For the First Time Ever . .

Written by John VanWormer, field pilot

One of our Cessna airplanes, N8352Q, has been in the process of being rebuilt for eight years now. We tore it apart further than we’ve had any other airplane apart and slowly but surely put it back together again. At long last its back in Mexico again and flying missionaries into the mountains. It’s had a few upgrades in the cockpit and it’s been fun learning to use the new digital technology that makes flying the plane easier and safer.

The entire week of February 14th-18th John spent instructing at Rancho Siloe. Siloe is the Missionary training center here in Mexico. Most of the students are Mexicans preparing to take the gospel to people living in remote areas all over the world, but some students come from other Spanish speaking countries as well. John is the security coordinator for Mexico and so has the job of teaching the security module to the new missionaries in training.

A week after finishing their security training, the new missionary candidates had to go into the mountains and practice living in a tribal village and learning the tribal language and culture for 6 weeks. At the end of the time their progress will be evaluated and if they pass they will graduate from the missionary training and become full members of the mission. John and his coworker, Michael, had the privilege of flying three of those families into a mountain village for this. Jasson, another UIMA pilot flew a third airplane in with all the supplies they’d need for the six weeks. All three UIMA Cessna 206 airplanes arrived at the mountain airstrip at the same time. Nathan, a brand new UIMA pilot was able to accompany Jasson on this flight. It was his first flight into a mountain airstrip in Mexico. Without having had N8352Q back in Mexico were could not have made this work for the missionary candidates.

Please keep these new missionary candidates in your prayers. When they graduate from the training they will then need to raise support and prepare for moving into a tribal location for real, with the goal of bringing the light of Jesus into the darkness.