After years of hard work and prayer, our team launched a helicopter program in the Amazon. Along the way we’ve had some attrition within our team, which has felt like one step forward and two steps backward. We have been burdened for Bruno (and his family!) who has been the only pilot and mechanic in our flight program in Brazil for years. The program has grown and now has two regions and two hangars that it operates from. Needless to say, Bruno has been longing for help to arrive.
Enter the Coulliard Family. Kyle and Whitney and their kids came to us from the Navy. Kyle flew the UH60 and was also a flight instructor during his service to our country. He retired early to put his skills to use in church planting. He was a lot of fun to train because he was already an excellent pilot but was entering into a very different environment than the deck of a ship with all the crew to help!
Yesterday, Kyle and Bruno flew together for the first time over the Amazon rainforest to support our church planters. Kyle will work with Bruno over the next few months learning routes, weather, local procedures and radio protocols in the regions where we work. Brian plans to fly to Brazil in February to do a final check ride and training for Kyle so that he can fly on his own and give Bruno some much needed relief and assistance.
Ever since the helicopter arrived in Brazil, the demand for it has increased dramatically. Presently, there is so much work to do that we cannot possibly meet the needs with our small team. There are people groups who are completely hidden from and unreached by the outside world. They have no idea who Jesus is and no possible way to find out because the news of salvation isn’t in their language.
Please pray with us as we work to train pilots and mechanics for this daunting task. Pray as we try to build up this flight program in Brazil – that God would provide the resources and connections that we need to provide the support network for our church planters. Finally, pray that God will send people to fill all the positions on the team that we need!
