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Welcome to the Crew
Our team just got a whole lot bigger! We are thrilled to announce that the Ames family will be joining us and the DeValves to complete our church planting team. These are familiar faces as we all met in 2017 and spent several years in training (stateside & PNG) together.
Jonathan and Devon are from Pensacola, FL, and have five kids (from left to right: Selah, Carter, Jackson, Isaac, Leah). Shortly after marriage, Jonathan joined the Marines and was deployed to Iraq before becoming the plant manager at a manufacturing company for several years. They were challenged by God's heart for the nations and have faithfully pursued church planting ever since.
We are thankful for the many gifts and skills that the Ames family brings to our team! Read more about their journey here.
Kuyu Helipad Approved
The R66 helicopter has arrived in PNG! Many of you flew in this same exact chopper during our event last year. Now it has landed in one of the most remote places in the world.
The Kuyu helipad has never been used before until last week. One of our pilots along with Ethnos360 Aviation’s chief helicopter pilot completed the inspection and approved it for use. This will save us between $10,000 and $20,000 over the next six months as the R66 is significantly cheaper than our existing fleet.
However, because the R66 is the first of its kind in Papua New Guinea, there are certain limitations in place to ensure its safety. For the first 6 months, the pilot is unable to do any sling loads, which is the primary means of transportation for housebuilding materials. Because of this, we have been researching commercial helicopter options for sling loading. Please pray with us as we work on comparing quotes and meeting requirements for different aircraft.
WHAT’s NEXT?
We will be heading to Kuyu on survey May 10-16 to complete a comprehensive assessment of the area. After this survey, we should be able to make a final decision on the area. If we decide to move forward, we will make several trips to the coastal region to explore some mountain roads and potential shuttle points for a helicopter. Then we will source all of our supplies for housebuilding as we prepare for allocation sometime in 2022.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We covet your prayers and are so thankful for the team that God has given us to support us in this way. Please pray for the following items:
Wisdom and guidance on our upcoming survey
Logistics and planning as we enter the housebuilding stage
Transition for our family as we enter a very busy season