Daisy, John, James and I send greetings to you all and we pray that there is contentment in the Lord with you. Outside of a few colds, bumps and bruises, we are all doing fine. We have been in Costa Rica for a busy month now and I will try to update you as best I can.
Shortly after arriving in country we held a medical clinic in Bajo Coen. Dr. Dwight Adams and his son Dr. Alan Adams accompanied us to provide the medical expertise. Alan’s wife Elaine, Daisy, JP, James and our fellow missionary friend Mike all went along as well to help in performing the necessary task required in holding a clinic. During our four days in Bajo Coen, we were able to treat and provide medicine for 360 people. Also during our time there, I was able to hike up to Alto Coen to get a look at another bridge site. Everything was going well, until on the trip back from the bridge site Dr. Alan, who had accompanied me, made a miss step on the trail. He fell head first about 8 or 10 feet where he luckily landed on a ledge or his fall would have been much further. After getting the cuts on his nose and legs to stop bleeding for the most part and putting a splint on his broken wrist, we continue down the trail for the 2 hour walk we had remaining before arriving back at Porfirio’s house in Bajo Coen just before dark. The next day we returned to Bribri. Then it was back to San Jose and eventually Kansas for the doctors and Elaine.
As you know, Samaritan Air has committed their Huey and a pilot to aid our work here in Talamanca. It is an investment of more than half a million dollars for the evangelization of Talamanca. The helicopter is sitting in West Palm Beach, Florida waiting for us to prepare a safe secure area from which we can operate.
Approximately 9 years ago I bought about 5 acres on the Sixaola River located about ½ a mile from our home Bribri without really knowing what I was going to do with it. The property was grown up with small trees and cane. It had three very large deep ditches due to erosion and no real entrance, but it was a perfect site for our base of operations. It has excellent landing approaches from several directions. We can land and take-off without flying over the town. Also, we can have an area dedicated to air operation alone, unlike trying to use the town soccer field to operate from.
We began clearing and grading the lot several weeks ago. We were making good progress and the area was looking very nice, with only about 2 days of grading remaining until we would be finished with most of the heavy equipment. Then, it started raining. It rained everyday for a week and a half. The sun finally came out yesterday and began to dry up the ground. We have spent about $10,000 so far on the grading and putting in culverts for entrances to the lot.
The rain and the rising river revealed the urgency of addressing a problem I knew we would have to eventually address. Our property is high enough above the river that it never floods. However we do have a major problem in that we are on the outside of a curve in the river. That means that the water velocity is higher on our bank and as a result it eats away at the bank, undermining the overlying soil. Consequently, we had a significant slide on one portion of the property as a result of the last rain. I was hoping to put off taking corrective measures for a little while, but the river and the coming rainy season are not going to permit it. Preventing this type of erosion is possible but it is not cheap or easy. However, there is no doubt that it is worth the effort.
Matt Holeton, the instructor who taught me to fly helicopters, has joined us here in Bribri. He is helping with the work of preparing the hanger and landing area. He will remain in Bribri once the helicopter arrives as the Samaritan Air pilot and missionary. Once we have completed living quarters, he will be joined by his wife and two sons. Also with us now is Darryl Rawlings, my test pilot buddy from Huntsville, Al. He has taken a four month leave of absence to help if the hanger and flight facilities.
Recently, the Agua Viva Trustees along with a group of other gentlemen held a bar-b-que to raise funds for the construction of the flight facilities. It was a successful event and we are grateful for the effort put forth by everyone.
I know that many times people who support ministries feel like the ministry is always asking for money and more money. The truth is very little ever gets done for free. There is always some cost involved. Darryl volunteered his time to work for free, but he had a cost to get here and he has to eat while he is here. We try to be as good a steward as possible; primarily because we know that we will answer to God for all that we have been entrusted with.
I want to share with you the extent of the work that must be done in preparing our operations center, so that you will understand our need for construction funds. The clearing and grading of the lot I have already mention. We have to address the already mentioned river problem by building a retaining wall on the bank and a diversion wall in the river to change to some degree the direction and velocity of the main river force. We have to build a hanger that will measure 60 ft. by 68 ft. with a 20 ft. ceiling. We have to pour about 50 cubic yards of concrete for the hanger floor and landing pad. We have to put up 1800 feet of chain link fence. And we have to build the living quarters for Matt and his family.
It all sounds like a great deal of work and money. There is no denying that is true. But it is going to be half the investment that Samaritan Air has made. God has answered our prayer for a helicopter. He answered it with exactly the helicopter we dreamed of as the perfect one for our mission. I have no doubt that God is going to provide for all that we need to put the helicopter in operation and then maintain its operation.
There is work we could do with the helicopter today if it was here. Other missionaries and ministries in the area are asking for help using the helicopter. It is going to be a tool instrumental in our reaching people for Christ. In putting it to work, we need your prayers. Please keep us in your prayers that we would have wisdom and safety in the construction work. Pray that our work on the lot would not be delayed so that we might return soon to concentrating on our work with the people in the jungle. Ask God to what degree He would have you involved with the work here. There are people who are giving to this effort sacrificially. Maybe He wants you to be in that number. No one knows but you and God.
Thank you for your encouragement and financial help over the past 15 years. Thank you for your prayers regarding the helicopter over those many years. God has heard us and answered in a marvelous way. I am always anxious to see how God is going to wonderfully and miraculously answer our prayers. We do not have the funds to do all we need to do, but it will come. Somehow God will speak to somebody and that somebody will respond to God’s prompting and all that we need will be available. It is part of the mystery of how God works to accomplish His will.
Blessings on each and every one of you.
John
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