Have you ever been to a prayer meeting where most of the praises to God is always associated with the words “GOD CAME THROUGH FOR ME?” Well if you ask me, all the prayer meetings I have been to in my life was always like that. I have often wondered, can I be grateful to God BEFORE He comes through for me or should I just wait until He does?
Well this is my experience. A few weeks ago I decided to finally take a leap of faith into a world where only the rich and famous normally explore. Aviation.
I am still newly married but I chose to leave my wife and the comfort of my home to do all that I can to learn how to fly airplanes. Why? I want to be a missionary pilot. So God opened up the way for me to get a ride to Manila (free). He allowed the school to give me a 12% discount (which was around $1000 USD) along with a payment option of 50% down payment prior to enrollment.
My reason for leaving home was to undergo the medical examinations that is required to learn how to fly (hearing test, eye test, E.C.G, chest x-ray, urine test, blood test, teeth, drugs, just to name a few). I also needed police clearance to show that I have no criminal records. So here I was on a journey with a few pesos to cover my basic needs, all the faith that I have and the wonderful support of my beautiful wife.
I left home on the 11th of February to process my student permission license. There were times when I felt really discouraged because of the immense challenges that I faced during the process but I just P.U.S.H (Pray Until Something Happens).
I got to Manila safely with the help of my pilot friend from P.A.M.A.S, Dwayne, who gave me a ride in his private ministry-owned airplane. I did not have enough money to stay in a hotel so I opted to ask Irene’s family to have me stay with them for a couple days and they said yes. Praise the Lord. I got homesick within a week, because I was really missing the wife. I don’t like to be away from her especially when I HAVE TO! I was hardly eating, hardly getting enough sleep but I kept going.
After 2 days in the Philippines capital and going all over the city back and forth to so many offices I WAS DONE! I did all the test that was required and now it was time to ask for the almost impossible. I have never flown an airplane before in the real world so I wanted to get my feet wet. I have a missionary friend, Sean, who is out in a little island called Palawan. So I called him up to ask him if I could just tag along with him for a few weeks to get some experience and he said Yes!
However, I could not afford the plane tickets to fly there because it was close to Valentines’ Day and all the lovers were travelling. The ticket prices were ridiculously HIGH. One ticket was even priced at Php7000 ($162 USD or $14,000 JMD). It was just too much for our budget. So my wife bought me a ticket on the ship which is a 31-hour sail on the Philippine waters.
Two hours before we docked in Palawan, my friend Sean called me to say that he was asked to fly to Manila where I was just coming from! Sigh. So I had to fly back to Manila with him, which was still a sweet deal.
He had another friend with him so I sat at the back of the small 4-seater airplane. The three and a half-hour ride to Manila was oh so worth it though. Sean gave me alot of theory tips on how to fly. We spent three days in Manila and then its time to head back to the base in Palawan. I was so happy that its just Sean and I, so this time I was sitting in the co-pilot seat.
Nervous? OHHHHH YES.
Hold on! Did I mention that I was not going to go to Palawan anymore even after Sean told me that I could come? Well as you all know, I am a newly wed so I called the wife to ask her if she could hold out a few more weeks longer, and she said No! So I decided to go back home. Married life. No more Palawan for me. The wife needs me home.
I love my wife for this part tho. She called back to say, “I know how much this really means to you so its ok with me, I can hold out for a little bit longer.” And she did! Love yah Reen.
I was able to get 11.5 hours flying time with Sean, seven and a half of which I was on the controls learning to fly. Sean is not an official instructor but I learnt a whole lot from him. I got to see how beautiful the Philippines is from 8,500 ft. above and I also got to see how important one airplane can be to thousands of people.
I got to spend a night with one of the mountain projects of P.A.M.A.S and I was really touched by the fact that one small seater can do so much in saving lives. There were times when I saw Sean in trouble with weight and balances, where the airplane would not climb fast enough and I thought to myself, Am I willing to risk my life to save others? I saw him having to turn people away all because they were on the overweight side for the airplane’s limit. I would see the look on their faces when they were able to get to their destination and I also saw that look in their faces when they were not able to get a ride. But my greatest joy was when I would see that a patient was able to be lifted from an isolated island to a better hospital.
Sean and Dwayne has really motivated me to want to be apart of P.A.M.A.S. These men have answered the call to fly for FREE. Both of them paid a fortune for their license and so to see them flying for ministry is a blessing to me.
School starts in a few weeks and I am not enrolled due to the finances but as I stated earlier, my testimony is in progress…
I can and I will bless the Lord at all times. With prayer and thanksgiving I am letting my request be made known unto God. I won’t wait to say, GOD CAME THROUGH. I am confident that He will deliver the money needed and even if He does not deliver, I will not curse God and die. I am tempted to give up but I can’t. My faith is too weak to quit on God.
I am now back home with wifey, enjoying married life together again.
Special thanks to Dwayne (Director of PAMAS), Sean (Pilot for Palawan Project), Adap Family, and my wife for helping me reach this far. A big thanks also to the many I know who is praying for me.
God Bless!
