Mercy Flight for Dave

On Friday, December 12, 2008 we had the privilege of flying Dave (and his wife Michelle pictured below) from a treatment center in Kansas City back to his home in Gillette, Wyoming. Dave is not yet forty years old and has ALS and Lyme disease.

Thank you for your prayers during this Mercy Flight - we made it safely! However, please join us in continuing to pray health & healing for Dave's body, as well as comfort and peace for both Dave and his family.

Arriving in Arkansas

We were greeted by some of friendliest & most accomodating people in Mena, Arkansas during one of our last city stopovers on round 3 of the Spirit Tour. Phyllis Bell & Barbie Hatfield (pictured below) rallied the troops in Mena and handled the details for what turned out to be a fantastic reception at the local airport!

Dallas, Take Two...

Our large group event in Dallas was hosted at the Business Jet Center at Love Field. Some great shots were taken of the plane & we had the opportunity to introduce Samaritan to several new people.

Dr. David Brown, one of Samaritan's Board Members & a local Dallas/Ft. Worth resident, standing in front of the 206 at our event.

Next Stop, San Antonio

We stopped over in San Antonio to catch up with some dear friends and we enjoyed staying with them on their ranch. They continue to bless us by their friendship & faithful support to Samaritan.

Quick Stop in Austin...

Spending some time with our good friend & Samaritan supporter, Ted Dekker. The "Spirit of Paradise" was loving the backdrop of an island sunset!

Great turnout in Houston!

Our event in Spring, TX (just outside of Houston) was a hit! American Flyers gave us a great venue to host the evening and a large, anxious crowd showed up to see the plane in person.

Guests included 3 generations of the Carroll Family!! The Carroll's are long-time, loyal supporters of Samaritan and it was a real treat to see all of them in Houston.

Destined for Dallas!

After leaving Florida, we started en route to Texas!

Aerial view of Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. After meeting with the World Missions Director on staff, Samaritan might have the opportunity to be supported by and or partner with this congregation!

Onward to Ocala...

As the tour continued in Florida, we made a stopover at Landmark Aviation in Ocala. With the support of Gary's parents & some other locals, the event proved to be a success. Many attendees heard Samaritan's story for the first time.

It was a privilege to have lunch with Steve Saint & spend the day with some of his crew at I-TEC in Dunnellon, FL.

Spirit Tour Resumes in Southeast!

The third leg of our national tour started out in Southern Florida. Kudos to our amazing friend & Photojournalist, Jim Sitton (from Corpus Christi, Florida) for shooting an awesome video of "The Spirit of Paradise" in action.

Amphibious Landing on Lake Ooooo!

Mercy Flight to Denver

Sierra Smith, a young girl we flew on a mercy flight for the first time last week (10/22/08), required more medical treatment in Denver today so we flew her & her mom Robyn back this morning. We are truly grateful for Galen, a wonderful friend & Samaritan supporter, who volunteered to be the pilot for this morning's mercy flight! If you'd like to know more about Sierra's story, please visit Samaritan Aviation's homepage.

Samaritan Meets with PNG Deputy Prime Minister!

While on tour in NYC, Samaritan had the privilege of meeting with Papua New Guinea Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Puka Temu. The meeting was an opportunity for Samaritan to share their desires and goals in regards to receiving the remaining 8 (of 10) land lot titles applied for in PNG over 5 years ago. Dr. Temu & Ambassador Paki have been very instrumental in working towards this goal of gaining ownership of the land.

Left to right: Mark, PNG Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Puka Temu, Gary, Ambassador Evan Paki

Check out the article that captured Samaritan in The National (a national news source for PNG). Scroll down to the article entitled "US Mercy Aviators Keen on PNG".

North Carolina Campers on Mission

Flying into Denton, NC to speak at the gathering of North Carolina Campers on Mission (NCCOM).

We were extended the invitation by David & Sharie (in Mark's extended family) and we were blessed by their eager hearts for Christ, as well as their interest in the work our 206 will be doing in PNG.

South Carolina Stop Over

Dr. Dan Cransten (Samaritan's Field Medical Director) assisted us in planning an event for local supporters & donors in Greenville, SC.

We had a great visit with New Life Chemical & Equipment (based in Greenville, SC) and had the opportunity to meet several employees of a wonderful organization who supports Samaritan.

Thanks for hosting us for lunch New Life!

Another highlight to "The Spirit of Paradise Tour" was stopping over at Bell Aviation in Columbia, SC. God continues to bless us with new friendships, including Don Bell (pictured above). We were super excited to go flying in his T-6 and hot air ballooning!

Embassy Event in D.C.

Samaritan was invited to speak at the 33rd Independence Anniversary of Papua New Guinea...what an amazing opportunity, and with honor we gladly accepted!

New contacts made at the Embassy Event...a great opportunity to network with several people who were hearing about Samaritan for the first time.

Samaritan's story capturing the attention of many eager listeners at the Embassy!

On Tour in Virginia

Stopping over in Virginia on the tour was time well spent! We had the opportunity to speak at a wondeful church, catch up with long-distance friends & share what the Lord is doing with Samaritan!

We truly enjoyed speaking at Baptist Novum Church in Reva, VA. Mark was able to lead worship at two services during the weekend and Pastor Jeffrey Light (pictured above) and the entire congregation were very welcoming to Samaritan.

While in Virginia we stayed with long-time friends & Samaritan Supporters, Jay & Margie Johnson.

Eating a wonderfully prepared meal with Jay & Margie...thanks for your hospitality!

Catching up on the tour!

Our hosts in Smoke Town drove us to the airport early in the morning and helped us load the plane. We have had a chance to meet many wonderful people on the tour and value the new friends that have been made.

Final Approach to Morgantown

After leaving Smoke Town we flew to Morgantown, WV where we had a lunch meeting with old friends, Jamey and Cara Gremillion, as well as a small group from their church. It was fun to catch up with them again.

After lunch we took some time to show them the Spirit of Paradise before heading off to our next meeting that evening in Virginia

We filed an IFR flight plan out of Morgantown and headed to Brownsville, Virginia. It was the first time we had flown this plane in actual IFR conditions and everything went as planned.

We arrived in Brownsville in time to set up for our next presentation. The airstrip at Brownsville was short with trees on each end. It made for an interesting landing but an even more interesting departure.

We made the presentation to a small but friendly group that included old friends Phil and Margaret Estes and even the Mayor of Brownsville.

The next morning Phil and Mark drove the cargo over to Orange County, VA so we would have a safety margin for take-off. It was a short flight and then Phil was given a ride that included a "splash and go" on lake Hanna.

We were soon met by Jay Johnson and his friend Mark. Jay is the inventor of the Glass Craft Spider Gun that sprays fiberglass. He and his wife, Margie, are dear friends and it was a privilege to catch up with them again and take Jay and Mark flying in the 206. Jay is an amazing pilot with an aviation history that includes friends such as Chuck Yeager and Burt Rutan.

After our visit with Jay and Margie we rented a hangar and put the "Spirit of Paradise" to bed. The first leg of the tour was successful and long. The next morning we flew out of Regan National on a jet and headed home to Colorado to spend time with our families and get caught up at the office.