New Teammates!!!

We are thrilled to introduce you to Rob and Bintou Peterson- our new teammates!

Bintou and Rob Peterson (middle) along with Bintou's brother D'aquin.

Rob has been in aviation since birth- literally!  His father worked with JAARS in Indonesia.  He is on loan to our program for the next couple of years.  He and Bintou have been married about 6 months!  Bintou is a doctor from Cameroon (where they met), and will join the staff at Bongolo.

Rob's experience in mission aviation, especially running remote bases, is already blessing us!  More on this in future posts.  For now, Rob and Bintou are busy moving into their new home at the Bongolo mission and, today, we've got him at work, joining me to run a booth at the Bongolo High School career day!

Welcome to the team Rob and Bintou!!!

Video- Flights of Hope!

Have a Heart- Support a Heart!

On June 7th, we have another opportunity to transport a patient from Bongolo Hospital that needs specialized care for a heart condition.  You may remember our last opportunity to be involved with our friend, Fidele.


This time around it will be with a little boy, Alain- a patient of our colleague, Deb.  Deb has been identifying candidates, usually one per year, to take part in a program that she developed with friends at the Mayo Clinic (MN) that offers free care to a select few from the developing world.

Deb described this young boy as a bright and full of life!  It's really amazing because, about 2 years ago, he almost died at a hospital in Libreville.  Now, with the help of the team at Bongolo, they have stabilized his condition and his seizures have stopped enough that he can travel.

We'd like to invite you to assist this young boy on his journey.

Here is Deb's description of another case involving a young girl receiving care through the "Heart Send" program that she developed:


We left Libreville, Gabon together on July 9th to fly to Frankfurt, Germany. This was their first time on an international flight and they would need to take a total of 4 flights, the last three without me accompanying them, as I was heading to Atlanta for my 3-month home assignment. The Lord smoothed the way before them in answer to many prayers and they arrived in Minneapolis, MN very tired but happy.

When Grace arrived at the Mayo Clinic, she underwent a thorough evaluation. Her congenital heart anomaly was found not to be as complicated as feared. This made the surgery and recovery less difficult. She had her surgery on July 15th and came through with flying colors. Her mom, Prisque, was strong and trusting the Lord but refused to eat or drink anything that day until she knew that Grace was out of danger. 

Dr. Deborah Walker with Alain & his family

Grace’s recovery has gone very well and they had a wonderful time in Minnesota. A follow up visit with the cardiologist showed that the repair was a complete success and they flew back to Gabon on August 28th.
Thank you so much for praying for them and for giving to the Bongolo Heart Send Project approved special and partnering with us to make this miracle a reality!!! You have had a huge impact on this precious girl’s life.

We need your partnership to make these flights happen.  To continue offering these types of medical evacuations free of charge, please consider making a contribution to the Gabon Airplane fund.  CLICK HERE to get to the donation page.

You may enter "Gabon Airplane" to support the transport of such cases.  You may also enter "Bongolo Heart Send".

Thanks for your partnership in health and hope in this part of the world.

Steve 

Kid on my Wall

"Ismael: The Comeback Kid"

Yep... I've got a kid on my wall.  He's been there for a couple of years now.

Two years ago, when my Gabon colleagues and I were at our annual Forum gathering, one of them was giving her update regarding her very critical compassion work at Bongolo Hospital.  To make it hit home, she passed out pictures of people that represented some of those she had opportunity to connect with.

My picture was of Ismael.  Here's what she wrote on the back of the picture:

Ismael's pic on my wall, keeping my erasers company.

"Ismael.  2 Year old; HIV +; not yet on treatment.  His mother recently died, an his family members came to take his older siblings, leaving him with a neighbor.  The neighbor brought him for medical care, but upon learning of diagnosis, abandoned him."

So, I took Ismael home and put him on my wall.  Occasionally, I would look at Ismael and pray for him, wondering if he is being cared for.  Is someone going to ever look after him?  Is he still living?

I also take time to pray for my colleagues at Bongolo.  I honestly don't know how they do it.  The pain, the suffering, the death.  There are great stories too, but... I think it'd be so hard not to be overwhelmed by the sad ones.

Actually, I do know how they do it.  It's supernatural.  It honestly is.  The Bible says clearly that, when we serve the least of these, we are serving Him.  Could you imagine anyone more "least" thank Ismael?

In God's Word, it also says that we are a demonstration of Jesus to our world.  When we yield ourselves to a supernatural invasion of the Holy Spirit, we become more Christlike and can have resurrection power to take our "ordinary" and make it "extraordinary".  People notice.  They're drawn to it. 

Now... the story gets really cool...

Today, almost two years after putting Ismael on my wall, I get this email from my colleague, Renee:

"Steve, I’m not sure you’ll remember now, but 2 years ago at Field Forum, I gave you a picture of a little boy named Ismael who has HIV. His mother had died and his family didn’t want him. When the neighbor taking care of him learned his diagnosis, she left him with his dad, who she said was not capable and he never came back. I thought that he would probably be dead in a matter of months. He finally came back! He is doing relatively well and his dad seems committed to getting him treatment. He has started medicines, and I am very happy.  I think God heard and answered prayers for him.   Renee"

So very cool.  Lord thank you! Ismael is our comeback kid!  

Join the Comeback

What's on your wall?  Your fridge?  What are you praying for?  What are your God-size dreams and prayers for situations or people that you think are beyond hope?  

Our God is a comeback God.  When Jesus was on the cross, things looked bad.  When they buried Him, things looked a lot worse!  However... you know the end of that story.  The best comeback story of all time!

God has a comeback story that He's not finished with.  It's still being written and He's giving us a great honor and privilege to play a role.  Don't miss it.

"But God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

Romans 5:8 

YOU Are the Wind Beneath My Wings

Do you enjoy cheesy love songs?  I have to be honest... me- not so much.  The "Wind Beneath My Wings" song has a special place in my heart because, at a wedding, the most off-key version of this song was sung to the groom... BY HIS MOTHER!!! If I had the right equipment at that moment, I would have loved to get a recording sent off to Bette! 

Okay, okay... I digress.

Seriously, I need to let you know how incredibly blessed my family and I are to be YOUR ambassadors in serving cross-culturally to demonstrate God's love to people on the other side of the world from many of you.  We depend upon the generosity of people like YOU for our "paycheck."  We've been able to do what we do since August of 2007 like this.

So, I have to say it... You Are the Wind Beneath Our Wings!!!

At this time, however, we're starting to fly at lower altitudes- the wind beneath our wings is not as strong as it used to be!  So, we're looking for some additional financial support.  Would you be willing to consider joining our funding team?

SPECIFICALLY, we have some open spots on our "sustaining donor" team- those people that make a longer term commitment to invest in our support.  This is the CORE of our support.

Will you please consider being a core supporter?  We encourage our sustaining donors to sponsor one or more "Bongolo Bonds"- a $50 per month (or $600/yr.) level of giving.  We have 15 such "bonds" that need a sponsor at this time.

How can you make your donation?  There are many options!

1. AIR CALVARY WEBSITE:  CLICK HERE for the Air Calvary giving information that includes PayPal.  Please put "Straw Family" in the "description" on the paypal form or in the "note" section of your check.

2. C&MA WEBSITE:  CLICK HERE for online payment.  Type in "Stephen and Alace Straw".  You can set up recurring donations there.

3. AT YOUR LOCAL C&MA CHURCH:  Write a check to your local church and note that it is for the "work of Stephen & Alace Straw- GABON".  This donation is credited to your local church as "Great Commission Fund" giving now!

If you do sign on for a Bongolo Bond, please also send me an email to let me know (Gabon.pilot@gmail.com).  Thanks so much for giving this some thought.  We can't do it without you!

Love,  Steve and Alace

"Hospice" Air Evac

A couple weeks back, a nurse called from Bongolo explaining that they had done all that they could for "L", but the cancer in his leg had advanced too far- his case appears to be terminal, from a medical perspective.  The nurse wanted to know if I could help deliver "L" to the coastal town of Port Gentil, where the only person lived that would take care of him.

You see, "L" had made a decision to become a follower or Jesus and his family, followers of another religion who live in Cameroon, had turned their back on him.  They no longer viewed "L" as ever having existed in their family.

Now, "L's" time on Earth was coming to its final chapter, ushered in by one last voyage- a one and a half hour trip on our aircraft.  He was given some pain medication and slowly driven to the airport in a car belonging to one of the international workers from Bongolo.  Prior to arriving at Bongolo, he had broken his femur, so each movement sent pain shooting through his leg.

At the airport, we grabbed corners of the mat he was on and carefully loaded him into our Cessna 207.  We were blessed to have the presence of Jeff, a flight nurse from Alaska, who could direct the process (in sunglasses in this photo).

On arrival at Port Gentil, we loaded "L" into a waiting ambulance and into the care of the only person, remaining on earth, that was willing to take care of him.  A kind, simply dressed priest, who was demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ to "L".


Please pray for "L" and the priest in these difficult days to come.  After leaving the airport, they were stopping at the pharmacy to get the pain medication that Bongolo had prescribed.  After that, the priest described that they would have a difficult journey over very rough roads to get to his home.  This would be a painful trip for "L".

As the remaining passengers and I loaded back in to the airplane and departed up the coast (from point #4 to point #11 on the map), except for the drone of the engine, it was quiet.  Certainly, we were reflecting upon the challenging journey ahead for "L" and the priest to come.

Additionally, I think we were all reflecting on our own situations and how our family connections are so key in our lives.  However, in the life of "L", facing the final days of his earthly life, his family was not willing to take him in or even respond to his calls.  "L" counted the cost of the decision to follow Jesus- a cost that many of us will never know.

What is the "cost" of my discipleship path?  What losses am I willing to take in following my savior?

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."

James 1:2

(NOTE:  The Air Evacuation portion of the flight was made possible through a partner church in Tennessee!  Would you or your organization like to sponsor an air evacuation?  Contact me at "Gabon.pilot@gmail.com" or make a donation using PayPal HERE - enter "Gabon Airplane" as "description")

Fuel Drums on the Move... FINALLY!!!

Fueling Progress... MAKING PROGRESS!!!

I am THRILLED to tell you about some recent developments on two different fronts:

IN GABON:  The administrator of Bongolo Hospital, Pastor Serge, suggested that we submit a request to the government for them to consider supporting our program by ordering about $25,000 worth of AvGas.  They would use their contacts with a French oil company (TOTAL) to have the fuel (30 barrels) shipped in to the port.  We have worked hard to get all documents in our dossier and submit it to the government.  Their response was that we should see positive action taken in April! 

IN THE US:  An idea emerged to simply make use of the shipping containers that are regularly coming to Gabon, twice a year, in support of medical mission work.  This was very attractive since it would allow us to not feel a burden to fill an entire shipping container all at once.  We've decided to give a try with an initial shipment of 15 barrels (an estimated 2 months worth of flying). 

Thanks to some friends, we found some "over-run" fuel drums (in KY) that met the specifications we needed for a fraction of the normal cost.  These were taken to our friends at MMS Aviation (Coshocton, OH), who supervised the fueling (one of the lowest prices per gallon in all of the US!), and then the drums were trucked to Cleveland for loading in the container that will soon come to Gabon.  We estimate their arrival in late May or early June.

We appreciate your patience with us on this journey.  As we are all finding, international aviation work advances slowly and typically plan "A" becomes "B" and "C".  We appreciate your prayers and encouragement as we link arm-in-arm in this exciting, important work.

Blessings, Steve 

Lipstick on a Pig

Moving from SUCCESS to SIGNIFICANCE

Didn't a political figure once talk about putting "lipstick on a pig"?  Actually, doing a google search just now, I find that many have used this phrase.

So, I've got a question for you...

In your life... in all that you do, all that you say, all that you think... are you unknowingly putting lipstick on a pig?

Here's what I'm getting at:  How can you be sure, in your everyday life, that you are investing in "matters of consequence"- investing in things that won't ultimately fail and amount to nothing?

Many live by the Boy Scout credo:  leave this world a little better than when you found it.  For sure, people do quite a variety of really amazing things with the goal of leaving the planet better than when they arrived. Not a bad credo at all.  I think we'd find many amazing people doing amazing things out there!  However, what really has lasting significance?  Can what we do, in the here-and-now, really "echo in the halls of eternity"? (Note: Gladiator reference!)

I don't know what is your driving force and how you might make your goals, but I have a sneaky suspicion that, if we're not careful, we're engaging in activities that really amount to putting lipstick on a pig.  (Apologies to those pig-lovers out there!)

Just doing some reflection today (as if you hadn't noticed) and I'm finding a great template that will, hopefully, assit me in moving a bit further away from "swine makeup application" (making "bad things good") to something supernatural ("making dead things live").

Part of the prayer that Jesus helped us to pray is the phrase "Your Kingdom Come".  So this is my submission to you (drum roll please)...

In the Morning:  perhaps one element to your morning time of prayer would be this request- "Lord- may YOUR Kindgom come through me"... through the way that I speak and behave with my family, my neighbors, those serving me at the grocery store, restaurant, my colleagues, etc.  May HIS Kingdom be expressed through my words, actions, and thoughts- not for my glory, but for the glory of the name of Jesus.  That all would see and experience the love of their Creator God in the kind words that I speak and the actions that I execute.

In the Evening:  As part of a time of reflection of the day, ask yourself, "Was God's Kingdom expressed in me today for a world that is dying for evidence of true life?"

In this way, I think that we may be helped from the error of taking the focus off of our loving, Heavenly Father.  It could help us to remove the focus of what makes me feel good or how I can be validated or successful or fulfilled or "self-realized". 

Perhaps it can assist us to put the focus on what we've all been designed for by a creative God- to express Himself in a panoply of ways so that the world directs their attention and worship toward Him and is blessed.  Blessed to be a blessing.

 (NOTE:  I used to say that I was all about "Expanding" Christ's Kingdom.  However, the deal is that His Kingdom is actually already established- whether you acknowledge it or not (Psalm 93).  So, a better way to say it is that we are to "Express" the reality of Christ's Kingdom.  Are you sniffin' what I'm scratchin'?  I thought you were.  Thanks)