Earlier this month I flew to Ciudad Boliver, planning to have the wing extensions put on the airplane. However, as it turned out, everyone was sick so none of the mechanics were in the shop. At first I was a bit frustrated, but then realized I should be happy even if things weren't going as I planned. The plane was fine and the things I was going to have done could wait, so I headed over to the office to file a flight plan. I told God that since it looked like things weren't working out as I had planed that He must have some other agenda for me that day.
After filling out a flight plan and fueling the airplane I was ready to leave. Just as I was walking toward the plane, the lady in charge of the Catholic Mission in Wonken asked if I was headed back to Santa Elena and if I had room to take some bags of food to Wonken on my way. I told her yes, so she sent a car to bring two bags of potatoes, a bag of onions and a bag of garlic. I was glad to be taking something back. Just before I got to Wonken a call came over the radio that there was a very sick baby in Kamarata who needed to get to the hospital immediately. I told them I would be on my way as soon as I dropped off the food.
As I flew the weather was getting bad, but I had just come over the valley of Kamarata and knew it would still be open. After flying through heavy rain I was able to land, pick up the baby with its mother and get back in the air before the weather closed in. As I flew, hunting for holes and ways to get through the bad weather I got another call. There was a patient in Wonken who had arrived from another village. I told them I would come, praying I would have a little window without heavy rain to get in and back out of Wonken.
When I flew over the village of Wonken I saw what I had been praying for—just light rain over the strip. I was able to land, pick up the patient, and get back in the air before the weather closed in. I thanked God, continuing to pray that Santa Elena would stay open long enough for me to land. As I neared Santa Elena I asked Celso, our radio operator, what the weather looked like from the ground, as from above I couldn't see any holes through the cloud layer. He told me, "Towards the south I can see a hole. You can find it just over the road west of Maurak."
I found the place and was able to come through the clouds, follow the road up to the runway at Santa Elena, and land safely. After turning the patients over to the ambulance I refueled and headed over to our base, checking in with Celso on the radio. He informed me, "There is an ill baby in Awaruka and another patient in Uriman. Also three people ready to return home, one to Wonken and two to Uriman."
"Okay," I said. "I will land at the base and pick them up." The lunch I was hoping to eat would have to wait. Just as I got in the air, after loading the returning patients, another plane was coming in. The pilot told me that landing in Wonken was out of the question as a big storm was over it. I thanked him, and then told God He would have to take care of the weather because I couldn't go on to get the ill patients if I couldn't drop off the recovered patients I had on board.
We flew through bad weather with very heavy rain. Just as I got to Wonken I found a nice pocket with higher ceiling and just light rain. I asked God to hold off the rain long enough so the man could walk to his hut, about a half mile, before the rain poured down. As I helped him out of the plane he looked up at the sky. I told him, "Just hurry; the rain will wait." Not asking what I meant he hurried off. As I took off and climbed skyward, heading for Uriman, I could see the man was almost home and that the rain had held off. "Thank you Lord," I prayed.
Now I needed to get through to Uriman, where I'd drop off the other passengers. Because the strip in Awaruka is very short I planned to hop over there first to pick up the sick baby; then return for the other patient. All the way to Uriman I flew in bad weather. I could land in Uriman with it raining, but it needed to stop or I wouldn't be able to see anything! When I arrived I noticed the rain had let up over the strip and I was able to land and get back in the air without difficulty.
Now Awaruka. "Please, Lord, I need no rain this time. I need a break in the downpour long enough for me to land and take off again." And that's just what I found. With a grateful heart I flew back to Uriman. It was just drizzling when I landed, and quickly readied to take off again. With a plane load of patients I lifted off the strip and pointed the nose of the mission plane toward Santa Elena. I talked to Celso again and he told me Santa Elena was socked in.
"Okay," I told him, "Keep me informed." Again I talked to my Lord. "You know I have a plane load of patients who need to get to the hospital. You know that in Awaruka a baby died just a few days ago because I wasn't there to fly out and get them and no one else would go. Lord I don't want the little one in this plane to die too, which it looks like will happen if I have to set down and wait out the storm overnight."
I kept heading for Santa Elena. As I got close I called Celso again. He suggested, "Try to the south, but it doesn't look good. Any other direction is impossible."
"Okay Lord, it's up to You," I whispered. He helped me find a way through the clouds and slide into Santa Elena, barely. After the patients were on their way to the hospital I called to home base for someone to come get me in our pickup. They wanted to know why.
I explained, "Because of the rain and a huge black cloud over the base airstrip along with gusting winds. I plan to leave the airplane here in Santa Elena tonight."
"Why? It's not raining here and there is a good ceiling where the clouds have just lifted." I hung up the phone and climbed into the plane. "Thank you God. You changed my plans to have me at the right place to get each patient out to help in time. Three people would have died if the day had gone as I had planned. You put a pocket of better weather at every village where I needed to land. You even changed the weather over the base so I can fly home and put the plane in the hanger."
After reading this story of God's planning and help I hope you will take at least one thing away from this account. God Cares! He cares enough to change weather, stop rain, and make mechanics sick so His plans would be carried out for my day. He cares for each person in the villages of Venezuela, for me, and for you. Yes, God cares!
Bob Norton