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Helicopter Project

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:27:25 UT

Robinson R66 Helicopter proposal

There are 19 more tribes in the Gulf Province that we are not working in. Yet. They are reachable. Many of these tribes are in areas unaccessible by boat or truck. Some of them have no airstrips. The only way to get into them is by helicopter. Two of our next three tribes to work in (the Akoye and Tewata) will require a helicopter to reach them. There are no airstrips among the Akoye or Tewata. The mere remoteness of these two tribes dictates the need of a helicopter.

There are a number of reasons that we are praying for a Robinson R66.

Ongoing and future problems relating to Avgas.
There is currently only one provider of Avgas in Australia, where we get our aviation fuel. That supply of Avgas is getting harder to obtain, and the price of Avgas has touched $17 per gallon at times. Availability and cost of the fuel causes us to look to other solutions. Avgas has to be purchased in a major port, and shipped into our area, at great cost. The Robinson R66 runs on Jet-A, a common fuel that is available at many airstrips across Papua New Guinea.
Certification within Papua New Guinea
There are other Robinson helicopters already flying in Papua New Guinea. Bringing an aircraft into the country is a major ordeal. Many people would ask something like, “Can’t you just build a helicopter in the garage, and use that?” To which we want to respond: “Would you fly your family (over the jungle) in something you built (in the garage)?” But, the polite and honest answer is that “Experimental aircraft are very difficult and nearly impossible to register in Papua New Guinea.” We have tried in the past.
2,000 Hour Time-between-Overhaul (TBO)
The Robinson helicopter company has a great track record for establishing a very easy rebuild and overhaul timing. On aircraft, many components must be overhauled at regular time limits. An engine may be due at one point; a propellor at another point; a vacuum pump at another point, and so forth. However, the Robinson company manufactures their helicopters to do everything at one time: 2,000 hours. That makes it very easy to remember, plan and be ready financially for that overhaul.
Success of the Robinson R22 and R44
Robinson has a superb safety history. Their R22 (a 2-seater) and the R44 (a 4-seater) both run on Avgas, and both have been used around the world with great success.
Comparable ability against the Bell Jet Ranger
Many people are familiar with the Jet Ranger. Chances are, your local Highway Patrol, LifeFlight, or TV News Station uses a Jet Ranger. These Jet Rangers are getting older and are more costly to run. With a purchase price that is much lower than the Jet Ranger, we find the R66 more suited for our needs on the mission field. And, the R66 meets the abilities of the Jet Ranger in almost every category.

Needed for purchase: $833,520
Shipping to PNG: $11,520
Total for project: $845,040

Funding level as of May 6th, 2012:

Click here to help fund the purchase of this helicopter for the work in Papua New Guinea.

Tags: church planting, helicopter

Sawmill Project

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:51:42 UT

In 2003, we purchased a Wood-Mizer LT15 from the Wood-Mizer company in Indianapolis, Indiana. This company provides a very nice discount for missionaries and also has excellent follow-up service over the phone. Many times, we have called them from the jungle for expert advice, and they have always helped us!

After cutting all the wood for seven buildings, our LT15 is getting old. The engine is worn out. Rust is coming through the bed rail. The machine has just worked very hard. We have cut close to 2,000 logs on this mill—all in the deep jungles, where the machine got rained on every day! What a good machine! You can see it in action here: http://vimeo.com/28322128

It is now time to replace the sawmill. Wood-Mizer has agreed to give us a discount again, and they have one available now for us to purchase, if we have the funding in place.

We anticipate using this sawmill for helping build houses and churches for the six new missionaries currently on deputation with That They May Know.

Cost for a new sawmill, and the blades to go with it: $5800.

Glory to God for His provision, and for His people giving towards the purchase of this new sawmill! The funding for this project is complete! - April 23, 2012

This project is fully funded!

Please consider also helping us fund the shipping of this Wood-Mizer Sawmill in the next sea container to Papua New Guinea.

Tags: building, construction, giving, guesthouse, sawmill, TTMK

Going to Visit

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:04:11 UT

The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Mine eye affecteth mine heart.” Every Christian between the ages of 9 and 90 should take a missions trip to some place in the world! To merely step away from our comfort zone in America and see the need around the world is eye-opening.

We encourage visitors to come visit in Papua New Guinea. The things that you may want to know at the beginning involve cost of travel, what you are going to be doing while there and how long you can stay.

We do discourage trips of less than two weeks long during the dry season (the North American winter period) and four weeks long during the wet season (the North American summer period). Visitors to Papua New Guinea can stay for up to 60 days without any prior paperwork and can stay for that period of time on a “Tourist Visa,” which can be obtained at the Immigration Desk upon arrival in Papua New Guinea.

If you are only one person wanting to go on a trip (or a couple), we recommend that you come as a part of a group. There is a group scheduled to come in December 2010, and I recommend that you join that group. You can contact the Leader of that group, my friend Mark Coffey. He has a link on his website about the trip: http://totheworld.org

If you have a large group (8-15 people) that would like to come as part of a church group, we encourage you to contact us through the “Contact Info” link on the side of this page. Please send your email to Matt Allen. You will find his email address on the Contact Info page.

Praying for the Missionaries

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:24:04 UT

“The prayers of the saints touch the heart of God.” —unknown

The single most important support that believers around the world can provide for the missionary is prayer. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:25, “Brethren, pray for us.” I mimic that request with fervency—Brethren, please pray for us!

You can pray for many things involving the missionary. May I take a moment to list a few:

1) The missionary’s spiritual walk. The missionaries that work on our team are on the fore-front of pioneer missions, invading a spiritually desolate front-line of battle. The wicked one would love nothing better than to destroy our walk and render us useless in the battle. Pray for the missionary’s walk.

2) The missionary’s patience. Living in the middle of the jungle brings a new list of challenges. For example, Home Depot is not next door. When we built our first building in the Kamea Region (my home) we spent months of preparation to have everything in place when we started. We built the entire house and when we thought everything would be ready to move it, we lacked ONE single plumbing fitting to tie the rain collection system outside to the water system inside. Our next trip to town to get that fitting was three months away. There are many things that can be frustrating. Please pray for the missionary’s patience.

3) The missionary’s pride. Having grown up in a developed country, among a people like himself, the missionary tends to approach the field with an attitude of superiority. Without realizing it, the missionary looks down upon the people he lives around, and if he is not careful begins to think, treat, and talk to the nationals around him in a condescending manner. This is wrong, and must not be. Pray for the missionary’s pride.

4) The missionary’s priorities. Surrounded by the poorest of the poor, it is quite often hard to focus on Great Commission without being distracted by the physical needs of the masses. It has been often said that it does no lasting good to merely alleviate the physical need without meeting the greater longer-lasting spiritual need. Pray that the missionary, while physically helping those in need, will not become distracted by the immediate at the expense of the eternal.

5) The missionary’s place of service. The Kamea are a peace-loving people. The safest place to live in Papua New Guinea is in a remote location, where the crime of the “big city” does not exist. However, that does not negate the fact that the political situations can change. Pray that God will continue to provide a hedge of protection against unrest in the places where the missionary serves.

6) The missionary’s family and health. In a jungle, the missionary faces health risks like malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and other tropical illnesses. Pray that the missionary will remain healthy as well as his family so that they may minister to the people that God has sent them.

Give — Go — Pray!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:21:54 UT