We have now crossed over into the realm of "big families!"

Our third child was born on Sept 15, 2011 at 5:03 in the afternoon. For more details, visit this small website that we made to share pictures and the story of her birth.

Someone recently asked me, "so how many hours a week do you volunteer in the shop?"

The answer is that I volunteer all my time: 40 hours a week. My full-time job is preparation for aviation ministry overseas where I'll be flying missionaries and their supplies in and out of remote locations, assisting in the spread of the Gospel.

With that said, let me share a little bit of what we've been doing this week (aside from waiting for our third child to be born).

In the above picture, you can see Compass' project 206 (that's pronounced "two-oh-six" not "two-hundred six"). What you can't see is all the sheet metal damage on the bottom of the plane. To access that more easily, we are going to rotate the plane on it's side as we drill out rivets and replace sheet-metal "skins". Hence why the plane is on stands.

However, to rotate the plane, the landing gear legs need to be off, and so I was tasked with removing the landing gear.

Our hope in this project is that as we remove components, we clean, inspect, prep, and reassemble so that when the time comes to put sub-assemblies back on the plane (for example, the nose gear assembly) it's completely ready to bolt back on the plane and we don't find ourselves months down the road wondering where all the small pieces are and why they're missing.

So removing the landing gear isn't just pulling them off the plane, but removing them, stripping the paint, doing a dye-penetrant inspection, cleaning, prepping for paint, and priming, and then reassembling.

So this past week, we found one good gear leg and one bad one (due to corrosion), and also figured out where to get a replacement heavy-duty nose gear fork to replace the one that snapped when the previous owner crash-landed the plane in the jungle.

Ah, all in a day's work. But it's so satisfying knowing that all of this work will provide Compass with a plane that will be entirely dedicated to training missionary pilots so that the Good News can be shared to every nation, every tribe, and every tongue.

{ a post from Elizabeth }

Looking back in the archives I realized it's been nearly a full year since I posted a blog entry!  It doesn't seem that long ago, yet much has happened.  I learned what it was like to live 2 weeks without my husband when he went to Honduras to do field repairs.  Esther blossomed into a sweet 4-year-old who still throws the occasional strong-willed tantrum. 

Jaren went from baby to boy who likes swords and wrestling and daily reminds me of his two-hood with the contrary "No you not!" followed by sweet smiles and kisses. 

We visited NTMA headquarters in Arizona and came home with answered prayers regarding our next step toward foreign missions.  What no one knew at the time is that I was experiencing all the troublesome symptoms of early pregnancy (mostly nauseau and exhaustion in the evenings). 

We had only just found out ourselves and had not told our families yet.  I had a tough time hiding the evening nausea and exhaustion as we spent time with NTMA staff each night over supper!  

Our original plan had been to move into NTM training this August, but the baby's due date, August 29th, made it clear that God had different plans.  The other family who was accepted to NTM's aviation program will also be delayed until the next semester (Jan. 2012), so we see it's been His plan all along.

As for now, I have 1/2  a week until that wonderful date--if only it was a deadline, not just a guess!  We felt led to give birth in a birth center this time instead of a hospital, so there will be no artificial induction for me!  (Both of my other babies tried to stay inside me longer than I thought possible and both were pushed out with Pitocin.)  Here's a picture of one of their lovely birthing rooms.  We're praying that all would go as well as possible, with no complications that would require a hospital visit.  I'm so excited to be unmedicated and free to labor on my own.

As time goes on, and I feel this baby grow, I often wonder how long this little girl will take to decide it's just too cramped in there!  I need to see it as the LORD's perfect time and trust Him peacefully to bring her into this world on the day He has foreseen since eternity past.  Isn't that amazing that He thought about each one of us before the world was even formed?  It's incredible to me that He, being the sovereign God of the Universe cares about me and mine--just one of the billions of people, all with their own issues on earth.

Please pray with me that the baby will come SOON (within the next week!).  My mom is here, ready to help, and I am here, ready to push this baby OUT!  Pray for a safe, simple delivery with no back labor, complications, and a healthy baby!  And most of all, pray for patience and complete peace and trust in the Lord and His plans for timing and all the other details. 

I am so thankful to be blessed with two beautiful, healthy children.  Just can't wait to meet the third one!

There's no denying that flying is risky.

So is driving your car.

But just because there is risk involved in what we do does not mean that we don't do it, instead, it means that we manage that risk, and this risk management is a continually developing process as we grow in experience.

In aviation, some flying is more dangerous than other flying. For example, on a clear, calm day, you're less likely to bend metal while landing the airplane than on a day when the wind is a strong, gusting crosswind. Just like it's more dangerous driving your car in the middle of a thunderstorm through the mountains at night, than driving your normal morning commute.

It's also more dangerous flying into short, grass airstrips which have trees on both ends, than it is landing on a large, paved runway.

Some of the most dangerous flying is bush flying: flying into semi-prepared airstrips in remote locations. Many of these airstrips are one-way, with a mountain off one end of the airstrip, or a drop-off on the other end. This means you can only land one way, and turn around and take off the other, no matter what the wind is doing.

It also means that there's no go-around. You only have one shot at landing, and if something goes wrong, you're committed to keep the plane on the ground, even though it means you'll crash, because the only alternative is a worse crash into the side of a mountain.

To give you an idea of something that might happen, watch this video and look at the clip between 3:21 and 3:28.

Even if dogs, or pigs, or other animals run out in front of the plane, you're still 'committed'. Whereas at a normal runway you could simply 'go-around' and try again, in this case you cannot.  As I said, it's more dangerous.

Because of these dangers, most mission aviation organizations require their pilots to have a flight helmet. Many minor accidents have killed pilots but left passengers uninjured because of the pilot's head impacting the (hard) control yoke or (harder) instrument panel.

A quality flight helmet costs between $1000 and $2000 dollars, and you might recall from a previous blog post that Jamin was given a military flight helmet by a young man who felt that it would be put to better use on Jamin's head than on his bedroom shelf.

The problem with military helmets is that they use different electrical plugs from General Aviation (GA) systems. Because of this, and because of the condition of the helmet, Jamin sent it to a company that refurbishes helmets and converts them to civilian use.

What he ended up with was a more robust, durable, and more personalized flight helmet.

We're thankful to God that Jamin now has this item checked off the list of things we need to have for serving in missionary aviation. Other people we know have not been able to afford this very expensive item until immediately before they go overseas.

As the individual who gave this helmet to Jamin said, "I hope you never need it."





If you would like to help offset the cost of this helmet refurbishment, you can send checks to:
Compass Aviation
PO Box 307
Shelby, NC 28151

Please specify in a note that this is for Jamin's helmet.

You can also give through PayPal here.

Compass Aviation is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible.

Lately I've been waking up early so I can get some yard work done before heading off to work. It's both satisfying and futile. I really enjoy making my lawn look good (not that I'm a landscaper), but at the same time, I know that we will be leaving this place in just a few months. I work so hard on making the yard green simply because it brings me satisfaction.

So come 7:30, I'm back inside finishing breakfast so as to be at work as close to 8 as possible.

Once at the airport, we spend about half an hour doing devos together, praying, and then discussing what the projects and goals are for the day.

Today my project was fixing an engine problem on a Cessna Skyhawk. I spent part of the morning trouble-shooting, and then once the problem was discovered, I spent the rest of the day removing the troublesome component, and in the process of removing it, I found a few other things that had not been done properly by a previous mechanic (who in their right mind puts a locking nut AND a lock-washer on the same stud?!?). Had to fix that, and then field a few phone calls to work out details of a deliver flight tomorrow, and 5 o'clock somehow arrived before we knew what happened.

Head home and immediately take the kids outside. They need to get out of the house some more, and it allows their mommy to have some much-needed time alone.

While outside, I once again occupy myself with sundry duties, from fixing door seals, to watering freshly-planted grass, to swinging the kids on the swingset, to fixing a troublesome lawn-mower, to planting flowers.  There's always something to do . . . and yet most of it has very temporary results: I'll only enjoy the grass and flowers for less than a year.

However, the memories made with my kids during that time are precious: from helping Esther learn how to ride a bike (with training wheels, of course); to pushing both of the kids around on one tricycle at the same time, to letting Esther "help" plant grass seed, or having Jaren water the grass (and himself). These are the memories that will last long after the flowers have wilted and the grass has died.

Once all the outdoor activity is complete, it's suppertime. Usually a foreign dish. Tonight it was Greek, other times it's fajitas, or Indonesian satay, or a Spanish meal, or a french dish. You'll rarely find a casserole in our house unless it's something foreign.

The kids end up getting food on themselves in one place or another, and so after supper it's clean-up time.

Pretty soon it's off to bed for the kids. That means an involved process of brushing teeth, dressing in pajamas, sitting beside them in bed to read their devotional books, go over memory verses, sing a few songs, pray, give goodnight kisses, and then go to bed. All-in-all, a process of about 45 minutes.

Then, when everything has calmed down, we check our email, maybe write a blog (alright, I'll be honest: that's not on a typical day . . .), and when we're on top of thing, we'll write a few thank-you notes or call friends and family.

But if we're exhausted from the day, then we'll just go straight to bed after the kids do. After all, singing songs to put THEM to sleep can also put YOU to sleep.

That's a typical day right now. It's going to change when the next baby comes. And then it will change again when we move to the Missionary Training Center. And then it will change again when we move to the NTM Aviation training facility. And then it’ll change AGAIN when we move overseas. At that point, I’m sure it’ll be interesting for you and us to look back on this post and see just how different life is.

We passed the TE with new Tribes Mission Aviation!

What is the TE, you might ask?

The Technical Evaluation is the gateway into any large missionary aviation program.  It is the test to see whether you have 'the right stuff' to make it as a missionary pilot/mechanic.

The TE at New Tribes includes the following:
 3 maintenance projects; each with different supervisor

1. Sheet metal fabrication: taking flat aluminum, cutting and bending it into shape, and then riveting it together while maintaining critical dimensions.
2. Electrical troubleshooting: using a mock-up of an aircraft (complete with lights, switches, circuit breakers and other electrical components), troubleshoot and correct various electrical problems.
3. Inspection of an engine accessory: using manuals and service bulletins from the manufacturer, properly inspect and service a part.
   

  5 flights with 3 different flight instructors, in 2 different planes

1. Takeoffs and landings
2. Maneuvers and emergency
3. Instrument flying and an instrument approach to an airport
4. A low-level cross-country flight
   

  3 interviews, each with 2 NTM staff

Then on the last day of evaluation week, they all get together and talk about each candidate: strengths and weaknesses, maintenance and flight abilities, personality and attitude, etc. With all that information from six different people, they make a determination of whether each candidate passes or fails, then they send two of the group to tell you the news.

With this evaluation complete, our next stop will be the NTM Missionary Training Center (MTC), where we and many other future missionaries with New Tribes will study how to communicate the gospel effectively to tribal people despite geographical, cultural, and language barriers.

The question now is no longer "IF" we are going with New Tribes, but "WHEN."  We are now looking to the Lord regarding when we should start at the Missionary Training Center, whether this coming August, or in nearly a years' time, in January.

We feel like we have come to a fork in the road, and have now confidently stepped in one of two directions, knowing that this is the path God wants us to be on.

Thank you for all of your prayers and support during this critical time for us!

Normally at Compass, we do not take our planes as far as Mississippi.

However, some people we know at the airport travel that far, and farther in their own planes.

One older gentleman we know who owns a plane we work on occasionally, was flying with his wife, traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. In the middle of Mississippi, as he was flying, he began to lose his vision.

He had suffered a heart attack while flying the airplane.

He had the presence of mind, and thankfully still had just enough vision, to land the plane immediately, and amazingly there was an airport right where he was (the next closest airport was more than 15 miles away).

They called 911, and he was flown by helicopter to the hospital. His wife followed in a car, and it took her more than 2 hours to get there. By the time she arrived, they had already performed surgery and installed a stent, and he was already beginning his recovery, and later returned to Shelby, NC.

All this, however, left this gentleman without the medical check-off that allows him to fly, and it left his airplane in the middle of Mississippi, at a small airport where there are not even ropes with which to tie down your plane (you don't want the gusting winds of thunderstorms to flip your plane over; after all, it IS meant to fly).

Compass was able to help out by relocating his plane back home, because he was unable to do it.  It's something we're glad to be able to help with.

We are simply grateful to God that He spared this mans life, and that we at Compass can demonstrate the love of God by sacrificing our time and resources (if you think car gas is expensive, you should see aviation gasoline), all for His name's sake.

I’ve started training in the 206.

My first reaction? It’s a BEAST!  It’s already known for being somewhat truck-like, and compared to the planes I’m used to flying, it has a much more powerful engine and is quite a bit heavier.

In reality, I haven’t been doing anything new in this plane. I’ve done slow-flight, stalls, short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings before, just not in this plane.

At the same time, though, everything is different. For example: in most every other plane I’ve flown, you pull your throttle back all the way to idle when you’re on final approach and you just glide it on in. Not the case in this plane. If you pull the power, you drop like a rock; so instead you keep power in all the way until you’re just above the runway.

All that to say: this time is very useful just getting a ‘feel’ for this plane, because it’s so different.

I’ve also learned a lot about my own flying, and what needs improvement. What could have been a passable maneuver in a lighter, shorter airplane, now becomes more difficult with all the torque of the engine.

Flying the 206, with this particular instructor, is a time of honing my skills. The skills are there, but this is where the rough edges get sanded down. We had been trying to fly two to three times a week, for a few hours at a time . . .

. . . and then the plane had to come down for an inspection.  So we're now taking it apart and fixing anything that does not pass inspection.

This is the reality of missionary aviation: you have to know how to work on your plane as well as fly it, because you are the one primarily responsible for getting it back in the air.

Even though there’s the deadline of my Technical Evaluation with New Tribes in January, and we’re trying to get all this flight training done before the holidays, that doesn’t mean we’re rushing this maintenance check.

A local flight instructor from a church here in Shelby told us he was very appreciative of how we don’t rush maintenance inspections like this one.

He then proceeded to tell us a story of how, many years ago, he brought it to the attention of the mechanics that the plane needed a 100-hour inspection. Less than 2 hours later he was told the plane was ready to fly again.

It’s physically impossible to do a 100-hour in less than 2 hours, especially if only one person was working on the plane.

It wasn’t much longer after this ‘inspection’ that the plane suffered an engine-failure in flight, and he had to land the plane on a highway here in Shelby.

Others might complain that the plane is down too long, or that we ruined their vacation travel plans, or in my case, that I might not be as well-prepared as I would. But I know that safety comes at the price of time. I would rather be slightly less-prepared for the TE than to endure a plane crash because we rush and miss something on the inspection.

The maintenance is just as important in regard to safety as the pilot’s ability to control the plane.

Hopefully by the next post, the plane will be flying again and I’ll be back in the pilot’s seat, but until then I'll be wrenching away.

A few months ago, Compass Aviation, the ministry that I am working with in Shelby, NC, prepared an airplane for missionary service in Honduras. A few weeks ago, Compass was contacted and asked if we could send a team to Honduras to repair some damage done to that very plane.

After assessing the damage from photos, Compass decided that only one person needed to go, and they decided that since I was the one who initially installed the now-damaged piece, I was the most obvious choice to send.

As far as distance goes, Honduras is closer to our home in North Carolina than California, where we spent 2 weeks just last month. But the differences are enormous. One thing I notice around there is the cheapness of life and prevalence of sin.

First of all is the fact that any and every security guard in the cities is packing some SERIOUS heat. Whether it’s a shotgun, an M-16, or whatever; they have stuff with a punch. And it’s because otherwise, people would be far bolder in robbing, and so the only way to prevent it is with the threat of death.

Once we arrived in the village, I would hear gunshots every once in awhile. We would simply hope it was just a soldier shooting a dog or pig and not another person. Apparently gunshots are pretty common there. A lot more common than what I’m used to having grown up in Africa, where it was a big deal; hence why dad wouldn’t use his gun any more than necessary.

Second thing is the wildlife. The missionaries there had a pet monkey, there were parrots flying overhead every morning and evening, and I saw my first Tarantula in the wild.

Another thing is the drug cartels. Flying around Eastern Honduras, I saw drug airstrips all over the place. I was told about how bad it’s become recently, where in some villages, on Sunday morning as they’re filing into church, people are handed out their pay for helping unload the drugs from the plane the night before. No-one has ever taught in the church about how drugs are bad, and helping the drug trade is bad, and instead there seems to be a focus on petty issues and minor squabbles. Of course, who WOULDN’T be tempted to make a years’ worth of wages (in Honduras) in just one night of work? I can see how it would be easy to justify it when you’re not the one making it, and you’re not the one using it. Before we judge them, consider how much restraint it would take to withstand working only one or two nights, and then being able to relax the rest of the year off that paycheck. How strong are YOUR convictions?

But those are all just impressions about Honduras, not what I went to do.

The original goal was to repair a damaged wingtip on the exact plane that we at Compass had prepared earlier this year to send down there. The airstrip in this particular village gets very narrow at one end, and so turning around can be tricky. Normally, it’s not an issue, but this time, before takeoff, the pilot noticed the flaps going up a bit, then down a bit, then up a bit, etc. He thought he was stopped while he looked out the window at the flaps to try to figure out what to do, and it was then that he bumped into a tree. The good news is that he was going so slow that he thought he was stopped, so the damage was very localized and minor. The bad news was that he still hit a tree.

I spent a few days cutting out the damaged leading edge ‘cuff’, then returning the original leading edge skin (still on the plane) to its original shape, or as close as possible, and then splicing in a new piece of leading edge skin that I brought with me in my luggage. After trimming, fitting, and then riveting it in place, it was painted and ready to go after just a few days’ work. 

This left me in an excellent position to help out with other things on the plane. For example, the major contributor to the damaged wing was the flap oscillation, which I knew was caused by a microswitch in the cockpit having vibrated out of adjustment, so I was able to readjust that. I was also able to apply an anti-corrosion treatment to the entire airframe. Because the air is humid and salty (they fly to the coast quite frequently), corrosion is a major problem, and so the solution is to apply an oily mist to all the metal on the inside of the plane.

All of this was done on my own, because the pilot/mechanic there came down with something very severe the day after we flew into the village of Rus-Rus. It seemed to be a combination of malaria and something else, which got so severe at one point that he could not keep down water and only remained hydrated by means of an IV drip.

He was asked to do a flight, but couldn’t (physically). Someone in the village shot himself through the foot with a spear gun. Thankfully, it wasn’t a critical injury, and so they could endure the very uncomfortable six hour drive over gravel and mud roads instead of the one hour flight.

That incident, however, spurred me on to get the plane back into the air. I kept telling myself that as soon as the pilot felt better, if something urgent came up medically, then the plane would be needed, and people could die if it were not ready to fly.

Sure enough, as soon as the pilot was well enough to start flying again, a request for a medical flight came in. It was a lady with the same symptoms that the pilot had previously had, but she was unable to stay in the village because the majority of the IV bags had been used up on the pilot (considering it’s a very small medical facility in that village).

At the larger hospital, we found out that 3 people with those exact same symptoms had died that week because they had not been brought in soon enough, and most likely died of dehydration. Thankfully, the lady that was flown out was still in the early stages and could be treated properly.

It was a privilege to be so immediately involved in saving someone’s life, having just repaired the plane used for that flight.

Just because the work on the plane was done did not mean I sat around for the rest of my time in Honduras. Instead, I was able to help out the missionaries there with multiple projects, like mounting an antenna for a satellite phone so they can actually talk inside their house, or like putting screens up on the windows so that at least a few of the bugs will stay outside. I was also able to help install some security lights on the hangar, and protect their water pump from the elements by constructing a little shed around it with left-over roofing material from the airplane hangar.

Once all that was done, I was able to move to another mission station and work on another airplane for a different organization: Alas de Socorro. That airplane needed all of its cylinders replaced, and because I was qualified and available, I was more than happy to help. 

Strangely, I found myself teaching the mechanics there about changing cylinders out. That’s because typically they do not do such heavy maintenance on their planes, whereas at Compass, we do it quite frequently.

 I found that Compass has given me a degree of confidence and level of skill that I wouldn’t otherwise have. I may not know all the details of how something is done, but I know where to find those details and I know what I’m doing. Really, that’s about all you need. Aside from tools. 

Speaking of tools, I saw just how much I REALLY need my own tools. I found myself longing for this or that which I would borrow from someone at the shop. And in Honduras there was no other tool box to go to other than a meager box of corroding tools. So what should have taken just a few seconds instead took 10 minutes just because I didn’t have that perfect tool. And when there’s pressure of getting a plane running because it’s often relied upon for medical emergencies, those few minutes can add up pretty quick into the difference between life and death for someone. I may be able to get by for now, but before I head overseas long-term, a complete set of tools will be essential.

Until then, I’m glad to be back home in North Carolina with my family and back at Compass where we are continuing to have an impact on the world through mission aviation.

Blogging is a gift.  Some people have it; they write so eloquently one can hardly wait to see what they’ll post next.  Others, like me, Elizabeth, think of it more as homework.  I hope someday I will get the blogging bug, because it is such an amazing tool of communication.

Without further ado, I will try to update you on the highlights of the last few months.

This summer has been full to the max!

We spent 3 weeks moving and then 3 ½ weeks on the road, and it seems that the summer was gone before we had the chance to ever get bored!

God blessed us in June with a house!  He really plopped it in our laps.  I had reached the point of desperation, crying out to the Lord in complaint rather than request for answers about how to deal with our growing pile of “stuff” in our tiny 2 bedroom apartment.  My answer was to begin weeding out every belonging that was not absolutely essential, though this seemed daunting because we already try to live minimally!  God blew me away when Jamin came home one day with pictures of a beautiful yellow house with blue shutters that was only 6 years old! 

His dad (who is a real estate agent and who knew nothing of my frustration) had called out of the blue and asked him to check out this house that was on foreclosure.  In the next week, Jamin’s dad bid on the house, offering much less than the house was worth, and he won the bid!  So we now rent from Jamin’s father, who sees this as a great investment opportunity!  The Lord is certainly able to do anything, even when we fail to actually ask Him humbly to meet our needs.

We spent a solid two weeks painting and cleaning the house, expending every last bit of energy working 12 hour days while my mom helped watch the kids. 

We moved a few boxes every day,

and by the beginning of July, we were finally moved in.  Esther still asked me when we were going back home, though.  Her name for our new house was “The Flower House” (and she still calls it that to this day) because of the flower motif in the glasswork on the front door.

Moving to a house with 2/3 of an acre in the middle of the country certainly has challenges we never had to face in an apartment (like mowing, planting grass and trees, mice, flies, red clay), but it’s so worth it for the space!  A few weekends ago we had friends over to spend the night, and it was so nice to be all together, but not all on top of one another!


Our 3 ½ week trip to Mid-America came shortly after we got settled into our new house.  Jamin had been scheduled to speak in 5 assemblies in Alabama in one week, so we explored the possibility of continuing on to Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas afterward, considering we were already half-way out there.  The Lord opened the doors for that to happen and provided places to stay and friends to visit all along the way. 

We took off, not remembering from childhood furloughs what it means to be away from your home and in so many other homes for nearly a month!

We stayed at 12 places, visited more people than I can count, spoke to 8 churches, slept no more than 3 nights in one place, and traveled over 4,000 miles in 3 1/2 weeks.  I don't think we quite pondered what we were getting into until about the middle of it all, but it turned out fantastic, and we are so glad to have made lasting memories with people we grew to love.

We were home only a few short weeks and then went off again on another long trip.  This time to Yosemite valley and northern California. 

Jamin’s dad’s family camps out at Yosemite every fall, and with their help, we were able to make it out there this year!  They always rent camping spaces all together, and people come and go as they can, due to work and school schedules.  This year there were about 45 to 60 people there altogether: family and friends.

It was a great time of Christian fellowship and family bonding, especially in light of the fact that Jamin’s sister, Joy, will be moving to North Africa with her husband Jeremy next summer.  We will miss them so much!

For more pictures of our time at Yosemite, check out our September pictures here.

After a week at Yosemite, we drove up to Placerville, CA (near Sacramento) where Jamin’s dad conducted a wedding for one of our friends who comes to Yosemite every year as well.  She married a German boy, so that was a fun intercultural experience.

We were immensely encouraged by that godly family of nine children (nearly all grown), as well.  Jamin enjoyed talking with one of their sons, John, about aviation, because he’s in the CAP.  John had an Air Force helmet in his room that had been given to him by a retired AF pilot friend of his.  The Lord laid it on his heart to give Jamin this type of helmet the next day as we were leaving. 

Jamin needs just such a helmet for his service in mission aviation once he gets overseas!  Helmets like these start at around $1,000, so this is a huge blessing from the Lord.  We’re so amazed to see Him working through His people.

While in California, Jamin received a phone call, asking if he would be willing to make a trip to Honduras.  The airplane Jamin had worked for months to fix up was now in service at a missionary hospital in Rus Rus, Honduras, but there had been a problem.  While taxiing, the pilot accidentally ran into a small tree with one of the wings, causing the sheet metal to crumple.

It was beyond anything the missionaries down there could do to fix it.  Jamin was the one who installed the drooped leading edge on that wing, so he was the logical one to go fix it.  He was excited to be given the opportunity to travel abroad and use his abilities for the Lord and get this plane up and running again.

We were back from Yosemite only one week, and then he flew off to Honduras, leaving the rest of us behind for two weeks!  He’ll be back tomorrow, if all goes as planned.  He finished the wing repair in just three days and then went to another mission station to help with an engine overhaul on another plane.  But I’ll let you hear about all the details from him.

We've missed you, Daddy!