Participants:
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY190004A
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00:02 I want to spend my life
00:08 Mending broken people 00:13 I want to spend my life 00:19 Removing pain 00:24 Lord, let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:35 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:46 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:10 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, and I am very blessed 01:14 to be the wife of this young man 01:17 next to me, JD Quinn. 01:19 Young man, I like that. 01:22 Now, we are so glad that you are joining us 01:24 again today for the 3ABN Today program 01:27 and we have a program 01:30 that I believe will inspire you. 01:32 It's exciting to me because in Isaiah 60:1, 01:38 The Lord says, "Arise, shine for your light has come 01:42 and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." 01:46 And I was thinking 01:48 after meeting these wonderful gentlemen, 01:51 what scripture we should use? 01:53 And that's what came to my mind 01:55 because they are really arising and shining. 01:59 But I think that their stories are really going to excite you. 02:02 So without any further ado, 02:04 let me introduce our special guest. 02:08 First we have Pastor Ric Swaningson. 02:10 I'm good. And you live where? 02:12 Smithfield, North Carolina. 02:13 You're the North Carolinian? 02:15 Yeah, Carolinian, I guess, yeah. 02:18 Okay. And Jud Wickwire. Jud, where do you live? 02:22 I live in Kelowna, British Columbia. 02:24 In British Columbia. You... 02:26 I'll tell who you are in just a minute. 02:28 Then we have Bruce Wilkerson. 02:29 Bruce, where do you live? 02:31 Mabaruma, Guyana. Guyana, okay. 02:33 So you are here representing 02:37 the Adventist World Aviation, 02:42 AWA, Adventist World Aviation. 02:46 And you know, it's not that they're just 02:48 flying through the skies 02:49 and taxiing people back and forth. 02:52 They have some exciting projects going on. 02:54 Rick, you are the president for AWA. 02:58 Jed, you're the vice president. Right. 03:00 And over, kind of the head over projects? 03:03 We are the moving parts of the ministry 03:04 like, so and so, yeah. 03:05 Okay. 03:07 And then, Bruce, you are actually 03:08 a project manager living in Guyana. 03:11 Yes, ma'am. Well... 03:13 It was obvious that it's a global ministry. 03:15 Right. Yes. 03:17 I mean, here, we're just all over the place. 03:18 Yes. 03:20 And in the United States and Guyana is in Africa? 03:24 South America, next to Venezuela. 03:26 Thank you. He's pretentious. 03:29 My geography teacher would be... 03:32 Honey, why don't you introduce our music, 03:34 and then we'll come back, and we will, 03:36 we'll get these personal stories 03:39 of these gentlemen. 03:40 How they got involved in ministry? 03:42 When Christ became real to them? 03:44 And then we're going to tell 03:46 about some really exciting projects. 03:48 And our music today will be coming 03:50 from Scott Michael Bennett and the name is "Thankful." 03:54 Amen. Thankful. 03:56 Amen. 04:12 Some days, we forget 04:17 To look around us 04:25 Some days, we can't see the joy 04:31 That surrounds us 04:37 We're so caught up inside ourselves 04:43 We take when we should give 04:47 So for tonight we pray for 04:56 What we know can be 05:00 And on this day we hope for 05:07 What we still can't see 05:11 It's up to us, to be the change 05:18 And even though we all can still do more 05:26 We're so much to be thankful for 05:37 Look beyond ourselves 05:43 There's so much sorrow 05:50 And it's way too late to say 05:54 I'll cry tomorrow 06:02 Each of us must find the truth 06:08 It's so long overdue 06:11 So for tonight we pray for 06:20 What we know can be 06:23 And every day, we hope for 06:31 What we still can't see 06:35 It's up to us, to be the change 06:42 And even though we all can still do more 06:50 There's so much to be thankful for 06:57 Even with our differences 07:01 There is a place we're all connected 07:05 Each of us can find each other's light 07:37 So for tonight 07:42 We pray for 07:46 What we know can be 07:50 And every day, we hope for 07:58 What we still can't see 08:01 It's up to us, to be the change 08:08 And even though we all can still do more 08:19 There's so much to be thankful for 08:43 Oh, that was beautiful. 08:44 I love Scott Michael Bennett. Yeah. 08:47 He's a great singer. 08:48 Well, if you're joining us, just a little late today, 08:51 our special guests 08:53 are from a dedicated aviation ministry 08:55 and they are supporting ministry 08:57 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 09:00 But before we talk about AWA, Adventist World Aviation, 09:05 we want to get to know you. 09:07 So Pastor Ric, tell us, 09:09 just give us a little reader's digest 09:11 of how you became a Christian? 09:13 Yeah. When it became real for you? 09:16 Yeah. I grew up in a bifurcated home. 09:18 My mom was an Adventist-Protestant, 09:20 my father was kind of a pseudo-Catholic 09:23 and Lutheran mix. 09:26 CE, you know, Christmas and Easter's kind of a thing. 09:28 And we... 09:32 When he accepted Christ, 09:34 he accepted Christ in a passionate way. 09:38 And it drew me in for a little while 09:41 but then it got weird. 09:43 And I ended up leaving home. 09:45 I went to school, went, 09:47 I worked for Corporate America for many years. 09:49 So I was crawling up the chain of Corporate America looking 09:52 at a vice presidency. 09:54 I worked for an oil company, major oil company, 09:56 and it hit me between the eyes, 09:59 if a man gains the world but loses his soul. 10:02 And that nailed me between the eyes. 10:05 I got on my hands and knees out 10:06 in the middle of the Florida turnpike. 10:07 My wife and I are kind of from Florida. 10:09 We finished raising our children there 10:10 and she finished raising me there. 10:12 And I gave my heart to the Lord in my mid 20s 10:15 and went back to school and study for the ministry. 10:18 And... Praise God! 10:19 Been here in the Samson Aviation fit in there as well 10:23 because when I was young man, I wanted to be an aviator. 10:25 My mom encouraged me to do that, 10:26 like most young mothers would. 10:28 And so that fit into the program as well. 10:31 So I gave my heart to the Lord, 10:33 studied for the ministry and then went right into it 10:34 in full blast, and here I am. 10:36 Wonderful. 10:38 I know, we love to hear stories 10:39 of when God actually reaches someone, 10:43 and they're not always dramatic. 10:44 Jud, tell us your story 10:47 of how Jesus became real to you? 10:50 Well, we became Adventist Christians 10:51 when I was about nine years old. 10:53 And so I do remember, 10:55 you know, our life before becoming Christians. 10:57 And we came into the church quite gently, 11:01 I guess, and it's kind of a slow progression meeting, 11:04 you know, different families who just had an impact 11:08 on my parents. 11:09 And we eventually 11:11 started attending church as one of the members. 11:12 Can't wait. 11:13 You've got to tell the story, you told me in the greenroom 11:15 about the shrimp, because please, 11:18 if you're in a church, listen to this story, 11:21 it's beautiful. 11:22 So one of the first potlucks that our family attended... 11:24 We lived on the ocean and my mother brought 11:27 a bucket of shrimp to the potluck. 11:30 So thankfully, 11:32 our host family that handled it very kindly and gently 11:36 and we move forward 11:38 and continue to grow in the church. 11:39 And so, you know, one of those things that, 11:41 you know, could have easily been, 11:43 have a different outcome but praise the Lord, it didn't. 11:46 Praise God because as Adventist Christians, 11:48 we do not believe in eating unclean meat. 11:52 And we feel like the Bible... 11:54 Even in the New Testament, it's very clear about that. 11:57 But sometimes you hear stories, 11:59 where somebody goes into the church 12:01 and they are not trained up in the ways of the Bible 12:04 or the ways of the Christianity. 12:06 And they do something 12:08 and somebody comes down on them, 12:09 just shaking their finger 12:11 and they walk out the back door. 12:12 I love the word gently. Yes. 12:15 That's a key word right there, just gently. 12:19 So your parents became Adventist. 12:21 When did it really connect for you? 12:23 Well, I mean, 12:25 growing up I didn't attend Christian schools, 12:27 so I went to public schools. 12:28 And I think that helped me to, 12:30 had to make a choice in my faith. 12:32 And, but I think really in my 20s 12:35 I started doing some mission trips, 12:37 and I think that's where my faith started 12:39 to have purpose, 12:41 to see whether I impact on other people. 12:44 But I think really where my faith came to life, 12:47 was when I started service with Adventist World Aviation. 12:50 We actually went and lived in a foreign country 12:53 and we're able to serve and my faith was able 12:56 to impact other people in a significant way. 12:58 And I think that's really where it's solidified 13:01 to where we've come today. 13:03 And so you started flying when you were young? 13:05 I started flying when I was 20. 13:06 Okay. Okay. 13:08 Now, Bruce, Mr. Smiley. 13:13 I told him be sure and smile on this program. 13:15 He said, "I've got a military background." 13:19 Bruce, tell us how you came to know the Lord personally? 13:23 Well I was raised Protestant, normal Protestant Christian. 13:27 And 1998 my mother passed away from cancer. 13:31 And I started searching for more meaning about, 13:34 where Jesus was? 13:36 How He was going to impact my life? 13:39 And I was invited to an evangelistic series 13:41 on NET '98. 13:43 And through that I began studying and learning 13:46 about the Adventist Christian message, 13:48 and it became more meaningful to me as I went along. 13:51 But shortly after that NET '98 series, 13:53 I was introduced to a couple of missionaries 13:55 with Adventist World Aviation in 1998, 13:58 and I became a supporter and a prayer partner 14:00 for AWA in 1998. 14:02 So I've been connected to AWA now, just over 20 years. 14:05 And two years before, 14:07 I became a Seventh-day Adventist Christian. 14:10 And so, and I was baptized in 2000. 14:13 And from there, I started my progression. 14:14 But Jesus became real to me, sort of like Jud, 14:17 when I finally deployed to a third world environment, 14:20 and I saw him moving not in just people's lives, 14:23 but in my life. 14:25 Amen. Amen. 14:27 Well, we're going to get some more, 14:28 I know you've got some wonderful stories to tell. 14:33 You know, you kind of gave me chill bumps, 14:34 I don't know why, but I'm just 14:36 thinking about how... 14:38 We've heard a couple of his stories, 14:39 so maybe that's it. 14:41 But, Ric, if you will, please if I... 14:44 Should I call you Pastor Ric or may I call you Ric? 14:45 Ric is fine. Ric is fine. 14:48 Tell us a little of the history of AWA 14:52 and the mission statement, if you will? 14:54 So we were actually started by the church back in 1993, 14:58 our GC President met together with his officers 15:00 to formulate an aviation institution 15:02 to help... 15:03 It was kind of a dying industry, 15:05 through a lot of different reasons. 15:06 But he wanted to do something to make sure 15:09 that aviation was going to thrive into the future. 15:12 Why do you think that was important to him? 15:15 Well, he wasn't... 15:16 Elder Folkenberg was our conference president 15:17 at the time. 15:19 In fact, we have a show that's aired that shows 15:21 that whole story on 3ABN... 15:24 We should, did we mentioned your story? 15:26 Off the Grid, isn't it? It's called Off the Grid. 15:28 That's right, and I'm not sure what season it is, 15:31 we have seven seasons but that tells the whole story. 15:34 So I would encourage everybody to watch that, 15:37 you know, they're Off the Grid and you can see 15:38 the entire story of Elder Folkenberg 15:40 tells the story how Adventist World Aviation 15:42 got started, but he... 15:43 Many people don't know this, 15:44 but Mark Folkenberg was a very qualified pilot, 15:46 in fact, he served in the mission field 15:49 as a mission pilot for many years. 15:51 And so missionary piloting to him and being a missionary 15:54 and a pilot is, of course, always was, 15:57 you know, very important to him. 15:59 All right. 16:00 But here's what I'm asking is, 16:02 why are pilots necessary for the missionary work? 16:06 Good question. 16:08 There, as you know 16:09 there's between six and seven billion people 16:11 who live on planet earth. 16:13 Of those six and seven billion people, 16:14 there's two billion of them who have never heard of Jesus. 16:19 We do a good job as Christian Protestant, 16:22 Adventist Christians, 16:23 we go out and we share the gospel as Jesus said 16:25 in Matthew 28:19-20. 16:27 But there's a certain portion of that population 16:29 that can't be reached by normal means. 16:32 And so there, of that two billion, 16:35 there's 800 million people 16:37 that live beyond geographic barriers 16:39 that can only be reached by aviation. 16:41 Now you can ride there on a donkey, 16:42 but it's going to take you two weeks, three weeks, 16:44 or you can maybe take a river boat ride, 16:46 where in Bruce's case, 16:48 it takes two to three days 16:50 sometimes to get inside the interior. 16:51 Well, most evangelists and pastors 16:54 aren't going to go to those interior of the country. 16:55 We go to the interior 16:58 where normally can't be reached. 17:00 So that's where we shine. Amen. 17:03 And you are a supporting ministry? 17:05 We're supporting ministry 17:06 to the Seventh-day Adventist Church. 17:07 We're not an independent, 17:09 which means that we support the church. 17:10 Now we do have to independently raise our funds obviously, 17:12 but we were supporting ministry. 17:14 We understand that very well. 17:15 Right. Exactly, exactly. 17:17 But you are a 501(c)(3), right? Right. 17:20 We're a bonafide 501(c)(3) that was established in 1995. 17:24 Here, just in a little while, we're going to be celebrating 17:25 our 25th anniversary. 17:27 So we're excited about that. Praise God! 17:28 And for those of you at home that may not, 17:30 won't know what a 501(c)(3) is, that just means, 17:34 they are a nonprofit organization. 17:37 They have brought a short video. 17:39 Yeah. 17:40 And if you have ever seen Off the Grid, 17:42 it airs Monday at 1 PM Central Time? 17:45 1 PM Central Time. 17:46 Which is there, they have an amazing videographer 17:50 and they've put together a little clip for us 17:53 to help us understand the breath of their ministry. 18:00 Adventist World Aviation has mission outpost stationed 18:04 all around the world, 18:05 with the mission of bringing humanitarian aid 18:08 and the love of Jesus to difficult to reach areas. 18:12 Often, the mission projects keep very busy 18:15 by flying Medevac flights, 18:17 delivering critically ill patients 18:19 from remote jungles, to a place 18:22 where they can receive a higher level of care. 18:25 These flights are not only lifesaving, 18:28 but they share the love of Jesus 18:30 and bring hope to the hopeless. 18:32 Adventist World Aviation is a supporting ministry 18:35 of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventist. 18:38 The mission of each of AWA's projects 18:41 very slightly dependent on the region 18:44 and the needs 18:45 the missionary see present in the area. 18:47 In the United States, AWA pilots fly Angel flights 18:52 to ill patients that need to access treatment facilities 18:56 too far for them to travel by ground. 18:58 Often, these patients are too weak to drive 19:01 for extended periods of time. 19:04 So Adventist World Aviation offers flights 19:06 to quickly transport them, 19:08 to and from medical treatment facilities. 19:12 In Alaska, AWA has a mission outpost 19:15 where they serve remote villages 19:17 above the Arctic Circle. 19:19 Many of these villages do not have road access 19:22 and AWA transports pastors to isolated churches. 19:27 Also, Adventist World Aviation pilots serve 19:30 the North American division 19:32 in efforts to plant new churches 19:35 in this region, 19:36 to fly church leaders on survey trips, 19:39 to see where there is the most need 19:41 for a new church plant. 19:43 Once established, AWA will also be supporting 19:47 these remote churches with aviation. 19:50 In Canada, AWA is focused 19:52 on addressing the social and spiritual challenges 19:56 that these distant villages face 19:58 including drug and alcohol dependency 20:01 and the disproportion of high rate of suicide. 20:06 AWA is currently placing two missionary families 20:09 in strategic villages to combat these social problems 20:13 and also placing an aircraft here 20:16 to accomplish the work of ministering 20:18 to these hurting people. 20:20 In Guyana, AWA remains very busy 20:24 with two Cessna 182s 20:26 flying emergent Medevac patients 20:28 from jungle interiors to a location 20:32 where patients can receive lifesaving aid. 20:35 In this country, AWA has placed two missionary families 20:39 to live amongst the Amerindian people, 20:42 and spiritually mentor them 20:43 while teaching them lifestyle betterment skills. 20:47 In Nicaragua, AWA operations are focused 20:51 on helping the Miskito people, 20:53 flights are made to deliver the injured, 20:55 the sick or the dying patients from the jungles. 20:58 Aside from aviation, this mission outpost ministers 21:02 to native people with social programs 21:05 and Bible education 21:06 to help them create a better life for themselves. 21:10 The Philippines project is located 21:12 on the island of Palawan. 21:14 It is strategically placed here in order to best serve 21:17 the outline island surrounding it. 21:19 Here, AWA missionary serve the local church conference 21:24 by providing transportation to pastors 21:26 and church officials 21:27 to remote church locations that are hard to reach. 21:31 This operation also focuses on healthcare 21:35 by conducting local medical clinics 21:37 and health education. 21:39 Spiritual growth is a key focus on this project, 21:42 as missionaries conduct evangelism series 21:45 and Bible studies in towns all throughout the island. 21:49 One upcoming project for AWA 21:51 is located on the Amazon River, in Brazil. 21:54 ADRA Brazil and AWA are working diligently to partner together 21:59 and offer aviation services to ADRA missionaries 22:04 working deep in the Amazon rainforest. 22:07 The Brazil aircraft is an amphibious plane 22:10 that will be able to land on both land and water. 22:13 This creates enormous potential, 22:16 as the entire Amazon region will be accessible 22:19 to missionaries with this specialized aircraft. 22:23 Another upcoming project 22:24 that has also partnered with ADRA 22:26 is supporting missionaries in Uganda. 22:29 ADRA personnel are hindered 22:31 by the transportation limitations. 22:33 Bringing aircraft to this region 22:35 will expand the reach of missionaries 22:37 and allow them to serve hurting refugees 22:40 more expediently. 22:42 AWA's ongoing mission is to go into all the world, 22:46 the final frontiers to reach out 22:49 and save the lives of the lost and the suffering 22:53 to seek out primitive civilizations 22:55 with the love of Jesus and to help those in need. 22:59 Adventist World Aviation 23:00 is reaching the seemingly unreachable 23:03 to seek out new life in Christ, 23:05 and to boldly go 23:07 where most missionaries do not have the means to reach. 23:17 That's amazing. 23:19 That is amazing how they just made, 23:20 how beautiful it is. 23:21 And just to thank y'all in your mission trips, 23:24 get to enjoy these types of sites. 23:27 But there's a very, very serious side to this too. 23:30 And that is being there to assist people 23:33 for a better life, 23:34 but ultimately to know who Jesus is. 23:36 That's right. 23:37 Tell us a little bit more now? 23:39 Well, that's what we do. 23:40 We say physical, you know, 23:42 we're doing the work that Jesus did. 23:43 Jesus 90% of what He did on this earth 23:44 was healing the sick and helping the poor, 23:46 and the suffering and the depressed. 23:48 And we go into these areas 23:51 and we meet their physical needs. 23:52 And with that we have now an opportunity 23:54 to share the love of Christ 23:56 because they'll ask us all the time. 23:57 Well, why are you doing this, right? 23:59 Because we don't do this. 24:00 There's no charge. They can't afford it. 24:01 And that, why do you do this for us? 24:03 And it's because, well, we love you. 24:04 You're humans, you know, Jesus loved you. 24:07 And so then they want to know more. 24:08 And it gives us an opportunity to study with them. 24:10 And, and, you know, 24:12 we go from there and lives are saved. 24:14 And as you said, just as Jesus did, 24:17 meet their physical needs first and then their spiritual needs. 24:19 So give us just a little nutshell 24:22 of your operation. 24:23 How many pilots, how many planes? 24:25 Well, Jud and I were just talking about that. 24:27 We have about 40 missionary family members in staff 24:31 that works inside of our institution. 24:34 Probably, you know, there's at least one 24:35 in every family member, that's a pilot. 24:37 So we probably have at least around 15 pilots 24:39 that work in our institution. 24:41 We have about 20, 25, we fluctuate 24:43 because we use rented aircraft as well and sometimes... 24:45 So we've had as high as many as 30 aircraft in operation. 24:48 We have about 22 to 25 right now 24:50 that are in operation flying throughout the world. 24:52 We have about seven operating projects 24:54 in other countries. 24:56 We have 11 total including North America 24:58 that we operate 24:59 and, of course, the video kind of went into that. 25:01 And so, yeah, that's kind of a quick global overview 25:04 of what we do. 25:06 Well Jud, you are the project director, 25:08 so tell us a little bit about the projects? 25:10 Yeah, Jud is our Vice President of Operations? 25:12 Yeah. Amen. Yeah. 25:13 So basically I said before, kind of the moving parts 25:16 and so that involves coordinating the airplanes, 25:19 and the pilots, and the programs. 25:23 One of the things that comes up a lot in aviation is safety. 25:27 And, you know, sometimes a perceived thought 25:31 that aviation is inherently dangerous. 25:33 Of course, there's a lot of things 25:34 that are inherently dangerous but as a ministry 25:38 we're dedicated to aviation support 25:40 and part of our commitment and our privilege in doing that 25:46 is to be able to do that safely. 25:47 And so, that is something we do very, very deliberately. 25:50 All of our pilots and mechanics 25:53 and all our missionaries are dedicated. 25:55 Everyone is involved very significantly 25:58 in mission projects in a wide variety of ways 26:00 in the places that they serve but most importantly, 26:03 they are professional pilots and mechanics first. 26:06 Isn't there a shortage of professional pilots? 26:08 Oh my. There is. 26:10 And that creates, it's kind of a good 26:12 and a bad for us at this point 26:14 because it does make it harder to recruit pilots 26:16 from an industry 26:17 that is hiring pilots like crazy. 26:20 However the good thing about it is though 26:23 is when we do find the ones 26:24 that are committed to serving in mission aviation, 26:26 they really do mean it 26:27 and they're committed to the service. 26:29 So that's really important. 26:30 How many pilots did you say were in the United States? 26:33 There's only a couple of hundred thousand 26:35 to choose from to begin with. 26:36 So the pool is kind of small and that's ready to go, 26:38 I mean that would be... 26:40 And then you've got to narrow that down 26:41 to how many are missionaries. 26:43 Then we go to boil it down to, you know, we're looking at, 26:44 we're really looking for Christian pilots. 26:46 I mean, the secular pilots are, 26:47 you know, wanting to serve but you know a lot of times 26:49 their interest is corporate America and they're, 26:51 you know, their interest are elsewhere. 26:53 They don't have the same desires that, 26:55 you know, maybe a missionary mindset has. 26:58 And so it becomes very rare thing to find a pilot 27:00 that's got a mission mindset as well. 27:02 So it's a small, you know, 27:03 it's a small pool of professional. 27:05 But, Jud, haven't you seen just as your own experience 27:08 when you go somewhere on a missionary project 27:11 where it really becomes real? 27:13 Have you seen some of your pilots 27:14 have life changing experience because they became involved? 27:18 I think it's life saving for everyone 27:21 that serves changing for everyone 27:22 that serves with us. 27:23 You get to see, I mean, 27:26 it's what we do is really, it's visceral. 27:29 I mean, you're very, very connected 27:30 with the frontline missionaries, 27:32 you're seeing people 27:33 in the most difficult situations in their lives. 27:37 You know, you're in the airplane 27:39 with patients who are near death 27:42 and it's quite traumatic, 27:45 and I think 27:47 we have the opportunity, 27:49 we get in the airplane 27:50 and we have these patients there, 27:51 and we pray with them 27:53 and then we fly them out to the, 27:54 you know, and it means a lot, it's just great. 27:59 And when you know you save someone's life. 28:01 And especially, you know, you get these children 28:02 that are sick. 28:04 And one little boy, I flew in one time 28:06 and he wasn't dying but he was, 28:08 he injured his ankle on his bicycle 28:11 and his ankle was bent 90 degrees 28:13 and I was able to fly him out. 28:16 And, you know, in these environments 28:17 we see these kids, adults with these deformities 28:21 that are the result of never getting proper treatment. 28:24 And so this little boy, 28:25 his ankle wasn't actually broken 28:27 but it was dislocated so badly, it was sitting at 90 degrees. 28:30 We got him to the hospital in time 28:31 that he was able to get that straightened out. 28:33 It was actually within a few days 28:34 he was recovered enough to walk 28:36 but he could have just as easily spent 28:38 the rest of his life with his foot turned 90 degrees 28:42 and we saw people like that and so that means a lot to me. 28:45 And it's and our pilots experience that all the time. 28:47 Yeah. 28:49 And have you as Vice President of Operations, 28:51 have you visited all of the 11 projects? 28:54 We all have, yeah. 28:55 While I was a mission pilot in Guyana for five years, 28:58 myself with my family, 28:59 so we have that first-hand experience. 29:01 And that's what led to the position that I'm in now. 29:03 Sure. 29:04 I came home from that and realized 29:05 that I couldn't just walk away from Mission Aviation. 29:07 So I stayed on and now help to grow 29:10 and develop other projects, 29:11 and hopefully support our teams that are out there now, 29:14 and helping them do the most 29:16 that they possibly can with the resources 29:18 that they have. 29:19 So if someone is watching and they're Christian pilot, 29:22 you want them to get in touch with you, 29:25 if they're interested. 29:26 Yes. Yeah. 29:28 But what if someone is watching who is saying, 29:30 you know, I'm a young person, 29:32 I've just graduated from high school 29:34 or college or whatever, 29:35 but I think I would like to become a pilot. 29:37 Do you have a program 29:39 that does any training for pilots? 29:41 We have a limited ability to train pilots. 29:44 And honestly, it's a journey, it's not an easy one. 29:47 But it's, you have to look at it as... 29:50 It's education. 29:51 If you want to be a professional 29:52 in any of the fields, 29:54 you have to dedicate the time and to get that education 29:58 and it's costly as well, of course. 30:00 And so, being a professional pilot is no different. 30:03 And you do have to be committed and dedicated to doing that 30:07 and be prepared to work for it. 30:09 That's the part that there's no free ride 30:13 in becoming a doctor or a lawyer. 30:15 There's no free ride in becoming a pilot. 30:16 You have to work really hard at it. 30:18 And so, it is a journey, 30:19 we do everything we can to encourage 30:21 and support people coming up from, 30:24 you know, from the ground up 30:25 that really want to learn to fly, 30:28 but it is a journey 30:29 and you have to work at it for sure. 30:32 But it pays off in the end, 30:33 and that's where the determination pays off. 30:35 Yeah. 30:36 And I like what they were saying earlier. 30:40 In some ways you serve as an air taxi service, 30:44 taking in supplies, taking in evangelists 30:48 and different people 30:49 who are visiting or church officials. 30:51 But what I like is you're not just a taxi service 30:56 because each one of you, 30:58 I mean, you've got these missionaries 31:00 who are living with the people. 31:01 You're really, really touching hearts 31:04 and making connections 31:06 and you're supporting the work 31:09 in all these different locations. 31:11 Bruce, you're living in Guyana. 31:14 I know you've got some stories to tell us. 31:17 You said that you saw that God became real to you 31:22 because you've seen Him working in your life 31:24 as well as in the lives of these needy people. 31:28 Yes ma'am. 31:29 In Guyana, 31:31 particularly in the environment that we're in. 31:32 We're in an isolated jungle community pretty much about, 31:36 an air traffic is about an hour, 31:38 15 hour and 20 minutes 31:39 from Georgetown the big capital. 31:41 It's a location 31:42 in the Northwest region of Guyana. 31:44 Not many people that are Guyanese 31:46 want to go to live out because you don't have power... 31:48 And how did you talk your wife into it? 31:50 Yeah, that was a journey too. 31:54 But she is actually at times 31:56 has been very, very committed to it 31:58 and she, in fact, she's not here today 32:00 because we're so busy that she didn't feel 32:03 that she could leave the project 32:05 to come back for this interview. 32:07 So she volunteered to stay and keep up the project, 32:11 manage everything, work with the Warao people, 32:13 work with the people that were doing reading 32:15 and other kinds of education with. 32:17 So she is there doing that now while I'm here. 32:20 So I'm blessed to have the best partner 32:22 I could ever ask for. 32:23 Amen. 32:25 But you've actually seen a miraculous healing 32:27 in your own life. 32:28 Tell us about that? Yes, ma'am. 32:30 In 2016, my father had passed away 32:33 from congestive heart failure. 32:34 And we went home to, you know, to funeral 32:37 and to bury him and everything. 32:38 We came back to Guyana, and I was bitten by mosquitoes, 32:43 we have tons of mosquitoes and everything, from Zika, 32:46 chikungunya, dengue, malaria, the whole gamut is there, 32:51 and you don't really know that you've gotten a disease 32:53 until, you know, five to ten days later. 32:56 So I found out that I had chikungunya 32:59 which is another mosquito borne illness 33:02 has started developing 33:03 all kinds of red measles like bumps all over me. 33:05 I had cramps and swelling in my joints 33:10 and I was unable to have 33:13 any anti-inflammatory medications, 33:18 aspirin or anything like that, or going to take Tylenol. 33:20 And it's very painful. 33:23 It's like arthritis times three. 33:25 So your joints cramp up and everything. 33:27 And I have a picture of it at home. 33:29 I didn't bring it with me, unfortunately. 33:30 But I had red dots all over my face, my chest, 33:34 my feet, my hands and everything. 33:36 So it's kind of painful 33:37 and we couldn't do anything about it. 33:39 So my wife and I are sitting in a mosquito net one night 33:41 and just, you know, my joints are aching. 33:44 We don't know what to do. 33:45 They gave me some hydrocortisone for the itching 33:47 but nothing else for the swelling. 33:50 So we said, let's pray. 33:51 And so we underneath mosquito net at night, 33:53 you know, there's no power and we started praying 33:56 and we asked the Lord if, 33:58 you know, if it says, well please help me 34:01 deal with this pain and take it away 34:02 if it's in within Your will, Lord. 34:05 And we said amen. 34:06 And we opened our eyes 34:07 and we had to turn our flashlight on. 34:09 And before our very eyes we watch my... 34:15 God just touched you right there. 34:17 Watch my hands shrink. 34:18 And watch the red dots go away so. 34:20 Praise God. 34:22 So in your mind, you know, that you know that, 34:24 you know that God hears. 34:26 He sees, He cares and He does. 34:29 At that point we were like also wondering, 34:31 you know, my father passed away, 34:33 should we continue to stay here 34:34 or should we go back home 34:36 and it was kind of a hallmark decision 34:39 for us to continue to work. 34:40 Absolutely. Absolutely. 34:43 That is a marvelous story. 34:46 You know what I was thinking. 34:47 I certainly believe in divine appointments. 34:50 I mean, I just think 34:51 that the harvest fields are ripe 34:54 and he's looking for laborers. 34:56 And so to answer to your question, 34:57 you know what at least came to my mind 34:59 is that God for those that are searching 35:01 and may not know exactly what they want to go, 35:04 if the Lord puts it on their heart 35:06 to step out in faith, 35:07 He's going to arrange all of this stuff. 35:10 He will take down the barriers. 35:11 Yes, He will. 35:13 And I mean, I just, I'm so blessed by that. 35:15 And, Lord, increase my faith. 35:17 I want to do what You've called me to do. 35:19 And be careful when you ask for that prayer because... 35:21 You bet. He will. 35:22 You bet, 35:24 because it brought some reality. 35:26 Mosquito net? 35:27 Wow! 35:29 Oh, that's a part of life. 35:30 I mean, yes. 35:32 I mean, there's a whole different side of, 35:33 whenever he was looking at the video, 35:35 how beautiful it is, how beautiful. 35:37 I mean, there's places that I've never seen that pretty, 35:40 but on the other hand, 35:42 I don't know I'd have to really pray earnestly 35:46 to live under mosquito net. 35:48 But if that's where God wanted me to go... 35:50 Yeah. That's what important. 35:51 You bet. 35:53 Where would God wants you, that's where you need to be. 35:54 Amen. 35:55 And you've seen other miracles that have shored up your faith. 35:58 Tell us about the Christmas story? 36:00 Is that the flour and oil story? 36:01 Yes, that's it. 36:03 That's a great story. 36:04 My wife actually tells it better than I. 36:05 I'll try to do her justice with her story. 36:08 Bruce does a good job of it. 36:10 But well, every year, 36:12 the missionaries before us, Jud and families before us 36:15 would during Christmas time they would share out 36:18 provisions to the needy people 36:20 in our communities where we live. 36:21 One of the great things about what we deal, 36:23 if I may do a tangent real quick is that 36:27 we're embedded in the communities where we're at. 36:28 We become a part of communities, 36:31 we become friends, neighbors, 36:32 just like you would back in the States or Canada. 36:35 We live there, we develop relationships with people 36:37 so they actually know us very well and we know them 36:41 and having those relationships helps us 36:43 to connect with them at a deeper level 36:44 and to be able to share our faith with them. 36:46 Yes. 36:48 To share the most important thing 36:49 which is a relationship with Jesus Christ. 36:52 So every Christmas 36:54 we share our provisions to people. 36:56 We go to their homes, 36:57 we give them a little bit of food supplements, 36:59 flour, oil, sugar, salt, 37:01 other kinds of necessities 37:02 that helps supplement their meals, 37:04 and we sing Christmas carols, and we pray with them. 37:07 And it's a great thing. 37:08 It's meaningful for us, it's meaningful for them. 37:10 It's a blessing all around. 37:11 The people in the States, 37:13 our faithful partners in the States to support us. 37:16 It's meaningful for them too 37:18 because without them supporting us with prayer 37:20 and financial support, 37:22 we're not able to do this stuff. 37:23 Yeah. 37:24 And so the missionaries before us 37:26 had really good funds 37:29 to support purchasing the provisions. 37:32 When we started doing it, 37:33 we didn't have as much funds at that time. 37:36 And so we had enough and we warned the people that, 37:38 okay, this is our first year doing this, 37:41 we won't have quite a bit, 37:42 a quite enough provision to share out 37:44 as we had in previous years, so before we warned. 37:48 So we took what we had 37:49 and we went to the neediest of people, 37:50 we shared our provisions... 37:52 But you're giving to the neediest people always. 37:54 So this is the neediest of the needy. 37:56 Yes, exactly. 37:58 And we shared out the flour, the oil, the sugar, 38:01 the salt and everything. 38:02 And we kept on coming back to find more needy people 38:07 would get more bags of salt and flour and oil 38:11 and take it to the people. 38:13 And we keep coming back to the same bags 38:15 or the same as in Elijah, the same jars. 38:18 And they would not go empty. 38:20 It was just amazing 38:22 when he would come back and get more flour, 38:24 sugar, and salt and oil and keep sharing it out, 38:28 he kept sharing out sharing out. 38:30 This is into the February now, 38:31 because what's happened during Christmas... 38:32 They didn't realize that until it was at the end. 38:34 They didn't realize this was going out this whole time. 38:35 Exactly. 38:37 And then a friend of ours, 38:38 Brother Wong, who's down in Blackwater, 38:40 a river community came and we had the last bit 38:42 and when he was tired of this stuff 38:44 laying around the house 38:45 because he thought it was going to attract rodents 38:47 and bugs and everything. 38:48 So he said, let's just get rid of this stuff once and for all 38:50 while not knowing the blessing was happening, 38:52 that's how blessings happens sometimes. 38:54 It's happening, you know, it's happening from afterwards. 38:56 Oh, that's good. Amen. 38:57 And so we shared it out with Brother Wong, 38:59 and she tells the story much better than I do but as a boat, 39:02 as he's driving away down the river 39:04 with the last bit of flour and oil, his boat, 39:07 it hit her like a ton of bricks. 39:09 You know, the story of Elijah and she was thinking, 39:12 "Oh no, there goes the last jar." 39:15 You know because as long as you were filling the jars 39:17 they would always produce 39:19 and when she was, 39:20 you know, concerned that the flour and oil, 39:22 just gone out the last one 39:24 but you know what God continues to bless. 39:25 He continues to bless every year, 39:27 the following year we had a church in Texas 39:30 that continued in Fairview, Texas, 39:32 it continued to support us. 39:34 We have a church in North Carolina, 39:35 Wilson, North Carolina, that's supporting us 39:38 to be able to help us 39:41 share our provisions every year. 39:42 It's such a blessing 39:44 and it's great how God provides for your needs. 39:46 You know, as we see Him working in so many areas, 39:49 and this is just one area where He's working at. 39:51 Amen. 39:52 So, Jud, the video took us through the projects. 39:57 Could you kind of recap that again 39:59 and I'm particularly interested in hearing about Venezuela 40:04 because we all have seen on TV, what is going on in Venezuela? 40:09 How many refugees there are 40:10 and this is becoming a very serious situation. 40:13 It is. 40:14 And that's, that's kind of a new thing, 40:16 of course, for us, 40:17 our base in Mabaruma where Bruce lives is, 40:20 is about five miles from the Venezuelan border. 40:23 But it's not an open border. This is a frontier border. 40:27 There's no roads or anything like that. 40:29 But as Bruce mentioned, these people live on the river. 40:32 And so the Orinoco Delta, 40:35 which is in Venezuela is close to Guyana, 40:38 so they're not able to buy food, they're just, 40:40 their money is worthless, and whatever, 40:43 even though they do have the money, 40:45 the food isn't available, 40:46 and you've seen the crisis happening is unfolding. 40:49 You see it in much larger numbers 40:51 in other border areas, 40:53 but this is, these are the Warao people 40:56 who are the indigenous tribal people 40:58 that live in that area. 40:59 They also live in Guyana, 41:01 the Warao people cross that border, 41:02 of course, so they cover both sides. 41:04 And so these Warao people from Venezuela 41:06 are coming over into Guyana 41:08 to try and find a better life and food 41:10 and hopefully, you know, 41:13 will be able to take care of themselves better. 41:15 And so we're seeing that right in at Bruce's backyard. 41:18 And Bruce, Monique, and Velize there, 41:23 other pilot there. 41:24 They have been really reaching into that community 41:27 and finding ways to help them. 41:30 You know, the circumstances in Guyana 41:31 are better than they are in Venezuela 41:33 but it's not a wealthy country. 41:35 So it's not as, you know, 41:36 there's not a lot of resources for them there, 41:38 and so we are looking at ways that we can enhance that. 41:41 We're working with some other agencies 41:42 including ADRA to find some ways to deliver that, 41:44 but that's one of the things 41:45 about our missionaries being right there 41:48 in that isolated area that they can identify the problem 41:51 and be able to work on some solutions. 41:53 Bruce and Monique had been helping them 41:55 learn some English words 41:56 because Guyana is English speaking 41:58 and they speak Creole and so they, 42:00 in order for them to find any work, 42:01 they need to be able to speak English, 42:03 they're doing that. 42:04 They're teaching them songs, 42:05 they're helping them with water and food situation 42:07 and clothing as much as they can. 42:09 Although it's far beyond our capacity, 42:10 this is where we are looking beyond. 42:15 You know, we have the resources there 42:16 to provide transportation, but some other agencies, 42:19 we can support that and deliver it 42:21 and make that happen effectively. 42:23 So that's we're really looking forward 42:24 to making a difference for these Venezuelan people, 42:27 even in the smaller numbers that are there, 42:29 but it's no less of an emergency, 42:30 even though it's the smaller number. 42:31 One thing that I really appreciate 42:33 hearing you speaking earlier, 42:35 is that you're really looking to this at long term 42:38 versus, you know, hey, this is a need 42:41 that we need to help supply right now. 42:44 That's right. 42:45 How are you looking at this more long term? 42:47 Well, some communities, we've noticed, it takes, 42:49 it's a generational thing. 42:51 For instance, up in Alaska, we're going, you know, 42:53 in Alaska and in parts of working within Canada, 43:00 working with the native, indigenous native peoples, 43:02 as well as here in the US, 43:05 there's the suicide rate that's just unbelievable. 43:07 It's 500 times more likely. 43:08 But it's sometimes it takes 10 years 43:10 to change the thought process. 43:12 And so Elder Jim Kincaid is our project manager in Alaska 43:15 and he's been working with that and he was talking about, 43:17 you know, it takes a generation 43:18 and, you know, biblical generation is 40 years, 43:20 but, you know, you have to start with, 43:22 you know, and it takes 10 years to change the mindset of people 43:25 that are just so many things, 43:27 whether it's drugs and alcohol, 43:29 or even entitlements that end up happening. 43:31 You know, sometimes, 43:33 we are so busy trying to help a person 43:35 instead of teaching a person to do some work, 43:38 we busy get in, and they get handouts. 43:40 Well then they revert to drink, 43:42 if you take a man's ability to produce, 43:44 well, then they, you know, all they do is they drink 43:47 and you know, 43:48 and then other things come in, and it's so, 43:50 it's just, you have to change a whole community. 43:52 If they change the whole paradigm, 43:54 it becomes very challenging. 43:56 Yeah. 43:57 And so we, we worked generationally, 43:58 and we're constantly, 44:00 I was going to say that, 44:02 you know, the needs are endless, 44:05 unfortunately, the resources or not. 44:07 And that's, you know, 44:08 whether it's pilots, human resources, 44:09 prayer partners, all of those things 44:11 so the needs are constant. 44:13 You know, Bruce just shed a tear here a minute ago, 44:15 and I'm sitting here weeping about some of the things 44:17 that he was going through there personally, 44:19 and I just, I get these calls at my desk 44:21 all the time and Jud does too. 44:22 Can you help us? 44:24 And it's just like, we want to, 44:27 but it becomes very challenging 44:28 and so it just, it drives us to our knees. 44:31 Well, and you know, it just occurred to me 44:33 sometimes as you're listening to someone story, 44:36 it doesn't always solidify. 44:38 A lot of times I walk off the set and go, 44:40 oh, wow, I get this. 44:42 But if it weren't for ministries like yours, 44:48 these indigenous people, 44:50 I mean, wouldn't be reached, period, the end. 44:53 And that is who you are ministering in most cases, 44:57 it's the indigenous peoples. 44:58 It's almost always indigenous groups. 45:02 And we've been really privileged, 45:05 we've been working in Alaska for quite some time. 45:07 But we're really privileged to be able to working 45:08 in Canada as well. 45:10 I have to say that 45:11 the Ontario Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist 45:13 has been very, very supportive of reaching those communities 45:16 even though it's hard and expensive. 45:18 They've been very supportive of helping us 45:20 place an airplane there 45:21 to be able to reach communities in Northern Ontario, 45:24 whereas Ric talked about the suicide rates are so high, 45:27 there are just, their social world is upside down, 45:30 and some outside influence that they trust 45:34 is where that can really make a difference 45:36 over the long term. 45:37 And again, you mentioned 45:39 it's a long game to try and make a difference. 45:40 That's why our missionaries live there. 45:42 It's relations sort of mix. 45:43 It's all about building those relationships and trust. 45:45 And in Guyana also we work 45:46 closely with Pastor James, and Avert James 45:49 who's the president for Guyana Conference. 45:51 We work with him and his staff all the time 45:53 and we partner with them, 45:55 so our job is to work alongside the church 45:58 and their lay workers 46:00 to make sure that the message is being spread. 46:02 And you talked about in the beginning how, 46:04 what was, Jesus was real to us 46:06 when we went to the mission field. 46:07 Well, we're trying to make the Jesus real to the people 46:10 that we're engaging 46:11 within the local environments that we live 46:13 because a lot of times, 46:14 you know, just like for us back here 46:16 Jesus is maybe not as real as He needs to be 46:19 in people's lives. 46:21 And we want to try to impart that message best we can 46:24 that Jesus is a real living person 46:26 that needs to be present in our lives 46:28 every single moment, every single day. 46:30 And still in the miracle working business. 46:32 You know, when you see a miraculous healing 46:35 or you see the flour and the oil like the story 46:39 with Elijah and the widow, 46:41 not running out, all of sudden you realize 46:43 that when God said that, I am the Lord, I change not. 46:47 Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. 46:51 You realize that, 46:52 sometimes, I think here 46:54 we have so many conveniences, 46:56 so many benefits and blessings 46:59 that we don't have to call on Him 47:02 for that type of thing. 47:04 I mean, I was sitting here while you were talking, 47:06 Bruce, thinking if you're the pilot 47:09 what would have happened if you got sick enough, 47:11 who would have flown you out? 47:13 Would you call for another pilot? 47:16 We've had to do that. We've had to do that. 47:17 We've been stranded in some of the perimeters, 47:20 a really isolated community 47:21 within our communities 47:22 and it's a gold mining town 47:24 and there's a lot of violence, suicide 47:26 you know, murders and everything else 47:27 that happened there. 47:28 We get stranded at one time 47:30 and we had to call another sister ministry to come out 47:32 and pick us up 47:34 because our airplane's starter went out 47:35 and when that happens it's not like you can, 47:37 you know, "Hello, excuse me, 47:38 can you come over and fix our starter." 47:40 No, this doesn't happen. 47:42 We have to get our starters from the States. 47:44 You're stuck unless you get somebody 47:45 to come and pick you up. 47:47 Another plane. 47:48 All three of you are pilots. 47:50 All the three of you 47:51 have a strong personal relationship with the Lord. 47:54 Amen. 47:55 And all three of you have been changed 47:57 by ministering to these needy people. 48:00 Absolutely. 48:01 What do you feel 48:03 has been the greatest change in your life 48:06 by becoming involved with a mirac... 48:10 Let me say it again, Adventist World Aviation. 48:13 Well, you know, you were talking about 48:15 one of the things that I became keenly aware, 48:17 of course, I've traveled this world many times, 48:19 I visited about 32 different countries, 48:21 before I was involved and ministered in the field of, 48:25 you know, spreading this gospel message 48:26 and bringing this gospel message 48:28 and I was preaching in Russia when the wall just fell, 48:33 you know, and I was 48:34 just leading souls to Christ in Siberia, 48:36 India and all over the place. 48:38 But one of the things that you realize 48:39 when you travel and you would say it, 48:41 here in the United States, here in North America, 48:44 we have so much stuff 48:45 you know, and we, 48:47 the same miracles are happening. 48:50 We just, because we have all this layers of stuff 48:53 in front of us, we don't see it, 48:54 if we can sweep away 48:56 the dross of wealth in some ways 48:58 and, you know, there's nothing wrong with that. 49:00 But if we could see that we would see the miracles, 49:04 because those things... because He is the same God. 49:06 He's the same yesterday and we all have seen, 49:09 we can all tell you miracles, piloting story miracles. 49:12 We can tell you Medevac miracles 49:14 just, you know, that one Angel flight 49:16 that you just saw there 49:17 just to witness a man and that's on Off the Grid, 49:20 you'll see that on the special, we did the Angel flight. 49:23 This man decided not to have children 49:24 so he wouldn't pass on his disease to his children. 49:27 And I'm just like, what a sacrifice 49:29 and this guy was a living testimony 49:31 of a courageous and kindness of God. 49:34 And he couldn't believe that somebody would give that back 49:35 and... 49:37 When I delivered him to his wife 49:38 after that cancer treatment, 49:40 he was crying, his wife was crying, 49:43 and I just, I thought to myself, 49:44 I just witnessed a real living miracle here 49:47 where somebody saw the kindness of Christ 49:51 in the milk of human kindness. 49:52 And we saw that 49:53 and so those kind of things happen all the time 49:55 and you know, I've been to the field as well 49:57 and it just, these guys do an amazing work. 50:01 You know, every, 50:02 the worst among us are really godly in our ministry. 50:06 And it's just, they're just wonderful people. 50:08 On my staff and my, you know, my president, 50:11 my vice president here of operations 50:14 and Bruce and, you know, our project management, 50:15 we have the best of the best of the best. 50:16 Amen. 50:18 And we're going to have to take a break. 50:19 Before we do, we have their address. 50:23 And here's what I would like to say. 50:27 I know that prayer is very important to them 50:31 and prayer of support is very important. 50:33 Amen. 50:34 I want to encourage everyone 50:37 who's listening to my voice right now. 50:39 This is an important ministry 50:41 and they need your prayer support. 50:44 So please write it down, Adventist World Aviation, 50:50 put that on your prayer list 50:52 and pray for these wonderful people, 50:55 and the people that they are reaching. 50:57 They also need financial support. 50:59 Absolutely. 51:00 You're looking, if so, if the Lord, 51:02 if the Holy Spirit is impressing you 51:04 to support this ministry. 51:08 If you're saying, you know, I can't go 51:10 but yes, I see why this is so important. 51:13 They also are looking for pilots. 51:16 So maybe you know someone, maybe you are a trained pilot 51:21 and you say, "Yes, I'd like to do this 51:25 and become a missionary." 51:27 And I realized 51:28 that this could be life changing 51:30 for me and my family. 51:31 Well, if you would like to get in touch 51:34 with Adventist World Aviation, 51:38 here is their address, 51:40 their phone number, and their website. 51:41 Amen. 51:43 Adventist World Aviation supports isolated communities 51:46 and indigenous people with medical evacuations, 51:49 clinics, dental outreach and lifestyle programs 51:53 as well as church planting and Bible studies. 51:56 They are always in need of more planes, 51:58 medical supplies and trained pilots. 52:01 If you would like to support them, 52:02 please visit FlyAWA.org. 52:06 That's FlyAWA.org. |
Revised 2019-03-20