Compassion and Courage
The Flight that Made the Difference
One afternoon, missionary pilot Jasson Farmer received a text message from one of our native Christian contacts in a remote Huichol village. The contact informed him that his elderly mother-in-law had fallen, and they believed she had broken her leg. “She is in a lot of pain. Can you transport her to a hospital in the city?” he texted. Jasson contacted Nathan, our second pilot, and Kevin, our team medic. The three of them quickly formulated a plan to evacuate the injured woman.
EMT, Kevin McDaniel, preparing the patient for the flight.
Early the next morning, the UIM Aviation team jumped into action. Like a well-oiled machine, they worked together to preflight the airplane, file a flight plan, and arrange to have an ambulance standing by to receive the patient.
They took off from the airport for the 20-minute flight to the village. Upon landing the Cessna 206 on the rough dirt airstrip, they found a small crowd had gathered in anticipation of their arrival. Some of the men had taken turns carrying the injured lady up from the village in a plastic chair.
Loading the woman with the broken leg into the plane
Once the propeller had stopped spinning, Kevin hopped out and quickly began to examine the patient, while Jasson prepared the airplane to receive her. After determining that the patient most likely had suffered a broken hip and making sure that her vital signs were stable and she was good to fly, Kevin directed the villagers to carry the elderly woman to the airplane and help him carefully load her into the back seat. Even though they were as gentle as possible, the poor lady moaned and cried out in extreme pain!
Once she and her guardian helper were loaded and buckled in, the villagers joined Jasson and Kevin in a heartfelt prayer for the flight back to town.
The ambulance in Tepic is ready to take her to the hospital.
Approximately 20 minutes later, they landed at the airport, where an ambulance from the Red Cross met them on the tarmac, transferred the patient onto a wheeled stretcher, and whisked her away to the hospital.
As the UIMA team fueled up the airplane and parked it in the hangar, they once again sent up a prayer of thanksgiving for a safe flight and another opportunity to use the airplane and their skills in service to the Lord. The 20-minute flight they had just finished saved this poor injured lady about eight hours of travel over rough dirt roads. One can only imagine how excruciating that trip would have been for the injured woman!
The next day, they received word (including a picture of the X-ray) that her hip was indeed broken and would require surgery. About two and a half weeks later, she was able to have the necessary operation and begin the long process of recovery. Please pray for this sister in Christ as she continues to be a witness to her people!
These kinds of flights are such a blessing to those who receive them, and they also help to strengthen our relationships in the indigenous community. We are so grateful for the donations to our flight fund and toward our maintenance projects that make this work possible! All the glory to God!
Written by Kevin McDaniel, UIM Aviation Field Staff