Herman's update from September.

Here is an update that Herman posted about the aviation project this month.

One Year Later

Steve

Herman's update from June.

Here is an update that Herman posted in June.

The Countdown

Steve

Some Pictures of Dember to July's Months of Work.

Hello everyone,

This is Steve writing. So what have I been doing these past year? Here are a few pictures to show some of what was keeping me from blogging in December, January, February, March, April, May, June, and July. I actually uploaded these pictures in April, then we became parents an I'm just now getting around to posting this blog.

I inspected this Mooney and Herman ferried it at the end of January.

     I inspected the Mooney that was a t a grass strip called Kilometro 7. We needed to ferry the plane 4 miles to another airport where it could be receive an annual inspection. I then received pars for the plane in December. I then installed the parts and filled the papers with the FAA for a Special Flight Permit(ferry permit). However, one stipulation of the FAA is that they require permission from a foreign country in order to issue a ferry permit for a U.S. registered aircraft in a foreign country. The civil aviation authorities here were slow to respond and then went on vacation for the holidays.

   When they came back from vacation they told us that we needed insurance on the plane in order to get permission to ferry the plane. So then the insurance company was slow in responding also, but insurance was issued for the plane. Then the civil aviation authorities us that they don't issue permission for ferry flights. So, we then asked what do we do in order to ferry the plane. The civil aviation authorities then responded by emailing us a letter saying that if the plane has insurance coverage, and a ferry permit from the FAA then we can ferry the plane.

     So we emailed that letter and an application for a ferry permit to the FAA and the FAA emailed us a ferry permit. Then it started raining with low clouds and we had to wait to fly the plane. Thankfully on the last day of the ferry permit the weather cleared and Herman made an uneventful flight.
     Then came the job of inspecting the 182J and the T182 that had been trucked and the Mooney that had been flown.

Here is where we started working on the T182

Here is where we parked the 182J.

We needed to start the engine and run it up after moving the planes. So we used a jug of fuel and ran the engine up to start the inspections.

A borosborescop really helps inspect the exhaust/turbocharger system on the T182.

The turbine on the turbo charger on the T182.

The waste gate on the T182.

The borescope comes in handy some times when you need to read numbers in hard to get to places.

Planes being inspected in the halfway finished hangar.

The small air compressor we bought to get started inspecting the planes.

The shop really helps things stay organized.

The 182J being inspected.

The Mooney being inspected.

Engine parts from the planes to be sent for inspection/repair.

Radios and instruments to be sent for inspection/repair.

The T182 being inspected.

The planes under the new hangar roof.

The view from the computer while up on the plane for fuel tank inspection.

The borescope helps with fuel tank insections.

The fuel tanks in the T182 were nice and clean.

This is what is looks like to be inspected.

The 182J under inspection.

An old honey jar works as a makeshift shop light.

And there is always paperwork involved in working on airplanes.

Servicing the oxygen system in the T182.

Swinging the gear on the Mooney.

We got the Mooney flying before Helen and I left Bolivia for a visit to the US and Canada. We are now on our way back to Bolivia from Canada.

Steve

Baby Wilson

Hello!
    Steven has told a lot about the planes, but I haven't taken the time to post anything on what I have been up to. Well, I am more like a spectator since I am not the one doing the creating, but there is a baby on the way! I am now 35 weeks along, and due May 10. God willing it will stay until May 11 which is Steven's and my brother Michael's birthday. Here are a few pictures of the bump growing!

 

23 weeks

   In many ways I have had an easy pregnancy. I haven't had all the ailments and health concerns that many women have to face, and yet, in many ways this has been a very hard pregnancy. Steven and I lost a baby before this one and the pain and sorrow that brings is hard. It was only 9 weeks along, and so termed as 'just one of those things that happen', but it was still very real for us and caused us to see ever so much more clearly the effects of sin and the gift a baby is. So when I became pregnant again I was paranoid that I would loose this one too.

   Another worry I had was inheriting an incompetent cervix. My Mom struggled to have children, challenged by an incompetent cervix. She also lost two babies, one half term, and I wondered if I also could have the condition. There was no way to tell and not many tests you can do until you have already lost at least one baby in the second trimester. Add to this the fact that a good friend of mine lost her baby at 38 weeks, and I was a very anxious pregnant lady. 

    I began to have problems right from the beginning. I had a lot of uterine contractions,  cramping, etc, early on. They were strong and wouldn't go away sometimes. I visited the Doctor quite often and she gave me some kinds of medicine, but they were always temporary fixes.  I knew that it wasn't good to take too much medicine anyways. This went on for months, until one day I couldn't take it anymore. I was tired of being on edge, tired of the stress of worry, and tired of wondering if this little life would one day make it into my arms.

     I lay there, since I was practically on bed rest, and thought things over. Ever since the beginning of this pregnancy I had been too scared to pray to God about this baby. My reasoning was that when you pray for someone you become more attached to them. I didn't want to get attached to this baby just in case I lost it too, so I wouldn't talk to God about it. I couldn't ask for prayers from others either. I realized it was too late to not love this baby. I did love it, and it was a part of me that I couldn't distance myself from any longer. So why was there so many problems?

     When we take burdens on ourselves, God can't help you carry them. If you are carrying them, God isn't there so Satan can be. It occurred to me that since I hadn't invited God in and surrendered my worries to Him,  trusting that His will is the best, then Satan had full reign of the situation. Where God is not, Satan is. I wondered if many of my symptoms were not being caused by Satan to fuel my fear and make it just that much harder to talk to God about it. I was afraid of what God might ask me to give up. I was afraid He would ask me to surrender the life of my baby into His hands. I couldn't. How can a human give up the desires and worry for her child? How is it possible for me to reach the point where I could say, 'God, if you take my child or let me raise it, it is ok with me'. I couldn't. All I could do was ask for forgiveness and for help to give up my baby and surrender it into God's hands. I pleaded for the peace I had been missing since the beginning of the pregnancy.  I also asked God to fill my life and the life of my baby with His presence so that Satan couldn't harass or do anything more.  

A sneak peak of baby at 26 weeks

    That was when things changed. I received peace again, and God helped me surrender. It was a daily   battle of surrender for some time, but I could once again pray and ask for prayers. I asked Jesus to come into my life and to push Satan out, and from that day on (except for one other occasion) I did not have any more of the same problems I was having. The other time I again began experiencing contractions and pains, I prayed once again asking Jesus to remove Satan, and the same day the contractions stopped. 

     We are in a spiritual battle. It touches our lives in ways we might not realize. I didn't suspect that my health challenges could be no more than attacks from Satan, but obviously they were. When my heart was once again right with God, all the health problems went away. God wants our hearts and we need to trust Him. If we find we are unable, we can ask Him to help us to trust. It sometimes is as unnatural as a mother concluding that it is ok if her baby lives or dies, but our God is a God of miracles and heart transformations.

     Now that I am finishing 35 weeks and am eagerly preparing for the arrival of our baby, we can only thank God for His mercies and blessings. So far they tell us it is a healthy baby. In a week and a half I go for another ultrasound which will give more insight as to what is going on inside. Little by little God has been providing the things we need, and soon we will get to meet the little wiggle worm face to face!

    

30 weeks

34 weeks

    Well, that is the news from the home front. I am feeling fat and get stuck easily. I can't dodge the wheelbarrows at the market very well anymore (another story in itself) and am looking forward to handing baby over to Steven once in awhile! Anticipation is growing and I have been busy sewing diapers, a diaper bag, and other things for baby. The Grandparents are also excited and preparing to visit us in about a month. 

     All is well, and God is good. 

God Bless you!           Helen
 

Update On the Aviation Project for December to March.

Hello everyone,
this is Steven writing.

It must be obvious to everyone that I have been busy and that blogging has been neglected. However, Herman has two good updates about the aviation project on his blog. So I figured I would just post links to his blogs instead of duplicating on my blog what he has on his blog.

A picture of the new hangar as it was nearing completion.

Here is Herman's blog with pictures of when the hangar construction began.
http://hermanbolivia.blogspot.com/2014/01/new-year-blessings.html

Here is another blog from Herman with more hangar progress and a picture of the Mooney taxing out to take off for take off on a ferry flight.
http://hermanbolivia.blogspot.com/2014/02/hanger-and-ferry-update.html

Here is an other of herman's blogs with pictures of the hangar roof and floor finished.
http://hermanbolivia.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-hanger.html

I helped a little with the hangar. Most of my time during the past months has been spent getting the Mooney ferried and inspecting the three airplanes we have here. I'll make a blog with a some pictures of airplanes being inspected. Also look forward to same blogs from Helen about the home front.
God bless you all,
Steven