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Cessna 206 One Step Closer to Brazil!

Ace Glidewell delivering the plane to an MMS representative
For missionaries in the acre region of west brazil, lack of aviation service means that any trip into the jungle could be their last.

 “… [if we] have a health emergency, there is no way out except by trail. And you know that to walk several days if you are so sick . . . would be out of the question,” says veteran missionary Sheryl Rich.

If getting out of the jungle on foot is hard, getting into an isolated village seems even more daunting.  Navigating rivers, hiking trails, sleeping outdoors amid biting insects and poisonous snakes—not the usual hike that you might take with your family.

“[It’s] more complicated than it sounds,” relates Sheryl, referring to a young family with 3 children contemplating the hike into a tribe for the first time, with no house ready to move into, no building supplies waiting for them, no living supplies available in the tribal area, no extra clothes except what they take.

You have prayed for the tribes of Brazil to be reached, and aviation help is on the way!

The Brazil Cessna 206 you have prayed for and invested in is finally getting its radio—a process that has been stalled by years of legal snags!   At last, the Cessna 206 left Arizona on May 14th for MMS Aviation in Coshocton, Ohio, flown by pilot/mechanics Larry Dye and Ace Glidewell.  At MMS, skilled technicians have gained the required permission to install the specialty HF radio needed by pilots for clear communication over the thick Brazilian rain forest.

On Friday May 16th another flash of good news came!  Charlie Patton, NTMA pilot on location in Brazil, received his Brazilian pilot’s license after almost 4 years of satisfying legal and technical requirements.

The news of the plane’s radio and the pilot’s license added to the momentum already building since meetings in Brazil in April.  Those discussions yielded an agreement between NTMA and two other evangelical aviation missions—Asas de Socorro and SIL– who agreed to lend pilots to help fly NTMA’s Cessna 206 when it gets to the field.

But first, the plane needs its new radio and final inspections.  Then in July, a team of pilots will fly the plane to Brazil.

All of this spells relief for the missionaries who have been laboring too long under tenuous circumstances.

With aviation service, New Tribes Mission leaders in Brazil can fulfill the “vision for reaching the many unreached/least-reached people groups from that region,” says NTMA’s Director of Personnel Jason Miller.  This flight program is a dream that NTM Brazil has been working on for six years.  The plane will facilitate surveying the region for people still unreached, sending consultants to aid translators and Bible teachers in difficult work, and sustaining and encouraging missionaries in isolated bush locations.

Your desire to see Christ introduced to those who have never heard is paying off!  Only God could move the hands of government officials, get through the maze of legalities, and provide like-minded organizations to share the load. “There have been obstacles all along the way, and yet we have seen God faithfully knock every one of those over…one by one,” reflects Jason.

However, please don’t stop praying!

Ask God for:

  • the right team of experienced pilots to navigate safely to Brazil.
  • a smooth route through importation and taxes.
  • Charlie Patton and mechanic Joel Rich as they make arrangements in the town where the plane will likely be based.
  • more NTM pilots to serve in Brazil.
  • finances still needed to get this plane into service.

Thank you for trusting God for His work in Brazil.  Thank you for making room in your hearts for the unreached people there and for continuing to work on the team with us.

Tags: Aviation, Brazil
POSTED ON May 20, 2014
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