NEW AIRPLANE FINAL INSPECTION SCHEDULED!

 June 26th in Nairobi! FINALLY! 

All our documents, both required and supplementary, have been 
approved! The FAA inspection representative found an open
date on his calendar.

THANK YOU for supporting this long journey.
It's not quite over yet, but this is a MAJOR 
step forward.

TAIL NUMBER N207BH
In this pic you see the Zambian registration that was 
placed there in the 1980's after it was imported 
from the US.

This Cessna 207 features the same engine our current aircraft
has, but with a turbo-charger. We are thankful that an AIM 
AIR pilot, based in Nairobi, with years of experience with 
this engine, will be my co-pilot in the long flights back to Gabon.

It will be great to have the larger, 8 seat aircraft, back in our 
operation. We look forward to MANY years of service with 
"Bravo Hotel". Thank you again for your support.

The large double cargo doors and high useful load make the C207
a desirable aircraft for skydiving, rural air-taxi bush ops (many
are used in Alaska), and mission aviation.

Doesn't it look inviting?!?
Come to Gabon and check it out!

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

WANNA BUILD A HANGAR WITH ME?!?

 OCTOBER 16 to 27... Y'ALL COME!

The local Mayor (in black shirt) and his lovely wife
visited our aging, rotting, hangar this week! They 
approved the NEW HANGAR PROJECT!

THE WORK: construction of a larger aircraft hangar to replace the old, rotting structure we currently use. The new one will be done without use of wood in the structure (metal structure; cement block) and will serve the national Alliance church in Gabon for many years to come. 

THE VISION: The space will be large enough to provide for the vision the Lord has given the church (and Bongolo Hospital)- to have space for operations as well as training the next pilots and mechanics to join the team.

THE NEEDS: We need prayer support and financial support as well as participants in a short term mission team to assist in the final assembly phase.

PRAYER: We believe prayer to be the first work of this effort. We’re asking the Lord to align our hearts with HIS and that this effort is joining in what HE IS ALREADY doing to express His Love and expand His Kingdom.

FINANCES: Praise the Lord, we have already received several gifts and have pledges for a significant amount the materials needed! To help www.GabonAirplane.org for giving info.

PARTICIPANT COSTS: We estimate a round trip airline cost at about $1400, in-country transport costs at about $450, lodging and meals (for 10 days) at about $600 and the visa... We just found out US Citizens are FREE! YAY! We are asking each participant to be responsible for covering the costs of their visit. We also humbly ask you to please consider asking your sending faith community to make a gift to also help with this projects costs. (Note: the only travel shot you will need is for Yellow Fever- a common shot for traveling to tropical zones of the world.)

We are a small project and depend on this type of partnership to accomplish the work. Thank you for considering this. I am available to do video conferencing to your Sunday School classes or worship services or other to assist you to promote this. Likewise, I plan to do a short video announcement that high-lights the project and need that you can share with others. (note: assisting with the project funds, over and above your travel costs, is not a pre-requisite for your participation).

IMPORTANT DATES:

23 May to 06 June- Advance team of our two point people, Paul Davis and Keith Moser. They will meet with local engineers to finalize the design and lay out the material needs including the machines and tools.

SUMMER- Local believers will use the design to lay out the foundational elements of the new hangar and assemble all the materials.

16 OCT to 27 OCT- SHORT TERM MISSION TRIP for the final phase of construction. We’ll need those that are willing to do things from swing a hammer to assist in meal preparation for the team of visitors from the US (some of you!) as well as our local believers. (Note: this date is a bit later in the year due juggling some dynamics like a presidential election in the country followed by some mission team conference dates). 

A short video highlighting what the hangar looks like after a rain, due to its age...

NEXT STEPS:

Please let me know what role you are interested in… prayer support, financial support, project advocate (sharing with your local group/church about the need and giving project updates), and/or SHORT TERM MISSION TRIP PARTICIPANT (even if it’s just a “maybe”). Email me at Gabon.Pilot@gmail.com.

For those that feel they may be able to participate in the October mission trip, more details will follow about how to apply for the visa and more. We have a visitor coordinator that will take care of all those details for you.

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

2023 Focus

 The big items we need your prayers and support with this year...

1. NEW HANGAR

Our current hangar is slowly rotting away, despite efforts to save it.
VISION: Larger, more durable hangar; space for education, 
a training aircraft, work stations, and more.
MAY/JUNE '23: Advance team visit (get foundation & walls going)
JUL/AUG/SEP '23: Local Team continue work & assembling finish material
OCT '23: (16th-27th) Final Assembly Short Term Mission Team
(lift & crane set beams in place; cabinets & workbench assembly; & more!)
NEEDS:
- Visiting team of 6-8 to partner with local team in October
(if interested, email gabon.pilot@gmail)
- Financial gifts for purchasing material (1st estimate was $70,000+) 
and renting crane and lift
- Prayers for safety and wisdom

2. Intern On-Line Courses!

Henrica has qualified for Blue Ridge Community College (VA)!
Her hard work has paid off! Thank you for your prayers
MAY '23: Online English pre-requisite course
JUN '23: Online Math pre-requisite course
AUG '23: Start of online FAA Mechanic Course
NEEDS:
SUMMER Textbooks $180 & Tuition $2350
FALL Textbooks (TBD) $ Tuition $4000 (est.)

3. New Aircraft Re-Registration & Re-Positioning

ALL PAPERWORK NOW APPROVED!!!
The FAA Airworthiness Rep will travel to Kenya soon, 
then we'll reposition the aircraft to Gabon and into operation.
NEEDS:
MAY '23: Inspectors travel and Fees $12,000
JUN/JUL '23: Repositioning Costs $4500

 

4. SHIPMENT OF AvGas FUEL

PRAISE GOD! The initial purchase amount has been provided!
80 drums, 200 liters each (1585 gals.)... $29,300.
NEEDS:
NOW: We are beginning to reach out to government friends
to advocate on our behalf to port authorities. Please Pray.
JUL '23: PRAY that we can get exoneration from import fees. 
Sometimes we have received exoneration, other 
times we have paid 50 to 80% of the value.

Please consider partnering with us in this important work to SHOW and TELL about God's Love. If you would like to specifically assist with one of the above needs, please let me know with an email to "Gabon.Pilot@gmail" and follow the giving instructions below. Merci Beaucoup!

OPTIONS TO CONTRIBUTE:

DONATE THROUGH the ALLIANCE (click)

PAYPAL THROUGH THINGS ABOVE PROJECT (click below)

Baby Medivac

 Today's post comes from Eric & Wendy Hofman, colleagues on our team at Bongolo Hospital. Eric serves in accounting and bookkeeping for the mission and hospital and Wendy is director of the Eye Clinic and current Medical Director of the hospital.

This is a little premature baby who was born nearby at 33 weeks' gestation and referred to Bongolo Hospital because of a developmental malformation called laparoschisis, where her intestines were actually coming out through a rare defect in her belly wall.  (Don't worry, these pictures don't show that!)

She was immediately operated on by our teammates at Bongolo to prepare her for transport the next day to our capital city of Libreville, 350 milesaway, where she would receive a definitive operation.  

We used the poor fund (supplied by many of you!) to pay for her hospitalization and surgery here at Bongolo.  And then Wendy discovered that God had arranged for the destination hospital in Libreville to be having a rare campaign of free pediatric surgeries starting just that day for a month.  A donor then offered to cover the costs for an emergency flight to Libreville on our little mission airplane by our pilot with 12 hours' notice.  

Our neonatal physician accompanied the baby and her mother on the flight and monitored her battery-operated IV pump and excellent oxygenation levels, which were supported by having the plane fly at a lower altitude.

With the aid of local Gabonese medical contacts, Wendy arranged for the free ambulance to pick them up at the Libreville airport, and for the pediatric physician to be ready to receive them at the hospital.

We thank the Lord for all His help.  Only by His hand might something like
this be possible for a poor mother and baby in the middle of the jungles of
Africa.  Jeremiah 9:23-24 says, "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man
boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the
rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he
understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight',
declares the Lord."  We delighted too, in seeing His hand at work through so many of Christ's body in this remote place.

Please consider supporting the needs of the Bongolo Hospital. Click on the link to find out how: https://www.bongolohospital.org/causes/

PK27 Property Update- FREEDOM!

 Just outside of Libreville is a piece of property, owned by the Alliance church of Gabon, that will be home to several ministries, including a medical clinic, as well as an airstrip! We currently refer to this property as "PK-27" and you can read more about it HERE.  

For about 2 years, there was a property dispute, but... thanks to our brother in Christ (and lawyer!), mister Nesmy, the church was represented well and stood their ground. The opposition ceased to keep in touch with the courts about this issue and, as a result, the matter is effectively dropped and the church is preparing to move forward! A perimeter fence will go up soon and we can resume the work on the runway!

Almost 6 years ago, we did the bulk of the clearing and marking work at PK27. Click HERE to read more on that story.

We covet your prayers going forward. More news to follow!

Test #2! I think we have the Blog email thing figured out! YAY!!!

TEST #2

Hello, I'm posting a smaller blog, with only one picture, to test the function that some of you have signed up for- receiving automatic emails each time we post.  So, bear with me as we figure this out.  Thank you all! Apologies for all the "empty" emails! I think we have it figured out now.

This is our family at my mom's celebration of life 
gathering. It was such a sweet time with family and friends.

TEST POSTING

Hello, I'm posting a smaller blog, with only one picture, to test the function that some of you have signed up for- receiving automatic emails each time we post.  So, bear with me as we figure this out.  Thank you all! Apologies for all the "empty" emails! I think we have it figured out now.

This is our family at my mom's celebration of life 
gathering. It was such a sweet time with family and friends.

Family Time in the US!

 After visiting Sam in Taiwan, it was on to Chicago to see our other two children and their spouses.

Joe, our oldest, picked us up at O'Hare! He works in I.T. in Chicago.

It was just in time for Joe's birthday! Laura, his wife, is handing
him his cake (she works in event planning in Chicago). Looking on
is our middle child, Megan (social worker in Chicago), and her husband,
John (marketing job in Chicago).

On the 23rd of December, we were able to visit my parents in PA.
Here we are with my father.

My mom's health was failing and she was in a separate section of 
their facility. As some of you know, she went to be with Jesus
on the 1st of January at the age of 90 and in the 70th year of
marriage to my father. God blessed me with the best mom- a life
committed to loving and serving others.

We had a special Christmas gift of seeing one of the 
last performances of The Music Man fronted by one of 
Laura's favorite performers, Hugh Jackman!

We also have had very special time connecting with Alace's mom, 
who opened her home for my recovery time after my hernia repair
surgery in early February, in Ohio. She's so generous to us!

Megan & John also visited with my father to share their love 
and support through the loss of my mom. We want to thank the 
many that took time to send their love our direction. So many
friends and family responded- my dad felt so much love.