A Place to Hang your ... Hangar
We all like a place to hang our hats – a place to call home. The Ethnos360 hangar in the Philippines needed that, too!
In 2017, some generous Christian businessmen in the Philippines donated a pre-fab hangar, shipped from Australia in containers. But it needed a place to “live.” It’s not that pilot/mechanic Josh Dalton couldn’t find suitable land. It’s that the community surrounding any location had to hold meetings to discuss every aspect of leasing it. Could they agree to have the land used for a helicopter? What about the noise? Did they agree to Ethnos360 Aviation’s purpose in flying the helicopter? Did they think the added activity would disturb the town?
After a number of failed deals, one community agreed to lease land.
From January to March, Josh worked with hired crews to develop the land and put in the services. By March 27, they were ready to begin construction, starting with the roof. Once they had it assembled, they raised it with jacks and set it on columns.
Now the floor. With forms, gravel and re-bar in place, they went to work with cement mixers, pouring section by section. On the last day of the pour, they used two mixers, a crew of 24 guys, 1600 gallons of water, and 320 bags of Portland cement to pour 50 cubic yards of concrete. This hangar wasn’t going anywhere!!
Or was it? In December of 2022, after a year of negotiations toward buying the land, the lease ran out. Pilot’s wife Elizabeth Minium posted at that time, “Moving the hangar would be a huge endeavor, and we do not have a great option for a new location at the moment. ... We trust that God has a plan and a purpose in all of this and have seen His Hand so faithfully in the past.” Agreeing with her, pilot Brian Schaadt wrote, “God has some good outcome in mind for us.”
The land was owned by several members of one family, but communication was difficult, and consensus among them lagged. If an agreement failed, this firmly cemented hangar would have to be moved. No one really looked forward to that.
Around the end of January 2023, a glimmer of progress appeared. A local official had connections with the family who owned the property, and he possibly could help them come to an agreement. “At this point there isn't much we can do but pray and wait for a decision to be made,” wrote Alex Minium, manager of the Philippine flight program. “We're continuing to operate as usual with the landowners' consent, even though our lease is technically expired. We are so thankful for the Lord's peace and rest that we've seen so clearly amidst the tremendous uncertainty. I think it's right where the Lord wants us to be.”
Negotiations to renew the lease or buy the land dragged out for months. Many people prayed. And prayed. Month after month, fervent petitions reached the Throne of Heaven. Uncertainty yielded to trust in God, though a favorable outcome looked improbable. But people prayed and God worked.
The Signing
Wednesday, April 24, 2024, pilot/mechanic Alex broke the good news: “As of 11:30 a.m., Thursday, Philippine time, the Deed of Sale was signed, payments were finalized, and the property is now owned by New Tribes Church Planters of the Philippines, the local Global Partner entity.”
What a relief to own the land! And good thing the hangar doesn’t have to be moved! There wouldn’t be time! Fresh teams of new missionaries – the largest number in years – are right now preparing to take the gospel to people groups on Mindanao waiting to hear God’s Word.
God had His hand on that land through the whole process to bring the best solution. What long-time missionaries Ron and Michelle Jennings said in 2018 when the hangar was first built is still true: “The location and lay of the land is so perfect. ... [It’s a] major blessing to the functionality of the flight program as a whole.” The hangar is a mere ten minutes from the guest house and pilots’ houses. And from the hangar, it takes just minutes to reach into places that have yet to hear the gospel.
“This has been an incredible team effort by many,” wrote Alex to his colleagues around the world. But it applies to you, too: “On behalf of our team in the Philippines, thank you all for your diligent prayers and encouragement throughout the lengthy process. We are excited for how the Lord will use this property to continue advancing the spread of the gospel.”
How does a hangar on secure land mesh with your commitment as an Ethnos360 Aviation prayer partner or donor? Because of your teamwork, all the church planters will be served out of this hangar, even those who would not be able to fly on their own budget. When you donate to Missionary Flight Sponsorship, you will keep this hangar and the R66 very busy. It makes all the years of negotiations worth it. Thank you!