In the early 90s,
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mission aviation
within the Adventist Church
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was on the decline.
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Adventist training
facilities were closing
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and mission
pilots were retiring,
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with no one to take their
place in the mission field.
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The need for mission pilots
in remote parts of the world
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was still very great.
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But fewer and fewer pilots
stepped up to answer the call.
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Yes, mission
aviation within the church
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was in big trouble.
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But God had a plan.
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A big problem we
faced was for legal reasons,
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Adventist schools and academies
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were being forced to
close their aviation programs.
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Without these programs,
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very few new
pilots were being trained
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for mission service.
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All the while,
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more and more
requests for mission aircraft
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and pilots were pouring in.
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There was a great imbalance
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and many opportunities
to spread the gospel
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were not being met.
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There are statistics out there
that are really interesting.
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Missiologists had studied
what's going on in the world
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and if you take
the amount of people
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that are in the world,
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there's somewhere between
6.5, maybe 7 billion people
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that live on planet earth.
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What's interesting
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to 7 billion people,
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is that 2 billion of them
have never heard of Jesus,
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have never heard
of the gospel before.
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And so, the desire
to reach those 2 billion
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because we all know
that Jesus says this Word
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must be preached
into all the world
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and then the end will come.
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Well, if we
can't get the Word out,
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how can Jesus come?
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People need to
make that decision.
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And so, Adventist World Aviation
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plays a role into
reaching those 2 billion.
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Now there, of about 2 billion
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there's about
800 million of them
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that can only be
reached by means of aviation.
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Even in our day without aircraft
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and well-trained pilots,
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thousands of
people will not hear
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the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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So in the early 90s,
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church leaders got together
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and under God's
guidance devised the plan
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to reach precious souls
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in the remote
corners of the world.
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The solution
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was the establishment of
Adventist World Aviation.
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We were developed
back in about 1993.
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And to describe what we do
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requires a
little bit of history.
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Our church was heavily involved
in Mission Aviation for years,
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supporting the infrastructure
of third world countries,
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educational centers,
pastoral ministry and such.
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However, with the onset idea
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that money could be
made up of lawsuits,
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the concern was
that aviation somehow
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was a dangerous institution.
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And it required
additional insuring,
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so support began to diminish.
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Our GC president at the time
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became aware of that concern
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and was watching
institution after institution
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closed their doors.
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It was a very troublesome
time in our churches,
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as far as
aviation was concerned.
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As these
institutions begin to close,
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we knew that the feeding source
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for mission pilots
was also drying up.
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And sooner or later
the aviation missionaries
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able to reach
villages and people in need
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that would under
normal circumstances
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not be able to reach.
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As that dried up,
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the realization
for re-stabilizing
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and re-establishing
Adventist Mission Aviation
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in our institutions.
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And it was that
need that drove me
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after thinking
about it for some time
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while at the
General Conference to say,
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"Let me bring people
together who have been involved
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at the General Conference
side with aviation initiatives."
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They had done it in
other parts of the world.
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Now they're in Washington,
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and brought those people
together as well as others
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who were involved in
aviation here in the first world
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and said, "What can we do?"
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And that's where the concept
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of Adventist
World Aviation was born.
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Elder Folkenburg was wise.
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He's an evangelist at heart
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and he saw the losing of lives
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both physically
and for eternity.
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And so,
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basically an emergency
meeting was correlated.
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Well, what they came up with
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was development of
Adventist World Aviation.
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And as they developed
Adventist World Aviation,
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a separate Board of
Directors was set up.
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Now, Adventist World
Aviation wasn't set up to be
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an independent ministry.
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It was set up to
mirror conference policy
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in terms of its infrastructure,
it's a ministry outlook.
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It doesn't have
independent theology,
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but it's there to
support the church,
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but it's also there to reach out
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into the communities as well,
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both medically and
physically and educationally.
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That preservation
of that institution
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was an absolute necessity.
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And so, as they started
selecting Board of Directors,
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they selected a president,
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Don Starlin was
selected to be president
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for Adventist World Aviation.
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And it was an exciting
day for the aviation industry
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because inside
the church that is,
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because it seemed
that there was concern
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inside the
leadership of the church
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to preserve this
tremendous mission outreach
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to be able to save lives
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under normal circumstances
we just couldn't do.
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So Adventist World
Aviation was established
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and it's been operating
now, here it is in 2015,
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it took several
years to establish it,
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but in 1995
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we were
incorporated and established
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as an official ministry
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of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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or as independent ministry
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to the Seventh-day
Adventist Church I should say.
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And we were able
to eventually recover
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some of the mission projects
that we had already lost
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because we were losing them
by the dozens and by, you know,
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countless hundreds that
we were just losing them
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here and there by attrition,
by pilots ageing and retiring.
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Our school's shutting down
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with the
inability to have a feeder
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to our Mission
Aviation Organization.
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They were sending
us so it was a new day,
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we were very excited about that.
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It breathed new life
into mission aviation
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for the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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By creating a
self-supporting ministry,
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Mission Aviation could
continue to grow and thrive,
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reaching remote
areas around the world.
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Adventist World
Aviation was now ready
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to make a great impact on
mission outreach ministry.
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The first location
leaders look to establish
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a mission outpost
was in the Philippines.
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Within a few short years,
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AWA leaders
commissioned Clifton Brooks
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to establish a mission
based on the island of Palawan.
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This island is centrally located
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within the Philippines
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and can easily reach
some of the smaller islands
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with a small aircraft.
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Their first mission
project that was launched
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was for the Philippines
and Clifton Brooks was,
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you know, spearheading that.
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We were able to get
an aircraft over there.
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We had a
specially outfitted 182.
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The primary focus of
the Philippines project
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is ministry based.
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The Brooks devoted their efforts
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to spreading the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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This included flying
pastors and evangelists
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to remote areas
and holding meetings
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for many unreached souls.
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As a result over the years,
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many have given their
lives to Jesus Christ.
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There are 7,000
islands in the Philippines.
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Some of them just
cannot be reached by,
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you know, by boat
during some of the periods
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of the season,
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when the monsoon
season or hurricane season,
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whatever you want to call it,
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when the bad
weather season will roll in,
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there's no way
to get there by boat
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and so the only way
to get in is by aviation.
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We needed
especially outfitted aircraft
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to be able to reach
some of these islands
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because the
runways were very short.
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We had a 182 that was donated.
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We outfitted that
especially to be able to reach
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some of these islands.
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But we were able to
establish flight operations
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in the Philippines.
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And we've had a couple
of different missionaries
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that have come and
gone out of the Philippines.
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And it's, you know,
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we're excited about that project
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because I
believe the Philippines
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has some of the broadest areas
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of expansion.
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Shortly after the
Philippines project was up
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and operational,
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leaders started
redirecting their attention
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to another remote
area in the world,
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which also desperately
needed mission aviation,
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Guyana, South America.
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This country is full of lush,
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seemingly impenetrable jungles
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with thousands of
Amerindians living in isolation.
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This was an ideal location
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that needed both medical aid
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and the opportunity
to receive the gospel.
00:10:02.30\00:10:05.90
Bill and Laura
LaBore answered the call
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to launch the
new mission outpost
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in Guyana.
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The project in
Guyana launched in 2005
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with one family
and one airplane,
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and that was the LaBore's.
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And our family the Wickwire's
came in shortly after,
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and we've operated there with.
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We lived in a small
village in the interior.
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And we just slowly
built the relationships,
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found the ways
that we could help
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most in the community,
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obviously with the airplane,
but also other ways too,
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we were involved
in many other areas
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of the community and
health and church work,
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of course, and finding
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other church
planting opportunities there,
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just serving the needs
wherever that was possible.
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We soon became quite busy
with the aviation program there
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and serving the small villages.
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The project in
Guyana quickly flourished
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and became an intricate part
00:11:01.12\00:11:03.12
of the local
Guyanese health system.
00:11:03.16\00:11:07.43
The local medical
facilities partnered with AWA,
00:11:07.46\00:11:11.50
depending on them to
transport critical care patients
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from remote jungle areas.
00:11:15.64\00:11:18.07
Without these
flights provided by AWA,
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patients must take
a 24-hour boat ride
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to the nearest road system
to get them to Georgetown,
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the capital for
needed medical care.
00:11:30.39\00:11:34.26
Now, to make matters worse,
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the boat only
comes to the region
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once every two weeks.
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But with aircraft available,
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Adventist World Aviation
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is able to
evacuate emergency patients
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within just an hour or two.
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The difference of a few hours
can often be the difference
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between life and
death for these patients.
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It's a pretty busy
aviation program there.
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The communities,
the ministry of health,
00:11:59.95\00:12:01.95
the church has come to
rely quite heavily on AWA there
00:12:01.98\00:12:06.96
to provide service
to the communities.
00:12:06.99\00:12:09.72
And the airplanes fly
three to four times a week.
00:12:09.76\00:12:13.56
Usually a couple
of emergency medevacs
00:12:13.60\00:12:16.23
and when we have an emergency,
00:12:16.26\00:12:17.60
then we usually try
and put some other people
00:12:17.63\00:12:20.00
on that need to go for
treatment or bring some,
00:12:20.04\00:12:22.30
you know, Bible workers,
church workers in or out,
00:12:22.34\00:12:24.51
health workers
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and return
people to their homes.
00:12:26.01\00:12:27.34
That's something
very important thing we do
00:12:27.38\00:12:29.21
is return people
back to their homes
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after their treatment.
00:12:30.68\00:12:32.01
The project not only focuses
on life saving medevac flights,
00:12:32.05\00:12:37.45
but also is heavily concentrated
00:12:37.49\00:12:39.62
on spreading the gospel
00:12:39.65\00:12:41.92
and sharing the love of
Jesus with the Amerindians.
00:12:41.96\00:12:45.83
In the compelling
stories that resulted from lives
00:12:45.86\00:12:49.60
being saved and
souls being baptized,
00:12:49.63\00:12:52.93
you know, you
saved their earthly life,
00:12:52.97\00:12:55.07
you know, that's huge,
00:12:55.10\00:12:56.91
but to save their eternal
life, it goes beyond measure.
00:12:56.94\00:13:02.34
The next Adventist
World Aviation mission
00:13:02.38\00:13:04.81
post launched
00:13:04.85\00:13:06.35
is right in our own
United States of America,
00:13:06.38\00:13:10.72
in the far
territories of northern Alaska.
00:13:10.75\00:13:15.46
Jim Kincaid, a retired pastor
00:13:15.49\00:13:18.59
and pilot began
working with AWA in 1999.
00:13:18.63\00:13:23.53
The dynamics of
the project in Alaska
00:13:23.57\00:13:26.63
differ greatly from
those in the first two outposts
00:13:26.67\00:13:30.21
in the Philippines and Guyana.
00:13:30.24\00:13:33.11
The central focus of
the flights in Alaska
00:13:33.14\00:13:36.48
are mission based,
00:13:36.51\00:13:38.25
delivering the
gospel to villages
00:13:38.28\00:13:40.78
that no road systems reach.
00:13:40.82\00:13:43.79
Twenty years later,
00:14:03.54\00:14:05.17
we can still see
God working to expand
00:14:05.21\00:14:08.04
and growing
Adventist World Aviation.
00:14:08.08\00:14:11.41
New projects have
recently been added
00:14:11.45\00:14:13.68
in the past few years
00:14:13.72\00:14:15.05
including one in Brazil,
00:14:15.08\00:14:17.65
and another
project in Nicaragua.
00:14:17.69\00:14:20.62
New missionaries are
also soon to be added
00:14:20.66\00:14:23.22
and are currently in training
00:14:23.26\00:14:25.33
to launch into
these mission fields.
00:14:25.36\00:14:30.07
Bruce and Monique Wilkerson
were deployed to Guyana
00:14:30.10\00:14:33.30
in May of 2015.
00:14:33.34\00:14:36.17
They will be project managers
for the growing outpost,
00:14:36.20\00:14:40.04
Vonzell and Gwen
Chancy are working hard
00:14:40.08\00:14:43.88
planning to be deployed to
Guyana within the next year.
00:14:43.91\00:14:47.85
Vonzell is a pilot and mechanic
00:14:47.88\00:14:50.82
and his wife Gwen is a nurse.
00:14:50.85\00:14:55.72
Cindy Kuligowski is in
training and raising funds
00:14:55.76\00:14:59.66
for her deployment to Guyana.
00:14:59.69\00:15:02.26
She is a commercial seamstress
00:15:02.30\00:15:04.87
and is making plans
to set up sewing centers
00:15:04.90\00:15:08.57
to help the village ladies
00:15:08.60\00:15:10.14
make clothing
for their families,
00:15:10.17\00:15:12.47
and even so for
others to provide income.
00:15:12.51\00:15:17.18
Darren and Joanna Lea
00:15:17.21\00:15:19.58
have also been
deployed to Guyana.
00:15:19.61\00:15:22.62
They're
originally from South Africa
00:15:22.65\00:15:25.12
and have chosen
to move to Guyana.
00:15:25.15\00:15:28.19
Darren is a pilot
00:15:28.22\00:15:30.09
and Joanna is a
lifestyle educator.
00:15:30.13\00:15:35.36
Dennis and Diana Kaboos
00:15:35.40\00:15:38.73
and family are in
process of raising funds
00:15:38.77\00:15:41.84
for their
deployment to Nicaragua
00:15:41.87\00:15:44.21
to take over the current project
00:15:44.24\00:15:46.41
Wings Over Nicaragua.
00:15:46.44\00:15:50.18
Norman and Nancy
Hansen and family
00:15:50.21\00:15:53.65
are in the process
of raising their funds
00:15:53.68\00:15:55.98
for their
deployment to Nicaragua.
00:15:56.02\00:15:59.25
So the Hansens and the Kaboos
00:15:59.29\00:16:02.06
will follow the only
aviation mission support
00:16:02.09\00:16:05.56
in that region.
00:16:05.59\00:16:08.10
Travis and Michelle
Maloney are new team members.
00:16:08.13\00:16:12.03
Travis is a
construction contractor
00:16:12.07\00:16:14.90
and will help build hangars
00:16:14.94\00:16:16.54
and missionary
housing at our project sites.
00:16:16.57\00:16:20.68
Michelle is a nurse
00:16:20.71\00:16:22.54
and they will continue
living in the United States
00:16:22.58\00:16:26.08
and provide logistical support
to the international projects.
00:16:26.11\00:16:32.22
Josh and Josida
Fix are a young couple,
00:16:32.25\00:16:36.16
newly married
00:16:36.19\00:16:37.53
and are preparing for deployment
00:16:37.56\00:16:39.06
to Thunderbird Adventist Academy
00:16:39.09\00:16:41.76
where AWA's
maintenance operations
00:16:41.80\00:16:44.60
are being transferred.
00:16:44.63\00:16:46.74
Josh will be the
line manager there.
00:16:46.77\00:16:49.90
AWA has been
building experience.
00:16:49.94\00:16:52.97
And the experiences
that we've learned in Ghana,
00:16:53.01\00:16:54.88
the experiences
in the Philippines
00:16:54.91\00:16:56.75
have uniquely
prepared this ministry
00:16:56.78\00:17:00.52
and equipped this ministry
00:17:00.55\00:17:02.12
to be able to
step forward boldly.
00:17:02.15\00:17:04.92
And with that experience,
00:17:04.95\00:17:06.99
know that we can
take on these new projects
00:17:07.02\00:17:09.32
with confidence that we can look
00:17:09.36\00:17:12.66
for where God is leading
and be able to step right in,
00:17:12.69\00:17:16.43
where He prepares the way
and just see this ministry grow
00:17:16.46\00:17:21.14
into ways that
we've never imagined
00:17:21.17\00:17:22.50
was possible.
00:17:22.54\00:17:23.87
And we're seeing
that happening around us
00:17:23.91\00:17:25.24
on a day to day basis now.
00:17:25.27\00:17:26.61
Each of these projects
are unique from each other
00:17:26.64\00:17:29.38
and fulfill a specific need
00:17:29.41\00:17:32.11
and purpose in
the areas they serve.
00:17:32.15\00:17:35.95
The airplanes are an
important God given tool
00:17:35.98\00:17:39.99
that is used to save
lives physically and eternally.
00:17:40.02\00:17:45.33
The manner they're used
00:17:45.36\00:17:46.70
differ greatly
from project to project.
00:17:46.73\00:17:49.43
Each and every aviation
project or mission project
00:17:49.46\00:17:53.07
has a different
focus as you go into,
00:17:53.10\00:17:56.07
again, unreached area.
00:17:56.10\00:17:58.71
There's different needs
that need to be met and as you,
00:17:58.74\00:18:03.35
we bring the airplane in,
we discover what those are.
00:18:03.38\00:18:06.58
Guyana and
Nicaragua have very similar,
00:18:06.61\00:18:10.22
actually are
very similar projects
00:18:10.25\00:18:11.95
and that the initial need
00:18:11.99\00:18:13.56
is to meet the
physical needs of the people
00:18:13.59\00:18:15.52
in remote villages.
00:18:15.56\00:18:18.23
Medevacs are
actually the prime need
00:18:18.26\00:18:21.26
that we're meeting.
00:18:21.30\00:18:22.90
And, but through doing that,
00:18:22.93\00:18:24.60
again it's that building trust
00:18:24.63\00:18:25.97
and opening the
door to church planting
00:18:26.00\00:18:29.64
and just sharing
Jesus' love with those people
00:18:29.67\00:18:33.98
who never heard it before.
00:18:34.01\00:18:35.91
And so it builds out from that.
00:18:35.94\00:18:37.45
When you're doing
that medical work,
00:18:37.48\00:18:39.18
it builds a lot of
trust with government too,
00:18:39.21\00:18:40.75
with ministry of health
00:18:40.78\00:18:42.12
in both of those
countries Nicaragua and Guyana
00:18:42.15\00:18:44.42
that you're really there
00:18:44.45\00:18:45.79
just to serve the
needs of the people
00:18:45.82\00:18:47.16
and to help on a
government level as well.
00:18:47.19\00:18:50.06
The other projects
have different emphasis.
00:18:50.09\00:18:52.36
Philippines for
example is more ministry base,
00:18:52.39\00:18:56.80
helping the
church itself to grow
00:18:56.83\00:18:58.97
by reaching the outer islands
00:18:59.00\00:19:00.67
that are very difficult
to reach by any other means.
00:19:00.70\00:19:03.14
Alaska, of course, has no roads.
00:19:03.17\00:19:06.07
And so aviation is just,
00:19:06.11\00:19:08.91
it's part of
everyday life there.
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.98
Being able to
provide extra support
00:19:12.01\00:19:13.75
to the missionaries
00:19:13.78\00:19:15.12
that are living in
those small villages,
00:19:15.15\00:19:17.15
to the churches
that are operating in,
00:19:17.19\00:19:18.82
that are planted
in those villages
00:19:18.85\00:19:21.49
where they can't
afford the charter cost
00:19:21.52\00:19:24.49
of the commercial aircraft
00:19:24.53\00:19:25.86
and being able to have
a mission aircraft there
00:19:25.89\00:19:27.76
to particularly meet their needs
00:19:27.80\00:19:29.70
on a cost effected manner.
00:19:29.73\00:19:31.67
And, again, with growth
with ministry, and of variety,
00:19:31.70\00:19:35.20
and particularly
social needs there as well,
00:19:35.24\00:19:38.51
social education,
00:19:38.54\00:19:39.87
sort of communities
00:19:39.91\00:19:41.24
with extremely
high suicide rates
00:19:41.28\00:19:42.61
and being able to help
them address those needs
00:19:42.64\00:19:46.75
in those communities
is a very important part
00:19:46.78\00:19:48.28
of Mission Aviation there.
00:19:48.32\00:19:49.78
One of the original reasons
00:19:49.82\00:19:51.49
Adventist World
Aviation was established
00:19:51.52\00:19:54.42
was because
mission aviation was dying.
00:19:54.46\00:19:58.29
Adventist pilots
training facilities
00:19:58.33\00:20:00.60
were being shut
down and therefore,
00:20:00.63\00:20:02.93
no more pilots
were being trained
00:20:02.96\00:20:05.07
for the mission field.
00:20:05.10\00:20:06.57
Older pilots would retire
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.34
from their
mission field experience
00:20:08.37\00:20:10.81
and there was no
one to fill their spot.
00:20:10.84\00:20:14.18
And because of
this great deficit,
00:20:14.21\00:20:16.88
church leaders saw a
great need to find a solution
00:20:16.91\00:20:19.95
to reopen academy
aviation training facilities.
00:20:19.98\00:20:24.39
So over the past 20 years,
00:20:24.42\00:20:26.72
AWA has been
working hand in hand
00:20:26.76\00:20:29.69
with Adventist
High School Academies
00:20:29.72\00:20:32.19
to establish youth
training facilities
00:20:32.23\00:20:34.33
across the United States.
00:20:34.36\00:20:37.23
A lot of people that
are of my age and older
00:20:37.27\00:20:40.44
learned to fly in high school,
00:20:40.47\00:20:42.90
in a number of
academies across Canada and US
00:20:42.94\00:20:46.37
had aviation programs
for an high school level,
00:20:46.41\00:20:49.64
and so many young
people took advantage of that.
00:20:49.68\00:20:52.51
And they took that and
used it in different ways.
00:20:52.55\00:20:54.95
A lot of them went and
served in mission fields,
00:20:54.98\00:20:57.69
but they all
had that opportunity
00:20:57.72\00:20:59.65
to get their license
when they were young.
00:20:59.69\00:21:01.26
And there was a
time in the 80s and 90s,
00:21:01.29\00:21:04.43
when most of those
programs were canceled
00:21:04.46\00:21:07.30
and the aviation programs
in those schools and so.
00:21:07.33\00:21:10.60
Now there's,
00:21:10.63\00:21:11.97
we've kind of
missed a generation,
00:21:12.00\00:21:13.34
we have a lot of
our younger generation
00:21:13.37\00:21:15.47
that there's
fewer of them that fly
00:21:15.50\00:21:17.97
and we want to be able to
bring that opportunity back,
00:21:18.01\00:21:20.41
bring aviation back
into the high schools
00:21:20.44\00:21:22.48
at a level where it
can be as affordable
00:21:22.51\00:21:24.51
as we can possibly make it.
00:21:24.55\00:21:26.28
And we are now partner
00:21:26.31\00:21:28.65
with three
different schools to do that.
00:21:28.68\00:21:30.25
We are partnered
with Heritage Academy,
00:21:30.29\00:21:32.19
Blue Mountain Academy,
and Thunderbird Academy.
00:21:32.22\00:21:34.22
And Thunderbird Academy
00:21:34.26\00:21:35.59
is of particularly
valuable partnership to us
00:21:35.62\00:21:37.49
as we also are
setting up our maintenance
00:21:37.53\00:21:41.83
and training facility
00:21:41.86\00:21:43.20
not just for the students
00:21:43.23\00:21:44.57
but also for our mission pilots,
00:21:44.60\00:21:46.33
and for the overhaul and
servicing of AWA aircraft
00:21:46.37\00:21:49.34
that will now be done
in the Scottsdale Airport
00:21:49.37\00:21:52.17
out of in partnership
with Thunderbird Academy.
00:21:52.21\00:21:54.71
What a God blessed ministry
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.03
Adventist World Aviation
00:22:13.06\00:22:14.56
has been over the past 20 years.
00:22:14.60\00:22:17.33
The current
projects are flourishing
00:22:17.37\00:22:19.87
and new projects
are dotting the globe.
00:22:19.90\00:22:23.64
And the leadership
00:22:23.67\00:22:25.01
of Adventist World
Aviation dreams of still more.
00:22:25.04\00:22:30.21
Their goals for
Adventist World Aviation future
00:22:30.25\00:22:34.35
are grand.
00:22:34.38\00:22:35.95
These dreams will become reality
00:22:35.98\00:22:38.65
when God touches the
hearts of His people,
00:22:38.69\00:22:42.16
and they give generously
to this most worthy cause.
00:22:42.19\00:22:46.59
Adventist world
aviation is not as well-known
00:22:46.63\00:22:49.56
as we'd like it to be.
00:22:49.60\00:22:50.93
And my own experience
is an example of that.
00:22:50.97\00:22:55.57
We were introduced to
AWA, obviously not by accident,
00:22:55.60\00:22:59.41
God orchestrated in amazing,
00:22:59.44\00:23:01.34
almost intervention in our lives
00:23:01.38\00:23:02.74
to get us involved with
Adventist World Aviation
00:23:02.78\00:23:05.91
and put us in a place
00:23:05.95\00:23:08.38
where the
invitation was so clear
00:23:08.42\00:23:10.62
that we couldn't say no,
00:23:10.65\00:23:12.12
and I'm just a
Canadian Bush pilot,
00:23:12.15\00:23:15.36
I didn't really, I didn't know
00:23:15.39\00:23:16.83
that I could go and
serve as a mission pilot.
00:23:16.86\00:23:18.63
And I think
there's others out there
00:23:18.66\00:23:20.73
that don't know that
we have that opportunity.
00:23:20.76\00:23:22.83
And we want to make
sure that our pilots
00:23:22.86\00:23:25.93
and those that are interested
in aviation that are young,
00:23:25.97\00:23:28.40
know that mission aviation
00:23:28.44\00:23:30.57
is still a very, very
important part of missions
00:23:30.61\00:23:32.74
and that being able to go
00:23:32.77\00:23:35.34
and serve and using skills
00:23:35.38\00:23:37.05
that you don't
necessarily think of
00:23:37.08\00:23:39.05
as missionary skills
and in our, for myself,
00:23:39.08\00:23:41.95
especially the
experience that I had as a pilot
00:23:41.98\00:23:44.75
that I could take
that and use those skills
00:23:44.79\00:23:48.26
to serve the Lord
00:23:48.29\00:23:49.82
and really do amazing
things that are way beyond
00:23:49.86\00:23:51.69
what I was
personally capable of.
00:23:51.73\00:23:55.30
And we want to
make sure we share that
00:23:55.33\00:23:56.67
and give that opportunity
00:23:56.70\00:23:58.03
to as many people
as we possibly can.
00:23:58.07\00:23:59.40
We need pilots,
we need missionaries
00:23:59.43\00:24:00.84
to go and serve, need mechanics.
00:24:00.87\00:24:03.41
Over the last 20 years
God has grown and expanded
00:24:03.44\00:24:06.37
AWA's projects tremendously.
00:24:06.41\00:24:09.98
It all started with one airplane
00:24:10.01\00:24:12.68
and one mission team.
00:24:12.71\00:24:15.15
Now, praise God,
00:24:15.18\00:24:17.15
AWA has 15
airplanes and 31 families
00:24:17.19\00:24:22.06
serving God's children
00:24:22.09\00:24:24.46
in difficult to reach
areas around the world.
00:24:24.49\00:24:28.53
So God is
accomplishing great miracles
00:24:28.56\00:24:31.87
through the work of
Adventist World Aviation.
00:24:31.90\00:24:35.64
We praise God
for these blessings.
00:24:35.67\00:24:39.27
And, you know,
00:24:39.31\00:24:40.64
we believe God still
has many miracles planned
00:24:40.68\00:24:44.41
for Adventist World
Aviation in the future.
00:24:44.45\00:24:48.15
As He continues to
grow this ministry,
00:24:48.18\00:24:51.65
we see new projects,
00:24:51.69\00:24:53.76
new missionaries,
00:24:53.79\00:24:55.52
and new remote outposts
00:24:55.56\00:24:58.39
on God's soon horizon.
00:24:58.43\00:25:03.90
It's a new day,
Adventist World Aviation,
00:25:03.93\00:25:06.84
as it is today, 20 years later
as we fast forward in time.
00:25:06.87\00:25:10.47
I think that, in fact,
00:25:10.51\00:25:12.41
I know I've talked
out to Elder Folkenburg
00:25:12.44\00:25:14.24
on many occasions.
00:25:14.28\00:25:15.61
He's very proud of
what we've accomplished.
00:25:15.64\00:25:18.18
You know, and it was his idea.
00:25:18.21\00:25:22.18
But with that idea,
00:25:22.22\00:25:23.55
it's taken the labor and
the resources of hundreds
00:25:23.59\00:25:26.45
and I would even
say thousands of people.
00:25:26.49\00:25:28.99
We can't do this.
00:25:29.02\00:25:31.39
We can't do this alone.
00:25:31.43\00:25:32.89
Frankly, I'm thrilled.
00:25:32.93\00:25:34.36
I'm thrilled to see
the current leadership
00:25:34.40\00:25:37.20
and the view and the vision
that's being communicated.
00:25:37.23\00:25:39.70
It really is, it is inspiring,
00:25:39.73\00:25:41.84
it's the dream come true
00:25:41.87\00:25:43.47
that was born back
in the early to mid-90s.
00:25:43.51\00:25:47.28
So to see it happening now,
00:25:47.31\00:25:49.21
and the initiatives
with the Thunderbird Academy
00:25:49.24\00:25:51.75
and what's going on
over in the Philippines,
00:25:51.78\00:25:53.98
you know, who knows
how many other places.
00:25:54.02\00:25:55.98
So, we're on the right track.
00:25:56.02\00:25:58.42
So what's happened in 20 years?
00:25:58.45\00:26:00.32
Well from a concept
as a supporting ministry
00:26:00.36\00:26:03.06
which was
entirely new at the time.
00:26:03.09\00:26:07.16
AWA, we started
in the Philippines
00:26:07.20\00:26:08.83
was the very first
project, soon after in Guyana.
00:26:08.86\00:26:12.80
AWA aircraft have now served
00:26:12.83\00:26:14.74
thousands and
thousands of people,
00:26:14.77\00:26:16.54
saved thousands of lives,
00:26:16.57\00:26:18.57
impacted
communities in immeasurable ways
00:26:18.61\00:26:22.44
in demonstrating
the love of Jesus Christ
00:26:22.48\00:26:25.55
to so many people.
00:26:25.58\00:26:26.92
And that growth is
continuing and if anything,
00:26:26.95\00:26:29.65
it's accelerating
at an amazing pace.
00:26:29.68\00:26:31.85
God has been
providing it in amazing ways.
00:26:31.89\00:26:35.39
And it seems as if
the larger steps of faith
00:26:35.42\00:26:38.09
that we take,
00:26:38.13\00:26:39.46
the greater God rewards.
00:26:39.49\00:26:42.00
The work of AWA and
aircraft are being deployed,
00:26:42.03\00:26:47.70
being prepared to
go out to new projects.
00:26:47.74\00:26:50.01
We have so many now
new missionaries coming on,
00:26:50.04\00:26:53.27
missionaries in training,
00:26:53.31\00:26:54.64
we have more
missionaries in training now
00:26:54.68\00:26:56.01
that we've ever had before.
00:26:56.04\00:26:58.01
And more projects in development
00:26:58.05\00:26:59.48
than we've ever had before.
00:26:59.51\00:27:00.85
More airplanes now
than ever before being,
00:27:00.88\00:27:03.62
and God is providing the means
00:27:03.65\00:27:05.49
for those
airplanes to be prepared
00:27:05.52\00:27:07.62
to go into service
00:27:07.66\00:27:08.99
and these people to be
prepared to go into service.
00:27:09.02\00:27:11.56
God's work will be
accomplished through His people
00:27:11.59\00:27:14.13
and that is our missionaries.
00:27:14.16\00:27:16.26
It's all of our
volunteers, it's our supporters.
00:27:16.30\00:27:18.47
It's everyone that plays a role
00:27:18.50\00:27:20.64
in sending out missionaries
00:27:20.67\00:27:23.47
and the
airplanes to serve people
00:27:23.51\00:27:25.57
and spread the
word of Jesus Christ
00:27:25.61\00:27:28.08
to many places as possible.
00:27:28.11\00:27:30.05