Goals

Goals and Prayer Requests:

• We need to get a helicopter to Australia early this year for an upgrade and major inspection, but with all the restrictions it is proving very difficult UPDATE: We were about to ship this by sea freight, but as we were about to load it into the container, we realized that the shipping company was going to transfer the helicopter into a different container in Surabaya which we didn't feel comfortable with.  So, we are now waiting on an international container to arrive from Surabaya before we can load it.  This way it will only be packed once by ourselves who know how fragile the helicopter is.  Then we can safely ship it from Jayapura to Surabaya to Australia.  Please continue to pray that this happens soon so this heli can get the maintenance upgrades it needs and returns before the certificate of airworthiness expires.
  
  
• More and more regulations are coming out and it's getting more and more difficult to maintain our licenses here.  Please pray God continues to open the door for us to serve here
• Our team will be down to 3 expat families and 2 of us are due for a furlough this year.  Please pray for our smaller team to stay energized and to be able to continue to serve the Papuan people even as families take breaks.  Currently Amanda and I are the only expats on the team here in Wamena.  We have one family waiting on visas still (over 1.5 years) and one family on furlough.  Please pray for me as I'm juggling everything that goes into running the base.  Between flying, maintenance, finances and base management its
  easy to do too much. 
  
• Sammy, one of our maintenance apprentice will be headed to school for a couple months in order to obtain his helicopter basic license.  This will be a huge accomplishment for him if he passes the test.  Please pray for him as he studies.  Once he gets his basic license we can apply for his type rating and he will be our first local staff to be a signing mechanic!  Good news!  Sammy has passed his test and now has his helicopter basic license.  Thank you all for praying for him!  Now we just need to get him the type ratings to be a fully licensed mechanic for Helimission!
  
• 
  Alberth is a new mechanic to use and is currently under a trial period.  He has great character and already has his airplane and turbine engine basic license.  He has never worked on helicopters, so Matt is spending a lot of time training him.  Please pray he sticks around and feels called to serve with us long term Great news!  Alberth has copleted his 3 month trial period and has signed a contract to work with us for the forseeable future.  We now are planning to send him to the same school as Sammy and hopefully by the end of next year we will have 2 local mechanics fully licensed!
  
• We have 3 local pilots that are in training to fly with us.  Matt has already instructed them over 100 hrs.  Please pray for safety as we train in a difficult area to fly and that they really advance their skills this year.
• Our international school is very understaffed and is under threat of losing accreditation, please pray that teachers are sent, or that God opens a way for our kids to continue to get education here
  

This year has many challenges ahead but through every challenge there is excitement of what God will do.  Please continue to pray for us in any way God puts on your heart.  We really appreciate everyone of you that takes time out of your day to lift us up before the throne of God.  God continues to use us out here and we believe this is due to the prayers backing us!
Thank you for supporting us in Prayer!

Amanda helping during a medivac