Hospital and we are praising God for his provisions yet again. On Thursday last week when we were being discharged Wendy went to the Hospital business office to see how much our bill was going to be. When she asked about the amount of the bill they said it was free, Wendy thought they were joking so she asked again and they said there would be no charge for our week stay at the hospital. There was still the fees of the 2 physicians and anesthesiologist who were not Adventist but they said they were negotiating for the amount of those fees. In the end all but the chest specialist waved all of their charges and the chest specialist reduced his fee significantly. We were overwhelmed with the love and support of all the hospital staff and church family. Even the doctor that did the CT scans brought us a check to reimburse us for her professional fees. It is truly a blessing to be a part of the family of God.
Some of our doctor friends at the hospital were strongly encouraging us to move into a vacant house on the hospital compound for safety reasons. We consented to staying there for at least a week or two and would be praying about staying there longer. Although we have not felt like there is great danger at the other house, we knew it would be a lot more convenient and safe for Wendy who is always working near or at the hospital with poor patients. So we decided to move the rest of our things to this house and stay here until we get the hanger complex at the airbase finished. We really enjoy living here in this secure, loving community here at the Adventist Hospital. I am getting better every day and any pain that is left is very minor. It will likely take a few more weeks to get the muscles restored in my chest but I am able to work more and more everyday.
We thank God for this incident which has strengthened our faith and reminded us that when we give all that we are and all that we have to God we have nothing to fear or worry because he has a plan and reason for all that happens to us. We want to thank everyone for their prayers and support for we truly believe it has made my healing much faster.
Dwayne
All in God’s Hands
By Dwayne Harris
It is Wednesday again, one week since being shot. On Monday the EENT Doc removed the balloon and drain tube from my sinus and the chest specialist doctor was just here and removed my chest drainage tube today as well as the staples in my chest. My body is now free from external accessories and I praise God for the rapid healing and recovery that he has given me this last week.
I wanted to add a little more about how God had everything in place to continue the work that I have been doing with the hanger construction. For the last month I had been working on getting arrangements made for the delivery of 5 container vans that will make up the walls of the hanger. Several things have to be in the right condition in order to have them delivered. #1 the road that reaches the hanger site has to be graveled and culverts installed in several spots, second it had to stop raining long enough for the road and airstrip to dry out in order for the trucks to get in and, third we had to get a piece of equipment that could unload them. Two weeks ago the government was able to gravel the road and install a few culverts so that fixed problem #1. I thought I had things arranged with our neighbor, Jose for the use of an excavator he had, but he had no truck to transport it. He assured me that it would be back early in the week and they could bring it down. With this planned I arranged for the trucks to deliver all 5 containers on Thursday and kept praying that God would control the weather and keep everything dry. The beginning of the week past and I patiently waited for word from our neighbor. Wednesday morning he arrived and I went with him to look at the excavator. We found it was being worked on and would not be together for another two days. I had just one day as the container vans were to be delivered Thursday. Jose assured me that he had a boom crane that could unload them and it could be driven down there itself without needing a truck to transport it. So we went and looked at that and made arrangements for them to drive down early Thursday morning. We had just arrived back from making these arrangements when the incident with the robbers happened. As I was in the emergency room being prepared for surgery, I gave Bob, our short-term volunteer, instructions on what needed done to prepare for the container arrival and how to place them on the hanger pad. The next day I learned that everything had been pushed back to Friday for the container van delivery but everything was being arranged and prepared. Several of the local church members volunteered to help out, and our missionary Briane and his family had just come down from Mayoyo so he helped as well. Briane described to me later that God had put all of the right people in place with all of the necessary skills to make the delivery of the container vans go smoothly and quickly. I left it all in God's hands and the work went forward even with me out of action for a week or two.
I praise God for all of your prayers which I am sure has sped my healing. I am thankful for yet another experience that has increased my faith and trust in God and his plan. Even if we can't see the reason at the time, we can be assured that all things work together for the good of those who love God. I can claim the promise in Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
We see that battle between good and evil intensifying on every side. Everyone that we know personally, it seems that is impacting this world for Christ is being attacked in various ways. The devil works by creating conflict with other people, he exploits any weakness we have that can drag us down or that he can use to harm God's work. He will take Christ's workers down physically through disease, depression, or physical injury. God allows these things at times to increase our faith and trust in him and to develop a more Christ-like character in us. Praise God, all we have to do is to keep looking up and move forward in faith, surrendering daily, knowing that God is in control of all things. Look up for our redemption draweth nigh.
P.S. The guy that shot me was literally beaten and stoned within an inch of his life by the neighbors and police after we left. He was unconscious for a full day after he arrived at the local government hospital. He is now in prison with one of the other robbers. God gave this man a second chance at life as well. Please pray for him that he will surrender his life to Jesus as he has time to sit and contemplate the decisions he has made. We plan on visiting him with the prison ministries group from the local church here.
Note from Wendy: It is Friday now. Dwayne was discharged yesterday and we are staying in a house on the hospital compound. He is doing great, just taking it easy. I feel like I've just raised a child in one week He still is limited in what he can do but he is improving every day. His right arm and chest is painful, understandably and he can't lift his arm up very far, but everyone is amazed at his speedy recovery. We are so thankful for what God has done. More later . . .
Gunshot Survivor-The Power of Prayer
The Official Story
by Dwayne Harris
It was Wednesday noon- I had just arrived home for lunch after having negotiated all morning for a piece of equipment that could unload 5 shipping containers that were to be arriving at our hanger construction site in the morning. I was heating food up for lunch when I heard a knock on the outer door of the house we live in. It was the neighbor from across the street and he told me to call the police because the house one down from ours was being robbed. I had the phone number for the local police station in my phone from January when we had been robbed while gone over Christmas. I called the police number immediately and they said they would send some officers over right away. As I looked down the street I could see 4 or 5 guys down at the corner watching the house, and my neighbor and his friend were standing with me watching from the other way. I thought the residents of the house that was being burglarized were not home and I did not know till later that they had been tied up in the house at gunpoint. We heard some banging around and the watching neighborhood started to arm themselves with clubs and block off possible escape routes. I walked down the street right in front of the house and saw three guys come out of the front door crouching down and head towards the back of the house. As the first two guys started to climb over the back wall they were surprised by the neighbors that started yelling at them. The two robbers then climbed onto the roof of the houses and started jumping from roof to roof of the neighboring, close houses. I ran down the street parallel to them to cut off their escape where they would have to come down. As I rounded the corner of the block the first robber was just jumping off the roof and when he hit the street I saw he was carrying a small 22 revolver. I was close at that point and he fired one shot into my face at a few feet distance. I grabbed his arm and the next shot missed me but as the struggle continued just before I threw him to the ground he fired one more shot that went into my chest. I proceeded to take the pistol away from him and threw it out into the middle of the street away from us and started calling for someone to help me hold the guy down. The neighbor from across the street came around the corner with a big rock in his hands and proceeded to throw the rock against the guys head. I released my hold on the robber and he did not get up for a few moments. I yelled at Bob, a short-term volunteer with us from Kansas, to get the truck out and take me to the hospital. By this time the robber that had shot me was getting back up. There were half a dozen men from the neighborhood standing there with clubs and they knocked the guy down again. He got back up and proceeded a few more steps and then collapsed. Sure that the robber would not escape, I walked back down to our house where Bob was getting the truck ready and two police men were coming down the street towards us. I pointed them to the end of the block and climbed into the truck while Bob locked up the house. I called Wendy and told her to meet us at the CVAH Adventist hospital but she informed me she was just rounding the corner towards home so we stopped and she got in and we drove over to CVAH.
The Rest of the Story
by Wendy Harris
Around noon on Wednesday, March 7, I was heading home after taking care of some business in town. I called Dwayne with a quick question and learned that he was home. I told him I'd be home in a few minutes, thinking I could join him and Bob since they'd probably be eating their sack lunch at home before going out to the project. I remembered one more stop I had to make, and providentially I was delayed about half an hour, missing the whole drama that was going on unbeknownst to me, and saving me from witnessing the traumatic scene. I texted Dwayne that I had been delayed but I was on my way. As I was nearing home in a tric, I got a call from Dwayne that sent my heart beating. In a garbled voice he said “meet me at the hospital now”! I said “where are you, I'm almost home!” He told me they were just pulling out so as I round the corner and saw the truck coming my way, I jumped out, paid the tricycle, and ran and jumped in the back of the truck and we drove off towards the hospital. Dwayne was hunched over in the front, passenger seat with his hand under his mouth catching the blood while Bob drove.I could not get to Dwayne from the back of the truck but I leaned over the bar and tried to see his condition. He told me he had been shot in the face by robbers and Bob tried to explain what he knew of the situation.He said he was ok and his pulse felt strong and though his face was all bloody and his hand had a pool of blood, it didn't look like it was continuing to bleed a lot, so I calmed down. It was just 15 minutes drive to the hospital. I texted a few doctor friends on the way (and at the same time other friends and family). I knew all the doctors were in a meeting because I had just been there earlier that morning. then so I didn't call immediately. But when we got to the E.R. there was only one resident and I didn't know her. Dwayne started to point to his chest and have trouble breathing. That's when we found there was a bullet wound in his chest. I immediately started calling the doctors. They had just gotten my text and were shocked! They stopped to pray and then when they got my call they all came running to the E.R. Dwayne was starting to show signs of shock with a pale color and sweating. I started to get worried, but praise God it didn't last long. As soon as the doctors arrived there was action everywhere and Dwayne was looking better already (I even have wondered if God was already answering the prayers that were being lifted up for him around the country as my text was being passed around like wild-fire). The ENT specialist for this area just “happened” to be around and was heading for the meeting when one of the doctors grabbed her in the hall and brought her to the E.R. The pulmonary specialist just “happened” to be on his way to the hospital and was only one hour away (he lives four hours away). They took Dwayne into surgery within an hour of his arrival (as best I can remember). The ENT surgery found the bullet had passed just in the right place so there was no major damage and had come within one centimeter of the spinal cord! By the time she was finished, the pulmonary specialist and assisting surgeons were able to continue the surgery into the chest. They found the bullet once again had come within one centimeter of hitting the main vessel in the heart and had only clipped the lungs. They placed a chest tube and drained 900cc of blood out of the chest cavity. They left the bullet where it had lodged in the tissue because there is no risk of infection or problems with it there. Three and a half hours later he was done with the surgery and I got the news that all was well! I wasn't at all worried during the surgery or surprised at the news. I just felt everything was going to be ok. I was out doing errands during most of the surgery. The container vans for the hangar construction were supposed to arrive the next day and the truck drivers needed to be paid so Bob took me home and I grabbed some things at the house to stay in the hospital and then we went to the bank before heading back to the hospital. In ICU I found Dwayne with tubes all over the place. He could nod his head yes and no and was obviously completely coherent. He was weak and could only squeeze my hand a little but as the hours passed he rapidly gained strength. His vital signs stayed stable from the time he arrived in the hospital until now. That is another thing that kept me calm. We serve a very powerful and great God and everyone around here agrees that all the pieces of this story are not a coincidence. One thing I have learned through this experience (among many) is the power of intercessory prayer. As the news spread around the world, I was encouraged to know that many people were praying for Dwayne. We continue to feel the prayers as Dwayne's recovery has been so smooth. We are so grateful to God and all of you, words cannot express. I hope that after this experience we all will learn to pray more and with more confidence and faith for people in need that God brings into our lives. To be continued.