PODCAST!

Hey Everyone,

If you are interested in hearing more about our upcoming deployment to Gabon, click on this LINK:       PODCAST

On that website, scroll down until you see the picture to the right...

The corresponding powerpoint is below, viewed as a PDF file.

The sermon was given to Westside Chapel, Greensboro, NC, our church family for the past 2 1/2 years, while we've been on a special assignment.

Westside- Straw PPT-PDF Verson by Gabon_pilot on Scribd

Update: 2019 Launch... Back to Africa!

Alace & I with her sweet mom

Thank you for praying for the difficult situation with Alace’s mother in Ohio.  Her husband is now in a care facility that is better suited for his type of dementia.  Some legal matters are still in need of sorting out.

Mission Pilot Apprentices @ MAG

Praise the Lord for a fruitful season of training new missionaries!  Two years ago, our agency, Missionary Air Group, asked Steve to oversee a new apprentice mission pilot training program- the first of its kind.  This past month, we graduated the first pilot whose family is planning on serving in Bolivia.  In May, the next two will graduate- one going to minister to Russian and Thai (yes, Thai!) pilots at a training base in Alaska, and the other to Honduras.  Pray for the 4th and 5th graduate who may be heading to help in Gabon!  Executing this new program has been challenging- it’s great to see this fruit!

Alace, top right, part of the staff at JAARS "ICC" Program

Alace is part of a training team at JAARS, in the middle of a 5-week pre-field training of 25 new missionaries heading out to serve all over the world.  This is the third year of her participating- over 100 missionaries trained!We are excited as we help our daughter, Megan, to get ready for her wedding to John Lewis, April 13th!

Be expecting a lot more flying pictures in Africa in 2019.

We sense the Lord’s guidance to return, full-time, to Gabon in 2019- likely leaving the US at the end of May.

There are a lot of details to work through and some “re-launch” needs.  We'll be sharing more about this through our blog and your mailbox soon (make sure we have your current address!).

Thank you for your prayers!

Love,

Steve and Alace

2019 Gabon Container Info

NEXT CONTAINER DEADLINE :  MARCH 1st, 2019

Dear co-laborers in the ministry of the 
Bongolo Hospital,

We want to wish all of Bongolo Hospital ministry partners a wonderful 2019. We so appreciate all the help you have been in this ministry through-out the years! Dr. Renee Valach wrote recently that around 1,400 people have decided to follow Jesus in 2018. She asks for prayer concerning some needs: for more Gabonese nurses, a long-term primary care missionary doctor, and a project manager to coordinate the construction and infrastructure projects.  

                            
There will be a shipment going out this year and the packages are to arrive at ARK Transportation between Jan. 15th to Feb. 28th.  (The 2017-2018 Needs list that you can find on the Great Commission Women's web site is still current.)  The items listed below are some things that are more urgent.  
If you should have any questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me or call.  Serving together, Coleen Lofgren

Urgently needed items at this time:

>  MULTIVITAMINS: Centrum (or similar with all the trace minerals) multivitamins for children especially, but also for adults. Please don’t send the round, gumball like Centrum children, but the chewable ones or kids under 4 years old.

>  MEDICAL TABLE SHEETS: Delivery room and OR table covers made out of flat sheets (see instructions below)**

>  STERILIZATION WRAPS: sterilization wraps * (we don't need 12" x 12")

>  ANTACIDS: TUMs or Rolaids (with Calcium).

>  BENADRYL:  Pills or capsules; generic is OK.

>  DIAPERS FOR PREEMIES:  Sizes P & XP

>  BANDAGES: 3 to 4 inch wide rolled sheet bandages. Please use a narrow length of sheet to secure them (not rubber bands- they disintegrate)

>  TOYS: Dr. Wendy Hofman, the eye doctor would like small items like stickers, small toys;  Meladee Davis would like small toys like the others plus the pillow case dresses and shorts (for boys) and also "Mama packs" that she hands out in the maternity ward.

Other, Less Urgent Needs:

>  GLASSES: new reading glasses, glass cases (homemade or bought), disposable pen lights.

>  LAB COATS/SCRUBS: long white lab coats, new or slightly used scrubs sizes small and medium

>  MEDICAL GOWNS: children's patient gowns (see patterns on Internet)

>  PLASTICWARE: inexpensive sippy cups, baby spoons and shallow plastic small bowls.

>  TOWELS: blue OR towels used in surgery.

* Instructions for sterilization wraps: finished sizes wanted  are 12” x 12”, 24” x 24”, 36” x 36”. 48” x 48”.  You can make them out of gently used cotton and cotton/polyester material or  sheets or old cloth tablecloths. Don’s use flannel as it is too loose a weave.  Preferred colors are blue, green or white solid (others accepted though).  To make them, cut the material 1/2” larger than the size wanted.  They are to be double thickness, with the seams on the inside.  After sewing the two pieces of material, turn it inside right, then sew a seam about 1/2” around the entire square and then an “X” from corner to corner.  this way, when they are washed, they will stay in place.  Questions?  Call me at 218-245-2706.

**Instructions for delivery table sheets: use flat sheets twin or full size, any color, out of cotton or cotton/polyester. Fold sheet in half so it is 48” x 66” (twin) or 48”x 81” (full).  Sew or Zig-zag around the entire doubled sheet, including the folded side, close to the edge.   Then measure half way down (33” or 40.1”) and sew across the sheet.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  BOX SIZE: The packages should be no larger than a total of 72 inches (length + height + width) unless you have special permission.  Please limit different types of items to 3-4 per box and put each type of item in it’s own plastic bag for easier sorting at the hospital.

2.  COLLECTION LOCATION: Send the boxes to : ARK Transportation c/o Gabon Shipment Bongolo Hospital, 17830 Englewood Drive, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130  by MARCH 1st. You may also arrange for drop off by calling George Hurst, 440-891-0088.  If driving there, look for Unit 23.

3.  COMMUNICATIONlinda.chae@att.net

-Church and address

-Contact’s name, phone number and e-mail address

-Total number of boxes sent.  Please label each box by letter and numbers, for example, if your church is in Plain View, Iowa and you’re sending 2 boxes, you might choose PVI#1, PVI#2.  Please include the two letter state abbreviation in your label as there are a lot of churches with the same name as First Alliance Church.

-The dimensions rounded to the nearest inch and the cubic feet of each package (multiply the height, length and depth in inches and divide by 1728)

-Category of items as one of the following: personal effect, medicine, medical equipment or food.

- List the items and quantities.  You can group items together.  For example, instead of listing 23 3” rolled bandages and 23 5” ones, just put 46 rolled bandages.  Linda C. will price the items, so you don’t have to do that. 

4. SHIPPING COSTS:  $15 per cubic foot.  Add up the total cubic feet that your boxes measure, multiply by $15, and send that amount to the Finance Department of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO. 80920).  Include a note stating that the funds are for the Bongolo Hospital Med Supp./Shipping account, and write the number 09037-4340 in the memo line of your check.

5. OTHER: If you have items you think might be useful, but are not on the list, please e-mail or call Coleen L. at 218-245-2706. Please let other churches know about the shipment. 

Once again, that you for  your generous giving! Coleen

Gabon teammates work to unload the November '16 container at Bongolo

THIS WEEKEND!!! PA Airplane Tour

Reminder!

COME VISIT Steve and Alace and other MAG Missionaries and sit inside our mission aircraft- a newly refurbished and modified Cessna 206.  These are "open house" style events- come and go as you'd like.

Saturday, the 18th, 9am-4:30pm at the Smoketown airport, just East of Lancaster (directions) as part of a missions fair.

Sunday, the 19th, 1pm-4pm at Smoketown airport

Sunday, the 19th, 5pm-9pm at Selinsgrove airport (directions) at Energy Aviation

Monday, the 20th, 9am-noon at Selinsgrove airport (same location)

Monday, the 20th, 5pm-9pm at State College (University Park airport- directions) at the PSU Aviation Center

Tuesday, the 21st, 9am-noon at State College (same location)

If you have any questions, please email me at steve.s@flyMAG.org

Airplane Tour in PA!

We will be on a quick tour of central PA, August 18-21.  Here is our program:

Saturday the 18th: 
9am-4:30pm @ Smoketown Airport (Directions) as part of the aviation fair (see promo)

Sunday the 19th: 
1pm-4pm @ Smoketown Airport
5pm-9pm @ Selinsgrove Airport (Directions)- we will be at "Energy Aviation"

Monday the 20th:
9am to noon @ Selinsgrove Airport
5pm-9pm @ University Park Airport, State College (Directions)- at "PSU Aviation Center"

Tuesday the 21st:
9am to noon @ University Park Airport, State College

We invite everyone to come and visit us and take a tour of one of our mission aircraft that has been specifically modified for our work.  It will be an "open house" style- come and go during these times as you would like.  We hope to see you there!!!

PK-27 Airstrip Construction Continues

Here is a quick video of some time-lapse of our July 2018 efforts to finish the "deforestation" phase of the airport construction.  (more photos and stories to follow)

Pray for Trafficked African Children

In Gabon, a relatively wealthy African country, there are, sadly, many trafficked children.  The national Alliance church reaches out to at-risk children, like these, to offer them a home, an education, and spiritual formation, under the care of Pastor Israel and his wife, Natalie.  Their house, typical full with about 50 children, is called Hope House.

In this blog, you've heard about the Hope House several times.  Alace and I have been a part of supporting this ministry for a decade.  Perhaps you've heard about one of the Hope House children, Henricka, who wants to become a pilot (www.wings4Africa.org).   We really love all the kids and ask you to pray for them and consider supporting them through a monthly or one-time donation through our friends at E4 Project (http://www.e4project.org/programs/hope-house/).

The PK-27 project (social works campus), where we are partnering with the national Alliance church to build an airstrip, will provide a permanent home for the Hope House children.

Here is a recent news report that highlights the issue of child trafficking in Gabon:

Bongolo Eye Clinic Story

Thirteen years ago, a 15 year-old boy named Stoll prayed fervently that his uncle, who was like a father to him, would be healed.  God didn't answer that prayer, and his uncle died.  In anger Stoll turned away from God.  

Three years later, Stoll was in a car accident where the vehicle flipped four times; his body was pulled from the wreckage and he was thought to be dead, but Stoll saw a vision of Jesus putting His hands on the wound in his abdomen.  He returned to life and survived, but still would not let go of his bitterness toward God.  

Then finally a few nights ago while sleeping, he saw another beautiful vision of Jesus, and the next day he brought his sister to Bongolo Hospital for abdominal surgery.  

While waiting for her, he spoke to another patient about his vision in the night and she told him he needed to come hear the message at the eye clinic.  There, he heard the eye clinic chaplain talking about how God was always faithful to His covenant with Abraham, and how He will always be faithful to us; He will never give up on us.  Stoll considered how God kept seeking him out personally.  His heart finally broke and he was healed from his long-harbored anger toward God.  He was given a Bible that he is excited to read, and he can't wait to join a dynamic church he knows of in his home town.

It's exciting to know that God is pursuing us, even when we are not aware of it!  Have a great week!

Submitted by Eric H. at Bongolo