Sunday, March 17, 2013

March-ING Forward


It’s been a busy flying month complemented with plenty of side projects. It’s also rainy season which made for some interesting  flying, especially getting to the airport on a motorcycle.


Before I could get any flying done though, I needed a medical exam and bi-annual flight review. David
Gates, Steve Wilson and I traveled to Lima Peru to get our medicals. Upon return, Steve gave me a flight review which included low level passes over the runway.


 You can see our wives were very excited to see their husbands up in the air.


Later in the month it was time to repaint the runway tires that serve as landing visual aids.



After the painting was done, Saray worked on her motorcycle ridding. Even though she cannot reach the ground, she can manage to get it going while I balance things out on the back. Once up to speed I jump off and she rides no problem. Getting the motorcycle to a complete stop is another story!



We did a lot of flying the past month, with Steve helping me on several of those flights. Trips were made to Rurre and Guayarra, moving volunteers and supplies. We flew over 4,300nm in less than 10 days, which quickly led to a 50hr oil change.



Here is an ariel view of the school in Guayarra.

 
One of the other projects was moving the Cessna 172 from the TV studio to our storage container on the runway. The airplane is under repairs and in pieces. We carefully put the wingless body of the airplane on the back of a small trailer for transport, Bolivian missionary style!



The Lord has blessed the aviation program this past month in so many ways. He allowed for us to make all the necessary flights, pay for the oil change, and make hanger rent. We are very thankful for his goodness to us.  

The program is also blessed to now have a printer that also scans and copies. It has external ink tanks in order to use ink that sells for a much more affordable Bolivian price. This is a huge step forward in making flight duties much more efficient.  A generous couple from Argentina donated this much needed piece of equipment. May the Lord bless your generosity!


 As the Lord continues to bless the program here in Bolivia, we see so much need all around us. While we invest our time and energy in helping those who need it, we continue to pray for support from those who cannot invest time but have the resources to help.  Reflecting upon a time when I had the resources, sometimes it was hard to know who to give my offering to. I would sometimes mark my offering envelope with not much thought. There are so many projects around the world and so many worthy causes. I would like to direct your attention to a new blog I have helped my wife create. It points out the more personal needs of the Bolivian people. www.saraybolivia.blogspot.com If you are interested, please take a few moments to read it. Though not aviation related, it is very much part of the life we live here and part of why we are missionaries in the first place.

The Lord bless,

Herman Gonzalez
Chief Pilot-Bolivian Low lands
Santa Cruz, Bolivia
011-591-7-738-6139
http://hermanbolivia.blogspot.com


Herman Gonzalez
Gospel Ministries International
Project Name: Bolivia Mission Aviation
874 South McDonald, TN 37353
1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842