Repaint And Thin No More Repaint And Thin No More There is a story about a cheap skate painter who was hired to paint a church. He charged for the paint to paint the church, but thinned the paint multiple times in order to cheat the church. When he was done painting the church with the very thin paint, rain washed the paint off the church. When it was done raining he heard a voice say, "Repaint and thin no more."  This is a play on words from a story of in John 8:11. Hello, this is Steven writing. This is also a story of repainting. However, we thinned no more than was necessary so the paint finish was not like the texture of an orange peal(If you don't thin enough then the paint dries with the texture of an orange peal). After being in Bolivia for eight years the paint on the Mooney was in very bad shape. Corrosion was setting in with the protective coating of the paint missing in many locations of the exterior of the airplane. We could not let this continue. It was a big job to repaint the plane and remove the landing gear to repaint it too. However, it would have been a much bigger job if we had let the corrosion run it's destructive course. So we dove into this large job. The Mooney as its landing gear was being taken off One of the frustrating things that we learned was that there is no paint shop that has sand blasters here in Santa Cruz. I built a sand blaster out of a soda bottle. It worked well to remove paint, dirt, grease, and light rust in hard to clean corners in the landing gear parts. However, this sand blaster was empty of sand very quickly. So I built a 2L soda bottle sand blaster. It also worked well. It lasted about four times longer between refills of sand as opposed to the .5L soda bottle sand blaster. However, the sand did not last very long at all even with four times the amount of sand. It took to long to refill the sand thought the small opening of a soda bottle. Also, there was no control on the mixture of sand and air being blasted. To much sand was being blasted out, and the sand was hitting the sand that was bouncing off what we were trying to blast. It worked well, but still took to long. We needed more control over the mixture of sand and air being blasted. Timothy was willing to help refill soda bottles with sand, but it still took to long. So I built this sand blaster out of five gallon grease bucket with valves to control the mixture of sand and air. It did not work well at all. When air pressure was applied to this sand blaster it blew up. So I built this sand blaster using an air tank from a junk air compressor and it worked well. It had a large enough sand capacity and valves to control it so some work could get done between refills. The wing all primed and ready for the paint The first layer of paint on the fuselage Another layer of paint going on. It is going to look like a brand new used airplane! Left: Johannes                                                 Right: Gadiel These two young men have been doing the work painting the Mooney. They are doing  a great job!  Johannes is from Austria, and Gadiel from Bolivia. The tail number ready to be painted on Even the cowling is getting attention with some fiberglass repair  Above: Before being cleaned and repainted. Above: After being cleaned and painted. After this came the part of the job that was like a big 3D puzzle. Putting it all back together. The newly painted landing gear being put back on. It was painted with a special bake on paint so as to be more durable. Above: The nose landing gear. The puzzle going back together. It was right in the middle of this job that I had to leave and go to Guyana to work on James Ash's plane. So I left the job of painting with Johannes and Gadiel. A little mechanic desperate to work on something, finally settled with trying to fix the wheel barrow. Paint stripes being added to the white base coat. Johannes uncovering the tail number. Finishing adding the stripes to the engine cowl after the airplane was sitting on it's landing gear again. The finished job. I finished applying the clear coat a few days after James was born. So this is one reason why we have been busy over the past number of months, maintaining the airplanes. Aside from fabricating the sand blaster I had so fabricate a few other specialty tools for the landing gear installation and rigging. We thank every one who supports us so we can do this work. We want to thank those who support us financially and those who support us in prayer. God bless, Steven, Helen, Timothy, and James Wilson We are volunteer missionaries entirely funded by donations. 100% of your donations go directly to us and our project in Bolivia. If you'd like to be a part, we accept tax-deductible donations through Gospel Ministries International, Inc. Donate via: 1.  PayPal  (timt@gospelministry.org) 2.  Check:  P.O. Box 506, Collegedale, TN 37315 With either method, please include a note stating:  "Bolivia Aviation Services - Wilson" Thanks for your support!

Wilson Update - Medivacs and Missionaries

Medivacs and Missionaries       What a busy week this last week has been! Steven flew every day, and even into some nights. Some flights were to move cargo, and others missionaries. The plane didn't go anywhere empty. Left:   The director of Familia Feliz, Miguel Tello, being transported to Rurrenebaque Right: A volunteer family at Familia Feliz going to Santa Cruz to do visa paperwork Food Cargo going up to the high school at Guayaramerin.      The flight schedule was already pretty full for the week. There was a lineup of missionaries and cargo waiting to fly. Then a call came in, 'Can you fly make a medivac flight? A premature baby needs to go from Guayaramerin to Santa Cruz for better care." So the airplane was fueled up, filled with cargo going that way, and an engineer and his wife jumped in as well. The engineer was taking a TV transmitter to Guayaramerin to get Red ADvenir back on the air in the town.      The plane arrived in Guayara and the ambulance was notified. The engineer quickly went into town to set up the new tv transmitter while the ambulance came and the passengers were loaded. He found that the new transmitter didn't work either! He opened both the new and old transmitters and was able to use parts off of both to make one that worked, and now ADvenir is once again on air in Guayara. All in the time it took the ambulance and passengers to get to the airport and be loaded! God is good! Left: The ambulance meeting the plane at Guayaramerin airport Right: The baby and its Mom in the ambulance waiting to go in the plane      The patient was a premature baby born at only 7 months gestation and was on oxygen because its lungs were underdeveloped. They said it could only live an hour without oxygen. It needed better care than what could be given at the hospital in Guayara, so was needing to be transported on oxygen to a specialized hospital in Santa Cruz.      The flight started well. Good weather, plenty of time before sundown, and a cruising altitude of 9,500 ft. Then the parents of the baby realized that the oxygen had run out! There was still one and a half hours of flying time until Santa Cruz. If the baby could only live one hour on the ground without oxygen, how long would it have at 9,500 ft? Steven quickly called the nearest airport,Trinidad, and began to descend explaining the emergency.  It just so happened that it was one of the bigger airports and it had a doctor on staff, and oxygen available. Eleven minutes later the plane landed and the doctor was waiting on the ramp with oxygen, and the baby was fine! If the oxygen would have run out anywhere else, it is unlikely they would have been able to get to anywhere that had oxygen in time for the baby to survive. Our God is merciful!      From the airport, the baby's father went by taxi and was able to refill the oxygen bottle in the town and they continued the flight uneventfully  to Santa Cruz where an ambulance was waiting with an incubator. It is winter here in Santa Cruz and much colder here than at Guayaramerin! Left: The doctor with the oxygen at the plane at the ramp in Trinidad Right: The ambulance with the incubator ready to receive the baby  The delay in the flight meant a night landing at Viru Viru, the international airport in Santa Cruz because it has landing lights. That means a two hour trip home on public transport, and then two hours again in the morning to go back to the airport. Because Viru Viru is an international airport, it is busy and it takes a fair bit of time to get through security, fill out the paperwork and then find a drug police to stamp the flight plan. The drug police are often busy with the airliner flights and it can take an hour waiting for an officer to be available to put his stamp on the flight plan. Then you have to get to the airplane, which is parked on a different platform, a fair distance from the terminal. Next, the airplane needs to be inspected by the drug police, before permission to fly is granted. It can take another hour or more waiting for a drug police to be free to do the inspection of the plane. If nothing else, Bolivia can be a place to develop patience!    The next day was going to be a free day from flying, since we had an appointment to apply for James's US passport. We were not available until noon. But soon a call came. Can you make an emergency medivac today? A little boy was in an accident and needs to go to Santa Cruz!       Right after our appointment Steven was again flying. this time it was a three year old boy from Guayaramerin who had somehow been run over by a vehicle. His jaw was broken in several places and his ear was mostly torn off. He needed reconstructive surgery and to be in care that could treat infections effectively.       Once again the flight continued after dark, and so it ended at Viru Viru, the international airport, where an ambulance was waiting. Left: Sunset over the rivers of the jungle Right: Turning on the instrument lights     And so ended that flight with the little boy getting to the care he needed.      The next morning another flight was scheduled, so it was a very short night for Steven since he needed to be gone by 5 am to move the airplane from Viru Viru (remember it is a many hour ordeal) in order have enough daylight lime to transport the missionaries who were waiting.     And so ended the week, with a very tired pilot, a bunch of people and cargo moved, and a blessed Sabbath rest to enjoy. Thank you all for your prayers and financial support which has made all of this possible. God Bless you until next time... The Wilson Family We are volunteer missionaries entirely funded by donations. 100% of your donations go directly to us and our project in Bolivia. If you'd like to be a part, we accept tax-deductible donations through Gospel Ministries International, Inc. Donate via: 1.  PayPal  (timt@gospelministry.org) 2.  Check:  P.O. Box 506, Collegedale, TN 37315 With either method, please include a note stating:  "Bolivia Aviation Services - Wilson" Thanks for your support!

" I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalms 139:4 Wilson Family News         What an interesting 9 months it has been! Our house has been a busy one, not only with Timothy learning and growing, but also with many guests who have been part of our family for a time. Added to that, airplane maintenance that never seems to end, and you get an idea of what we have been up to!          It has very interesting having guests in the family. So far this last year to present, we have had somebody from Romania, Australia, Austria, the US, Bolivia, Denmark, Canada, and Belize, stay with us. It is fun to learn a bit about other cultures and try to not overwhelm them with ours :)          Having guests has been a challenge because I have had to learn to say I can't keep up to cooking and cleaning up after extra adults, as well as Timothy, while being pregnant. I tried my best until I couldn't go anymore, and Steven came to my rescue and made new house rules... those who live with us, become like family with us and carry an equal part of the cooking and chores. What a difference that has made for everyone! I have had time to do constructive things with Timothy, study the midwife text books that I have been able to purchase, as well as sew more diapers for the new baby, and get to the many other things that just were not getting done.            Some of the cloth diaper covers I made and sold, and my little sewing helper.       As interesting as sewing and other things have been, what has really been intriguing to me has been the midwife course. I have not been able to complete any of the course work because I do not have enough of the text books, but I have studied the text books I have, and learned so much. It has been even more interesting and real to me since I was pregnant and could observe in myself the things I read about.The more I learn about how life begins, the more I realize just how great a miracle conception and reproduction is. We are truly "...fearfully and wonderfully made..."       As I studied, my desire to have my baby at home grew. I wanted to experience what it was like to give birth in the comforts of my home, as close to God's design as  we could manage. I understand that we live in a sinful world, and problems can arise, so we visited all the hospitals and clinics nearby, learned what services they offer, located emergency room doors,etc. We were 10 min away from help should a problem arise. Babi, a neonatal nurse, agreed to be my birth attendant. What a brave lady she was through the whole process, taking on such a challenge and putting up with me! I don't think I would have been comfortable enough to try a home birth without her. Thanks Babi!     And so we waited for the baby. so many times we were sure the time had come, only to realize it was another false alarm. My sister Sara came from Guayara, and my Mom came from Canada to help me with everything... cooking, cleaning, Timothy, etc. These two were such a help. I don't know what I would have done without them.        Then May 10 I began to have some cramping, and we thought that it was the big day! Nope. Evening came, and Timothy went to bed. Around 10 pm I began to have some contractions and then by midnight the contractions came in earnest. At 5:40am, May 11, James Lloyd Wilson joined our family! Timothy woke up to the baby's cries, and met his new brother moments after he was born. Now we have three boys in our family who share a birthday... my brother Michael, Steven, and James. I guess Steven's birthday present this year was a son:)        Birthing at home was an incredible experience because I was in an environment that was familiar and caring. I wasn't in the public eye with strangers watching me walk the halls, fighting to keep my hospital gown closed behind me. There was no pressure about things not going fast enough, or being treated like I was sick. Steven wasn't treated like an outsider, or in the way. I could move how I wanted and follow my instincts.  The whole experience was peaceful, and James came out beautiful and full of life. He had no medicines in him and it gave him a whole different appearance from the other babies I have seen born, including Timothy. God has made birth so intricate and incredible!           Babi and baby James                                  All the members of our family.                                                                                        Welcome James! Timothy likes his new brother.  We want to thank all who have kept us in your prayers, and for those who have been supporting us and encouraging us in the mission field here in Bolivia.                                              God Bless you all! The Wilson Family, Steven, Helen, Timothy, and James   We are volunteer missionaries entirely funded by donations. 100% of your donations go directly to us and our project in Bolivia. If you'd like to be a part, we accept tax-deductible donations through Gospel Ministries International, Inc. Donate via: 1.  PayPal  (timt@gospelministry.org) 2.  Check:  P.O. Box 506, Collegedale, TN 37315 With either method, please include a note stating:  "Bolivia Aviation Services - Wilson" Thanks for your support! Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

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