Above: One of the many creepy crawlers in Zambia. These spiders were called flatties and they lived in every nook and cranny of your room.
Flying Bryan Went Flying
Time flies when you are having fun, and it is hard to believe that we are already approaching July! The past two months have felt like a blur. In the end of April and beginning of May, I was part of a team from MMS that traveled 30+ hours down to Zambia to complete a large project for Flying Mission Zambia (FMZ). FMZ serves as a vital missionary air link for many different ministries in Zambia, including many hospitals. The team at FMZ needed to install new gauges and autopilots on two of their airplanes to continue operating a dependable and safe transport option.
Late into the trip we had the opportunity to travel to one of the hospitals that FMZ serves in northwestern Zambia. The journey there by 4×4 is a dangerous 12+ hour trek, part of which is driven on what is best described as “pavement”: the locals say that they can tell when someone is drunk because they do not swerve to miss the car-destroying potholes, and instead drive straight ahead. After driving for hours on the “pavement”, you start driving on dirt “roads”. The dirt roads are rough, and travel can sometimes be impossible in the rainy season. When you are finally getting near the end of your journey you are forced to cross a crocodile infested river on what is described as a “ferry”. OR you take a 1.5-hour flight, in a comfy and safe Cessna.
While we were at the hospital, we met Dr.Sawyer, a missionary doctor with Samaritan’s Purse, that uses FMZ often when he travels in Zambia. For him FMZ is necessary, and as he puts it, road travel is the most dangerous form of travel in Sub-Sahran Africa.
The word abstract came to mind a lot over the last two months. Seeing the hospital in Zambia really made me realize just how nice western hospitals are. Most of the buildings at the hospital were open, and almost shed like. Equipment was run down, and much needed supplies were incredibly limited. But God has blessed this hospital with godly staff both foreign, and Zambian, and it was a privilege to work on the planes that support this ministry.
Then mid-way through June, the fam bam and I, headed to North Carolina to MAG. We are currently over half-way through the MMS airplane mechanic apprenticeship. MAG (Missionary Air Group) is where I will receive my pilots license after we complete our time at MMS in a little over a year.
The purpose of this trip was to meet the team at MAG, see the hangar, fly their plane (more about that later), visit churches, and see where we will be living. We actually already have our housing needs met with a ministry called Siloam Missionary Homes (SMH). SMH is beautiful and super family friendly, and the property includes a small hobby farm, playground, library, and food bank.
Flying MAG’s airplane was again a good reminder that I am merely mortal. From time to time, you may experience pride in your life, thinking that you are good at everything. If you suffer from the awful disease called pride, the cure is learning how to fly an airplane: I had blast, but I was terrible! The amount of information coming at me, versus my feeble attempts at understanding it, was like to trying to drain the oceans with a sieve. Fortunately, I remember this exact feeling before; just over a year ago when I started MMS. Now my brain at MMS is more like a bucket slowly draining the ocean of knowledge from the MMS staff. So, I know that I will get better at flight, and I know that it will eventually feel like second nature, but right now that thought feels abstract.
Here is a quick update about the end of Apr, May, and the beginning of June..
When I first arrived home jetlagged from Zambia the thought of traveling anywhere sounded like misery. But after a good night’s sleep in my own bed, we decided to go camping and see the ark. It was impressive to see just how massive that thing was! It’s a good thing the flood happen a long time ago, because with today’s lumber prices, Noah would have been broke.
We also got a quick tour of JAARS when we were in North Carolina. Our tour guide is the chief pilot of one of the ministries that Maria and I are looking into. It was great to meet with her, and see the all the incredible bible-carrying, missionary-supporting, kingdom-building airplanes there.
Aria had quite the 2nd birthday party. It is hard to believe that she is already two!
From time to time, I am in awe of all the blessing God has provided for us. My beautiful wife, two healthy children, and one on the way. Which leads us to…
Baby watch: Maria is feeling good, but also feeling really pregnant. This is the first time we were expecting over the summer, and hot days are apparently less fun at 27 weeks along. We don’t know the gender, but we have a name picked out. Inspired by Elon Musk we will name the baby “X Æ A-12”, the same name as his youngest child.
Praise: that I arrived home safely, and we got the work done in Zambia
With love and gratitude,
Flyin' Bryan 