This week we have been in Manila so that Brian can begin the process of getting his Philippine pilot’s license and begin his checkout process on Mindanao. It is a long, drawn-out process and we would appreciate your prayers as we work through the paperwork, travel and flying required for him to get his license.
It requires that Brian fly 10 hours in the country on a “temporary pilot’s license” and then he can take a check-ride with an examiner here in the Philippines who will approve his new license based on a successful check ride.
Once Brian has his license he will begin flying into the tribal airstrips one by one to get familiar with the uniqueness of each approach and it’s localized weather patterns. All of our airstrips are less than 1,000′ long so it is imperative that Brian gets back “on top of his game” before he carries precious cargo. It has been two years since his last flight so there will be some rust to knock off for sure.
Please be praying for our finances in this endeavor as well. We estimate that the whole process will cost around $7,800 (40 hours @ $195/hr) not including all the travel to and from Manila for paperwork processing. We have been under-supported for several months now and haven’t been able to save as we had planned for this expense. We are so thankful for how God has used our supporters to meet our needs – many of them are suffereing greatly in the US economy and have remained faithful to us. We know God gives us what we need when we need it, and we have been well taken care of in the midst of a scary economy. God is faithful, that will never change and has never changed.
In light of God’s faithfulness to us we are going to move forward with our plans for Brian’s checkout and trust that God would be pleased for us to step out in faith that He will provide the finances or provide reduced flight costs during the checkout process. God is creative so we will leave the brainstorming up to Him, and we will just take the step of faith. Thanks so much for your prayers for us as we begin this next step of the strategy for reaching the tribes of the Philippines with the Gospel.