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.