Today the missionaries
of the AWA Guyana outpost
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begin their day with an activity
that is very familiar to them.
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Yet, it might seem a
bit strange for many others
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who are accustomed to
modern day conveniences.
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They begin the day
by rationing fuel and
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making sure that both
planes are ready for flight,
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should an emergency
med-evac call come in.
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Getting fuel to this area is...
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you know airplanes run on fuel
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we can't do anything
if we don't have fuel
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And when we first
got to Guyana we were
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exploring how we
would handle that.
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We are not allowed to fill
barrels with fuel at the airport
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We have to have a really
excessive insurance policy
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to be able to do that so that
was really not an option for us.
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So actually what we do, is we
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when a pilot flies into
town, we fill up all the tanks
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and we fly the
airplane back to Mabaruma,
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and then we siphon out the
amount of fuel that we don't
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need. We keep the minimum
in there to get to Georgetown.
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It's important that the
air crafts stand ready because,
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at any given moment, they
might need to spring into action
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and launch a flight to
rescue someone from the jungle
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and take them into a
higher level of medical care
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in the capital
city of Georgetown.
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Laura LaBore begins to
siphon out the fuel by hand
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into empty jerry cans.
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Its sometimes tricky to get
the fuel to begin to siphon,
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but once it does,
the fuel flows steadily.
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The crew use the
planes as a fuel camel
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Since the white Cessna 206 made
the last flight from Georgetown,
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it has the most fuel in it. They
will now siphon the extra fuel
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out of it and leave just enough
for it to make another flight
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to Georgetown. They
will take the extra fuel
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and put it in the Cessna
1182 so it too has enough fuel,
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to make a flight.
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These planes hold their
fuel tanks in their wings.
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There are two separate
tanks, one in each wing.
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This helps the plane maintain
its balance, puts fuel up high
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away from the engine and helps
keep the overall size of the
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plane down buy utilizing
the empty space in the wings for
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Yah, we're siphoning fuel
out so we can store fuel here.
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when we do inter-land flights
without going to Georgetown,
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we need to have extra fuel here.
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and we can't... we can't
actually ship it in barrels.
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So we have to fly it in
the airplane, take it out here.
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We leave the minimum in to
get to Georgetown, and then,
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you know, hopefully we can go
back to Georgetown and refill.
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and just keep storing it that
way until we really need it.
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The Cessna 206 can hold
roughly about 92 gallons of fuel
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while the Cessna 182
only carries about 65.
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It takes around 40 gallons
to make a round trip flight
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to Georgetown,
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however often times the flights
turn into multi-stop trips and
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the mission pilots often stop
in other villages along the way
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in order to be most efficient
with time fuel and funding.
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Without the luxury of a gas pump
this activity is a vital choir
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the missionaries must do in
order to ensure that they have
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plenty of fuel so they
are able to do their jobs
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in the mission field.
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It's a hassle.
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Sometimes we'll take it
off of this plane and then
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just go store it in
barrels. And then as we need it,
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we just kind of stock pile it,
and then use it as we need it.
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Laura Labore is one
of the pilots in Guyana
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but she is also an A&P
mechanic. She is very accustomed
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to working on, around,
and in these airplanes.
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The missionaries try to keep
the amount of fuel even in both
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fuel tanks if one tank
is empty and the other full,
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the plane will fly lopsided.
So in order to avoid that,
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they try their best to
keep the tanks balanced.
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If one is unequal, you're going
to fly kind of crooked like that
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So you wanna make sure it is
more or less equal. Even when
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you load like say there is a
really big person on one side,
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and a lighter one
on the other side.
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You going to tend to
fly a little bit crooked.
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So, besides that,
that's the only reason really.
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You can burn on
either side that you want
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on this one it burns equally on
both sides for flying stability
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Almost 80 percent of Guyana
is covered with thick jungle
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and there are very few roads
that lead out to Georgetown.
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Not only that, 70 percent
of the country's population
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lives in these hard to
reach areas of the jungle.
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Because no one can guess when
these emergencies might happen,
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the AWA pilots try to
keep their airplanes fueled
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and ready to fly.
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Our agreement or
partnership I should say
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with the ministry of health
...what we do with them is
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try and work with the programs
that they already have rather
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than trying to create something
duplicate or parallel to them.
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So, we allow them to
decide what is an emergency;
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and they'll call us and ask
us to go as soon as possible
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to wherever the village
is, wherever the patient is,
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and... and so we
will go and collect them.
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And what we also do is,
depending on... like if there is
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only one patient to pick up,
we keep like a list of people
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on standby from either
the hospital, or the villages,
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that need to go out. Sometimes
the reasons are personal,
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sometimes they're medical.
And then if we have a seat,
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we just quickly
call them, and say
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"Run out the airstrip, we have a
flight and come on out with us"
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I think our greatest
need for the project is fuel
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for the aircraft.
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A lot of people don't
want to give money for fuel,
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because it just seems
boring, it's not exciting.
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It's not a house that you
can take a picture of and say
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this is the money that...
this where our money went.
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But if it weren't
for fuel we couldn't fly.
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And without flying,
there is many many lives
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that would not be saved.
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And so... and its very
expensive. Here fuel costs
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about $9/ gallon and
with all the flying we do
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it takes about 500 dollars,
US, to fill a tank of gas.
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With a tank of gas,
there could be at least,
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30 people who
are directly impacted
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with that one tank of gas. With
flying into Georgetown and back,
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sometimes with our
flights what we are doing
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is flying supplies into peoples
houses, or into villages.
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Sometimes we are flying bodies
even, if they don't survive.
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And so, the peripheral impact
that that fuel has, is really
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really great. And I
wish that people would
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understand that more.
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There are times where
we are here and we run
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out of money for fuel.
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The community calls, asks us for
flights and we have to say no.
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And I get frustrated with that
because to me, that's one of the
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main points why we are
here. And if we run out of fuel,
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then we're not here to be
able to complete the mission,
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that we are here for.
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The airplanes fly 3 to 4 days
a week on average I would say;
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if we have...if we launch
a flight it may end up being
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an average one would probably
3 to... 3 to 5 legs in a flight
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where we might pick
up patients in one place
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another patient somewhere else,
and then, after we take them out
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perhaps you take patients
back home to another village.
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So it usually involves several
stops. So if the plane gets a
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a 10:00 o'clock call to do a
medivac, the plane is probably
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not going to be back till
about 5 o'clock in the evening
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if it can make it back that
same day at all. Usually if you
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get called to do a flight,
you'll probably end up flying
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between 3 and 5 hours in order
to complete all the things that
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we tie into that flight.
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Shortly after they finish
fueling the planes the chief
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pilot, Jud Wickwire gets a
call for an emergency medi-vac.
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In situations like these, the
pilots don't have a lot of time
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to waste. Since the
plane is already fueled,
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all he has to do it grab
his pre-packed flight bag.
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Jud now needs to prepare
the plane for his patient.
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He removes one of the
seats and lays down a foam pad.
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Before every flight, the pilots
inspect the plane thoroughly.
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They look at the prop,
the wings, tail, breaks, oil,
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and fuel.
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They want to make certain
the plane is in prime condition
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for the skies before they
let any passenger climb aboard.
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Next Jud must call
in his flight plan.
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He must call air traffic
control in Georgetown and inform
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them that he'll be in the skies
and that he intends to fly into
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fly into the Ogle airport.
This helps keep track of planes
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as well as
prevents mid air collisions
00:09:01.96\00:09:04.60
... that's air traffic control
and every flight, you have to
00:09:04.63\00:09:08.52
file a flight plan, simple
as that. They need to know that
00:09:08.55\00:09:11.20
you are in the air, so
they can advise other traffic.
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With all his preparations
finished, Jud is finally ready
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to take off toward Baramita
to pick up his emergency patient
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Jud has traveled this route many
times, and the AWA mission team
00:09:22.19\00:09:25.59
has been working with
the village of Baramita
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for some time now.
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They have developed a trusting
relationship together and have
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directly impacted
many in this village.
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There is a tischow in a village.
A tischow means chief or captain
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or leader in a village
and they call them tischows.
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And every village has them.
There is a village of Baramita,
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that when we first
started coming here, they said,
00:09:46.42\00:09:48.76
You know what? You can come
here and you can fly us out,
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but we don't want anything
to do with the religion.
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And now that we've been
doing...flying for them, and
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some health seminars, they've
begged us to come and live there
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And we've even started
building a house there.
00:10:00.66\00:10:02.83
Well the other day, the
tischow got very very sick.
00:10:02.86\00:10:07.55
Well I learned to fly in British
Columbia, in a place called
00:10:07.58\00:10:10.45
Squamish which is a small
community, but it's right in the
00:10:10.48\00:10:13.84
mountains. And it's where I
learned to fly, in the mountains
00:10:13.87\00:10:16.69
And that's in British
Columbia. And that was actually
00:10:16.72\00:10:19.96
30 years ago. And in that 30
years, I've flown every year,
00:10:19.99\00:10:25.71
and I actually don't think I've
gone more then 3 or 4 months
00:10:25.74\00:10:28.43
without flying at all in
that in that period of time.
00:10:28.46\00:10:31.58
There are a lot of differences
flying here to the States,
00:10:31.61\00:10:34.02
but honestly, where I've done
most of my flying in northern
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British Columbia, northern
Canada, ummm It's actually not
00:10:37.18\00:10:39.87
that much different, obviously
its hotter, but its not...
00:10:39.90\00:10:42.83
... You deal with the same kind
of circumstances, with limited
00:10:42.86\00:10:47.29
communication, limited weather
reporting remote airstrips,
00:10:47.32\00:10:51.99
a lot of, flying over a
lot of inhospitable terrain.
00:10:52.02\00:10:55.43
When you're flying in the
continental US for the most part
00:10:55.46\00:11:00.10
if you're flying at a decent
altitude, you can almost be
00:11:00.13\00:11:02.45
within flying distance of
an airport, almost for the
00:11:02.48\00:11:04.42
entire content, or a decent
place to land. Whereas here,
00:11:04.45\00:11:07.71
and for the most part we're used
to flying in British Columbia,
00:11:07.74\00:11:12.23
once your airborne, once
you're out range of the airport
00:11:12.26\00:11:14.50
that you took off from, there
might not be another until you
00:11:14.53\00:11:18.40
reach your destination.
00:11:18.43\00:11:19.80
(Music)
00:11:19.83\00:11:21.20
Very few of these villages have
constant reliable electricity,
00:11:22.69\00:11:26.21
or current, as the Guyanese
call it. Therefore it is very
00:11:26.24\00:11:29.37
very difficult to medically
treat and provide care to
00:11:29.40\00:11:32.44
to someone who
has critical needs.
00:11:32.47\00:11:35.23
Often times, in order to save
their lives, patients are flown
00:11:35.26\00:11:38.89
to the hospital in Georgetown,
where they can receive
00:11:38.92\00:11:42.05
a higher level of care.
00:11:42.08\00:11:43.79
The patient I'm
picking up, is the captain,
00:11:43.82\00:11:45.81
or as they call them,
the Tischow of the village.
00:11:45.84\00:11:47.68
And I don't know, exactly what
happened or why but he's kind of
00:11:47.71\00:11:50.89
elderly, frail man, but he has
apparently attacked and beaten.
00:11:50.92\00:11:53.81
And they said this
morning he lost consciousness.
00:11:53.84\00:11:55.71
So they call us call us
here about an hour ago and said
00:11:55.74\00:11:57.45
we should come up so I
don't know exact conditions.
00:11:57.48\00:12:00.02
We are waiting for
him. They will bring him
00:12:00.05\00:12:01.45
out of the
clinic here in a minute.
00:12:01.48\00:12:02.90
As Jud waits for his
patient, he tries to gather more
00:12:02.93\00:12:06.12
information about
the patient's condition
00:12:06.15\00:12:07.74
from family members and friends.
00:12:07.77\00:12:10.00
However, no one seems to
have very much information
00:12:10.03\00:12:12.70
and the information they
do give, seems conflicting.
00:12:12.73\00:12:16.23
It's a puzzling situation
and no one seems to have
00:12:16.26\00:12:19.07
a straight answer.
00:12:19.10\00:12:20.47
Alright ummm...
He's in the clinic?
00:12:20.50\00:12:24.60
Ok, alright, let's
make a space here for him.
00:12:24.63\00:12:27.77
It's a very unusual occurrence
for an elder let alone a Tischow
00:12:27.80\00:12:31.59
to be a victim of
domestic violence.
00:12:31.62\00:12:34.23
They will sometime have
some drinking and between the
00:12:34.26\00:12:37.26
younger men, sometimes they
will get out their cutlasses.
00:12:37.29\00:12:39.44
Machetes, and cut each
other up. You know that's more
00:12:39.47\00:12:42.71
between the younger guys.
00:12:42.74\00:12:44.11
I don't know why something
would happen to an elderly
00:12:44.14\00:12:46.21
You know an elder in a village
That's... I don't know if
00:12:47.62\00:12:49.38
I've seen that happen before.
00:12:49.88\00:12:51.25
So I don't know
what the explanation is.
00:12:51.31\00:12:53.32
It's important that Jud has the
information about the patient's
00:12:53.35\00:12:56.61
condition so he can
pass it along to the doctors
00:12:56.64\00:12:59.64
in Georgetown.
00:12:59.67\00:13:01.04
Finally the patient appears from
the clinic. He is unable to walk
00:13:01.07\00:13:04.57
and is floating in
and out of consciousness.
00:13:04.60\00:13:07.02
So the village members
carry him out to the plane.
00:13:07.05\00:13:10.05
It's an uncomfortable transport
but in these conditions you have
00:13:10.08\00:13:14.03
to make the best of
the situation you are in.
00:13:14.06\00:13:16.41
(Men talking)
00:13:16.44\00:13:18.53
(rumbling noises)
00:13:18.56\00:13:19.93
Alright, we'll bring him right
over. How are you doing man?
00:13:29.41\00:13:31.34
Now that the Tischow is in the
plane Jud begins to strap him in
00:13:34.37\00:13:38.16
There will be one other person
traveling on today's flight.
00:13:38.19\00:13:41.46
He will accompany the
patient to the hospital.
00:13:41.49\00:13:44.44
Unfortunately however,
since the aircraft is so small,
00:13:44.47\00:13:47.64
often times family
members can not travel
00:13:47.67\00:13:50.13
with their injured relatives.
00:13:50.16\00:13:51.64
Before the Tischow leaves,
he calls over one of his family
00:13:52.17\00:13:55.57
members, takes off his
ring, and gives it to him.
00:13:55.60\00:13:58.88
This action shows that the
Tischow himself knows that he is
00:13:58.91\00:14:02.68
very sick and he wants
his family to have his ring
00:14:02.71\00:14:05.97
should anything happen.
00:14:06.00\00:14:08.29
The Tischow is an
important figure in the village,
00:14:08.32\00:14:10.98
and many people are
worried for his well being.
00:14:11.01\00:14:13.74
Many of the villagers come
and wish him well while Jud goes
00:14:13.77\00:14:16.96
to the clinic and speaks with
the med-ex to get the final word
00:14:16.99\00:14:19.88
on the patient's condition.
00:14:19.91\00:14:21.89
Most villages do not have
doctors, but have med-exes
00:14:21.92\00:14:25.51
which are comparable
to a nurse practitioner.
00:14:25.54\00:14:28.02
Finally it's time to leave and
Jud prepares the plane again.
00:14:28.05\00:14:31.84
But before they can take
off, Jud offers a word of prayer
00:14:32.37\00:14:35.74
and asks for a safe flight
and healing for the Tischow.
00:14:35.77\00:14:39.60
We ask You especially be wit
this patient. May Your healing
00:14:39.63\00:14:41.53
hand be upon him and
be with his family too.
00:14:41.56\00:14:43.89
In Jesus name, Amen!
00:14:43.92\00:14:45.36
As Jud taxies and
takes off towards Georgetown
00:14:46.09\00:14:48.94
nothing is visible
but the jungle canopy.
00:14:49.17\00:14:51.52
It would have been impossible
to get this patient out of the
00:14:51.55\00:14:54.38
jungle in time had it
not been for the air craft.
00:14:54.41\00:14:57.14
Doing a medical evacuation
out the jungle, is important to
00:14:57.97\00:15:02.07
a person that is ill and
time is of a critical factor.
00:15:02.10\00:15:05.65
As Jud flies towards
Georgetown he must keep
00:15:05.68\00:15:08.03
an eye on the weather.
00:15:08.06\00:15:09.43
Turbulent weather, rain and
wind seem to be in the forecast
00:15:09.46\00:15:13.16
for today. All of the
added turbulence make this trip
00:15:13.19\00:15:16.22
to the hospital
even more uncomfortable
00:15:16.25\00:15:18.30
for the ailing patient.
00:15:18.33\00:15:19.76
However Jud an
experienced pilot, still manages
00:15:22.50\00:15:26.11
to safely
navigate through the skies.
00:15:26.14\00:15:28.57
Apparently he's been
attacked for some reason,
00:15:28.60\00:15:30.42
I can't explain why. I didn't
understand how that would happen
00:15:30.45\00:15:32.87
or why that would happen.
He'd been beaten to some degree.
00:15:32.90\00:15:35.95
But it had been almost two
weeks before, but he had...
00:15:35.98\00:15:39.91
when they called us, he
had taken a turn for the worse.
00:15:39.94\00:15:42.83
And he actually, kind of
almost lost consciousness
00:15:43.54\00:15:46.30
or gone nearly
into unconsciousness.
00:15:46.33\00:15:47.76
So they called us, but of
course they don't know what the
00:15:47.79\00:15:50.63
problem is. And that's
the difficult part out here.
00:15:50.66\00:15:54.18
How do you decide whether
someone just has some other
00:15:54.21\00:15:58.34
passing ailment or
something critical that they
00:15:58.37\00:16:00.03
need to go out to
get treatment for.
00:16:00.06\00:16:01.43
When they begin to reach
the out skirts of Georgetown
00:16:01.46\00:16:03.97
Jud must be in
constant communication with Olga
00:16:04.00\00:16:07.17
the airport he
intends to land in.
00:16:07.20\00:16:09.37
This air space is the
most heavily congested and it's
00:16:10.00\00:16:12.68
important to be aware of
your surroundings and share with
00:16:12.71\00:16:15.35
other pilots your exact position
to prevent any collisions.
00:16:15.38\00:16:19.08
As he reaches the airport and
touches down on the paved runway
00:16:19.11\00:16:22.35
Jud is relieved that
he has safely transported
00:16:22.38\00:16:24.96
another patient.
00:16:24.99\00:16:26.44
Now that they have arrived he
can transfer the patient to the
00:16:26.47\00:16:29.61
local medical
facility and he can focus
00:16:29.64\00:16:32.28
on his next set of patients.
00:16:32.31\00:16:34.27
But as he arrives, Jud looks
around and doesn't see anyone
00:16:34.30\00:16:37.41
waiting to pick up the Tischow
to take him to the hospital.
00:16:37.44\00:16:40.81
The drop off area is completely
empty and there are no
00:16:40.84\00:16:44.14
ambulances or
paramedics to be found.
00:16:44.17\00:16:46.60
Communication is a big challenge
here in Guyana, and it seems
00:16:46.90\00:16:50.75
that once again, a message
did not get delivered to the
00:16:50.78\00:16:53.88
ambulance services.
00:16:53.91\00:16:55.44
So Pilot Jud makes a few phone
calls and tries to find his
00:16:55.47\00:16:58.85
patient a safe
ride to the hospital.
00:16:58.88\00:17:01.54
Jud can't wait here for too
long because he is constantly
00:17:01.57\00:17:05.20
racing against the clock. There
is a no fly rule after dark and
00:17:05.23\00:17:09.39
he does not want to
be stuck here over night,
00:17:09.42\00:17:11.74
especially since he has 2 other
patients lined up for today.
00:17:11.77\00:17:15.39
So he must quickly find a way to
get the Tischow to the hospital.
00:17:15.42\00:17:19.48
Finally a taxi arrives and they
must carefully pull the patient
00:17:21.58\00:17:25.05
out from the plane and
put him in the vehicle.
00:17:25.08\00:17:27.95
The patient is in a lot of pain
since he has just spent he past
00:17:27.98\00:17:31.23
hour in turbulent skies, so they
must try and be extra gentle
00:17:31.26\00:17:35.79
with him as they try to
relocate him into the taxi.
00:17:35.82\00:17:39.27
(Music)
00:17:39.56\00:17:40.93
Unfortunately, since this isn't
an ambulance, there is nowhere
00:17:49.21\00:17:52.85
for the Tishow to lie down
so he must be placed in a seat
00:17:52.88\00:17:56.45
and sit up from this point on.
00:17:56.48\00:17:58.61
(Music)
00:17:58.64\00:18:00.01
As the Tischow heads off
straight for the hospital,
00:18:00.75\00:18:03.61
Jud and the entire AWA team can
breathe a prayer of thanks that
00:18:03.64\00:18:08.43
they were again able to
safely deliver another patient
00:18:08.46\00:18:11.63
and save another life.
00:18:11.66\00:18:13.58
Jud was able to medi-vac
him out, and it turns out he had
00:18:13.61\00:18:17.00
appendicitis and it had
ruptured so we were very very
00:18:17.03\00:18:21.13
happy to help with him.
00:18:21.16\00:18:22.56
He's been very instrumental in
helping us and very supportive
00:18:23.16\00:18:26.72
of us and so we were very happy
that we could help him with that
00:18:26.75\00:18:30.00
Turns out, we got him into
the hospital and he needed an
00:18:30.03\00:18:33.68
emergency appendectomy.
So certainly left too long,
00:18:33.71\00:18:39.24
he certainly would have
died. If left in that community
00:18:39.27\00:18:42.68
without getting the
treatment he needed.
00:18:42.71\00:18:44.46
(Music)
00:18:44.49\00:18:45.86
While in Georgetown, Jud
must also refuel the plane.
00:18:49.44\00:18:52.18
Since this is their only way
of getting fuel, it's important
00:18:52.21\00:18:55.49
that every time he or any
of the pilots fly to Ogle,
00:18:55.52\00:18:59.37
they purchase fuel. The
amount of fuel they can purchase
00:18:59.40\00:19:02.30
is dependent on the amount of
funding they receive from donors
00:19:02.33\00:19:05.67
in North America. They aren't
always able to fill up the plane
00:19:05.70\00:19:09.47
but have to keep a
watchful eye on their funding.
00:19:09.50\00:19:12.41
So literally we have to
use the air plane as a camel.
00:19:12.44\00:19:14.97
We fill it up, we fly it
out here, we siphon it out into
00:19:15.00\00:19:18.02
jerry cans and into barrels
and then we put it back in
00:19:18.05\00:19:21.42
in as we need it. We always keep
a minimum in the plane just to
00:19:21.45\00:19:24.42
get us to Georgetown
and that's the way we do it.
00:19:24.45\00:19:27.04
There is just no other option.
00:19:27.07\00:19:28.44
Today they are able to
purchase 211 liters of fuel,
00:19:28.47\00:19:32.74
roughly 50 gallons.
00:19:32.77\00:19:34.28
Our return flights or any
flights we have extra seats,
00:19:34.40\00:19:37.11
again we have this list of
people to call and by priority
00:19:37.14\00:19:40.34
if they called, and of course
we prioritize by medical reason
00:19:40.37\00:19:43.98
we will try and
place them on the flights
00:19:44.01\00:19:48.02
Nobody pays for these flights
of course, there's no charge
00:19:48.35\00:19:51.83
to any of the people who are
flying, so they can rely on that
00:19:51.86\00:19:55.84
Jud doesn't have much time.
His new patients have arrived
00:19:55.87\00:19:58.89
at the airport. The
AWA teams always makes a
00:19:58.92\00:20:01.86
great effort to
never waste a flight.
00:20:01.89\00:20:04.02
Anytime they have an emergency
flight, they have a standby list
00:20:04.05\00:20:07.63
with patients that are
ready and waiting to travel.
00:20:07.66\00:20:10.23
There is a project that was
started in Canada that we have
00:20:10.26\00:20:14.12
greatly appreciated.
Someone started sending us
00:20:14.15\00:20:16.79
beanie babies. So if we fly
a child who is sick unto the
00:20:16.82\00:20:21.72
hospital we give them a
little tiny beanie baby.
00:20:21.75\00:20:24.12
They can just take that to the
hospital and carry it with them
00:20:24.85\00:20:27.47
It's been a...it's
been fun to give those out.
00:20:27.77\00:20:30.29
Because you know that little
beanie baby will probably be
00:20:30.32\00:20:33.14
the only stuffed animal
that child will ever own.
00:20:33.17\00:20:35.60
And so that's a really special
thing. And we alway tell them
00:20:35.63\00:20:37.76
this is a gift from Canada or
this is a gift from the States.
00:20:37.79\00:20:40.29
Flying can often be a
scary event for the Guyanese who
00:20:40.32\00:20:44.35
aren't used to motorized
vehicles, So Jud offers a small
00:20:44.38\00:20:48.06
stuffed toy to hopefully comfort
the children while in the air.
00:20:48.09\00:20:52.00
This mother has flown in because
she had a complication during
00:20:52.03\00:20:55.29
labor, and now she is returning
home, back to Mabarauma
00:20:55.32\00:20:59.11
with her new baby
boy, who she names Leroy.
00:20:59.14\00:21:02.07
(Music)
00:21:02.10\00:21:03.47
The second patient for this
flight is a 3 year old girl with
00:21:09.04\00:21:12.10
a heart defect. She
unfortunately was born with
00:21:12.13\00:21:15.17
this condition and must
receive medical treatment
00:21:15.27\00:21:17.85
every couple of weeks.
00:21:17.88\00:21:19.25
In order to live, she needs
an operation that unfortunately,
00:21:19.28\00:21:22.89
they do not perform in Guyana.
00:21:22.92\00:21:24.76
The AWA team have flown
this patient many times before.
00:21:24.79\00:21:28.33
These are going back home to
Mabaruma. So we got the new born
00:21:28.36\00:21:32.28
The challenge for them, is that
the only option is for them to
00:21:32.31\00:21:34.86
travel on the boat which
is a 24 hour travel journey
00:21:34.89\00:21:38.46
on the high seas,
which is open sea anyway,
00:21:38.49\00:21:41.31
can be quite rough, for
crowded boat. No facilities.
00:21:41.34\00:21:44.26
So it's always nice to
get them a one hour trip back
00:21:44.29\00:21:47.73
instead of the boat.
00:21:47.76\00:21:49.13
You were in for some
treatment right? Yes.
00:21:49.16\00:21:51.08
For yourself? For the child? Yes
00:21:51.11\00:21:55.31
And what kind of problem
is she having? She having a
00:21:55.34\00:21:57.40
heart disease. She need to have
actually open heart surgery.
00:21:57.43\00:22:01.50
There is a little
girl here who was born
00:22:01.53\00:22:03.57
with a hole in her heart.
00:22:03.60\00:22:04.97
And several weeks ago, I was
able to fly her to Georgetown,
00:22:05.00\00:22:08.58
because she was getting worse
and so she went to the hospital
00:22:08.61\00:22:14.66
and the doctor said that
she needed surgery over in Cuba.
00:22:14.69\00:22:18.77
They have a working relationship
with Cuba so a lot of the major
00:22:18.80\00:22:21.29
surgeries are flown
out there and the family
00:22:21.32\00:22:25.71
didn't have any money
00:22:25.74\00:22:27.11
to do this because what happens,
the government will pay for half
00:22:27.14\00:22:29.99
of that surgery, but
the family has to come up
00:22:30.02\00:22:31.77
with the other half. And
the other half is about 500 US
00:22:31.80\00:22:35.04
and of course they
don't have that much.
00:22:35.07\00:22:36.44
So, the father told the mother,
the father was still here in
00:22:36.47\00:22:40.05
Mabaruma, talked to the mother
on the phone and said, well just
00:22:40.08\00:22:43.01
bring her back and if she lives
she lives, if she dies, she dies
00:22:43.04\00:22:45.67
It was so sad in the end, so we
actually have a fund of someone
00:22:45.70\00:22:51.00
who set up some money that
could be used for some of these
00:22:51.03\00:22:54.34
medical emergencies.
00:22:54.37\00:22:57.02
And so we called her and we said
we would be happy to pay for the
00:22:57.05\00:23:00.03
other half, but then the
doctor decided that it wasn't
00:23:00.06\00:23:03.63
proper timing for the
girl. She was getting sicker.
00:23:03.66\00:23:07.47
I didn't understand all the
details but for whatever reason,
00:23:07.50\00:23:10.53
the daughter, she wasn't
ready yet to have that surgery.
00:23:10.56\00:23:13.55
And so just the other day then
Jud brought her back here to
00:23:13.58\00:23:17.25
Mabaruma. But the offer is still
out there. So as soon she's
00:23:17.28\00:23:21.04
ready for that surgery,
then we'll be able to fly to
00:23:21.07\00:23:23.58
Georgetown and then
we'll pay to have her surgery.
00:23:23.61\00:23:26.15
As normal protocol for all the
AWA pilots, Jud prays before his
00:23:26.18\00:23:30.60
flight. He asks for blessings
of safely and healing on their
00:23:30.63\00:23:34.33
return trip home.
00:23:34.36\00:23:35.73
... This little newborn
baby going back to his family
00:23:35.76\00:23:37.71
also most especially this little
girl with the problem with her
00:23:37.74\00:23:41.15
heart. Just ask that Your
healing hand will be upon her
00:23:41.18\00:23:43.96
provide opportunities for her
to heal, in Jesus' name - Amen
00:23:43.99\00:23:46.32
Jud has had a busy day, but it's
just halfway through. He must
00:23:46.35\00:23:51.45
now safely navigate the skies
again and return everyone home
00:23:51.48\00:23:55.51
to Mabaruma.
00:23:55.54\00:23:56.91
Being here for the longer term,
and developing relationships
00:23:56.94\00:23:59.25
with people and that
...that all comes down to trust.
00:23:59.28\00:24:03.69
And they know that we've been
here for this many years and
00:24:04.70\00:24:08.54
we're still going to be here
when they need us in the future
00:24:08.57\00:24:10.52
so when you have someone with
say a chronic condition that
00:24:10.55\00:24:13.07
needs treatment and we could
take them back and forth so they
00:24:13.10\00:24:16.20
don't have to spend months and
months living away from their
00:24:16.23\00:24:18.46
families. And... trust to know
that sometimes things go wrong
00:24:18.49\00:24:25.26
and people, people sometimes go
out for treatment and they die.
00:24:25.29\00:24:28.37
And that's a fear that people
have, of course and their fear
00:24:28.40\00:24:33.42
is such that they may not send
their family members out for
00:24:33.45\00:24:36.56
treatment because they may die,
and if they die they may not
00:24:36.59\00:24:41.27
come back. Or if they go for
treatment they may not even be
00:24:41.30\00:24:43.04
able to come back come back
for months at a time. So knowing
00:24:43.07\00:24:45.50
that we've been here and that
we've taken people out, and we
00:24:45.53\00:24:49.76
bring them back and sometimes we
bring back people that have died
00:24:49.79\00:24:51.95
but even that, gives them
confidence in us because it
00:24:51.98\00:24:54.93
shows that we care enough to
bring back even the people who
00:24:54.96\00:25:00.18
died so that they
can have a proper burial
00:25:00.21\00:25:02.19
with their families. And that,
that's a very meaningful thing
00:25:02.22\00:25:06.43
to people out here
something that they don't get
00:25:06.46\00:25:08.32
from anywhere else.
00:25:08.35\00:25:09.72
Another ministry that the team
incorporates in their flights is
00:25:11.00\00:25:14.16
offering religious literature
for the passengers to read and
00:25:14.19\00:25:17.15
take home with them. On the hour
long flight, many pick up the
00:25:17.18\00:25:21.06
magazines and read about the
love of our Lord. Soon enough
00:25:21.09\00:25:25.44
the familiar sights of
their hometown Mabaruma
00:25:25.47\00:25:29.00
come into view.
00:25:29.03\00:25:30.62
Once on the ground everyone
is able to disembark. Now that
00:25:38.35\00:25:41.77
everyone is safely on the ground
the AWA team can call this a
00:25:41.80\00:25:46.20
successful day. They
balanced fuel, medi-vaced out
00:25:46.23\00:25:50.34
an unconscious village leader
and delivered 2 babies back
00:25:50.37\00:25:53.84
to their home village.
00:25:53.87\00:25:55.24
But this isn't anything unusual
for this mission team. In fact
00:25:55.68\00:25:59.43
this is a very regular day
in the mission field of Guyana.
00:25:59.46\00:26:03.07
And the entire AWA team is
thankful that they are able to
00:26:03.10\00:26:07.91
minister and that they had
enough fuel funding to make
00:26:07.94\00:26:10.95
these flights today possible.
00:26:10.98\00:26:13.27
Any day that I can come home at
the end of the day and know that
00:26:13.30\00:26:20.85
even for one person, adult or
child, something that I've been
00:26:20.88\00:26:26.24
able to do because of God given
skills to me, that can make a
00:26:26.27\00:26:30.71
difference in their life,
then that day is a good day
00:26:30.74\00:26:34.49
and that's fulfilling for me.
00:26:34.52\00:26:36.61
(music)
00:26:36.64\00:26:38.01
Fuel equals saved lives! And
a tank of fuel goes a long way
00:26:41.33\00:26:45.46
One tank of fuel gives
us 4 hours of flight time
00:26:45.49\00:26:48.63
And in that 4 hour
period of time we could evacuate
00:26:48.66\00:26:52.08
somewhere between ten patients.
We can transport pastors in for
00:26:52.11\00:26:56.46
meetings. Help the church with
local Bible work that needs to
00:26:56.49\00:27:00.58
be done. Four hours
of flying is tremendous
00:27:00.61\00:27:02.99
what we can do with an airplane.
00:27:03.02\00:27:04.52
If I can leave you with one
thing, after watching this video
00:27:04.55\00:27:07.70
with regard aviation ministry
is, fuel equals saved lives.
00:27:07.73\00:27:12.95
If we have fuel we can
go out and we can save lives
00:27:12.98\00:27:15.58
not only
physically, but for eternity.
00:27:15.61\00:27:18.25
Jesus said in the great Gospel
Commission in Matthew 28:19-20
00:27:19.07\00:27:22.93
that we are to go
into all the world!
00:27:22.96\00:27:25.31
Well, Adventist World Aviation
is dedicated to doing just that!
00:27:25.93\00:27:28.95
There are between six and a
half and seven billion people
00:27:29.71\00:27:32.31
now living on planet earth. And
two billion of them have never
00:27:32.34\00:27:36.29
heard of Jesus. Of the two
billion, eight hundred million
00:27:36.32\00:27:40.30
of them can only be reached
like means like aircraft.
00:27:40.33\00:27:43.28
or through aviation support.
We go into the un-reached areas
00:27:43.78\00:27:48.10
of the world.
00:27:48.13\00:27:49.50
What we find when we go in there
we find death and disease and
00:27:49.53\00:27:52.69
despair. What we bring
them is hope, health and life.
00:27:52.72\00:27:58.14
And a great Gospel message that
Jesus loves them. That there is
00:27:58.17\00:28:01.39
somebody out
there, who does care.
00:28:01.42\00:28:03.16
They often ask,
why do you do this?
00:28:04.34\00:28:06.37
We say, because Jesus loves you!
00:28:06.90\00:28:08.68
And so the message that we
bring them is absolute hope.
00:28:09.09\00:28:12.87
Since it's inception, 1995,
AWA, or Adventist World Aviation
00:28:12.90\00:28:17.85
has been able to relieve
over thirty five epidemics.
00:28:17.88\00:28:20.75
We've literally flown
millions of missionary miles.
00:28:20.78\00:28:24.41
We are relieving the pain
and suffering of those who live
00:28:24.44\00:28:26.74
in these remote parts
of the world. Helping them.
00:28:26.77\00:28:29.04
Will you pray for us! We need
prayer more than anything else!
00:28:29.79\00:28:32.76
If you like more information
please contact this station
00:28:33.21\00:28:36.43
3 Angels Broadcasting Network
Or call the number on the screen
00:28:36.46\00:28:40.34
Thanks for watching!
00:28:40.37\00:28:41.74
(Music)
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