Fallen, But Hopefully Not Falling

Safety wire is Biblical. Safety wire is a metal wire that aviation mechanics use to secure anything in need of securing. Think of it as the elastic waist in pants, it’s there, just in case, to prevent a disaster. Safety wire is Biblical because in Genesis 3 God says ”cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;” Safety wire is sharper than you can imagine. You are probably imagining chainsaws with tiger and shark teeth, but trust me, it’s sharper than that. When used by a rookie, safety wire tends to stick into your finger/eyes/cheeks/gray matter in a heartbeat.
Recently during a nice warm day, I crawled to the back of a fabric-covered aircraft to do some safety wiring. What makes that difficult, is that fabric aircraft skin will damage if weight is applied, and the structure under the fabric consists of small metal tubes in all directions. The best way I can describe what I was crawling into was a Pre-school jungle gym, wrapped in expensive tissue paper. This was not an easy job, but at least I got it done right.. on the third try.
Safety wire serves a very useful purpose. Without safety wire in place, oil filters, turnbuckles, bolts, and nuts could loosen and fall off. Parts falling off seems to make pilots whiny, and mechanics get annoyed at whiny pilots. By purposely safety wiring that turnbuckle right, the plane will be able to serve for a long time with minimal safety concerns. A safe, reliable plane makes it possible to deliver food and medical aid to orphanages in Haiti where it serves. Medical supplies at the right time will save a life. God doesn’t demand us to be special, just faithful (John 15:4). Faithful – I guess like safety wire.

Speaking of faithful, the yellow plane below was a large project that left MMS in May. This project has been an ongoing for a few years at various locations, and ministry partners. MMS was able to assist in getting this plane flying by installing a new engine, propeller, and avionics. This plane will serve the missionaries working with the Yanomami tribe in South America which have been without air support for over ten years.

Mission Spotlight

Missionary Air Group or MAG serves the Miskito people of Gracias a Dios, Honduras. The lack of quality roads in this area makes rapid travel by land almost impossible. The roads there are often dirt
that frequently washout due to heavy rain leaving the 100k plus
people with little options for medical transportation. MAG flies a Cessna air ambulance and operates a hospital to help save lives in the region. MMS is currently doing a major rebuild on one of their Cessna 206 air ambulances.

Quick update about the end of April, May, and beginning of June

MMS was shut down all of April due to Covid 19, in an effort to comply with the governor’s stay at home order. I was going nuts towards the end, and could not wait to get back to work. Finally, the 1st workday of May arrived, and back to work we went.

I am still working on a plane that serves in Haiti. We are getting so close to completion that I can almost hear the engine roaring, or maybe that’s the bad tuna I ate.

With Covid downtime, we explored our local hiking spots. Salt Fork State Park is beautiful, where we enjoyed hiking and Aria enjoyed eating sand and small rocks.

One of the best restaurants ever, is East Main Kitchen. But with Covid, no inside eating was allowed, and it was a cold day…. Minivan picnic to the rescue! I don’t care who you are minivans are one of the marvels of modern society.

My folks made the quest from Pa to Oh this month. We enjoyed their company and God blessed us with some beautiful days and great memories.

Aria turned one in May. Her cake was loaded with wildflowers, macarons, and sugar, lots of sugar. We are blessed to call her our daughter, and can’t believe she is a year old!

When restrictions lessened, we went to the cabin with our friends. It was great seeing them again, and we had a fantastic time playing games and eating too much.

Prayer

Pray that we will sense God’s direction for us after MMS and MAG. That is a long time away, but time flies (not a pilot pun)!
Pray for the unreached. I have been listening to the “1040” podcast and am reminded again of how desperate the need is.

Praise

Praise: Aria burned her hands, but the burns were not too severe. Her blisters are almost healed, and she doesn’t seem to mind them much.
Praise: We are back to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never been happier to go to work in my life.

Till next time,