I have a bit of time this morning, so it’s time to try and finish this tale.

Flying around CAR and Congo was amazing. How did guys do this before GPS?  I’ve never been lost in an airplane but I can sure see how it could happen here…. There just aren’t any landmarks, except a handful of major rivers that are a long way apart.  The visibility the day I took this picture was amazing, frequently it’s very poor there due to fog / mist / rain.  Let’s hear it for GPS!  But the flying is really a means to an end. For our pilots, the flying is our primary ministry, and how we accomplish the end goal.

The end, of course, is to take the gospel of Christ to people who have not heard it, and to make disciples, a long process.  And one that requires pastors.  As I mentioned in the previous post we brought people up to Zemio for the ordination of four new pastors.  It was quite the production! There was a brass band, and singing, and dancing, and…. Let’s start at the beginning.  The four pastors being ordained lined up to march into the church…then the procession began.  They took about 30 minutes to go about 100 feet, dancing all the way while the congregation sang.  It was quite the production.  Then the service really began.  All the senior pastors we’d brought in spoke.  The CVs of each of the candidates was reviewed. It was amazing how long all of them had served in the church and how much schooling they’d had.  It is not an easy process to get ordained in this church!

And then, the candidates came forward and knelt for the formal ordination. All the senior pastors gathered around to lay hands on the  candidates: The widows’ choir sang , and then communion was served.  And then, after 6 1/2 hours, the ordination service was complete.

Wendy and Ron and I went back to the mission then and rested a bit, and Ron and I began to plan our return trip (Tuesday).  Wendy and the pastors organized some big meetings for Monday, which they did, and which went into the night, late, so that Boligihe could get back to Isiro on Tuesday and fly on to Kinshasa.  Monday Ron and I prepped the plane and otherwise made ready to travel.  Tuesday morning….

I see I’ve left alot of things out of this post.  Well, I’ll just have to post again. There was the little girl who followed Wendy and I around the refugee camp in Rafai.  There was the women’s choir practicing in the church in Zemio. There were the “Good News Comedians Troop” following the ordination service. There was the young boy playing the big drum in Rafai. There was the visit to Obo and walking around AIM’s mission station there and imagining it when it was fully operating with a technical school, a clinic, a big church, and a Bible school and about 30 missionaries.

CAR and Congo are hard places. The roads are bad, the LRA is a major threat and there is no security. The governments are ineffective or in the case of Congo almost non-existent.  Yet there is life, and the people sing and dance and praise God for His goodness.  How can we not go and join them?

Last Monday I flew from Nairobi to Entebbe on the DC-3, spent the night with the Pontiers, and then bright and early the morning of the 27th of July, Ron and I loaded up in the Caravan with Wendy Atkins, and headed for Zemio, Central African Republic (CAR).  We stopped first in Bunia, Congo, for fuel, and to pick up a senior pastor, Lalima.  Next we went to Dungu, Congo and picked up another senior pastor, Mboligihe.  Then on to Isiro where we picked up pastor Toloidi and his wife Ngbabino (no, I have no idea how to pronounce her name).  Finally, after dealing with incredibly greedy officials….it cost us $200 in fees in Bunia and nearly $600 in Isiro, we headed for Zemio.  Wendy Atkins is the AIM missionary in CAR (yes, singular).  Less than 20 years ago there were about 40 there…a dozen plus in Zemio, and another 18-20 in Obo.  The church is, amazingly, strong there, though it is ripe for heresy to creep in.  The church in CAR lacks Bibles, Bible schools, trained pastors, teaching materials….you get the idea. Anyway, on arrival at Zemio with Wendy and these three senior pastors we  got the full African greeting.  The people were lined up in front of the hangar (AIM Air used to have an airplane based here) singing and dancing to welcome them.

BIG Welcome.  Oh, the reason for the big trip:  Two men had graduated from the Bible school in the Congolese refugee camp in Zemio, and four men were being ordained as pastors in the Congolese church.  I know this risks putting a lie to what I just said about the church in CAR and Congo lacking so much, but these are the first two graduates in over four years, and the first four men to be ordained in about the same length of time.  The need is definitely there.  But that’s for later.  Ron and I put the airplane away, getting it prepped for the next flight.  Then we went to talk to the Ugandan soldiers there at the mission.  The UPDF (Ugandan Provincial Defense Force) is chasing after the Lords Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Koni’s band of thugs.  Part of Ron’s and my task during the week we’d be in Zemio was to do a security assessment for Central Region, to see if it was reasonable for Wendy to stay.  The UPDF is pretty well trained and equipped, especially for Africa. It was very comforting to have the guys there at the mission.

The next day Ron gave me the tour of the mission, and we did some repairs to Wendy’s motorscooter and the solar system in the guest house.  Mostly a quiet day.  I looked at an old BJ-45 very similar to Mr Zebra and was able to help the owner, Franga, who is a transporter in CAR that works with the mission regularly fix a couple things.  I’m getting some parts together for him now, for it.

I should take a minute and talk about food.  We ate African while there. Wendy doesn’t have a refrigerator and so relies heavily on the local market.  Rice was a staple, as were peanuts and peanut butter.  We also had greens, and matoke (plantain) and manioc (cassava).  The greens were usually served with a peanut sauce….very good.  For breakfast there was oatmeal (with peanut butter mixed in) and pancakes and peanut butter, and granola.   We ate well….  The other local staple I forgot to mention is palm oil.  Lots of palm trees here, and the nuts produce lots of oil.  A local export from the area is soap.  Soap from CAR gets exported all over Africa.

Probably the highlight of the trip was the next flight we did. Ron received word that a couple of children who’d been taken by the LRA as slaves had escaped and found their way to an airstrip.  The local guards were taking care of them, but could we get them, and get them back to their home village?  Yes, we could, in fact.  We flew to the airstrip where the kids were.  I stayed at the controls and kept the engine turning while Ron, who speaks the local languages (He speaks about 6 languages: English, Kiswahili, French, Lingala, Zande, and some Luganda) got out to unload some food we’d brought for the guards, and to get the kids on the plane.  We were on the ground less than five minutes all told…..  The reception back at their village was amazing…everyone was crying.  Given how few of the kids taken by the LRA get away, and the traumas they were subjected to, the reception they received was very understandable.

On another flight we took Wendy with us to the village of Rafai, just to the west of Zemio.  She wanted to meet with the church leaders there, and to meet with the people in the refugee camp there.  I walked with her when she went through the camp. Camp, however, is not very accurate, it’s more like a village.  The folks there are settling in for the long stay.  These folks didn’t flee an actual LRA attack, they left ahead of the attacks, and so were able to bring most of their things with them, and so are fairly well supplied and equipped.  In their minds at least.  Of more worry is the fact that they’re settling in for the long stay.  They’re Congolese, and while they’re all Zande like the folks in CAR this isn’t really their home.  The Red Cross is there providing some aid and mostly some advice (they have the villagers digging good long drop toilets, for instance, in an effort to head off disease).  It was an experience getting to the village…the airstrip is on the other side of the Chinko river (a branch of the Mbomou which defines the border between Congo and CAR) from the village. So we took the ferry.  Then  walking through the village was it’s own education, as I’ve hinted at before. 

It was, as I said, educational to walk through the refugee village.  The people were so amazingly glad to see us.  Wendy translated for me a bit, and most of the translations boiled down to “We’re so glad you came to see us.”  The people aren’t asking for help, other than getting rid of Koni and his goons, but they are very glad to have people from outside come and see.

I see that this post is getting long, and I’ve barely scratched the surface.  It’s quite a task to pack such a full week into a few words and pictures.  In fact, it’s a task beyond me.  So….stand by, there’s more to come.

The following was released by the IS director. I’ll add a little after he gets done.

Dear AIM coworkers,

Midmorning Monday July 5, the King Air operated by AIM AIR incurred damage during landing on an airstrip in southern Sudan. There were no injuries. The aircraft is badly damaged but repairable. The damage includes the left landing gear, engine, and propeller.

Immediately a recovery team was assembled and another aircraft was prepared and launched from Nairobi with the recovery team on board. Thankfully, a UN team arrived on scene to provide security and lights, allowing the team to work into the night. Tuesday morning (July 6) the recovery team was able to move the King Air off the runway to the parking area of the airstrip.

Another AIM AIR aircraft completed the King Air’s scheduled flight for the passengers.

The recovery team’s initial assessment has identified parts of the aircraft that can be replaced. It is estimated that it will be some time before these parts can be obtained and the aircraft brought to a condition where it can be ferried to Nairobi to undergo further repair.

We are working with Samaritan’s Purse staff on location to ensure security during the process while the airplane is in Sudan.

We ask that you join us in praying, praising God for the safety of everyone on board, and asking for His wisdom and guidance during the recovery and repair process, and thanking everyone who assisted in the last two days.

-Colin Earnshaw

I flew a Caravan up to Sudan to take a stack of tools and the rest of the recovery team to get the King Air off the side of the runway and out of the swamp.  Let me emphasize again, no one was hurt, not even bruised.  We dug and we jacked and we shored up and jacked some more, and eventually recovered the aircraft from the side of the runway to the parking area, and began the process of truly recovering it back into service.

A bit more detail…after landing the pilot struck a washout with the left main landing gear while trying to avoid a large puddle in the middle of the runway.  Puddles can often hide ruts or holes that make the airplane difficult to control or cause damage.  The runway in question, as you can see in the first picture, sits a couple of feet above surrounding swamp.  The rains have begun in Sudan and run off has caused a number of washouts along the edges of the runway.

The UN helped with providing some security initially, and they also provided us a portable light stand mounted on a generator to let us keep working after dark.  We arrived on scene about 6pm and by 8pm had the airplane back on its wheels.  We went off to get some rest and returned the next morning a bit before 7am.  By 8 the airplane was on the runway, and by 8:15 am the airplane was safely parked in the airstrip parking area.  I have to add, i have NEVER seen so many insects in my life. The portable flood lights attracted literally millions on millions of bugs.  You could see them swarming the lights and the ground around the light trailer was literally crawling.  We made, as you can no doubt guess, liberal use of bug repellent.

Please pray that the effort will go smoothly. The aircraft is a long long way from Nairobi, and doing repairs there to get the aircraft to Wilson will be difficult due to the climate.  Please pray also for security so that the plane is not vandalized, and most of all please pray for the pilot.  To say he feels terrible is like saying hurricanes are a bit windy.  Please pray also for the two members of the recovery team that stayed with the aircraft to continue prepping it.  They also have a project of fixing the local missionaries’ truck today while they wait for the DC-3 to come through and pick them and various parts up.  We drove back to the town in the dark, with two of us holding flashlights out the windows in lieu of headlights.  The truck’s alternator had failed and we had some adventures getting to the guest house and then getting the truck started in the morning to get us back to the airstrip.

Please pray for the rest of AIM Air as we work through what happened.

But not quite the way I planned to spend Saturday.  The plan was that I’d fly to Wamba, pick some doctors up who’d been there on a short term trip and bring them back to Nairobi.  So I show up at the hangar and start getting ready, when Jim Streit calls.  Jim, Mike DeLorenzo, Jerry Hurd, and a couple other folks had gone down to Magadi (about 40 miles southwest of Nairobi) to do some flying.  When they got down there and started setting up, they discovered that their airplane had sprung a leak!  There was oil all over it.  So I delayed a while until Jose Reyes, our lead turbine mechanic got in.  He started gathering parts and tools and I flew off to Wamba to pick the doctors. On my return I took Jose, along with Randy Gottfried and a bunch of oil, tools and parts to Magadi.

There, we found our lost sheep, waiting for rescue.  So, while Jose and Randy tore into the repair, the others took the plane I’d come down in and started with the flying they’d planned. 

I helped here and there with things, and around 3pm we finally loaded up to fly home.  The one plane still wasn’t fully fixed but it was OK for the hop home (less than 20 minutes, with lots of alternates).  I took all but the crew for the other plane and followed them back to Wilson.  Not what I had planned, but a fun day nonetheless.

Is my new nickname from the Orma people in Daba. I was there this weekend with the Scheenstras. Roger and Sue have been there in Daba for about 20 years now, working with the Orma, and I brought three of their children to visit during the RVA midterm break. I spent the weekend overhauling the brakes on his old (1977) Toyota Landcruiser. Then yesterday I brought all five of them to Nairobi.

Oh, molu, means “bald.” Roger assures me it’s a very honorable name among the Orma. However the lady who gave it to me was laughing…..

On the 26th, Jim Streit and I delivered a generator to Werkok. Partners in Compassionate Care (PCC, website www.pccsudan.org) asked AIM Air to move a generator to Werkok for the hospital they run there.  The generator was 550 kg (1200 lbs), and with the top covers and hoist ring removed was 46.5″ tall.  That last is significant because the door on the Caravan is 48″ tall.  It took us about 2 hours at Wilson airport in Nairobi to load the thing, using a forklift and four helpers.  Then we flew to Lokichogio (2.5 hours) and then Werkok (another 2 hours).

Unloading started with unstrapping the thing, which took considerable crawling around in the airplane:

Then came getting it out without dropping it.  Fortunately PCC has a front end loader with a very good driver there in Werkok.  They also had a hoist frame that they use for drilling wells.  So we took three of the big ratchet straps we use to tie things down (each is good for about 15000 lbs rated load, so three was probably overkill, but we were worried about the thing slipping) and used to the front end loader and alot of grunt work to slide the generator partly out of the airplane.  Next was to re-attach the hoisting point to the generator frame and then chain the generator to the well hoist frame.  Then we repositioned the bucket, and ran a chain from the hoist point on the generator to the hook on the bucket, and slowly lifted the whole thing out of the plane, a half inch at a time.  And now the hospital in Werkok has power.  We also brought as passengers three men from Nairobi (actually they’re from the US, but we carried them from Nairobi) who’s main job in the next couple days was to hook up the generator.

All that done, Jim and I hopped back in the airplane and flew home.  A good day’s work.

Just when you think you have a problem, you realize that, there’s definitely bigger problems out there.  On Sunday morning Susan Black was shot.  The Blacks were on the road from Tuum back to Maralal, having attended the first Christian wedding in Tuum, when they were attacked by bandits on the road.  The bandits shot at the Black’s Land Rover trying to hit Ken and stop the car so they could rob everyone in it.  They didn’t hit Ken but did hit Susan.  Here’s the latest update from Marv Smith, the Eastern Region director:

“I just received an update this evening, Monday, at 6:30 pm local time.  Susan Black remains in intensive care at AIC Kijabe Hospital today.  On Sunday morning she received a very serious bullet wound to the thigh and femur.  Monday night an initial surgical procedure was done to clean the wound and begin repair of the damaged area.  The next 48 hours will be critical in terms of seeing how the healing process is going.  Please PRAY for Susan’s healing and for wisdom as the doctors treat her.

This was a traumatic event for Ken and Susan and their two boys, Robert and Joseph.  Ken and the boys are doing fairly well today, but continue to pray for their emotional recovery.  In addition to the Black family, there were also five Kenyans aboard the vehicle at the time of the attack—all need prayer.”

Please pray for Susan Black’s healing, and for Ken and their boys.

I don’t know. Last week the AIM International Services (AIM Air is a branch of IS) director resigned in protest over how IS would interact with other AIM regions. I don’t know the full details of that situation so rather than get them wrong I’ll just skip them. The big question is, though, what will AIM Air look like in six months? Will we go to Lokichogio? When will we go? IF we don’t go to Loki what will we (AIM Air) do with the Loki flying? What will we be doing if we don’t go to Loki?

Lots of questions. Unfortunately we’re all really short of answers. The AIM director is in town this week to talk to IS and hopefully answer some of the bigger questions.

More to come.

Well, maybe random news flashes might be a better title.

I passed my AIM Air caravan base check, so I’m a qualified caravan pilot now. I still have to fly another 25 hours with other pilots to get some other views on loading and operating techniques. That’s about 2 trips. This week I fly about 18 of those hours all over south Sudan.

Loki housing: AIM International Services (AIM Air is part of IS) has decided to properly support the Lokichogio operation and will be building at least 2 houses and a hangar there in Loki. We had a good meeting with the Baptists who own the compound we’ll be building on. Next is formal lease agreements and building plans and deciding who’s going to be the Base Developer. The BD is an IS missionary who’s task is to get the Loki base built. Later he’ll be the Base Manager in charge of maintenance of the facilities there.

Alex is enrolled in Rift Valley Academy for August for 9th grade. He’s excited to go. Beth is lobbying to get his room, so far unsuccessfully.

Samantha turned 7! She had a party and sleep over on Friday night. I’m not sure why it’s called a sleep over. There wasn’t much sleep involved but she and her friends had a really good time.

Loki, for short. We’re still working on moving there, hopefully by July. Actually? We’ll just have to see. The big issue there is housing. AIM IS is coming to a concensus. So far it looks like the plan is for us to build a small house that will later double as both garage and guest house and move into that. Once we’re moved in we’ll begin construction on something larger and more comfortable. First, though, the real decision has to be made, and we’re still waiting on that.

In other news, it’s pretty quiet around here. Flying is a little slow, mostly because of some maintenance that’s piled up all at the same time (routine inspections on the aircraft) and because of some special events. RVA does an “interim” every year in March for the juniors and seniors, and we support the interims. In this case it means two aircraft gone for the better part of a week. SO…flyiing is slow.

We’re using the down time for some forward planning, though. Next month are presidential elections in Sudan. None of the news we’re getting from there is encouraging, so we’re looking at evacuation scenarios for missionaries in various places. Many missionaries are leaving before the elections. Others are gathering in central locations easily secured. And so we’re looking at options if we have to go pull folks out. Elections are April 11th there, with results to be announced a week later. We’ll see how it goes.