tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32141457108328494202023-11-16T01:17:50.992-05:00David Mead FamilyDefend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the week and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked. Psalm 82:3-4Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-5480586801197330892011-08-09T19:19:00.002-04:002011-08-09T19:32:36.788-04:00Help WantedAPRIL!!!??? That was my last post? Well, I try.
I am hoping this post turns up on someone´s search for wanting to come to Ecuador to help. Maybe if I through in enough "key words" it´ll work. Maybe one of the two people who read my blog might know how to help. Or know someone who might be interested.
As a pilot, most of my time is taken up with flying and related duties. I have very much Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-44831962014790376302011-04-14T20:37:00.006-04:002011-04-14T21:25:01.738-04:00"From the Logbook"Many pilots have posts on their blogs and such that describe some of their flights. We pilots keep a record of all of our flights and usually have a little note about what was noteworthy about the flight. We call this our logbook, so when we share about our flights, it is common to title the article as I have done.I have intended to blog more frequently about my flights, but those who know me Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-43317696752360503732011-02-24T19:34:00.002-05:002011-02-24T19:40:27.926-05:00Pilot AND MechanicOne of the big advantages of being a pilot AND a mechanic is the ability to fix some of the things I find wrong with the airplane. Yesterday during my customary preflight inspection, I found a couple of things that would have prevented flight until they were addressed. One was a hairline crack in a piece of the nose gear and the other was a control cable that was chafing. After checking in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-24963193621949351372011-02-23T17:59:00.003-05:002011-02-23T18:09:38.683-05:00New Toy and Roaming PicturesI have a very cool new toy!Our other camera is a very nice one, but it is too big and bulky for me to easily take with me in the airplane and snap shots. So I bought a new one with a very cool feature: it records the GPS coordinates where the picture is taken, and I can easily upload to Google Earth in the exact location of the picture!So, yesterday, I took it with me on my flight and snapped a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-65113653916708708842011-01-11T08:58:00.002-05:002011-01-11T09:28:26.636-05:00My First Solo Flight and Urgent Prayer RequestNo, the two are not connected, fortunately!I did get to do my first operational solo flight yesterday. In fact, I did two of them. I didn´t even know that I would be flying, but Chad, my boss, told me to get my plane ready as soon as I got to work in the morning! The strip where I was headed was fogged in for a little while, so I waited it out. Then, another pilot went there first and told meUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-85910478378513000882011-01-07T16:42:00.002-05:002011-01-07T16:44:01.012-05:00Shuar Artifact PhotosClicking on the link below will take you to pictures of the crafts the Shuar people are trying to sell to raise funds for their self sustaining farming project.Photos and DescriptionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-10668226804152786412011-01-03T21:39:00.002-05:002011-01-03T21:51:50.242-05:00Jan 3I got to do a little flying in the last few weeks, but not much. I got to do the first flight in "Alas 10" after the engine was changed out. That entailed going up with Fred Schmidt, my instructor and I handled the controls while he wrote down all the numbers for about an hour.I then flew some strictly training flights with Fred. We flew up some valleys to practice "Terrain Flying". That Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-72952902499217355282010-12-14T19:23:00.002-05:002010-12-14T19:34:41.360-05:00Dec 14thWell, last week started my official in-country flight training time. That means that I have all my licenses and permissions to fly in Ecuador and can start getting "checked out" in the Ecuadorian air space and in the airstrips that we land in. I fly with an MAF instructor, but pretty much do all the work of preparation, flying, talking on the radio and customer interaction. He still helps me Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-43924529933658732042010-11-23T22:13:00.002-05:002010-11-23T22:17:41.414-05:00November NewsletterIt´s been an exciting month for us here in Shell. As the kids get settled in school and we become more adjusted to our lives here, God has really opened up so many ministry opportunities and has blessed us in so many ways. The most exciting news to share is that I have finally completed all the requirements and I have my commercial pilot´s license! It was a long and somewhat frustrating Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-5573030885948774672010-11-04T11:21:00.002-04:002010-11-04T11:24:00.654-04:00New Pics from our Guys WeekendYou can see pics here from our latest trip. I´ll post a report on the trip in the next day or so.http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2097180&id=1367753955&l=a49f833ed1Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-29008651954817646762010-10-16T16:55:00.001-04:002010-10-16T16:56:48.165-04:00October NewsletterOctober 16, 2010 Can you pronounce Jandaiyacu? It took me awhile. Try (Hon-di-YA-ku). It is a little community of Zápora people. Although they speak the Pastaza dialect of Quichua, they are descendants of the Zápora people. Very few people remain who speak the Zápora language. It is estimated that only 5 are left.The community of Jandaiyacu is made up of about 7 families. It was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-69420211750850293022010-09-24T08:32:00.002-04:002010-09-24T08:47:48.926-04:00September NewsletterSeptember 22, 2010 Last month, we took part in one of the most beautiful things of our lives. It was a great blessing and an honor to be invited to participate in the dedication of the whole Bible in the Shuar language.After more than 30 years of work, at last the Shuar nation has the whole Bible in their language. They had invited all of the employees and missionaries of Alas de Socorro toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-18382582867267136192010-08-16T10:44:00.001-04:002010-08-16T10:46:28.926-04:00August NewsletterAugust 15, 2010We have completed one of our major milestones as a family. Finally, we have arrived at our final destination of Shell, Ecuador. We moved into our new house last Saturday and have started the process of turning the house into a home. Thank you to all who donated or lent us things to put in the house to make it more comfortable.Much has happened in our second month in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-3642794131529726182010-07-25T12:24:00.003-04:002010-07-25T12:29:28.780-04:00Jesus is a Verb, not a NounThis song is by a guy named Ricardo Arjona. Although I doubt he is a believer, based on the content of his other music, he really shares some deep stuff about his views of church and religion. I have enjoyed this song for awhile and have gotten around to translating the lyrics. Of course, there is some stuff that doesn´t translate really good, especially in poetry, but I did my best.If you Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-25982488764848968792010-06-19T22:31:00.002-04:002010-06-19T22:45:03.327-04:00House HuntingWe have had a busy couple of days here in Shell, as we look for a house to rent. Shell is a very small town, but there is a lot of activity here as there is a military base and many transients, it seems. There seem to be many options for us, but nothing is ready for us to rent at the moment. House hunting here is very different from how we would go about it in Florida. There are no real estateUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-38161144600013919682010-06-17T22:35:00.003-04:002010-06-17T23:00:48.573-04:00Pardon my lack of communication this week.I have promised much communication this, our first week in Ecuador as a family, but I have not provided and I feel bad for that. Hopefully, this post will explain and make up for most of it!We had a safe and uneventful journey in our big white rental van from Tampa to Miami. We were able to enjoy a relaxing evening with friends who live in Miami at the hotel pool. It was an early morning up Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-8390784316296117352010-06-15T11:31:00.002-04:002010-06-17T23:06:04.518-04:00Our Last Letter from TampaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-59121443742522284212010-04-29T17:49:00.001-04:002010-04-29T17:51:31.216-04:00April NewsletterApril 26, 2010 The training is complete. We have returned from Nampa, Idaho, where David completed his standardization training for mechanic and pilot. It was a wonderful time not only to receive this excellent training, but also for us as a family.The training that Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) gave was very airplane specific. I received specialized training for maintaining and flying Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-45632329284108059092010-04-13T18:14:00.002-04:002010-04-13T18:17:53.157-04:00Helping out Juan BaronJuan Baron is a missionary in Peru that I have known for many years now. We have been partnering with him and the ministry that God has entrusted him for a long time and are excited about the way God is helping him with funding the ministry. You can click here to read more about the way you can help with a self-sustaining missions project.Please pray with us that God will continue blessing thisUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-73154152306340245202010-03-31T20:38:00.002-04:002010-03-31T20:41:04.040-04:00Terrain FlyingToday the weather was finally good enough to get into the valleys and canyons to practice what they call "Terrain Flying". The idea is to safely position yourself to fly up a valley or canyon when the weather is forcing you to stay low. The idea is to always be able to turn around and return if things are not as good as expected. Plus, it is beautiful flying! Especially right after the snow weUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-46539038075699668272010-03-30T14:31:00.004-04:002010-03-30T14:37:04.824-04:00It's Snowing Again!I can't believe it's snowing today after being 62 degrees yesterday!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-49670130950322306212010-03-19T23:33:00.002-04:002010-03-19T23:36:34.143-04:00Tube RollingWe borrowed some inner tubes to take up the mountain and sled down some hills, but we found another very practical use for them!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-75112925711652178282010-03-14T23:09:00.001-04:002010-03-14T23:15:06.936-04:00Hello from Idaho. (Written by Maggy this time.)The Meads are travelling again. This time it is for the training that David needs before going to Ecuador. We are at the MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho. It was a long trip, but without any major inconveniences. We are all getting used to the new daily routine. David is happy because after having gone awhile being inactive in aviation, that will be all he will hear about and work on for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-66814635517664333562010-02-07T23:34:00.002-05:002010-02-07T23:37:44.015-05:00Hello from Alaska!This week I am in Soldotna, Alaska visiting Mission Aviation Repair Center, or MARC. (www.marcalaska.org) Yes, we are still headed to Ecuador in June, but the opportunity arose to accompany a friend I met in North Carolina (Mickey Duyck) to visit the mission in Alaska. Mickey is looking to possibly join them and in talking with him, I realized that MARC is conducting a portion of their Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3214145710832849420.post-8662641126868914432010-01-12T17:31:00.002-05:002010-01-12T17:33:13.160-05:00News and Prayer Requests from EcuadorDear Brothers and Sisters, I would like to begin the letter with the “Good News” though I have prayer requests to share with you. What I would like to highlight in this letter is the project of amending of the Statutes of ADSE, which were sent to the Ministries of Government, Police and Church and were returned early last week to Dr. Miguel Angel Puente, the lawyer in charge of the process, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1