December News Update

Greetings again from us as we update you on the goings on in our lives and in the ministry God has entrusted to us!

We have so much to be grateful for in this report! Last month we expressed some pressing needs and we have seen God provide again in such a wonderful way.

First, let me report on the banquet that was held to inform others in a more personal way about our journey to Ecuador. It was a great turnout as a little over 100 people attended! Thanks to those who came and those who weren’t able to make it but sent their best wishes and donations to us anyway! God raised up many people who commited to keep us in their prayers and keep in touch with us while we are away. He also challenged many to give generously and enough money was raised on that evening to finance all of our one-time expenses to get us through the rest of our training and to Ecuador! Praise him, he he is so good to us!

We have decided to fly to Idaho for the training in February. It is much less expensive than driving and friends there in Idaho have offered us the use of their vehicle to get around in once we are there. Another huge blessing from God!

In the mean time, God has shown David several ways to become more prepared and equipped to go to Ecuador. David has been doing research in ways to make the transition to the nationally run format less painful and more productive. (Read past letters from our blog to get up to speed on the transistion.) That search has lead him to a group in Alaska (MARC – Mission Aviation Repair Center) that is doing things in a very similar way to what the group in Ecuador is trying to accomplish. That is – open the business to the general public charging normal rates to be able to subsidize the mission operations. The fine folks at MARC have agreed to spend some time with David and give him valuable pointers in making the same thing work in Ecuador.

So David will also be travelling to Alaska the first week of February to spend time with them. Not a pleasant thought for the “Jungle Boy” to be in Alaska at that time of year, but God will be gracious, we are sure!

There are other opportunities that David has to become more informed of operations of a business of this format that he will be taking advantage of locally as well. Visiting ITEC, Steve Saint’s organization to research and provide effective ministry tools to the indigenous people will be one stop as well as several other aviation companies local to the Tampa Bay area.

God has also provided David with somewhat stable work in the hangar working on airplanes at the flight school that he used to teach at. (He has been able to get some work instructing as well, but has been intermittent.) That will also let him see the inner workings of the operations of a for-profit organization and give him continued experience working on airplanes.

The family is doing very well, thanks be to God. The kids are healthy and progressing well in school and their other activities. Karina had a big concert the other evening as part of her Advanced Women’s Chorus group from her school. She is really enjoying music. Josh also has a chimes recital coming up. What a blessing to have two kids who excel in music! The young ones are growing much faster than we would like!

God has blessed us tremendously and we are grateful to him.

Alternative to the Holidays

I want to start out saying that I am not trying to be preachy or anything. I have just had this on my heart and wanted to share my feelings openly.

A couple of years ago, a dear friend of mine invited me to research a few articles he had read on the origins of some of our favorite holidays. Truthfully, it really didn't surprise me to find out that there are some deep and direct idolatrous roots in most of them. I had never been a fan of using bunnies, eggs and chocolate to celebrate Jesus's resurrection. But I did really enjoy the tree, the lights and the presents associated with his birth.

But to be honest with myself, the worst sin the Israelites committed over and over to truly incur God's wrath to its fullest, was the sin of idolatry. I felt very convicted and our family made some changes in what we do in certain times of the year. In doing so, we completely got rid of all our Christmas stuff and ceased to do anything that is traditionally associated with Christmas. This included asking our other family to abstain from giving gifts to our children.

My parents still wanted to do something for the kids and hit on a great idea. They gave my kids a catalog from Samaritans Purse and allowed the kids to select an item of a certain value to be donated on their behalf. The kids loved that even more than presents! And how much further can food in an empty belly go than some toy that will be discarded from boredom or break?

So this year, we will be doing the same thing. I encourage you to think about this for yourselves. Instead of buying pretty lights, buy some chickens for some kids in Africa. Or buy some rice for starving kids in Asia. The list is about endless of something that can be done for ETERNAL value. Remember Jesus's words: "...for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..." Matthew 25:31-46

We're also going to go a step further this year. All the time we would have spent getting a tree, putting up lights, shopping for presents, etc, we will be spending with a charity like Big Brothers, Big Sisters spending time with kids who just need someone to give them attention. Kids don't need toys. Kids don't need presents. Kids need food, love and attention. And those mostly come pretty cheap.

There are many ways to give these things to those who do not have them. Together, we can make this season last an eternity for others.

Missions Awareness Banquet

On November 6, we held a banquet to inform our friends and family in the area of what God was leading us to do in Ecuador. It was a very lovely evening!

Plans leading up to the event went very smoothly. We could see God's hand at every turn as he provided for all the details. It was my first time organizing an event like that and with God's help, it went off very well. First Baptist Church of Temple Terrace offered the use of their facility which was beautiful. They set up and took down all the tables and chairs, so all we had to do was minor cleanup of the stuff we brought. They have a very nice facility that was very conducive to this type of event.

Friends of ours offered to cater the event for about cost. They are great cooks and did a good job. We had grilled chicken, salad, rice, beans, veggies and tres leches cake for desert. After dinner, we moved into a stage area for the presentation. Mitch York, a great friend of ours and missions supporter, was MC. Brian Behal, MAF recruiter was near us that week and was able to come and set up a display, answer questions about MAF and give a history of what MAF does and what the program in Ecuador is all about.

I spoke about our family, our path to this point and what we will be doing in Ecuador for the foreseeable future. There were so many details that I wanted to share, but it would have gotten very long winded! I kept it as brief and concise as possible with the hopes of getting to spend more time in the coming months discussing things in smaller group settings when possible.

My Aunt Pat, Mom and sister, Marianne helped out tremendously by making the center pieces. they made little dioramas of jungle airstrip scenery with airplanes and different details on them. They were great! All the kids who helped with the serving got to take one home if they wished. They also made these little miniature crates that served as donation boxes.

It was such a great night. We had 103 people in attendance and have received about $6500 in donations! We had put out a list of our estimated expenses to get through our next step in training, our trip to Ecuador and other incidentals like Visas and Passports. This amount slightly more than covers all those expenses! Praise God for his timely and precise provision!

We are so grateful to the support and encouragement that was shown to us that evening. It is a reminder that God indeed has us work together as a body and that it is not possible to do it on our own. It was symbolic of a wedding for us. We stood before witnesses to tell what God was doing in our lives and others took a part in that work. We now feel even more responsible to live our lives and handle ourselves in a manner that would be pleasing not only to God, but to those who are standing with us. We are simply members of a team that God has put together to carry out a facet of the work to further HIS kingdom, for HIS glory and HIS honor.

November Newsletter

Dear Friends and Family,

October was probably one of the more exciting and eventful months for us as a family in awhile! Mostly for David, but it has impacted us as a family greatly.

The happiest and most exciting news for us is that we have been officially accepted into the Alas de Socorro – Ecuador (ADSE) program! David’s trip to Ecuador was a great success as he passed both the flying and maintenance portions of the technical evaluation. After a meeting with the Board of Directors for ADSE, it was determined that David and family would be a great fit. So, upon substantially meeting all the requirements to join, we have been invited! The trip was a lot of fun and David was able to gather a lot of information about our eventual move to Ecuador and we are much more prepared to go.

We are so grateful to God first for leading us so patiently to this outcome. He has provided so incredibly for us emotionally and spiritually. We have also seen his bountiful provision physically as he has faithfully given us what we needed exactly when we needed it. We are grateful to many of you who have supported us with prayer, emotional support and those who have given financially to make this all a reality. We are so thankful for the wonderful circle of friends and family that God has blessed us with to be part of our team.

Our original plans were to travel to Ecuador in January, but that has changed a bit. The next step for David’s training is to spend 8 weeks in Idaho, where MAF’s headquarters is located to receive “standardization” training. David will participate in the training program that all MAF pilots and mechanics go through so that everyone is doing things the same way. This will take place from February 22 until April 15th. Upon returning to Tampa, the kids will only have about a month and half to finish school, so we will wait until then to travel to Ecuador. Ecuador’s school schedule is roughly the same as here, so it works out great for the kids to go during the “summer vacation” and start school at the beginning of the year next year.

In the mean time, we will be keeping busy making preparations to travel. David is still taking classes towards his Bachelors degree and gathering information to help make the Ecuador program more successful upon arriving there. Maggy is also exploring further educational opportunities to continue her studies as well.

The costs of David’s training in Idaho will be covered by program funds from ADSE, but the trip and our expenses there will still have to be covered by us. The same is true for the move to Ecuador. We are confident that God will provide for these expenses just as he has done for us to date. You can help us by praying for us as well that God will provide. We are still exploring options as to the best mode of travel. Surprisingly, once hotels, gas and meals are accounted for, driving becomes quite a bit more expensive than flying us there! But we will need a vehicle once we are there, so we are looking at options as to what would be the best way to get us to Idaho and back.

Our funding is solely donor supported at this point. Gifts can be given to us through Three Strand Cord, whose information is at the bottom of this letter. They are a non-profit company that is dedicated to channeling funds to missionaries. You will be issued a tax receipt so that your gift is tax-deductible. If you are interested in more information about becoming a regular or one-time donor, you can request it. We will make available any information you would like such as our budgets, expenses and accountability methods. We are new to this and learning about how this stuff works too, so be patient with us!

We also would like to recruit regular praying partners who commit to praying regularly for us, the program and the people we will be serving. We will post pray requests as well as results and answers to those prayers routinely. We ask that you keep in contact with us to let us know that we have your prayer support. This will be critical for us to be assured that we won’t be alone! We know we are part of a body and we need the feedback and communication! Let us know if you would be interested in that.

Please visit our blog at http://davidmeadfamily.blogspot.com for more updates.

We commit everything we do to God,

David, Maggy, Joni Karina, Joshua, Jonathan, Jennifer

Donations can be made to: Three Stand Cord, PO Box 9691, Tampa, FL 33674 or online with credit card at www.3strandcord.org. Specify “Mead” as the particular project to route your donation.

Back in Tampa, Back in the Saddle!

My trip to Ecuador was a great success! I was officially accepted into the program and almost all the questions we had about moving to Ecuador have been answered!

We are very excited about moving and look forward to finally being in our country of service. The people at ADSE are great and were very warm and welcoming. They made me feel right at home and I know it will be the same for Maggy and the kids when we all arrive together.

The next step for us is Standardization Training or Orientation in Nampa, Idaho. MAF headquarters is there and it is an 8 week course that will standardize my skills for both pilot and mechanic to the MAF requirements. The course begins February 22 and ends April 15th. For now, we are planning on all going as a family for the period, as the schools will accommodate the kids during that time. It is just too long of a time for us to be apart as a family and we'll be able to make it work for us.

After we return to Tampa from Idaho, we'll make final preparations to move in June as soon as the kids finish school.

A couple of months ago, I posted a photo of an airplane that I was considering trying to purchase and take to me with Ecuador to do flight training in. Someone else bought the airplane, but is leasing it back to the flight school that I used to work for. Since I am qualified to fly it, the flight school allowed me to come back to teach in that airplane for anyone desiring to get rated in it. Today, I flew it for the first time to get familiar with it.

Wow, is it fun! There is something special about old classics, and this one is no different! It flies very well and confirmed for me that it is the exact right choice to take to Ecuador eventually. While it probably won't be this exact one, I still desire to purchase one like it.

Praise God, though, that I can fly it in the mean time! He know what is best and I just have to keep trusting him!

In Quito, Ecuador

I´m in Quito, Ecuador now. Yesterday, I travelled from Tampa to go to Shell for the flight evaluation among other items of business for our eventual move to here.

The trip was absolutely flawless. I had picked up the rental car the night before and had no difficulties with that. It is cheaper to rent a car one way and drop it off than drive a car and pay for parking at the Miami airport. Plus I am not a big fan of leaving a car in Miami for two weeks! The drive down was very nice. There were no accidents from Tampa to Miami and very little traffic in Miami for a Friday afternoon!

After dropping the car off, I caught the shuttle to the airport. There was no line at check in and they took my 2 bags even though they were overweight by about a pound or two and asked me to weigh my carry on. After putting it on the scale, the guy said, "That is WAY over what we allow for carry on!" (Pilots really know how to pack effeciently!) Thinking I would have to pay extra to check it, the guy came back and said that LAN was having a special and allowed a third bag to be checked for free!

Even security was a breeze. The TSA people were all in good spirits and even smiled at me! There were only 3 people ahead of me in the line for security. (I have waited up to an hour to get through security at the Miami airport.)

I got to my gate way ahead of time and was able to relax and have a bite to eat. The flight was only about half sold, so I had a window seat and no one next to me. The plane had personal TVs in all the seats so I had a great time watching Transformers 2, which ended right before landing. The flight was 20 min ahead of schedule and the pilot made a beautiful approach and landing.

Immigration and baggage was quick and there was even one of the guys from MAF to meet me and drive me to the place I was staying.

I think that was the best trip I have ever had! Especially on top of it being a free plane ticket! God is so good to take care of even the small details.

This afternoon we will head out to Shell after picking up another family flying in.

October Newsletter

Lots of events to report on this month! The first and most important you already should know is the birth of our new baby girl. Jennifer Katiana Mead was born on September 18 at 11:38 pm. She weighed 6 lbs and 6 oz and measured 20”. Both mommy and baby are in excellent health two weeks later and we are grateful to our Lord that he allowed a perfect term and birth. Our family really feels full now that we have two of each. It is nice filling up our mini-van!

David travels to Ecuador tomorrow, the 2nd. Thank you so much for all the prayers for this trip. Its timing is great for us and God has provided so well for all the details. David remembered that he had some airline miles from trips from years ago, but was certain that it wasn’t enough for a whole ticket. He went online to see if any of the miles were still valid and to see if maybe he could get a discount fare by using the miles he had. The miles still were good until the end of October of this year, and if he changed his travel date by one day, it was enough miles to get a free fare! We only had to pay $23 in taxes! God also provided funds for some practice flights so David could brush up on his flying skills after not having flown for almost six months. And finally, God provided in advance almost all the money for the evaluation flights themselves once he reaches Ecuador. We know he will be faithful to supply the rest! Once the evaluation is passed, we will be fully accepted into the mission.

School is in full swing for the two older kids and David as well. He is taking advantage of having the time to work on finishing up his Bachelor’s degree. He qualifies for the Pell Grant, so all the tuition and books are covered. He is enjoying taking the classes and they will be very useful as different challenges come up in the new career. Josh tried out for chimes team in his school and was selected. He is excited about that. Karina is in Choir in her school and is having a lot of fun there. Nice having kids who are interested in music!

If you are in the Tampa area and have not received an invitation to our dinner banquet and presentation in November, we apologize! We tried to reach you by either an “e-vite” or invitation in the mail. I don’t know how successful either of those where, so we wanted to make sure you were aware of it and what it was about.

It will be held on November 6, 2009 at the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church Temple Terrace. Dinner will start at 6:30 and there will be a presentation of the work we will be doing in Ecuador to follow. Brian Behal will be a guest speaker also. He is the recruiter for MAF in the region and flew in Ecuador for a number of years. The primary goal of the presentation is to present the vision God has given us to as many people as are interested. In hoping more people will attend, we have tried to keep the cost low. At $15 per seat, we are able to cover the costs for the event. If you have friends who may be interested in hearing about it as well, feel free to sponsor a whole table and invite anyone you would like. We need to have an accurate head count for the meal preparations, so your RSVP is important to us at least a week in advance. A copy of the invitation is at the bottom of this letter.

In our last letter, we asked for prayer for health for mommy and baby and funds for David’s trip to Ecuador. Now, join us in praising God as he gave us what we asked for! Please continue to pray for strength for the upcoming move, God’s continued provision of our material needs and wisdom to make good decisions as we prepare.

Please visit our blog at http://davidmeadfamily.blogspot.com for more updates. Facebook users will get more updates of David’s trip.

We commit everything we do to God,

David, Maggy, Joni Karina, Joshua, Jonathan, Jennifer

Donations for the banquet should be made to: Three Stand Cord, PO Box 9691, Tampa, FL 33674 or online with credit card at www.3strandcord.org.

Donations for the Meads should be made to: David and Maggy Mead, 906 W Rambla St, Tampa, FL 33612.

Welcome to Jennifer!

Dear Friends and Family,

We would like to make this a special letter from the Mead family to announce the birth of our fourth child: Jennifer Katiana Mead. She was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida on September 18, 2009 at 11:38pm. At birth she weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz and measured 20” tall.

We are very grateful to God who provided a very easy (by comparison!) and quick delivery. We were scheduled to go in the following day at 7:30 am for Maggy to be induced if she didn’t go into labor earlier. While we were OK with the induction, we would have rathered to forego that and were praying about that along with many of you. Maggy had been having irregular contractions, but they always went away.

Around 5:00 pm on Friday the 18th, she began recording her contractions again. They were about 14 minutes apart. By 7:00, they were about 9 minutes apart and we called the doctor. After getting the OK to go to the hospital, we packed up and headed in. She was admitted and after a brief check in Triage to confirm that she indeed was in labor, we were sent to Labor and Delivery. No sooner had the epidural been given and the contractions stopped! (According to the machine) The nurse set up the delivery table and got all ready to go and started a drip of Pitosin. After everything was ready, she was going to leave us and see if the contractions returned. But she decided one last check, and found the baby’s head almost out!

The doctor came in and after only one push, the baby was delivered! Daddy got to cut the cord and our 4th little one was officially ushered into our world! The remainder of the stay was pleasant and they released us at about 11:30 am on Sunday.

Maggy is resting comfortably and the whole family is very glad to have the new one! Thanks to all of you who have been praying for this to go smoothly. God has blessed us tremendously and we thank him for that!

David, Maggy, Joni Karina, Joshua, Jonathan and Jennifer

David Gets to Go to Ecuador

Thanks to all of you who are praying for us. God is really doing some exciting things in our lives and the plan to go to Ecuador is really coming together.

We have the dates now for me to go to Ecuador to take the evaluation. I will be leaving the 2nd of October and returning the 18th. Since our last letter, we knew we needed to rely on God for all the costs associated with this evaluation. I needed flight time to brush up on my skills, airfare to get to Ecuador and the evaluation costs itself.

God has planned ahead for all this and is working it out! I discovered that I had enough frequent flyer miles to travel to Ecuador for $23! (The tax on the ticket). I also belong to the Civil Air Patrol and can fly an airplane for practice for less than half the cost of a rental. The only item left is the cost of the evaluation itself. It is estimated to be around $2000. The exact amount will vary with exactly how much flying I will have to do, I assume. Since 2 out of 3 items have been taken care of by God already, we are making the arrangements for my trip and we'll watch how God provides the rest.

Even Maggy is excited for me to be able to go. She feels a lot better about moving down if at least one of us can take the opportunity to look for housing options, schools for the kids and other such arrangements.

Other plans and arrangements are going well. We got rid of a ton of stuff at our garage sale. We got quotes from a shipping company that are very reasonable to move the little stuff we have remaining. We have our stuff in order enough to take our time packing for the move at our leisure.

The plans for the banquet in November are coming together too. I will be able to finish up work on the presentation after returning from Ecuador when I will have much more information on exactly how things will work for us. By that time, God willing, we will be full members of ADSE (MAF-Ecuador) as well.

The kids are doing well in school and are mentally preparing for going to a Spanish-speaking school. There is some resistance, but I know they will do well once we get there.

Maggy is still getting bigger and the baby seems very content to stay inside! She is kicking and moving a lot. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and we will know if everything is still normal. Our only concern at this point would be a possible breach birth if she is not in position. Our trust is in God.

Praise

• That God has provided for the air fare to Ecuador as well as the training in preparation for the evaluation.
• That Maggy is feeling good still (but tired!)
• Another month with all the bills paid

Prayer

• God's provision for the rest of the evaluation cost (about $2000)
• Safety in David's travel to/in/back from Ecuador
• Healthy delivery of baby Jennifer
• Our monthly financial support needs

September Newsletter

September 2, 2009

Dear Friends and Family,

A lot has been happening with the Mead family and we want to keep you up to date on all the goings on. We have been trying to keep in touch with most everyone in one form or another, but it looks like sending out a regular news letter is going to be the most effective way to keep everyone up to date. Especially as our lives change so quickly!

We want to make sure everyone is filled in on what has brought us to this point, so here are the details.

David has spent the last 2 years getting his Commercial pilot’s license and aircraft mechanic’s certificates. We both feel strongly that God was leading us into full time mission’s work after our construction business failed and he has provided tremendously to accomplish all that David needed to fulfill the requirements of most aviation mission’s organizations.

At the beginning, it seemed obvious that we should go to Ecuador, where Maggy is from, to serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship. But as time went on, we realized God doesn’t always work in the obvious ways, so we expanded our search to see if God may be leading us to work elsewhere. We moved up to Waxhaw, NC where David was invited by JAARS to do a maintenance internship. It was a great opportunity to build skills and to get a close first hand look at how JAARS operates. Maggy and the kids enjoyed the time as well, connecting with missionaries who were returning from overseas or headed back.

As we searched for God’s leading, he made it very plain that we were indeed uniquely prepared to serve in Ecuador. But instead of heading through the normal channels of the US branch of MAF, we applied to the Ecuadorian run branch called Alas de Socorro – Ecuador. The Ecuadorian government is no longer issuing pilot’s or mechanic’s licenses to foreigners, so it has been very difficult for MAF to staff the work in Ecuador. David will be able to gain Ecuadorian citizenship because he is married to an Ecuadorian citizen. Thankfully, he will not have to give up his American citizenship as Ecuador recognizes dual citizenship.

Our application to ADSE has been reviewed and is only pending David’s flight evaluation down in Ecuador. We are making plans for David to go down to spend about a week or so to do the evaluation and he will also use the opportunity to try to arrange housing, get information on the schools for the kids and be more informed in general about our new lives there.

There will be costs involved with the trip as the cost of the travel and evaluation itself is the responsibility of the applicant. David will need to brush up on his skills in the airplane before going down as it has been about 5 months since he has flown. We know God will provide for these costs if we are following his will, so we depend on him.

In the mean time, Maggy has been busy adding to the family! Our kids are now: Joni Karina, 12 and in 7th grade; Joshua, 10 and in 5th grade; Jonathan, 14 months; and baby Jennifer is due the middle of September. The older kids have such a great attitude about moving and even about going to a Spanish speaking school. They have been to Ecuador numerous times, although not specifically to the jungle, so they are somewhat familiar. Maggy, also, is very excited to be going. Even with the little ones, she knows we will be well taken care of there. She has had a burden for many years to work among her own people and is very happy God finally got through to me to do that!

We will be living in a little town called Shell in the province of Pastaza. The town was named after Shell oil who continues to do much work down there. It also is the same town where Nate Saint lived with his family. (If you haven’t seen the movie The End of the Spear yet, please do!)

Our plans at this point will be to move in early January. Since we are joining the Ecuadorian branch of MAF, things are a little different. All of their applicants to date have come from Ecuador, so we are unique in that we will be coming from the U.S. Most of the details of the move and our financial support are going to be largely up to us. I still don’t have all the details and we are learning as we go, but we are very comfortable with the arrangements so far and are trusting in God to supply as he so faithfully has been doing.

Until our application is finalized after my flight evaluation, we are unable to receive donations through MAF. Should you desire to send donations, you can send them directly to us for the time being and we will advise as soon as that changes.

We are so grateful for your prayers that have helped us to this point. We ask that you commit to continued prayer for us as the details continue to be worked out and our progress in getting to Ecuador proceeds. Our blog is updated about weekly and you can find specific prayer requests and praises on there. www.davidmeadfamily.blogspot.com

Right now our prayer requests are: health for mommy and baby, good decisions about details leading up to moving, funds for the trip to Ecuador and evaluation, strength to continue trusting God.

We commit everything we do to God,


David, Maggy, Joni Karina, Joshua, Jonathan, Jennifer

Huaorani Student Pilot

Maggy found an article in an Ecuadorian newspaper about this Huaorani man who is in the U.S. taking is pilot training. It was neat for us to see this, as it sums up very well why we are going to Ecuador. We will help to overcome many of the obstacles in place that keep indigenous people from being connected to the outside world.

I have not verified any of the information in the article nor do I support any of the content. It is a direct translation from the original article.

A Huaorani Studies to be a Pilot

Olga Imbaquingo Correspondent in New York

From the Ecuadorian jungle to Michigan with a dream; become a pilot to return to the jungle to establish an aerial bridge and save the lives of his own people: the Huaorani. Menewa Nenquimo Enqueri had already taken the first huge step to obtain it 15 years ago.

This young man of 25, who came to learn through oral history the story of the 5 American missionaries who died in 1956 from the tips of the arrows of his people, has just graduated as an aviation mechanic.

In September, he will begin his studies to be a commercial pilot, which consists of 250 hours piloting airplanes.

In addition, there is a factor in the merging of his world and that of Tim Paulson, a pastor’s son, who remembers as a child of hearing and reading of the “5 missionaries who landed an airplane on the banks of the Curaray River. The Aucas thought that they were a curse and they killed them.” Throughout the years, the story has been cemented in his memory.

Over the years, Paulson got to know the son of the pilot who took the 5 missionaries to the Curaray River and in addition, he himself is a missionary and takes young people to see how the Huaoranis live. It was in one of these trips that Nenquimo’s parents asked him to help make him a pilot, because when there is sickness or any other type of emergency, they do not receive help immediately.

That is how this young Amazonian man arrived at the School of Missionary Aviation Technology in Iona, Michigan (United States) with 2 years of high school and no knowledge of technology.

“Menewa knows more than the pilots because he is a mechanic. He has made several flights as a co-pilot in one of his instructor’s airplanes”, Paulson says. “This young man is very intelligent, bright and determined.”

Nenquimo has his own version of the experience. “I suffered because I am not from the city, I am from the jungle and we do not have technology there.” He tells of the time that he realized that his friends didn’t understand how neither the cold nor the snow affected him. “Here, they are always covered up, and I am fine with just a t-shirt.”

His inherent ingenuity is attacked by worrisome moments. His roommate was the son of Colombian parents who helped him pay his rent, but he changed schools. “I believe that economy here is also bad, I still have not found an apartment near my school.” Paulson lives 96 kilometers away and it is impossible for Nenquimo to commute every day.

Both are waiting for “God to help us…”

The young Huaorani man, in his favor, has his commitment, that has turned into an obsession, that his people are waiting for him and that “they in more need than am I. Everything that I do is for them.”

When he leaves, he will leave with the memory that the “gringos” that he has met are not as bad as his ancestors once believed.

“Without a doubt, what I have enjoyed most are the people. Where I go they are very kind.” Jim and Julie McKay also are part of the story. Many weekends are spent with them.

According to the Argus-Press of Caledonia, Julie McKay says that Nenquimo has spent a few Christmases with them and “he likes potatoes, because he ate them in Ecuador.”

Jim McKay is one of the professors and has students from Africa, Brazil and Honduras. “Culturally, he fits perfectly and is excellent in academics, in spite of the language barrier.” It is with him that he has gone up as co-pilot in his spare time. He also takes his daughter flying.

The progress of this young man in technical English and understanding of mechanics has qualified him so that “they have me inspect the work of my classmates”, relates Nenquimo.

“This is the story that shows us that the Huaorani have much to offer us and that we just have to show them how to fish and they will do it themselves”, is Paulson’s conviction.

Nenquimo also tells of his experiences…
Nenquimo has been in Michigan since June 16, 2008 and it has been the assistance of the churches and a few volunteers who have made it possible to proceed in his studies. The total cost to be a pilot is $47,000 U.S.

The school where he is studying has not lowered its prices, but at least are accepting payments. Anyone who would like to help is able to communicate via this email: eaglewingtp@aol.com. Paulson is not silent with his intention to help Nenquimo. Together, they traveled to Iowa and Colorado to interview with anthropologists who are familiar with the Huaorani history to attempt to secure assistance. Nenquimo also has spoken, telling of the way of life in Amazonia. “People are impressed with the knowledge of this young man. Thank you to those who understand that there are other perspectives of living,” says Paulson.

http://www.elcomercio.com/

No Baby Yet

Well, it has been quite a busy week, but no trips to the hospital for a baby, yet! Mommy and baby Jennifer seem to be doing fine, and while the baby is very active, she seems quite content to stay in her warm cozy home for a little while longer. The due date given by the doctors is Sept 20, so we are in no hurry just yet. They don't cry when they are still inside.

The kids are back in school. They are happy to be returning to a familiar school with some old friends. Karina walks to school as it is only about 1/4 mile up the road and we drive Josh up to drop him off along with his cousin.

We are fairly prepared for the yard sale this weekend. Our stuff has been sorted through and we have determined what to keep and what to get rid of. Our house is very near a busy intersection, so by placing a few signs around, we hope to attract a lot of attention and buyers. Our goal is more to get rid of unwanted stuff, but it will be nice to make some money to help with moving costs. We have had several people donate some stuff that should sell to help with the expenses.

We also are planning a presentation dinner in November. We are approved to use the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church Temple Terrace and have had a ton of help getting that coordinated and ideas for the event. We are really seeing God work in a mighty way to prepare for our ministry in Ecuador. So many of our friends are getting really excited about this with us and are pouring themselves into helping us. It is so great! If you are interested in attending, it will be November 6 at 6:30pm. Email me for more details.

I have enrolled in St Petersburg College. I am currently taking two classes with a third to start next month. All are online so I will be able to continue taking classes while I am in Ecuador. It will be good for me to learn more about accounting, management, business and such. Best of all, the Pell Grant covers all the tuition! But books are so expensive! I can't believe I have to pay almost $200 for a book! I hope to be able to sell them to recoup some of that to another student after my class!

More News

We have been busy settling back into Tampa life and it has been good. It is always good to get back home even though this will only be home for us for a short while longer. It has been good reconnecting with friends and family.

Maggy has the kids enrolled in school and they are ready to begin next week. She has most of our household stuff transferred back to Florida life and now just waiting for baby Jennifer to decide when she well make her grand entrance to the world! We are all in good health and in good spirits. Great is our God!

While I did get some hope of getting some work from the flight school, I have not been called in yet. I will continue checking in with them, but I am getting the feeling that God may want me to be full time in preparation for our move. I certainly have plenty to keep me busy for the time being and I will make very good use of my time while I don't have any work. In the mean time, he is providing for us very faithfully. Thank you to those who are giving to us to sustain us!

Also, I have discovered that I qualify for a Federal Pell Grant, so I will take advantage of having some time and take some more courses at a local college toward a Bachelor's Degree. My mechanic school credits transfer to a local community college and combined with past college courses, I am not that far from the B.A.S. More education can't hurt and I had been wanting to take some financial management classes anyway. Thanks God for the opportunity!

As for the airplane, it turns out that that particular one was not in God's plan as it was sold last week. I will be continuing to search for an airplane as I still feel strongly that one is needed before I go down, so that I won't have to return to buy one later. Some money has been given for the project and we will continue looking to God to provide the rest. Looking at the previous one was a great experience as I learned more about the process and about that particular airplane as well. We will wait on God to provide in his time.

There is one item of praise that I have been forgetting to mention. I had been concerned about my weight since I knew I would be flying small airplanes. Not that I had ever heard that any mission group had a max weight for pilots, but if I could lose some weight and still be healthy, then that would be more cargo or fuel that could be carried making my flying more useful. Since most of you who know me know that I abhor exercise and rather enjoy mealtime, I knew it would only be through God's strength that I would be able to do it. I stuck to my diet while in NC and continued my exercise and he blessed me! I was able to lose about 40 lbs and I feel great and know that I am much healthier. I even started playing soccer with the college age kids and was somewhat able to keep up with them!

Moving forward with Airplane

Well, I looked at the airplane that is for sale here in the Tampa area that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. It is a good looking airplane inside and out and appears to be exactly what I am looking for.

Additionally, it has a semi-major problem that could work out to my favor. There is a tiny crack in a place that is very hard to get to, and requires many hours of labor to make the repair. The owner is aware of it and realizes that he will have to reduce the price of the plane substantially to sell it as is. Fortunately for me, I have made arrangements with the flight school/maintenance shop that I used to work at to be able to do most of the work myself being supervised in the shop. I will be able to save quite a bit of money while getting very familiar with the airplane.

The asking price of the airplane is $24,900, but it seems the owner will be open to an offer of about $18,000. I expect to spend about $1000 in hard costs for inspections and repairs to make the airplane 100%. So, it looks very promising that this might be the airplane that I was looking for. One of the best things about it, is that it is local and can be looked at in person by people I trust to help me.

I spent the better part of the day talking to mechanics and aircraft brokers that I know getting some very good advice about it. They all agree that it is the ideal airplane to do what I intend to do with it. And the flight school has agreed to lease it back, so it can be earning income for itself while we are in the U.S.

The next step would be to do a pre-purchase inspection. I would be involved with that doing most of the grunt work taking it apart enough to get a good look at everything. My old boss will do the inspection itself and he is very thorough. Then it would just be a matter of doing a title search and making the financing arrangements. Once the purchase is complete, I would be able to get to work on the repairs. My boss said it would be about a week's worth of work.

Of course, my finances are still very limited, so I am trusting in God to provide for that part of it. I know that if this is the right airplane at the right time, then he will provide. We have committed our plans to him, so we know he will bless.

In the mean time, I did get a commitment for some part time work back at CAMS flight where I used to work. I will be able to work both in the hangar doing maintenance and some fill-in instruction, so that will work out well. I will have plenty of time to work on getting ready for moving to Ecuador and have a little bit of income to sustain us while we are here. Plus I will be able to keep active flying and in maintenance to keep my skills sharp. Praise God for his perfect provision!

Moving Back to Tampa

It was with some mixed emotion that we moved back to Tampa this week. We had such a wonderful time with the people at JAARS in North Carolina. It was such an incredible experience and we met some life long friends there, not only with the JAARS folks, but the people we met as part of our congregation.

We know that we are following God's will returning to Tampa and making final preparations for living in Ecuador long term and we are excited about the challenges that await us here.

Maggy has been hard at work already transferring the kids' school records down and getting them enrolled in school along with other baby related stuff. We have to sort through all our stuff and decide what to take and what to give/sell. The biggest task is going to be building our partnerships with friends, family and others who will pray for us and assist us in our endeavor.

We are looking forward to it all! It is exciting knowing that we are following God and that he has prepared us for this and he has prepared the way; all we have to do is be obedient and follow.

In between leaving North Carolina and coming to Tampa was a family reunion in Gatlinburg, TN. What a great time! We had all but one cousin come from all those on my mom's side of the family from 90 year old Grandma all the way down to the 1 month old baby of one of my cousin's! It was a great week catching up with the family and doing all sorts of fun activities with old and young alike.

Additionally, I was able to meet up with Jonathan and Jenny Roundy, friends of mine from growing up in Venezuela. They are living near Gatlinburg and we took the opportunity to meet up for a day while we were there. It was so great seeing them. I hadn't seen them since leaving Venezuela 17 years ago. Thanks God for that blessing!

Link to pictures on Picasa.

Airplanes

Saturday I went out to look at an airplane for sale. It was a Cessna 140, which is an older airplane, but was, and still is, a great trainer airplane. One of the best advantages is it is very inexpensive to purchase and very inexpensive to operate and maintain.

I had only done research on the airplane online and other articles about it, but hadn't really seen one in person, so I took the opportunity of a local guy who has one for sale to go check it out. It really is what I expected! He was a CFI as well and has done considerable training in the airplane and had good things to say about it for that purpose. Even though it is small, I was able to get in it and be comfortable. His had received an offer on the airplane the night before, and it wasn't equipped with instruments the way I am looking for, so I really wasn't considering that particular airplane, but it was great to see it up close and talk to a guy who had owned one for awhile.

I did find another option for an airplane in Clearwater, though, and if it is still available when we make it down to Florida in two weeks, I will take a look at that one. It is the later model of that kind and has the perfect instrumentation setup, so it is high on the prospect list. Asking price is $24,900. Plus, being close to us, it would be easy to do the inspections and purchase transactions.

Some of the advantages of purchasing the airplane sooner, rather than later, is that I will be able to use it for instruction here, before going to Ecuador. That will give me a chance to really get to know it and do some work on it here. I will be able to get to know the airplane really well, and have a much better idea of what to expect as far as needing parts and expected maintenance once reaching Ecuador.

One of the things God is teaching us is reliance on him. We have seen his hand in all that we have gone through, and his provision at just the right time. One of the verses that I read recently and I think will be a theme for all that we are doing is Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." We are committing to him these plans we have and we want you to watch with us how God provides for it to happen.

In some aspects, it may seem we are doing things a little backwards. We don't have any of the funds yet for the airplane purchase or to get it to Ecuador, but the way God has worked in our lives is that we obey him first, head in the direction he has called, and he will provide at just the right time. So I am busy trying to find the right airplane and make all the other necessary arrangements and then we will wait on him.

One of the things I need to do is to find a way to put the information about our venture on a website. I have seen other people do what I want using blogspot or wordpress, but I don't know how to set those pages up like a traditional website. If you know how to do that, please let me know, so I can get that going. I am afraid the information coming from this blog alone is a little fragmented so I want a place I can consolidate the information.

Above is the picture of the airplane in Clearwater that is for sale. Please join us in prayer that God will show us if that is the right one, and that he will provide for the purchase.

Heading to Ecuador (Eventually!)

After much prayer and seeking God's direction, the big news this week is that we will be heading to Ecuador. I know, it seems like we came full circle, but we had much to learn on the way and we are heading there for much different reasons than when we first started out.

First off is to say that we feel very privileged to have spent the last 4 months here at JAARS and have made some life-long friends here. We hope the relationships we have formed will last forever. But we have realized that indeed God has prepared us uniquely for serving in Maggy's home country (and soon to be mine!).

Since the Ecuadorian government is no longer allowing any more foreign pilots to fly in Ecuador, MAF is really in a tough spot to supply Godly pilots and mechanics to support the mission effort. Praise God that the operation is able to sustain itself so far with some commercial flights to help with income. We will be applying not to MAF-US as originally planned, but to ADSE (Alas de Socorro - Ecuador) the MAF branch in Ecuador.

We will be heading to Ecuador probably about the January 2010 time frame to start the paperwork for my residency and eventual citizenship. While I am waiting for all of that to go through, I will be doing whatever I can to be helpful in the MAF hangar doing maintenance primarily and anything else that needs to be done. I can also start to work on transferring my pilot and mechanic certificates to Ecuadorian ones. Exactly how far I am going to be able to get with that with only resident status is still a little unsure.

Since we are headed in that direction, we feel God's leading also to head back to Tampa a little earlier than originally planned to begin preparing. We will be getting back to Tampa August 11th right after our family reunion. I did get JAARS's blessing to cut the internship short in preparation for our move, but we will miss this place! We have had such an incredible time here.

Another one of our goals in Ecuador is to be part of an effort to train Ecuadorian nationals, including indigenous, to work in the aviation department. It is prohibitively expensive and pretty much way out of reach for most folks who live in and near the jungle to pay for either mechanic or pilot training. I have been doing quite a bit of research to figure out a way to make it possible to train them to do the work now being done mostly by Americans. There are options that put it within the grasp of willing, dedicated people who want to put the effort into completing the training. The details are long and probably boring to most, but it includes taking a very inexpensive airplane to buy and operate down to Ecuador to do most of the training in. We will wait on the Lord to see how he provides.

I do have more information about the project available if anyone would like to know more. I really enjoyed my time working at the flight school as a flight instructor while I was going through my mechanic training, and I really feel God is leading me in the direction to not just fly for others, but to do training as a principle part of our ministry as well. The primary goal of the training will be to make disciples of Christ and that will be one of the ways we will try to assure retention of the training candidates.

Maggy and the kids are expected back on Saturday. Maggy's younger brother (who is Karina's age) will be coming to spend time with us as well. I am very ready to have my family back. The house is so empty and quiet!

Please pray for us as we prepare for this move. We are so excited about it and we see God's hand in so much as we prepare. We are thankful to all of you who prayed with us while seeking God's will in this decision.

A Whole Month Without a Post

Yeah, this is probably more like the David you are used to. It must have been an accident that I actually was posting almost every week. Now I'm back to once a month!

Not for lack of events, though. Maybe that is why. I have been very busy, which is great!

Following up from the last post, Jonathan is really walking a lot now. He walks about as much as he crawls, and loves to show off. Just like Joshua, the terrible twos have started very early!

We had a joint birthday party with Jonathan and Karina. She actually wanted it that way. I think Maggy has posted the pics on her facebook. I will get them on Picasa soon.

I have been busy and enjoying myself at work. I was out of the engine shop doing inspections and general maintenance on a couple of airplanes. It is rewarding work addressing various maintenance issues and resolving them more and more on my own. I am getting very comfortable working on the airplanes, which is kinda scary, because now is really when I could end up making a mistake! Not really, though. The senior guys here are very careful to inspect the work and make sure everything is done right.

I was allowed to go on a "return to service" flight last week in one of the Helios. That was a treat. They always fly an airplane on sort of a test flight anytime major work has been done on it. It was especially rewarding since I had been a significant part of most of the work that had been done on it. The flight came back with no findings.

Two weeks ago, I finally was able to make a soccer game. Every Sunday, a group of people get together to play soccer in a field across the street from our apartment. I have been wanting to go over to play, but our Sunday activities usually run late into the evening, so I haven't had a chance. But two weeks ago I did. Since I have been exercising and getting back into shape, I thought I wouldn't have any problem on the field. Unfortunately, about 5 minutes into the game, I planted my foot and injured my knee. I was able to walk it off and continued playing since I wasn't in too much pain, but the next day, I couldn't move it!

I took that whole week easy and the following week was able to start my usual exercise routine and by now, I have no more pain. Thanks to God for a quick recovery and no permanent damage. My family has a history of knee problems and so far, I am the only one who has been exempt from any serious problems.

We went up to Boone, NC last weekend to watch Jed and Charissa do their insane 100 mile mountain bicycle race. We arrived in time to see them cross the finish line and then spent the rest of the day with them. The mountains were so beautiful! We went to a summer camp facility with them after the race and went down this awesome zip line into a very refreshing lake. Even though we were in the mountains, it was still hot! Again, those pictures coming soon to Picasa.

Thanks Jed and Charissa for inviting us up! We had a great time. It was nice to get out and see more of the country.

This week finds me back in the engine shop. There is another Cessna 206 in need of an overhauled engine, so I am back at work doing that. This 206 is the one that is based here and used for training. It needs to be ready to go by August, which doesn't give us much time. Usually, the pace is not that urgent here, so it will be fun to see how things go when the pace is picked up a bit.

Maggy and I are pretty certain that God has revealed to us his will for our next step after the Technical Evaluation in October. We feel that he is leading us to go to Ecuador sort of independently to volunteer with MAF-Ecuador and sort of get a better feel for what God is doing through them there. I know that is quite a far cry from our original feeling of serving with JAARS in Africa, or where ever, but we have spent considerable time in prayer and discussion about it. We felt that he wouldn't show us our next step until much later, but we both were impressed with the idea at the same time and all the doors seem to be opening in that direction. This will initially be a short term move for us, but may develop into longer term service. We will be sending out an official newsletter with much more detail in the next week.

We will be relying on God fully to work out the details and finances for the move. We are confident that by following his will, he will work things out for himself, just as he always does. Proverbs 16:1-4 has been inspirational to me over the last several weeks as we commited our plans to him. "To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue. All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends - even the wicked for a day of disaster."

Maggy's dad offered to bring the kids and her up to NJ for 2 weeks, so they left early this morning by train. The kids were doubly excited. Not only had they been asking God to go up to NJ, but they got to go by train! Karina was packed and ready to go on Tuesday and kept counting down the days and thanking God every day.

The kids have seen God at work so much in our lives. We have been keeping closer track of what we ask God for and being very specific in our requests. And we try very hard to thank him when he gives us what we ask for - which has been a lot! As we acknowledge him in all our ways, he gives us more clarity in the path he has chosen for us. Another Proverb put into action. Proverbs 3:5-6.

You know how Jesus said that unless you receive the kingdom of God like a child, you will not enter it? We are seeing more and more why he said that as the faith of our children grows faster than ours. I am almost at the point that if I want something, I just ask my kids to pray for it! There is no greater joy to a parent than to see his child accept the kingdom of God.

Well, I am a bachelor for a couple of weeks now, which gives me plenty of time to work on our move to Ecuador. There is so much to do and I am grateful to keep busy. Maybe I'll even post a couple more times this month!

Jonathan's First Steps

Well, it's official!

He has taken his first steps. We thought he might have 2 weeks ago, but he wouldn't do it again, so we decided it wasn't official. Tonite, though, he took several series of 3 or more steps and once even let go of the chair without any prompting and took 2 steps to Mommy!

Here are some pictures of the recreation of the act.

Catching up with the news!

A lot has happened the last two weeks. The engine I have been working on is off the stand, preserved, packaged for shipping and awaiting final paperwork! It has been quite an experience and I am grateful to God for allowing me to be part of it and grateful for the amazing patience of Ray Brubaker, my supervisor, for guiding me step by step through the whole process.

Work wise, I am on to other tasks until the next big project comes along. I don't know what that might be yet, but for now I am involved in an annual inspection on Helio serial number 1 getting it ready to go to the Oshkosh air event. Right now, another one of the interns and I are knee deep into overhauling the magnetos (the things that make the spark plugs light up at just the right time). They are very small components, but are somewhat involved for an overhaul. Especially when everything isn't just perfect! (Which seldom is the case on a 50+ year old airplane.)

Josh and I had a guys day out last Saturday. We put our bikes in the shop for some routine maintenance and got the bearings all lubed up, the brakes adjusted and the gear shifters working right. We then went our riding on the trails behind the JAARS center. We packed lunches and planned to make a full day of it.

After about a half an hour of riding, Josh wanted to stop for a rest. So we stopped and ate our sandwiches and took a little break. As we started up again, Josh was increasingly upset and asked to go home. So we cut the trip short and went home. I didn't realize what the problem was until much later in the day, and learned a very important lesson about faith in God.

Josh was concerned about getting lost. Apparently, he has failed to realize just what type of environment I grew up in and how impossible it is to get lost when the woods you are in are completely surrounded by familiar roads. In any regard, he was concerned. As the trail got more and more narrow, and as the woods got denser, he was convinced we might never see home again. A small tree had fallen across the path, and he was sure that the trail just ended there. I moved the tree, showed him the trail and kept going.

The further we went, the more lost Josh thought we were. There were airplanes flying that day and judging from the sound, we had gone in a big circle and were actually getting closer to home the further we moved forward. I was convinced of this, and explained it to him, but he doubted. Of course, we came out of the trail right where we had started and he was quite surprised. Later, after getting home, he apologized for doubting and said he would be willing to go again.

It struck me how just like that I am with trusting God to lead. He knows the path, and he knows it gets narrower and he knows the obstacles and how to clear them. But I, like Josh, loose faith in his ability to lead. I loose sight of the path for the obstacles that seemingly are impossible to overcome. He knows just where the path will come out and yet I doubt. I am sure that I am lost and God has left me. I just want to go home where things are comfortable and miss out on the fellowship that God planned for me.

Thanks, Josh, for teaching me a lesson and thanks, God for being ever so patient with me. (Much more so than I am patient with Josh!)

The kids only have a few more days of school before summer vacation, Hooray!

It's Alive!

Well, the engine is together, on the test stand and it ran for the first time today! It was a great feeling seeing that engine start right up after assembling it from its very basic components.

Tomorrow we will run it some more and break it in. Then, if everything goes well and all the tests come out OK, then it will go in a box to be shipped to Cameroon!

The weather has been lousy, but today was gorgeous! Warm, not hot, slight breeze and sunny! The kids have been playing with their friends a lot here. It seems the apartments are multiplying with kids! Every day I see new faces it seems.

Jonathan loves being outside with them as well. There is an R/C airplane field across the street, and the airplanes fly over our house. He looks up and starts clapping each time one flies over! It is neat.

We are excited to see Grandma, Aunt Pat, Great Gram and Great Grandma tomorrow! And Nicki and Ralphy too! They will be with us for the weekend. I have Monday off work, so we will enjoy them the whole weekend.

We have been doing pretty well with our Bible time in the evening as a family and the kids are really starting to see many of the truths of God's Word without being prompted much. We are in I Samuel now and every once in a while, they ask to read one of Jesus' parables as well. They love those. Yesterday was the parable about "Who is my neighbor?"

We also had dinner yesterday with the couple from Australia who are here for Orientation. They will be headed back to Australia in June then to Papua New Guinea, where he will be a pilot.

Jonathan's top front teeth are coming in really well now. He looks funny with the four front teeth! We can't get him to show all four at the same time for a picture, though.

More Airplanes

We have two new additions to our fleet here.

The first is a Piper Navajo that was stationed in the Philippines. JAARS is moving out of there (at least the aviation program) and selling the airplane. It was ferried back and arrived on Friday of last week. It took about 60 hours of flight time, according to one of the pilots. What a trip! They stopped at such places as Guam, Christmas Island, Hawaii.

The other is a new purchase. It is a Cessna 207 destined for Cameroon, Africa. It is basically a stretched 206 that sits 7 to 8 passengers, depending on configuration. It will be outfitted with a turboprop engine and then customized to JAARS standards. I don't know if there is a timeline yet of when they hope to have it in Cameroon.

I am still working on the engine for the 206 in Cameroon. It is going much faster now, and should be ready to put on the test stand by mid next week, if all goes well.

I have gotten permission from my family to look for flight instructing work again. I have put out a couple of resumes to local and not so local flight schools in hopes of getting about 2 to 3 days a week of evening or weekend work. I am going crazy without flying, and there is not really any hope of me flying JAARS planes until my technical evaluation in October. We will wait on the Lord for his provision.

We had a very nice visit from Brian Behal, the MAF recruiter yesterday. It is the third time he has been to visit us. He stayed for dinner and for conversation well into the evening. It was fun hearing some of his "jungle flying" stories!

Yesterday was somewhat of a milestone for me. Friday of last week, a cracked cylinder was found on the Cessna 206 used for training here. After the cylinder was removed, it was brought into the engine shop to be rebuilt. I did most of the "guts" work and turned it over to the other guys to be put back on the airplane. Yesterday it was returned for service and was flown again. So, that is the first time that I did any major work on an airplane that has flown! Small thing, but rewarding for me.

It has been a good week of working so far.

We were held up on the assembly of the engine, waiting on some parts to come in, so I was asked to assemble another tail wheel assembly again for an outside customer. This one went much faster as I am more familiar with the shop and the workings of the piece now.

We will be putting together the crankcase halves tomorrow and it will start looking like an engine soon!

Now for some bragging!

The other day we were reading the Bible together as a family and we read about the birth of Samuel. His mother promised that if God gave her a son, she would never cut his hair. Since we had just finished reading Judges as well, Josh said, "Oh, so he is a Nazirite."

I asked why he said that. He first asked, "Is it OK for me to infer things in the Bible?" After saying that you have to be careful doing that, but yes, it is OK, he said, "Well, Sampson couldn't cut his hair, and he was a Nazirite, so I think Samuel was too."

How cool for him to pick up on that! I am so glad my kids are paying attention to God's Word!

Additionally, Karina asked me if I could email her verses from time to time for her to memorize and talk about in our home fellowship meetings. I am so proud of both of them!

I praise God that he is working in their lives and drawing them to him!

The Secret

by Debbie Burgett

One by one, the handful of Saluan men slipped quietly out of the darkness and joined Malongi around the flickering fire. There was no talking or laughing or enjoyment of each other's company. This must be kept a secret.

So, just above a whisper, Malongi began the Bible lesson.Twenty years earlier, this isolated tribal village high in the Indonesian mountains had refused to have missionaries come. Even now they still clung to their traditional ways. Some of the Saluan men had not bathed in a year because they believe it makes machetes powerless to hurt them.

But then Malongi showed up and asked if he could teach them. His village had welcomed the same missionaries that this village had rejected. He said his message was so important that he would be willing to hike the long distance between his village and theirs to make sure they heard it.

And since he was one of their own, some of the men agreed to listen -- but only if it was kept a secret. They couldn't risk angering the spirits. If the spirits found out what they were up to, it could mean sickness and death for the whole village.

So Malongi built a house there and for the last year has traveled back and forth with his wife to whisper the wonderful secrets of God.And as he spoke that evening, truth came and danced gently around the fire. Spirits were forgotten as the men listened intently about Moses and the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Afterward, the seven Saluans melted silently back into the darkness. No comments, no goodbyes. The spirits must never know.But Malongi will keep on coming. He will keep on coming until those same men begin shouting the very secret they so desperately want to keep.

---This is a story that was sent to me in an email from "Tribal Beat", a newletter from New Tribes Mission. These are great, because they are stories of how God's Word is working in very dark places around the world.

You can subsribe by visiting this link.

JAARS Day

JAARS day is like an open house, air show, meet and greet all in one. It is the best opportunity to take in a lot of what God is doing through JAARS in a single event if you can make it.

There is a presentation in the morning, then the rest of the day is yours to visit the Alphabet Museum, Cardenas Museum, Hangar, and the other places that work gets done here.

At the beginning of the open time, there was a demonstration of the capabilities of the Kodiak airplane and the helicopter. It was fun to watch just how precisely these aircraft can be handled by highly trained and experienced missionary pilots!

I volunteered to help and was assigned the gatekeeper for the Kodiak rides. There were three aircraft giving rides: the Kodiak, the Helio Courier, and a Robinson R44. In addition, there was a 4X4 vehicle taking people around the Jungle Jumpoff area for demonstrating transportation on the ground.

The people who bought tickets for the "Mission Adventure Ride" would start out in a Helio Courier Airplane, then be dropped off to take a short ride in the 4X4 to be brought back.

I was able to speak to several individuals who had expressed interest in serving God in some capacity with JAARS. It was fun to get to know them and hear how they were open to God's direction in that area of their lives.

Of course, we are fond of the JAARS day as it was at one last October where we were challenged to seriously consider serving with them... and here we are!

The kids had a great time riding around in the shuttle bus and going between the two of us (Maggy was working the gift shop). Karina was in charge of the camera and took most of the pictures for the day. Click on the photo album link to see the new posts.

The first Saturday in August will be the next one. If you are in the area, try to visit!

I have included a few new links to other mission aviation websites. Read how God is working through so many people.