Meaningful Transformation

from a Scottish Liturgy Worship and praise belong to you, God our maker. Where nothing was you wove the web of being, and still you draw the universe to its fulfillment. Dawn and evening celebrate your glory till time shall be no more. In Christ your Son, the life of heaven and earth were joined, sealing the promise of a new creation, given, yet still to come. Taught by your Spirit, we who bear your threefold likeness look for the City of Peace in whose light we are transfigured and the earth transformed. Amen.

Bongolo Eye Clinic News

Here is an update from Dr. Wendy, director of the Bongolo Eye Clinic:

Here is a picture of Noeli and her husband.  She and her husband have been married for 38 years, and they have 10 children and 8 grandchildren.  Every time Noeli sees her grandchildren, they ask her, ”Grandma, can you see yet?”.  She has always had to say no before.  But now we have operated on both of her cataracts, and the next time she sees her grandchildren, she will be able to tell them, “Yes, I can see!”  She told Wendy, “And I mean I see really clearly, like a newborn baby!”  They already know Jesus, and are so thankful to Him for answering their prayers.  The whole family will be blessed by a grandma who can see.

Sam Starts San Diego Life

Sam is starting a new life!  From the jungles of Central Africa to the beautiful beaches of Southern California.

The view from Encinitas beach.

We're blessed for the generosity of the Schmidt family- Assembly of God missionaries serving in Cameroon... and, our VERY good friends!  Sam graduated RFIS high school with their son, Nathan, and, both not knowing exactly what they'd like to go study at college, decided to live in one of their family-managed apartments (at a killer rate!)

It's official!  A Mesa College student!

Nathan and Sam check out the apartment.

If you'd like to contact Sam, feel free!  1518 Oliver Ave. Apt. C, San Diego, CA 92109. 

Gabon Plus...

Plus what?!?

Along the journey, Alace and I have seen doors open, allowing us to serve in ways that compliment or expand the work we're doing.  Case in point, with your help, we started up the aviation work in Gabon (our primary work), but along the way, other tasks and opportunities ("Pluses") came along- field leadership team, national church liaison, guest house management, dorm house parenting, national aviation club, shipping container logistics, and more. We are in just such a "Plus" season:

23rd Anniversary on 31 July!

Plus... Recruitment Component!
Our work in Gabon will grind to a halt unless we lay the ground work for additional teammates to join the work.  We now have the opportunity to join the Missionary Air Group (MAG) effort to recruit and train up mission aviators with a new, apprenticeship model- the first of its kind!  MAG is staffing the program to have primary training at the North Carolina base, and components of the advanced training on site at the international bases of operation (Gabon, Guatemala, and Honduras).

Plus... Equipping Nationals!
On top of the apprenticeship model that we will look for transferability to developing countries, we have been asked by the national church leaders (C&MA) in Gabon to provide first responder and flight nurse training.  Since MAG has similar training already in Spanish, our main work will be translating it and then implementing it.  We are so excited about this and can't wait to see it all come together!  The training will most likely take place at a new base near the capital city, speaking of which....

July work at PK-27, in Gabon, ramps up!

Plus... New Capital City Landing Strip!
For the first 5 years in Gabon, our work was based out of the international airport in Libreville.  There was only one runway for a relatively busy airport and, although there were many hangars, we couldn't find a home and had to park the aircraft on the ramp, exposed to the punishing elements.  Now, with the progress that the national Alliance church is making at their PK-27 social works campus, just outside of Libreville, they are ready to move forward with the planned airstrip on the property.  Our Gabonese church family has many participants in the building activity at the site and are ready to receive a team to assist in the development of the airport in the summer of 2017.  We are excited to hear that a team leader has already stepped up to the plate!  Once this landing strip is in place, we will no longer have to deal with the headaches of landing at the international airport!  Would you like to participate?  Email me at Gabon.Pilot@gmail.com

Plus... Guatemala and Honduras!

MAG President, Sean Donnelly (L), and I meet with
C&MA church leaders about future training plans.

MAG has other bases in Central America where they are developing teams to continue their programs that have been operating there for years.  They have asked Alace and I to provide leadership in skills development for teamwork and aviation- things where Alace and I are able to share our experience and expertise.  We will start making regular visits to those sites, on top of Gabon, to serve those teams and help them thrive.

Plus... Training & Recurrency!
I, Steve, have added some great experience in the last couple years in the area of leadership, management, and administration.  However, it has kept me out of the cockpit, so it is time for recurrency and upgrading my flight instructor ratings.  MAG has training aircraft at the base in Burlington, NC, so we'll settle in for this phase, as we continue to stay on top of Gabon and the other bases.  Our address there is:  3209 Stonypointe Dr., Greensboro, NC 27406.

As we make the transition into these expanded roles, there is a blend of emotions- excitement and some trepidation.  We ask for your prayers as we continue with your support and teamwork, to be good stewards of the work that we are doing.  Thank you for joining us on this "plus-sized" journey!

Please consider joining our prayer and funding team!

CLICK HERE for more info.

Bongolo Hangar Fuel Storage

In December of 2005, when Alace and I visited Bongolo for the first time, we toured the airport near the hospital.  It was a 5-year-old grass/gravel/dirt runway with a 4 year old hangar that had all been prepared, in faith, that an aviation program would one day be based there.

It was impressive to think of the faith that the Bongolo Hospital team had at that time, led by Dr. David Thompson.  He was our tour guide that day and told us that, actually, the team had put out calls for aviation support since the mid-1980's!  Talk about perseverance!!!

Today, thanks to the many that have supported this work and those on the front line, the hangar still stands, better than ever!  In the summer of 2013, with the arrival of our second pilot/mechanic (Rob Peterson), we decided to move the program to be based in Bongolo.

We had worked hard, since 2007, to get the program up and running- based out of the capital city of Libreville, where there was no hangar for our hard-working Cessna 207.  It was important that we had this time, as I spent much time in and out of the offices of the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Health, Civil Aviation, and praying with the national church leaders of the C&MA.

Better than ever?!?

In the summer of 2013, with Rob lending a hand, we replaced the hangar door support structure with a new span of wood, cut at a local lumber yard.  This was no simple task!

Other updates and organization have happened under Rob's excellent care- the latest of which is a new home for our fuel drums in a shipping container we purchased and set beside the hangar.  Enjoy the photos:

Thanks to the Bongolo Hospital maintenance crew for their great help on this project!  More pictures to follow when the container is moved onto the forms and the fuel drums are in their home.
Thank you for your teamwork!

Wings For Africa

The Alliance national church in Gabon has broken ground on the PK 27 project that will be home to many social care programs run by our Gabonese colleagues.  It will also feature a landing airstrip and hangar.  Now, along with the US-based facilitator of the project, E4 Project, we are brainstorming what kind of educational opportunities might flow out of the aviation program to equip nationals.  We invite you on this journey!  Here is more info, via video...

If you are having issues loading the video below, please go to this website: https://vimeo.com/169423859

Wings for Africa from Stephen Straw on Vimeo.

Bongolo Hospital Needs

Year after year, dedicated supporters of medical missions at Bongolo Hospital make and collect items to be sent, via shipping container, to Gabon.  I have actually been in Gabon, when these containers are being processed at the port, unloaded, and put into use.  Be rest assured that ALL ITEMS are used to bless those that come seeking health and hope in a very remote part of Africa.  Our Gabon team of international workers are so blessed to have this teamwork.

Thank you for considering joining in the provision of the current needs at Bongolo.  The next shipment will depart Cleveland, Ohio (ARK Transport), September 1st, so it's a good idea to get the word out now.  Details are below.

Here are some urgently needed items at this time:

  
A.  Centrum (or similar with all the trace minerals) multivitamins 
-  Needed for Adults and, especially, for children (not "gumball" shaped; but the chewable ones).
-  Note:  "Equipping the Saints" (www.etsusa.org) sells "Vine Vites for Kids"- 1000 chewable tablets @ $18.95/bottle (must buy a case of 12 bottles). 

B.  Benadryl tablets (not capsules)
-  Generic is OK

C.  Artificial Tears 
-  like Systane or Generic 

D.  Covers for Delivery & Operating Room Tables
-  See instructions below**

E. Sterilization Wraps

-  See instructions below*

F.  Vision Glasses
-  new reading glasses & glass cases
-  used eye glass frames & used glass cases (either you or they will remove the present glass) 
-  disposable pen lights for eye clinic
-  Note: there are ideas on making glass cases on the internet
-  Small toys or stickers for kids who come to the eye clinic.

G.  Medical Supplies
-  Interosseus needles
-  Chest Tubes- sizes 10-16 and adult 30-40
-  Chest tube draining systems

H.  Medical Apparel
-  long white lab coats
-  new or slightly used scrubs sizes small to medium (right now there are enough of the larger)

-  children’s patient gowns (see patterns on Internet:  LINK 1 ;  LINK 2
-  reusable underpads (34" x 36")
-  Note:  see websites like www.allegromedical.com

I.  Inexpensive “sippy cups”

J. hand towels new or slightly used (no white ones please)

*NOTE:  If you think you have useful items that are not listed, please call Coleen Lofgren (218-245-2706).

HOW TO PREP YOUR BOX:

1.  PACKAGE SIZE LIMITS:  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.  E-MAIL NOTIFICATION:  Please e-mail Gabon’s shipment coordinator, Linda Chae at linda.chae@att.net and a copy to me, Coleen Lofgren coliemark@gmail.com with the following information: 1.  Church and address; 2. Contact’s name, phone number and e-mail address; 3. Total number of boxes sent.  
          
3.  LABEL EACH BOX!!!  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 PVIO#1, PVIO#2.  Please include the two letter state abbreviation in your label as there are a lot of churches with similar names.
          
4.  BOX LIST:  Each box/container should have a list of contents.  All contents should be categorized in one of the following categories:  PERSONAL EFFECT; MEDICATIONS;  MEDICAL EQUIPMENT; or FOOD.

     
5.  PAYMENT FOR SEA FREIGHT:  Calculate the total cubic feet of all of your boxes/containers and multiply by $15.  Send this amount to:  C&MA Finance Dept., 8595 Explorer Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.  On the check memo write "Bongolo Hosp. Med Supp./Shipping acct. no. 09037-4340."

GET ITEMS TO SHIPPING CONTAINER:
NOTE:  SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 DEADLINE!!!

1.  SEND YOUR BOX:
        WHERE TO SEND:  Send the boxes to : ARK Transportation c/o Gabon Shipment Bongolo Hospital, 17830 Englewood Drive, Middleburg Heights, OH 44130 by September 1st, 2016

          

OR...

2.  FIND A COLLECTION POINT:

-  State College, PA  ~  Contact person, Dick Straw, email:  drs9mjs@aol.com

-  Lewistown, PA  ~  Contact person, Judy Brown, email:  Judy.Brown310@comcast.net

MORE TO COLLECTION POINTS TO COME!

*NOTE:  We are currently looking for individuals or churches that would be willing to be a collection point and then be responsible for transport to ARK Transport, located near Cleveland, OH.  If you are so very kind as to do this, please contact Coleen Lofgren or myself (gabon.pilot@gmail.com).

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

* STERILIZATION WRAPS:  
Finished sizes needed 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, sheets or old tablecloths (don’t use flannel- 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 Coleen at 218-245-2706.

** DELIVERY & O.R. 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.

OUR WHOLE TEAM THANKS YOU FOR YOUR TEAMWORK IN BLESSING THE PEOPLE OF CENTRAL AFRICA!!!

Gabon PK27 Project Ground Breaking!

On June 19th, the Alliance church of Gabon had the ground breaking ceremony of the PK27 Project just outside the capital city of Libreville!  This property will be the home of a social works campus that will include a hospital, children's home, widow's home, career training, primary and secondary education, airport and hangar facilities.  More than half the population of Gabon lives within 40 kilometers of this campus!  A huge industrial complex is in development stages only 2 kilometers away.

For those of you who have followed our journey, you will recall some early stories about this God-sized project in 2012 and 2013.  It seemed that it was WAY TOO BIG of a dream, but, we have seen some really awesome things on this journey.

This project is being led and executed by the Alliance national church in Gabon.  Half the finances will come from the churches in Gabon and the other half from partnerships.  If you are interested in getting behind this effort, I will be posting the information sometime soon.  For more information, please visit the webpage of the partnership coordinator, E4 Project:  CLICK HERE

These pictures come thanks to partners organized by E4 Project.  If you or your group are interested in partnerships or a vision trip to Gabon, please contact me (gabon.pilot@gmail.com) or E4 Project (info@e4project.org).