AIR MOBILE IN HAITI FOLLOWING MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE and...Hurricane season is here! / Tent cities everywhere! PLEASE PRAY!

July 15, 2010 -6:33am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We recently received 300 Creole Bibles and will be bringing them into Haiti on our next mission. We continue to gather up supplies. Today, we top off the Oxygen in the aircraft. Word from the Village is - a whole lot of building going on! Several large construction teams are making great progress on rebuilding Ruuska. Have to run for now. Will try to report later this afternoon. Air Mobile Joe July 14, 2010 -7:28am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Our aircraft is ready to go (passed "post-mission" inspection with flying colors)! We're gathering up supplies for our next mission. We had a wonderful interview with News Channel 13 out of Orlando. We are letting people know "that after 6 months, things ARE NOT better in Haiti. The situation there is extremely dangerous and volatile. I read yesterday, that one of the tent-cities in the Port-Au-Prince area, had major flooding from a relatively small storm. Nearly 100 tents were destroyed. This is the situation. This is the reason we are working so hard to get back. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe July 13, 2010 -6:51am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Today, we are continuing our Post-mission inspection on "Ti-Bourik" (little donkey). This is the name we affectionately call our Cessna 337. When the aircraft loading crew converges on us at Port-Au-Prince International Airport, this is the name on all of their lips. For you see, our little plane always carries a full load when we arrive in Haiti. We are thankful, both for such a fine aircraft as well as an excellent maintenance team. We expect all to go well today. We will also be speaking with a local news channel on the "6th Month Anniversary" of the tragic January 12 earthquake. For just a moment, the world's attention is back on Haiti and their terrible plight. Please pray that we gain additional support for our life-saving projects. The Caribbean is relatively calm again today. For that, we are extremely thankful. It gives us another day to prepare! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe July 12, 2010 -9:22am - Monday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM! Haiti continues to "dodge bullets"! During our last mission to Haiti (we returned to the U.S. on Saturday afternoon), our Lord held back the storms. We are so thankful! Today, as I analyze the satellite image (above), for TODAY, the storms are being held back. As Cindy and I reflect on this last mission, we are overwhelmed with joy at how, again, our Lord has opened the door to bring food and water to the hungry and thirsty. We are working diligently on arranging 2 large 40 foot containers to receive the donated food & bottled water. We will position these containers close to the abandoned hospital so that "when" the big storm does come, we can rapidly deploy these life-saving provisions to the thousands of fleeing "tent-dwellers". This is the plan. We believe that many lives can be saved by this "Evacuation Plan". As we departed in our aircraft on Saturday, our daughter Juliet captured this shot of the thousands of tents scattered on the hillsides of Haiti. These people have no place to go when the bad storms do come. This is the reason we are working in advance to get things ready and prepare a place for them. Yesterday, we ministered in the Hospital where we are chaplains. The "House" was full and the Word of God was delivered. We taught on how Jesus sent His disciples out in Matthew 10. Our Lord gave clear "marching orders" on how to go and share the Good News of the Kingdom of God. We're looking to get back into Haiti as soon as possible to keep these plans moving forward. We continue to pray that the weather will continue to be favorable. Feel free to give me a call at 321-544-7757 if you would like to discuss our plans or if you have any ideas to share. God Bless. Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A "STORY", YOU ARE! JUST CONTINUE TO READ ON DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS "JOURNEY" HAS EVOLVED TO THIS POINT! Joe July 11, 2010 -7:27am - Sunday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We're back in the U.S. - have much to say. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe FOOD FOR THE EVACUATION – FOOD MULTIPLIED!! July 10, 2010 -5:27am - Saturday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe My dear friends of 30 years, Bobby & Sherry Burnette of Love A Child Ministries have agreed to help us with this vital project. Yesterday, we drove to their mission and laid out the plan of Emergency Evacuation. They liked it. Bobby said, “Joe, you get the container and I will fill it with food (270,000 meals)!! We also discussed bottled water in a second container. WOW!! After laying out the plan and settling the provisions, we had coffee and told stories of past missions. We laughed a lot. God’s grace is amazing. When we first began, we were so “green”. Yet, we know, we still have so much to learn. Thank God for his grace and mercy! Bobby loaded up our little vehicle with more food. Now, here is a “fish & loaves” multiplication story. Lisa, from Ruuska Village gave us 10 boxes (2,160 meals) of food for the “People in the Middle” (see yesterday’s blog). After our visit with Bobby, we came back to Ruuska Village with 15 boxes of food. We replaced the 10 boxes with 11 boxes & …….went to the Abandoned Hospital Tent City and gave out 4 boxes (864 meals). Now, that is Matthew 14 (story of Loaves & Fishes) in action!! As we arrived in the tent-city, we immediately had a Worship Service. It was beautiful. The Haitians & Americans sang and worshipped our Lord together. I shared on the Miracle of the Loaves & Fishes and then each American shared their heart with our Haitian brothers and sisters. Meanwhile, Cindy set up a clinic and treated & prayed for the sick. Cindy is an Registered Nurse and has much experience with Haitian diseases. At the same time, we distributed shoes and food and candy. Actually, we let the leaders distribute it and we watched. It was great. The people received the gifts with incredible joy and thankfulness. I wish you could have been there. At the end of the service, we bundled up our team and headed back to Ruuska. Then Cindy & Juliet & I headed all the way across town to have a final meeting with Nathan & Amy of The 7th Day Adventist Hospital in Diuquini (just west of Port-Au-Prince). We had good fellowship and discussed the revitalization project of this hospital. Cindy and I have been blessed many times over by this hospital and pray for the leadership as they bring this hospital back to it’s full potential. We returned to Ruuska tired but very satisfied by how our Lord moved today. I must tell you that Juliet Joy Hurston has been a tremendous blessing. She has taken the photos. Also, she particularly wanted to come on this trip to learn from John Torres, a master Journalist for Gannett. THANK YOU JULIET!! Over the last few day, the weather here in Haiti has been remarkable. The storms have been staying away! Today looks like a pretty good day for traveling. We’ll see how it all turns out. We truly love and appreciate you and thanks again for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy & Juliet PS - Here is a sample of Juliet's photo work! Joe PPS - CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THESE STORIES HAVE COME TOGETHER BY GOD'S AMAZING GRACE!!! July 9, 2010 -6:27am - Friday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe It’s amazing what a reasonably good nights sleep can do. Of course sleeping in a tent on a sheet of plywood with a 1 7/8” thick mattress offers certain challenges. However, if you are tired enough, the aforementioned accommodations can be quite nice (of course, the fan helps a lot!!). After reflecting on yesterday, it is still hard to capture in words what we are seeing and experiencing. One thing stands out though, the courageous, tenacious spirit of these people. The Haitian people have been through so much, yet can still be kind, gracious and helpful. After living and working in this country for over 32 years, this still amazes me! The children always draw us back. You see, leaving America and the comfort and convenience to enter into a chaotic, dirty, dangerous situation is not easy. It’s just the images of the kids faces and smiles and durability that draws us back time and time again. As many who read this blog and know Ruuska Village, you know exactly what I am talking about. By the way, Barb (Rambo in the Blue Dress) has been in Argentina processing adoptions. We really look forward to having her back soon. Lisa has been doing an incredible job of running the Village. The teams that have been here have been simply wonderful. Last night, at the end of the very, very long day, we had the sweetest devotion. Now, on to today. We’ll be meeting with a major relief organization to discuss “food” for the Evacuation Plan. This is, as I have said before, particularly challenging because there is not enough food for the current and immediate needs, but….we must press on with this plan as we believe that many lives are at stake. So many dwellings are made of old discarded tin and the results of strong winds would be catastrophic! I know that I sound like a broken record asking you to pray over and over again, but it is so important. The coffee is brewed and it’s time to get our team going. Will try to give a little update this evening. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy & Juliet July 8, 2010 -11:07pm - Thursday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe RETURN TO THE PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE Today, we returned to the people that live in “median” of a very dangerous road. About 6 week ago, we brought in food for these desperate people. We came up short for about 90 families. Today, we began on the end where those families were. It was so good coming back and meeting our new friends. We were very glad to find that little “Catastrophe” was doing well. This little boy was born on January 12, 2010, the day of the catastrophic earthquake. His Dad was very helpful to us and so pleased to show off his son. The situation in this particular “tent city” is so precarious! All a child has to do is just step of the “door” and is in the very busy, dangerous street. We pray that these precious people find dwellings in a less dangerous location. We had a time of prayer with some of the residents. We asked our Lord to "multiply" the little bit of food we brought to this desperate area. It was very sweet being back and we look forward to helping even more. From the “People in the Middle”, we headed to the Adventist Hospital, close to this location. Very good seeing Nathan and his wife Amy. John Torres with Florida Today interviewed Nathan. Among the problems discussed, a national shortage of food. Many of the relief organizations are having a difficult time finding adequate food supplies. We prayed together and departed. We headed to the place where Cindy and I lived for a number of years. It was the first time Juliet had returned there since being just 4 years old. Our home was destroyed by the earthquake and must be torn down. Yet, we would like to someday, set up an Air Mobile Base camp in this zone. Another matter for prayer. We had a delicious picnic lunch on the beach. We then returned through pretty heavy traffic to Caanan II to give Pastor Volny and update on our progress with the Hurricane Evacuation plans. This is a solid brother and truly cares for the people in the community. In spite of the generosity of a relief organization in providing a water bladder, it is still not keeping up with the demand. We discussed the possibility of drilling a well. This is another matter for prayer. After a long day and many harrowing kilometers, we returned to Ruuska Village. The other team there told us about their day. We had a wonderful devotion. As I write this blog, I am drifting off to sleep. Time to get to bed. So much to do. We must have the power of the Lord to meet these challenges. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer! Air Mobile Joe PS – Early this morning, as we were headed to the “People in the Middle”, Rick captured this shot. We call it “Meals on Wheels”. Pretty graphic shot, but some of the things we encounter on the streets of Port-Au-Prince. Joe July 8, 2010 -5:44am - Thursday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Up early and loading food for "the people in the middle". This is one of the desperate areas of extreme danger. Will give more details later today. Weather is still volatile all around Haiti but......the storms have been held back. We praise the Lord. Have to go for now. Air Mobile Joe & Cindy & Juliet July 7, 2010 -10:44pm - Wednesday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We did it. We flew to Haiti again. This time we had John from Florida Today, and Rick his friend and I am blessed to have Cindy and Juliet. We had a full plane. Bibles, food, toner cartridges, Voyager parts and more. We rolled down the runway at 3:57am and climbed to 17,000 feet, broke out the Oxygen and flew direct to Port-Au-Prince in 5 hours 13 minutes. We landed at 8:10am Haiti time. We rented a small SUV and headed to Barb’s village and unloaded the supplies. We gathered a team from the village and headed to the Tent City at the abandoned hospital. This whole community has one tiny little water source. While stateside I could not stop thinking about these 500 + people with no clean water. It was time. We set up the Voyager, and began pumping very clean water out of that tiny little hole of dirty water. Once the unit was demonstrated, the presentation was made. The joy of the leaders was amazing. Their community, that has been plagued by sickness and disease has new hope. Clean water does that! As we were doing the water purifier, Cindy and Juliet led the worship and ministry in the tent city with the team from the Village. The Lord is truly with us. Bringing clean water and the living water of the Word of God! It is such a pleasure having Juliet with us. She loves the children and is such a huge help to us. We departed that tent city and headed to Caanan II. We checked on the little baby girl that I had written about 2 weeks ago. She is still ill. We prayed for her. We then gave Pastor Volny an update on the Evacuation Plans. Things are moving on. We returned to the Village and set up our tent, had dinner / helped John get a story back to Florida Today. It’s been a long day. As I sit and write this blog, I feel slight tremors. The earthquakes are not finished. Haiti is surrounded by storms. We simply pray and ask for mercy for this suffering country. Better wrap it up tonight. We head out early in the morning. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy & Juliet July 7, 2010 -2:44am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe CLOSE TO DEPARTURE Had excellent meetings yesterday. Developing some flight training outreach in conjunction with our existing flights to Haiti. This can be a true win-win-win deal. As you can see from the photo above, seat #6 is full of our little cargo for Haiti. Getting very close to departure for Haiti. Checking weather and should be heading that way pretty soon. We just stand amazed at how our Lord has held back so many storms that have already formed all around Haiti and yet none have hit. For that we are thankful. It could be a pretty good day for flying. We'll see how the day turns out. Will write more later. God Bless & ........THANKS FOR PRAYING!! Air Mobile Joe July 6, 2010 -7:24am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe PREPARING TO GO! As we prepare for our next mission to Haiti, my mind keeps going back to the images; the faces, the smiles, the pain, the humble dwellings, the intense heat and.....the extreme vulnerability of hundreds of thousands in Haiti. While writing this blog this morning, the weather is brewing. Just of the coast of Louisiana (where I was born), a tropical storm is rapidly brewing and about to strike south Louisiana. In the Gulf of Mexico, just off the Yucatan, another system is forming into a possible hurricane. Just to the east of Haiti, several systems are forming. As our temperature rises the possibility of intense storms also rises. We pray everyday, that Haiti will be spared strong winds and heavy rains. Those two elements WILL kill people. Meanwhile, we are diligently working on getting more provisions into place in advance of "that next storm". These are the reasons we ask you to PRAY each day for our Lord to hold back the storms. Yet, we know, that in life, "Storms happen". So, here we are, again, standing before the throne of God, beseeching our Lord to hold them back "one more day". At the same time, we seek to add a "little more oil" to our lamps, as the wise Virgins did in Matthew 25. Today, I plan to take a Helicopter Introductory flight. Many, many years ago, I flew helicopters. Today, I hope to brush some major "rust" off of those skills. One never knows when this could needed. After the "heli" flight, I'll be meeting with the new owner of a flight school. We hope to be able to coordinate future flights and flight training together. Since the clock is ticking, gotta go. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love! Air Mobile Joe July 5, 2010 -10:52am - Monday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Planning our next Haiti mission / working on securing food / water / medical supplies / Bibles. Checking the weather / all leading meteorolgists agree, it's just a matter of time before a major hurricane forms and marches across the Caribbean. We pray for the continued protection of Haiti. Will write more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe July 4, 2010 -7:52am - Sunday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! Simply said, we are so thankful for our country and the opportunity and freedom that we enjoy. Please remember to PRAY for our leaders, that they will heed the words of our Lord Jesus...."Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". May our Lord keep His hand on our great country. How Cindy & I spent yesterday....We were able to speak to a lot of folks about the plight of Haiti and get some help for those who are so vulnerable. We had a modestly successful yard sale in behalf of Air Mobile. Meanwhile, the weather is stirring in the Caribbean. We are keeping a close eye on the weather system to the southeast of Haiti. The temperatures here in America are extremely warm and likewise in the Caribbean. This is very conducive to severe storms. We continue to pray. Today, the Hurston Family ministers to the young people in the hospital. Remember "Mr. Benny"? He joined us in Haiti last week. It will be good to see him again. We'll be able to share some Haiti stories with the young people. We pray you have a blessed and enjoyable 4th today. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe July 3, 2010 -7:32am - Saturday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! It's a good time to thank our Lord for this great country. Trust you are having a pleasant weekend. Today, we're having an Air Mobile Yard Sale to help Haiti. If you live in this area, come on by. We have some good Haitian coffee & lots of other cool stuff. The address is: Air Mobile Ministries 8850 Grissom Parkway Titusville, FL 32780 If you need directions, give us a call at: 321-544-7757. Hope to see you there. Air Mobile Joe July 2, 2010 -9:36am - Friday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe STORMS TO THE NORTH - WEST & SOUTH We thank the Lord for withholding storm systems from Haiti today! The little country in the "middle" of the satellite image is nearly surrounded. I truly believe that prayer helps in these matters. Meanwhile, we are working diligently on getting "emergency" stores of food and water for when storms do come. I am reminded of the wise ones that stored up some extra oil while waiting for the Bridegroom. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to help my good friend - neighbor & brother in Christ, Tom with his recently acquired aircraft. Tom has been my neighbor for over 11 years. When he expressed a desire to fly, I was both glad and encouraged him in this venture. Now, he has a beautiful Cessna 210 and on his way into the field of aviation. It's a joy to have him as my neighbor and friend! Today, we continue our quest for supplies for Haiti. We're tracking the weather and looking to get back into Haiti as soon as possible (most likely next week). Meanwhile, we're thankful for the 4th of July weekend! We're so thankful for our great country and the freedoms and opportunities that we have here in America. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe July 1, 2010 -6:56am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Going to be helping a friend get his airplane back in the air today. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe June 30, 2010 -7:53am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Our mission aircraft is inspected and ready to go! Now Hurricane Alex is about slam into the Mexican / Texas coast. Please pray for those in the path! Yesterday, the U.S. State Department issued a "Travel Advisory" concerning Haiti. 4 Americans have been killed in the last few months in the Airport area. This is the reason that Air Mobile does not publish exact travel dates or itineraries. We take precautionary steps to insure the safety of our mission and personnel. Above all, we pray and ask our Lord to guide us and protect us. We are currently working on our next mission to Haiti. We are targeting sometime next week. In the meantime, we are working diligently to secure food and water "in advance" of the next storm. As you can see from this satellite image, now Hurricane Alex, passed less than 100 miles south of Haiti and did not cause any significant damage to Haiti. For that, we are extremely grateful. The entire Caribbean region is "dancing on the edge of a razor". By that I mean that storms can form very easily and can grow to dangerous intensity rapidly. This is our reason for "preparing in advance" of the next storm. Today, we continue our quest for food and water for the thousands standing in harms way. We would love to hear from you. If you would like more information, give us a call at: 321-544-7757. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - I spoke with the Bible Society yesterday and they are sending Air Mobile additional Creole Bibles! Praise God!! Joe June 29, 2010 -7:03am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Haiti is getting a little weather break, thank God! Today, we will conducting our "Post Mission" inspection on our mission plane. This bird has just been flying better and better each mission. The front engine, that we have been planning to change, has been doing extremely well. There is no need to change it out immediately as long as it's running so well. However, we keep an eye on it like a hawk, thus these weekly inspections. It's also a blessing to have a factory new engine sitting in our hangar "ready to go" when needed. We will likely make our next flight to Haiti sometime next week. I just found out from Cherie, my daughter, that Reach Out To Haiti has just received a wonderful gift of 300 Creole Bibles. We will gladly carry them in on our next mission. We also received communication from one of the major missions in Haiti requesting pricing on Toner Cartridges. Now..... Toner Cartridges is part of my "Day Job". Cindy and I formed Cartridge Source of America (CSA) in 1997 immediately after returning to the U.S. due to medical reasons. This company has been a blessing and has cooperated beautifully with Air Mobile Ministries. CSA even manufactures the Vortex Voyager water purification system. Now, with these pieces in place, we are hoping to be more of a blessing to the mission organizations in Haiti by providing the printing/computer supplies that they need. All of these factors will help us to cover the expenses of flying the aircraft to and from Haiti. Here's an interesting statistic. Aviation fuel in Haiti cost $7.60 per gallon. When we fly non-stop from Titusville to Port-Au-Prince, our one-way fuel bill is nearly $1000.00. That is the reason, I ask for some help from time to time to cover these expenses. We feel it is so important that we "establish" a regular supply line between Florida and Haiti. Often, when the least disturbance takes place, the "Commerical Airlines" just cancel flights. This leaves so many "stuck" in Haiti. That is where mission aircraft, such as ours, becomes so valuable. Well, thought I'd share a bit about the "Mission Aviation" side of Air Mobile. Better run for now and turn some wrenches on our little plane. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe June 28, 2010 -9:13am - Monday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe From the funny O2 Masks, guess where we were yesterday? We took the opportunity of a "clear shot" and slipped between the storms and dashed back to the U.S. It was good to have Barb (Rambo in the Blue Dress) as my co-pilot. We had a beautiful flight home. We completed a tremendous mission in Haiti. We accomplished a number of goals and had strategic meetings with other organizations regarding the "Evacuation Plan" for thousands of Haitians in harms way. We're back in the U.S. for a bit and should you want to discuss our plans or share ideas with me, please don't hesitate to call at: 321-544-7757. Oh, we do have some very fine and delicious coffee. If you love "the stuff" the way Cindy and I do, get some. In that way, you can drink delicious coffee from Haiti and help the Haitian people. Just call me and we'll get you some right out. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe June 27, 2010 -5:38am - Sunday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe SQUEEZED! Haiti is between 2 storms! We continue to pray for our Lord to hold back the winds and the rain! Yesterday was a good training day for water mules. Both Peter and Benny learned more about how the Voyager works. We were able to refurbish several more units. We are building up a small inventory in preparation for the next storm. We did check on the little girl from Caanan II, the one that was ill several days ago. She is doing much better / responding well to prayer and meds. As I sit on the little perch and write this blog, worship has begun around us. It is only 5:35am and small churches have already begun to Praise the Lord. The song currently being sung is “Crucified, laid behind the stone, He took the fall and thought of me most of all”. There is a gentle cool breeze and the peace of the Lord is so strong. This has been a good mission. We have accomplished much, but have so much more to do. We have made appeals to several mission organizations requesting food and water to be laid up for the next storm. This is a difficult request since so many need so much right now. I certainly understand the hesitancy among some to help but……we must keep trying. We must help facilitate a place for these precious ones to flee in the face of the storm. We are approaching the end of this mission and will be returning to the U.S. soon. We are monitoring the weather and will fly when things look good. Better get on with the day. God Bless and always....THANK YOU for your prayer and love and support! Air Mobile Joe & Peter & Benny June 26, 2010 -5:58am - Saturday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe The skies are clear after many days of threatening storms here in Haiti. The storm that formed and broke up multiple times is now re-formed again (Named Alex) and now heading to the Gulf of Mexico. We pray for those in the path of this tenacious storm. Meanwhile, we are tracking another system to the east of us and praying..... Yesterday was a good day, we bought about 100 pounds of coffee! As you may know, Air Mobile is offering delicious Haitian coffee to our friends in the U.S. Haiti has some of the best coffee in the world. So....if you're interested, give our office a ring at: 321-567-0332 and Melanie or Cindy will tell you all about it. It's nice to be able to have some cargo / commerce on-board the aircraft when we return. It helps to pay for the fuel. Also, I like the smell and it makes the long flight home go by a bit easier. Upon returning to the "Village", we checked on Benny who has been working with the construction team here. These guys devised a very ingenious way to sift sand for the various stages of processing cement. This is a cool contraption! Peter and I then headed out to the large abandoned hospital to take some photos / video. This building is absolutely perfect for an Evacuation Center. It took over 20 minutes of steady walking to walk the inside perimeter of the building. It could house thousands upon thousands of refugees fleeing a storm. This shot with Peter in front does not begin to show how expansive this facility is. We spoke extensively to the current residents of the make-shift tent city about our plan. They all like it and seem willing to help those who would flee to their community. We then went to Caanan II to give Pastor Volny an update on our plans. Everyone agrees that this would be a good thing to do should a storm come and threaten the region. While in Caanan II, we checked on the little baby that was born in the tent-city 8 weeks ago. The little one was ill. Peter and I loaded up mother and baby and brought them to the village for an examination and some medicine. She will be ok. At the close of the day, in the cool of the evening, Peter and Benny got some jam time. Peter has taken up the guitar in addition to drums. "Mr. Benny" as he is known at the pyschiatric hospital, where Cindy and I have been Chaplains for nearly 13 years, helps us each Sunday. He is a very gifted musician. This mission trip, Benny's first, has shown us that he has other talents as well (construction & most important... a willingness to serve the Lord in any capacity!). It's good to have Benny with us. Today, we speak with other mission agencies regarding our "Evacuation Plan". Please pray all goes well. It is time now to get additional food and water for immediate deployment. The weather system that I mentioned at the beginning of the blog should reach this area in about 3-4 days. The clock is ticking. I just want to say thanks to "The Lady in the Blue Dress", Barb Walker (also known as "Rambo in the Blue Dress!). We could not do what we do without her help. She has been an incredible friend and co-worker in our efforts. THANKS BARB!! Better close for now. Have a lot to do today. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Peter PS - IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS BLOG....DON'T STOP READING HERE! CONTINUE ON DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS MISSION HAS GOTTEN TO THIS POINT! IT'S FULL OF GOD'S AMAZING GRACE! Joe June 25, 2010 -5:58am - Friday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe I brought Peter to downtown Port-Au-Prince yesterday. We drove by building after building that had been completely destroyed by the earthquake. I could not help but remember the terrible images from the January 12th earthquake. While in front of the palace, a gentleman named Frantz walked up to us and asked why we were photographing. We explained that we were seeking to get help for the people of Haiti and these images help us to do that. Still, he was skeptical. We continued to talk. He explained that he had lost his wife, 2 children, his home and his "possibilities" for a future. He was tired and hungry. We continued to talk. He told me about his home (valued at $175,000 U.S.) his career as a businessman and his ability to travel to and from Canada. When he spoke of his family, he simply handed me a stack of photos. Frantz had an absolutely beautiful family. He said in matter of fact way that after the quake, he lost his mind. By this time, Peter and I were invited into his tent. There at the entry was an elderly lady with 2 large leeches attached to her leg. Upon inquiry, we found out that she had "bad blood" and needed to get some out. This was her medical treatment, the hospitals were too expensive and the 2 leeches cost $10 Haitian dollar or about $1.20 U.S. We offered to pray for the families living inside the 12X12 structure. Everyone bowed their heads and prayed earnestly with us. We had 4 children and 3 other adults in the small tent. After the prayer, I offered to bring some of the food that we have been receiving. We hope to do that soon. Frantz assured me that he would help to pass it out. I truly believe that he will. I also, quietly, gave Frantz some money to buy food right now. Our Lord told us to do more than "just pray" for those in need, although, as I have said many, many times....PRAYER IS SO IMPORTANT! We left the tent with a new friend. We will continue to check up on Frantz and his "new family". So often, the overwhelming feeling of "where do we begin, who do we help??" comes over us. We just do what we can, when we can. Now, here is how yesterday began. Peter and I were up early and loaded a Voyager on our little mission motorcycle. We headed straight to the airport to fuel our trusty mission aircraft. By the way, we are thinking about naming it - "Ti Burik" (Little Mule in Creole). Everytime we land, our usual airport helpers come out, some of whom I have known since they were teenagers, now they are GRANDPARENTS! We always laugh at how much load our "little mule" can carry. We passed by the Mission Aviation Fellowship hangar / office and had a delightful time with Mark, the Head of Operations. I've known Mark for nearly 20 years. It's alway good to see him. We prayed for the Lord's will to be done in "this earth" (us) as it is in heaven. From the airport, in blustery, rainy weather, Peter and I worked our way across Port-Au-Prince to the Carrefour area specifically known as Diquini to the Adventist Hospital. Now folks, let me say that this hospital is very special to Cindy and I. Not only has it saved Cindy's life (many years ago), we have sent literally hundreds of patients there over the years. The hospital is a beacon of hope and help in this desperate part of Haiti. Our mission - deliver a water purifier. Now, the hospital has a large water purifying system. However, from deep experience, we know that our little Voyager will be used fully. Also, the hospital sends out teams of medical personnel. We met the new Deputy Administrator, Nathan and his wife. We explained the simple operation and with great joy, placed this incredible tool in Nathan's hands. There is much that we will do together in the days ahead. As we drove throughout the city, we saw the winds tearing at the hundreds of thousands of make-shift structures. We saw rusty tin flapping and tarps tearing. It is just a matter of time before a big storm comes through and ravages this area again. That is why I ask you to pray!! From the Palace encounter with Frantz and wild ride through Port-Au-Prince, Peter and I headed back to the airport. The winds were picking up and we needed to check our aircraft to be sure our chocks and brakes were holding. We don't want the plane to " blow away" with big wind. While standing in the rain, under the wing, Peter asked, "Can we go back to the Village now, I've seen enough". I agreed. We returned to Ruuska Village for a late lunch of hot dogs. I was beat and just had to lay down for a bit to process all of what we had seen today. Peter is holding up well. Then we headed just north of Port-Au-Prince to the Samaritan's Purse Operations Center. We met with Nick, the Deputy Director and laid out our "Evacuation Plan" to him. He'll pray about helping us to establish a safe place for the 10,000 plus tent dwellers in our immediate region to flee to. The plan is definitely coming together. We just ask our Lord lead us and guide us! It was a long, full day! Well, the crew here in the village has begun to stir and it's time for me to wrap up this wordy blog today. Will try to give a quick update later this afternoon. Air Mobile Joe & Peter PS - If you are new to this "rambling, running blog" and feel like you've jumped right into the middle of a story, you have! Just read on down a bit to see how all of the pieces & players are connected. Joe June 24, 2010 -5:54am - Thursday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe THERE'S A MONSTER AT THE BACK DOOR! This storm system just keeps rebuilding just south of Haiti. Yesterday, while we were flying in, the thunderstorms in the Santo Domingo area became so severe that they closed the International Airport. Yet, the storms get close to us but keep passing just south. I believe PRAYER has something to do with that! Let's keep praying for Haiti that our Lord will spare us. At 3:02am this morning a strong quake shook our tent. It was just like a big, heavy dump truck flew by our building. The quake was fast and furious. In the Bible, our Lord Jesus told us that these things would happen. Our best response is to trust and hold onto Jesus through these turbulent days! Today, we'll be in numerous meetings on food / water / evacuation. I am so glad Peter, my son, is with me. He's a big help. Time to get moving. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe HERE IS VIDEO OF OUR RECENT TRIP TO HAITI - TAKE A MINUTE SEE WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...ENJOY THE MUSIC. Joe & Cindy BE SURE TO READ THE BLOGS BELOW FOR DAY BY DAY UPDATES FROM HAITI!!! June 23, 2010 -7:39Pm - Wednesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe The photo above was taken this morning at 15,000 on a direct flight from Titusville, FL to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. We just had to get back and be close should the storm that we have been tracking hit Haiti. This team consists of my son, Peter and Benny who works at the hospital that Cindy & I have been chaplains at for many years. So glad Benny could join us on this mission. From the latest Sat Image taken just moments ago, you can see that Haiti has "dodged a bullet" again! For that, we are so thankful!! Our Lord certainly knows how to calm and direct storms! We hit the ground running today. Upon arrival and clearing our supplies, Barb (Rambo in the Blue Dress) met us. We headed straight to "Water Cluster Meeting" to discuss Hurricane Evacuation plans and the need for water "bladders" to be strategically placed in areas where people can "run for safety" in the event of dangerous storm. Many details are being discussed and some good plans are coming together. Winds blew fairly hard today, but many "fragile" structures have been spared. Haiti is definitely not out of the woods. Please continue to pray. Upon returning to Barb's village and unloading, my son Peter and I headed to a couple of Tent Cities including Caanan II to discuss the plans of Evacuation. It is always good to see Pastor Volny. This is one faithful brother. He has been in the tent-city every time we have visited them. It is so good to be planning "something" to help these vulnerable people to have a place to "hide" during the storms. Well, it has been a VERY LONG DAY. Time to shut it down for the evening. Will write more tomorrow. God Bless and THANKS!! Air Mobile Joe & Peter June 23, 2010 -3:40am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Up early this morning. Checking the weather for Haiti very carefully. Gathering up supplies for our next Haiti mission. The storm that we have been tracking for the last week is south of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. PLEASE continue to pray that this system does not impact Haiti. We certainly stand firm and pray! Will write more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe June 22, 2010 -8:45am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET! As you can see from the image above, the Tropical Wave that we have been following is passing just south of Hispaniola. There is a clear "instability" in the region that lends itself toward such storms. Right now, as I write this blog, literally hundreds of thousands are facing extreme danger from the possibility of high winds and flooding. YOUR PRAYER helps!! Please take a moment and ask our Lord to spare Haiti from this storm. Technology is a wonderful tool to allow us to track these storms and pray! We are also working on a plan for EARLY WARNING & ESCAPE ROUTES for the folks that we have been helping, i.e. CAANAN II / THE PEOPLE "IN THE MIDDLE" / AND THE ABANDONED HOSPITAL residents. Our plans are being formed and pieces put together right now. I spoke with Bob Bostic yesterday with "Kids Against Hunger" and he is working on getting us some additional food for these disasters. Meanwhile, our aircraft is all checked out and ready to go. As you can gather, a trip to Haiti is in our near future. We do lack funding for fuel and could really use some help in that arena. All I can ask you do is pray and ask our Lord if He would like you to help. If so, please give me a call at: 321-544-7757. Also, if you would like to discuss the situation in Haiti, don't hesitate to phone. THANKS again for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe PS - Several years ago, an un-named storm hit Haiti and over 3000 people died when they were swept away by floodwaters. Haiti is so vulnerable right now...this is the reason I bring this situation to your attention. Joe PPS - If you are new to this "rambling, running blog" and feel like you've jumped right into the middle of a story, you have! Just read on down a bit to see how all of the pieces & players are connected. Joe June 21, 2010 -8:35am - Monday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe PRAISE GOD!! This morning we are rejoicing as that, what was once a huge, intense weather system slides just south of Haiti. The country has been spared a lot of suffering. Today, we line up supply lines, work on final navigation adjustments and prepare for our next trip to Haiti. We are also working on some very cool "Evacuation Plans" for future storms that are brewing in the region. We continue to pray for our Lord to spare Haiti each day! As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe June 20, 2010 -7:35am - Sunday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe The disassembly of a storm! Could our prayers have helped break up this storm? We certainly have precedent in the Bible for such occurrences (i.e. Jesus calming storms). The storm in the image above WAS better organized (see images from the last few days) and now it is clearly breaking up. Haiti is not out of the woods from this storm yet....please continue to pray. The situation for so many is "so fragile". Dwellings are often sticks and rusty pieces of tin roof and shreds of plastic and bits of cardboard. The least storm would utterly destroy these structures and potentially injure the residents inside. This is reason we are tracking these storms so diligently. In addition to tracking the storms, Air Mobile is working with other organizations to get supply lines of food and means of bringing in water to areas of "Refuge". There are many logistical loose-ends but we are prayerfully working on tying those loose ends together into some kind of "Emergency Plan". Last week, while in Haiti, we had very encouraging meetings with "Love A Child" headed by my very dear friends, Bobby & Sherry Burnette. We saw 20 boxes of food, representing 4000 meals, turn into 33 Boxes of food (giving 6600 meals!). We also had meetings with "Feed The Poor". They too have agreed to increase the food allotment for "Reach Out To Haiti", Barb's ministry. Barb has in-turn agreed to share that increased allotment with Air Mobile. It is so good to see ministries cooperating in this manner. I believe it causes Jesus to smile! Today, the Hurston's go to Church and then to the Pschiatric Hospital for our Chaplaincy ministry. Oh, by the way, our aircraft post mission inspection went very well. The little aircraft is fueled and ready to go. We're simply awaiting funding / supplies to come together. Please consider helping us to get back to Haiti! Remember, if you have any questions or ideas about this timely Haiti mission, don't hesitate to pick up the phone and call - 321-544-7757 or e-mail me at: airmobilejoe@gmail.com . We've got to run for now. God Bless and THANKS again for your love, prayer and support!! Air Mobile Joe PS - HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Been so occupied with the storms surrounding Haiti, I almost forgot it is Father's Day! Joe PPS - If you are new to this "rambling, running blog" and feel like you're jumped right into the middle of a story, you have! Just read on down a bit to see how all of the pieces & players are connected. Joe June 19, 2010 -5:59am - Saturday (Eastern Time) - Melbourne, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe This particular storm system is steadily moving toward Haiti. We continue to pray that the storm diminishes. Spoke with Barb Walker (Rambo in the Blue Dress) yesterday. We both agree that any storm of any magnitude would cause terrible suffering. We will be performing aircraft maintenance today. Again, we are so thankful for the wonderful manner our mission aircraft has been performing. In the meantime, it is nice to get up early and have a cup of delicious Haitian coffee with my sweetheart. We are so thankful for the blessings that we have in America. Simple things like a hot shower / nearly unlimited running water / cold refrigeration / stores stocked with food and about anything we need is just a "few clicks" away. Please remember our brothers and sisters in Haiti! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy June 18, 2010 -9:05am - Friday (Eastern Time) - Melbourne, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe THANK YOU for praying. The big storm to the east appears to be breaking up. Let us continue to pray that the storm just dies! Yesterday we had incredible meetings regarding some serious hospital activity. We're also looking at the old abandoned hospital (former Michelle Bennet Duvalier Hospital) as an Emergency Evacuation Center. We're working diligently to get right back to Haiti and get some of these plans into place in advance of the storms. Please consider helping us with funding. We need additional funds to cover the flights and also, more Voyagers. Our goal is to have food, water and blankets "in-place" BEFORE the disaster. Cindy and I are just heart-broken by what we are seeing in Haiti. After having worked in Haiti since 1978, we have NEVER seen a worse situation. Folks often ask us, "Are things getting better in Haiti??". The answer is absolutely not. This blow was so severe and the country knocked lower than it has ever been, to say nothing of nearly 5% of the entire population killed on or shortly after January 12th and the entire infrastructure of the country horribly crippled. Never, in history, has a single country had such a severe blow! This is the reason, we are working so hard to get help to these precious people while we can. Please pray about how you can help! Feel free to give us a call at: 321-544-7757. GOD BLESS & THANK YOU!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG & IF YOU FEEL AS IF YOU ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! READ ON DOWN, TO SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS CHAPTER! Joe June 17, 2010 -11:05am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Melbourne, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Take a look at the image above. Do you see the large disturbance on the right hand side approaching the Windward Islands? Please pray that this system does not strike Haiti! They are simply not ready for this!! We are working on returning to Haiti as soon as possible. We have a plan for setting up a "HURRICANE EVACUATION CENTER". We have located a large abandoned hosptial just outside of Port-Au-Prince. It was originally built by Michelle Bennet Duvalier back in 1984 (if my memory serves me correctly). It is huge facility that has withstood hurricanes and most importantly, earthquakes. Many of the structures are still standing and quite solid. We recently became aware of a desperate "tent-city" on the grounds of this abandoned facility. I have written about it in earlier blogs. As a matter of fact, we were just there on Tuesday (6-15-10) and brought them over 2,000 servings of food. These folks DO NOT have any on-site water. The sickness and infection is extremely high in this community. Some of our medical staff treated several of the children during our Tuesday food deployment. One little boy had a terrible infection on his mouth. When I visted the community on our motorcycle, I snapped this shot to bring back to our nurse, Lauren, to get identify the best medication for him. When we returned an hour later, Lauren treated the young man. Praise God for technology! Because this community lacks clean water such infections and fevers are very common. We are searching diligently to help find a water source, before we donate a Voyager to the community. Please pray we are successful! In the meantime, we are speaking to various organizations about "outfitting" these old abandoned buildings as an Evacutation Center. There is a lot to be done and just a little time to do it. Again, there is so much more that I want to say, but time has run out. Cindy and I have a critical appointment with a large hospital network that has a very special interest in Haiti. Please pray our meeting goes well and....THANKS FOR YOUR LOVE & PRAYER!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy June 16, 2010 -9:03pm - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Melbourne, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Flew back to the U.S. today. Had an excellent flight. Came back at 16,500' / flew direct from Port-Au-Prince to Fort Pierce. Have so much to share regarding the tent-cities and the storms. All is well in Ruuska Village. Great teams there. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe June 16, 2010 - 12:10am - Wednesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We are relieved to see that some of the forecast lines for "Alex" placed the track just north of Haiti. We pray that that holds true. Today, we were able to secure more food for the tent cities. While in town waiting for a shipment of food, 2 of our water mules refurbished a couple of Voyagers back in the village. While at Food for the Poor, we pondered a plan for Hurricane Evacuation for the tent-city residents to flee in the event of a storm. We then headed back to the village and loaded up food for both tent cities. It was such a blessing to share the food with the hungry. We're still working on a water solution for the newest tent city in the abandoned hospital. By the way, this is the location that could be an excellent Evacuation Center. From the new tent city, we headed to Caanan II and met with Pastor Volny and arranged for the truly needy in that tent -city to receive the food we brought. The message of the loaves and fishes rings so true. We trust our Lord to mulitply our efforts and meet the needs all around us. It's been a very long day. Will close out for now. God Bless!! "ALEX - First named storm heading to Caribbean" June 15, 2010 - 5:44am - Monday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Good morning from Haiti! Let us pray that "Alex", the first named storm of the season, stays away from people, especially Haiti! The last thing Haiti needs right now is a storm. However, we know, in life....."storms happen". Haiti has certainly had its share. Meanwhile, today, we will be securing additional food sources. After our wonderful success yesterday with "Love A Child", we're heading out to other agencies and "pleading" for those in extreme harms way, "the people outside". I am further pleased to report, that we are building up Voyagers, through the refurbishment process. Should a storm come, we have several units to deploy immediately. However, we can really use funding for additional units to further strengthen our stock. We are all praying that "Alex" stays away from Haiti and other islands. But, storms do come with this "territory". One early projection has "Alex" coming straight to Hispaniola and striking both Santo Domingo and PORT-AU-PRINCE. May the Lord "steer" Alex to open waters! Join together with us and let us "Make hay, while the sun shines"! As Jesus said, "work while it is day, for an hour is coming when no man can work". We must prepare while we can. Will write more later. God Bless and as always, THANK YOU for your prayer and lvoe!! Air Mobile Joe 33 BOXES INSTEAD OF 20!! THANK YOU "LOVE A CHILD"! June 14, 2010 - 5:21pm - Monday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Arrived at the "Love A Child" compound bright and early. Met Bob who had gotten the clearance from Bobby Burnette to provide Air Mobile with some food. We had requested 20 boxes of the Manna packs (a great, nutritious meal that requires only boiling water). Instead, Bob told me to keep on loading after we reached 20 boxes. The back of our little truck was completely filled. The 20 boxes turned into 33! The Lord provided "good measure, pressed down and shaken together". Thanks again, Bobby & Sherry! We headed back to the Barb's Village and continued to remanufacture Voyagers. We've been training a couple of new "water mules". You know with over 270 units in Haiti, it's good to have a reserve supply to provide as a quick exchange when units are brought in for service. Air Mobile has provided this service AT NO CHARGE to the operators for nearly 6 years. The Lord has blessed these efforts with plenty of clean water and increased health, all in His precious Name! Sister Gertrude showed up this afternoon right on schedule to receive her Voyager. Gertrude runs a fine orphanage and Barb recommended her. That's good enough for me. After a good training, it was our joy to present her with a Voyager. It will help them so much. Just before this mission, we received a donation to provide a Voyager to a needy area. I never cease to marvel at how our Lord provides and multiplies!! God Bless!! Thanks for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe June 14, 2010 - 6:09am - Monday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Will be heading out this morning to go and pick up "food for the hungry". Texted Cindy last night and told her of our "find" for food. Her response "yippee". We are seeing our efforts "multiplied" by the Lord. I keep going back to the little boy with the 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish(es). That paltry amount of food would barely feed two people. But, when placed into the hands of our Lord Jesus....wow! 5000 men were fed, not including the women and children. Now, as we look around us in Haiti and see over 1,000,000 people still living out-of-doors and many hungry and thirsty, the question is: "where do we begin" or how will the little that I have available do anything to help so many. The answer is: place what we have into the hands of Jesus. PRAY & BELIEVE! With God all things are possible. Cindy is now writing a blog - you may find it at: http://www.elevationscafeblog.blogspot.com/ I urge you to go and check it out. Well, it's time to head out the door. God bless and thanks as always for your prayer and love and encouragement!! Air Mobile Joe June 13, 2010 - 5:56pm - Sunday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe LOOKING FOR FOOD & WATER Up early this morning / looking for sources of food & water for the folks "outside". My first destination this morning was Caanan II, the large tent-city. As I pulled in, saw that the large water bladder was nearly empty. After meeting with some of the leaders, was very relieved to hear that a water truck would be there later today. Apparently, the bladder is filled each day. With over 5000 residents, they need a lot of water. This location is blessed. They are on the relief agencis "radar". For that we are thankful. Next location is a new project that Cindy and I discovered on our last mission here last week. A large hospital that has been abandoned for over 20 years has become the home to about 500 people. Their main problem - no water source in the entire compound. I started looking around and found that right next door to this old abandoned facility was a shut down "Ice Factory". There had been an active well on the property, but it had been shut down for several years. This has possibilities. Will do some more research on this. Upon returning to the Village, Barb (Rambo in the Blue Dress) and I discussed how to get more food for these projects. Barb had written our dear friends, Bobby & Sherry Burnette last night and made inquiry. We were so glad to get an e-mail from Bobby agreeing to up the food his ministry, Love A Child, was donating to Barb's ministry, Reach out to Haiti. The increase will give our ministry, Air Mobile Ministries, designted food for the "Tent-City" outreaches. Now is that cool or what!! It's so good when "the brothers & sisters dwell together in unity". Tomorrow morning, we pick up a load of food for the newest tent city in the abandoned hospital. I never cease to marvel at how our Lord multiplies our efforts for His glory!! After the good news of the "food increase" from Love A Child, we called another orphanage that we heard about that needs a water purifier. The head of the orphange will come to the Village tomorrow for training and to pick up the unit. Barb has already checked it out and they are a wonderful candidate to receive the unit. As I am typing this "blog", another team just arrived from Ohio. Our other team members, Shaun and Austin flew out this afternoon. They were a tremendous blessing while they were here. Again, it is so good to have folks helping us here in Haiti. Better wrap up for the day. Going to be a good day tomorrow. Thanks again for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe June 13, 2010 - 6:45am - Sunday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Back in Haiti so soon! Seems like we were just here. We were! We have such strong momentum going on identifying and helping groups in peril, we just had to return. As our team flew in yesterday, we did our traditional pass over Caanan II, the tent-city that we have been helping. Today, we'll go check on them and see how things are going. One might wonder what it is like to approach a "community" of rag tag dwellings with residents that have lost everything and have been living out of doors for 6 months, often in desperate circumstances. Our experiences have been amazing. We have been met with courtesy and grace. It is easy to identify the "leaders". Generally, after showing up, it only takes a few minutes for the one or ones in charge to show up. There is a certain calmness and peace during our initial conversation. Kids always show up and see what is going on. We ask first what the water situation is and we go from there. How do we select a community? I don't want to sound "super spiritual" when I say this, but we just pray and ask the Lord to put on our hearts where He wants us to go. We trust the leadership of the Lord in this matter. For you see, there is immense need everywhere we look. One thing is for sure, we don't want to show up at the wrong place at the wrong time. There are "hot spots" in Haiti where gangs and drugs rule and kidnappings are common. That is the reason, we truly want our Lord to lead each step of the way. Today is going to be one of those days of prayerfully going and searching. I have a few dear old friends that I will endeavor to visit with today. However, while enroute, we'll be looking and seeking where our Lord wants us to go and offer our "meager loaves and fishes". We are learning to ask the Lord to multiply that which we have and help many with little. Before wrapping up this little blog today, thought I would give a bit of an explanation as to why we don't openly publish exactly when we are flying to Haiti or leaving or what we will be doing in detail. The reason is....we don't know who reads this blog. It is amazing the folks that do. Well, sometimes "bad guys" read blogs and find out what missions are doing and what their itenerary is. This makes easy targets. So, when we sound a bit mysterious about our travel data, know the reason behind it. Better go for now. Will try to get a report out at the end of the day. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer, love, support and encouragement. Drop a note from time to time. Would love to hear from you! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY....YOU ARE! JUST KEEP READING DOWN TO SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO WHERE WE ARE IN THE STORY. IT'S FULL OF AMAZING GRACE!! Joe June 12, 2010 - 7:46pm - Saturday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe From the photo above, you can deduce that we flew to Haiti today. Had an absolutely beautiful flight. Went direct from Titusville all the way to Port-Au-Prince non stop. Our team included Lauren, a pediatric nurse, Jonathan, a true "jack of many trades" and Joe. Now Joe is coming to Haiti for an extended period of time. Joe came to Haiti immediately following the earthquake and now is back for an extended period of time. This is going to be another great mission. We'll report as it unfolds. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe June 12, 2010 - 4:46am - Saturday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe There is something so peaceful about getting up early. It's a good time to pray and reflect (a good cup of coffee helps!). Just checking the weather over the Caribbean and it is beautiful. It's really a great day for flying. Our mission plane checked out fine yesterday. She's ready for another mission. So are we!. The old leg is about 90% healed and we're so thankful. Have gained a new appreciation for being handicapped. Have a lot to do today. We're working hard on getting good food sources in Haiti. We're gathering up parts for our Voyager rebuild facility in Haiti. Will try to write more later. Air Mobile Joe June 11, 2010 - 9:06am - Friday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Checking weather / looking good / checking next load for Haiti. Today we are doing an extensive "post mission" inspection on the aircraft. So glad we are not working any major issues. By the end of the day, she should be already to fly. Spoke with Barbara in the "Village" yesterday. All is going well. We are working on coordinating a medical team that is preparing to go into Haiti. Cindy and I are still "reeling" a bit from our last mission to Haiti. The people "In the Middle" are very much on our minds. We're looking to find a way to get them more relief help. We're also glad that today, there are no major storms working in the region. Please continue to pray that our Lord continues to steer them away from Haiti. Have to run and meet our maintenance team on the aircraft. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe June 10, 2010 - 7:06am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe After that good cup of Haitian coffee, did a final check on the weather, Cindy and I headed to the Port-Au-Prince International Airport, loaded up our little mission plane and flew home. We had been tracking a bit of weather, but our Lord cleared it right out of the way and we had a magnificent flite back. As a matter of fact, if there are any pilots reading this blog, here is how we did it. We originally filed our route to include Exuma International in the Bahamas as a fuel stop. After careful consideration, evaluation of the winds and the performance of our trusty little mission plane, I decided to climb to 16,500 feet, strap on the oxygen (a procedure done when flying above 12,500) and aimed the nose directly to Fort Pierce. Here's an interesting tidbit. On the north coast of Haiti, Cuban Airspace protrudes out a bit on our "Direct" route to Florida and one must make a slight deviation to avoid going through it. When we contacted Miami Center, after clearing the Haiti Boundary, we checked our position. Just danced along the edge and "waved" to Cuba. Once that navigation task was performed, it was on to sunny Florida. All Flight Plan changes were made enroute with Miami Center (final destination change) and the rest of the flight went off without a glitch. We landed in Fort Pierce with just over an hour of fuel remaining. This was the first "Non-Stop" flight we have made from Haiti. Everything went well! Cindy is becoming an excellent co-pilot and is increasing in her knowledge of flying. It's always a joy having her with me. As we reflected on the mission just completed, we know that our Lord moved mightily. We accomplished every goal we set out and more. Upon arrival in Fort Pierce, we cleared Customs quickly and made the short hop to our home base. Juliet, Peter and Dieunika were waiting for us at the airport. On the way home, we had some classic, delicious Florida seafood. Great seeing our kids. They did well while we were gone. Juliet told us that the Chaplain ministry went well on Sunday. It's so good to be home. We have a lot going on and will report more later. LOVE YOU!! Thanks for your prayer and encouragement. Air Mobile Joe & Cindy PS - PLEASE CONTINUE READING ON DOWN AND SEE HOW THIS STORY HAS UNFOLDED TO THIS POINT! GOD BLESS - Joe June 9, 2010 - 5:39am - Wednesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Up early and ready for another day! So much has happened on this mission. Cranked up the coffee pot and sharing a delicious cup of Haitian coffee with Cindy. The Lord is good! Will write more later!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy June 9, 2010 - 12:17am - Wednesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Our team made it out to Caanan II Tent City for a great kids service. But before we went there, the day was filled with a lot of good stuff in Barb's village. Austin and I spent the bulk of the day refurbishing Voyagers. He's turning into a premier "water mule". Shaun was in and out and had a good time with the kids in the village. Cindy worked with Stephanie and Shaun on music for the afternoon outreach. By the way, the kids in Barb's village are just great. We departed a bit early so that we could check out another desperate group. These folks have set up their tent-city in an old abandoned hospital what was originally built by Michelle Bennet Duvalier back in the 80's. Upon arrival, we were swarmed by the children...our hearts were touched. I must tell you how we found out about this abandoned hospital and the desperate residents. After we arrived in Haiti last Saturday, Cindy and I took a quick "spin" on the little motorcycle. I took her to the place where my accident occurred 5 weeks ago. There, we met Moise (Moses) and he told us all about the situation in the abandoned hospital. Moise explained their extreme need for clean water. Upon arrival today, we immediately checked out their single water source. We found one small well that was less than 2 feet in diameter. The water was filthy, but had promise. We plan to return next week and will likely provide this community of approximately 500 with a Voyager. Now, back to our ministry at Cannan II. We arrived with dark storm clouds filling the sky. As soon as we arrived, the kids came and we kicked off the music and praise. The church tent was filled to over capacity and then the rains came as Austin was sharing on Faith. It was so encouraging to see those standing in the rain and smiling and laughing with me and telling what a blessing rain is. We just can't get over the courage and great attitude of the Haitian people thru these incredibly challenging times. We brought in another 2000 meals and passed them out along with 10 soccer balls. The kids were ecstatic. We were so impressed with the organization of the church in this community. Pastor Volny has a fine staff and the whole service was well organized. These folks seemingly have nothing and their life appears to be "unbearable", yet they face these hardships with amazing determination and resilience! We left with a bunch of kids smiling and laughing. We were all soaked to the bone and mud was everywhere and yet, the joy of the Lord was so present! Upon return to the village, we put the finishing touches on refurbishing 8 Voyagers. When recipients bring in their units for service, we just swap it out with a refurbished unit. This system keeps clean water flowing! Well, here we are at the end of another very, very long day. God Bless and THANKS for your love, prayer and encouragement. Air Mobile Joe & Cindy June 8, 2010 - 7:02am - Tuesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe "CONFESSIONS OF A COFFEE ADDICT(S)" Alright, I have a confession. Here we are in Haiti, the land of the "best" coffee in the world (according to some leading experts). For the last few days, due to our extreme schedule, we have been boiling water and making 3 in 1 coffee (little instant packs of coffee with cream and sugar). Barb brought in a bunch from Africa. Now, that may not seem like a big thing to some, but to true "coffee addicts" like me and Cindy, this is almost inconceivable. Well, this morning, we had a bit more time and Cindy broke out the coffee pot, we started the generator to handle the extra load and brewed a DELICIOUS cup of genuine Haitian coffee! All we can say is....AHHHHH! PLEASE, PLEASE continue reading below for a gripping report from yesterday. We finally made it to the "People in the Middle". These desperate people are living in the "middle" of the road, LITERALLY! In the "island or median" they have constructed their "homes". The mission yesterday tore our hearts out, but at the same time left us with hope and courage to keep on "Following Him into the homes of the broken" (Leeland). Today - we're headed into Caanan II, the tent city that we have "adopted". We'll be doing a service for the young people. It's going to be fun! Our team is eager and ready to go! Before the service, I will be training our new "water mules" on how to refurbish Voyagers. Going to be a busy day! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy PS - If you'd like to taste this delicious Haitian coffee, go to our cafe' website at: www.elevationscafe.com . Cindy and I love the Cafe' St. Marc! You can even order on-line. Amazing technology! Joe June 8, 2010 - 12:02am - Tuesday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe TEAM AIR MOBILE - "IN THE MIDDLE"! After passing the rag tag / precarious / dangerous houses "In the Middle" for months, we finally got there and brought in some relief and hope. We were able to visit 350 dwelling down this median and able to pray with each and every person occupying the dwellings. Our team met bright and early and we just plowed into the "row" of shanties "in the middle". The response? AMAZING! People were courteous and patient, really! We had bathed this project in much prayer because of the dangerous nature of our endeavor. You see, our entire operation was just feet and sometimes inches from a very active road with big trucks / buses / military vehicles passing by often at dangerous rates of speed. Already, since the earthquake, a number of children have been hit and killed in this dangerous strip of road. If things get the least bit out of hand, someone will likely get hurt and possibly fatally. Well, our Lord certainly kept His hand on this operation from beginning to end. Our team doubled in size in just a few minutes. A number of true leaders from this "median" community soon joined us and offered invaluable assistance. Usually in these type of food / relief distribution operations, people get hurt. NOT TODAY! The peace and patience and love from the grateful recipients was just amazing, notably amazing! We found gripping stories from "inside" the dwellings. Stories of lost family members, deep injuries, lost opportunity and just a hundred other heart breaking things. Yet, the "residents" were kind and thankful to us. In one of the "residences", a mere 5' X 8', a mother, an aunt and a little brother were helping the older sister study her lessons. The little girl, probably 8 years old was dressed in the most beautiful uniform. Every detail of her outfit was just perfect. When we "knocked" on the curtain (the front door), we found them sitting on the single bed diligently studying the lessons. My heart just went out to this family struggling so hard, yet managing to put so much into educating their precious daughter. In the midst of suffering / rubble / confusion, there is hope! We found one 17 year old young man and a 10 year old that lost their parents. The 17 year old brother was raising his 10 year old little brother. You should have seen his courage and focus. Surely, the Lord was in that little shack. House after house, story after story, prayer after prayer, we worked our way down to the end. Our supplies ran out with 90 left to go. There was no squabbling or fighting as the supplies came to an end. Those in line that did not get anything from us seemed to understand. We promised to get back as soon as we could. As we approached the end, one of our volunteer residents that had been superb in helping from the very beginning introduced us to his son...who was born on January 12th. They named the young man "Catastrophe". In the midst of it all, the smiles and gratitude shown to us just melted our hearts. I wish you could have been there with us! Shaun and Austin have been fantastic. It would have been very difficult to have done this operation today without them. Surely, our Lord knows how to deploy "His troops"!! I truly thank you for praying for us. Today, it really paid off!! Again, it's been a very long, tiring, emotionally draining, yet incredibly fulfilling day. But, I'm beat! Time to go to bed. God Bless and thank you!! Air Mobile Joe and Cindy PS - KEEP ON READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER "ADVENTURES" IN THE LORD HAVE... AND ARE UNFOLDING! Joe June 7, 2010 - 6:08am - Monday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Cindy and I are having a cup of coffee and planning our day and.... reflecting on yesterday. What a day. Well, this too is the day that our Lord has made and yes, we are already rejoicing in it. It's going to be a good day! Please PRAY!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy June 7, 2010 - 12:08am - Monday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe RELIEF SUPPLIES "MULTIPLIED"!! We headed straight to the "People in the Middle" this morning. Right in the middle of the row of shacks, we found Dema Lucianna who offered to help us tomorrow. We counted approximately 150 "dwellings" located on this dangerous stretch of road. Our strategy is coming together to try to offer some help to these folks who are so vulnerable. We then headed to the Village of Nepli and arrived at a wonderful church. The music was uplifting and then we had the blessing to hear a brother from Massachusetts. He delivered a crystal clear message. After service, Pastor Antoinne recognized my Cindy and told how she had prepared food for him and his family when he was a little boy. Very cool. From Church, we headed to Martha's house. Cindy first met Martha 27 years ago. Martha is a dear friend. We planned our strategy on how to help the "people in the middle". Do you recall how I have been referring to the little boy that had the 5 barley loaves and the two little dried up fish(es)? Our Lord with that meager portion MULTIPLIED it to feed over 20,000 people (5,000 men not counting women and children). We committed our plan to the Lord and then headed up the path to N.E.W. Missions. Cindy first came to Haiti and worked with N.E.W. Missions 27 years ago. We were so happy to find Charles DeTellis at the mission. We had an absolutely delightful time sharing old stories and laughing and also discussing the grim situation in Haiti. At the end of our delightful visit, Charles offered us medicine and family "kits" that included food / supplies and more medicine. We never asked, Charles just felt compelled by compassion to help us to help the "people in the middle". I think back on just 2 days before, while flying in, we simply had enough food to offer each family a modest portion. Now, the gifts are growing. We sense the hand of the Lord in multiplying our meager portion. We loaded up these additional gifts with joy!! It's definitely time to wrap up this blog. Must get to sleep and get up early. God Bless and THANK YOU for your prayer, love and encouragement!! AIR MOBILE JOE!! (Drove a motorcycle yesterday and a stick shift vehicle today - the leg is healing beautifully). June 6, 2010 - 6:09am - Sunday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Cindy and I slept in a tent last night and it was actually kind of cool (the fan helped). Last night, after dinner, our group sang and worshiped the Lord. Such talent around that table. The music ranged from Johnny Cash to Audio Adrenaline and was just sweet! Today, we head out to the community that Cindy ministered in 27 years ago. We'll be in church there and looking for volunteers to help us with "The People In The Middle". These are the ones who have built their "homes" in the middle of the road, the median. Should a strong storm, not even hurricane strength, come through, many will be injured or even die. Their homes are fragile and made from bits and pieces, but mainly old, rusty, discarded roofing tin. Once "airborne", this tin would be like rusty, sharp razor blades! We feel "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE" on seeking help for these folks! Will write more later. Air (all but fully Mobile) Joe June 5, 2010 - 6:21pm - Saturday (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe OK, guess where the shot above was taken? Did you guess Caanan II Tent City just outside of Port-Au-Prince? If you did, you are exactly right. Cindy and I got up very early this morning (after going to bed pretty late) and loaded up the mission plane and flew to Haiti. By the way, it was a beautiful flight. We came over at 15,000 feet with a nice little tailwind. We had a wonderful load on-board including 2160 meals provided to us by "Kids Against Hunger" (Bob Bostic). Upon arrival in Haiti, we cleared everything with no problem and headed to Barbara's village (Barb is in Germany delivering 2 precious adopted orphans). After sorting thru our supplies and putting all away, we prepared to head out to the tent-city. We were so glad to see our dear friend, Shaun from Millbury, MA. We have known Shaun since he was a young man. Cindy taught his youth group while we would visit her Mom. She encouraged Shaun in the area of medical missions. We are so pleased he recently graduated as a Registered Nurse and shows great promise in the medical field. Some of you may recall, Shaun joined Barbara and I to the Philippines following 4 deadly cyclones in 4 weeks. It is so good having him here in Haiti working with us. Now, back to the Tent-City, we were so glad to see that the water "tank" was full and the community had plenty of good water. The kids were really drawn to Cindy. We plan to come back in the next few days and have a special service for the kids. We have a very full schedule while we're here. Oh, last night, this region of Haiti was inundated with heavy rains. We saw a lot of evidence of major flooding. Mud was everywhere, even on the taxi ways at the airport. As I usually say, there is so much more that I want to write, but just lack time and right now, energy. It's been a very, very long day. Praise God for safe traveling. Will write more tomorrow. God Bless! PS - Cindy and I took the little mission motorcycle to the Tent-City. As we headed out of our village, we passed by where I had the accident 5 weeks ago. Met a man there who is helping another group that needs help desperately. Folks, the needs are so immense, they nearly defy imagination. The journey goes on...... Joe PPS - Continue reading on down to see how we've gotten to this point in the journey. Air (Nearly fully Mobile) Joe June 5, 2010 - 12:51am - Saturday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Watching the weather / getting things ready for Haiti. Will be departing soon. Linked up with "Kids Against Hunger" (Bob Bostic) and secured over 2000 meals for Haiti. Will be great getting them to hungry people. We're working diligently on doing just that. Hope to be in Haiti soon. God Bless! Your prayer and love and support helps to "project" us to hungry / thirsty people. THANKS!! Air (nearly fully Mobile) Joe June 4, 2010 - 8:51am - Friday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HURRICANE SEASON MARCHES ON! Preparing for Haiti - watching the weather - praying for grace and mercy to steer the storms around Haiti. So many, are so vulnerable. Will write more later. God Bless!! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe June 3, 2010 - 7:13am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Another day of preparation for our next mission to Haiti. In so many ways, it is so easy in this country. For example, call a tech and request an A/B cable to plug into a navigation device. Done. Or phone a team member and ask to get some Haiti food packets prepared for the next Haiti flight. Answer, we're preparing 3,000 meals tonight, can get them to you tomorrow. Done. Get the mission computer changed over and tested. Done. Bring the aircraft to a world-class avionics shop to have an HSI(Horizontal Situation Indicator) installed and the transponder antenna repositioned. Done. Don't misunderstand. All of these functions require time, money and infrastructure, planning, etc. The point that I am making is, in this great country of America, we can do so much because we have a functioning system and a vast network of communications / finance / law & order / medical care / transportation , etc. etc. Often, we simply pick up our phone and make the call (of course, it helps to have money in the account). In Haiti, none of the above is functioning or is barely functioning. I am simply bringing to light the staggering obstacles that we face each day in Haiti. Now, what is at stake if simple, routine tasks go undone?? Many lives can be lost and will most likely be lost. What can we do about it?? I have pointed out so many times in this "running blog" that the job is so staggering and immense, it is very easy to become discouraged, throw up our hands in frustration and say, "why bother". I can tell you, we resist those thoughts regularly. We must do what we can do. That is the reason, we so often come to you in this blog and request your help and prayer. Now that Hurricane Season has officially begun, the clock is ticking with a much louder, relentless tick - tick - tick. We, at Air Mobile, believe that what we must do, we must do quickly. I personally Praise God for a staff that understands this and stands so firmly by my and Cindy's side to accomplish seemingly impossible goals. We must "make hay while the sun shines"! At this time, we are putting together every bit & piece to make Voyagers. We are making new components and constantly scouring the world for the necessary components to turn pieces of stainless steel, bits of carbon / ceramic and electronic components into "miracle devices" that can take very contaminated water and make it pure, very pure! We are constantly appealing for help, food, medicine, personnel etc. to help those in such desperate need. Today, I simply wanted to give a little bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes and what makes Air Mobile tick. Our hearts are driven to help as much as we can in the disaster called Haiti. I point out again - never in History - has a single country been hit so hard. On January 12, 2010, in just 35 fleeting seconds hundreds of thousands died. That was the beginning of a monumental tragedy. The tragedy is continuing on and with the passage of time, and the stirring of killer storms, it is about to get worse, much worse. What can we do?? We must do what we can, when we can! Please continue to pray with us as we gather our bits and pieces, as the little boy that happened to have 2 barley loaves and 5 little dried up fishes and placed them in the hands of Jesus. Jesus took that meager, miniscule "offering" and fed the multitude. We need a "loaves and fishes miracle" for Haiti. THANK YOU for your prayer and love and support!! Air (Ever Increasingly Mobile) Joe PS - PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN ON THIS "RUNNING BLOG" TO SEE HOW THIS STORY HAS UNFOLDED TO THIS POINT. BY THE WAY, IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL AS IF YOU ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE!! GOD BLESS - Air Mobile Joe THE PEOPLE "IN THE MIDDLE"!! June 2, 2010 - 8:39am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We are preparing for our next mission to Haiti. It will likely be sometime early next week. Recently, while driving through Port-Au-Prince on our way to the western side of the island, we passed through a zone of road that had a "median" or "island" in the middle of the road. The median could range from 6' to 10' wide. Every square inch of the median has temporary "houses" made out of scraps of tin roofing, tarps, old discarded wood. Should even moderate winds come from a storm, many people will be injured as these fragile structures collapse and blow away. The fact that the area is on a main road makes it all the more dangerous. We call them "The people in the middle". On our next trip in, we hope to visit this community and find out how and why the residents have chosen this area to live and find out ways we can help. We also plan to visit Caanan II and see how they are doing. On our last mission to Haiti, we were very encouraged by how relief and supplies have been reaching Caanan II. These two areas are examples of literally thousands of "communities" of Internationally Displaced People or IDP as the world community refers to them. Their situation is like dancing on a razor blade. The entire Caribbean region is brewing storms every day. From a natural meteoroligical position, "it's only a matter of time" before a significant storm hits this region. That is the reason, we at Air Mobile, are working so hard to get as many supplies and water purifiers into position BEFORE the storm(s) hit. As always, we urge you to join us in prayer that our Lord will hold back the storms and....that the government / relief leaders will work diligently to have EMERGENCY plans in place. Today, I am having lunch with my son, Christian. Christian was born in Haiti in 1982and is so helpful to us in the ministry. We will be discussing ways for me to improve this blog and be able to add video clips and make it easier for you to comment on the blog. I found this photo of Christian and I enroute to Haiti a couple of years ago. Our aircraft is in the hands of an excellent Avionics shop and receiving a much need upgrade. I am eager to fly it with the upgrade. Trust you have a wonderful day. God Bless and THANK YOU for your prayer, love and support!! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe June 1, 2010 - 7:39am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HURRICANE SEASON HAS BEGUN! I believe that big red glob of storms to the west of Haiti is the reformation of tropical storm Agatha that hit Guatemala and killed 119 people. This storm did something very strange to Guatemala. It caused this giant hole that swallowed a 3 story building. Take a look at the image below. Now, that is strange! In addition to celebrating Memorial Day yesterday, the Hurston family celebrated Peter James Hurston's 13th birthday! We have launched another teenager into this world! Among his gifts, an electric guitar. Peter is a gifted drummer and also wants to play the guitar. We're very proud of Peter!! Today, we're adding a Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) to our mission plane. It will make flying her even sweeter. PLEASE remember to pray for Haiti as we launch into this hurricane season. Many are forecasting a very active season. God Bless!! Air (nearly Mobile) Joe May 31, 2010 - 7:39am - Monday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HURRICANE SEASON BEGINS TOMORROW! Tropical storm Agatha slammed into Guatemala yesterday causing heavy rains and mud slides. As you can see from the image above, there are disturbances to the East and West of Haiti. Let us just continue to pray for our Lord to hold the storms back. Here is an aerial photo (below) of a typical "tent-city" in Port-Au-Prince. Now, just imagine if this area got hit by strong winds. We, in Florida, know how quickly and strong tropical storms can happen. They are always accompanied by heavy winds. Further imagine if you were a resident below. What would you hold on to, where would you go? Do you see all of the rusty tin roofing? That would become like "shrapnel" and would cut many. In addition to praying and asking our Lord to hold back the storm, please pray for the government / relief agencies to have wisdom and clear direction about "evacuation plans" for the 1,000,000 + Haitians that are in harms way. I remember very well that in 2008 Haiti had 4 hurricanes in 4 weeks! Each storm approached Haiti from a different cardinal heading (South - West - East - North). Every section of Haiti was impacted by these storms. The 2010 Hurricane Season is projected to be worse. Finally, as mentioned yesterday, today is Memorial Day. Let us honor those that have served, are serving and will serve our great country. America is still the greatest country on the earth. Let us also remember to pray for our country. God Bless!! Air (Almost Mobile) Joe PS - The tents in the tent cities have many different construction types. Usually, they are made from whatever materials are around. Thanks for praying for Haiti! Joe May 30, 2010 - 7:31am - Sunday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe MAY YOU HAVE A BLESSED MEMORIAL DAY! As our great country approaches the celebration of Memorial Day, may we remember those men and women who have served and are serving to allow us the freedom to celebrate! As Cindy and I travel the world, and have served our Lord in so many countries, we are ever reminded of just how great our country is. May we never, never take it for granted. Today, our family, after church, will travel to Orlando and have another "church" service in a hospital for young people. Many of these "clients" are court ordered into this facility for long periods of time. We have the wonderful privilege to be their chaplain. We have had this blessing for nearly 13 years. Our children have grown up ministering in this hospital. It is such a blessing. Again, have a blessed Memorial Day weekend. And.....PLEASE remember to pray for Haiti. By the way, that cluster of storms that we were tracking yesterday broke up and did not form into a "bad" storm. Let's pray every day that our Lord holds back the storms. God Bless! Air (Ever increasingly Mobile) Joe READ THE MANUAL! May 29, 2010 - 6:31am - Saturday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Had a neat visit at the hangar with a few old friends. We were discussing a situation that comes up very intermittently in flight when Roy, a veteran from the Space Center and great aircraft mechanic asked if we had checked the "manual". My answer was no...not yet. We pulled it out and gained some valuable insight. Of course, we all have problems that come up in our lives. Often, when they occur, our mind just whirls and we begin working all the variables. However, our Lord did give us a "Manual", the Bible! It covers it all! So, my lesson to ponder today is...Read the Manual. In the photo above, our "table" is the new engine. The guy on the right is Brian who has been invaluable in helping us to get this far along with our engine change. The wonderful fact is, our front engine is running so well that we don't need to rush into the engine change. Several hours after this photo, Gene, our faithful mechanic and I did a "post flight" inspection on the front engine and it passed with flying colors. By the way, those parts that we had inspected yesterday also passed all tests and are being installed today. We continue to monitor the weather and pray that the Forecasters are wrong about their predictions for this hurricane season. I pulled down the image above just a few moments ago. There are clusters forming and connecting just south of Haiti. I have seen these turn into very dangerous storms. There is a growing "instability" in the region. That is reason the forecasters are calling for such an active season. PLEASE ask our Lord to hold back the storms. PLEASE remember to pray for Haiti. God Bless! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS SAGA HAS BEEN UNFOLDING. Joe May 28, 2010 - 6:33am - Friday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe It's up bright and early this morning and heading down to Vero Beach to get a couple of components of the turbo system for the rear engine checked and possibly overhauled. Just goes with the territory of flying an aircraft. Also, our new engine arrived. The good thing is that we don't have to install the engine immediately as the current engine is running so well. That is a good feeling, having the new one on-hand! Went to the Doctor yesterday. The leg is healing nicely and everything is in place, just still need to "baby" it for a bit longer. It's been rather nice walking a bit slower. Yesterday, the "Forecasters" predicted 14 Hurricanes this season. We pray they are wrong! Have to run for now. God Bless!! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe PS - We are still approximately $8,000 short of the necessary funding to complete the engine change when it becomes necessary. Please pray about helping us with this project. Thanks!! Joe May 27, 2010 - 8:13am - Thursday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe HURRICANE SEASON RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER - HAITI IN THE MIDDLE OF THE "MINE FIELD" Here's an article that came out yesterday regarding the vulnerability of Haiti. We are trusting and praying that the "controlling agencies" in Haiti have Hurricane Evacuation plans. The problem is that nearly all of the heavily populated areas of Haiti, specifically, the Port-Au-Prince area is at or below sea level. For example, just Cite' Soleil, a "community" of 400,000 people is at or below sea level. The Director of the National Hurricane Center stated that his main concern this season was for Haiti. 1:29 P.M. — FORT LAUDERDALE — The director of the National Hurricane Center says the potential for a new catastrophe in Haiti is his biggest concern for the upcoming Atlantic storm season. Director Bill Read could offer little help to Haitians who have been living under flimsy tents since the Jan. 12 earthquake. He warned people to move out of low-lying areas, as Haiti’s bare, mountainous landscape leaves the Caribbean country vulnerable to flooding even in strong rainstorms. Read says the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will have little effect on any storms that develop in those waters, but a hurricane could help break it up. Read will address the annual Florida Governor’s Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale later today. The six-month Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Our hope and prayer is that our Lord holds back the weather and that sane and rational plans are being made for the 1 + MILLION folks living out of doors in very flimsy dwellings at or below sea level. Folks, again, this is why I urge you to pray. Yesterday, I had the privilege to speak at a Men's Mid Week Luncheon called "FUEL". A local Christian businessman, Brian Lightle started this meeting a couple of years ago to give men a "boost" at mid week. It truly helps our walk with the Lord! My scripture was on the Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes. The point being, when we are absolutely OVERWHELMED by the need and feel like our resources are only a few "loaves and fishes" (such a small amount against such a huge need), place what we have in the Lord's hands and watch HIM multiply it and fully meet the need. We need a "Loaves and Fishes" miracle for Haiti!! As usual, there is so much more that I could say. Have to get ready. Heading to the doctor today to have him take a look at the old "broken, but healing" leg. God Bless and have a blessed day. REMEMBER to pray for Haiti! Air (Increasingly Mobile)Joe May 26, 2010 - 8:48am - Wednesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe As I am writing this blog, our house rocked with 2 large "booms", the Space Shuttle Atlantis just passed directly overhead and is touching down at Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at this very moment! This is the last flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. FAREWELL ATLANTIS! It's kind of neat living here on the "Space Coast". Oh well, I just thought I'd share that little bit of history with you this morning. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and Hurricane Season is about to begin in 6 days! It is difficult to explain what many of these tent-cities / hovels / slums look like. I simply want to tell you about one item common to them all - old, rusty fragments of tin roofs. Just imagine 100 - 150 mph winds "propelling" these objects through the air. It's not a pretty picture. Take a look at the Satellite Image below captured moments ago. Storms are brewing nearly everyday now. Anyone of them could develop into a massive "killing machine". PLEASE BEAR WITH ME ON THIS! I know that when you read this blog, often, I present pretty overwhelming situations, i.e. 1.3 million people living out doors in a "hurricane mine field". I do this to encourage to pray and don't forget our brothers and sisters in our own back yard! Please, stick with me on this and continue to pray. Your prayers are more powerful then you realize. Our Heavenly Father hears our cry for the widow and the orphans and the "least of these" among us. If we have the technology to launch and fly the Space Shuttle for nearly 30 years and send men to the moon and so many other wonderful accomplishments, we have the ability to help these precious folks. Please forgive me for going on and on about this, it's just in my heart. I also know that it is in the heart of Jesus! As I always say, THANK YOU for reading this little blog and above all, thank you for PRAYING!! Air (Nearly fully Mobile) Joe May 25, 2010 - 8:56am - Tuesday (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Well, we took our cue and flew back to the U.S. yesterday. Had an excellent flight. My heart is encouraged in reflection on this last mission. Much has been accomplished and so much needs to be done. I really appreciate the "water mules" that our Lord sent on this mission. Rob and Keyon did a superb job. It's good to be back home. Will write more later. As I always say, THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air (Almost completely Mobile) Joe May 24, 2010 - 5:56am - Monday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe It's a beautiful morning here in Haiti. As a matter of fact, moments ago, I stepped to the little balcony of our mission house and snapped the sunrise. I noticed a flutter and this dove "took wing" and passed right through my shot. Must be a message....maybe, it's a good day to fly. Will take that into consideration. As scheduled, yesterday Kyon and I headed out to a village that translates into English as "Little Place". It was a wonderful homecoming. We immediately met with Madame Katel. My precious Cindy, 16 years ago, helped save her baby boy. Madame Katel was so moved by the power of prayer and good medical expertise that she expressed a deep desire to become a nurse. Cindy and I helped her get all the way through Nursing school and she is now an RN and a great blessing to the whole community. We praise the Lord for the good seed planted in good soil. We also met with Wilfred, a true leader in this community. Wilfred's son, Wilbur, is an Educator in Haiti and desires to extend his education. We discussed a strategy using the Internet for On-Line Haitian Classes! Cindy had come up with this idea after meeting a young man that she "delivered in a mud hut" 26 years ago. This young man is now just 2 semesters away from becoming a lawyer in Haiti. His school is a pile of rubble. Cindy asked, why not finish your education "on-line". As I discussed the possibilities with Wilbur, he got very excited. Looks like another project brewing. I must also tell you that Cindy's Dad, who started the mission in the "The Little Place" had a wellput in 27 years ago. It was such a blessing to see the old pump still pumping. You can also see, the old original mission building took a hard hit from the earthquake. We we were greatly relieved that there was no loss of life in "The Little Place" from the terrible earthquake. As we drove to this community, there is a section of road with an "Island" in the middle between the two lanes. The entire route is covered with make-shift houses. It's difficult to imagine living and "raising a family" on an "Island" in the middle of a road with horrific traffic. Such is the desperation of Haiti and....Hurricane season is coming. Oh folks, as I continually implore you, PLEASE PRAY FOR HAITI! Finally, our faithful "Water Mules", Rob and Keyon were up late last night putting the final touches on the "Refurbished" Voyagers. They are ready for action for our next mission to Haiti. God Bless and THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR LOVE & PRAYER!! The day is wearing on. Must get the crew up and going. God Bless!! Air (Nearly Mobile) Joe PS - KEEP READING ON DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS ADVENTURES HAS "UNFOLDED" TO THIS POINT. Joe May 23, 2010 - 5:59am - Sunday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND CLEAN WATER - DELIVERED! There is a light rain falling in our village this morning - no signs of big storms (for the moment), just a drizzle, the sun is just rising. Yesterday was a good day. Our team was up early. Keyon and I arrived at the airport bright and early, loaded and fueled our aircraft and took off right on time. Our cargo - medical supplies and a Voyager water purifier. Clean water and medicine.....good stuff! Oh, here's a cool thing that happened just before take-off. Our GPS (Global Positioning System) did not have Les Cayes, our destination, in the data base. Also, my aeronautical charts did not give me enough detail of the Les Cayes area. A very gracious MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) pilot, Jason, loaned me his super duper, special detailed, Haiti chart and....offered for me to fly along with him as he too was going to Les Cayes. Perfect timing. We took off just 1 minute apart and flew side by side right to Les Cayes. Keyon got a couple of good aerial shots of his bird. We'll send it to Jason him later. Our other "water mule", Rob, linked up with Dave Phillips of Samaritan's Purse to do some food distribution. Upon landing we were met by Madame Samdi, a long and dear friend of Barbara. We were here to place a Voyager in her community. We also had made arrangements for the medical supplies to be picked up for Virginia Bell, a long time missionary working in Les Cayes. Once all was secure, we headed to Torbeck for Voyager training. The deeper we went in this tropical region, the more beautiful things became. I saw the largest mango trees I have ever seen in Haiti. The mango, like many trees often falls victims to the Haitian machete and is cut down for firewood. The tragedy is that this tree could provide a family with a nice income for life. Oh well, that is another story. These trees were alive and well and HUGE! This community reaches out to hundreds of children and there is new construction for a school and a bakery (to provide employment). These are the kinds of organizations we love to donate Voyagers to. They are doing something and producing fruit and most important, they Love the Lord!! The training went well. My "students" were very sharp and really grasped the operation of the Voyager. I stressed just how much money the unit would save them by calculating the cost of "bottled water" they had bought this year alone. They were astounded. My hope and prayer always is that the recipient of the Voyager will truly appreciate just how wonderful this little machine is. The community also had a beautiful stream running right through the middle of it and it rarely ever ran dry. After I tasted the water myself, the students lined up for a taste. This experience never gets old. Not only is the water very, very clean and pure, it tastes good!! The final remark I made was "LOVE & CARE FOR THE VOYAGER - IT IS YOUR GOOD FRIEND"! After the presentation, we headed back to the airport. I could see huge buid-ups forming and we got in the air in time to work our way back to Port-Au-Prince. After returning the chart, it was back to the "Village". It was a long day out on my leg and it sure let me know. I must tell you, though, your prayers are really working. The leg is healing beautifully. THANK YOU! Today, we will be heading to a community that I know extremely well. Cindy and I lived there for many years. It will be good to see old friends and discuss their situation and see how we can help. I'll also be able to share the Word of God, as Cindy and I pastored in this community for years. When we return to the U.S., we will be bringing back a lot of delicious Haitian Coffee. Cindy is arranging a "Coffee Tasting" at our headquarters later in the week. Did you know that Haitian Coffee is some of the finest coffee in the world? If you are local (Brevard / Orange County, FL), consider coming by for a GOOD cup of coffee and excellent fellowship. More details will follow in the blog - or phone me for details at 321-544-7757. We'll also be giving a detailed report on Haiti and the current conditions. Hope you can make it. I want to thank Keyon for the excellent photography and willingness to do whatever needs to be done to accomplish the "mission". He's turning into a fine "water mule". Better get ready for the day. God Bless and THANKS again for your prayer and love!! Air (almost completley Mobile) Joe PS - IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! KEEP ON READING DOWN TO SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT OF THE STORY - IT'S FULL OF GOD'S AMAZING GRACE!! Joe May 22, 2010 - 5:39am - Saturday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Heavy, steady rain last night. The rainy season is definately upon us. When drifting off to sleep last night in a dry, comfortable bed, my mind kept drifting off to the "tent-cites" all throughout this region and I prayed....Rains will, and are going to happen, "it just goes with the territory & the season". Our real concern though are the winds and the damage it will do. I know that last night many Haitians were miserable. Just pray for our Lord to comfort them. Yesterday, we had our Voyager "Assembly Line" up and running. Rob and I had the refurbishment operation in full swing and Voyagers coming off the "line". Keyon is the photographer, so we'll work on getting some photos of him up on the old blog. Today, we take a Voyager to Les Cayes which is located on the Southwest peninsula of Haiti. We'll fly (all that rain cleared out last night). We're bringing the unit to an orphanage that desperately needs clean water. We'll also bring in a plane-load of medical supplies for a medical mission in Cayes. By the way, the drive to Les Cayes is between 5 - 7 hours, flight time: 45 MINUTES! We pray all goes well. Appreciate your prayers. God Bless!! Air (increasingly Mobile) Joe CAANAN II TENT CITY IS ALIVE & WELL! May 21, 2010 - 5:59am - Friday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe It was with great relief as we entered into the "Community Center" of Caanan II. As we drove in, we found another mission group headed by Brian Smith out of Omaha was just preparing to leave. They had passed by to check with Pastor Volny and see how things were. It is so good to see the Body of Christ working together "doing something" to help. As Brian and I visited, we acknowledged the enormity of the task. Our conclusion: do what we can! The water bladder, recently donated by a French organization had plenty of water and the people were lined up. The kids were everywhere. Keyon, one of Air Mobile team members desperately wanted to play soccor with them, but time would not allow it. After an update with the leaders, we brought in just bit of food (enough for 1500 meals). Remember when we were loading the aircraft on Wednesday morning? We filled every empty space with the meals sent by "Kids Against Hunger". We give a special thanks to Bob Bostic and his team for preparing that food. We felt like the "mailman". We "delivered the mail". For that, we PRAISE GOD (even though it seems like a drop in the bucket). When asked when we would return, my answer was, "it is in the Lord's hands". We just pray for our Lord to continue to hold back the storms. By the way, some of you must have been praying. Last night, the winds blew, we could see ominous clouds everywhere, but the rains did not fall. We just take it one day at a time. As we drove out of the Caanan II, we say just how frail and vulnerable these thousands of residents are. My final words of encouragement to Pastor Volny and Germain was - "protect and take care of the children"! When we refer to tent-city, let me give a bit more of a description. It is certainly not like a "Boy Scout Jamboree" with uniform tents all lined up in a row and friendly camp fires and "stories". Many of these dwellings have been "foraged" out of the nearby dump. Little bits of stickes and plastic and bits of tin. Should a raging wind come through this tent city, many would be injured or even die from the "shrapnel". I heard a statement from Sean Penn when he appeared before the U.S Congress recently to appeal help for Haiti. He said that Haiti was on the "Razor's Edge". That is a true statement for hundreds of thousands as I write this blog. I don't necessarily agree with everything that Sean Penn says, but I am glad that he is standing up for Haiti. As believers in Jesus, our Lord tells us to help the "least of these". That is the reason, I so often appeal to you for prayer and help. After we departed Caanan II, we headed back to Ruuska Village to continue the "reorganization" of the Voyager Refurbishment Center. Again, let me explain a bit here. The "Village" lost several key buildings from the earthquake. As a result, it has been like "Musical Chairs". We have moved and shifted supplies, building materials, food, diapers, baby food and the Voyager Center from building to building. Several key buildings will not be completed for several more weeks. Thus, the continual moving and shifting and squeezing and working in tight and shared quarters. That is where Rob and Keyon have come in so handy on this mission. Rob is a great "organizer" and Keyon is in training! The fact is, I can fly an airplane, but I can't lift anything, or even stand very long. It's nice to have strong willing "WATER MULES". Today, we hope to have the assembly line cooking and Voyagers coming out. We have numerous organizations that need units immediatley. Please pray all goes well today and that our Lord holds back the storms for ANOTHER DAY! God Bless!! Air (somewhat Mobile)Joe PS - KEEP ON READING DOWN TO SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS PORTION OF OUR "STORY". IT'S FULL OF GOD'S AMAZING GRACE!! A BIT ABOUT THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE! May 20, 2010 - 5:56am - Wedesday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe There were a few spatterings of rain in the “Village” (Ruuska) yesterday afternoon. Among the comments “it usually doesn’t rain so early". As we flew in yesterday, it was obvious that the entire Caribbean region was covered with weather. By the way, the old leg did just what it was supposed to and flight went off without a hitch. I had been following the weather for the last 5 days because of the upcoming flight to Haiti and…..a concern for all of those “exposed” to whatever…..I phoned an old friend and veteran pilot, Dave Walen to get his opinion of the weather. Through the course of our discussion, we discovered a way to bring down full satellite imagery on the I-Phone and “capture” it enroute. It’s a tricky maneuver, but it gives a full snapshot of the weather in the region. Now that is COOL! Flying the Caribbean will never be the same. The image below is what we flew through yesterday. In past blogs, I have mentioned that, when flying to Haiti, one goes right through the middle of the BERMUDA TRIANGLE. That’s a fact! After making many, many, many flights through this region, I can tell you there are some things to definitely watch out for….specifically weather! Are there other things to watch out for? That’s another story, today, we’ll just talk about weather. I personally believe that many of the disappearances of ships and airplanes is due to weather. Let me explain. Over the years and thousands of hours of flying through the region, I have seen weather build up so rapidly, it is almost unimaginable. A small cluster of isolated build-ups can grow to near hurricane strength in just a few hours. I have not only witnessed this, but have been a victim to it! It is for that reason, that I pay such close and careful attention to the weather. That is also the reason why you will see satellite images on this blog on a fairly regular basis. Last year, Haiti had 4 Hurricanes in 4 weeks! This is unheard of. The notable thing is that each Hurricane approached Haiti from a different cardinal heading, i.e. South, West, East and then North. Now, the forecasters are calling for a more violent, active Hurricane season. Now I know that Hurricane Forecasters don’t always get it right, but I can tell you, something is “brewing” in the Caribbean. It’s early and the team is not stirring yet. Had a few extra minutes, thus the little bit on the BERMUDA TRIANGLE. Today, our team will be completely re-organizing our Voyager Refurbishment Center. Construction in the “Village” is progressing nicely, but our permanent building is not yet complete. Thus the regular “reorganization”. We will visit Caanan II today and get the latest news on their status. The sun is risen and the work day is about to begin. Better close out for now. God Bless and keep on praying for Haiti!! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG & FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY...YOU ARE! JUST READ ON DOWN TO SEE HOW OUR LORD IS MOVING AND HAS GOTTEN US TO THIS POINT OF THE STORY. Joe May 19, 2010 - 7:36pm - Wedesday (Haiti Time) - Ruuska Village, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Oh well, I guess you can figure out where we are. We shucked and jived and danced around all the storms and slipped into Haiti on schedule this afternoon (see the satellite image below). As we approached the Port-Au-Prince International Airport, we made a low pass over Caanan II. This is the best shot of the tent city that we have taken. Early this morning, we loaded up our mission aircraft. In the shot below, Rob and Keyon are "deboxing" food prepared by Kids Against Hunger and filled every nook and cranny of the airplane. We were amazed at just how much we were able to get into the aircraft. We will be busy over the next few days getting clean water into areas of great need. We just want to be used by our Lord and help people in desperate need. It's been a long day. Need to elevate the leg. God Bless and THANKS for your prayer and love!! Air (Fairly Mobile)Joe PS - Check the satellite image - Our Lord helped us get through the weather and just a few drops of rain fell on our windshield and we hardly felt a bump. PRAISE GOD!! Joe 13 DAYS UNTIL HURRICANE SEASON! THE CLOCK IS TICKING! PRAY!! May 19, 2010 - 5:36am - Wedesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe As the satellite image depicts, the Caribbean is moist and unstable. Haiti needs our prayer as never before. As Hurricane Season approaches, over 1 million people are extremely vulnerable. This is the reason we must do what we can, when we can! We hope to return to Haiti soon with much needed supplies and personnel. As always, we really appreciate your love and support!! Air (Ever Increasingly Mobile)Joe May 18, 2010 - 8:46am - Tuesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe We are rejoicing that Laura Silsby has been released from prison in Haiti. Though she was judged guilty and given 6 months in prison, the judge released her based upon time served. There is no doubt in my mind that Laura and the rest of the missionaries were simply trying to help the children that they had "rescued". The parents freely gave the children to the missionaries for the hope of a better life. It is easy to "arm chair quarterback" on this case and say all kind of things. However, I personally was in Haiti when this event occured. It is very difficult to explain how desperate the situation was. THERE WERE NO AUTHORITIES in place to receive any kind of authorization. The entire country was in turmoil. It was as if "the head of the government had been cut off!". The Department of Social Affairs, the Foreign Ministry and every other controlling agency was shut down. For those reasons, I believe that Laura was ultimately released, although, she had technically broken a 1980 law put into place regarding the movement of children. To say the very least, it was a complicated case. I am glad that wisdom and mercy ultimately triumphed in the case and for that we Praise the Lord! Meanwhile, we continue to prepare to go to Haiti. The weather has been quite challenging, as I have shared in the last few days. We do look forward to a few clear days. We continue to monitor the weather. I spoke with Barb (Rambo in the Blue Dress) last night. All is quiet in the Village (Ruuska). I continue to take orders for special supplies / equipment to bring in when we do go. It should be soon. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air (Ever Increaslingly Mobile) Joe May 17, 2010 - 7:46am - Monday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Good Monday morning! Saw in the news that Puerto Rico was quite shaken up by the earthquakes. The 5.7 quake has been upgraded to a 5.8. As I mentioned, we are watching these quakes very carefully because Puerto Rico and Haiti are on the same parallel and is relatively close to Haiti. We are looking forward to returning to Haiti in the very near future. There is so much to be done and seemingly such little time to do it in....before the Hurricane Season officially begins (14 days from now). Our reports from Haiti indicate very little movement. It's almost unimagineable, but over 1 million people are still out of doors. It's hard to grasp what the actions would be taken should a violent storm approach Haiti. As I monitor the weather patterns via satellite imagery, the entire region is quite "unstable" (note the satellite image taken a few minutes ago of the region!). Storms forms fast and grow quite large. As always, I urge you to remember to pray for Haiti. Well, have a pile of stuff to do today. God Bless!! Air (ever increasingly Mobile) Joe! PS - We did our usual Sunday afternoon Chaplaincy at the Pschiatric Hospital in Orlando. Our Juliet (now 17 years old) delivered the message out of Matthew 8. One young patient came forward and accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. It was a great day for Juliet and the young lady whom she prayed for!! Joe May 16, 2010 - 10:52am - Sunday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Here's a quick Sunday morning note - 2 earthquakes, 5.7 & 5.6, occured in the early hours this morning in the Puerto Rico area (the Mona Passage). We are paying particularly close attention to this because - Puerto Rico is on the same parallel as Port-Au-Prince and about 400 miles to the east. Many Seismologists / Geologists are predicting another powerful earthquake for Haiti. As we are praying for our Lord to hold back the storms, PLEASE pray that our Lord hold back the earthquakes. Today, the Hurston family will be headed to Orlando to minister in the Children's hospital. This will be following our regular Church service. We had our Pastor over for dinner last night. It was great being with Pastor Gary!! Spoke with Barb Walker (Rambo in the Blue Dress) in Haiti last night. Having the usual challenges. Remember her in your prayer!! God Bless! Air (Increasingly Mobile) Joe 16 DAYS UNTIL HURRICANE SEASON - PRAY FOR HAITI! May 15, 2010 - 10:52am - Saturday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe The clock is ticking as we move closer to Hurricane Season. Please pray that our Lord holds back the storms. There are so many, that are so vulnerable in Haiti. There are over 1 million people living out of doors in make-shift tent-cities. A violent storm would wreak terrible damage and many injuries. At this point, our best line of defense is PRAYER!! I spoke with Bob Bostic this morning. Bob was on the back of the motorcycle when we had the accident 2 weeks ago in Haiti. We had a good time sharing of the Lord's grace and protection and healing! He's also sending some food down with me on the next flight to Haiti. We are working diligently to establish a good supply line of food and clean water in preparation for hurricane season. This morning, I read about another kidnapping in Haiti. A British aid worker was kidnapped on Monday and released on Friday. Praise God for his release! Please pray that kidnappings cease. This is such a destructive action. It causes many who want to help to be discouraged and become bitter. This is exactly what the devil wants (his mission is to kill, steal and destroy). I pray you have a wonderful day. See you on Facebook. Air Mobile Joe May 14, 2010 - 8:19am - Friday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe It hasn't been because of any reason other than....I've just been too busy (or so I thought). Well, as a result of this "break", I've been afforded some time for such matters. I FINALLY WENT ON FACEBOOK. It's kind of cool. So if you're in the Facebook world you may see my name or "mug" come up. Here's an interesting tidbit - when I went to the Doctor yesterday, the nurse took my blood pressure - it was the lowest level in 20 years. Hmmm, what could that mean?? Now, my blood presssure is normally not too high, but it has been gradually creeping up (goes with the territory). By the way, the Doc said the bone was in the perfect position and beginning to heal nicely. He shuddered when he saw how the bone broke. He said "it must have really hurt". I told him that the Lord truly had His hand on me and the pain was not as bad as it should have been. Again, that wonderful scripture keeps coming to mind...Romans 8:28 - "ALL things work together for the good, to those that love God, to those the called according to His purpose". Slowing down a bit is not such a bad thing. Checked the weather this morning and watched the satellite imagery over and around Haiti. Looks like some late afternoon thunderstorms blew up pretty quickly. Please remember the 1 million + Haitians that are living out of doors in make-shift tents / shelters. Please ask our Lord to hold back the severe weather and....help the "authorities / agencies" commissioned to secure safe shelters to do their job. Without getting political or critical, they certainly have the funds to do this. Haiti is becoming increasingly volatile because many Haitians know that hundreds of millions (yea - billions) of dollars have been given and yet, many are still in the same condition or worse since that tragic day of January 12th. I realize that when I share this information with you, it is overwhelming and the question may arise, "What can I do??". Well, PRAYER knows no limits, prayer can penetrate the strongest wall or span the greatest distance or change the hardest heart. Please continue to pray!! Thanks for taking the time to read this little blog. God Bless!! Air (increasingly mobile) Joe PS - IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY - YOU ARE! Read on down to see how we have gotten to this point of the story...it's full of God's Amazing Grace! Mother & Baby Levi (this proud grandfather couldn't resist this photo) May 13, 2010 - 7:56am - Thursday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Please forgive the proud grand-father putting another shot of our newest grandson. Last night, we saw little Levi Alan for the first time. Oh, what a handsome child! I know that I'm partial, can't help myself. Today, buying more supplies for Haiti. Going to the Doctor for another x-ray to be sure the ankle is healing properly. Spoke with Barbara yesterday...all is well in the "Village". Barb is placing her orders for our next flight. Meanwhile, things are heating up in Haiti. A growing resentment is growing toward President Preval for extending his stay in office. It's a bit complicated as it's been pretty difficult to have elections during the earthquake crisis. Please pray for peace and wisdom! Will write more later. Air (Increasingly mobile) Joe May 12, 2010 - 6:56am - Wednesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe IT'S A BOY!! Yesterday evening, at 6:15pm, Cherie Angeline Shropshire gave birth to a handsome baby boy! He weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and 23 inches long! His name: LEVI ALLEN SHROPSHIRE. We are all rejoicing that this little one came into the world safe and sound. Mother and baby are doing well! Praise God & THANK YOU for your prayers! Meanwhile, the healing continues. The old ankle is getting stronger and stronger every day. However, this time of limited mobility has really been quite good. I can spend a bit more time on e-mails and reflect more on situations and above all, have more time to pray. Now isn't that strange. A broken ankle doing all of that. NO - I don't recommend breaking / dislocating your ankle (it's very painful)! But....it brings to light that wonderful scripture in Romans 8:28 - "ALL things work together for the good for those that love God and those called according to His purpose". The absolute beauty of the Lord is that He can take any situation and turn it for the good as we trust Him. I also know that our Lord desires that we trust Him in the Good times and the Bad times! He just wants us to trust HIM in every situation. Remember, with God, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE! I received some encouraging news from our "adopted" Tent-City, Caanan II. Several large organizations are considering and working toward getting them a regular food source. In earlier meetings with the leaders of Caanan II, we discussed what would happen should the "camp" be blessed with supplemental food. The answer: this would allow the residents the opportunity to become more involved in "commerce". In other words, they could help to sustain themselves and actually create jobs by reducing their "overhead" for food. I like the way the leadership thinks in Caanan II. They are proving to be creative and resourceful. From the photo below, you can see how barren the area is. This photo captures only half of Caanan II. When we return to Haiti, and it will be soon, we are setting up meetings with organizations to discuss what we have been doing in Caanan II. We hope to duplicate the success. We know that each situation is different, but there are certain "constants" that we are dealing with. This knowledge will help us. Folks, the clock is ticking! Hurricane season officially begins in 19 days!! Again, thank you for taking the time to read this little blog. I believe that you are here for a purpose and not by accident. As a matter of fact, the more I live, the more I realize that there really no accidents. Our Lord has His hand upon us. God Bless!! Air (increasingly mobile) Joe IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG & FEEL LIKE YOU ARE JUMPING RIGHT INTO THE "MIDDLE" OF THE STORY, YOU ARE! Just continue reading on down to see how to see how the story is unfolding and how we have gotten to this point. Joe May 11, 2010 - 8:56am - Tuesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Baby Alert At 4:00am this morning, our precious daughter, Cherie has begun the birth process. Sometime today, we hope to have a beautiful new grand child. Please remember Cherie in your prayer! As many of you know, Cherie has been an absolute "angel" during this crisis with Haiti. You see, Cherie was just 7 months old when she first went to Haiti. Haiti is deep in her blood. Her gifts and skills have been mightily used by our Lord in bringing in personnel / supplies and funding to help our Haitian brothers and sisters in our own back yard. Early this morning, I read this quote from the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti: “We cannot isolate ourselves from the world,” Merten said. “We need Haiti to become more prosperous, more stable and more democratic. … We also become less of a people, less of a country, if we allow our neighbors and friends to starve … and die.” Never before in recorded history has a single country had such a deadly blow. Ambassador Merten stated that the death toll could rise to 500,000! This little country is only 759 nautical miles from where I sit and write this blog. That is truly in our own back yard. Folks, this is why I constantly implore you to pray for Haiti. I have good news about the new cast (it's called an "aircast") that doctor put on me. It "flies"! My eldest son, Steve and I took the mission plane out for a spin yesterday and I tested the new cast. It is just perfect for flying! We plan to return to Haiti in the near future. Can't say exactly when, because we don't publish our travel itenerary for security purposes. We are gathering a plane load of supplies at this time. Feel free to give a call if you have any questions or suggestions regarding Haiti. We need your help and prayer as never before. Here is my cell number: 321-544-7757 / I hope to hear from you. God Bless!! Air (partially immobile) Joe May 10, 2010 - 8:56am - Monday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe On Friday afternoon, I spoke with Marc, a missions pastor from a large church in Orlando. Several years ago, the church funded a Voyager for an orphanage in the Ukraine. We are so pleased to hear that the Voyager has performed beautifully and they want a second unit! We are shipping it out today. More clean water flowing half way around the world! Meanwhile, in our own back-yard, Haiti, the struggle goes on. All this week, we are securing more Voyager and components for Haiti. Can't say exactly when we shall return, but it will be soon. My ankle is doing great, with a combination of rest and excellent care from my family. We are making progress on getting a steady source of food into Caanan II, the large tent-city that we have been assisting. We have a strong sense of momentum in regard to helping other tent-cities, that we feel compelled to get back to Haiti as soon as possible. There is no doubt in any of our minds, that our Lord gave a major miracle with Caanan II. You may recall, several weeks ago, we brought the plight of this huge, rambling tent-city to your attention. The bottom line is that the community was at extreme risk of being "leveled by bull-dozers". We all went to prayer in their regard. By our Lord's direction, Air Mobile found a little water near this camp and donated a Voyager to the community. That started a wonderful series of events. The leaders of Caanan II began digging a well by hand. This act of faith triggered "someone" to donate a 10,000 gallon "bladder" filled with clean water. Now, sources of food are being secured. Also, someone put in Latrines. These acts of kindness have certainly delayed the "bull-dozers". "Someone" in High Places has embraced Caanan II. We do not know what part we had in this whole process. I know that our Lord compelled me to pull into this community about a month ago and do what we did. We are just a piece of the big puzzle. You have prayed together with us and now, precious Haitians living in deplorable conditions now have water and food and some measure of sanitation. Together, in faith, we have seen this miracle unfold. May I encourage you to continue to pray for Caanan II and the thousands of other "tent-cities" throughout Haiti. Please pray that safe "places of refuge" may be found before the violent storms come. Time is of the essence. Also, I hope you can understand our heart and desire to return as soon as possible. Please continue to pray for rapid and miraculous recovery of my ankle. As always, THANK YOU for your love and prayer!! Air (Partially IMMOBILE) Joe HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! May 9, 2010 - 7:56am - Sunday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Good morning Mom's around the world! You are the "glue" that holds many of us together! We love you and appreciate you! I thank the Lord for my Cindy, who is the most dedicated and incredible mother I know. She will go to any lengths to protect her children and family. Not only will she protect our family, but she works so diligently to give our children a good example and good memories all at the same time. I don't know how she does it! In addition to being a wonderful mother, Cindy is couragous, beautiful and the best partner on this earth for me. I Praise the Lord for putting us together. All I can say is that I am a blessed man! Thank you, Cindy!! Air Immobile Joe THE HUMBLE CRUTCH May 8, 2010 - 8:26am - Saturday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe I woke early this morning. We are back in our home in Canaveral Groves, the one that is basically gutted. It is a 2 story house and we sleep on the 2nd floor. Now, here is the "rub". Now that I am somewhat "handicapped" with the broken ankle, every move must be calculated. And oh, do I have a deep appreciation for the humble crutch! The crutch is such a simple, but effective device. In many ways, that is exactly what we are doing in helping the Haitians. I have heard the word "crutch" used in negative ways, but I can tell you, a "crutch" is a good thing when you have a busted leg. Now, a wheelchair is a good device, but hard to go down steps. Since our home does not have a working shower, we must shower in our motorhome. It would be tricky to navigate a wheelchair across the yard and over the roots to get to the motorhome. Now, those crutches do a superb job of getting me from the 2nd floor to the motorhome. In many ways, we are acting as "crutches" for our brothers and sisters in Haiti. There is a time to just help those that are broken and suffering. As I have said many times before, "STORMS ARE COMING". Even in a mild season, Haiti gets fierce rain and thunder storms. They usually cause massive flooding. Even now, In Haiti, over 1 million people are living out of doors in shreds and pieces of tarp and cardboard and anything else to give some measure of protection. Please forgive me for going on and on about this. A lot of people are talking, a lot of plans are being made, a lot of energy is being expended, but still, so much needs to be done. Having been in Haiti since the day after the earthquake and spending a lot of time there since, I can tell you, help and progress is moving along at a snail's pace. There is so much indecision and so much talking, talking, talking and such little being done. It's hard not to criticize. Yet, where does that leave us? We need to just do what we can as we can. Act as a crutch when you can to those who are broken. Oh, a final thought, Cindy has come up with a new name for me (for the time being) - AIR IMMOBILE JOE (remember, that is only temporary and with crutches, I still manage to get around!!). Well, that is my rambling for the day. By the way, the Lady in the Blue Dress (Barb Walker) is back in Haiti! Things are going well in Ruuska. God Bless! Air (paritally Immobile) Joe May 7, 2010 - 8:26am - Friday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Just a quick note. Did not get out yesterday, ankle pretty swollen. Stayed back and did correspondence and logistics for Voyagers. Have some insight into tremendous difficulties in the Tent-Cities and want to share more, but can't do so right now. Stay tuned. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PS - Just spoke to the Lady in the Blue Dress - She is back from Africa and soon headed back to Haiti. Good to hear from her. Joe May 6, 2010 - 8:26am - Thursday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe In the midst of a broken leg and thirsty people in tent-cities and many miracles, our Lord gave us a beautiful new grand-daughter, Selah Hurston (another miracle)! Our beautiful daugher-in-law, Ann Marie Hurston delivered this precious little girl on April 30th. My son, Christian is the proud father. By the way, Christian was born in Haiti 28 years ago. Mother and baby are doing great! Today, I'll be getting out a little bit and hope to go see this precious little bundle of joy. I love the name, Selah! The Psalmist David would pause with a "Selah". Speaking of grand-children, Cherie, is expecting any moment. We thought that we were going to get 2 grand-children on the same day, as Cherie and Ann-Marie shared the same due date. Cherie has been so wonderful during the earthquake crisis. Many of you have been blessed by her faithful and diligent service. Please pray that her little one will arrive right on time and above all, healthy! Ahhh, the job of being a grand-father! Gene, our faithful aircraft mechanic will be doing a full post-mission inspection on the aircraft today. I'll swing by the hangar and go over the results with him. Meanwhile, we have received word that another Voyager is being requested in the Ukraine! Several years ago, we placed a unit in an orphanage. Now, they want a second unit. Praise God! Got word from Ruuska Village in Haiti that Dieunika's (the little girl that we are adopting) parents came and got the 3 room tent yesterday. Dieunika and I picked out this tent and we are so glad that they now have it and their situation is a bit better because of it. As we have said many times, the needs are so overwhelming, it's just good to be able to "nibble" away at the needs. We praise God that we are able to do something, though it seems little at the time. God Bless and thanks again for your prayer and love! Air Mobile Joe May 5, 2010 - 8:26am - Wednesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe Good morning! After going thru some "painful, hard times", it just feels good to feel good! Went to the Doctor yesterday, removed the old cast and put on a new "Aircast". I like that name. This cast also allows me to fly!! The X-ray indicated a solid break, but the bone was in the perfect position. Recovery is coming along nicely. Can't put any weight on the ankle for a couple of weeks. Means "office" work (which I love....just kidding) for a while. Spoke with Samaritan's Purse, Dave Phillips, last night in Haiti. We are working together with Convoy of Hope to get Caanan II a steady supply of food. Now that they have water and sanitation, a steady supply of food will secure their position. The things that we are learning from this "Tent-City" is invaluable. We hope to duplicate this knowledge again and again in other tent-cities. As we all know, "Hurricane Season" is coming! Forecasters are predicting an active season. 1.3 MILLION Haitians are living "out of doors" in rag tag tents all over the ocuntry. There is an old saying, "Make Hay While The Sun Shines". In other words, NOW is the time to help as many as possible find "secure" locations and establish lines of water, food, shelter, sanitation. During this time of recovery, we may put the new engine on the airplane. It is supposed to ship later this week. We are still $8,000 short of the full funding to do the "firewall forward" installation. This balance of money pays for the propeller overhaul, new exhaust system and all new hoses and misc. connections, etc. Please pray about helping with this vital project. The front engine that is currently on the aircraft has performed incredibly well and will do so until we change it. We are so thankful for the excellent way this aircraft has performed! If you have any questions, or have ideas how to help, feel free to give me a call. My cell is: 321-544-7757. It would so good to hear from you! Air Mobile Joe The "Broken Leg" at 12,500 feet - 205mph - somewhere between Haiti and Exuma (in the Bermuda Triangle!) May 4, 2010 - 8:26am - Tuesday (East Coast Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Air Mobile Joe The photo above gives a significant clue as to what we did yesterday. Had a flawless flight and the left leg did exactly what it was supposed to do. I must take off my hat to Dr. Larry, the Ortho Surgeon from Los Angeles who gave me the perfect "splint cast" that allowed me to fly the plane. Before take-off yesterday morning, the plane still needed to be inspected and prepped for flight. Our Lord certainly had His hand on the whole situation. It was an abosultely beautiful day for flying. Notice the mountains behind the airplane. Port-Au-Prince is surrounded by high mountains. Sometimes when the weather is not good, it makes for a "challenging" landing. Dan, our latest "water-mule" managed to snap the shot of Caanan II as we flew over enroute to the U.S. Earlier, we had promised the leaders of the camp that we would wave our wings as we flew over their camp. By the way, we are still just blessed beyond measure at how things are developing for Caanan II. We are working on getting a regular source of food from "Kids against Hunger" headed up by Bob Bostic. I just spoke with Bob this morning. The quest for food goes on. The cross wind was not too bad at Exuma. Our fuel guy and I started to preaching to one another. Our topic was "Abounding & Abasing" and how our Lord is with us in the good times and the bad times (particularly in the bad times). The fuel guy was a strong believer and all of our faith grew during this fuel stop. More smooth skies and mild headwinds and we arrived at Fort Pierce 16 minues ahead of our projected schedule. Quick clearance the 25 minute flight back to our home base at Titusville. Mission accomplished! Cindy picked me up with Peter and Dieunika. Had a delicious U.S. meal and headed to our "gutted" home in Cocoa (read the last few blogs for explanation - our home severely damaged due to water-line break). At the end of the old leg was throbbing. Today, I go to my Primary Doctor, then an Ortho Surgeon to have a permanent cast. I must admit, the flight yesterday pushed the old leg to the limit, but all was accomplished safely and your prayers definately helped. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - PLEASE CONTINUE READING ON DOWN TO SEE HOW WE HAVE ARRIVED WHERE WE ARE ON THIS RAMBLING, RUNNING BLOG!! Joe CAANAN II VICTORY!! May 3, 2010 - 6:16am - Monday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The faith in Caanan II is high! Our Lord truly gave multiple victories over the last few days. On Wednesday there was no water, very little food and bull-dozers could come at any time and flatten the tent-city. By Friday, there was 10,000 gallons of water, food and toilets! We don’t know what the future holds for these 5000+ “residents”, but things are looking so much better.. On Wednesday, our team had the privilege to pray for these precious people. We stood by the little well that they had begun to dig “by faith” and we stood on Matthew 7:7, ASK & you shall receive, SEEK & you shall find and KNOCK & it shall be opened for you! Word had gotten out that Caanan II had a water purifier and no water. “ Someone” heard the cry and the prayer! Before visiting Caanan II, our team of “water mules in training”, Jean and Dan refurbished a couple of Voyagers with me. They now know much more about the operation and can work on units anywhere in the world. After visiting Caanan II and Praising God together, we headed to the airport for my big test. Could I manipulate the controls with the cast. Well, Dr. Larry, the ortho surgeon who put the cast on my leg, knew exactly what kind of cast to put on me. He is a pilot and knew exactly what movement I would need. I taxied N19EZ (our mission aircraft) all over the tarmac with ease. The pain level is very manageable, due to all those hours on the perch in the elevated position and cool rags on the forehead. By the way, I was able to read Bruchko, an amazing mission book about a 19 year old that went to the jungles of South America and brought Jesus to warrior people. In 1978, on my first trip to Haiti, I read the book. It was better the second time. The Lord truly gave me a little “break” for some rest and relaxation. I’m not going to get all theological and try to figure this one out, I just know the rest was great. The pain is manageable and now…..we’re ready for the next mission. Soon, we will be returning to the U.S. and preparing for what our Lord has for us. I spoke with Cindy last night and the “move” back to our “gutted” home went quite well. Darn, I missed the move, but had a doctors excuse. We chuckled over that one. Well, we have another day before us and most likely some kind of an adventure. God Bless and THANK YOU for your prayer and love! Air Mobile Joe PS - The recovery of my leg is extraordinary. There should be a lot more pain and difficulty. The only explanation we can offer is that the Lord has truly touched this old ankle and leg! PPS - If you're new to this blog and feel like you're jumping right into the middle of a wild adventure, you are! Just keep reading down and you'll see how all of this stuff fits together. Joe AHHHH - GOLD BOND IN THE CAST! A BIT OF HEAVEN!! May 2, 2010 - 9:52am - Sunday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH….. My dear Cindy and children and a great team of volunteers moved this weekend. Recently, I mentioned in this blog, the saga of the Hurston Home. In a nutshell, on June 4/5, 2009, a water line broke in our home and destroyed the inside. As many are finding, insurance companies don’t always pay the amount needed. That’s a long story. Our dear friend has allowed us to stay in his condo and now, we feel it is time to get back to home and “finish” the job and return the condo to our friend. Well, of course, while I’ve been “relaxing & resting” in the “Perch”, Cindy and team worked hard at the move. I want to thank the team – Joe the Plumber, Dennis the Golden Knight, Rob the Water Mule and others who got my family “repositioned” in our home. We still have quite a ways to go in the home, we are on sub-floors and only have ½ bathroom. Our faithful old (1992) motor-home provides the features not currently available in our home i.e. shower, etc. Today, the team from Church at Viera head back to the U.S. This team literally transformed Barbara’s office with shelves and desks. Did I mention that Barbara (better known as Rambo in the Blue Dress) is in Africa with Sister Mary? Sister Mary is the intrepid and brave Catholic Nun who goes to the trouble spots of the world and brings in help and grace! She and Barb are on “a mission from God”. We expect Barb back sometime next week. She is really going to be surprised at the wonderful changes in her office / bedroom. By the way, our little mission motorcycle came through the "accident" without a scratch. Our team did a complete service / oil change / inspection on the little motorcycle. It is a good tool but can throw you from time to time. I had an old donkey that was that way. It would do so well and you'd be so comfortable and then suddenly, you're in the air. Like everything, we have to stay prayed up!! I plan to head to the airport and do some “testing” with my leg. The plan is to taxi the airplane and see how my leg handles the task. If I can taxi the plane, I can fly the plane. By the way, YOUR PRAYERS are working! The rest in the perch and the elevation of the leg has helped the healing tremendously. We also plan to visit Caanan II on our way to the airport. I am still just overwhelmed with thanksgiving regarding this tent-city. The fact that officially they received food / water and sanitation on Friday assures their safety for now. But please, continue to pray for them as well as the thousands of official and unofficial locations. I sincerely believe that your prayers combined with our prayers helped Caanan II. We hope to refurbish several Voyagers today. We always have units ready to go out the door. Our goal is to keep as much “clean” water flowing as possible. God Bless and THANK YOU – THANK YOU – THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND PRAYERS!! Air Mobile Joe Ahhh, finally a “Retreat” for Joe May 1, 2010 - 9:52am - Saturday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The skill saw was singing, the hammers were pounding and the teams in the Village were all busy. Meanwhile, up in the “perch”, under a fan, with cool rags on the head, lies “Air Mobile Joe”. Just like an excused absence from school. In short, it was a great day of rest. The swelling peaked and now, the pain is really coming down, the bones are knitting. Yesterday afternoon, we returned to the University of Miami Field Hospital at the Port-Au-Prince airport for a “follow-up” visit. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the team that treated me the first time. Dr. Larry, after close examination has cleared me to fly (in a few days). The general consensus is to give it a few more days of rest. Darn…..oh well, it means a few more days in the “Perch” with the fan and the cool rags. May even be able to read a book and of course, have some time in the Word! It’s going to be a tough job, but with the Lord’s help and grace, I’ll be up to it! After departing the hospital, Lucien, the faithful driver who rescued me off the side of the road following the accident, brought us to Caanan II. You see, the accident occurred while we were enroute to meet with the leaders of Caanan II to discuss water and food. The fact that we did not arrive on Thursday afternoon caused great concern. I personally wanted to let them know why I did not come. Upon arrival late yesterday afternoon, we were greeted by Pastor Volny. When he saw the cast and heard the explanation of the accident while we were enroute to meet them, Pastor Volny cried and he told us that he “knew” that some accident had occurred. He had been praying earnestly for me. As we were speaking, Germain, the other leader walked up. When he looked in the car and saw my cast, he too began to cry. We all rejoiced at the hand of protection and healing of the Lord! Now, get this!! On Wednesday, we had all gathered around the little well that the community was digging by faith. We prayed Matthew 7:7, “Ask and you shall receive, SEEK and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened”. We sought water and food. Guess what happened….Yesterday, Friday, a relief agency delivered a 10,000 gallon container of water to Caanan II! Another agency brought them food and another agency began putting in latrines!! What this really means is that Caanan II is becoming a “legitimate” entity. That means that the chance of bull-dozers showing up in the middle of the night has become greatly diminished. However, DON’T STOP PRAYING!! Today, our teams are all diligently working on shelving, cabinets, counter tops, and scores of other projects. Meanwhile, according “Doctors Orders”, I must stay cool and keep my busted leg elevated. OK, I’ll do it!! Oh, one other thing. Our delay (due to the accident) is working for more good. Bob Bostic had planned to visit the mission in Kenskoff. We went there and met the Pastor and his two sons. You may recall from the blog several days ago, Air Mobile agreed to donate a Voyager water purifier to them. Our condition for the donation was that they would come to our “Village” to receive training as well as to know where to bring the unit for service. Here is the amazing thing. This Kenskoff mission has an orphanage in Bon Repos. Now, Ruuska is in Bon Repos. Furthermore, their orphanage is 2 doors away from Ruuska!!! Barbara has helped this orphanage many times in the past. Well, we have a medical team here. We invited the orphanage to bring all of their children to our clinic for any medical needs and routine examinations. This took place yesterday. Had we have departed on our original schedule of Friday, this likely would not have occurred. Remember the scripture I shared yesterday, Romans 8:28. ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD…. Today was a long and wordy blog. GOD BLESS YOU AND THANK YOU for reading all the way to the end. PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR HAITI!! Air Mobile Joe “BREAKING” NEWS April 30, 2010 - 8:52am - Friday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) After 32 years of driving motorcycles in Haiti and tapping so deep into our Lord’s grace and protection, yesterday afternoon Bob Bostic and I went down after hitting a piece of debris on the road. Bob was not injured, thank God. However, I sustained a broken / dislocated ankle. In the photo above, an “angel” was sent to the scene to both pray and begin putting the dislocated ankle back together. This lady and the whole group of Haitians know to PRAY!! We were going very slow when the accident occurred, it was just like “slow motion”. As the motorcycle went down, Bob and I did all we could to fight the fall, but it just went down. At the bottom end of the fall, my ankle took the full weight of the motorcycle and Bob. We both heard the pop at the bone broke. This incredible group of Haitians, immediately lifted the motorcycle off of us and the PRAYER began. The people on the street sent the message back to our Village and within minutes, Lucian, our Haitian driver showed up. We headed straight to the University of Miami Field Hospital at the Port-Au-Prince Airport. The staff there was GREAT! Listen to this….when the third X-Ray was being taken, the doctor positioned my ankle for the x-ray when we both heard and I certainly felt the bone go back into position! The Haitian lady on the street had been working the bone , but did not quite get it back into position. Throughout all of this ordeal, the pain has been very manageable. Just from knowing the extent of the break, the pain should be off the chart. Well, our Lord certainly hears prayer! Before we launched on the mission yesterday, we and you had been praying. See, it really works!! The orthopedic surgeon who verified all was in position put a cast on my leg that will allow me to fly the plane. Today, I will be returning to the hospital and together, we will determine when I am “cleared to fly”. Without question, ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD….(Romans 8:28). A little later, I will give a report on what happened before the accident and what is going on today. You know how I’m always asking you to pray….PLEASE continue! Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe April 29, 2010 - 5:52am - Thursday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Been reflecting on the good meeting yesterday. So glad that my good friend Dave Phillips (now with Samaritan's Purse) suggested that we attend the WASH (water - sanitation) meeting. In this meeting, we were able to present the remarkable Voyager to so many organizations. In the photo above, Andrew of World Vision and Pierre of DINEPA (the new consolidated International water management organization of Haiti) are asking excellent questions regarding the Voyager. (Photo by Bob Bosic - water-mule in training) Over the last week, I had been asking you to pray for this meeting. Well.....PRAYER WORKS! We were definately able to present the Voyager clearly and explain how Air Mobile has already placed 270+ units in Haiti. As always, THANKS FOR PRAYING! Today, we visit Caanan II and check their status. Recent mandates by the government greatly restrict how much aid we can offer. Again, please pray that we are directed by the Lord and given favor with the Government. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 28, 2010 - 9:52pm - Wednesday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Today was a good day! Our team departed Bon Repos, Haiti for a critical meeting regarding water and sanitation for Haiti. We were given the opportunity to set up a Voyager and demonstrate the unit. Our team worked so well together. We prayed and asked our Lord to lead the “decision makers” to us. By the end of the demo, we had met with representatives from World Vision, USAID, Catholic Relief Service and the International Red Cross as well as numerous other organizations. Please pray that the seeds that we planted today produce fruit, specifically clean water where there is dirty, contaminated water. We spoke to several representatives today about Caanan II, the tent-city. One of our team members, Bob Bostic has been part bringing in hundreds of thousands of meals for Haiti. Tomorrow, Bob and I will go and visit the leaders in Caanan II and see how he can direct some food to this tent city. From the water meeting we headed up the mountain to meet with a mission that has been long supported by Bob. Talk about a “cool” place. The town is Kenskoff. It is over 6,000 feet high. The temperature was incredible, even a bit chilly. After hearing about their water needs, we have decided to consider their mission for a Voyager. We have invited them to visit our field repair center and learn more about the unit. From time to time it hits me…..these are weighty matters, bringing clean water into a community, bringing in food to the hungry. People’s lives can be forever changed, death and disease can be turned back and most important, a soul can be saved. For you see, all we do, we do in the Name of Jesus! Recently, Cindy and I did a teaching on Community Development in light of the Gospel. The question asked is, “What would Jesus do?”…..Social help or Evangelism. The answer: Both! Or better yet, it depends on the situation. You see, Jesus fed the multitudes, healed the sick and taught on the Kingdom of God all in the same day. What should we do? I sincerely believe we should do both and take the opportunity when it arises. As we usually report at the end of the day, "it's been a long day". Time to get to bed. By the way, we found a replacement fan. Looking forward to a good nights sleep. God Bless and good night! Air Mobile Joe April 28, 2010 - 5:28am - Wednesday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Half way through the night, my fan burned up (not literally with flames), it just quit working. In came the mosquitoes like dive bombers. Out came the “Off” and the battle began. We have an emergency fan that runs on batteries but is VERY low power. What a good time to pray and meditate on our Lord and His suffering on the cross. Between the Off and the very, very gentle breeze from the little fan and the deep meditation on the “Cross”, sleep mercifully came. We really don’t know how to suffer very well. The truth is many of us (me included) are pretty pathetic when the chips are down and things are tough (like the fan breaking – ha). As we look at our brothers and sisters in Haiti and how they are suffering, I stand amazed at their durability and strength and courage. That is probably one of the main reasons why we keep coming back and doing what we can. Please pray that today, during our meetings, we are able to secure help for Caanan II, the huge tent-city that we are endeavoring to help. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYER & LOVE! Will report more later. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PS - PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT! Joe April 27, 2010 - 5:58pm - Tuesday (Haiti Time)- Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As you have probably guessed, we are in Haiti. Our small team met at Space Center Executive Airport early this morning. We loaded our trusty mission plane and off we .flew. Our first stop was Exuma International. We had been following the weather very closely for this flight. Remember the tornadoes that hit Mississippi. Well, the same storm came through Florida and then into the Caribbean. We watched and waited. By the time we launched out of Titusville, we slipped in on the back side of the weather and made the entire journey with hardly a slight bounce. Upon arrival in Port-Au-Prince, I am so glad that Sarah, the daughter of Bob captured Dieunika’s parents’ tent being unloaded. It will be a joy to present it to them. After getting everything unloaded, Jean, one of our intrepid “water mule” in training and I jumped on our mission motorcycle and headed straight to Caanan II. We were so relieved to find the tent-city still there. We discussed how they were using the Voyager. The little water hole that I had found last week had dried up. We were just thrilled to find that community had taken it upon themselves to begin digging for water. The little well was only about 3 feet in diameter and already nearly 20 feet deep. One man would go down the hole and with a bucket of dirt at a time, slowly the well went deeper and deeper. They have yet to strike water. We joined together around the well and prayed and asked the Lord to direct us to water. Also, we plan to meet with a group of NGO’s (Non Government Organization) tomorrow. I intend to bring the plight of Caanan II to this group. We pray that help will continue to come. Our regular computer connection is down. We just secured a very expensive Global Air Card, so we pray that this blog posts quickly. Our communications will be limited and quick for now. God Bless!! Please pray that we find good success tomorrow.. Air Mobile Joe April 27, 2010 - 4:58am - Tuesday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Up early this morning. Good time to write a blog. Cafe' pot is brewing, winds are calm. Dieunika (the little 4 year old that Cindy and I have been caring for following major surgery) helped me pick out a tent for her Mom & Dad in Haiti yesterday. Dieunika (pronounced "Jenny-Ka") was really excited about doing this for her parents. You see their modest home was destroyed by the quake. We have helped with tarps and other items, but now, it's time for a proper tent! We had originally thought that the displaced couple would return to the provinces, where they are from, but that did not work out. They have opted to stay in the Port-Au-Prince area and now, this tent will make their lives much easier. This story is duplicated hundreds of thousands of times. Today, we prepare for our next Haiti trip. We flew the plane yesterday to test all systems. The wind was a crisp 15 knots, so I opted to work on short field landings and managed to make 3 landings in under 500 feet. The short-field capability of this bird is remarkable. This makes landing on short, un-improved (non-paved) strips a breeze. Again, we are so thankful to the Lord for this wonderful gift! We hope to get a report on Caanan II, the tent-city that we have been assisting, later today. Better head to the hangar and continue preparation for our next mission to Haiti. Sure appreciate your prayers!! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PS - Will write more later. Joe NOT A VERY GOOD DAY FOR FLYING IN FLORIDA! April 26, 2010 - 8:52am - Monday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As the headline reads, "Not a very good day for flying (in this neck of the woods)". Also, as you can see from the sat image, there is a lot of unstable air in the region. It's just a matter of time before Haiti gets hit and this will cause tremendous suffering! Today, we're buying a couple of tents for Haiti. Little Dieunika, the 4 year old that we are caring for on a medical visa, and I will go and pick out a nice tent for her parents in Haiti. That should be rewarding. We're also prayerful about our upcoming meeting with multiple "decision makers" in Haiti regarding the Voyager water purifier. We will have an opportunity to present the remarkable unit at an upcoming meeting in Haiti. PLEASE be in prayer with us on this critical meeting. Please pray that we will present the unit and it's capabilities in a clear and concise way and that the "hearers" hear what we are presenting. We checked on Caanan II over the weekend and it is still there. Caanan II is the large tent-city (5600 residents)that is very close to our base mission in Haiti. You may read all about it by reading down on this blog. We first visited Caanan II on Thursday, April 17th. Pray that better facilities will be made available to these desperate people. The needs are so staggering, it is difficult for me to even describe. Thanks for your prayer!! As usual, have a bunch of stuff to do today in preparation for our next mission to Haiti. Air Mobile Joe April 25, 2010 - 7:52am - Sunday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) I spoke with Barbara Walker (Rambo in the Blue Dress) in Haiti last night. The tent-city that we are tracking and helping as we can, Caanan II, is still there! You see, with no notice, large bull-dozers could show up and flatten this "refuge" for thousands. In earlier blogs, we share how Air Mobile has placed a Voyager in this make-shift "city" to purify water that is literally drawn from the trash heap to bring clean water to the sick and weak. The word on "the street" is that this tent city is slated for destruction. There are over 5000 "residents" in Caanan II. If you scroll down to Friday, April 18th, we begin reporting on Caanan II, one of thousands of make-shift tent-cities that have sprung up since the January 12th earthquake. Folks, we get overwhelmed just like everybody else. "What can we do against such staggering need and suffering?". We ask ourselves that nearly every day. The answer is: "we can do something", even if it is just a tiny bit, or a few drops, or a few crumbs. Jesus did not tell us to solve all the problems, He simply said, "I was thirsty and you gave Me drink". That is a "one on one" situation. So, in Caanan II, we pray each day the camp is still there and that we can bring in help as we can. It is reported that several people die in this camp every week.....and life goes one. Babies are born also! We plan to return to Haiti in the very near future. We plan to help the "tent-city" more as we are able. It is for that reason, that we ask you to pray with us and stand with us as we move forward "doing something" to help! Caanan II just sprawls all over this old dry mountain side right on the edge of one of Haiti's multiple "dumps". We are blessed to have found a few "spots" of water that can be purified. We pray that we can keep on pumping clean water bringing life where there is sickness and death. Meanwhile, the Hurston's are preparing for church this morning and our afternoon ministry in the Children's Psychiatric Hospital, where we are Chaplains to the young people. This is such a joy to do. Yesterday, I mentioned that we are preparing to move back into our motorhome. Well, here's the deal in a nutshell. Last June 5, 2009, our home was destroyed by, of all things, a water break. A small pipe leading to vanity sink burst and completely flooded our home (we were out of town). Insurance has only paid a portion of the repair and the Hurston family lived in our motorhome for over 5 months. Then a dear friend has allowed us to "rent" his condo at a fraction of the value. Bit by bit, we are working toward getting back into our home, but we still have a long way to go to make it "liveable". So, we're moving back into our humble 1992 motorhome in our front yard so that we can get our "home" back. Added to all that is going on with Haiti, we have the wonderful opportunity to tap deeply into our Lord's grace and strength. So, the "march" goes on and we do experience His grace and love each day. Well, I've rambled on again and we're going to be late for church if I don't close this little blog out. THANK YOU for taking your precious time to glance into our life and ministry. Air Mobile Joe If you are new to this blog, and feel like you are jumping right into the middle of the story, YOU ARE! Just keep on reading down to see how this story has developed to this stage. God Bless!! Joe April 24, 2010 - 6:42am - Saturday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I'm not sure what country I'm in. I pause for a moment, if I am in a comfortable bed and there are no mosquitoes buzzing around my head, then I know I'm probably in the states. Pretty easy criteria for determination. As you know, we've been spending nearly half time in Haiti. Things just seem like a blur sometime. While showering this morning, I accidentally left the sink faucet running. When I realized what I had done, the reality came to me that the water that went down the sink drain for those few minutes would have given about 15 people in CaananII (the tent-city that we are endeavoring to help in Haiti)water for the day. There was an intense moment of guilt.... Today, the Hurston Family is preparing to move back into our motorhome. Now, that is a long (and sometimes sad) story. Perhaps we'll share a bit later. For now, it's off to another day with a lot of stuff to do. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 23, 2010 - 7:37am - Friday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The mission plane is ready to go!! Can't say exactly when we will be returning to Haiti, but it will be soon. In the meantime, we are setting up meetings in Haiti with coordinating agencies to demonstrate the Voyager and tell the story of how we have already placed 270+ units throughout the country, many, before the terrible earthquake. Checked on our tent city camp, Caanan II and it is still in position. We pray that the residents are at least given a warning should the government choose to "relocate" the residents. Typical relocation methods have been.....big bull dozer show up and begin flattening everything / frantic residents gather their few meager possessions and they run to another location. Where is that other location? Where the bulldozers are not! By the way, I am putting the same photo up that I did yesterday of the little boy in front of one of the tents in Caanan II. Just imagine if this was your son.... A FACE ON A TENT CITY I know that this "reloction method" sounds cruel and insane, but that is what is happening to "some" of the tent city relocations. PLEASE pray for the government and the authorities to show a bit more compassion. Each and every "resident" is precious in the sight of our Lord! These people need help, not more cruelty. Folks, as you read this, please take a moment and consider their situation and PRAY! Please find a comfortable, quiet place and ask our Lord what you can do to help!! Obviously, there is much more that I could say, but for the moment, I must prepare to go speak to a local Bilbe study group. God Bless and THANK YOU for taking the time to read my "rant" this morning! Air Mobile Joe A FACE ON A TENT CITY April 22, 2010 - 8:39am - Wednesday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Before I give a quick report on the good day we had yesterday, I would like to share a bit with you about Caanan II, the tent city very close to Ruuska Village in Haiti. I have received word that at any moment, government bull dozers could show up and level the tent city of 5600 residents with absolutely no warning. Actually, it usually takes place between 2:00am - 4:00am. This has happened several times already within the last few days with other tent cities. One tent city was leveled in pre-dawn hours so that another tent city could be put in the exact same position. The residents were given NO notice, they had moments to grab their meager contents and move out of the way of the heavy equipment. These brutal tactics are being used everyday. I heard one Foreign Government representative describe the tactics as "less than humane". In tent cities, all over Haiti, babies are born! This baby was recently born in Cannan II and the medical team out of Ruuska Village was able to lend assistance. Folks, these are real people with real dreams and hopes and concerns. They have children with medical problems and education plans and hunger and thirst pains. They are exactly like us except their situation suddenly and forever changed on January 12th. Meanwhile, we, in America sit, in our case, 759.6 nautical miles to the northwest. Many of us sit in comfortable (and by comparison "splendid" positions). We must not forget the suffering that is occuring in our very own back yard. The question that keeps coming to me is - "What would Jesus do?" As the team went thoughout the "city", residents were glad to show us their "homes". The number one need each day is water. Every resident has a story as to how they secure the life-giving liquid everyday. It's rarely easy!! Yesterday, we did our "Post-Mission Inspection" of the aircraft. No major issues! We did standard, routine maintenance and stand amazed at how well the aircraft is flying. Remember little Peter, the Haitian boy that we flew out of Haiti on a Medical Visa on Tuesday? Well, Abby, the care-giving Mom, brought him to see us at the hangar yesterday. He was a little apprehensive about the possibility of being put on the airplane and I assured him that he was here in the U.S. for a while. He really likes the steady flow of food and drink and the comfortable bed. As we were visiting, a training helicopter set down very close to where we were. The noise was intense. Peter lit up like a Christmas tree and was just fascinated by the strange flying machine. You should have seen his face! After his surgery, you never know, he may become a helicopter pilot! Have a mountain of stuff to do and have to run. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 21, 2010 - 10:53am - Wednesday (Florida Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We departed Ruuska village in the rain. The roads were flooded. At one point, the entire engine of or little motorcycle was nearly submerged (I was concerned about the engine sucking in very dirty, muddy water). Well, we made it through and went straight to the airport. I dropped Garrett to load the aircraft. Then headed straight to the U.S. Embassy to see if little Peter would be given the Medical Visa today. By the way, since the earthquake, medical visas have not been issued. At 9:55AM, Haiti time, Peter's medical Visa was placed in my hand. He was free to travel to the U.S. to receive surgery to straighten out his legs (Peter's legs are completely unusable). Calls were made and Peter was quickly prepared and packed and headed to the airport. Upon return, we conducted a final aircraft inspection and we awaited Peter. Soon, he arrived. He was overwhelmed by the rapidly moving events. I only had a few minutes to try to explain what was about to happen. We made a smooth take-off. Peter was crying for his mother. I quickly dispatched Garrett to the back seat and told him to be "the big brother". You see Garrett is the oldest of 6 children. He did a super job. Little Peter managed to go to sleep with Garrett holding him. By the time we landed in Exuma for fuel, Garrett had truly begun to win the heart of Peter. We made a very quick turn-around and soon we were headed for Fort Pierce. We had earlier phoned the Officials and explained Peter's situation. Upon landing, they were fully prepared for us and all went just like clockwork. The officials allowed the care-giving family, Brandon and Abigail to enter in and even allowed us to snap this shot. Ahhhhh.....Mission accomplished!! Garrett and I headed back to Titusville, a short 25 minute flight with a beautiful Florida sunset. It's good to be home!! Today, Post Mission inspection on our trusty mission aircraft. Taking care of a lot of business. Been thinking a lot about that camp very close to Ruuska Village. Have some thoughts I will share either this evening or tomorrow morning. As always....THANKS for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe April 20, 2010 - 4:53am - Tuesday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) A DRIVING RAIN IN THE NIGHT! I sleep in a little "perch", it's actually a small porch in the "Baby House" (of course all of the babies have been sent to the U.S. on either Humanitarian Parole or straight adoption). The heavy rains in the early morning, turned from the north and saturared my bed...a rude awakening. This is the kind of rain that brings misery in its path. I ask our Lord to help us to identify with hundreds of thousands who are shivering and muddy and..... The internet connection here in our village depends upon a relatively clear sky. The connection just came back, thus allowing this brief report. It could disconnect any moment, so, this may be the report for the day. We await the Visa for little "Peter" or Pierre. This could occur at any time. We will try to check on Camp CaananII, but the heavy rains have made the roads very difficult to travel. The best we can do this morning is "send" them our prayers! Please join with us on this matter. I'd better close out for now. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe LATE AFTERNOON UPDATE - UPDATE - UPDATE! April 19, 2010 - 5:59pm - Monday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As the photo depicts, Garrett and I were fully loaded and....headed back to the U.S. this morning but.....got a call from the Embassy. A critical medical visa was about to be issued. Our plane was full of fuel, loaded and we were ready, however, the Visa was not quite ready. Decision time - what do we do? Before I tell you what we decided, here's a report from Caanan II, the large tent city that we are "adopting" (it is a limited adoption due to limited resources, but powered by an unlimited Lord!). We showed up bright and early this morning and met with the Committee. They had pumped water yesterday and the machine performed beautifully. I explained again where our repair / service / support facility was located. I assured them that we would be in on a regular basis to check on the unit and the Camp. As we were driving into the camp, Garrett snapped these 3 children carrying in water for the day. This scene is duplicated thousands of times daily. It is so easy to take water for granted when....there is plenty to go around. May we never forget the plight of billions around the globe who struggle for water daily! Well, back to our "delay". I personally traveled back to the Embassy and spoke with the representative to verify exactly what would be required for the Visa. Looks like we will be traveling soon. Now, I can't say exactly when, because we really, really don't know when the document will be finished. By the time all these events transpired, we have come to the end of another beautiful day in Haiti. Time to get some rest and be ready for another day bright and early tomorrow morning. As always and from the bottom of my heart...THANK YOU for your love and prayer!!! Air Mobile Joe April 19, 2010 - 6:19am - Monday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Haiti dodged a huge storm last night. The weather sattelite indicated a massive storm was coming. Forecasts called for major flooding. We watched this huge red image approach Haiti. I phoned our good friend John Vrooman in Les Cayes to get an actual status report. He reported light, steady rain and no flooding whatsoever! We checked our computer as the huge red image crept toward Haiti. The skies grew dark, the winds blew, ominous rain clouds formed and....tiny, spattering drops of rain fell. It was just amazing and I would say, a bit miraculous. So many were spared a miserable and likely painful night! We just rejoice in the Lord. Yesterday, as the lead photo indicates, we were able to deploy a second Voyager in a large Children's Home in Brycee, Haiti (operated by the Jacksonville Baptist Association). Several weeks ago, we had checked on their unit. It was such a blessing to see the way they set it up and how well it worked. The orphanage is reaching out into the community and needed a second unit so that they could further impact their neighbors with the love and care of the Gospel. Oh, this deployment felt good. It is such a blessing to present the orphanage with a second unit. In just a few minutes, we're going to check the tent city, Caanan II. We will be able to visit with Pastor Volny and the leadership. We will also see how they fared through the "lite rain" last night. Will report later. I must tell you, young Garrett, our latest "water mule" has done just great. He has grasped the operation of the Voyager very well and above all...he is willing to do whatever needs to be done. His parents will be very pleased with how well he has done on this mission. As always, we have a bunch of stuff to do today...so, gotta run!! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 18, 2010 - 5:37am - Sunday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) A picture is worth more than a thousand words. Haiti is surrounded by unstable and moist weather. Rain, as we all know is both a blessing and a curse. On this beautiful Sunday morning, please remember Haiti in your prayer. One must be flexible in this country. We actually had planned not to be in Haiti today, but circumstances (as depicted above) have changed our plans. We will certainly make the best of it. We have several locations that really need Voyagers. Will report later today, if satellite / inverter systems are in operation. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU READ THIS BLOG, I WOULD LOVE YOUR FEEDBACK. PLEASE CONSIDER DROPPING ME A NOTE AT: www.airmobilejoe@gmail.com AND LET ME KNOW. THANKS!!! Joe April 17, 2010 - 5:46pm - Saturday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We headed back to the tent city this morning. We set up and tested in the little “hole” in the dump. This water is from the recent rains and it drains right to this little hole. The leadership from Tent City “Caanan II” began to form and see this miracle machine. A lady had some 5 gallon culligan jugs. They did not quite know what to think about the young man with the strange yellow case on his back. The show was on. When I drank the water, the little group could not believe it. Soon they were wanting some of the “miracle: water. All during this time, I was evaluating the leadership and listening carefully to their comments and questions. I still had not told them that we would be donating a unit to them. Pastor Volny and the rest of the Leadership of the camp showed up. They could not believe that an American would drink water out of the hole in the dump. Soon, they were drinking the water. Again, we spent a lot of time discussing the situation in the Camp and how they would handle such a machine should we choose to donate it to the camp. The more we talked, the more we decided to donate the unit. You see, the camp has 5,600 “residents”. The single Voyager cannot provide water to them all. I explained that if they handled this unit well (should we donate it), then we may consider more. They fully understood. After the demo, we promised to pray. Garrett and I headed back to the mission….just in time for lunch. The decision was made. We would donate the unit. We believe it is a good decision….besides, Caanan II Camp is only 15 minutes from Ruuska. It will be very easy to follow it up. Soon, we were headed back with their unit. This time, our mission was to train the team of operators. The folks gathered and just marveled that we would drink water from that hole. The deeper the training went, the better I felt. This team can handle the Voyager and handle the usual challenges that will come along. During the presentation, I had the privilege to share the gospel while doing the training. For example, our Lord can take the vilest sinner and forgive and cleanse to uttermost. It was a wonderful training. We made the final presentation, filled out the paperwork and we were headed right back to our village. As we were heading out, Pat Moore, from Ruuska Village, and a medical team was headed right into the Tent City to offer medical assistance….as much as able. It is so good to be working so closely together. The needs are so great….and yes, we feel sometimes that the laborers are few. Back at the mission, upon reflection, it’s been a good day. Thanks again for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe PS - Due to the severe gasoline shortage, the representatives from the other tent city and the orphanage were unable to get out to our mission to discuss the Voyagers. As I always implore, PLEASE do not forget to pray for Haiti. The needs are staggering and the vulnerability of the Haitian people is indescribeable! PPS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLOG, YOU PROBABLY FEEL AS IF YOU ARE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY. WELL, YOU ARE. JUST READ DOWN AND YOU WILL SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT. Joe April 17, 2010 - 5:46am - Saturday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Today, more Voyager repairs / last night and early this morning, I thought a lot about the tent city we visited yesterday. I must tell you an interesting conversation I had with Pastor Volne, the Assembly of God Pastor from the Tent City. I asked him about all the rain that they have had over the last few days. You may recall, when Garrett and I arrived on Wednesday, it rained and rained that evening. I thought about how miserable folks must be in the tent cities. Well, I got another angle on the rain. The Pastor and several of those with him explained that during the rains, it is a perfect time to shower. Mmmmm, that is a good point. Also, every empty bucket in the tent city was put out and filled to the brim. They smiled and said that rain is not all that bad. I marvel at the durable spirit of the Haitian people. It should be noted, in many of the crowded tent cities in Port-Au-Prince, heavy rains do cause many problems and the misery level is quite high. We heard about another tent city that needs a Voyager. We are expecting representatives today. We will discuss the situation and endeavor to place the Voyagers in the best possible way. We also spoke with another Orphanage yesterday that needs a Voyager. We hope to meet with them in our Village today. It is important that the recipients know where we are, so that they can bring their Voyager here for service and repair. I would like to mention this now. Over the last 5 years, Air Mobile in close cooperation with Reach Out to Haiti (Barb's ministry), have maintained and repaired every Voyager that has been brought to us....at no charge. Your gifts and love and support have enabled us to do this. God Bless You and THANK YOU AGAIN!! Have to get to work. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 16, 2010 - 6:09pm - Friday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We hit the ground running this morning. Garrett and I got the "assembly line" Voyager Repair Center going and soon we were cranking out fully refurbished Voyagers. As I had shared earlier, we really wanted to identify the new tent cities and find where the government is moving hundreds of thousands of folks. Well, wherever they are, it is not obvious. Pat, a long time friend of Barbara Walker and I headed up north searching. Soon, we found ourselves at the Samaritan's Purse Compound. I sought out my good friend Dave Phillips. Dave and I have been to Haiti together several times. He too did not know exactly where all of the displaced / replaced refugees were being placed. We headed back down and passed this huge camp that has been in place since immediatley following the quake. It has only grown in size. I entered in and began asking about the water situation. It was as I suspected....bad. I took this photo of a young lady that had traveled quite a distance for the water for the day. The story was the same everywhere we asked. I was very glad to meet Pastor Volne, an Assembly of God Pastor that was permanently based in this camp. We discussed the water situation. I told him we would pray about helping. You see, first they had to get a "source" of water. After departing, I found that not very far away was a river. We opted to return to check the salt level. We did and it was quite high. However, a number of "feeder streams" had acceptable levels of salt. The problem is, when the rains stop, so do the feeder streams. At any rate, we are looking to do something. Upon returning to Ruuska Village, we met Dr. Bernard. He had 2 Voyagers that needed repair. It just so happened that we had to freshly refurbished units. After a brief training, he was out the door. Tomorrow, we continue our quest to help the Tent City and other tent cities. Better close out for now. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW ALL OF THIS HAS UNFOLDED - THERE IS MUCH "AMAZING GRACE" DOWN BELOW April 16, 2010 - 5:49am - Friday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday was a good day. Our Voyager repair center (temporary)is back on-line. We began processing Voyagers. Our method is to always have Voyagers ready to go out the door especially for units that come back for repair. We simply "swap" the unit out. Garrett is learning the system quite well. We now have 262 Voyagers in Haiti. After getting the Repair Depot back on-line, we did research on the best places to place the units. We will be contacting an orphanage today. We hope to visit a tent city today also. Ruuska Village is nearly "out of orphans", Barbara's goal since the earthquake occured. The contruction is going extremely well. We had a medical team arrive yesterday. Have to get to work....God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 15, 2010 - 5:49am - Thursday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Last night it rained in Haiti! Heavy, saturating rain. It must have poured for 2 straight hours. This particular cell was quite large and covered much of Port-Au-Prince and Bon Repos. As it rained, our team was safe and dry. I do not have the exact rainfall amount, but it had to be 3"-5". Having gotten up very early yesterday and flying to Haiti, by the time the rains came, I had found a quiet, safe, dry spot in our village and was drifting in and out of sleep. I could not help but realize how many hundreds of thousands of Haitians are huddled under tarps with mud everywhere. As we drove from the airport yesterday, a number of "familiar" tent cities were gone....completely gone as if they had never been there. These were large tent cities with thousands of people. We hope to do some searching and find out where some of these folks have been relocated. We hope and pray their "new home" has the basics, sanitation, clean water etc. In the meantime, Barbara has selected several locations for Voyagers. Garrett and I will be re-organizing our Voyager Repair Depot today and getting as many Voyagers ready for deployment as possible. Thanks for your love and prayer! We really need your prayer so that we may be effective and helpful to so many that are suffering. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe April 14, 2010 - 5:39pm - Wednesday (Haiti Time)- Ruuska Village - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Welcome to Haiti! We flew in this morning. The rules are changing again, now vehicles are not allowed in to the General Aviation Airport increasing the challenge of unloading and just getting out of the airport operation area. Such is life...always changing. We fueled in Exuma International Airport. Junior Strahan's son fueled our plane. Now, Junior has been fueling our mission airplanes for 30 years. It's good to see the tradition carried on. Our landing at Exuma International was in a fierce cross wind. It was a challenging, but successful landing. Then we proceeded on to Port-Au-Prince. My passengers included Nadia who is an Air Traffic Controller for Haiti. Talk about a blessing! She taught me several of the critical and complicated approaches. It was nice getting the training from a controller who sees the Controller end and then... she was able to see the approach from the pilot's vantage point. This was a great blessing for us both. My other passenger is Garrett. Garrett is the oldest son of Jason. I have known Jason since he was about the same age as Garrett. Jason packed up and moved to Cocoa / Titusville nearly 20 years ago to work in Air Mobile Ministries. I am so glad to see Garrett following in his father's footsteps. Well, we're here for the next few days. We'll share with you the things we will be doing. Haiti is experiencing more difficulties. Heavy rains have already begun to fall. Fuel is in short supply. It is so difficult to function here. Please pray for the missionaries and the victims! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THE BLOG, YOU PROBABLY FEEL AS IF YOU ARE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY. WELL, YOU ARE. JUST READ DOWN AND YOU WILL SEE HOW WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT. Joe April 14, 2010 - 5:59am - Wednesday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Space Center Executive Airport - (new) Air Mobile Hangar - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) There is something so beautiful about an airport in the early morning. The pilot can actually turn the runway and taxi lights on by depressing the microphone switch. Ahhh, it is a thing of beauty when the airport "comes alive". Today, we are here early preparing the aircraft for our next mission. Cindy and I taught at Wycliffe Headquarters yesterday to a very sharp, intense group of students. It was such a blessing to have Cindy with me. She is such a balance / it's "transformational". That by the way is was the main topic of our lesson on Community Development. Well, better get back to work. Have a lot to do today. God Bless! Really appreciate your prayers. Air Mobile Joe PS - If you look at the satellite imagery, you will see that Haiti is surrounded by weather, but for the time is spared. Continue to pray that as the hundreds of thousands of refugees relocate, that the rains will hold back. Thanks. Joe April 13, 2010 - 7:09am - Tuesday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) This morning, Cindy and I head to Orlando to Wycliffe Headquarters. We will be teaching a "Perspectives" class on Community Developments. As I mentioned yesterday, it is good to get into the "Word" and study. It is particularly challenging when your students are serious and solid! As I scan the weather in the Caribbean, there is much "instablity" in the air. There are large cells of weather to the south of Haiti as well as to the east. Please pray that the rains will be mild and flooding held to a minimum. The season overall, appears to be potentially intense. Forecasters are agreeing with this. All the more reason to pray. Forced "resettlements" are occuring. Many nations are asking the Haitian officials to do this in a "humane" manner. The first reports from this weekend indicate that the manner of resettling 7200 was not very "humane". The situation there is extremely difficult. There are increasing reports of a rapid increase in crime. As I reported earlier, the national prison was severely damaged during the earthquake and ALL of the prisoners escaped. There were some pretty bad guys in the group of escapees. Kidnappings are also on the rise. Please pray that the Lord will help the officials apprehend the bad guys. The last thing Haiti needs right now is a massive crime spree. It has been exactly 3 months since the earthquake. We have seen many changes. One of the most notable is a true spirit of "repentance" and tenderness toward the Lord. Please pray that this move of God will continue in the heart's of the Haitian people. We have to run and go teach. God Bless and thanks for reading our little "report" this morning. Air Mobile Joe April 12, 2010 - 7:29am - Monday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Space Center Executive Airport - Air Mobile Hangar - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Up early and working on the aircraft for flight preparation. We hope to be headed to Haiti sometime this week. Today, we continue on the Oxygen system - going through the whole system - looking for leaks. Yesterday evening, Cindy and I had the privilege of teaching a "Perspectives" class on world missions. It was so good to have to "study" in preparation. I chuckle at how our Lord uses such opportunity to teach to put us into His word to a deeper level. Our students were very sharp and serious, thus demanding a lot of study and prep. One way or the other, His Word grew in our hearts. I can tell you, I believe the instructors (me and Cindy) got as much if not more out of the class then did our students. Tuesday, we teach the same class at Wycliffe World Headquarters. Those students are very serious about the Word, so it means even more study. That is a good thing. Meanwhile, back to the aircraft. Oh yes, today, we're moving out of our temporary hangar, graciously provided to Air Mobile by the Titusville Airport Authority, into our permanent hangar. There is a long waiting list, but our Lord opened the door for a beautiful hangar for our permanent home. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe April 11, 2010 - 12:39pm - Sunday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Orlando, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Hurston's are grabbing a quick meal just before ministering in the Children's Hospital. As we have mentioned, this has been ministry for the last 13 years on Sunday afternoons. We truly love these children. News from Haiti - Evictions have begun from refugee camps in Port-Au-Prince as the rains are approaching....the question is..where to go? Also, the crime has increased dramatically as the National Prison was destroyed and the entire prison population "escaped". PLEASE pray that our Lord holds back the spirit of "lawlessness" that is on the rise in Haiti. Meanwhile, Air Mobile is making plans to return to Haiti soon. As is our procedure now - we do not publish or exact travel dates for security reasons. We of course, trust our Lord for protection, but endeavor to use common sense to protect our teams. We also, truly ask you to pray for our teams as we travel. Better run for now. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 10, 2010 - 9:29am - Saturday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The concert was wonderful. The Lady in the Blue Dress (Barbara Walker...alias "Rambo in the Blue Dress)made it in. We had a great time and we are moving closer to getting all of the funding to complete the engine change. Looks like we'll be back in Haiti sometime next week. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe April 9, 2010 - 7:29am - Friday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Space Center Executive Airport / Air Mobile Hangar - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Tonight is the Air Mobile Benefit Concert (WINGS FOR HAITI) held at: The Church of Viera 9005 N. Wickham Rd. Viera, FL 32940 TIME: 6:00PM CAUSE: HELP AIR MOBILE'S WINGS!! * Sure hope you can come. Great bands are going to play (All Things New & The Mezzanine Worship Band) - bounce houses for kids - plenty of food (COME HUNGRY) and wonderful speakers (Danny McKnight from "Black Hawk Down" will be our feature speaker). I hope to see you there. We may even have a certain lady in the "Blue Dress" with us. * "THE CAUSE" - When Air Mobile received N19EZ, the beautiful Turbo Cessna 337, we knew that the front engine would need to be changed pretty soon. As I have reported in numerous blog reports, the front engine has been flying better and better. Even the oil consumption has dropped significantly and the cylinder compressions have come up as we have flown it more and more. At no time have we operated the aircraft in an unsafe manner. We just know that we have an engine approaching overhaul time. With that knowledge, we pay particularly close attention to the performance and do frequent, in-depth inspections. Still, the clock continues to tick and we are moving toward the replacement engine. I am very pleased to tell you that a donor came forward about a month ago and provided the funds for the basic engine. Now, we need the funds for all of the components that are not included, i.e. the complete exhaust system, the turbo, all hoses and the propeller overhaul. In other words, "Firewall Forward" replacement. This benefit concert is being conducted for this purpose. I would also like to mention my dear friend and brother, Chris Bear. Chris is the founder of Bear Bonez Productions, a Christian promotion agency to help causes such as ours. Chris came forward and offered to put on this concert for Haiti and Air Mobile Ministries. We are so thankful for Chris and his crew! As many of you know, Haiti has all but completely dropped off of the "Media Radar". We must not forget or abandon our brothers and sisters in our own back yard. Please remember to pray for Haiti. God Bless and thanks again for taking the time to read my little "editorial blog". Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW ALL OF THIS HAS UNFOLDED - THERE IS MUCH "AMAZING GRACE" DOWN BELOW April 8, 2010 - 7:49am - Thursday (Eastern U.S. Time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday heavy rains fell on Port-Au-Prince. The rains did not last long, but they sure caused a huge mess in some of the sprawling camps throughout P-A-P. Also, the 2010 Hurricane Season is projected to be fierce. How much can one nation stand? Folks, please remember Haiti. Do what you can and stand with this country that is going through such difficult times. I know that for the most part, Haiti has dropped off of the news "radar", but the suffering is huge. That is the reason I am writing this blog everyday...to remind some to pray! Other Haiti news from yesterday...The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is ending the "Humanitarian Parole" of orphans as of April 14th. The Haitian Government is requesting a "final list" of eligible orphans. We knew this would come to an end. For any of you reading this blog, the "rules" are about to change again. Cindy and I were able to move our adoption process further along yesterday at USCIS. We have had a little girl from Haiti for nearly 2 years. She had a life-saving operation and has been in the U.S. on a medical visa. We "march" along, one step at a time, ever getting closer to our goal. Today, we re-install our oxygen tanks on the aircraft. The oxygen allows us to fly at higher altitudes to take advantage of possible tail winds or get above bad weather. Also, the plane flies more efficiently at the higher altitudes. Oxygen is a good thing! Here's a reminder....The Air Mobile Benefit Concert is tomorrow night. The location is: Church At Viera 9005 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, Florida - Date: Friday - April 9, 2010 Time: 6:00PM Great Music / Bounce Houses for the kids / Great speaker / Great Bands / COME HUNGRY - Plenty of food - CAUSE: Raise the balance of the funds for the Air Mobile Aircraft Engine Change CONTACT: Joe Hurston - Cell phone: 321-544-7757 HOPE YOU CAN COME!! LOVE TO SEE YOU!! Joe and Cindy April 7, 2010 - 6:49am - Wednesday (Haiti time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) READY TO GO!! After our extensive "post-mission inspection", our aircraft, N19EZ, is ready to go for the next mission (what a wonderful plane!!). It will likely be sometime next week. Today, Cindy and I go to USCIS (United States Citizenship & Immigration Service). We're proceeding on course with our adoption of the little girl we brought into the U.S. for major surgery. Yes, we fell in love with Dieunika. She has quite a story. Since our appointment is early, we must run. Have a lot to share later. Oh, by the way, IF you are in the Central Florida area, I want to invite you to a wonderful concert being put on behalf of Air Mobile Ministries. The location is: The Church of Viera in Melbourne, FL. It is this Friday night at 6:00pm. Come hungry and ready to worship. Will give more details later. If you have any questions, call me on my cell at: 321-544-7757. Just don't call between 8:30am and 10:00am this morning, as we'll be in our appointment. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 6, 2010 - 6:49am - Tuesday (Haiti time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Today - Post mission inspection on the aircraft. After every Haiti flight, our team meets to do a thorough inspection on the aircraft. It's very assuring and a pleasure to fly a bird that is maintained so well. This last mission to Haiti went very well. Remember, I mentioned last week that front engine is using less oil? Well, it was confirmed on this last flight. There is a truth to all of this. We function best when we are utilized as designed. The airplane, like us, does not like to sit and not be used. The more the bird flies, the better it seems to fly. Likewise, as we are used by our Lord in His service more and more, there comes a joy and we actually function better as we walker closer and closer to Jesus each day. Yesterday, I tried to get a little rest, but that phone of mine just kept ringing and yes, I answered it every time. Cindy tells me that I only have myself to blame for the intense schedule I keep. I tell her, "she is like the pot calling the kettle black". She does the same thing! Pray that we both learn to back off a little bit and rest as needed. However, with the depth of destruction, despair and need in Haiti, it is difficult. Will write more later today. God Bless and thanks for bearing with my ramblings this morning. Air Mobile Joe April 5, 2010 - 10:09am - Monday (Haiti time)- Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) From the shot above, you can guess what we did on a beautiful Easter morning! We had a perfect flight home and yes....it's good to be home...for the moment. Because of heavy time restraints and doing a lot of moving around, I was unable to give you a report on what we did on Saturday. It was supposed to be a day of rest for me because....I have been dealing with some flu like symptoms and needed to gather strength for the flite home on Sunday. We decided to go to the beach with the team in the village and....we'd stop at a few orphanages on the way. Turned out to be a productive but busy day...so much for a little rest. Our first stop was at a large and well designed orphanage The Baptist Children's Home. We donated a Voyager to them a year ago. We were checking up. We found a well positioned and used Voyager. The missionary set the unit up beautifully, secured the feet of the unit in an ingenious way and was using the Voyager every day. We agreed to get them longer hoses, more filters and.....donate a second unit for another orphanage close by that had serious water issues. From that orphanage, we headed to the Bon Samaritan Orphanage. This oprhanage needed a Voyager. They had recently been connected to a source of water, but it was contaminated. Peter helped me in the set up (remember he had pretty intense training from Anderson). The staff of the orphanage were great students and very interested in the Voyager operation. We explained clearly how this unit will dramatically reduce illness in their community. While we were training the staff on the operation, the medical team with us examined the children in the orphanage. It was a very good deployment. From there, it was on to Wahoo Beach (finally). Our team enjoyed time on the beach, Barbara and I played yahtzee and the meal was great. Barbara always gets the biggest lobster(s) we've ever seen. They really love her at the Wahoo! They make strange and exotic ear-rings! Now, to those of you who read this blog and to see what Barbara is up to, I don't want to hear of you giving her a hard time by "goofing off and eating huge lobsters at the beach"!! Barb DESERVES a break from time to time for all she does!! Will close out for now. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 4, 2010 - 6:29am - Sunday (Haiti time)- Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) HE IS RISEN! In the midst of the rubble, destruction, despair...life emerges! This little baby was brought into our village last night. The mother died in child birth. My daughter Juliet was checking her phone, when this baby was brought in. We, in the village, with Barabara's incredible determination and ingenuity, have gotten nearly all of the adoptive orphans out, but...life and death goes on. Yet, so many know they can come the "Village" for a safe place for vulnerable children. This little girl appeared to weigh around 4 pounds, but was alert and responsive. Today, we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. He has come to bring us "LIFE and LIFE more abundantly". We can have extremely abundant life in the midst of destruction and despair. The way to do that - fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus and follow Him with all of our heart. So many times, in life, when we do not know what to do, or where to turn, or how to help, simply call on Jesus - He is here with us, in the midst of the rubble and despair and suffering and will lead us one step at a time. Yesterday, we were able to bring "clean water (and living water) to 2 orphanages. There are more details, but they will have to wait a bit. Time marches on... I only have a precious few moments to write this little "blog" before aiming back for the U.S. All I can say is...we are heading back soon. God Blessed and may you have a BLESSED DAY celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!! Air Mobile Joe April 3, 2010 - 6:47am - Saturday (Haiti time)- Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday was Good Friday. We've been so focused on our "mission" here, we hardly took notice. I do not say that disrespectfully or lightly. Haiti is just so torn up, the normal pictures / displays of Easter are just non-existent. We have been so crazy busy getting Voyagers up and working, meeting recipients / getting in cement mixers / moving rebar/cement /taking care of team members with medical situations / helping doctors with patients...it just passed us by. We acknowledge this season as the time to honor and "remember" these things. As our Lord told us at the Last Supper, "Do these things in rememberance of Me". As I think on these things, my heart is moved by the deep and unexplainable, extraordinary, unimagineable love our Lord had and has for us to come into this broken and suffering world and give His life for us. Wow, what an amazing thought. May you experience His deep love this morning. Here's a "snapshot" of yesterday (actually a couple of snapshots thanks to my I-phone). From the photo above, you can see that our faithful "water technician" Anderson and Juliet and Peter are hard at work setting up and testing all Voyagers in our inventory. In the past, I have spoken about Anderson. He is 11 years old and has been running the "Clean Water Program" with the Vortex Voyagers in Ruuska Village for the last 2 years. He is very good on the machines and understands them very well. Here, Juliet (my 16 year old daughter) and Peter (my 12 year old son) are helping getting things set up and "testing". While this process was taking place, Samaritan's Purse showed up with the mission Cement mixer. This will help our whole rebuilding progress. Just on the other side of this shot are 2 containers filled with building supplies. The deconstruction as pretty much come to an end. The perimeter walls are up and the village is secure. Now, the heavy construction is about to begin. One of the Samaritan Purse (SP) guys that delivered our cement mixer was interested in the Voyager operation. I explained that over the years, Air Mobile has actually donated nearly 70 Voyagers to SP following catatastrophe's such as the tsunami, Pakistan earthquake, flooding in India, etc. There was great interest. Also found out that this gentleman actually sits right next to the SP Water Sanitation Director. I had begun speaking with this gentleman several years ago, but we both got swept up in the Myanmar disaster and just did not pick our conversation back up. We hope to get re-connected. It would be wonderful if SP utilized the Voyagers all over the world. We continued to analyze the Voyagers. Anderson had found one that was leaking, during my first test, it appeared to be ok. Then, drip by drip the small leak occured. Anderson was right on in his diagnosis. This kid is good. We set it aside for repair. I am so glad that the Voyager can be run and operated by an 11 year old. You know, it's very easy to take clean water for granted. In this village, it takes extra effort and care and a wonderful machine. For that we are thankful. All of this by 10:00am. I left our good Voyagers repair / test team to head into town with Kyle (my son-in-law) to pick up Barbara (Rambo in the Blue Dress). As we had landed on Thursday (4-1-10) in Port-Au-Prince, Barb was taking off on an American Airlines jet with 4 orphans headed to their new adoptive parents. You see as soon as the Embassy releases the documents, the kids have to travel. Well, Barb was just returning from the Orphan delivery. We picked her up after her 24 hour delivery mission. One of our team members experienced deep abdominal pain. We rushed him to the "field hospital" run by the University of Miami and set up right at the airport. After quick and professional ER work, it was determined that it was likely an appendecitus (I will withhold the missionaries name). Soon, the member will be headed to the states for surgery or....not. We pray that our Lord touches and heals. Please join us for complete healing (PRAYER REQUEST). Now, it is 11:30am. Pick up more missionaries coming in the help in the Village and head back. Truck overheats, put in water, limp back to the village. Return to all units tested and ready for deployment. Medical team members tackle supply room organization. Construction team members working on unloading / building walls / moving plywood / 2X4's / One of our doctors is working with a little girl with club feet. Casts have been removed. Return to University of Miami field hospital. Get supplies. Meet incredible volunteers / donors. Met the CEO of a Satellite / Communications company that has effectively set up huge big screen tv with direct connections back to a hospital in North Carolina. Now, the Haiti doctors can "show" the NC doctors the patient and get "collective" knowledge on how to best treat. It is just amazing. These are just huge tents set up in a field, but the lives that are saved by these "God-given" skills and heaven inspired generosity is just staggering. I saw this hospital as it was being set up in the early days immediately following the January 12th earthquake. Now, tens of thousands have been treated. This hospital is a whole story in itself. You see, the problem that I have with this blog, is I don't know where to stop. There are STORIES EVERYWHERE! After getting the medical supplies for our little "club foot" girl and getting our missionary with the appendecitis, we headed back to the village. Now, it is about 4:00pm. We get back. I personally am feeling completely exhausted and just need a bit of rest. These back to back to back to back missions are beginning to take a toll. We are not going to Les Cayes on this trip. We'll do that one later. Today, we are headed to another orphanage. I know it well. They need a Voyager. There are other things we will do and tomorrow, you'll find out about them. Have a blessed time of reflecting on the Passion of our Lord! God Bless You and THANK YOU for taking the time to read this "wordy" blog. Air Mobile Joe PS - Ohh, I forgot to mention earlier, yesterday was Barbara's birthday. We had a late evening celebraton with Lemon cake especially prepared by our local chef, Missy. PPS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! IF YOU READ DOWN, YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS, & MANY OTHER "MISSIONS" HAVE, AND ARE UNFOLDING. GOD BLESS - HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM! Air Mobile Joe April 2, 2010 - 6:35am - Friday (Haiti time)- Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The clouds are rolling in...We pray it does not rain in Haiti. We slept in tents last night. The rain fell on and off throughout the evening. Just knowing that millions are sleeping out of doors with very little hope of changing their condition in the near future, is a sobering thought. Today, the Hurston's will be working on Voyager water purifiers. We'll be going through our inventory of parts, repairing several units and prepping other units for deployment. If the weather holds, we may even try to get over to Les Cayes on the southwest coast. We have long and dear friends there, the Vrooman's. Cindy has known Diane Vrooman since they were in High School. They came to Haiti together as young nursing graduates in 1983. Les Cayes has had terrible flooding and like much of Haiti, what water sources they had are now CHANGED. The Change is not for the best, good water is now contaminated. Of course, this is causing many health problems. Please pray for Juliet, Peter and myself as we "tackle" this problem. Yes, I know it is a drop in the bucket, but hopefully, it will be a CLEAN drop in the bucket! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe April 1, 2010 - 5:43pm - Thursday (Haiti time)- Ruuska Village, Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As you've probably guessed, the Hurston's slipped into Haiti without a lot of fanfare. Our flight was great. I can't tell you how good it is to have Juliet Joy (the Passport recipient from our Tuesday blog) and Peter James, my youngest son. Peter did a superb job of flying the airplane. I found out, that during some of his simulator training, he hand flew a 747 from Tokyo to Paris in real time (he said it took him all day and into the evening)! He has a wonderful touch on the controls. We discussed the systems and emergency procedures. He, like his Mom, is a very quick study! Upon landing in Port-Au-Prince, my phone was ringing. The "caller" knows who it is, and this shot proves the "Extreme" measures, one will go through to speak with me, even tracking me down in Haiti. It was a very good call! During yesterday's blog, I mentioned that we received a good load of surgical supplies / instruments. Talk about perfect timing. There were 70 boxes and we were able to bring in 19 on this flight. There will be some happy surgeons in Haiti. Like most things we do, the problems are daunting, even monumental. The thought is always there, "why bother" or "what difference will this make" or "our airplane is so small and we have so much to bring". We wrestle with these and many other thoughts. The fact is though, "we just keep nibbling away at the problem, doing a little bit here and a little bit there". Our walk with the Lord is often that way. The main thing is "just keep walking with Him every day and asking Him what to do each and every day". I will admit, some days are definately better than others. But remember, the things we see with our eyes are often different from the way things really are. Just don't give up and keep on serving Him everyday! As we approached Port-Au-Prince, we could see rain everywhere. What a grim reminder of the millions of Haitians that are sleeping out doors, many under primitive conditions. We would like to get out to Les Cayes and place some water purifiers, but the weather may prevent the journey. Please pray our Lord to lead us in this regard. While at the Village, we will be organizing and inventorying the Voyager supplies and available units for deployment. So many of you have helped us with this vital project. Better close out for the day. Time to set up our tent. We'll be sleeping out of doors like the millions all around us. Please remember to pray for Haiti! Air Mobile Joe PS - By the way, we fly over "Gilligan's Island" every time we go to Haiti. It is actually a small island just east of Nassau on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. I had to put this shot up, because I have a friend named "John Gilligan". This shots for you, John! Joe April 1, 2010 - 5:58am - Wednesday - Space Center Executive Airport - Air Mobile Hangar / Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We're up real early getting the mission plane ready for our next mission. We'll be departing in the very near future. All is well. This is just a quick word. Will write more later. PLEASE remember to pray for our team today as we need His strength and guidance. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe March 31, 2010 - 4:43pm - Wednesday - Space Center Executive Airport - Air Mobile Hangar / Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here's a quick praise report....a world-wide aeronautical chart provider just agreed to send us all of the approach information for the Caribbean at no charge. I did not even ask for this. I was simply speaking with the representative making inquiry as to how to get the aeronautical charts and he just offered to send them free. WOW! What a blessing. Earlier today, we had a drop off of critical surgical supplies and instruments. We'll be able to get some of those on the flight that is leaving very soon. Our Lord is so good. God Bless and keep on praying! Air Mobile Joe March 31, 2010 - 10:43am - Wednesday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) FYI If you have ever wondered if you can get a U.S. Passport in a single day....you can! I have spoken with literally hundreds of people (U.S. Citizens) who have wanted to do missions work. My FIRST question is: "Do you have your passport". When I hear "no", my immediate response is - "get it". You see, you're not going anywhere out of this beautiful country without your passport. A passport is usually good for 10 years. When you have your passport "in hand", then you can go almost anywhere on a moments notice. That is a good position to be in for our Lord's service. Yesterday began at 3:30am and ended at 11:55pm. It is possible to drive down to a Regional Passport office and get your passport "the same day". Just go on-line, fill out the forms, get the data (i.e. birth certificate or whatever else is required for your case), get the photos and if possible, get an appointment and show up early. In our case, we could not get an appointment because, the next available appointment was past our projected travel date. I wrote a letter on mission letterhead and "by faith" drove 220 miles one way and showed up early. Now get this.... After arrival, I had picked up the file with all our vital documents and "assumed" that the forms, photos etc. were in that file. Well, I left the photos, forms, etc. on our kitchen counter. Here is a "Kudo" for the U.S. Passport service. The officer that does the "first screen", i.e., do you have an appointment or not, was GREAT! He gave us the necessary forms and directed us to a Passport Photo place within walking distance. 25 minutes later, we were in line. Now, begins the "wait" game. We got processed quickly to an agent. We gave our story. It was all good. We, held up our right hands and "swore" that all the info was true. Paid a hefty sum for quick processing (a little over $200) then were told to come back in the afternoon. We had Barbara with us. It's always a kick having Barbara. Cindy and Juliet and Barb explored a few Miami sights, I did computer business. Remember, Barb is traveling back to Haiti, but we don't give exact arrival data for security reasons. We returned and waited and waited. We knew the absolute latest time to get this "gold key" to international travel was around 4:00pm. Well, finally, our name was called, and at 3:45pm, one of our valuable Air Mobile Team members had the "License to travel". There you have it. So..... If you really want your passport, you can have it VERY QUICKLY. By the way, the ride home from Miami, after a dinner, put us thru our front door at 11:30pm. A long day. Today, we continue to prepare our aircraft for our next mission to Haiti. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 30, 2010 - 10:43am - Tuesday - Miami, FL U.S. Passport Service / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Cindy and I were up at 3:45am / to get on the road to Miami to secure a passport for one of our team members for our next mission to Haiti. Now that's pretty early to get up, must be a special team member. It is...our daughter, Juliet. So glad she will be able to join me on this next mission. Will tell more later. Yesterday, Air Mobile received some great news! Immediately following the January 12th earthquake, our local airport Director, (Space Center Executive Airport - KTIX) graciously offered us the usage of 2 hangars at no charge for several months. Well, the time to vacate is approaching. There is a multi year waiting list for hangars. Yesterday, one of the private hangars opened up and we were able to secure a permanent home for our aircraft!! We hope to have Juliet's passport in hand by this afternoon and headed back to our home base in Titusville. Air Mobile Joe March 29, 2010 - 6:43pm - Monday - Space Center Executive Airport - Air Mobile Hangar / Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) I just had to share the photo above with you. Do you recall, when we first secured N19EZ, our mission aircraft, we shared that we needed to change the front engine quite soon. Well, the most remarkable thing is happening! The engine is running better and better. As any engine wears, oil consumption increases. Today, when we completed our post mission inspection, we found that not only is the compression getting better, the OIL CONSUMPTION has actually decreased. This is pretty uncanny....we just rejoice and continue to keep a very close eye on the engine. We have ordered a replacement engine and it should be here in about 5-6 weeks. It looks like the front engine is doing very well and we pray that it continues to do so. By the way, we are still lacking the full funding for the front engine. If you would like to assist us with this most worthy project, please contact us via e-mail (www.airmobilejoe@gmail.com) or phone me at: 321-544-7757. Barbara Walker is in town today on her way back to Haiti. We plan to drive her down to Miami tomorrow morning. She will return to Haiti soon. She has a full team in Haiti working on the processing of the visas for the remaining children. Please continue to pray that all goes well. I've gotten word that my dear friend and brother, Paul Berry has mobilized his prayer team to dedicate today to lifting up Air Mobile Ministries. PRAISE GOD! We can certainly use all the prayer we can get. Better close for the day. Just had to share the photo of Gene Hawn, our mechanic, with that joyful smile after we calculated the oil consumption on this last mission. The Lord is Good!! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! IF YOU READ DOWN, YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS, & MANY OTHER "MISSIONS" HAVE, AND ARE UNFOLDING. GOD BLESS - HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM! Air Mobile Joe March 29, 2010 - 6:53am - Monday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Heading to the airport this morning / doing "post - mission inspection" on the aircraft....getting her ready for the next flight. Had great meeting yesterday. We finally met up with Danald yesterday afternoon. It was wonderful seeing he and Cindy remember the early days of ministry in Haiti (27 years ago!) We told the young people at the hospital all about Danald and also, we shared the message from Mark Allen Stuart promising to come and see them sometime. What a blessing to have the lead singer for Audio Adrenalin come and share his faith with them. We look forward to that day. It's a rainy, overcast day here in "sunny" Florida. I pray this weather front does not head down to Haiti! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe March 28, 2010 - 6:57am - Sunday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) I can hear the gentle wind blowing through the palm trees this morning. A reminder of Palm Sunday. Today, the Hurston family will go to our Church, Redeemer Presbyterian and then head to Orlando for our "other" Sunday service. We are working on year 13 of ministry (Cindy and I are the Chaplains) in a Children's / Teenage psychiatric hospital. This has been a labor of love for many years for us. Our children have grown up ministering to other children who are less fortunate. Because of rules, there are many details that we cannot give regarding this ministry. However, we can say that our Lord Jesus has been with us as we have reached out to these young people over these 13 years. Today, we will deliver a message to the young people from Mark Allen Stuart, the Lead Singer for Audio Adrenalin. Mark wrote a song years ago titled, "Big House". He, having spent many years in Haiti as a missionary and the son of missionaries, wrote this song that became a major hit. I had the opportunity, several days ago, to ask Mark about the song and what inspired it. It came from a Haitian song, "Do you want to go...to my Father's House"? I asked Mark if he would want to come to Orlando and meet the children in the Hospital. I explained that the children named their "Church" that meets in the Hospital every Sunday, "Father's House Ministry" after his song. He gladly accepted our offer / request. We do not know when he will come and greet and sing for our kids, but we know that he will. The photo below was taken on Wednesday morning in Port-Au-Prince. Cindy and I were able to help Mark and his wife get from Jacmel to P-A-P to catch a flite. Another cool thing is happening today. Do you recall, in a recent blog, that Cindy and I were in Haiti searching for the twins that Cindy delivered in a mud hut on the day that her brother Tommy was killed? Well, we found the twins. Their older brother, Danel, who was a teenager at the time Cindy as a nurse, was helping deliver babies lives right near us in Fort Myers, Florida. Danel, was a tremendous help to the missionaries during those early days of ministry. We called him and invited him to join for our Chaplain service today at the hospital. This is going to be another wonderful reunion. We will also be able to minister the message of our Lord's wonderful grace and love to come to this earth as a baby...grow up and give His life for our sins. We will explain the story of Palm Sunday and then Good Friday and then.... Resurrection morning! This coming week, we'll be preparing for another mission flight to Haiti. As always, God Bless You and thank you for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! IF YOU READ DOWN, YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS, & MANY OTHER "MISSIONS" HAVE, AND ARE UNFOLDING. GOD BLESS - HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM! Air Mobile Joe March 27, 2010 - 9:27am - Saturday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Saturday morning...Peter playing video games, Dieunika playing with her "play kitchen", Cindy getting ready for a baby shower for Ann Marie, our daughter in law (married to Christian, my son). Juliet just walked in from the Titusville Playhouse, where she is getting ready for another production. Things are normal and quite "comfortable" in the Hurston home. Our bed is so comfortable, coffee is good, we are dry and safe. Just 48 hours ago, Cindy and I were in a completely different world..... A world of unimagineable hardship, deep suffering, emotional grief beyond description, staggering loss when one has such little to begin with...we were in Haiti. Think about the depth of the tragedy; Port-Au-Prince is a city of 2 million people, well over 200,000 lost their lives, suddenly, in 35 seconds. There are 9,000,000 Haitians, over 300,000 lost their lives. That means in P-A-P, 1 out of 10 died, in the overall country, 1 out of 27 died. I do not believe there has ever been a single tragedy that has struck a single country of this magnitude. The truth is, Haiti will need a lot of help for a long time. I know, for many, these staggering statistics are hard to grasp. My simple advice is; PRAY and ask our Lord Jesus to help you grasp this and further, ask Him what you can do to help. I can tell you this with absolute confidence; the Heart of our Lord is broken. Kidnappings have begun again. That is the reason, I will be a little mysterious about our actual travel times. We want to protect our teams / personnel. I was reading a story about the recent increase in kidnappings and then read some of the comments after the story. I was really not shocked by the cruel and judgemental comments made by people. A number of comments talked about the ingratitude and....why should we help these people?. Well, the kidnappers represent a very, very, very small percentage of the Haitian people. What about the MILLIONS of children at extreme risk? They have NOTHING to do with kidnappings, yet.....some would say, "abandon the country....let them fend for themselves". We won't do that, even though, I personally have been attacked, robbed, beaten and attempted kidnapped (miraculously escaped). Some would say I should have my head examined. Why do I go back? Again, I can tell you, it is the Lord Jesus who compels me and Cindy and our whole family to "GO and Help those in such need". You see for us to not go, after knowing what we know, would be pretty serious in the eyes of our Lord. I could go on and on about this, but for now, like Forrest Gump eloquently said, "That's all I'm gonna say about that". In the meantime, we'll be preparing our aircraft, securing supplies and personnel for our next flite. Can't tell you exactly when we'll go back, but.....it's going to be soon! Love you and thanks for reading all of my ramblings this morning. Air Mobile Joe March 26, 2010 - 10:57am - Friday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Good to be back. A hot shower never felt so good. Cindy and I slept like logs! I still can't get over how well Cindy flew. Now, let me tell you how this flight training came about. On the way back, Cindy asked me a very good question. What would happen if something happened to me while we were headed home. This is a very good question. Thus began a 6 + hour flight training. It was great and......Cindy is an amazing student. We discussed how to get the aircraft down from Cruising altitude to pattern altitude. Then we had 3 landings together. We also have an aircraft simulator program for our computer. Cindy will be continuing the flight training. I can't tell you how pleased I am about this. It's a good thing for a pilot to teach his wife how to get the plane down in an emergency. Also, it's fun and Cindy will help a lot on long flights. We've been in touch with Barbara and the long, ever changing and complicated processes of completing adoptions continues. However, if anyone can sort out the mess and comply, it's "The Lady in the Blue Dress". Can't give exact travel times, but a flight back to Haiti is in our near future! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PS - IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS BLOG AND FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUMPING INTO THE MIDDLE OF A STORY, YOU ARE! IF YOU CONTINUE READING DOWN, YOU'LL SEE HOW THIS, & MANY OTHER "MISSIONS" HAVE, AND ARE UNFOLDING. GOD BLESS - HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM! Air Mobile Joe March 25, 2010 - 7:38pm - Thursday - Titusville, FL / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Well, you can see from where I am writing this blog, that we flew back from Haiti to the U.S. today. By the way, Cindy got some serious flight training today. She does a superb job, a very quick study! After writing the blog from yesterday, we departed Bon Repos (Ruuska Village) and headed back to the Gressier area. We visited a tremendous mission named "Christianville". We spoke with the teams there as well as the Director and discussed the possibility of our placing some of our trailers there. The matter will be discussed in their Annual Board Meeting that actually begins today. We are all just seeking the clear direction of our Lord regarding these matters. We returned to the village where Cindy's Dad is. I did not mention earlier that a team of 11 came from Virginia to help Pastor Desarmes in the long and difficult process of rebuilding his mission. After the team returned to Pastor Desarmes home (where everyone sleeps), we shared a beautiful meal by candle-light and flashlight. Cindy and I had to get up very early, so we drifted off to sleep. By the way, most people do not sleep in buildings for fear of them coming down. Many of the team members are sleeping in tents. Well, last night, around 2:00am, a huge rain storm came through. Our team moved into the small porch area where we were sleeping. In Haiti, literally millions of people are sleeping out of doors in makeshift shelters. Hurricane season is coming. Folks, the problems in Haiti are so vast. Many are attempting to help, but the systems are so fractured or destroyed, it is extremely difficult to do anything. Yet....we do what we can prayerfully. Many times, it does seem like a drop in the bucket, yet, the Haitian people are so appreciative and we just keep doing what we can in the Name of our Lord! Today, we were up at 4:00am again..on the motorcycle, headed to Bon Repos to pack up and then head to the airport to begin our long journey home. We had a beautiful flight to Exuma Island for fuel. As I mentioned earlier, I have begun to give Cindy some serious flight lessons and she is a great student. From Exuma, we flew to Fort Pierce and cleared customs. Then finally back to our home base here in Titusville. It's good to be home. We really missed our kids on this trip. Tomorrow brings more opportunities. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 24, 2010 - 9:47am - Wednesday - Bon Repos, Haiti - Ruuska Village / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday, as planned, I found Cindy and her niece, Jennifer in Village #2 of 3. I arrived within the hour of what Cindy had projected. It's cool when we work together like that. Cindy's mission was to find survivors of the quake and link up with the children that she taught and even children that she delivered 26 years ago! She was successful!! We had coffee in the house of Martha, her dear friend when she first arrived in Haiti in 1983. Martha was in town on mission business. Afterwards, we headed back into La Ferrone' and dropped our backpacks and headed into the village where Cindy and I first ministered together, Petit Place (Little Place). So many warm and tearful reunions! The photo above is Cindy, her Dad, and I in front of the original mission building. We then went to the last home that we had lived in until 1997. It was right on the fault-line and the front of it cracked open like an egg. It was sad to see our old home destroyed, but the coconut milk was delicious. After our homecoming, we headed back to La Ferrone' and had lunch with Cindy's Dad, Ron. It is just amazing how this trip has come together. Cindy and I then headed into a mission close by making inquiry regarding a place to establish a home base and how we can get those 3 trailers in country and set up. We need guidance from our Lord on this matter. Do you recall, several weeks ago when I told you that we met Mark Allen Stuart, the Lead Singer for Audio Adreneline? Well, we found out that the mission that his parents started had a major water problem since the quake. We made arrangements to fly back to Jacmel in the morning (today), train his staff on the operation of the Voyager and give them a ride back to Port-Au-Prince to catch an early flight back to the U.S. We were up at 4:00am again, had coffee with Ron and then Cindy, Jennifer and I jumped on our trusty little motorcycle and headed to the airport in Port-Au-Prince. We were there before the sun rose, prepped our trusty mission plane and at 6:30am were rolling down the runway for Jacmel. It was a perfect flight through the mountains to Jacmel. We landed at 6:52am, a bit early. Soon Mark, his wife and Larry showed up. We trained them on the operation of the Voyager. Mark even put his dirty foot in the bucket and we all drank the water after it passed through our "miracle machine". By the way, the water still tasted good even with Mark's dirty foot in the bucket! We boarded the plane and headed back to P-A-P and landed at 8:12am, a full 2.5 hours before their commercial flight back to the U.S. Mark promised to come and see the children at the Hospital where Cindy and I minister. The kids will be so blessed to know that Mark is coming to minister with them. From the airport, we headed to Barbara's Village. We arrived at 9:15am. Now, that's putting a lot of mileage under our belt and "behind" by 9:15am!! Anyone who has ever worked in Haiti will appreciate that! We're headed back to the Gressier area and will be flying back to the states soon. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy! PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND MULTIPLE OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED!! March 23, 2010 - 6:45am - Tuesday - Bon Repos, Haiti - Ruuska Village / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here's a quick word. Today, I will be going to 3 villages to link up with Cindy and Jennifer. Will write more this evening if.....we have an internet connection. Please remember us in prayer. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 22, 2010 - 10:45pm - Monday - Bon Repos, Haiti - Ruuska Village / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday evening Cindy and I dashed from Ruuska Village to LaFerrone' just past Gressier. Now, that means weaving in and out of traffic in a city largely without electricity. We were hoping to arrive before dark. Didn't happen. We pulled into the village where Cindy's father was. Talk about a happy and surprising reunion. Cindy's neice, Jennifer was there and totally shocked that we rolled into their village in the dark of night. We spent the evening laughing and reminiscing. Finally, we drifted off to sleep in a very comfortable tent. No quakes, thank God. At 4:30am this morning I was up and having coffee with Ron, Cindy's dad. It was off to Ruuska Village (a 50 kilometer jaunt thru P-A-P) to get 2 Voyagers for our early morning flite. Ken, Paul and Djumy arrived and the 4 hour drive was replaced by a 21 minute flight to Jacmel. Upon arrival, I met with #02173. Now let me tell you about this guy. The first time I flew into Jacmel following the January 12th Earthquake, I met him. He watched me train and demo several Voyagers at the airport. He seemed exceptionally interested. So much so, he asked me for a card. He told me about his children's school and how they desperately needed clean water. Now get this...over the next month, he called me 5 times in the States asking when I was coming back to Jacmel. After researching the need, I found the school had 400 students and did indeed need the Voyager. Well, this morning, I met the School Director and staff and trained them on the Voyager. I told Officer #02173 that I held him responsible for the placement of this Voyager. It was a great moment. By the way, the training went very well and smooth, as the Officer knew exactly how to set up and operate the unit. Praise God! From the airport, we went to visit Faith & Love In Action Orphanage. We have known Marlen thru Barbara for many years. Prior to the earthquake, their well water was quite good. Since the Quake, the water is dirty and contaminated. It was a joy and pleasure to dontate a Voyager to this Orphange. By the way, they have 81 children in the Orphange. The facility is beautifully laid out. Your love and upport have made this clean water gift possible. Thank you!! Meanwhile, Cindy and her Dad are on a mission to find a set of twins that Cindy delivered 27 years ago. She named the twins Tommy, after her younger brother and the other one, Ron after her Dad. On the morning of the birth, Tommy was killed in the Beruit bombing. Cindy felt compelled to go and find the twins and see how they fared through the earthquake. Though Cindy and I are in different parts of the country, she managed to find an phone signal and she sent me this shot today. Not sure if she found the twins, but I suspect these are some of the kids of the kids that she taught 25 years ago. We'll link up tomorrow. It's been a long day. Tomorrow will hold more opportunities to serve the Lord. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 21, 2010 - 5:45pm - Sunday - Bon Repos, Haiti - Ruuska Village / Air Mobile Hangar / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Bright and early this morning, we headed back to Haiti. The reason I did not specifically mention our exact departure time is for security reasons. Kidnappings are on the increase and for the safety of our team, we keep our exact travel time secure. We'll give a full report tomorrow. For this evening, Cindy and I are headed to the area where her father is. We praise God for traveling mercy today. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 21, 2010 - 7:02am - Sunday - Titusville, FL - Space Center Executive Airport / Air Mobile Hangar / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) It's a good day for traveling. I'll write more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 20, 2010 - 7:02pm - Saturday - Titusville, FL - Space Center Executive Airport / Air Mobile Hangar / Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Earlier today, I caught this "Stow-Away" in our cargo pod! It's really Peter, my son. It's amazing how much you can put in the little pod beneath the C-337. We went and saw the three trailers that are in being considered as a donation to Air Mobile Ministries. They are just beautiful and would be so valuable in Haiti for both our Volunteer teams as well as temporary housing for the needy. PLEASE pray that the donation goes through. This photo is of the 36 foot Montana 5th Wheel. Standing in front with me and Dieunika is Dave. Dave is the one who is speaking to the owners about the donation. Thank you, Dave!! The trailer in the photo below is a 24 foot "Bunkhouse" version. We can sleep about 8 team members in this one. It appears to be in excellent condition. The last trailer is the 20 foot one. I like the large windows and simple but efficient design. In front of the trailer is Peter and Dieunika. When we are in Haiti on this next mission, we will be speaking with the authorities about the procedure to ship in travel trailers. Pray that we find favor in this regard. Here is a wonderful thought. Travel trailers are quite earthquake proof because they have tires and suspension. They would endure a quake quite well. The wonderful thing about this potential donation is, we would receive crew facilities instantly and they are somewhat earthquake proof. This is a true answer to prayer. You know, I am astounded at how generous folks have been. As you may have read, our area of the country, the Space Coast, is about to receive a huge financial shock with the shut down in the Space Shuttle and now the Constellation Program (the rocket designed to take us back to the moon). It is projected that our region could lose between 24,000 - 30,000 jobs. That is a huge economic setback. Yet....people have been so generous during this terrible tragedy of the Haiti earthquake. I stand amazed and extremely thankful. Better close out now. You never know what tomorrow may bring..... Air Mobile Joe March 20, 2010 - 7:32am - Saturday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Getting ready for another mission to Haiti. We're finalizing loads / personnel. Can't give exact ETA for Haiti, but it will be soon. This morning, we're going to look at 3 travel trailers that are being considered as a dontation to Air Mobile Ministries. We will look at the possibility of shipping to Haiti. These could make excellent quarters for our teams in other locations. Quarters for Volunteer teams is a major problem. Everything is so stressed in Haiti regarding "places to stay" for our teams, particularly when we are working at locations other than "The Village". Should we accept these donations (and we are really praying about it), we would need a vehicle to move them around in Haiti. One of the trailers is a "5th Wheel". We would need an appropriate size, heavy duty, pick up truck. As is usually the case, "one thing leads to another". That is the reason we need clear direction and guidance on this potential donation. Please be praying with us on this. Will let you know how the day turns out. God Bless and thanks again for your prayer!! Air Mobile Joe March 19, 2010 - 7:32am - Friday - Titusville, FL - Space Center Executive Airport - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We're in Good Hands! Our Air Mobile Mechanic, Gene Hawn, is a great mechanic! Since first receiving N19EZ (our Cessna 337), Gene has turned the wrenches, done the deep inspections and just done a super job. Gene worked out at Kennedy Space Center for over 20 years on rockets. His attention to detail and precision is truly remarkable. We are so thankful for Gene. Our plane should be ready to go for our next mission. We'll be departing later this week on another "Christian Adventure". This last mission sure had a lot excitement and success! Of course, we are in good hands with Gene and our team of volunteers, but the real Hands that we are in are the Lord's Hands! May the Hand of Lord ever be on our mission and all we endeavor to do. We are very excited about the upcoming mission. We will be joined by Dr. Ken and associates. We'll be visiting areas that need clean water. We have Voyager units in Haiti to deploy. We've been in communication with Barbara in Haiti and all is well in the "Village". The container that finally arrived is full of building materials as well as food / diapers / formula. We're so glad to have those supplies. Thanks again for all you do to help us to go forward into this deserate field of Haiti. So many are being touched by your love and prayer!! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 18, 2010 - 8:42am - Thursday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We found this shot on Cindy's I-Phone and I just had to share it with you. She was in Haiti with me week before last. I love it when I am able to bring my "Baby" with me. Just heard from the nurse who cared for Lamont in Haiti. She is in touch with his attending medical team here in the U.S.. He is slowly getting better - THANK YOU for your prayer. He definitely has pneumonia and other test results are still pending. Will let you know how he is doing. Please continue to pray for him. Things are well in the "Village". Visas are still being processed, but new regulations are complicating things further. For those with children to be adopted, continue to pray and above all, ask our Lord for patience and peace! Today, we do deep inspections on the plane for our next mission. The front engine is holding up well and will serve us until we do the change. Hope to have that done in the next 8-10 weeks. We are still lacking some funding for that, so if you feel lead to help us please let us know. Here is my cell phone number: 321-544-7757 / e-mail - airmobilejoe@gmail.com . Love to hear from you! If you are new to this blog and feel like you are jumping into the middle of a "story", you are. If you continue to read down, you will see how this and all of these incredible stories / missions have and are unfolding. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe March 17, 2010 - 8:52am - Wednesday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) It's good to be home. In the shot above, our team (Joe, Lisa and Paul) and "patient" are moments from take-off at Port-Au-Prince International Airport. We met with the attending nurse and Lamont bright and early. Lamont is seated behind me in the photo above. The medical team did all they could to prepare him for his flight home. We still do not know what his illness is, but as the day wore on, Lamont became weaker and weaker. Here is how the day unfolded. As we departed, I spoke with the Air Traffic Controllers regarding the Authorization required to remain in Haiti for more than 1 hour. They assured me that I was welcome to return to Haiti and work as long as needed. We plan to return later this week and the way is now prepared. Thank the Lord! Our flight was very smooth, but very slow! The headwinds were fierce, actually, in all the years of flying to and from Haiti, this flight broke the record for the longest. Our first leg to Exuma went well, but as I said, very slow. We landed in a strong, gusting cross-winds. Once on the ground, Deattra, the young lady that was so helpful with the "Orphan Flight" of a couple of weeks ago was right there. This time, we had a true medical resuce mission that required quick and serious help. Our patient was not doing well and was in a lot of pain. We considered putting him into the medical facility in Georgetown, but after discussion, Lamont wanted to proceed on to Fort Pierce. I phoned Fort Pierce Customs and advised them of our situation and explained that we would need an ambulance. They would be waiting for us. The flight from Exuma International to Fort Pierce was even slower. The headwinds were around 60+mph. All we could do was pray that Lamont would hold out. As we approached Fort Pierce, I requested the Control Tower call the ambulance. Moments before touchdown, we saw the ambulance approaching the airport. Praise God for quick service! Upon arrival, the Customs Agent in charge was methodical and professional. We actually contacted CDC (Center for Disease Control) and faxed all medical records over. By the way, the Haitian / American medical team in Haiti had documented all treatments for Lamont. This was very helpful, as the discussion of Quarantine was being considered. After careful review, the decision was made to transport Lamont to the local hospital. Our "Mission" was accomplished. We phoned Haiti and advised the staff there and we were all relieved. Lamont was brave and it was a true joy to help get him the care he needed! Now, here is a little bonus. As we departed Fort Pierce, I was advised to contact Vero Tower and request transition through the area. The Tower operator is an old friend who......originally donated N19EZ (our mission aircraft) to Bill Dunklee of Airborne Ministries who donated N19EZ to us at Air Mobile Ministries. Mike was very busy, but I managed to tell him that his old aircraft was deep in the Lord's service. That was very cool. We saw a beautiful Florida Sunset and landed at our home base in Titusville. Our team was glad to be home. By the way, Joe, Lisa and Paul have been serving faithfully in the "Village" for weeks. It has been a true privilege to fly them home after serious and intense work in Haiti following this huge disaster. We have many memories to share and opportunities to serve together in the future. I pray our Lord's richest blessings upon them for their love and service!! As you read this story, remember that you are part of all of this through your love and prayer and support. Thanks again for taking the time to read this little journey and also, please remember to pray for Lamont's full recovery. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 16, 2010 - 6:22am - Tuesday - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) All team members flying with me are up and ready. We'll be heading to the airport in a few. Please remember us in your prayers today as we wing back to the U.S. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 16, 2010 - 12:02am - Tuesday - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) I spoke to the Airport Direction office today. It should ok for me to come in and stay a few days. You see, the new rule is planes can only come in for an hour. I was able to explain that we have been working in-country for over 30 years. Hope the authorization comes through. Spoke with the nurse taking care of our patient. He's holding steady and should make the flight just fine tomorrow. I was able to speak with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) personnel regarding the future placement of Voyager water purifiers. These guys fly all over the island and see first hand serious needs. I look forward to working more closely with them in the future. We had a major victory regarding the placement of the containers and the best news is...today, Kyle brought the first container to the Village and our gracious neighbor is allowing us to park them in her yard. Listen, anytime one gets a container out of Haitian Customs, that is a major victory! Praise God! The "tent men", Jim and Dave were joined today by Greg Stockton. Remember, their ministry is getting quality tents into as many locations as they can. After a quick run to town to get authorizations, fuel the plane, etc., returned back to the village. Loaded up the "tent men" and headed to Leogane. Enroute, I saw a gripping billboard reminding the Haitian people that "Hurricane Season is coming"! The forcasters are predicting a very busy Hurricane season. What we do, we must do quickly. On the way to Leogane, I was able to drop the drum set with Pastor Desarmes on the way. The destruction we witnessed was staggering. One report stated that 80% of the building were destroyed or severely damaged. We concur. We also stopped at the Leprosy Hospital. I was shocked to see the residence of the Catholic nuns was completely destroyed. There were injuries. It was a sad scene. Of course, we had a flat tire, a common occurance in Haiti. In a few hours, we head to the airport and fly back to the U.S. Please pray all goes well. I won't have time to "blog" in the morning. God Bless and thanks for your prayers!! Air Mobile Joe March 15, 2010 - 6:52am - Monday - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) While enroute to the airport yesterday, my cell phone rang. An American nurse, Theresa called. We had met at the General Aviation airport a couple of weeks ago. She had been caring for another American missionary who is quite ill. He needed a ride back to the U.S. for needed medical care. Over the next couple of hours, we established that he is currently stable and could make the flight back with us on Tuesday. Last night, I checked in with her. More analysis...he will likely return with us on Tuesday. Please remember him in your prayer. After the call, we arrived at the airport and found our 2 men, Jim and Dave. Good guys, been around. Jim has traveled the world, loves the Lord and is very interested in "end-time" prophesy. Dave has a "sailing ministry". He and his wife have a 40' tri-marin sailboat and bring help and the Word to many in the Caribbean. Now, their mission, is to get the tents out of customs and deploy them. We spent the day going over strategies and exchanging ideas and scriptures. Haiti needs shelter desperately. As we drove by more than a dozen tent cities back from the airport, I was thankful for the Lord sending these men to Haiti. No accident we met. Meanwhile, my son-in-law, Kyle spent his first anniversary working on the truck. My daughter, Cherie and Kyle spoke several times yesterday. I'm very glad these two got together! Today, it will be to the airport, first thing, to request permission to keep our mission aircraft here for more than "one hour", the current requirement. I forgot to mention, after picking up Jim and Dave, I went to the Airport Operations Office and spoke with 2 Air Traffic Controllers. We knew one another from our many communications over the years. These are the guys a pilot calls when passing the "North Boundary", a navigational intersection called "Joses". I gave them my card, explained our situation and asked them to get my request to the Director of the Airport. They assured me that they would do so. I leave in a few minutes to meet the director. Barbara will be at the Embassy first thing working on Visas for kids departing. We may be flying some out, but only our good Lord knows who will go. We'll check on the "patient" needing a lift back to the U.S. Also, I will be meeting with the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) guys and see what they know about immediate "water" needs. We have Voyagers to deploy. Overall, it will be a full day. Please pray that all of our teams (personnel) have a safe and productive day. Gotta run. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 14, 2010 - 6:39am - Sunday - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Haiti does not "Spring Forward", so it's still 6:39am here. We did not lose that hour that many of you have....I feel blessed to have the bit of extra time. Of course, it will catch up with me when I "wing" back to the U.S. Seems like "time" always catches up with us....eventually. Today, many members of the "team" that are working in the village will be heading to the beach / restaraunt not far from here. What a beautiful day to enjoy our Lord's creation. In spite of all the suffering / pain / destruction that we see all around us, it's good to take a break and enjoy "The Lord's Day". Personally, I enjoy the early morning and a lovely sunrise, particularly here in Haiti. A series of teams have been here "digging" holes / foundations / footers for the new buildings that are going up. We also have had a steady stream of medical personnel. There is a well stocked clinic in the Village and everyday, people come for help. So today it is good to take a little break. While the team is at the beach, I will be in town meeting a couple of men coming in who have shipped 100 large tents to Haiti. They will be here to coordinate the receipt / set up. Of course "receipt" is often the trick. The tents are somewhere in the "emerging" customs dept. We pray they get the tents and are able to train on the set up. I will also be looking for the head of the Airport. Apparently, in order to leave the aircraft overnight, permission must be granted. Please pray we make contact and secure the needed authorization. This is very important. Now, just how am I going to use this extra hour? I'll enjoy a good cup of coffee and reflect on the words of the Psalmist David on "delighting myself in the Lord and how our Lord gives us the desires of our heart". I'm still excited about the flying that the Lord is allowing me to do! Have a blessed day!! Air Mobile Joe PS - While writing this, I just felt a very slight tremor. One of our long term team member, Missie, calls them "purring". Well, these are kind of like that. The building just gives a little, quiet rumble, kind of like a distant subway passing feels like in NY City. We're always on earthquake "alert" here. If the "purring" gets stronger, flee / run from any structure. That does kind of keeps one on edge. After all the total devastating destruction that we have witnessed, the images are hard to shake and the reality of what a quake can do will ever be with me. We are praying "the next quake just won't come", but......we know that "earthquakes happen", particularly in a region that recently had a massive one. When I say to you, "Thank You for your prayers", there is a deep touch of sincerity in the statement. God Bless! Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 13, 2010 - 5:49pm - Saturday - Bon Repos, Haiti (Ruuska Village) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Long before the sun rose this morning, we were preparing the plane. We packed it so full of good things, i.e. medicine, supplies, Voyagers, parts, a big cheese cake, steaks, a drum set and other assorted things for the mission. The weather was challenging. I flew a direct course to Exuma Island and for the first time in many, many years, the weather nearly prevented me from landing. But, our Lord made a way, it cleared just enough for me to get in. After a quick turn on the ground, I took off with a very strong cross wind climbing to 13,500' and winging to Haiti. In this photo, Great Inagua is off my left and Cuba is just off my right. The final leg between Exuma Island and Port-Au-Prince was beautiful. The flight went well, even had a little bit of a tailwind. It is good to be back in Haiti. Kyle, my son in law and Barbara (Rambo in the Blue Dress) picked me up. Got the update on Visas. It's still a toss up as to who will travel next. I know this shot may not look like very much, but the "quality" of what we brought in is very high! 5 Voyagers can provide clean water to 2500 people a day! That is a lot of health in a land full of disease and very contaminated water. Alright, I get excited about this stuff, but it really is very cool to be able to really help people in such need. Alright, I will admit it...."I'm really enjoying flying again". It's been a while and our Lord opened the door with this airplane to get me back in the cockpit. Really, I'm having a blast and at the same time, helping some folks. That's a true win-win deal. The Psalmist David wrote, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". That certainly is the case with me regarding flying. I just love to fly and the Lord lets me do it! By the way, "we chart our course, but.....may the Lord direct our path"!! Think about that today! Stay tuned. No telling what we'll be doing tomorrow. God Bless You and as I always say, your prayer and love makes such a difference. Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 13, 2010 - 4:49am - Saturday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Checking weather - following a cold front that just passed Florida. Filing departure report / will meet at the hangar and do a final load on the plane. If all goes well, we will be in Haiti later today. The little plane is full of vital supplies. Please remember us in prayer today. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 12, 2010 - 6:49am - Friday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We thank the Lord that the 2 Aid Workers for Doctors Without Borders have been released. Apparently, 2 women workers were kidnapped last Friday and released yesterday. Please pray that Kidnappings don't become a common practice in Haiti. This has happened in the past and it is very destructive. I spoke yesterday with my dear friend, Fred Morrissette. Recently, he was in Haiti. He is working on designing housing that would be suitable for Haiti. Fred's background is design and construction. Fred has built many structures in Haiti. We discussed the spiritual change in Haiti and the agreement was that many Haitians are turning to the Lord and forsaking Voodoo. We PRAY that will continue. Earthquakes will continue world-wide, we cannot stop that. But, we can turn to the Lord and trust Him everyday to meet our needs and be with us, even during the worst situations. We can also trust our Lord to use us for His glory during "bad times". Today, we prepare our aircraft for Haiti. We will be bringing in more Voyagers on this mission, as well as other critical supplies. As always, we love you and appreciate you! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS UNFOLD! THERE IS A LOT OF AMAZING GRACE IN THESE JOURNALS!! March 11, 2010 - 6:43am - Thursday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As we prepare the aircraft for our upcoming flight, our phone continues to ring. Yesterday, I met with a pilot with an aircraft who has offered to help in any way. It just so happens that he has certain aircraft components that he is glad to donate. I had another visit from Jason and Cindy. I have known Jason since he was 16. His oldest son, now wants to go to Haiti. We're working the details. I am so glad that people are not forgetting about Haiti, though it is definately off of the media map. Earlier in the day, Gene, our great aircraft mechanic and I removed a an induction tube that needed a bit of welding. A few calls later, I was at a local business and the owner personally welded the piece. When I asked how much, he smiled and said, "no charge". We are so blessed to have our community standing so firmly with us as we "chip away" at this massive disaster. Today, Cindy and I are meeting with USCIS (Immigrations) to continue our own adoption process with little Dieunika. We can certainly relate to the hundreds of parents in the process of adoption, as we too are there. Please continue to pray for Haiti. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love. Air Mobile Joe March 10, 2010 - 7:23am - Wednesday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) I must tell you a story. Yesterday morning, I received a call from an old friend, Brian. He and his wife, Kerry, were in the area and wanted to visit. Things worked out and they came right over to my office, then to the airplane. They were just great fitting in with what was going on. It's nice when you can visit and work without a hitch. We were setting up our fuel system on the airplane and Brian being a pilot took great interest in what was going on. His wife Kerry is a teacher and also showed great interest. As all of this was going on, we were catching up on all that has been going on with our families and ministries. As we were finishing setting up the fuel flows on the front engine, the couple walked up to me and handed me a check. When I opened the check, I was shocked! The amount of money will nearly pay for the front engine!! You never know what the day is going to bring!! Today, we are making calls and researching the best place to secure the front engine. Bill, the donor provided to "cores" (run out engines) with the airplane. Our dream is to overhaul one of those. This will provide our ministry with an extra engine always ready to be installed. This will provide us with reliable and consistent air service to Haiti!! The hand of the Lord is so clearly on this ministry. We are humbled and blessed to be part of this. THANK YOU for your prayers and love!! Air Mobile Joe March 9, 2010 - 7:03am - Tuesday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Looks like the bird is good for another flight! Actually, she checks out better and better each inspection. Airplanes really like to fly and the more one flies, usually the better all systems function. We hope to be heading back to Haiti later this week. Yesterday, I spoke with a group out of Houston. They have requested we fly in communications equipment for a Nursing College in the Jacmel area. Remember the flight I made into Jacmel several weeks ago? It is only 22 nautical miles from Port-Au-Prince. It takes 4-5 hours by road with many dangers, but the flight only takes around 18 minutes. Of course there is a 5000 foot mountain between P-A-P and Jacmel, so one has to do a little maneuvering and fly thru a valley to get there....but 5 hours - 18 minutes. 18 minutes is much better. We're also speaking with folks who are in the final stages of adoption and may be flying a couple of kids out, but...again, the rules change daily so we will see about that. Spoke with Cherie (my daughter)last night and it looks like Barb will be heading back into Haiti today. Kyle (Cherie's husband) went back to Haiti yesterday. We are very close to getting our first container cleared thru customs. Now, that is a whole story. We are praying the first major shipment we have made gets thru. Meanwhile, the rebuilding in the village is going well. I have never seen such deep foundations laid! There are many scriptural applications to that. Yesterday evening, I met with a group that is putting together a Benefit Concert for Air Mobile Ministries, specifically to raise the funds for the Engine Overhaul. We are very excited about this event. It will be on April 9th in Viera, Fl. Stay tuned for more details. Got to go, God Bless! Air Mobile Joe March 8, 2010 - 10:03am - Monday - Titusville, FL - Space Center Executive Airport in the Air Mobile Hangar with N19EZ - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The picture above tells you what we're doing this morning. After every flight, Gene Hawn, our faithful mechanic, and I inspect the aircraft. We are paying very close attention to the front engine. We know that eventually we are going to have to either "top" it (replace only the cylinders) or do a complete overhaul. The truth is, the engine has been running better and better with each flight. But, the reality is, it's getting close to overhaul time. We pray for wisdom and guidance each step of the way. Well, that's not a bad thing to do anyway. We just all need to walk closer with Lord, no matter where we are. We are planning our next trip into Haiti, so we have to get this bird ready for the next mission. I spoke with Barbara last night and she was still in Miami. The little girl, Justline, is united with her parents. I just spoke with Barb again a few minutes ago and she's well and will be returning to Haiti within 24 hours. Will report more later. Air Mobile Joe March 7, 2010 - 9:03pm - Sunday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Cindy & I & John Moeller are back in the U.S. We took off this morning from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti on schedule. Fought moderate headwinds to Exuma International in the Bahamas. Got fuel and landed at Fort Pierce, FL this afternoon. A quick hop up to Titusville. It was really great having John Moeller with us. He helped in so many ways. This evening, Cindy and I decided to get a good steak dinner. We went to the nicest steakhouse in Titusville, Paul's Steakhouse. When Paul found out we were there, he came down and gave us a magnificent meal "on the house". Paul is a pilot and aircraft owner. He appreciated the mission and flying we did today. Tomorrow will come soon enough. For now, it's time to go to sleep. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Cindy! PS - Cindy was so brave and rode that motorcycle with me all over Haiti. It was so cool having my baby with me!! Joe March 7, 2010 - 6:38am - Sunday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Just a quick blog this morning / checking weather / packing / filing arrival reports. It's difficult to leave Haiti. Yet, we know that the time has come. Last night, we had 1 tremor, it awoke Cindy, I just slept thru it. The beauty of the plane is...we come and go as our Lord directs. That's very cool. Will report upon our arrival. Thanks again for your prayers!! Air Mobile Joe March 6, 2010 - 9:37pm - Saturday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We just returned to our village from the small community of Dolney, just outside of Croix Des Bouquet that is just north and east of Port-Au-Prince. Dolney has suffered severe loss after the earthquake, but before the quake, Dolney was a community with only one contaminated water source. Now, let me tell you how all of this came about. This morning, Barbara and I went to the Embassy on motorcycle (it is so quick going by cycle!). It was a toss up / the Consulate personnel said there were no promises, but a chance that the proper paper work would arrive by noon and the orphans could go this afternoon. There was also a chartered plane to come in to transport them out. We would be on "stand-by" with our plane if paperwork came thru and the charter plane did not. We were cool with that. Barb and I dashed back to the village on the motorcycle. We then got the rest of our work team and baby Justline and headed back to the Embassy. While awaiting word, we brought our team up to the Baptist Mission. This is a popular spot for missionaries. It was started by Wallace and Elenor Turnbull 55 years ago. Today, we had the wonderful privilege to meet with Elenor who happened to be visiting. They actually retired several years ago and we were so glad to see this precious, faithful, tough servant of God. While there, we got the great news that Barb and baby Justline were on the Charter and about to take-off! While eating lunch at the mission, Cindy suggested we speak to a big medical team that had just arrived. We found Pastor Joe, an Assembly of God Pastor that was leading the team. Soon were speaking with Pastor Jean, a Haitian that was pastoring a church in Boston. Long story short, after he told of the little community of Dolney and their need for clean water, we agreed to meet late this afternoon. Upon returning to the mission, the call came. Pastor Jean would meet us at the "Village" to learn where the service center for the Voyager is located and we would follow him to Dolney. Cindy and I followed Pastor Jean and his cousin, Alex (who looked like a professional football player) and turned out to be a gentle giant. We drove the mission motorcycle. The ride was about 30 minutes in pitch black darkness. We arrived at the community. There was no electricity but we could see the church under construction. They showed all the cracks and areas that needed to be strengthened. It's kind of like life....we go thru deep trials and find out our weaknesses and ask the Lord to strengthen us. We set up the unit with flashlights and powered it with the 12 volt battery in their vehicle. The demonstration went well and they quickly picked up on the simple operation of the unit. It is amazing, that such an encounter can change the health of a whole community. And best of all, we do it all in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We finished the presentation / training with prayer and praise. We just arrived back at our mission (9:30pm). We'll get up early, and weather permitting fly back to the U.S. in the mission aircraft. For all of these things, we just praise the Lord! God Bless and thanks again for your prayer, love and support. Air Mobile Joe PS - It's been such a blessing having John Moeller with us. John is dear friend of many years. We have had such good fellowship and the exchange of ideas has been wonderful. I remember a dear pastor of mine saying, "Our Lord knows how to deploy His troops". That certainly is the case. Well, it's late. Better close out and get some sleep. Tomorrow will be here before we know it. We pray the earthquakes are quiet tonight. Good night. Joe & Cindy March 6, 2010 - 6:37am - Saturday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Awoke to 2 quakes last night. Glad to be sleeping in a tent. Cindy and I saw such major damage yesterday as we drove the motorcycle to the "other side" of the quake. As we drove west, we saw huge cracks in the road and land depressions as the massive quake roared toward Port-Au-Prince and beyond. The experience must have been terrifying, because many Haitians have never experienced a significant earthquake. My thoughts were for our friends as we headed deeper toward ground zero. The town of Gressier, where we first lived after we were married was 60-80% destroyed. Those structures left standing had serious damage. We went to our first home...it was standing, the other house on the same piece of property was completely flattened. We made inquiry of our neighbors and miraculously, no one that we knew had perished. However, from the evidence, we know that many died in the community. Pastor Desarmes' mission (church/school/clinic) was 100% destroyed. These grim images made us both glad to be sleeping in a tent and not under a big concrete roof. The amazing thing that we saw again and again is the attitude of the people. Many are just going about their lives and slowly rebuilding. Pastor Desarmes was "on-site" supervising about 10 men in the clean up / reconstruction process. The structure that he is currently building is a single story with a tin roof. He is near retirement age. Cindy and I joked with him that he is going to have to put off his retirement for a while. We laughed...it was good. Today, we wait. Barbara was unable to get final clearance of a Visa for a little 7 month old. Today, it may come. If it does, then we have to pack up and fly....literally on a moments notice. If the Visa does not process today, we stay and put more water purifiers out. Either way, we win. Please pray the Lord has His way with this day. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe March 5, 2010 - 6:57pm - Friday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe ) Cindy and I headed out to the Leogane region early this morning. Our first stop was the little village of Nepli. Cindy came to this village 25 years ago. As we drove thru Nepli, people came running yelling, "Cindy Cindy". There were a dozen tearful reunions. Cindy met children of the "children" that she taught and ministered to 25 years ago. It was great! Then we worked our way to N.E.W. Missions. The beautiful compound suffered some damage. Now, the U.S. Marines have set up a full base of operations there. It was cool meeting all these young, brave Americans. Once in the mission, Cindy found her dearest friend, Martha. They were both young when Cindy first came and Martha taught Cindy Creole and so much about the Haitian people. It was wonderful watching these two carry on and reminisce. From N.E.W. Missions we headed back into Gressier to find Pastor Salnave Desarmes. We have known Pastor Salnave for 25 years also. He has built a wonderful mission with a school / Church and clinic-lab. The entire compound was completely flattened. Every building was totally destroyed. There was not one fatality! Just 2.5 hours before the earthquake, there were over 600 children / staff in the main building. The fatalities would have been tragic....hundreds would have lost their lives. PRAISE GOD for His mercy! The mission needs clean water! We donated 2 units / one for the mission and the other one for a remote region further west of the mission. These units were funded 5th Grade Students from Illinois. We just arrived back at the "Village" to hot, home-made pizza. The team working on the reconstruction made good progress today. Better close out for the evening. It was a very good day! Air Mobile Joe March 5, 2010 - 5:57am - Friday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe ) Up before dawn. It's very quiet in the village. Getting ready to head out by motorcycle this morning with 2 Voyagers - headed to Gressier / Leogane to check on dear friends. We're headed to the actual epicenter of the massive earthquake that killed 300,000+ Haitians. One thing I failed to mention in yesterday's blog is the incredible progress in the re-construction of the "Village". The front wall is up and quite strong / has side braces in the event of another big quake. The Voyager / Food depot is completely demolished and the foundation is being laid for the next building. The new construction will be to higher standards! Other structures have been demo'd also. There were no noticeable quakes last night. Sleeping in the tent was not bad. PLEASE remember us in prayer today as we will be traveling quite a bit by road on motorcycle. We may overnight in the Leogane region. Cindy and I will report later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 4, 2010 - 6:37pm - Thursday - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Late yesterday afternoon, the FAA came thru for us and provided the documents we needed to legally fly the plane out of the country. Early this morning, John Moeller, an old friend from early Haiti days arrived at our condo. Cindy and I rode to the airport in Titusville, we loaded the aircraft and had an good early morning departure into a beautiful Caribbean sunrise. The plane flew like a dream (I know I keep saying that - but it really does!). We made a quick run to Exuma International Airport for fuel. Remember when we flew the orphans out last week? Well the "Angel" that rescued us, met us at our plane. We were so glad to thank her again for helping on that "dark and stormy night". After a quick turn, we headed to Port-Au-Prince. The fierce winds died down, and we made pretty good time. We landed without a glitch. We were met by Barbara and Kyle and we headed straight to the Embassy. Barb has gotten another visa and will be flying out to Miami tomorrow. Guess who we met at the Embassy?? Mark Allen Stuart, the lead singer for Audio Adrenelin. Where Cindy and I minister at the children's hospital, Mark is a hero. The kids love the song "Big House", a top hit. You never know who you're going to meet. What a blessing. By the way, Mark and his wife are adopting 2 Haitian children. Meanwhile, Cindy and I plan to take the motorcycle thru Port-Au-Prince and west toward the "other side of the earthquake". We are both eager to get there and yet know that many have died. We pray that we can be a blessing. We're bringing in some water purifiers. Tonight, we're sleeping in tents outside. The quakes are still occuring and Cindy is definately more cautious about these things than I. I like to think I sleep light and could make it out of the building before it collapes. Again, it's good to have Cindy with me! As I usually say, "it's been a long day". It has been. Better close out for now. God Bless! Really appreciate your prayers. Air Mobile Joe PS - I was very pleased to see some innovative improvements on the Voyager's power system. A young man visited the Village and brought a great 64 watt solar panel that folds up into a small package. Then he fabricated a stand and added his solar system. In this photo, young Anderson demonstrates the system. March 4, 2010 9:33am Joe, Cindy, and John are in the air traveling towards Haiti. It is a windy day but we trust God's leading on their trip. Please pray for them as they travel and accomplish their goals on the ground! -Cherie Shropshire March 3, 2010 - 6:37am - Wednesday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) THE RAINS HAVE BEGUN! The millions of Haitians that are homeless are facing early rains. Even before the rainy season has begun, the rains are falling. Les Cayes, in the southwestern region of Haiti had 10 deaths due to unseasonably heavy rains over the weekend. More rain fell yesterday. Oh, please PRAY for Haiti during this difficult time. I know that overall, Haiti has dropped off of the "Media" radar, but please, please remember to pray for Haiti. Just imagine yourself there....you would want people praying for you. Today is the day before departure (hopefully). Tomorrow we plan to depart for Haiti. Our mission - bringing in critical components for the water purifiers / supplies and key personnel. We are still awaiting final documentation from the FAA to verify that the aircraft can fly internationally. Please pray the document packet is processed today in Oklahoma City. I am extremely blessed to tell you that Cindy will be joining me on this mission. We plan to reach out deep into areas "on the other side of the earthquake". You see, the epicenter was near the town of Leogane. Of course, the massive death toll took place in Port-Au-Prince (PAP). Nearly all relief has been focused in that region and understandably so. The needs are so massive. However, the earthquke radiated out in all directions. Cindy and I plan to travel by motorcycle into the "other direction" of the destruction. Also, we lived in that region for a number of years and have lost dear friends. We plan to visit families and friends in the region. We will be bringing in water purifiers as well as checking on units already deployed in the region. Above all, we hope to bring comfort and peace through Jesus! Today will be full of forms / shopping / inspections / authorizations, etc. Please pray that all gets done and we're able to get a good nights sleep. I checked the weather and winds thoughout the Caribbean are between 25 - 80 mph(!) depending upon the altitude. That means a relatively quick trip down, but a very slow trip home. Glad we have fueling islands along the route. Well, better run for now. God Bless and THANKS!!! - for your prayer, love and support!! Air Mobile Joe PS - If you want to help fund the flight or the replenishment of components or Voyagers, please contact our office at: 321-267-7726 or 321-567-0332 or send your donation via mail to: Air Mobile Ministries 8850 Grissom Parkway Titusville, FL 32780 You may also give "On-line" at : www.airmobile.org PPS - KEEP READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS MISSION AND OTHERS HAVE UNFOLDED. THE LORD IS SO GOOD!! JOE March 2, 2010 - 7:37am - Tuesday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) 5 weeks ago, I wrote a blog describing the "spiritual atmosphere" that I felt in Haiti. I described a marked increase in PRAYER, PRAISE & WORSHIP. I could hear it in the night and certainly see it in thousands of people that we encountered daily. In a nutshell, the Haitian people were becoming increasingly tender toward the Lord. I noted the marked absence of Voodoo. I recently received an astonishing report of 3 Days of Fasting & Prayer called for by President Rene' Preval. For 3 amazing days, over 1 million Haitians gathered in front of the collapsed palace and prayed. This is absolutely unprecedented. Haiti has staggering problems and will for years to come. But for the moment, Haitians are turning to the Lord in record numbers. For this we are thankful! Please continue to join us in prayer for Haiti. I would like to tell you about a "miracle" that happened to me yesterday. As planned, I flew our aircraft first to Vero Beach to pick up documents that allow us to Register the aircraft to Air Mobile Ministries. Then after a few "unscheduled" delays, I flew to Orlando Executive Airport. Upon landing, I taxied the aircraft between hangers and around a few turns to Orlando Avionics (owned & operated by my good friend, John Webb). Upon arrival at John's Hangar, I saw a "neighbor" of ours from our home airport nearly 50 miles away. Just the idea that we were at the same place at the same time was unusual. We greeted one another and were amazed at the "coincidence". He asked me if we needed engine analyzers for our aircraft. Now, I was amazed! We had been praying about full "engine analyzers" to increase our safety and give us the ability to analyze each cylinder's temperature (CHT) and the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) during flight. These "analyzers cost between $5000 - $10,000 installed! Well, this "anonymous" donor handed me a box with 2 analyzers and all of the wiring and probes for our very aircraft. Now folks, let me tell you, this was NO COINCIDENCE! We had been praying for the "Will of God" to be done this day (as taught to us by Jesus)and that is exactly what happened! I just had to share this "miracle" with you. Today, we continue to prepare for our next mission to Haiti. We may depart tomorrow or Thursday. We will be bringing in critical components / supplies and personnel. We will keep you informed at the mission unfolds. We continue to monitor Chile. The need and call for "Water Purification" is increasing. We are looking to help in any way we can. Please continue to pray for us to be directed by our Lord. God Bless, gotta run. Air Mobile Joe March 1, 2010 - 7:27am - Monday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The death toll in Chile is indeed rising, but dramatically lower than Haiti's horrendous death toll. We are praying for the millions of victims in Chile. The suffering is immense. We are hoping to be able to help in some way. Today, we will be flying the aircraft to Orlando to go over all the radios and do additional inspections on the static system. We are planning to return to Haiti this week. We just received a call from a team going into Haiti and their flight on Spirit Airlines was cancelled. This happens a lot during these turbulent times. We hope to link up with that team and get them a Voyager for their medical outreach. We are also looking into the Leogane / Petit Goave region to bring in clean water. These areas were severely damaged by the 1-12-10 earthquake and yet are receiving very little aid. As this trip / outreach firms up, we will let you know. The word from the "Village" is that more visas are getting close to completion. Please pray for the "orphans / parents-to-be" that these get processed quickly and safely. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe February 28, 2010 - 8:27am - Sunday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) As we follow the massive earthquake in Chile, the absolutely amazing thing is the very low reported death toll. Either the numbers are not correct or this is a huge miracle! Yet, we know the immense suffering of millions. Unfortunately, the death toll is going to rise. PLEASE PRAY FOR CHILE! We are diligently seeking direction about what Air Mobile can do to help. Today, our family goes to church then to the children's hosptial where we have been chaplains for over 13 years. We have the privilege to minister to emotionally disturbed children and teenagers. This is truly a labor of love for the Hurston Family. We spoke with Haiti yesterday evening and no major issues working in the "Village". We may be getting a few more Visas! Our last mission of "Orphan Delivery" was extremely successful and we might get more out. We are finding reports of isolated areas that desperately need water in the provincial regions surrounding Port-Au-Prince. We hope to return to Haiti later this week in the C-337. We'll have vital supplies and parts. We pray you have a blessed day today. Will write more tomorrow. Air Mobile Joe February 27, 2010 - 9:27am - Saturday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Early this morning, I had the privilege to speak to a Mens Breakfast in Titusville. Over 200 men attended. I was able to speak on seeking the Will of God thru these turbulent days. Of course, the news of the massive earthquake in Chile hit early this morning. We are praying diligently for direction. These are perilous days. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe February 26, 2010 - 9:27am - Friday - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Arrived back in Titusville late yesterday afternoon. Had dinner with my beautiful wife in our own little cafe'. It's good to be home for a little while. Today, we'll do a post mission inspection on the aircraft to see how she did on this last series of flights. I can tell you, the plane flew beautifully and safely delivered food, water and children!! God Bless! Air Mobile Joe February 25, 2010 – 2:03pm – (Eastern Time) – Miami International Airport - Signature Aviation - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) ORPHANS ON U.S. SOIL!! Here's a quick update. We just landed in Miami from Exuma International - The kids are delivered!! I only have a moment to write this before flying back to our home base in Titusville. It's been quite a haul! It's such a blessing to part of this operation. Our Lord's hand was so heavy on us. I'm very glad we chose to overnight in Exuma last night. The storm between Exuma and Miami grew in intensity and without a doubt, "Discretion was the better part of valour". Jim and the kids all slept well. We awoke early this morning and departed. We still fought 40-50mph headwinds, but arrived safe and sound in Miami. The kids are being processed into America by U.S. Immigrations as I type this little update. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND LOVE!! Air Mobile Joe PS - KEEP READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS MISSION AND OTHERS HAVE UNFOLDED. THE LORD IS SO GOOD!! JOE February 24, 2010 – 10:51pm – (Eastern Bahamas Time) – Georgetown, Exuma – Bahamas – Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) THE ORPHAN FLITE You never know what the day may bring. As planned, I did head out early and met LaPaix at the airport to work on a few things on the plane, but mainly I wanted to renew my friendship with LaPaix (it also does not hurt to have good mechanic in Haiti!) It was really good to be with my old friend and get a few things fixed. He’s really a good mechanic. Then things really began to heat up. Barbara came to the airport and told me that the five orphans may fly. Remember, this past weekend, orphans with totally legit papers were attacked by an angry mob? Well, it seems that the U.S. and Haitian Govt. were coming up with a plan. We dashed to the Embassy. We were awaiting the U.S. Ambassadors return from the airport. He personally escorted the 6 kids that were seized at the airpot on Saturday, to the plane. Apparantly, if all went well, then the 5 orphans in Barbara’s care may could fly. We eagerly awaited the verdict. It worked. Within minutes Visa’s were granted for this flight. We jumped on the mission motorcycle (yes, the mission just purchased a little beauty) and went to the mission to get one of the kids (Tom-Tom). Then back to airport and soon we were loading 5 orphans and Jim (who is adopting 4 of them) into our plane. We couldn’t believe it. The kids were personally escorted right to the plane. Another plane, piloted by Doug (another Air Mobile volunteer) brought out Lacy, Jim’s daughter. Lacy has been at the mission since August and has been invaluable to the village. We also had gotten a visa for a severe Medical patient. Doug and I taxied out together and flew out minutes apart. We encountered exceptionally strong headwinds. The weather was deteriorating in South Florida. Doug has plenty of fuel and slipped into Miami before things really got bad. I diverted to Exuma Island, where I am writing this blog for fuel. The problem was it was getting dark and the weather was getting worse by the minute. I checked the radar and there seemed to be a nice open slot that we could slip into Miami. After prayer, we took off. Soon thing after thing lead me to believe that we should not make the flight. I called Miami and requested to go back to Exuma. It was immediately granted and we landed. The Bahama Immigrations was great and fully understood our plight. An “angel” from the Aviation Service at the airport offered to help. Soon, were headed to a beautiful hotel, The Palm Bay. The owner treated us like royalty. Guests from another table paid for our dinner. The precious little orphans, though very tired, came alive and soon the restaurant all knew about the orphan flight. It’s 11:08pm and I’m exhausted and must get to sleep. I’ll actually post this first thing in the morning. Just like I said, you never know what the day may bring. Tomorrow morning, we plan to depart early for Miami. We pray all goes well. God Bless and THANKS for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe February 24, 2010 Wednesday 6:56am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Today - to the airport bright and early / inspect the aircraft with a dear old friend of nearly 28 years - La Paix. I first met LaPaix in 1982. He has worked on our aircraft here in Haiti for many years. It was so good seeing him yesterday. His family survived the earthquake, but he told me that his extended family is from Petit Goave / a region hit very hard by the quake. We will visit the region and endeavor to get clean water to them. Most of the relief is distributed in Port-Au-Prince. We heard on the news that another food convoy was attacked between P-A-P and Cap Haitian. This is where our plane comes in very handy as was demonstrated yesterday's mission. As the news has indicated, there is still great confusion and turmoil regarding flying out adopted Haitian children. I was originally scheduled to fly into Haiti on Saturday and fly out 5 adopted orphans. A vacuum pump needed to be replaced on our aircraft and we were delayed by 24 hours. Well, on Saturday, 6 other adopted orphans were siezed at the airport by an angry crowd accusing the parents of kidnapping the children. This was absolutely not the case, as their paperwork was in perfect order and signed by the Haitian Prime Minister. Late yesterday, the children were transported back to the American Embassy. Please pray that they are allowed to travel to their new home. Meanwhile, we wait for our 5 orphans, whose papers are also in perfect order to be released to travel. If all works well, I will fly them out in the near future. Things were quiet last night regarding earthquakes. We are thankful. Have to run to the airport. God Bless and truly appreciate your prayers!! Air Mobile Joe February 23, 2010 Tuesday 6:48pm (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! (for today) Here's a shot by shot picture of the day. It was a very cool day. It began with an early morning departure. Dave and I shot to the airport on a borrowed motorcycle (the only way to get around now-a-days) thru massive gridlock. We had prayed that we would find favor and find food for this mission. The little village of Mizak has not been visited by a single relief agency. Not only are they directly abeam/south of the earthquakes, they are off the main road deep in the mountains. Many from Port Au Prince are escaping to the provinces like Mizak. The Lord heard our prayers and MAF released donated food from World Food Program. Now we have a full load as well as a Voyager. We loaded the Cessna 337. It's amazing how much this little airplane can carry. We coordinated our arrival time with Valerie and Ulrick via Haitian cell phone. We took off right on time. The trip by road takes between 4 and 5 hours. Our flight took about 18 minutes!! Upon landing, we quickly unloaded and the director of the Mission and Valerie met us. Then we got to the best part of the day - TRAINING TO USE THE VOYAGER! Everyone was amazed at how simple the unit is to operate. Everyone wanted a taste including the local Haitian police. I had a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel and pray with Commandant who suffered the loss of family members. Upon completion, we presented the unit. Let me tell you who funded this unit. Johnsburg Junior High took on this project. 5 young ladies came up with a plan. They would make scarves out of school colors and sell them for $5.00 each. They sold 400 scarves and paid for this unit. God Bless those young ladies and all involved. Of course, David Rigby was the spark plug that got the whole project going when he shared all about the Voyager. We had a quick uneventful flight back to Port-Au-Prince. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back in "the saddle" as a missionary pilot! The Lord is good. Together, you and I and a lot of other did this mission today. Now back at the mission, our team sat and had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans, thanks to Missie our Cajun cook. We discussed the earthquakes last night and we prayed that they just stop. Yet, we will sleep very light and be sensitive. There were 2 more earthquakes this morning and early afternoon. Tomorrow is another opportunity that will likely be filled with challenges. Again, as I have said countless times before, THANK YOU for your PRAYER & LOVE & SUPPORT!! Air Mobile Joe February 23, 2010 Tuesday 5:48am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe THE EARTHQUAKES ARE BACK! After a 2 week rest from quakes, they have definately returned. Yesterday, there were 3 all ranging in the 4.7 catagory. Then early this morning (1:26am) we were all awakened to our building shaking and some reported a sound like a train. Our whole village was out in a flash (the photo above is of some of our team "waiting out the quakes"). Several more quakes were felt before an attempt was made to go back to sleep. The children in the "off site" orphanage all came to our village along with the volunteers. I can certainly understand even more clearly why Barbara is working so hard to get all of the children, in her care, out of the country to safety! The quakes are occuring in the Leongane Region. My wife,Cindy, and I lived in that region for many years. We are going to attempt to get into that region and see how our friends are. But today, our mission is to attempt to fly to Jacmel. Do pray that we succeed in our mission. I was told yesterday by one of the Aviation Mission groups that there may be food at the airport for the isolated village (near Jacmel) we are moving toward with the food and clean water via the Voyager. Please pray for the children everywhere. These earthquakes are taking such a toll on everyone emotionally. Lack of sleep and a "safe" place to live and rest is the plight of literally over a million + people. We heard that one of our drivers and assistant, Lucien, had a home on his left and one on his right collapse early this morning in the 3 quakes that occured. It is quiet for now, but we are all on edge. It's still early and much of our team is still asleep. It's a good time to pray and just reflect on what my next move is. Please pray we are where our Lord wants us to be and when He wants us there! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED! February 22, 2010 - Monday 7:48pm (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe The demolition has begun. We had a few more quakes today. The area is the same as the big one that hit here on January 12th. I'm glad we're getting this building down before it falls down. Everyone is on edge with the concern that the quakes are returning. We were able to get fuel for the airplane today (no small accomplishment). We're hoping to make a flight over to Jacmel tomorrow with a Voyager and bring in some food. Dave, the water mule, has faithfully been refurbishing Voyagers in our "new depot". The demolition dust was everywhere. The Immigrations requirements are changing again. We're hoping to get 5 more children out, but the rules are changing hourly. We're working very closely with the U.S. Consulate on this project. Pray that we get these children to their new, forever parents! Upon returning to our Village this afternoon, we were glad to see the progress on the demolition. We have felt a few drops of rain a little while ago. The rains are beginning. This will be very difficult for the million + homeless people. Our hearts go out to so many. Now, with this latest rash of earthquakes people are truly suffering. You know, I heard someone say today that many, many are turning to the Lord. For that, we are thankful. I am continually amazed at how the Haitian people are adapting to these terrible circumstances. I have seen tent city after tent city evolve into relatively orderly "communities". Little markets are springing up and "life goes on". I also know that many terrible things are happening in these "camps". The best thing that we can do is help in any way we can. Folks, as I write this blog this evening, I simply pray that our Lord will use me in the way He wants to use me and that I will be sensitive to His voice and direction. Now that we have some Voyagers that we can actually distribute, we will see more clean water flowing. I'd better wrap this little blog up. God Bless You and THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe February 22, 2010 - Monday 6:44am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe This morning (4:36am)Haiti had another quake of 4.7. It was reported as "mild". In a place where so many building are severely damaged, no quake is "mild". The quake woke our whole village including me! Having been through many quakes - any quake is alarming because once the shaking begins, one does not know when or how severe it is going to be. In the case of this quake, I felt 4 distinct shakes and then, thank the Lord, it was over! As I just mentioned, so many building are severely damaged, there are collapes occuring quite often. The building that housed our Voyager Depot Repair Station is about to collapse. Everything has been removed to another building that is damaged, but according to engineers can be supported and saved. Today, the demolition process will begin on the Voyager / food depot. It's sad, because that building was completed less than a year ago. Today, we continue our Voyager repair transfer, and PRAISE GOD - we have 10 Voyagers to deploy. We've been taking names and checking out locations. So glad the Air Mobile mission plane is available to transport these "life-saving" devices!! Thank you again for your prayer and support to this vital project!! The progress on rebuilding the village is going quite well. The front wall and gate have been completely repaired. All of the children, still in Barbara's care, are sleeping indoors now. About 7:00pm last night, a light rain began to fall. I thought of the million plus people sleeping in make-shift "tents" and the inevitable mud and disease. PLEASE continue to PRAY for Haiti! There is so much to be done! Air Mobile Joe February 21, 2010 - Sunday 3:44pm (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe After mulitple successful test flights and final tweaks, late last night, we loaded up the aircraft for an early morning departure for Haiti!! Early this morning, I took off on our first actual Air Mobile mission flight in N19EZ our newly acquired Cessna T-337. One of our wonderful volunteers, George from NY, was on hand to help me load the plane and see me off. Oh my, does the plane fly great! After departing Titusville, I flew direct to Exuma International Airport on Exuma Island in the Bahamas. The plane flew flawlessly! Our deep inspection and the overall great condition of the aircraft paid off. Then from Exuma International direct to Port-Au-Prince. There was signficant turbulence at upper levels and all of the airliners were seeking smooth air. It was just a little bumpy where I flew. Approaching P-A-P is always a challenge. There are airplanes everywhere. I circled just abeam the control tower and when the clearance to land came, I dashed in for a very short, quick landing. Kyle, my son in law was there to meet me. We cleared Immigrations and loaded the Voyagers (Customs never said a word) and off to the village. It's amazing how good tools, such as this aircraft, can deliver you to remote and difficult regions to reach with the Good News of Jesus! It was great to meet up with Dave, another "Water Mule", who has been working tirelessly on moving the Voyager Repair Depot to a safer building. Sadly, the building that was recently completed specifically for Voyager repairs must be torn down. It is "very" structurally unsound and could collapse at any moment. We'll tear it down, before it falls down. Tomorrow is sure to bring surprises and opportunities. As always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe (Live from Haiti) IT'S A BEAUTIFUL THING! February 20, 2010 - Saturday 7:49am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL (Space Center Executive Airport) - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe One of our volunteers, Doug from Wisconsin, snapped this shot late yesterday afternoon. It's our first flight after the Annual. Today, we'll be doing final wash-down, a few more flights to verify all is well, loading and then early tomorrow morning, we plan to depart for Haiti. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe February 19, 2010 - Friday 9:49pm (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL (Space Center Executive Airport) - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe "BUTTONING HER UP!" What a wonderful day. Our Aircraft Inspector certified that our aircraft (N19EZ) was "good to go"! After nearly a week and hundreds of inspected components it's done! We took her for a series of test flights today and she flies like a dream. Our crew did a splendid job working long hours to accomplish this goal. Tomorrow, we'll do a few more flights and load the aircraft for an early Sunday morning departure for Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. We'll have at least 10 water purifiers on board. We heard from Barbara and 5 more orphans have received their Visas. She is planning to get them on a flight tomorrow. Upon arrival in Haiti, we will be avialable to fly to some isolated areas not yet reached with help. We will be placing Voyagers in those regions as well as flying in just over 1000 pounds of relief goods to hungry and thirsty Haitians (on each flight). We pray that we will be able to find food in P-A-P to bring to these desperate areas. What a joy to be able to help! Meanwhile, the suffering is magnified in Haiti. Rains have begun to fall. On Wednesday and Thursday heavy rains fell in Port-Au-Prince making life so difficult for these precious people who have already lost nearly everything. PLEASE PRAY for Haiti and pray that supplies get through. We can hardly wait to be back there. Thank you for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED! February 18, 2010 - Thursday 6:59am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL (Space Center Executive Airport) - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Entering into the "home stretch" First of all, we just thank the Lord for the release of 8 out of 10 of the missionaries that were held in Haiti. There is much that I could say about the whole situation, but I will just rejoice that reason is prevailing. As you can imagine, there is much more to the whole story. I can only say that I was in Haiti the day they were arrested and "getting permission" to do anything was nearly impossible. All of the controlling government agencies were piles of rubble. Enough said. Trying to get medical care and food and protection for children, whose parents had given full and complete permission for such care, is a noble and good thing. Certainly, the case has made many stop and think before acting. Please continue to pray for the remaining missionaries, pray that reason will prevail. Now, back to the journey of the Annual on the little Cessna. Yesterday, we were here for 16.5 hours. Today, bright & early, back to the chilly, drafty hangar and yes....we are entering into the home stretch of this phase our mission. Things are looking good and the inspection is so close to completion. Here is a shot of one our faithful volunteers, Doug. Doug is from Wisconsin and it's even cold for him here in "sunny Florida". Notice the pained look on his face. That's because I'm hogging the only heater to write this blog! This shot was taken just moments ago. For those of you who have been trying to contact Barbara in Haiti - the internet in the "Village" is down. We did hear from them via a back-up, back-up cell phone and they are doing well. We also received some exciting news regarding supplies / equipment for the "Village". A local aerospace organization has donated a 20 foot "refrigerated" container for the mission! This is wonderful news, as we can fill the container with supplies and once it arrives, we will have full refrigeration ability. The common name for such a devise is a "reefer" (not the kind one smokes). We are so thankful for the outpouring of kindness. Well, back to the inspection. God Bless and thanks for your PRAYER & LOVE!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED! February 17, 2010 - Wednesday 6:57am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL (Space Center Executive Airport) - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe COLD BLOGGING IN FLORIDA! It's a very chilly 35 degrees in this old drafty hangar. The "Annual" moves on - didn't swing the gear yesterday, spent additional time on the rear engine that checked out very strong. Every detail of this inspection is done with long and complex flights in mind. This little airplane will spend 80-90% of it's future flights over water (much of which is right through the middle of the "Bermuda Triangle"). Now, that's another story. Yesterday was very productive and we are really getting close on wrapping this phase of our mission up. As you very well know, the "mission" begins long before stepping on the soil of the target country. The destruction in Haiti is being reported as worse than the 2004 Tsunami in terms of loss of life / economic loss. Having worked both disasters, I completely concur with that report. The destruction in Haiti is just unimagineable. One report states that the loss in Haiti is twice the Gross National Budget. It is going to be a long and difficult road of recovery. The suffering is huge. It is estimated that 1.2 million are homeless. Folks, please pray that we get this airplane flying quickly. There is so much to be done. In just a few minutes, we'll be finally "swinging" the landing gear. That means that we jack the plane up high enough for the landing gear to go through a full cycle. We inspect every inch of movement to be sure all is well. Hopefully, I'll have a photo of the swing and a good report. Our crew has just arrived. I need to run to pump a jack. God Bless and THANKS AS ALWAYS for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! 11:02am - Space Center Executive Airport - Wednesday - February 17, 2010 The gear swing was successful. The last major portion of our Annual Inspection is complete! Now we have a few minor things to do / we'll test fly the aircraft and hopefully, be headed to Haiti as early as Friday! PRAISE GOD!! Again, THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYER & LOVE!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED! February 16, 2010 - Monday 5:57am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Dave Rigby gets an early ride to Haiti! Dave, our recent "water mule" spent yesterday testing Voyagers in our HQ in preparation for Voyager repair / deployments in Haiti. I first introduced Dave to you on the December 5th blog below. Dave is a true trooper! Very early this morning I brought him to meet my daughter and Barbara (Rambo in the Blue Dress)for a pre-dawn departure for Haiti. One of our incredible volunteer pilots will be giving them a lift back to Haiti. Dave will be doing "whatever" is required to help in this massive Haiti effort. During his 3 day visit with us, he worked on airplanes, loaded baby food, tested Voyagers and played basketball with my son and a host of other things. This morning, he'll step on Haitian soil and continue his mission. Meanwhile, the "Annual" goes on. We are very pleased with the overall condition of the Cessna 337. This morning, we'll "swing the gear" by jacking the aircraft and cycle and inspect the landing gear. Then, we'll be testing the rear engine and changing all oil / filters / etc. We're getting close to wrapping up the inspection. Ask me if I'm eager to head to Haiti! Well, the answer is YES! However, this eagerness is not getting in the way of a methodical, safe, thorough annual inspection. Hope to be heading out soon. As always, THANK YOU for taking the time to read this little journey / journal of one small mission attempting to make a difference in the most massive disaster in this hemisphere in known history. The conditions in Haiti are unimagineable. Another school collapsed yesterday. The Haitian people are desperately trying to get back on with their lives. So many buildings have been so severely damaged...the least shake brings them down. Please pray for the Lord's wisdom and protection to prevail in Haiti. So many are at such extreme risk. There are many more stories that I could share, but won't. Don't ever underestimate the power of prayer. Perhaps you could put a "post it" note on your dash or rear-view mirror and simply write "pray for Haiti". It is often frustrating wanting to do something and seemingly can't. Not everyone can do what Dave Rigby is doing today. But.....you can PRAY! Years ago, our Lord gave me a simple epiphany on prayer. Here it is - "If we really knew what happened when we pray, we would pray more". A wise brother once wrote, "Prayer is striking the winning blow, service is simply gathering up the results". I urge you all to pray. It does more than we know! I'm running out of time. Have to dash to the airport and continue the inspection. God Bless You and don't hestiate to contact us if you have any questions or feel quickened to help. Air Mobile Joe PS - We, by faith, are building Voyagers. We are going as far as our money will go. We still need funding for as many Voyagers as we can build. Want to help?? Please PRAY that many do. Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AND OTHER MISSIONS HAVE UNFOLDED! February 15, 2010 - Monday 7:27am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday was a banner day for orphans in Haiti! As a result of extraordinary generosity from around our country, Reach Out To Haiti received an incredible gift to rebuild the "Village" named Ruuska Village in Bon Repos Haiti. The presentation was made at IndiFest 2010 in Melbourne, Florida. One very precious and generous donor, Dr. Charles, matched our offering up to $100,000. Needless to say it was a very successful fundraiser! Air Mobile has cooperated with Reach Out To Haiti for over 15 years. The Director, Barbara Walker has worked with Air Mobile Ministries around the world bringing in clean water to disaster areas as well as deeply impoverished regions around the world. My daughter, Cherie, and a remarkable team of volunteers helped to bring this event to pass. Now, the "Village" that has been safe haven to thousands of children over the years can be rebuilt following the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. We, at Air Mobile Ministries, rejoice in this great victory. These resources will help save many more lives and bring clean water to a thirsty world! Praise God! Today, we continue our inspection and preparation for the Cessna 337. We are diligently seeking to get as many supplies into Haiti as quickly as possible. As always, we need your prayer and love to help us with this daunting task. God Bless You for all you do! Air Mobile Joe February 14, 2010 - Sunday 8:27am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Happy Valentine! It's a crisp 35 degrees here in sunny Florida! Here's a cool journey for you. Dave Rigby - Retired Science Teacher - turned Water Mule - turned Aircraft mechanic (temporary)! Dave first contacted us after travelling to Africa as a "water mule". His story is on our December 5th blog below. Well, he was so impressed with what the Voyager did, he traveled to Florida to meet us and ended up purchasing a Voyager to tell and demo others about how remarkable the Voyager is. Dave has stayed in close touch with us and has offered multiple times to come on a "rescue" mission with us. Then January 12th came and all of our lives have been changed. We dashed to Haiti and Dave followed our mission day by day reading the blogs. From Haiti, I responded to him several times. Upon returning to the U.S. last week, the phone began to ring and "on faith" Dave boarded a previously cancelled flight from very cold Chicago to moderately cold Florida. Dave's mission - to join me on my first flight into Haiti in N19EZ (our newly acquired Cessna 337). Not knowing when we are actually departing, Dave showed up to do "whatever" needed to be done to get this mission "winging" back to Haiti. Also, Dave brought funding for 5 more Voyagers. His community truly came together and many gave generously to funds these life-saving devices!! Yesterday, we spent a very chilly day in the hangar working on our beautiful new bird. From closing up inspection panels, to learning about how to determine the stretch on control cables to propellers and even jacking up an aircraft for a "landing gear swing", Dave had full day. Meanwhile, my precious Cindy was cooking and serving a Valentines' Dinner for a local church group. Juliet was Cindy's invaluable assistant. Our son, Peter helped prepare the feast. Down below in our lobby a team of 15 volunteers headed by Kyle, my son-in-law and his assistant Keith Pecot helped move huge amounts of baby formula, diapers, medical supplies and food to our temporary staging hangar. Cherie, my beautiful daughter (who is expecting) picked up Barbara who had to overnight in the Bahamas due to weather. Pat, the volunteer pilot got her safely back early yesterday morning. They dashed right to the IndiaFest to meet the many generous and caring residents of Brevard county. We are absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness and love being poured out for Haiti in our community. Between inspections / repairs on the aircraft, I fielded calls from Haiti regarding our "Haiti in-flight missions". Wow, what a day! We got back to our condo at 8:00pm last night. Cindy got home around 10:00pm and Juliet, our other beautiful daughter got home around midnight. A long, but productive day. Just thought I'd give you a little slice out of our life. Hope and pray that you have a blessed Valentines Day. We'll report on the final tally of funds raised for Reach Out To Haiti with the wonderful "matching" funds by Dr. Charles. God Bless. We have to get ready for church. Air Mobile Joe February 13, 2010 - Saturday 6:37am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Had another great day on the aircraft inspection. Excellent mechanics / inspector working well together. We hope to have the inspection finished by Monday / Tuesday. Please pray that the things we find to repair / replace / service - we find parts, etc. So far, all is looking good. Thank the Lord! We've been in communication with the Mission group coordinating relief in the Jacmel area. We are very eager to get into the area. One of the volunteer pilots (Pat - Piper Navajo) who has made multiple flights for Air Mobile / Reach Out to Haiti brought Barbara Walker in last night. Have yet to speak with Barb. Tonight and tomorrow is the IndiaFest held in Melbourne. Many in our area and around the country have raised funds for the rebuilding of the Barbara's village. A very generous Doctor (Dr. Charles) has graciously agreed to match any funds raised (up to $100,000!). Wow, we are overwhelmed by the response we are receiving. We'll give a grand total on Sunday. Well, as you can see by the time, we've got to head to the airport to continue this inspection to get this bird "very airworthy" for some serious flying! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - One of our recent "water mules", Dave Rigby from Illinois arrived yesterday everning (out of deep snow). He'll be assisting me on the inspection and whatever else needs to be done to get our first load of Voyagers into Haiti on the Mission aircraft. Dave also brought funding for 5 more Voyagers!! Praise God!! Joe February 12, 2010 - Friday 6:17am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Getting ready to head to the airport to continue the inspection of the C-337. It's going well. Just communicated with the missionaries requesting food in the Jacmel area of Haiti. We do pray that we can secure food in P-A-P. We will be flying a load of Voyagers from the U.S., so we will need to find the food in P-A-P (Port-Au-Prince). Pray we find favor once there. Of course, all of this depends upon a successful annual inspection. Really appreciate your prayers. Air Mobile Joe PS - We just received funding for another Voyager for Haiti. My dear friend and "water mule" Tom Franco delivered the funds to me yesterday at the airport. Looks like the Voyager will be going to the Jacmel area! Our Lord knows how to deploy His troops and His resources!! Joe February 11, 2010 - Thursday 6:57pm (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe 12 Hours later....the Annual Inspection is going very well! Our team showed up / we met with our IA (Authorized Inspector), laid out the plan and began opening up N19EZ. The airplane is very clean and well maintained. It is going to serve us very well. While doing the inspection, I received a call from Western Michigan. Several years ago, I had met this mission group and we've stayed in touch. I was informed that there is a small community between Port-Au-Prince and Jacmel that has received no food / water since the terrible quake. I just spoke again with the missionary and we discussed how we can help. When we get to P-A-P, we'll endeavor to find some food from some of the relief agencies. When we get a load, we'll "jump" over the mountain in the C-337 (22 minute flight) and get some food to hungry folks. Driving across the mountains can be and is likely treacherous. Attacks of food convoys are becoming more common. That is why the airplane is such a blessing! Our Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He prompted Bill Duncklee to donate this aircraft to Air Mobile! We may provide them with a Voyager also. It is so wonderful to be able to do something to help (though it seems small and insignificant). We are so thankful to be able to just do something! We could not do what we do without a lot of folks helping us. Tomorrow, we continue the inspection. Please pray all goes well and we get winging to Haiti soon!! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe February 11, 2010 - Thursday 6:57am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe BRRRRR 35 degrees in sunny Florida! In just a few minutes, we will be launching the Annual Inspection on the Cessna 337. We spoke with Barbara yesterday afternoon. She should be in this weekend. It looks like the 10 missinaries being held in Haiti will be released. Please continue to pray for them. We're working very hard and fast to get back into Haiti. Will keep you informed of developments. Air Mobile Joe February 10, 2010 - Wednesday 8:27am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe News from Haiti - Work proceeding on securing village / walls going up / we hope to have Barbara with our family this weekend. Will advise when we confirm. Tomorrow morning, we officially begin the Annual Inspection on the Cessna 337! We have a team of volunteers with their electric screw guns to begin "opening" the aircraft up for the extensive inspection. We don't anticipate any serious issues. We are confident that the front engine will give several good flights before we need to replace the cylinders. The tests recently performed indicate the engine is strong. We hope to replace the cylinders in the next few months. We just heard from Joe Prussel (Premier Water Mule) who just returned from Peru. All of the Voyagers that we delivered last year are up and running beautifully. His team was able to show Christian films in multiple locations. The Good News of Jesus is going out far and wide! Hope to post some pics of the inspection tomorrow. God Bless and THANKS AGAIN for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe February 9, 2010 - Tuesday 8:27am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Update - 2 more orphans flown in last night / cleared to their parents! Kyle Shropshire brought in these 2 little ones. Barbara Walker stayed back in Haiti. We were hoping to have Barb here for a couple of days. She may be coming in later this week. All paperwork on these orphans was perfect. However, as I have said, it is a "moving target". The rules and requirements are changing rapidly. More good news - The preliminary test on the front aircraft engine went well. It looks like we can make a few flights to Haiti before "topping" (replacing the cylinders)the front engine. Praise God! Now, we have to complete the Annual inspection. Please pray that all goes well. As soon as we get the N19EZ (the Cessna 337) ready, we will be heading directly to Haiti with at least 10 Voyager water purifiers! More are being built. We still need funding for additional units, but these 10 will be ready to go on our first flight in. Again, I can't thank you all enough for your incredible love and support. If there is ever a time that Haiti needs us, it is now!! Air Mobile Joe PS - More truth coming out about the 10 missionaries being held on "child trafficking" - they did have paperwork to take the kids - their former attorney has been fired for trying to bribe the missionaries / the new attorney appears to be doing a good job for them. Please continue to pray for them. Joe February 8, 2010 - Monday 4:27am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe 2 Quick Victory Reports - #1 - THE SAINTS WON! - #2 - THE SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOR just launched moments ago. Our building shook, as the Shuttle blasted into space. Praise God -all is going well! I was born and raised in Baton Rouge, LA / Today, Barbara Walker and Kyle Shropshire fly out of Haiti with more children. Kyle will be coordinating the loading and shipment of 2 containers of building material / food / supplies back into Haiti. Barbara will spend a couple of days here tallying the supplies and rallying more troops in the "Cause". We hope to conduct the compression test today on the front engine on the C-337. Our goal is to get that bird winging to Haiti ASAP. God Bless & THANKS again. Air Mobile Joe February 7, 2010 - Sunday 7:44am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe We had a wonderful turnout for the launching of the new Air Mobile Aircraft Maintenance Team. A wide range of skill and talent sitting around this table. A wise Pastor once told me, "God knows how to deploy His troops"! We met at the Outer Marker Cafe' yesterday morning (located at Space Center Executive Airport -KTIX - Titusville, FL . After reviewing the logs (all aircraft records) and doing a preliminary inspection of the the Cessna 337 (N19EZ) we all agreed that Air Mobile has received a very fine aircraft. This week, we'll be putting on a full press to get inspections done / engine tests / and parts changed to get this bird in the air aiming for Haiti AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE (but always have safety in mind!!). Folks, I can hardly wait! We have compiled an overview of what all has happened and the things our Lord has helped both Air Mobile Ministries and Reach Out To Haiti to accomplish since January 12, 2010 (the day of the most devastating natural event to occur in this hemisphere in modern history). We just praise the Lord. I will try to get that overview posted by Monday. It will bless you. Meanwhile, Voyagers are being built in our Air Mobile Headquarters / the Lord has protected all of our team members both in and out of Haiti. There has been tremendous movement in the last few weeks. Our Lord is giving us strength and favor in the midst of chaos and extreme desperation. For that we are so thankful! Here is the photo of Bill Dunklee, Founder and President of Airborne Ministries presenting the Bill of Sale (donation) of N19EZ to Air Mobile Ministries. God Bless You, Bill!! Thank you all again for your prayer, love and support!! Air Mobile Joe February 6, 2010 - Saturday 6:44am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe In just over an hour from now, I will be meeting with our future Aircraft Maintenance Team. Since the word has gone out about the need for the aircraft engine repair, we have been pleasantly overwhelmed with interested mechanics / maintenance personnel. Bill Dunklee will be coming up from Vero Beach, FL to meet with our team and give them a full update on the present status of N19EZ (the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster). Our plan is to get this bird flying to and from Haiti on a regular basis ASAP! In the meantime, I spoke with Barbara Walker last night. She is back in Haiti securing visas for more orphans. The rebuild and repair of Ruuska Village is proceeding well. Walls are coming up / supplies are being secured. Things are changing DAILY and sometimes hourly regarding procedures / laws. One must really check things out before proceeding, especially regarding flights / visas / etc. The Voyagers in the Village are running great. Clean water is flowing into the community. We have refurbished Voyagers in stock in Haiti, so that if any units go down, we can swap them out immediately to get them up and going. We're building Voyagers in our Headquarters in Titusville. We will fly Voyagers into Haiti on our first flight in N19EZ! Please continue to pray for all the folks on the ground in Haiti as they attempt to relieve untold / staggering suffering. So many are at extreme risk. Need to get ready to head to the airport. Will try to post a couple of pics of the airplane today. God Bless You and thanks again. Air Mobile Joe PS - Last night, we had a wonderful meeting with the building owners (where Air Mobile is headquartered). Our location is secure and wonderful terms are being worked out. THANK YOU for your prayers! The Lord is good! Joe THANK YOU for your prayer!! We had a wonderful meeting with the owners of our building last night and our location is secure!! The Lord is good. February 5, 2010 - Friday 9:44am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Another sleepless night!! Yesterday was filled with moving cargo / donations to the hangar / working on details regarding our current location / lining up mechanics to begin the inspection on the airplane and a host of other needful tasks. 2 Airplanes were scheduled to land from Haiti in the mid afternoon. Delay after delay in departure from Port-Au-Prince. Long story short, the ETA for the aircraft to arrive in Melbourne, FL was around 11:30pm. The actual arrival time - 4:00am! Barbara was able to get 6 more orphans out! Praise God!! My daughter, Cherie, awaited Barbara's arrival. We drove into her driveway at 4:45am. Then another team of 6 including Barbara headed right back to Haiti on a Missionary Flight International (MFI) DC-3. They departed at 8:00am and should be in Haiti around noon. We are just rejoicing that the supply chain is going into Haiti and the rescued orphans are able to come to the U.S. to be united with their new parents! We thank God each day for victories!! We know that in the midst of these victories there are battles. We continually look to the Lord for guidance and dirction...each step of the way!! God Bless and thanks again for your prayer!!! Air Mobile Joe February 4, 2010 - Thursday 8:41am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Early this morning, I received a call from Bob Featherstone in Cap Haitian. We had been speaking about getting the Voyayer in the clinic working. Yesterday evening, he tried several things. Still did not work. This morning, he called, I gave him something else to try and VOILA!, we got the UV lamp to work. The rest is simple. Then, I called Barbara's village, spoke with Jim and we're sending replacement filters via one of the "inter-air" aircraft working between Port-Au-Prince and Cap Haitian. The wonder of communications!! I am so glad cell phones work. In the meantime, Barbara is flying from Haiti to the U.S. this afternoon with more orphans - ALL WITH PROPER DOCUMENTATION! By the way, please remember to pray for the Baptist Missionaries that attempted to rescue the children and are being charged with "Child Trafficking". Please pray that the Judge shows mercy. Having been there immediately following the horrible quake, I can understand how a simple rescue can become legally and politically charged. Again, I do not know details, however, I can see how these things can happen. On one of our first relief flights, we flew a little girl back to the U.S., Mishna on a medical visa. The visa did not expire until August 10, 2010. We thought the Visa was perfectly good. What we did not see is that in small writing, the Visa was good for only one entry. We had brought the little girl back to Haiti following the surgery to see her mother in Haiti. We had surgeons all lined up to continue her care back in the U.S. Upon arrival at West Palm Beach, it was pointed out that Mishna had a "single use" Visa and she was taken into State Custody. It was a terrible experience. Our flight crew and volunteers were treated like criminals. Folks, we did what we did, with every good intention and yet we broke the law and did not even know it. This is how easy things can get out of hand. Our Flight Crew and Missionaries were eventually released from the airport. Mishna is still in Custody and grinding through the long, legal battle for her release. So, PLEASE PRAY FOR MERCY from the Judge for these Baptist missionaries currently being held in the Haitian Jail! Yesterday, we put N19EZ (our freshly donated Cessna 337) into our temporary hangar. Our airport has graciously allowed us the usage of 2 hangars for 90 days! We also are lining up mechanics to do a full inspection on the aircraft. This will begin on Saturday. Today, we are moving people and supplies to warehouses and to Haiti. So many pilots are offering their airplanes to move this precious cargo in and precious orphans out of Haiti. Please PRAY that the door remains open and that we are able to continue. Just received a report from Barbara's Village via Jim. The front wall is back up. Engineers are still determining what to do with the food depot / Voyager Repair Center. Not sure if support walls with work, or does the structure have to come down and be completely re-built. Please pray that the engineers have God's wisdom. Well, better run for now. Have a mountain of stuff to do before Barbara and the orphans arrive. Oh yes, and finally, please pray that my daughter Cherie keeps her strength and endurance. She is almost 7 months pregnant and doing an incredible job of coordinating under great stress. My precious Cindy has carried a huge load during my absence and continues to walk and work with our Lord's strength. We are all tired, but know that we must keep marching faithfully during this desperate hour of need in Haiti. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe February 3, 2010 - Wednesday 9:01am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Bill Dunklee and I took off from Marshall, Arkansas at 8:00pm last night and landed Titusville, FL just after midnight (this morning)! The aircraft flew like a dream. We came back at 17,000 and averaged just over 200 knots (230mph). The distance was over 800 nautical miles and we landed with over an hour fuel in our tanks. The photo above was snapped at abot 10:00pm last night. This aircraft is a powerful tool. Not only can we fly to Haiti on a regular basis, but we can operate within the country on many of the short and unpaved strips. Now, we have to get to work to get that front engine into top condition. We need to replace the cylinders asap. Please pray about helping with this vital project. The photo below was taken at 12:10am this morning. N19EZ DELIVERED TO AIR MOBILE!! I just spoke with my daughter Cherie. Barbara Walker is back in Haiti. We have 2 more private aircraft flying in supplies and flying personnel out today. We all sense that we are in a race against time. So many are so vulnerable. We just pray for our Lord to lead us each step of the way. God Bless and THANKS for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe February 2, 2010 - Tuesday 3:31pm (Central U.S. Time) - Harriet, Arkansas - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe We arrived safely here in northern Arkansas this morning after driving 20 hours straight. This morning, we loaded 2 airplane engines and a bunch of parts for the Cessna 337. Doug, who volunteered his beautiful GMC 4 wheel drive pick up headed out a couple of hours ago. Keith Pecot, who came to help us drive accompanied Doug. What great friends! Bill Dunklee and I are preparing the Cessna for our flight back. Don't have time to load photos. The plane is just beautiful and so functional. Will keep you advised. We may get all the way back to Titusville tonight. If not, we'll overnight in Alambama and fly back to Titusville in the morning. THANKS for your prayer!! Air Mobile Joe February 1, 2010 - Monday 8:31am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Quick report from personnel in Haiti - Moving target!! Rules are changing as we speak, as has been demonstrated by the missionaries arrested for "Child Trafficking". I don't have specific details, however, I know that things are changing so rapidly that things that were acceptable and "legal" yesterday, can be "illegal" today. I know that hundreds of thousands of Haitian children are DESPERATE & DYING! We must do all that we can to get them out of harms way quickly. PLEASE PRAY that those that are on the ground are directed and protected in all they do! Today, an Air Mobile team in conjunction with Airborne Ministries is heading to Arkansas to pick up the Cessna 337. We need to get that aircraft on-line asap. Feel free to call me if you have any questions 321-544-7757. After securing the aircraft, hope to be back in Haiti in the next few days. Will write reports enroute. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe January 31, 2010 - Sunday 9:31am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe WINGS FOR AIR MOBILE!! On Friday morning, I received a call from my dear friend and brother in Christ, Bill Dunklee. I have known and worked with Bill for many years. Bill is the founder and director of Airborne Ministries. When the call came in, I was exhausted and my head was still spinning from Haiti. I had only been home for a few hours. Bill informed me that he felt directed by the Lord to donate the Cessna 337 owned and operated by his ministry. By the way, the photo above was taken about 4 years ago. Bill is holding a Vortex Voyager and I am holding a Jesus Film "Jet Pac". We knew then that one day, we would be working together again. Note, the aircraft does not have the cargo pod installed yet. I have a photo of the aircraft with the pod below. Over the years, Air Mobile Ministries has owned and operated 13 different aircraft. For the last few years, we have not had an aircraft because much of our ministry has been conducted in Asia and beyond. NOW, with this unprecedented tragedy in Haiti, it is time for us to have an aircraft. I had only just begun to think of this when Bill's call came. We are going to pick up the aircraft in Arkansas in the next few days. The aircraft needs an annual inspection (which is good because it allows us to do a very currentand thorough inspection before putting the bird to work in Haiti). It also needs a "top-end" on the front engine. This involves the purchase of 6 new cylinders at $1500 each. We also need to find a hangar. Please pray that all of these needs will be met. An airplane will give us incredible access to Haiti. This plane can also land on all of Haiti's runways, paved and non-paved. I know this aircraft well and am just overjoyed to receive this timely, Spirit-led gift!! This aircraft is equipped and configured for serious mission work. It has a cargo pod and short field modifications. Gotta run to church. Will keep you informed as things develop. GOD BLESS YOU and thank you again for your prayer and love and support!! Air Mobile Joe January 30, 2010 - Saturday 8:31am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe A quick note on yesterday (back in the U.S.) - Scores of phone calls / reports / interviews / Today, strategic meetings set for long range help for Haiti. Voyagers are being built / securng funding / reviewing placement of units / longing to be back in Haiti asap. Please pray for our timely deployment in the Lord's perfect time. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions. As always, THANK YOU for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe (Cell - 321-544-7757) January 29, 2010 - Friday 9:31am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday, it was off to the airport bright and early to get John Torres and Craig Rubadoux on-board a flite back to the U.S. / with great hesitation, I put my name on the last flite of the day, not knowing if I would get a seat. I miss my family / and have critical business to attend to regarding getting more Voyagers / supplies / food / personnel into Haiti. My wife, Cindy and daughter, Cherie and a host of volunteers have been incredible.I can't even begin to describe how the Lord is using them during this unprecedented disaster. I am so proud of them and their service to our Lord. Peter my son and Dieunika have grown an inch in the last 2 weeks. It's good to be home / have a nice, long, hot shower (the first in 2 weeks) and eat whenever I want. However, we know that we will be headed back to Haiti very soon. Back to yesterday, after dropping John and Craig, our new pilot friend Charlie (who flew in and donated a plane-load of food and supplies) headed downtown to the palace and meet with the YWAM Medical Team operating out of the Police Department courtyard. Our mission was to complete our training and drop off hoses and extra filters. We again requested water from "any source" and bring it to us to purify. They brought us some pretty nasty water and the wonderful Voyager purified it and the docs were all amazed. After completing that mission, I knew that it was time for me to come home, at least for a short time and take care of a lot of business vital to the continuation of this mission in Haiti. Upon getting back to the airport, I realized that I had forgotten to pack one of my back-packs that had my car keys. The traffic was mega-gridlock leaving the airport. I asked to borrow a motorcycle, quickly got the keys and off to our mission / by car/truck it would take 3+hours to make the round trip / by motorcycle, I was there and back in 45 minutes! Motorcycle is definately the way to move around Port-Au-Prince if you have to get somewhere quickly. It was a wild ride, much on the broken sidewalks among make-shift street vendors, but people just moved out of the way and let this missionary thru. Back to the airport, I get assinged to a Cessna Caravan leaving in 30 minutes (perfect timing, Praise God!). By the way, MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) and MFI (Missionary Flights International) have done an INCREDIBLE job of moving thousands of people and tons and tons of cargo in and out of the country. Once on board the little Caravan, I just let loose. The flood of emotions were overwhelming. My prayer is that the Lord allows me to return very soon. The faces / gruesome dead bodies / desperation / pain / lack of food / water / medical care and the list goes on and on just filled my mind and heart as the Caravan lifted off and headed back for the 4.5 hour flight back to Fort Pierce. My mind and heart also went to the faces of faith and determination / even laughter / all night prayer vigils and spontaneous worship that I witnessed in the Haitian people lead me to believe that this country and people will recover. It will never be the same, but our Lord will be with them each step of the way. Upon landing in Ft. Pierce, I quickly passed Customs / Immigration. Was met by me dear friends, Marlin and Pat Moudy. Remember, Marlin gave us his plane (and himself) the day after the earthquake. Talk about deep friendship and love of the Lord!! They took me to the Golden Corral / steak never tasted so good. Then, the long ride back / drifting along the way (had to stop and snooze) to keep safe. Arrived home to my precious family at 1:00 this morning. Awoke to quiet (no roosters / chickens / pigs and the voices and sounds of Haiti). Already been on the phone getting vital supplies / components moving / my staff did a WONDERFUL job in my absence. Now, we're locking arms and settling down for the long haul of helping a small country in our back yard that is bleeding and suffering beyond our comprehension. I'll endeavor to keep report coming. So many of you have prayed and given and come forward to help us help Haiti. Today, Cherie is loading another airplane, Cindy is working on getting "undocumented" orphan cleared in and scores of others are working tirelessly. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe PS - feel free to call if you have any questions / my cell is: 321-544-7757. Joe January 28, 2010 - Thursday 6:31am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday / team up and out in many directions / we bring a small group to the mass burial site / don't want to see dead bodies / want to pray for the heavy machine operators that have seen things that no one should see / just spend a few moments praying for them / they weep as we pray / I can only imagine the images that have come into their minds. Then received the call concerning the coordination of 5 more Voyagers! I've been waiting for the team to arrive from the Dominican Republic. They are all set up directly across the street from the National Palace / they are in the Police Department courtyard. We'll meet this afteroon for delivery / training. On to the airport to meet the 2 planes / no fuel - pilots have made interim stops to give range. The activity at the airport has become fairly organized chaos. The mission community has risen to a new level. Hundreds of people are coming in and out everyday. Our planes arrive / new workers head to massive task / much needed cargo loaded for the village / only 2 orphans have paperwork to depart. We make a call for anyone wanting a free ride back / 2 takers / the planes depart. The 2 planes were piloted by Pat in the Navajo / and Troy Lotane in his beautiful Cirrus. The wonderful and commendable thing is how these pilots are risking so much to make these flights. THANKS GUYS!! Head to the Palace / meet the Medical Team on the Voyagers / as I set up to train, I make a request / get me water - "I don't care where it comes from- don't tell me until after I drink it". We have their attention / in comes a bucket of water from "I don't know here" / 1 minute set up of Voyagers / pump on / light activates / water flows out / let it flow for 1 minute / then I drink it. Applause / amazement / then the Docs line up and drink. The joy and appreciation for such a machine is so rewarding. We depart knowing our mission is clear. Get clean water to as many desperate areas as we can. Now, these docs don't have to transport heavy water, simply pump it from any nearby source. By the way, that water came from a VERY CONTAMINATED WELL! Now, back to the airport, traffic not too bad. Meet Airplane number 3 piloted by Charlie. Barbara met Charlie earlier in the day in Provo / a fuel island / he had food and no place to bring it/ I had gotten a call earlier and told to return to meet him. We got there / he had just landed. Secured his beautiful Cessna 180 / headed to our overloaded, crowded mission. The rest of the team had made it back for sunset. The Travel the Road team got caught in gunfire / looting. U.S. troops were there and patched up the wounded. Very gripping story of increased desperation / One guy had been shot earlier / patched up and caught again and shot again. Today, put team members on planes returning to the U.S. / do some follow-up training with our Docs across from the Palace. If all goes well, I may jump on a flight and come home for a bit. Cindy and my kids have been incredible holding things together on the home-front. I have missed them terribly. This has been the most difficult relief mission I have ever been on. It's so hard to know where to stop. The need is just so overwhelming. Again, there is so much more that I want to write / just run out of time. God Bless and THANKS again for your prayer! Air Mobile Joe January 27, 2010 - Wednesday 6:51am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday - day began with part of our team going to mass burial site / tragic-grim reality (we could drop in a photo, but you don't want to see it) /then pressing thru gridlock to check on an old friend, Jay Threadgill / been in Haiti for 25 years lost many friends / we discussed water and his need / he has large purifier enroute / then up to Quisqueya School (3 of my children went to the school many years ago. Trained a team on the operation of the Voyager / What a joy to see the units heading to the field to pump clean water. From the school, it was next to the CDTI Hospital. We were right in the "ER" / I had the privilege to pray for victims as they prepared for surgery. It is difficult to describe the steady flow of victims with injuries from 2 weeks ago. Just their very survival to this point is miraculous. Everyone welcomed prayer and I experienced a level of faith and trust not seen in my life. One young lady had a severely broken leg and lacerations / for 2 weeks she has endured with no bed / medicine / as the doctors medicated her to set the leg, she was breathing the Name of Jesus. The victims that came thru the gate just went on and on. One of the lead surgeon's son informed us that their accompaning supplies / instruments had not arrived yet / We departed for the airport to see if we could find more for them / The University of Miami Field Hospital may have some for them / we pray these gifted doctors get the tools they need to bring healing and hope. I have lived and worked in Haiti since 1978. Many an evening has been puncuated with voodoo drums and demonic revelry. Upon arriving in Haiti in Wednesday, January 13th, less than 24 hours following the deadly quake, my experience as been that the influence of voodoo has been dramatically less. By that I mean, both on the street and in the night, I have heard all night prayer vigils / puncuated with deep praise and worship. Again, this is my opinion from a limited sphere, but there is a marked reduction in voodoo. For that, I am very glad. Everywhere we have been, we have seen deep despair, huge pain and yet, when I say the Name of Jesus, there is a smile / deep profession of faith. Folks, I have not seen this once or twice, but now, after 15 days since I have been here, thousands of times. Will Haiti rebuild and recover?? ABSOLUTELY!! If there has ever been a demonstration of pure grit and the will to live and above all, the Grace and power of God....this missionary has seen it. Yesterday, 3 young men who have been with us (Travel the Road / Tim & Will & friend Dave) witnessed a MIRACLE! They were right on the scene when a 35 year old man was dug from the rubble AFTER 14 DAYS!! This is incredible!! Before this team headed to town, we prayed and asked the Lord to lead each micro-millimeter of the way. Our Lord put them right there the moment he was extracted from the rubble. There is a powerful message here of hope and the power of God!! This photo was taken just seconds after the survivor was removed from the rubble (taken by Travel The Road team). There is a growing desperation on the street, however. Looting and fires were clearly evident in Port-Au-Prince. Please pray that vital food and water get to the millions who are becoming more desperate by the hour. This is a race against time! Just at sundown, we all met back at the village, Louana had a huge pot of noodles and tuna. A simple meal never tasted so good. I received a call from Zachary from a nearby hospital. His Voyagers needed service. I gave him one that was refurbished (a quick swap). Tomorrow, we will refurbish is other units. Late in the evening, Tim, Will and Dave brought the "breaking news" video to the ABC center in Port-Au-Prince. They offered it to ABC and simply asked that they make a donation to Air Mobile Ministries and Ruuska Village. Wow. We will see if they use the footage. Early this morning, I received a text message from Kyle (my son in Law) that 2 airplanes were in the air and scheduled to land at noon today. Please pray that the flights go well and they are not forced to circle too long. There is no fuel here. The pilots fuel at a midway point in the Bahamas so that they will have enough fuel to make it to the Dominican Republic to top off and head back to the U.S. OUR PRAYER is that we can bring more orphans out. At this time, we only have 2. The "OPEN DOOR" has closed. Political wrangling. Please pray our Lord opens the door again!! Have to run / get our team up and ready. THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe January 26, 2010 - Tuesday 7:58am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Here's a breathless report. Must type fast. Yesterday began with our "Water Mule Team", 11 year old Anderson getting 5 units up and pumping. Gather up our team that's heading back and a little girl about to lose her foot if.....she does not get serious care. Our first team boarded and headed out of the Village hoping and praying that grid-lock would not strike our route. Praise God, made the airport in good time / got the little girl into the hands of the University of Florida Field Hospital at the airpot. My next mission / look for fuel for our in-bound Orphan Angel Flight Airplane. None to be found / then - pleasantly surprised by the arrival of the "Travel the Road" guys, Tim and Will accompanied by Dave Phillips (Overland Mission & AMM Water Mule) and Aaron Renninger. Minutes later, our orphans arrived Plane lands / Barb rushed out to waiting motorcycle / dash to Embassy to process more docs / back to the airport....all in 45 minutes / Board our little "RESCUED ORPHANS" and off the plane flew. By the way, got the Pilot's name - PAT! God Bless Pat the Pilot and his great Piper Navajo for this selfless / brave rescue. Pat is putting a lot on the line to do these flights. We watched the plane leave with a sigh of relief. Got disturbing news from the Embassy - Rules are changing!! Not as easy to get Visas / must pray for this new change to not "bottle neck" the flow of innocent orphans in extreme danger. After flights gone, go to town to see the devastation. The smell, the utter destruction that knocked out the entire infrastructure of this country / just overwhelming. Spoke to a couple of ladies just sitting beside the collapsed Cathedral. Their story was gripping / tragic. This story is repeated hundreds of thousands of times. This disaster is just so big. We passed back by the airport following our recon mission of downtown and found John Torres and Craig Rubadoux from Florida Today. John is an old "Water Mule" and was just with us here in Haiti last week. John & Rube came with a medical from Melbourne who will be working in CDTI Hospital / a "hospital doing miracles" in medicine in the midst of this unbelievable tragedy. Truly, the Lord had his hand on the hospital as it has been functioning since the terrible quake. After going with the team to the hospital / a quick introduction / we returned to our village in the dark of the night. The Lord protected us. Exhausted, we settled in for the evening and the regular shakes, hoping and praying another big one does not occur. For an up to the minute report from John of Florida Today put in this link: http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100126/NEWS01/1260332/1086/Melbourne+nurse+feels+pull+from+Haiti Today, I'll be training multiple teams on fresh Voyager deliveries!! Praise God, received 6 new Voyagers on Pat's flight. Well, really have to run. A lot more happened yesterday, I just don't have time to share it. PLEASE REMEMBER US IN PRAYER! PRAY FOR MIGHTY MIRACLES FOR HAITI! WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!! Air Mobile Joe January 25, 2010 - Monday 12:58am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Awoke an hour ago after falling into an exhausted sleep earlier. Felt need to get changed / arrange all items for quick exit. Just checked e-mail / have sense of slight rumbling / could this be the next quake? Since arriving here 10 days ago, there has not been a full nights sleep. Sleeping on the edge / waiting to run from and away the building. Scenes from the ground zero of this killer quake are fresh in my mind. We must be ready to move QUICKLY at all times. Must pray and try to get some sleep. The following reports are daily journals of this and other missions. Thanks for your prayers!! Joe MAD DASH TO THE AIRPORT - RAPID MEDICAL CARE - RESCUE ACCOMPLISHED! January 24, 2010 - Sunday 7:35am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday, we left the village with 8 children on a "true rescue misson"! The last minute details of packing / photos for U.S. Immigrations / all in a rush / I saw our rescue aircraft fly over our village (a beautiful Piper Navajo Panther). We knew we would face absolute gridlock / one of our little girls was not doing well / time was our enemy / Just in the last minute before departure, I received very disturbing news regarding critical components for our water purifiers. As we drove out of our village, there were a lot of emotions - real life and death things going on. GRID-LOCK! The traffic was absolutely horrendous - hundreds of thousands are fleeing Port-Au-Prince. This mass exodus clogs everything - 2 lane roads become 8 lane roads. Our little girl began to fade on us - the plane had landed / we were hours away / finally, in desperation, I got out of the truck / ran way ahead / found an overwhelmed policeman trying to direct the chaos / I told him we would coming on the sidewalk with a very sick little girl / he nodded / down the sidewalk the truck dashed with our Jeep (driven by Kyle) behind / Jam by jam / we pushed thru / finally - we arrived at the airport / there was our pilot waiting / We dashed into the newly erected University of Florida Field Hospital and yelled for an "IV to Go" - within minutes, our little girl was hooked up and headed to the waiting aircraft / all within 20 minutes, our "Angel Flight" was airborne and headed to America! Huge sigh of relief! 8 more kids rescued / deep prayer for the little one. Our pilot offered for Sue (our neighbor orphanage director) to join Barb to care for the 8 children and handle the IV during the flight. Quick, compassionate decisions made in this rescue. After the kids were on board, I thanked this selfless, caring pilot who donated his time and aircraft for this mission. I don't even know his name. My daughter, Cherie who has been working round the clock coordinating all of this stuff. She is amazing. The Lord is AWESOME! Next back to the Embassy thru the grid-lock / long lines / pungent smell / young, serious American soldiers protecting the Embassy entrance / check on our next batch of visas in process / very dedicated Consular staff, deeply moved / exhausted yet pressing on. Our next batch should be ready on Monday. More kids out of harms way. We jumped on motorcycles / paid about $12 to dash back to our village and face the next major problem of getting the "Supply Chain" for parts for the Voyagers. Our primary source of components has REFUSED to send us parts. It's a long story and I will not elaborate. I am astounded that people could be so insensitive to the desperate need / yet that's what is happening. Our Team prayed, knowing full well the awesome power of these water purifiers. This very Village (Ruuska) has been drinking Voyager water for over 5 years. Diarrhea has been ARRESTED in this community as well as hundreds of other communities in Haiti and in 37 other countries around the world. In a nutshell, and I'm sure you know this, the "the little machine really works!" We MUST not let the 600+ operators world-wide down by lack of parts! Well....The Lord heard our prayer!!! After many calls and deep inquiry and desperate pleas....VICTORY at 11:37pm last night! We found a source for HUNDREDS of components! The Lord is good all the time! I am praying for the original source of components (who have denied supplying us) and ask the Lord to reveal to them the terrible mistake they are making by not supplying us. In spite of their actions, JESUS IS LORD! CLEAN WATER WILL FLOW TO DESPERATE AND THIRSTY PEOPLE! Today, we are going to have the LARGEST CLEAN WATER PARTY EVER. I hope to have 10 Voyagers running simultaneously. The flow rate will be amazing. Being Sunday and a lot of people will be just standing around waiting for clean water, I may just share a bit about the "Living Water". Pray that all goes well. I JUST SPOKE WITH BARBARA - THE LITTLE GIRL MADE THE FLIGHT / RESPONDED VERY WELL TO THE I.V. / DOING WELL THIS MORNING! PRAISE GOD!!! UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE 1-24-10 12:59PM - RUUSKA VILLAGE WATER PARTY UPDATE - Today, we set up the largest distribution in a single location. We have 10 Voyagers operating. When the photo was shot this morning, we had 9 of 10 Voyagers in operation. What a superb opportunity to train our young operators in the village. The good news is, I gave very little training. This team of young men know exactly what they are doing. Man, am I impressed. As I am writing this report, they are pumping clean water to "whosoever will" walk thru our fallen gate and have a bucket or bottle. We are ramping up in our village and sending word out incrementally so that our village is not inundated. It's working very well. Word is spreading and the Lord seems to send our neighbors in a slow, steady stream. Our Voyagers just keep pumping out clean water. I have a lot of fun giving the kids a quick drink between filling the large water bottles. This is just great. In the midst of unimagineble tragedy, our Lord gives us these little "breaths of fresh air". I'd better get this blog posted before the electricity goes out. GOD BLESS YOU and thanks for your prayer, love and support!! God Bless & THANKS AGAIN FOR PRAYING!! Air Mobile Joe PS - My dear Cindy has been working behind the scenes to get many more children rescued. She is on another mission in Massachusetts. Please remember us all in your prayers!! Joe January 23, 2010 - Saturday 8:25am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Yesterday, we had 6 Voyagers pumping water out of this village like a river! We quietly sent the message out that we had clean water. The line began to form....slowly! That's exactly what we wanted. The thirsty neighbors came one by one with their bottles. Our team was set up sanitizing their bottles / vessels and the 6 Voyagers pumped water at a rate of 120+ gallons per hour. It was great. We had a couple of "hot spare" Voyagers ready to go when a filter needed to be cleaned and in less than a minute the swap would be made. What a great system. I left the team in full operation and headed to the Embassy with our team. Earlier, Kyle Shropshire brought John Goheen (the photo journalist) to the airport and went on a search for doctors and meds. Meanwhile we went to the Embassy to await our "6" visas. It's difficult to describe the scene, orphans everywhere, MRE (Meal Ready Eat) containers strewn everywhere, the smell, you can only imagine. Yet, the Consular staff patiently pressing through request after request. Overall, the atmosphere was amazingly calm. Outside is another situation. The line of applicants very long and the smell.....decaying bodies. The air is pungent. You find yourself breathing shallow breaths, knowing the source of the smell. Back inside, so many conversations / stories among the missionaries / relief workers. And the hundreds of kids surprisingly well behaved and patient. Patience is something that is learned in Haiti. Under normal circumstances, the long lines and long waits are normal. Communications spotty. My phone had been able to send / receive text messages, now that is out, but the phone portion works. Of course, you have to attempt 30-50 times before the line goes through. When it does, it costs about $2.50 - $4.00 per minute, but it is worth it. If you call me, make it short and sweet. After a short 8 hours, the wait and patience paid off! 11 Visas!! More to come on Monday. Again, working under extraordinary pressure and very long hours, the Consulate staff came through! After returning to our village in the pitch of night (no electricity makes dark streets even darker) we celebrated! It was short due to pure exhaustion. No one has had a full nights sleep in over a week. The steady shocks and accentuated night sounds and lack of walls and impending desperation makes it difficult to sleep. Up this morning before sunrise. Wash a mountain of dirty dishes. I saw purified water bottles coming in to our cooking area. Anderson, our 11 year old Voyager operator came in smiling. I asked him how many Voyagers he had going this morning. He smiled and told me 4. Anderson has been pumping clean water through the Voyagers for over 2 years and usually runs only one. After my 6 unit demo yesterday, he set up 4 and pumped water 4 times faster. He loved it. He's a quick study. Often people ask me if the unit is easy to operate. Well, Anderson is one of our older operators. We have had kids as young as 4 operate the Voyager proficiently. Today, Barb flies out with 8 more kids. That's all our private aircraft can carry. We'll fly more out on Monday and Tuesday. We'll pump clean water and spread out from our village. I don't know when I will return. The Lord has not released me from Haiti yet. God Bless and THANKS for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe January 22, 2010 - Friday 7:25am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe I just wrote an entire report for the day, the electricity went out and it was lost, so here an abbreviated - abbreviated report from yesterday. Yesterday, spent 11 hours in the U.S. Embassy - complicated, ever changing rules / procedures to get evacuate kids. Just before departing, set up 3 Voyagers to pump clean water for our village and neighbors. A team of 3 arrived on humanitarian flight / immediately went to work upon arrival at the village with a little dehydrated girl / lacerations from our community. The team also understands structures / can help us determine what has to be brought down and what can be saved. They'll start on getting some of the walls back up. We have goodwill among our neighbors because we have and share clean water. This often is the best protection against looters. Today, we will head back to the Embassy to pick up more visas and keep the process going for more. It is a true "moving target". The rules are changing as I type. The Embassy staff is working very hard to get as many processed as possible. They need prayer for strength and direction as do we. Before departure this morning, we'll set up 4-6 Voyagers and get word out that we have clean water. Don't want too much word to get out as we don't want to be inundated, but we know the Lord will lead. As soon as the team is in the Embassy and processing, I hope to jump on a local motorcycle and head back to the village to keep the clean water line flowing. Hope to train other groups on this method and duplicate it. We are very concerned about a number of Voyager operators / either been killed by quake and Voyages destroyed. Gridlock has prohibited our getting out and searching. Our ventures out of the village have been to the Embassy / airport for teams and supplies / searches for food and fuel. Again, it's difficult to describe the depth of this disaster. Felt a number of tremors last night / have multi-pocket vest and grab bag positioned by exit door in the event the tremors grow. Not a good night sleep since we've been here. Now, before I lose this blog, I'm going to publish it. God Bless and thanks for your prayer! Air Mobile Joe January 21, 2010 - Thursday 6:38am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe I awoke at 3:30am to a few mild tremors. Of course, there's nothing mild about a tremor, it just started to shake and didn't get ugly. There is a sense among many here that "there's another one coming". The best thing to do is be continually ready. I packed my "essential stuff" into a grab bag and tried to go back to sleep clothed. Just lay there praying and finally got up to write my blog today. Traffic here is just pure gridlock. Getting anywhere takes hours. Before departing the village yesterday morning, we were thrilled to receive 900 pounds of food / medicine / supplies. We don't even know how it got here except that the precious load was driven down from Cap Haitian. I would like to know the story of this shipment's journey. We may one day. As soon as the cargo was secured in make-shift areas (the regular food depot has been severely damaged and will likely have to be demolished and rebuilt) we were off to the city. Total gridlock. Once arrival at the Embassy, the news on the Visas was "not ready yet, come back later". Then, off to the airport - to assess movement of people and supplies and get the text message that Barbara is on the plane and HAS THE VOYAGER PARTS WITH HER! What a relief!! Let me explain. We have Voyagers in the village, but could not use them all. The reason - when the units are brought to the village for refurbishment, we tell the users to bring ONLY the unit and none of the operation components, i.e. spouts, plugs, cables etc. When we left last Wednesday (the day after the killer quake), I did not plan for this. It's been tough having Voyagers and not able to use them. As soon as we got back to the Village it was Voyager time. We worked until midnight getting the units ready. Please note, we did have 1 unit running for the village and 1 unit running for a neighbor Orphanage run by Sue Witt. Yesterday, Barbara was able to escort 6 children out, navigate and explain all to U.S. Immigrations and get the parts (it's a miracle we got Barb out of the country and back in in 24 hours)! Today, we'll be pumping water out of our village like a clean, fresh river. We hope to have 6-8 Voyagers running at a time and getting clean water to our whole community. Everybody needs clean water! Once we get the operation up and going here, we'll spread out as we are able. This morning, Barb will be back at the Embassy working on the new procedures to get as many kids processed and out of the country as possible. I will likely go in with her and once cleared thru all the security hurdles, jump on a local motorcycle and dash back to the Village for our "Water Party". We may even get a few more photos up. It was good to get up early this morning and be able to write a few more details of what is going on here. We need prayer for clear DIRECTION! This disaster is just huge and overwhelming. We all simply want our Lord to lead us and direct us minute by minute. So many are at extreme risk and time is running out for many. PLEASE PRAY! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe January 20, 2010 - Wednesday 7:38am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe I began setting up to write this blog at 5:15am. Got the coffee going, hooked up the computer, made the connection. Ahhh, finally a few moments to write my blog. Poured the coffee and then it hit.....the roar and big shake. John Goheen was sleeping - I yelled "out - out - out" - down the stairs / the whole village out of all structures / the look of shock / oh, no not again, they seemed to say. Well, it was the strongest quake since the big one. John's wife just sent a text stating it was a 6.1. My blog writing time has been cut into, so here is another abbreviated blog "Alive from Haiti". Yesterday was a banner day in the world of "getting adopted orphans out of Haiti". In our little world (Barb's village), we got out 6. Thru the kind generosity of Rick Hendrick Motorsports in coordination with Missionary Flights International 6 adopted kids flew to the U.S. This time, we sent Barbara with them. We call Barb "Rambo in the Blue Dress" because she relentlessly accomplishes her mission of saving children. Never seen anything like her when it comes to determination and pure grit. Barb has worked with Cindy and I for over 15 years and we are blessed to know her. After we dropped Barb who was accompanied by Sue, another missionary at the airport, we dashed to the U.S. Embassy to drop off more documents for Emergency Expedited Processing. By the way, the U.S. Consulate has done a SPECTACULAR job of working wiht us to get these kids to their new parents. Too many details to share, suffice it to say, they have truly gone so far above and beyond the call of duty. We just say THANKS!! From the Embassy, it was back to the airport awaiting the flight. I walked over the Mission Aviation Fellowship hangar (I've worked and spent many an hour here over the years) and was visiting with the pilots when I saw former Senator Dr. Bill Frith. Quickly got the story. He landed, went straight up the mountain to the Baptist Mission Hospital and did 7 hours of surgery. Such a blessing to have men willing to come into harms way and offer their gifts. The plane, a beautiful Saab 2000, a 45 passenger prop jet arrived and the excitement grew. The faces of those leaving - signs of relief and joy. The plane quickly deplaned with determined relief workers. We patiently waited. One of the pilots (Stormy) fell in love with one of our little boys. Soon, Barb and kids were on the way to Fort Pierce, Florida. My precious wife Cindy was there to meet them. I'm going to post this now. There is so much more that I want to write. I may get back to the report before we head into town. We're scheduled to p/u more Visas and hopefully, pick up Barb. The flight crew said they would do all they could to get Barb back. Well gotta run for now. Air Mobile Joe PS - Thanks Channel 6 in Orlando for the interview! Joe January 19, 2010 - Tuesday 6:38am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Today, our team departs for the airport to fly 6 orphaned (soon to be adopted)children to the U.S. (photo above of twins being flown out today) / Yesterday was spent bringing as many water purifers up to speed. We need parts! Because we departed so rapidly (flew out only hours after the earthquake struck), there are certain components that we need to actually deploy. We are hopeful that the same aircraft flying the children out this morning will have the much needed parts! UPDATE 1-19-10 7:39pm - I received a text message here in Haiti from Cindy just moments ago - "ALL 6 KIDS ARE WITH THEIR PARENTS (IN FLORIDA)!" Praise the Lord! On Sunday, we accompanied 2 men to be reunited with their families (Haitians living in the Dominican Republic). One found out that his 16 year old son was killed in the quake. This story has been repeated thousands and thousands of times. Meanwhile, little Mishna is still being held by Immigrations. PLEASE PRAY THAT SHE IS RELEASED! Yesterday, I met with her mother and father. They are quite distressed about the situation. I pray that the ruling yesterday PROTECTING THESE CHILDREN and helping them to get care will be quickly applied. Mishna must get the medical / emotional care she needs. I know that she is just one little girl, but she, like all of us are Precious in His sight!! Just pray! The situation in Port-Au-Prince is rapidly deteriorating. Just imagine being in this situation. In a moment, your country and the government is completely destroyed. Infrastructure collapses as the thousands of buildings. Everything is in short supply - food / water / fuel / medical / communications / transportation etc. etc.. It is just staggering. I have done a lot of disaster relief over the last 40 years, but never seen anything quite like this! We have to run now. I hope to find a few more minutes to continue this report. Air Mobile Joe January 18, 2010 - Monday 9:18am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe MISHNA IN CUSTODY - IS FLORIDA SAFER NOW??? http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201001180108/NEWS01/1180308 Here is a link to a Florida Today story written by John Torres (who has traveled the world with this missionary). On Saturday, part of our Air Mobile Team flew back to the U.S. from Port-Au-Prince to West Palm Beach. We were so glad that we could get little 2 year old Mishna out to get the medical care she needed. She is now in custody. Marci Gonzales, a reporter for Channel 5 in West Palm was caring for her on the flight. After the 6 hour ordeal, Marci sent me a text message here in Haiti 'IT'S SO HEARBREAKING JOE - SHE SCREAMED AND CRIED WHEN THEY TOOK HER - SHE KEPT CALLING ME MOMMA FOR SOME REASON - "MOMMA NO!!!" - AWFUL. WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT' As I read Marci's gripping text I cried. Why would the U.S. Immigration officials choose to make their stand with this precious little girl??? She has lived with a major deformity, traveled to a foreign land, had major PAINFUL surgey, traveled back to Haiti, gone thru a horror earthquake, boarded on a small airplane with huge helicopters taking off and landing right next to her, flown back to the U.S. and seized by "vigilant" immigration officials and ripped out of loving and caring arms. I AM FURIOUS! Last night, here in Haiti I met Mishna's mother, a slim, frail, young and frightened girl. She is suffering from shock (shaking uncontrollably) from the earthquake and the anxiety over what is going to happen with Mishna. PLEASE PRAY THAT MISHNA WILL BE RELEASED AND THAT HER MOTHER WILL BE COMFORTED. I only have a few moments to write this. Will try to write more later. READ DOWN FOR EARLIER REPORTS AIR MOBILE JOE http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201001180108/NEWS01/1180308 January 17, 2010 - Sunday 7:38am (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe A quick update - Yesterday, we sent N419AR, Marlin Moudy's Cessna 402 back to the U.S. with one little girl from Haiti named Mishna. Mishna had had surgery in the U.S. several months ago and Barb brought the little one back to Haiti for her Mother to see her. Her condition needed more treatment, so we sent her back on the plane with Marlin. When the team arrived in West Palm Beach, U.S. Immigrations stated that the Medical Visa, though it had 7 months left on it, was not valid. We are shocked. We were up all night sending documents back and forth to get little Mishna out. PLEASE PRAY! In the meantime, the U.S. Consulate here in Haiti went ABOVE & BEYOND duty to process multiple Visas for other children who desperately need to get to the U.S. Barbara was absolutely overjoyed for the children! I would like to offer a sincere thanks to the diligent team at the U.S. Consulate who worked around the clock to make this happen!! We were at the Consulate / Airport for 14 hours yesterday. Our team is running on fumes (regarding sleep). Today, we are searching for families and bringing in Voyagers. There is so much to write and such a little bit of time. It's difficult to express the tsunami of emotions. Just keep pressing forward and doing what we can. God Bless You & THANKS for your prayer!! Please pray that little Mishna is released from Immmigrations and that Marlin will not suffer for his incredible ACT OF KINDNESS!! Air Mobile Joe PS - I was originally scheduled to fly the Cessna 402 back but felt it was paramount that I remain behind and continue the work that we have begun. I would have been the one on the hotseat with U.S. Immigrations and not Marlin. I feel like my brother took a hit for me. This is difficult. Again, PLEASE PRAY!! Joe January 15, 2010 - Friday 11:38pm (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Today our team was up and out of the village early. Our mission: appeal to the U.S. Consulate to allow several injured Haitian children to travel to the U.S. for treatment. We arrived through moderate traffic (lack of fuel is reducing traffic a bit, but the debris and chaos still make it difficult to move around). There was a huge crowd at the U.S. Embassy seeking help. Barbara is well known and the fact that we had an aircraft able to transport the children out helped. The U.S. staff was FANTASTIC! While awaiting documentation processing, several nurses who are helping Barb's Village, Sue and Mandy, helped U.S. Military treat injured Haitians. I was able to act as Chaplain and pray for many. At the end of several hours, the promise of numerous visas for these children brightened our day. Here is the link to an article written by John Torres, Florida Today (it just posted moments ago) www.floridatoday.com/article/20100115/BREAKINGNEWS/100115052/saving-children-becomes-serious-issue Next, it was off to survey the damage. Barbara led the way to locations that contained critical documents for children seeking help. We were disheartened by the utter and complete destruction of the entire nerve center of the Haitian Government. The Palace collapsed, along with the Department of Justice, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Post Office, Ministry of Interior. Building after building, nothing but rubble. In a matter of moments, the Government of Haiti was destroyed. Words escape me as the full depth of this tragedy is beginning to sink in. Then there were the bodies. I considered posting a few shots (and still may), but for now, I will spare you. The thing that is with me as I write, is the smell. May the Lord take it away. The News coverage cannot transmit that. What do you do when there is utter destruction and chaos? Everywhere we went, we were able to share the love of the Lord and encourage holding on to the Lord. We were amazed again and again by simple and sincere responses of trust and love for Jesus. Tomorrow, some of our team will fly back to the U.S. Hopefully, at least 2 children needing medical care will be on board the aircraft. I have opted to stay. I must admit, this is a very difficult decision. Yet, it is one that I truly believe is directed by our Lord. Well, it's been a long day. Tomorrow, we'll hopefully get the Visas, get the aircraft off and then focus on getting the water purification systems out beyond our village. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe This is Cherie Hurston Shropshire. I wanted to compile a list of some of the most recent news stories about my father and his work during this catastrophic earthquake. Please click on the links below to see the articles and videos. Florida Today Article 1-14-10 http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100115/NEWS01/1150328/Brevard-residents-work-hard-to-ease-despair-in-Haiti Channel 9 Orlando 1-13-10 http://www.wftv.com/news/22224420/detail.html Channel 13 Orlando 1-13-10 http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2010/1/13/brevardbased_relief_organization_sends_team_to_haiti.html Channel 6 Orlando 1-13-10 http://www.clickorlando.com/news/22224004/detail.html Florida Today Article 1-12-10 http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100115/NEWS01/100114001 KDL Utah 1-13-10 Interview with women from Ruuska Village right after the earthquake http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=9334202&autostart=y January 14, 2010 - Thursday 4:08pm (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos (Ruuska Village), Haiti -Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe 48 Hours ago Haiti was rocked to its core!! As the monster quake was occuring, Barbara Walker called me from Haiti. The call was gripping. I knew, at the moment, that we had to go! It's a long story, but less than 24 hours later, we stepped out of Cessna 402, N419AR on the Port-Au-Prince, Haiti ramp. So many miracles. Just a few minutes ago, we got Barbara's Village's Voyagers up and working well! I am typing fast because the connections are spotty here. I'll try to drop in a couple of shots. The situation here is staggering. Haiti has never had anything like this happen before. Many people are somber and trying desperately to put their lives back together, but where do you begin....Last night, it was hard to sleep with so many images pouring through my mind. We did not sleep in a building with a cement roof, thus our team slept under shed. About 3:00 a strong aftershock awakened us. Today there have been several. Everyone is on edge, yet pushing toward our mission of helping as many as we can. Mine is simply to get Voyagers up and running to maximum capacity. I have been working diligently on getting as many Voyagers up and going as possible. Our team has been great. So many Haitians whom we have encountered has shown a stalwart resiliency. I've got to close out for now and get back to servicing water purifiers. PLEASE PRAY THAT OUR PARTS HOLD OUT! God bless! Air Mobile Joe January 13, 2010 - Wednesday 12:14am (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE HITS HAITI - DEATH TOLL SUSPECTED VERY HIGH! It is with a very heavy heart that I write this blog. In just 5 hours, we will depart for Haiti. As the earthquake was occuring, Barbara Walker, our dear friend and fellow missionary in Haiti called me. I could hear the chaos in the background as she described the terrible blow inflicted upon Haiti. In just hours, friends have come together. We will be flying to Haiti with a plane load of relief, Vortex Voyager components to get many units operating to maximum efficiency. There is so much that I want to write, but must get to sleep for long day tomorrow. Please remember our team in prayer. PLEASE PRAY FOR HAITI! This may be the greatest disaster to hit Haiti in more than 200 years. God Bless You! Air Mobile Joe January 7, 2010 - Thursday 9:49pm (Eastern U.S. Time) - Mims, FL (On the St. John's River) - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Happy New Year! Stay tuned for our next report. We are very excited about 2010! Great CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES LIE AHEAD! The photo above was taken this morning on the St. John's River. The gentleman to my right is George Taylor, Founder and President of National Homeless Veterans Support. Here is a Press Release about what we are working on: "PRESS RELEASE 1-06-10 My name is George Taylor Jr. and I am VP of National Veterans Homeless Support, Inc. I am writing with short notice, which I apologize for, about a possible story to be covered tomorrow January 7th in North Brevard. My father George Taylor Sr, President and Founder of NVHS, Inc., will be with Joe Hurston, President of Air Mobile Ministries to conduct a field experiment. Here is some background information regarding our organization. My father has been in the news multiple times over the past few years covering his work in the community, which is to assist and support the estimated 800-1200 homeless veterans in Brevard County by providing outdoor equipment such as blankets, tents, boots, and clothing as well as food and bicycles, and referring them to the proper agencies to assist their particular concerns. We are also aggressively seeking a large tract of land in rural Brevard so that our homeless veterans will finally have a safe and secure location to exist while we transition them to permanent housing, which will resemble a forward operating location in the military with large tents. Now back to the story. Clean water is obviously a necessity for a healthy lifestyle, but, can be difficult to come by when your home is a tent in the forest. Additionally, our tent city proposal will more than likely be in an area where again, fresh, clean water will be difficult to feed into the camp without large costs to connect to a nearby waterline. This is where Air Mobile Ministries comes into play with our organization. Air Mobile Ministries has a device they have designed that is able to fully purify up to 20-25 gallons of water an hour in an easy to carry 20 lb back-pack filtration system. Mr. Hurston and his staff have traveled to multiple disaster sites worldwide to provide clean drinking water in areas that are often extremely remote, such as Indonesia following the massive tsunami, Haiti, and New Orleans after Katrina. Clearly the device is tested and proved effective. Please check out www.air mobile.org for more information about Air Mobile Ministries and their device. Anyways, tomorrow at Hatbill Park, North Brevard at 0830 in the morning my father and Mr. Hurston will be setting up the Vortex Voyager Water Filtration System along the St. Johns River where they will filter the river water and proceed to test the water on themselves and with the help of some of the very homeless veterans who may be drinking from this machine in the near future. Please contact Joe Hurston at 321-544-7757 (airmobilejoe@gmail.com), George Taylor Sr. at 321-615-8871, or email me at georgejr@nvhs.us for any additional information about tomorrow?s event. We look forward to your reply and thank you, George Taylor Jr. Vice President/Director National Veterans Homeless Support, Inc. Cell: (321) 615-2589 www.nvhs.us" WOW!! What a joy and pleasure to be working with such a fine group of folks. The situation with our Homeless Vets here in the U.S. is deplorable. We must do something to help. We're excited about what lies ahead. Stay tuned!! Here are a couple of shots setting up the unit on the St. John's River, just north of Titusville, FL this morning. The testing went very well. We are extremely pleased with the purity of the water and it has an acceptable level of salt. We look forward to placing several units in this location. We're excited about what lies ahead. Stay tuned!! Air Mobile Joe December 19, 2009 - Saturday 10:04am (Easter U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe We recently received a wonderful report from the Philippines from Missionary "AL". He delivered the Voyager to the Zambales Province. The unit is a true blessing to many in the region. I'll give more details and photos in the next report. We pray you have a BLESSED MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! Air Mobile Joe December 5, 2009 - Saturday 11:58am (Easter U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe On Thursday (12-3-09), we met with a retired school teacher from Illinois, Dave Rigby. Over the summer, he went to Kenya to help deploy 3 Voyagers in some very needy areas. He was so blessed by how well the Voyagers functioned, upon his return from Africa, he drove from Illinois to meet with us. When he left our office, he had a Voyager (self funded). He will be sharing with students how important clean water is and demonstrating (with his Voayger) effective ways to clean dirty, contaminated water up. The meeting was a great encouragement to us all. Stay tuned! Air Mobile Joe PS - In the photo above, Dave Rigby is with Rob Wasel who just built his Voyager. It turns out that Rob is from Illinois also. It's a small world. PPS - Continue reading down for in depth reports from all over the world of how Air Mobile is making dirty water clean and saving lives!! Joe December 2, 2009 - Wednesday 6:3p4m (Eastern U.S. Time) Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI)- Returning home from DC ! - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe Just spent an amazing 24 hours in Washington, DC. Air Mobile is seeking funding from our government for Voyagers for the Philippines. This is usually a long and winding process. We pray our Lord shortens the journey! I had the pleasure to meet 3 folks today that will hopefully and prayerfully move us closer to funding for the much needed Voyagers. THANK YOU for your prayer and support!! Air Mobile Joe December 1, 2009 - Tuesday 2:13pm (Eastern U.S. Time)Orlando International Airport, FL- Enroute to DC ! - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! We at Air Mobile trust you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend! We have so much to Thank God for! We also want to extend our deepest condolences to the families massacred in the Southern Philippines on Monday. Such loss and brutality is almost unimagineable. We pray for our Lord to heal and bring His peace to that region. Please continue reading for a full report on our recent mission to the Philippines following some of the worst flooding in nearly 100 years. I am currently enroute to Washington DC seeking funding for more Voyagers to be placed in the Southern Philippines. This area has been torn by strife and war. Our goal is to bring clean water in the Name of Jesus. It is amazing how this simple act of kindness and love can calm the most raging fires. Please pray that I have a successful mission. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe November 23, 2009 - Monday 12:54pm (Eastern U.S. Time)Titusville, FL-AMM Team HOME! - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe We recently heard from one of the schools in the Philippines and the clean water is flowing and the kids "love the taste" of the Voyager water. Here is a quote from the Principal of the school, Mrs. Lerio, - "Good Afternoon! - Here's some photos taken during the water collection process using the VORTEX VOYAGER PURIFIER! Pupils were also interviewed after drinking the purified water. They told me that it tasted like a mineral water. It doesn't smell bad unlike the water that they've been drinking at home which has a strong chlorine content and sometimes has a foul smell. Thank you again for sharing your blessings to us. GOD BLESS YOU ALL ! Truly yours, Mrs. Lerio" Mrs. Lerio and her staff were so thankful and gracious to our team. It is such a joy to bring clean water!! God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - Thank the Lord for a safe and beautiful launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis! We pray for successful and safe mission!! Joe PPS - The reason I mention the Space Shuttle is because we live directly across from Kennedy Space Center and when the Shuttles launch, our windows rattle and our building shakes. We literally have a ringside seat and the view is just spectacular! Joe November 16, 2009 - Monday 9:43am (Eastern U.S. Time)Titsville, FL-AMM Team HOME! - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe - PS - This afternoon, the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-129) is scheduled for lift-off. Please remember to pray for a safe and successful launch!! Just a quick final word on our Philippine mission - WOW! So many pieces came together for this mission to have succeeded as it did. Clean water is flowing. The Love of Jesus is being "shed abroad". As I have said so many times....THANK YOU for your love and support. Our team landed in Orlando Thursday afternoon. As soon as I turned my phone back on, it died. If you tried to contact me in the last few days, communications have been a bit spotty. We're now back "on the air" limping along until I find a good replacement phone. Glad it stayed alive until the end of our mission. We put Barbara Walker (the Lady in the blue dress) back on a flight at 4:45 Friday morning. She is headed to Detroit to pick up a little Haitian girl that had life-changing surgery (she had club feet). She's all better now. Barb will bring her back to Haiti to very happy Haitain parents. I want to offer a special thank you to Barb for being such a trooper on this mission. In an earlier report (November 4th), I mentioned that we picked up Barb in Miami on her way back from Argentina. She "thought" she was going to land in Miami and immediately board a flight for Haiti. Wrong! I met her on the curb and told her she was being "diverted" to the Philippines. She gladly agreed and joined our team. That's just the way Barb is. Well, Barb, here is a heart-felt thank you for being available on a moments notice. Shaun Lesperance is recovering at our home. This was his longest trip. We logged nearly 22,000 miles on this trip. He proved to be a wonderful "water mule". He is now certified! I'm back in my office putting out a "hundred fires". That happens and the Lord's grace is sufficient. Thank you for reading our blog and praying. As always, feel free to contact me at: airmobilejoe@gmail.com or phone me at: 321-544-7757. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe AIR MOBILE TEAM ON THE MOVE / ALL 9 UNITS DEPLOYED - EVERY DROP COUNTS - HOMEWARD BOUND! ! November 12, 2009 - Thursday 11:16am (Eastern U.S. Time)Hartsfield International Airport - Atlanta, GA -AMM Team Homeward Bound - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe After nearly 30 hour in the air / airports the Air Mobile Team is back in the U.S. Our mission to the Philippines was amazing. We can truly say "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED". It will feel good to sleep in my own bed and ease back into our time zone. We really felt your love and prayers on this mission. Thanks again!! Until next time.... Air Mobile Joe & Team November 12, 2009 - Thursday 9:04am (Korean Time)Seoul International Airport, Korea -AMM Team Homeward Bound - Report submitted by Air Mobile Joe We flew all night and our team slept like logs. Landed Korea early this morning - had a 5 hour layover and we slept on the sofas. These missions really take a lot out of us. But, there is an incredible sense of well being knowing that clean water is flowing where dirty water had flowed. Bit by bit, health will improve and...we left behind a message of love from Jesus. Now we have a long leg from Seoul - Atlanta, nearly 14 hours. Eventually, this evening we hope to find our selves home. Our Lord has protected us safe thus far and we have every confidence he will bring us home to our families. Thank you again for your prayer and love! Got to go board a long flight. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe & Team November 11, 2009 - Wednesday 4:25PM (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Air Mobile Team successfully deployed 9 Voyagers in the Philippines! As a result, thousands will receive clean water every day. In one of the schools that received a Voyager today, there are nearly 4000 students. This school was the refugee center to thousands during the recent Typhoons. What a blessing to give so many children clean water EVERY DAY! Thank you for your help, prayer and love to make this happen. In just a few hours, our team will board a flight for the long 27 hour journey home. I will try to put a final report together. We found out that a Volcano south of Manila has begun to erupt. We'll keep an eye on that. The contacts and friendships that have been developed on this trip to the Philippines are exceptional. We want to give a large thank you to Colonel Ed of the Philippines Air Force. Without his tireless and skilled guidance, our trip would not have been the success it has become. On the way to one of our locations today, we happened to pass by the Manila American Cemetary. There was a large event taking place when it dawned on us that today is Veteran's Day. We stopped in to the Ceremony and we all were moved by the memory and honor to our fallen troops. Over 16,000 American Soldiers lie at rest in this beautiful Cemetary. My father fought in the Pacific and was in the Philippines in World War II. We are so thankful for being here today. I'd better close out for now. As we wrap up this mission, I am again moved by the notable resilience and courage of the Filipino people. My mind is just swirling with the smiles and warmth and deep sense of appreciation that has been expressed to our team throughout this mission. I wish that I could express how deeply moved I am by being here and being a simple instrument in our Lord's Hand to bring a bit of clean water to thirsty people. Truly, "EVERY DROP DOES COUNT"! Again, we could not do the things that we do without your love and help. THANK YOU for being part of this mission. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Team PS - I would like to thank my precious wife, Cindy! Honey, without your encouragement, love and support, I would not have made this trip. THANK YOU! Also.....Happy Anniversary, I'm glad that I'll get home in time!! Joe AIR MOBILE TEAM ON THE MOVE / ON THE GROUND IN MANILA - EVERY DROP COUNTS - ON THE HOME STRETCH! ! November 11, 2009 - Wednesday 12:15AM (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Today, we placed a Voyager in a school with over 2000 students. This incredible facility was the emergency evacuation home to thousands during the Typhoons. We were directed to this school by our faithful friend, Colonel Ed. During the disaster, the Philippine Air Force brought tremendous relief and medical support to this region. Colonel Ed told me that many Air Force officers and airmen gave up their personal pay to purchase emergency medications in addition to what was provided by the Air Force. We met a wonderful staff and Director. A team of teachers attended Barbara Walker's famous Voyager as "Baby" training. The teachers really embraced the Voyager and the concept. They demonstrated tremdous ability to operate this unit for the next disaster and......the added bonus - The Voyager will provide clean water for the students everyday. We observed that the ground floor was still flooded. The water has been slowly receding, but very slowly. The next rain will fill it back up again. This series of Typhoons has done tremendous damage to the entire infrastructure of Manila and the surrounding areas. We are so thankful that we can do something, even though it seems a little, remember - "EVERY DROP COUNTS"!! That is becoming our war cry against thirst and disease. Our Lord is giving us such favor with these precious people. We are so thankful for the many open doors. We are already planning our next trip in. I want to say what a blessing our newest "Water Mule", Shaun Lesperance has been. This evening, he became offically certified as a genuine Air Mobile "Water Mule". He effectively demonstrated a full grasp of the Voyager and did some repairs with me. He's now an official member of the club. During our entire mission, Shaun has been helpful and attentive. He has learned well. His parents would be very proud of him. Shaun just received his RN (Registered Nurse degree) and is looking to continue and advance his medical career. What a great way to launch a career with an intense, life-saving mission to the Philippines. I want to encourage you to consider joining us on future missions and training to be a Certified Air Mobile "Water Mule". Our Lord Jesus is particularly fond of "Water Mules". Remember when He said, "I was thirsty and you gave me to drink". Bringing clean water in His Name is very dear to His heart. Well, it's just past midnight. Better wrap up this report and get to bed. We have a full day tomorrow with 4 more deployments and then boarding our flight home at midnight (27 hour return home journey). Thanks again for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe & Team AIR MOBILE TEAM ON THE MOVE / ON THE GROUND IN MANILA - EVERY DROP COUNTS! ! November 10, 2009 - Tuesday 12:03AM (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) After dealing with massive amounts of water due to 4 Typhoons to strike the Philippines in a 4 week period, water is still standing in many areas surrounding Manila and will be for a long time to come. Laguna Bay, a huge fresh water lake on the outskirts of Manila has grown in size considerably. Today, our team ventured into several areas deeply affected and had the privilege to donate 3 Voyager water purifiers to relieve the suffering. Here in Manila, I've seen a bumper sticker that says "EVERY DROP COUNTS". It's some kind of an advert for Shell Oil. Well, we've adopted it! Even though our Voyagers pump a relatively small amount of water (compared to the great need) and it's easy to say, "It's just a drop in the bucket", we're now inspired to say "EVERY DROP COUNTS". This is particularly true for the recipients!! Our team was hosted and transported by Colonel Ed of the Philippines Air Force. Now, in an earlier report today, I shared about "CONNECTIONS". Here is how we came to know Colonel Ed. Through our meeting Colonel Jun who is the brother of Pastor Cicero (Orlando Pastor), who is the Pastor to Sister Amy, who saw an NBC News clip on Air Mobile's desire to go to the Philippines. There, I have told you how this is all connected. After doing this kind of work for many years, we are learning to go with the "Flow of God" and let HIM put the pieces together! (Note: You really have to read down to see how this has come together - quite a story). Our team traveled approximately 1.5 hours south to an area with about 40,000 affected residents on Laguna Bay. The community leader, Nestor Baldonaza directed our team to the "Dock" newly made by the flooding. Colonel Ed had arranged for a load of donated goods, food, clothes etc. to be handed out as our little boat worked through the "streets", now canals. We went down several "streets" and found a suitable place to hand out the supplies. Every single home in this sprawling community was under water. So many lives disrupted and yet, our team was met with kindness and appreciation. This tragedy produced a new business; Boat Transportation. We saw many different kinds of vessels created out of whatever would float. After our boat ride and distribution through the canals, we trained a team to operate the Voyager. Barbara did her classic training equating the Voyager to her "Baby". This method of teaching is very effective and our students demonstrated their comprehension by setting up the Voyager and running it all on their own. From this devastated community, we took a short ride and had lunch at....McDonalds. Things seemed so normal. During our lunch, a young lady walked up to our group and asked if her mother could buy our entire team lunch. Since we had already ordered and paid, they insisted on buying us all dessert. Her reasoning was that she so appreciated what we were doing for the people of the Philippines. Again, this act of kindness and appreciation moved us all. The Philippine people are amazing. In spite of this monumental tragedy, we could feel the Grace of God abounding all around us. We next traveled to another community on Laguna Bay. Again, thousands of homes under water or washed away. Our recipient of the Voyager; Dr. Grace, a local Dentist. We trained the operation team. During Barbara's "Baby" training, I scooped water out of Laguna Bay and put it into the bucket to be purified. Then, to everyone's amazement, I drank the water. It was hard for them to believe that this water, that had done so much damage to their homes / lives could be purified as drinking water. We presented the Voyager to Dr. Grace, then headed back to our hotel. We still had meetings scheduled. Pastor Sam had arranged for missionaries from Mindanao to come and see us and tell us about their work. After hearing of their outreach and the desperate need, the third Voyager was donated to New Tribes - Philippines. Now, here it is 12:03am, Philippine time, my body still thinks it is 11:03pm Titusville time and somehow, I have to go to sleep. We have a full day planned for tomorrow. God Bless You and thank you again for reading all the way through this report. This just came to mind; early this morning, there was a loud explosion here in Manila. I was actually awake working on the blog when I felt the hotel shake. A large bomb exploded not far from the hotel. Then, later today, the disturbing news came about the kidnapped School principal being beheaded in the Southern Philippines. These events certainly remind us of the turbulence and evil in this world. This is all the more reason for us to pray to the Lord Jesus for direction and protection. In the meantime, we'll keep bringing clean water to a thirsty world and sharing the Good News of the Living Water that Jesus freely gives!! God Bless and good night. Air Mobile Joe & Team AIR MOBILE TEAM ON THE MOVE / ON THE GROUND IN MANILA - HOW WE MAKE CONNECTIONS! ! November 9, 2009 - Monday 1:41am (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) People often ask me, how do you make the connections, where do you stay, how will you get around / what will your team eat? The list goes on and on. In this report, I would like to tell you remarkable connections and how clean water is getting into the Philippines following what some say is the worst flooding in nearly 100 years (that goes back to nearly 2 life-times!!). As I write this blog, it is nearly 2:00am Manila time, Monday morning. Well, there is a 13 hour time difference between Titusville, Florida (where my family and I live) and Manila Philippines. Ever hear of "Jet Lag"? When we change time-zones, our internal clocks go a little crazy. For me, my body really thinks it is 12:50pm Sunday afternoon. That's why I'm writing this blog in the wee hours of Monday morning. So, in addition to traveling half way around the world to meet people we have never met in person and work in a country that we have never visited and help people we really don't know; the "jet lag" adds to the natural turmoil going on. Add to that, "the disaster" of recent massive flooding, infra-structure that is strained beyond belief, people completely wiped out and you wonder "what do we do next, where do we go, Lord, have you really lead us here"? With that introduction, here is how we came here and how we have come to meet some remarkable people and how we are going to help many get clean water. It all began with a lot of prayer. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, when the rains began to fall and the fierce winds began to blow on the Philippines, we knew, at Air Mobile Ministries, that we had to go. We asked the Lord to make a way! PRAYER is really important. Thus began a series of Newspaper and TV interviews. On one such interview several weeks ago, with my good friend an NBC Reporter (WESH Channel 2 - Orlando), Dan Billow, I told him that we were raising money to go. We had already sent 2 Voyagers to the Philippines via Sister Mary Cabrini. We were looking for funding for 8-10 more units so that we could launch an Air Mobile Team and go and see first hand what has happened and how we can help in both a short-term and long term manner. One never knows who is watching TV. In our case, Amy, a hospital administrator living in Orlando, born in the Philippines and currently working on her Master's Degree at UCF caught the 30 second news cast. Her family in the Philippines had been telling her how terrible things were and getting worse by the day. She wanted to do something to help! When she saw the newscast, she told her husband, "I know that man, he recently spoke with our Hospital Administrative staff regarding his work and the remarkable Voyager water machine. I must get in touch with him and see what he is doing about the Philippines". Several days later, on a Sunday morning, she felt led to phone me. Our family was in church when the phone "vibrated". I tell a bit more of the story below in the November 4th blog. Now, what she did not know when she called that Sunday morning, and got me out of worship service for a few minutes, is that I was very distressed and actually praying that very moment about how the airline fares went up $600 per ticket between midnight and 6:30 that morning. I was very discouraged and feeling guilty for not having bought those tickets. When Amy called and asked with great enthusiasm how she could help, my heart leaped. I asked if she would like to help me get tickets at a reasonable price. She immediately went to work and I went back in Church and sang with a little more passion knowing that the Lord sent someone to help us get to the Philippines. You see the price increase on those tickets was nearly as much a Voyager water purifer. Just as our Pastor, Gary Ginn, was about to give the Benediction, my phone vibrated again. I waited a few moments, so as not to disrupt the service and rushed out the door. Sister Amy secured pricing for tickets for $600 less per ticket! And.....the connections just began. Authors note: It's 2:51am and in a few hours, a very strategic contact (who Sister Emy miraculously directed us to) is coming to meet us at the hotel and take us to very isolated, devastated areas that desperately need clean drinking water. I'm going to stop this little narrative, go grab a few winks that I can function in the morning. I will continue this blog this evening. You'll get a kick at how these seemingly insignificant things have grown! Better run for now and to get a few more hours sleep. This story has been brewing in my soul for days and now I have begun to put it into print. Good night Air Mobile Joe TO BE CONTINUED. .....How we met Pastor Sam Rendel, Colonel Jun Bailon & Colonel Ed AIR MOBILE TEAM ON THE MOVE / ON THE GROUND IN MANILA ! November 8, 2009 - Sunday 7:22pm (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Air Mobile Team attended Greenhills Christian Fellowship today. We enjoyed the solid and indepth study of the responsibilities of Christian leadership. Pastor Sam Randal shared with our team after service details of the disaster from Typhoon Ketsana and the efforts being put forth by his church. We were blessed and donated a Voyager for their continued efforts to reach out to so many. Barbara did a superb job of training more than 20 church members on how to set up and operate the Voyager. This wonderful tool will help the church help many others. Praise God!! Tomorrow morning, our plan is to head out into some of the isolated and desperate areas. We are still working out the details, however, the Lord has sent some very capable and knowledgeable people our way. We do look forward to sharing a more detailed report. I particularly want to share some of our observations regarding the Tenaciity and Grace among these precious people. There is so much to share. Will write more later. God Bless and THANKS AGAIN!! Air Mobile Joe & Team November 7, 2009 - Saturday 7:44pm (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Today, the Air Mobile Team headed out to the deeply effected areas in and surrounding Manila. There are still areas underwater in areas close to Manila nearly 6 weeks after Typhoon Ketsana struck here. There are two things that stand out so clearly after our trip into these areas....RESILIENCY & HOPE! The Philippine people are absolutely amazing. After the worst flooding in nearly 100 years, these folks have rolled up their sleeves and gotten right back to work rebuilding their lives and their country. Many areas showed absolutely no sign whatsoever that 8-10 feet of flood waters had engulfed their homes and businesses. As soon as the flood waters subsided they were cleaning and saving what they could save and just getting back to life. We were greeted with so many smiles and simple thank you's for gifts that we had not even given as of yet. These people are amazing! This is just a preview of our report. The 13 hour time difference has my internal clock going crazy. Guess a little sleep won't hurt. Will write more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN UNFOLDING - Joe November 7, 2009 - Saturday 1:59am (Philippine Time) - Manila,PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Just a quick note - The Air Mobile team is safe and sound in Manila. All 9 Voyagers arrived in tact. A little later this morning, we'll be heading out to inspect the Voyagers previously deployed by Sister Mary as well as assessing the damage in and around Manila. We'll go out further into the isolated provinces on Monday. We'll send reports as we are able. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Team November 6, 2009 - Thursday 3:13pm (Korean Time) - Seoul International Airport- ENROUTE TO THE PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Our Air Mobile Team just crossed the International date-line. We landed in Seoul, S. Korea an hour ago. It was a long 14.5 hour flight. We're about to board our final leg to Manila. We're very eager to help the Philippine people. Since the first of 4 typhoons struck there, we knew we had to go. We're so thankful to be nearly there. We'll do our best to keep you up to date with reports (connections permitting). Again, THANK YOU for your love and support. We have board our flight now (a 3.5 hour flight). We'll arrive in Manila late Friday night. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe & Team November 5, 2009 - Wednesday 6:53am (Eastern Time) - Orlando International Airport- ENROUTE TO THE PHILIPPINES - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We are so blessed to tell you that we are enroute to the Philippines! We have 9 Voyager water purifiers. Barbara Walker flew in from Argentina and Shaun flew in from Massachussettes to make this mission. We were concerned about getting all the parts in for the Voyagers and through a real series of miracles all the pieces arrived just in time. We were packing things until 1:00am this morning. In just an hour we depart for our 29 hour journey to Manila. So many things came together for this to happen. THANK YOU for your prayer and encouragement and support. Our routing will take us through Atlanta, then to Seoul, S. Korea and finally to Manila. We get there late Friday night. We'll hit the ground running. We'll do our best to get reports out as often as possible. Thanks again for your love and support!! Air Mobile Joe and Team November 4, 2009 - Tuesday 1:53am (Eastern Time) - Enroute to Miami International Airport- Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We're enroute to Miami International to pick up one of Air Mobile Team members. The final assembly is taking place on the Voyagers and we plan to be heading toward the Philippines in 24 hours. We are praising God that Storm Tino is diminishing. The weary people of the Philippines need a break!! Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe November 3, 2009 - Tuesday 9:40am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) In all my years of doing relief work, I have never seen a region struck by 5 storms in 5 weeks, but there is another strong tropical storm (Tino) brewing to the northeast of Manila and headed straight for the Philippines. PLEASE PRAY for this storm to turn away. Early signs are that Tino is beginning to weaken and break-up. Please pray that it continues to do so. Meanwhile, we are preparing diligently for our journey to Manila and the surrounding area. We depart the U.S. on Thursday morning and actually arrive into Manila late Friday evening. We lose a full day enroute. We are already making solid contacts and will be quite busy getting clean water into devastated areas. Our arrival time will be very close to the projected landfall of Tropical Storm Tino. I must tell you a very cool story. Over the weekend as we were preparing to purchase our tickets, the fares were steadily increasing in cost. Saturday evening I hesistated awaiting final confirmation on our team members. On Sunday morning when I checked the fares, the cost had gone up over $500 per ticket! All I could do was pray. Our family went to church. As usual, my phone was on vibrate. Just when worship began, my phone vibrated. I did not recognize the number. Something inside told me to respond immediately. I stepped out of church and phoned the number back. On the other end of the line was Amy. She had heard me speak several months ago. Amy is from the Philippines. She asked what she could do to help. I asked her to check and try to find lower air fares. She went to work. I went back to worship. Before our church service ended, my phone vibrated again. It was Amy. I waited a few more minutes for the Benediction and rushed out to return Amy's call. She found ticket for nearly $600 per ticket cheaper!! Praise God! I rushed to our office and bought our tickets. Our Lord is with us in the big and small details. Saving nearly $2000 in airfare is the cost of a Voyager!! We are running into deep challenges to get all the parts in for our scheduled departure early Thursday morning. Again, PLEASE PRAY that all the parts arrive and the Voyagers come together and function excellently. They will save lives in Jesus Name! I'll report as things develop. THANK YOU for praying and standing with us!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN UNFOLDING - Joe November 2, 2009 - Monday 8:10am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) We, at Air Mobile, have been securing necessary components for the Voyagers to get to the Philippines asap. We purchased our tickets Sunday morning. The Air Mobile Philippine team has come together. Reports are coming in from Manila. Many areas are still under water and now the residents are dealing with more flooding from Typhoon Miranae! The suffering is intense. Our focus, once we arrive will be to identify isolated, hard to reach areas and bring them clean water. Now, Typhoon Mirinae is heading for Vietnam. We will update our report soon. Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN UNFOLDING - Joe October 30, 2009 - Friday 5:09pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here's a quick PRAISE REPORT!! Air Mobile, late last night, received funding for 5 more Voyagers for the Philippines. Additional parts are being ordered today and we hope to launch our Philippines Air Mobile Team by mid to late next week. Will update this report regularly. Air Mobile Joe October 29, 2009 - Thursday 7:24pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Air Mobile is building Voyagers for the Philippines. The storm weary victims of 2 previous Typhoons (Ketsana & Parma) are bracing for Typhoon Mirinae. Several days ago, the residents dodged a third typhoon (Lupit) that veered and spared these suffering people. MANY people have been praying for the Philippines. However, millions struggle to regain their livelihood. The typhoons wreaked devastation. I am amazed at just how little coverage these terrible tragedies have gotten in the U.S. mainstream media. Our news sources seem to live on another planet, often covering silly and insignificant events. I can only imagine what these precious folks are going through. Again, we in America seem so insulated from these events. However, we are certainly not exempt from the terrible blows of nature. Over the years, I have had the privilege to travel to 47 countries to help. I am amazed at how people just pick up and bit by bit put their lives back together. We have seen our Lord do such mighty works of recovery and grace. We are pleased to announce that another Voyager has been funded. That brings the total number Voyagers designated for the Philippines to 6 units (2 units have already been delivered by Sister Mary). Air Mobile has begun recruiting "Water Mules" for this mission. A "Water Mule" is a team member that carries the water purifier to the destination and helps to deploy, train and service the unit. We have been blessed to have many "water mules" travel the world with us for these life-saving missions. Want to come?? Give me a call on my cell phone, and I'll tell you all about it (321-544-7757). I just spoke with Sister Mary who recently returned from an area of the Philippines that has been hard hit with Leptospirosis. She placed the 2nd Voyager in a school and many students now have access to clean drinking water. I detail this terrible disease (Leptospirosis) in the report below this report. In a nutshell, exposure to the flood water can transmit this terrible disease. We are seeing a 7.5 -8% mortality rate. There are approximately 2200 reported cases and 170 have died. The real problem is that over 1.7 million have been exposed to the flood water. Over 80% of Manila went under water. Water is still standing in many places. This stagnant water is a breeding ground for not only this disease but many other diseases. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced. Living conditions are desperate. Clean drinking water stops many water-borne diseases. That is the reason we desire to get as many Voyagers into the Philippines as possible. Each unit costs $2,000 and can provide clean drinking water to 400+ per day. These units are durable and 644 units are operating in 36 countries. This is such a precious investment. Please ask our Lord how you can help. If you want to come as a "water mule" give me a call. Meanwhile, Indonesia is slowly recovering from the powerful earthquake that fractured the region. India is suffering from dreadful flooding. There is so much work to do and so many that need our help. We endeavor to do what we can and with your help, we can do more. God Bless and stay in touch!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN UNFOLDING - Joe October 24, 2009 - Saturday 9:41am (Eastern Time) - Miami, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) This report is written from the Miami International Airport. Our intrepid missionary Barbara Walker is enroute to Argentina and we coordinated to get get her supplies and critical documents between her flights here in Miami. On the way down, I was able to meet with Joe and Lydia Prussel and deliver a repaired Voyager water purifier for Peru. This morning, I am enjoying a rare few minutes studying the Word of God and having a nice cup of coffee in Miami. Soon, I'll be headed back north to Titusville. We have yet to hear from Sister Mary in the Philippines. She arrived there on Wednesday morning with another Voyager. In following the latest movement of Thyphoon Lupit (the 3rd typhoon to strike the Philippines in the last 4 weeks), we are blessed to hear that the storm both weakened and veered. Many around the world have been praying for that. However, there is still a lot of rain and wind on the northern Philippines. Meanwhile, reports on the outbreak of Leptospirosis are scant. This dreadful disease enters the skin after being exposed to flood waters. Some estimate that 1.7 million have been exposed. Of the last reported 2000 cases that were spontaneously reported over the last few days, over 150 cases have resuled in death. The conditions are also breeding grounds for cholera / typhoid etc. The precious people of the Philippines need our prayer and help. Of course, CLEAN DRINKING WATER is the number one need in the disaster areas. We are hoping to send an Air Mobile team there in the very near future. We will keep you informed. Air Mobile is currently building Voyagers. Critical parts are being ordered Monday and we hope to have at least 3 Voyagers complete by weeks end. We are currently looking for funding for at least 5 more Voyagers for the Philippines. That will give us a total of 10 Voyagers there. Becasue the unit is so portable, we can strategically place them in the most needed places. Each unit will deliver clean water to 400-500 people per day. The cost of each unit is $2000. Please pray about helping with this live saving mission! God Bless and thank you for reading our report and above all, PRAYING!! Air Mobile Joe October 21, 2009 - Wednesday 10:02am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) A quick update - Sister Mary arrived in Orlando on schedule. Transferred a Voyager water purifier to her. Loaded the suitcase with Voyager, rice, ropes. She flew out to the Philippines yesterday (Tuesday 10-20-09)morning at 7:15am. She should have arrived in Manila this morning. PLEASE remember her in your prayers. The third Typhoon, Lupit, is slowly churing toward the northern Philippines. The typhoon has slowed down, giving Northern Luzon more time to prepare/evacuate. This slowing down is also giving the typhoon more time to grow in intensity. Again, in my nearly 40 years of doing relief work, I have not seen such frequent and intense storms. As we receive more news, we will report it. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS TRAGEDY HAS BEEN UNFOLDING - Joe October 19, 2009 - Monday 9:19pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) In just 2 hours, Sister Mary will land in Orlando. We will present her with the second Voyager water purification system. Tomorrow morning (Tuesday 10-20-09), she will head back to the Philippines for the third time in 4 weeks. She will be heading right into the heart of suffering. Below is an article that just came out explaining the extreme high risk of major disease outbreaks. As the UK Guardian quotes Dr. Sean Keogh, "It's a perfect storm because there's standing water, there's cholera, leptospirosis is endemic in the population and there's a disease called dengue which is spread by mosquitoes". We just received funding for 3 more Voyagers. We hope to have them constructed by weeks end. Air Mobile would like to put a team together and deliver the units personally. We would like to add to the 3 funded units. Please consider helping us. The following is today's report on the disease warning from the UK Guardian. Disease warning as Philippines awaits Typhoon Lupit. Experts warn of deadly epidemics in country still in the grip of devastation caused by two powerful storms Justin McCurry and agencies guardian.co.uk, Monday 19 October 2009 11.42 BST Article history More than 800 people died after tropical storm Ketsana and typhoon Parma swept through the Philippines. Photograph: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters Survivors of two powerful storms that caused widespread destruction in the Philippines in recent weeks are threatened by outbreaks of potentially life-threatening diseases, as the country braces for another super-typhoon, health experts have warned. Charity workers say disease and poor sanitation could afflict large numbers of people, many of whom are still waiting for medical and other supplies from the government and international aid organisations. "It's a perfect storm because there's standing water, there's cholera, leptospirosis is endemic in the population and there's a disease called dengue which is spread by mosquitoes," said Dr Sean Keogh, emergency health assessor for Merlin, a UK-based medical relief agency. More than 800 people died after tropical storm Ketsana and typhoon Parma swept through the country in late September and early this month. Ketsana caused the worst flooding in the capital, Manila, for more than 40 years, while Parma lingered for a week, triggering floods and deadly landslides in mountainous areas of the main island of Luzon. A fortnight later, 340,000 people are still living in cramped evacuation centres, while more than 7 million people have been affected by the storms, local officials said. Many areas are still underwater. Today, preparations were being made to evacuate areas threatened by typhoon Lupit, which could brush the northern tip of Luzon by Thursday, according to the US navy's joint typhoon warning centre. Lupit's force has intensified since the weekend, with sustained winds of 108mph and gusts of up to 130mph. Forecasters said they expected the typhoon, which would be the 18th big storm to hit the Philippines this year, to spare Manila but warned that Lupit could wreak havoc in northern regions. The reassurances failed to put Manila residents at ease, however. "We're scared. We haven't even recovered from the last flooding and here comes another typhoon," said Gerardo Martin, who lives in the city's suburbs. In the mountainous Cordillera region of Benguet province, police officers have been ordered to tell people to evacuate before the typhoon arrives, although some residents are reportedly refusing to leave their homes. About 290 people in the area, located 130 miles north of Manila, died in landslides triggered by typhoon Parma. "Those in critical areas should be evacuated now that there is still time," said the head of the weather service, Prisco Nilo. "It would be more difficult to rescue people in the middle of a typhoon." Health officials say that as many as 1.7 million people living in and around Manila risk exposure to leptospirosis, a waterborne disease that has killed 96 people this month. The disease, which can be contracted by wading through floodwater, can lead to kidney failure if left untreated. State-run hospitals say they are inundated with leptospirosis cases, with many patients forced to sit on chairs as there are not enough beds. The disease has infected more than 1,300 people, according to the National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The health department plans to hand out antibiotics to 1.3 million people in high-risk areas. The government has packed tonnes of food aid and prepared a fleet of helicopters to lift people to safety in Benguet and other northern regions, the national disaster co-ordination council said. The international community has pledged at least $100m (£61m) in food and other humanitarian aid. "Most people are getting some clean water, but the problem is that people are using the standing water as a toilet and children are swimming through it," said Keogh, who recently visited two of the most badly hit areas. "People are walking in the water all day. "All these things are coming together. There's another storm coming, there's standing water, endemic disease and people walking through the water, which has all sorts in – petrol, human waste – it's a complete mess. This is a communicable disease disaster in the making." Keogh said he was concerned that vital medical and other supplies were not getting to people in flooded areas quickly enough, adding: "The death toll has been modest for a disaster of this scale. But this is something that can turn around and bite really quickly. These diseases can spread like wildfire and once they have got a grip in the community it's a real struggle to contain them." Of course, clean drinking water is a matter of life and death. Please pray that the Voyagers are delivered safely and used to their full potential. We will report more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe October 16, 2009 - Friday 9:09am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do! The precious people of the Philippines need our prayer! Another storm is forming east of the Philippines and headed their way again. Storm weary residents are preparing for yet another evacuation. This storm / flooding is now considered the worst in 100 years. Now, would you like to hear a miracle? Recently I was speaking with a Dr. friend of mine. We were discussing the terrible situations going on in the Philippines and Indonesia. I told him about Sister Marie Cabrini first delivering a Voyager water purifier to the Philippines last week. He would pray about helping. Last night Sister Mary wrote and asked if we had funding for another Voyager, as the situation had gotten much worse. Food had tripled in price and the suffering was getting worse by the hour. I told her we were praying about the situation. At midnight, the good Dr. wrote and said that he would fund a Voyager for her. Now, I was very tired and the Holy Spirit did not awaken me until 4:00am and I read the Dr.'s e-mail in tears. I immediately thanked the good Dr. and e-mailed Sister Mary with the good news. Our Lord NEVER sleeps or slumbers. We now have 1 more Voyager funded and 19 to go!! Please Continue reading down to see how this real life drama of life and death in a turbulent, shaking world has been unfolding. Meanwhile, the precious people of Indonesia continue the slow, agonizing process of recovery following the "island fracturing" earthquake last month. By the way, Indonesia had another moderate earthquake this morning. God Bless and thanks again for your prayer and support!! Air Mobile Joe October 14, 2009 - Wednesday 9:25pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Folks, it is difficult for us to stay here in Titusville when we see such destruction occurring world-wide. Between Indonesia that suffered a "fracturing" earthquake (death toll in the thousands) and the Philippines suffering more torrential rain following the heaviest downpour in 46 years, our hearts are breaking and the death toll is steadily rising. Help is slow arriving due to landslides, destroyed roads and the absolute vastness of the destruction. Disease is rising. People will drink water from somewhere, often from contaminated sources as demonstrated from this little boy cooling off in Indonesia. We are thankful that Air Mobile has been able to send 1 Voyager to the Philippines and 2 Voyagers to Indonesia, but this is truly a microscopic drop in a huge bucket. We want to do so much more. One Voyager can provide CLEAN - PURE drinking water for approximately 400 people per day. Friday night we had fund raiser at our facility here in Titusville, FL and managed to raise several hundred dollars, not even enough for the shipment of a single Voyager. I do not fault the attendees in any way. In our area (Space Coast of Florida), thousands are looking at layoffs as Kennedy Space Center discontinues the Space Shuttle program. Many are anxious about the future. The offering last night is greatly appreciated and seeds were sacrificially sown to relieve the suffering in the Philippines and Indonesia (almost unimaginable for us here in America). Both the Philippines and Indonesia are suffering from massive land/mud slides. In one area of northern Philippines, 30 out of 46 towns are completely under water. Victims are on rooftops text messaging pleas to be rescued. It does not surprise me that the American media is not covering these cataclysmic events. Instead, they focus on the "American Idol" or some such foolishness. Folks, our world is shaking as I have never seen before. For nearly 40 years, I have been doing relief and rescue work. These last 2 weeks have been unbelievable in scope and destruction. Again, major disasters have occurred or are occurring in the Samoas, the Philippines, Indonesia and India. Speaking of India, this past week hundreds have perished and MILLIONS displaced in Southern India due to flooding. The area had been dominated by a deadly draught and now, the rains are falling and hundreds are dying due to massive flooding. The draught had caused a significant decrease in rice production, thus exacerbating the overall suffering of the region. I know that the news I have shared is depressing and one may feel overwhelmed and have a sense of helplessness. Well, do not allow despair to overcome you. Often, I am challenged by our Lord "to do what I can do". Often, that involves leading a small team directly into the disaster areas with some water purifiers. You see, no matter what the disaster, the victims ALWAYS need clean water. We do everything in the sweet Name of Jesus. Thus, we are able, to not only tell people about the love of God, but demonstrate the love of God by sharing a cup of water in His name. Now, that is cool. Would you help us to go farther and help more? We need your support, both prayer and financial. Look, here is my cell phone. If you feel like you would want to help, call us. The number is: 321-544-7757 (Country Code - 01)or e-mail us at: airmobilejoe@gmail.com. God Bless and THANK YOU for reading our report. Joe and Cindy Hurston Air Mobile Ministries PS - CONTINUE READING DOWN FOR OUR EARLIER REPORTS. Joe October 8, 2009 - Thursday 12:11am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The massive and destructive earthquake that struck the Padang region of Indonesia last week has destroyed thousands of homes / buildings and cut off many villages from relief. Water is so important and yet so difficult to transport. Multiple villages have been completely destroyed by massive landslides. We are blessed that today (October 7, 2009) 2 Vortex Voyagers are being flown into Indonesia by "In His Image" ministry. Yet, we want to do so much more. Often, the only way water gets into areas is by water truck. On the other hand, if the roads have been destroyed, then the water trucks cannot pass and many will succumb the terrible effects of drinking contaminated water. Relief efforts are slowly reaching some of the effected areas, mainly in urban centers, but so many are just cut-off. This is where our portable water purifiers can be such a blessing. A relief team can carry the unit in by foot and begin purifying the most contaminated water instantly. The Voyager water purifier weighs a mere 20 pounds (about the same weight as 3 gallons of water). It sets up in just 1 minute and delivers enough drinking water for 400-500 people per day. The unit requires very little electricity. A car or truck battery will run the Voyager for about 2 days. We do do have solar panels available in locations where charging a battery is not possible. This photo taken in Pakistan is a Voyager in action following a devastating earthquake. Air Mobile has been to Indonesia multiple times, including immediately following the Tsunami of December 26, 2004. We have developed a tremendous love and respect for the Indonesian people. We know that hundreds of thousands are suffering. Many of the villages that have been destroyed by landslides are being declared mass graves and covered up. Please remember the Indonesian people in your prayer!! As I reported several days ago, Air Mobile sent a Voyager into the Philippines with Sister Mary Cabrini. We are awaiting the report on the conditions in the area where Sister Mary ministered. As soon as we hear from her, we will report her findings. Just several hours ago, an 8.3 earthquake occur ed off the coast of Australia. We have yet to hear of deaths or destruction. The last 2.5 weeks have been filled with catastrophic events. We must remember the victims in our prayer! Again, THANK YOU for taking the time to read our report. Please pray and ask our Lord what you can do to help us to help others. Air Mobile Joe PS - CONTINUE READING DOWN FOR OUR EARLIER REPORTS. Joe October 6, 2009 - Tuesday 10:11pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Last 2 weeks have been extraordinary regarding natural disasters. The Philippines dealt with 2 major Typhoons, Samoa was hammered by a huge earthquake and subsequent tsunami and Indonesia suffered several deadly earthquakes. Natural disasters are part of our world, but when such cataclysmic events stack up in just under 2 weeks, it certainly brings us to our knees. As I write this blog, my heart goes out to the literally millions of people who have been displaced and are suffering at this very moment. Many survivors in Indonesia are struggling through torrential rains and mud as depicted in this photo. Of course, we want to send clean water to every location, but we are limited by resources. I was so pleased when my phone rang yesterday and the ministry, "In His Image" out of Tulsa requested that we send 2 Voyagers for Indonesia. We first worked with "In His Image" last year following the deadly Cyclone that struck Myanmar. Their ministry deploys top medical personnel following disasters. This afternoon the Voyagers were shipped overnight. Tomorrow afternoon, they will be heading to Indonesia. I also received an e-mail from Stefan Radelich of LeSEA Global "FEED THE HUNGRY". Stefan and I worked together in Myanmar last year also. "FEED THE HUNGRY" is considering placing Voyagers in both Samoa and Indonesia. Please pray that the Lord will provide the funding for these units to bring clean water to those in such desperate need. It is such a blessing to work with such fine organizations such as these. We pray that our phone keeps ringing and requests keep coming in for Voyagers. We will stay in touch and let you know what is happening. We so appreciate your prayer and love. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe October 5, 2009 - Monday 1:55pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Since our last report, we are very pleased to tell you that we were able to send 1 Vortex Voyager to the Philippines. A very brave Catholic Nun, Sister Mary Cabrini, had been in contact with us giving us detailed info on the conditions in the Philippines. She had just been there hours before the first Typhoon hit. After returning to the US, she began to get urgent messages telling of the desperate plight of many. She decided to return asap. She then contacted us and asked about bringing in a Voyager, as clean water was desperately needed. Though we did not have full funding for the unit, we sent it by faith. Sister Mary flew into Orlando on Friday night at 11:00pm. Barbara Walker, who had just flown in from Haiti, and I trained Sister Mary until 1:30am on Saturday morning. I then dropped the good Sister at Orlando International for a 6:40am departure for the Philippines. We have not heard from Sister Mary yet, but we are trusting she has arrived and is giving clean water to those in severe need. In the meantime, we are monitoring the earthquakes in Indonesia. The death toll is steadily rising. I understand that they had another 6.1 quake this morning. We are believing our Lord for the funding to send Voyagers to both the Philippines and Indonesia. Please consider helping on this vital mission. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe October 1, 2009 - Thursday 10:09am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) There is so much going on! Last Saturday, the Philippines was struck by a devasting storm that killed hundreds (more likely thousands), millions have been displaced and now there is a Super Typhoon named Parma bearing down on them again. Meanwhile, 2 days ago, an 8.0 earthquake struck Samoa causing terrible damage and death. Several hours later a 7.8 quake hit Padang, Indonesia (Air Mobile has been there in actual earthquakes). Hundreds are dead and thousands are missing. All of these events have occured within the last few days. We are faced with the question, "What are you going to do?". Often, the scope and magnitude is so far beyond us, yet.... we must do something. In all of these cataclysmic events, the number one need is water! No matter whether it be an earthquake, or tsunami or typhoon, the first and immediate need is clean water. That is where we come in. Air Mobile is blessed and able to get clean water to the point of need IMMEDIATELY! We currently have parts for 20 Voyager water purifiers. What we need is funding to purchase the remaining components to put them together and then get them to the "ground zero(s)" of the disasters. We are willing an able to go. We simply need funding and volunteers to help us get out the door and get the clean water flowing. Would you help?? Please pick up the phone and call us at: 321-544-7757 if you want to help. Here is an excerpt from a news story regarding this situation: Philippines braces for second stronger typhoon REUTERS 10-1-09 "By Nguyen Van Vinh Nguyen Van Vinh – 1 hr 57 mins ago HOI AN, Vietnam (Reuters) – Millions of people were battling on Thursday to cope with the aftermath of a typhoon that cut a destructive path through parts of Southeast Asia, killing 400, as an even stronger storm headed toward the Philippines. Government reports said 101 people had died in Vietnam and 18 were missing after typhoon Ketsana swept through the country late on Tuesday, affecting about 1.4 million people and damaging or submerging more than 350,000 houses. The typhoon left 11 dead in Cambodia, while the toll in the Philippines, where Ketsana struck last weekend, rose to 277. The Philippines placed soldiers and civilian emergency teams on the main island of Luzon on alert as an even more powerful super typhoon moved closer. Typhoon Parma was expected to make landfall near northeastern Quirino and Isabela provinces on Luzon by Saturday unless it changed direction. "It's gathering strength into a category 5 typhoon," chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz told Reuters, adding it could be the one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country since November 2006 when Typhoon Durian left death and destruction in the central Philippines. "By Saturday afternoon, Parma could be packing center winds of more than 200 kph and could be weakened once it slams into the Cordillera mountain region in the north." Gilberto Teodoro, head of the defense and disaster agencies, ordered troops to evacuate coastal and low-lying areas as well as landslide-prone areas in the northern Philippines." Air Mobile is hoping to send Voyagers into the Philippines in the next 48 hours. Please pray about your involvement with this life saving project! God Bless You and remember the words of Jesus "I was thirsty and you gave me to drink" "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have done it to the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me". Matthew 25:35 & 40. Thanks again!! Air Mobile Joe Cell: 321-544-7757 (United States) PS - AS SOON AS THIS DISASTER OCCURED, BARBARA WALKER (THE LADY IN THE BLUE DRESS) IN HAITI MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO FLY IN AND COORDINATE WITH US. SHE WILL BE JOINING ON THE PHILIPPINES MISSION!! September 30, 2009 - Wednesday 1:44pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Since our last report, I am very pleased to tell you that we are solving our parts problems for the Vortex Voyagers that are deployed around the world! Necessity is the "mother of invention". We are "remanufacturing" the broken components very successfully. We have found a source of filters. This is great news! I must admit, the thought of a Vortex Voyager being "inop" in the field is very distressing to me. We have sent several teams to Haiti and Myanmar and gotten all units up and going! Praise God!! As requests come in for parts, we are able to provide what is needed. We are currently following the dreadful situation in the Philippines, Samoa and Indonesia due to Cyclones and earthquakes. We will let you know our plans as they unfold. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to phone me at: 321-544-7757. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe July 11, 2009 - Saturday 2:34pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston First of all, Cherie and Kyle Shropshire (my daughter and new son-in-law) are doing great! As a matter of fact they just returned from Haiti. Kyle did wonders with the electricity in Barbara's village and....got a working air conditioner for Barbara. This has been long overdue. Meanwhile, Cherie and Kyle got 7 Vortex Voyagers up and working. As you may know, we have been blessed to place 230 Voyagers throughout Haiti and from time to time they do need service work. This leads me to share some of the "rough road" that we are encountering. This is a pretty serious prayer request! Allow me to give a brief history. We have had the honor and privilege to place over 600 Vortex Voyagers in 35 countries. Many of these units have been deployed immediately following cataclysmic disasters, i.e. the December 26, 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the deadly floods in Haiti that killed over 6000 people and the list goes on and on. Now here is our problem. We cannot get replacement parts and filters for the Vortex Voyagers that have been placed world-wide. We have attempted repeatedly to secure the parts and the supplier is ignoring our calls and e-mail attempts. This is becoming a very serious problem for the users of the Voyager. Our deep concern is that the vulnerable and needy people who depend upon these units for clean water will get sick and even die. There is much more that I would like to say on this matter, but must choose my words carefully. PLEASE PRAY THAT THE PARTS GET RELEASED! So many depend upon these water purifiers. I will write more later. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe March 29, 2009 - Sunday - 5:10pm (Central U.S. Time) - Dallas Fort Worth International Airport - Report submitted by Joe Hurston Here is a quick update while on the "fly". I am so pleased to announce that my daughter, Cherie Angeline Hurston married Kyle Shropshire on March 14, 2009. Cherie has been on the mission field since she was just 7 months old. We are just overjoyed at this wonderful union between two that love one another and the Lord Jesus so much!! Kyle and Cherie are missionaries to the world and we are so proud of them. I'll post a few of the wedding photos later. Some of you attended the wedding and I believe that we all agree that the wedding was one of the most joyous occasions we've ever attended. I just spoke with Cherie a few hours ago and they are back from their honeymoon. We've got to board our flight now. God Bless and stay tuned for our updates! Air Mobile Joe (the blessed father of the bride!) February 8, 2009 - Sunday - 12:40pm (Eastern U.S. Time) Miami International Airport -Report submitted by Joe Hurston - Photo depicts our Medical Team upon arrival in Managua, Nicaragua on the evening of Februay 5, 2009. This report is being sent from the Miami International Airport. I had to leave the Nicaragua Medical mission early due to appointments and meetings that involve a very noble battle that our ministry is fighting in behalf of the right to have a church rent space for services. It's a long story, but it the reason I'm here and the medical team is still in Nicaragua. Here's a quick update from the team in Haiti. I just spoke with Joe Prussel in Haiti just a few minutes ago who is leading that team of 11. The team completed construction on the Vortex Voyager Repair Depot. Up until now, we have set up "shop" in the clinic or on Barbara Walkers "Front Porch". Now we have a permanent home for Voyager parts and a full repair facility. In addition to that, the team did electrical work, other much needed construction and Joe's wife, Lydia even painted a beautiful mural of Noah's Ark for the village. Joe just told me that we won't recognize the village when we next go. This is so cool, to have 2 teams working simulaneously in Haiti and Nicaragua. Now, on to the update from the Nicaragua Medical mission. Yesterday, February 7th began bright and early. The team boarded our bus and truck and headed out to another village in the proximity of Nueva Guinea. The road was so bad that we had to break up our team. Team A was the Docs and "Essential Personnel". Team B was the Non-Essential Personnel. I stayed back with team B. Well, here is what happened. Our A team headed to the community to meet over 150 needy patients. Meanwhile, we in Team B awaited our truck. The truck was delayed in returning for us due to the fact that the road was worse than anticipated. As a result, John Torres, his lovely wife Jennifer and myself stayed back while the medical team pressed on and saw all 150 patients! We just chilled out and rested while the team did amazing medical things for very needy people. The day before, February 6, 2009, our team saw over 100 patients in Yolaina. The Doctors, Steve and Francisco jumped right in and began using their gifts for the Glory of God. The whole team of nurses and support personnel were really used by the Lord. As I sit here in Miami International Airport and reflect on the fact that these teams are laying their lives down and serving our Lord, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy! My plane will be arriving shortly and I'll return back to Orlando this eveing. I just wish that each of your could be with us on these missions. It is so wonderful to be used by our Lord in this way. Gotta run. Air Mobile Joe (In transit) February 6, 2009 - Friday - 8:45pm (Nicaragua Time) Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua - Report submitted by Joe Hurston This a very brief report from deep in the mountains of Nicaragua. Our team praises God for the delayed flight. We are so glad that we did not attempt to cross over the mountains yesterday evening. The winds blew fiercely here and crossing at night would have been extremely treacherous. We landed in Managua late yesterday evening. A Baptist Guesthouse put our weary team up with no notice. Thank God for gracious hospitality. We were up at 3:30am this morning after just a few hours sleep and we hit road and crossed the mountains and the winds buffeted our van. We arrived in the little village of Yolaina with the church yard filled with patients. The team went right into gear and turned the church into a medical clinic rapidly. John Torres of Florida Today has done a more detailed blog and I would like to direct you there. Here it is: nicamission2009.blogspot.com . We are so tired, working on just a few hours sleep. We need to get up early and do another clinic. Hope you enjoy John´s blog. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe PS - We just got a brief word that the Haiti team is doing great! QUICK FLITE UPDATE (3:04PM) - OUR FLIGHT HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO TECHNICAL / MECHANICAL PROBLEMS. WE'RE PATIENT AND WANT THE MAINTENANCE CREW TO FIX IT RIGHT. THIS DOES EFFECT OUR PLANS ON THE GROUND IN MANAGUA - WE WILL OVERNIGHT SO AS NOT TO BE DRIVING OVER THE MOUNTAINS IN THE NIGHT. "ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD, THOSE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE" ROM. 8:28 - AMEN!! February 5, 2009 - Thursday - 9:38am (Eastern Time) - Miami International Airport - Enroute to Nicaragua - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) and Craig Rubadoux (Florida Today) looking on. Air Mobile is definately on the move! We have 2 teams heading to Nicaragua and Haiti. John Torres of Florida Today was the inspiration behind the Nicargua Christian Medical Mission. John asked me to come along. We'll be reporting on the Journey on this blog. Meanwhile, Joe Prussel, an extraordinary "Water Mule", who has been on many Air Mobile missions around the world is leading the other team that is headed to Haiti this morning. Joe and team will be working in Ruuska Village (Barbara Walker's Village). They will be doing some great construction and repairing and servicing Vortex Voyager water purifiers. We'll endeavor to send some reports from them. Now, on to the Nicaragua Mission. John Torres contacted me several months ago with the idea of putting together a Medical Mission to Nicargaua. John has been with Air Mobile to Haiti multiple times, Indonesia following the terrible tsunami and other locations including New Orleans right after Hurricane Katrina. By the way, you may link to John's blog at: http://nicamission2009.blogspot.com/ Our team of 11 are between flights at the Miami International Airport awaiting our flight to Managua. We will then cross the mountains to Nueva Guiena. After we get settled in, we'll endeavor to send reports (depending on internet connection). Better run for now. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe and Team January 28, 2009 - Wednesday - 11:57am (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here we are between missions. Cindy and I still have Peru on our mind and heart. What a wonderful mission. We can hardly wait to return. The Lord will show us when that will be. In the meantime, we're preparing for our next mission to Nicaragua (February 5th departure). We'll be accompanying a medical team. We'll be documenting that mission with this blog. At the same time, Joe Prussel ("water mule" extraordinaire) will be leading a team to Haiti. They will be doing much needed construction in Ruuska Village (the Village that Barbara Walker built). The team will be servicing the water purifiers that need maintenance. Joe will be sending reports from that mission. As always, we so appreciate you. THANK YOU for your prayer and support. Never hesitate to contact us by either phone or e-mail. Here are our contacts: e-mail: joehurston@airmobile.org Phone: 321-267-7726 Cell: 321-544-7757. God Bless and stay in touch!! Air Mobile Joe PS - Continue reading down for other reports from our missions. Joe January 20, 2009 - Tuesday - 2:44pm (Eastern Time) - Enroute I-95 North between Miami and Titusville - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Air Mobile Team is back in the U.S. We WILL return to Peru! What a great mission! The missionaries whom we worked with were wonderful. There is so much that we could write. In the photo above, our team is with Pastor Linus and Renee Eifert. While we were awaiting our flight backt to Lima from Pucallpa, Renee shared a few stories with us.. She and Jim have been missionaries in Peru for 48 years. Their life is a picture of faithfulness and courage. Renee shared a story of when Jim found a lost tribe in 1968. The story could have ended very badly. The Lord intervened. Jim ended up negotiating land for an airstrip. Years later, Wycliffe Bible Translators completed the language for that village. Renee not only shared such rich stories with us, she organized every detail of our mission. We're on I-95 heading back to our office in Titusville. The mission was great and again, THANK YOU for your love and prayers!! Joe and Cindy and the Air Mobile Team January 19,2009 - Monday - 9:14am (Peru Time - Same as Eastern U.S. - though much further South!) Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Yesterday was amazing. We were in a Church that is on-fire for our Lord. The Pastor preached out of Jeremiah 29:11 - The thoughts that God has for us. We walked away from the service blessed and encouraged. Today we fly to Lima. Tomorrow back to the U.S. Tonight, we'll endeavor to fill in some blanks. Suffice this to say, this as been an incredible mission. We have to go now. God Bless!! Joe & Cindy and Air Mobile Peru Team January 18, 2009 - 9:13am (Peru Time - Same as Eastern U.S.) Pucallpa, Peru - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The team is awaiting Pastor Linus to bring us to church this morning. Yesterday was amazing. It's so good to bring the very first Voyagers to Peru. We're speaking with SAM Air about the logistics of bringing in and supporting Voyagers all over Peru, particularly in the remote river regions. We'll all keep that in prayer and we ask you to join us. We'll report more this evening. God Bless! Joe and Cindy January 17, 2009 - Saturday 11:37PM (Peru Time - Same as Eastern U.S.) Pucallpa, Peru - Report submitted by Joe Hurston While awaiting our ride to the next deployment location located at the South American Mission Airbase (S.A.M.), Cindy and Barbara did some great buying from the local Peruvian Indians. This is part of our outreach. This is a win-win-win-win-win deal. We purchase crafts from local artisans / business women and sell them in our Air Mobile gift shop located at Elevations Cafe' in Titusville. This is blessing to the seller (the Peruvian Indians). A blessing to the buyer who gets really cool Peruvian crafts at great prices. A blessing to Air Mobile by raising funds and a blessing to the recipients of water purifiers from the raised funds. Plus, it's fun to watch Cindy and Barbara shop and have so much fun!! Dave with SAM Air picked up our team and it was off to the Airbase then in a boat headed for the Indian village with the bad water. We unloaded and called for the Village team that would be trained on the operation of the Voyager. Dirty water is a major problem in villages around the world. We're so thankful to be able to bring help even in this small way. I was truly blessed to find that the well and pump had been put in place in this village by Living Water International. We have such deep respect for this organization and have worked together on water projects around the world. In this case, the well was in place, but the water was still quite dirty. Now, we could help do something about that by cleaning up the water with the Voyager. It's good to see the Body of Christ working together like this. The young men in this village were extremely attentive and serious about this gift. They picked up on all the details of the operation and demonstrated full ability to operate and maintain the Voyager. Plus, Dave with SAM Air, offered to assist the village if the unit became unoperational and they needed help. What a joy to leave this Voyager in the Village. By the way, Cindy found some more handicrafts in this village and bought them for the Elevations International Cafe'. The ladies in the village really appreciated the missionaries that showed up, brought a much needed water purifier and even bought some of their handicrafts. Talk about a wonderful day! Well, it's getting late. Tomorrow, we'll be in several churches here in Pucallpa. We are so glad that the 4 Voyagers that we brought to Peru are in good hands and bringing clean water to many. Know that you are deeply appreciated and loved. We could not do what we do without your help. God Bless You!! Joe and Cindy and the Air Mobile Peru Team PS - CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS AIR MOBILE PERU MISSION CAME TOGETHER January 16, 2009 - Friday 10:33PM (Peru Time - Same as Eastern U.S.) Pucallpa, Peru - Report submitted by Joe Hurston In our last report, we had just landed in Lima after a bouncy ride with plenty of turbulence. After the water landing and miraculous rescue from the US Airways we all should be appreciative to safe landings and good flights, even when there's a bit of turbulence along the way. Such is life! This morning, after just a few hours of sleep the Air Mobile Team boarded an older Peru Star 737-200. We took off Lima and began the straight up climb over the Andes to make a challenging crosswind landing at Pucallpa, Peru. The pilot did a good job. Again, nothing taken for granted, we praised God to be on our way on this great mission. By the way, here's a quick picture of our Peru Air Mobile team: Joe and Cindy Hurston - Air Mobile Barbara Walker - Reach Out To Haiti and Air Mobile Team member on many, many missions. Joe Prussel - "Water Mule" Extraordinaire - Been on many Air Mobile Missions and been to Peru numerous times - set up this whole trip Brandon Rieb - Children's Pastor - Church at Viera - Melbourne, FL - Brandon's first Air Mobile Mission - designated photographer / videographer / willing "water mule" (A "Water Mule" is someone who helps carry clean water to the those in need) We were met at Pucallpa International by Renee Eifert, a veteran missionary of 48 years to Peru. Talk about a story. She and her husband Jim run a drug rehabilitation center as well as an incrdible ministry to Peruvian Indians. It's an amazing story. Time will not permit me to tell the story, but I hope to be able to share some of the story of God's amazing grace in their lives and those of so many whom they have touched a bit later. We headed into town, checked into our hotel and then right on to Santiago, the drug rehablitation center they started in 1974. We were also met by Albert, the missionary who works in Belen, the floating slum city. We headed to Mission Santiago and trained on the usage of the Voyager. In just a few hours, 3 Voyagers were placed into the hands of: 1) Renee Eifert and her Staff at Santiago Mission 2) Albert Smith with Calvary Chapel for the boat people of Belene Peru 3) Kevin & Esther Eifert - International Mercy (Church and School) Tomorrow, we'll head up the river and bring a Voyager into a village that has very poor water. We'll write more tomorrow. Again, we could not do the things we do without your help. THANK YOU for helping send us out in the Lord's Name to bring clean water to those in such deep need. Stay tuned. Joe & Cindy and the Air Mobile Team AIR MOBILE ON THE GROUND IN PERU - HEADED FROM LIMA TO PUCALLPA January 16, 2009 - Friday 5:58am (Peru Time) - At the Melodia Hotel - headed the airport for an early flight to Pucallpa - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Long flight (but not by Indonesian / Myanmar standard). The plane encountered some strong turbulence and got our prayer life going in full swing. The pilot did a good job of getting us through "the stuff". We landed and all the equipment passed through customs with no problems. After just a few hours sleep, we're headed to the airport to fly to Pucallpa. It is a fairly large city, established about 50 years ago. It is located on the Ucayila River, a major tributary to the amazon. There, we will be delivering a water purification system to a school of 250 kids and training on the operation and care for the unit. This school is run by South American Mission (SAM). We will also be delivering a unit to a Men's Drug Rehabilitation Center that is operated by Missionaries Jim and Renee Eifert of S.A.M. They have been in Peru for nearly 40 years. We look forward to being with them today. Other things are planned, and we'll report as they unfold. Got to eat a quick breakfast and rush to the airport. God Bless and THANK YOU for your prayer and love!! Joe & Cindy and Team PS - We just found out that we may not be getting to the "floating city" in Belene due some logistical problems. We'll let you know what the Lord has for us. Joe ON THE ROAD TO PERU! January 15, 2009 - Thursday 11:12am (Eastern U.S. Time) - I-95 South headed to Miami International then Lima Peru - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Welcome aboard this mission! We'll endeavor to send regular updates on this incredible journey. The 5 person Air Mobile Team will be flying from Miami to Lima this afternoon. We'll arrive late tonight. Tomorrow morning we'll board a plane for Pucallpa, a large trading city on the Ucalyia River, a major tributary to the Amazon. We'll be going into some very desperate areas that really need clean water! What a joy to do this. Stay tuned for more report. We really thank you for your love and prayer!!! Air Mobile Joe and Team Continue reading down for more journey reports. Joe January 14, 2009 - Wednesday - 10:19pm (Eastern U.S. Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) So much has happened since our last blog report. Instead of filling in the details, we'll capture a few high points and then give you a quick look at what lies ahead. First of all, Little Dieunika has been back to Haiti since her very successful operation. After spending some precious time with her parents, it was mutually agreed upon that she should return to the U.S. to continue her recovery and treatment. Her parents demonstrated such great bravery and love in letting her return here for treatment. The truth of the matter is; the situation in Haiti has gotten worse, much worse since 4 major hurricanes ravaged the island. Every sector of Haiti has been dramatically effected. There are major food shortages everywhere. Dieunika's parents were concerned that they could not get her the care that she desperately needs to recover and even survive. The U.S. Consulate was superb in giving us a quick appointment and a 1 year medical visa. Please remember Dieunika and her parents as well as the precious families here in the U.S. who are caring for her. On other fronts, Monday, December 29, 2008 another Vortex Voyager was shipped to Myanmar to help those in desperate need of clean water. Visions Without Borders will be bringing the much needed Voyager to Yangon, Myanmar in early January. This brings the total number of Voyagers in Myanmar to 54! Those units are producing a lot of clean water every day. Thank you Jesus! On January 15, 2009, an Air Mobile Team will be heading to Peru bringing in 4 Voyagers to seperate locations each in crucial need of clean water. We'll be sending in reports from the field. On February 5, 2009, a medical team, assisted by Air Mobile Ministries will be going to Nicaragua and bringing in at least 1 Voyager. This team will have a strong medical arm. We'll be sending reports from the field. Even though 2008 has been dreadful for many world-wide, it is not the time to take our eyes off of the Lord Jesus and the simple pure GREAT COMMISSION - "GO YE INTO ALL THE WORLD AND PREACH THE GOSPEL....". If you feel led to help us in these missions, don't hesitate to contact us at: joehurston@airmobile.org or phone me on my cell at: 321-544-7757. GOD BLESS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Air Mobile Joe October 28, 2008 - Tuesday - 1:07pm (U.S. Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here's a quick word. We have returned from Haiti. Had a tremendous mission. Much accomplished. Will fill in more details later. If you'd like a current update, feel free to e-mail me at: joehurston@airmobile.org or phone me at: 321-544-7757. God Bless! Air Mobile Joe October 17, 2008 - Friday - 12:07am (U.S. Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Air Mobile's on the move again. Soon, we will launch a team into Haiti. We'll be bringing in vital supplies and parts for water purification systems. We'll also be doing strategic follow-up on our last mission into Haiti. We're working on coordinating a ship to bring in life-saving supplies into Gonaives, the area that was hit very hard. We'll write more soon. God Bless!! Joe (PS - Continue reading down for our report on the last mission to Haiti) October 7, 2008 - Tuesday - 8:2pm (U.S. Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - "Air Mobile Joe" I am very pleased and blessed to tell you that the Air Mobile Team is back from Haiti after a very successful mission there. Here's a shot of our team. As you read below about the plight of the Haitian people, PLEASE remember Haiti in your prayer. Just when we thought it could not get any worse, it did. Much worse! The four hurricanes that struck Haiti have left the people just devastated. God Bless and thanks again for your prayer and love. Joe PS - Be sure to click on the Blogger video below for some gripping footage of a "near death" experience. A good friend of ours, John Harrison with the U.N. was nearly crushed to death by a careening truck. Joe September 20, 2008 - Saturday - 8:35am (Haiti Time - Central U.S.) - Montrouis, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Here's a quick report from a very limited Internet connection. Yesterday, we made it into Gonaives. There was tremendous danger. We were eye-witnesses to a very close call. A huge transport truck dashed across the swollen, raging river and a U.N. Security Chief came a split second away from being crushed. I had my camera rolling and captured it. He dove into the river to avoid being crushed to death. (PUSH THE PLAY BUTTON ABOVE TO SEE THE VIDEO) After the incident, I crossed the river by foot (fell and my camera was damaged) and went to see how he was. This is the gentleman that has helped us across the river on 2 other occasions. We just rejoiced in his being alive!! The problem with the bridge failure at the river in Montrouis is that this is the CHOKE POINT for Haiti. It completely separates the south from the north. No supplies can get through. As these trucks barge through, they get stuck and stop all supplies from flowing. Plus, many lives are senselessly endangered in this craziness. Please pray that the river remains open and supplies can flow to those in desperate need. In spite of these huge obstacles, the Lord is opening doors!! We then went to Gonaives to check on the 8 Water purifiers we delivered on Tuesday. All is going very well. Elizabeth Cooke, the "God sent" missionary in Gonaives had already trained 8 new operators. There is a lot of clean water going of this strategically located mission. Much of Gonaives is still either under water or mud. It is terrible! It is worst than the 2004 flood that killed over 3000 people. The actual death toll from this latest series of hurricanes (Gustave - Hannah & Ike) may never be known. I'll add more and in-depth report after.......we get to a secure internet connection! By the way, here's the video of our crossing that same raging river as taken by our intrepid Barbara Walker. You'll hear Barb coaching me to turn, turn, turn...then rejoicing on the "other side". God Bless You and please keep praying for us. >(PUSH THE PLAY BUTTON ABOVE TO SEE THE VIDEO) If you'd like to see how deep the river is in places, take a look at this shot of the bus and the Toyota holding it up. That is the same kind of Toyota we crossed the river with. Meanwhile, the Air Mobile team of volunteers were hard at work in Ruuska Village working on re-wiring the electrical system throughout the village. Also, they were working on building an addition on the roof of one of the buildings in the community. This addition will be for the care of new babies brought to the village. Joe Prussel is leading this portion of the outreach. Better run for now. Will write more later. Air Mobile Joe CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS INCREDIBLE MISSION IS UNFOLDING!!! September 18, 2008 - Thursday - 1:48am (Eastern Time) - I-95 Southbound to Miami - enroute to Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Well, here we are again, just 24 hours after our return to be heading back to Haiti. This time, we have a team of 10 and a lot of work will be going on. The most recent trip was precipitated by the terrible series of storms that have ravaged Haiti. This trip that we are currently on, has been on our schedule for several months. We'll be doing quite a lot work in Barbara Walker's village. Now, on to this mission and the last mission. Last Saturday, September 13, 2008, Joe Prussel ("Water Mule Extraordinaire")headed to Haiti. We linked up with Barbara Walker and headed up toward Gonaives. We knew there would be great difficulties. Well, it began with our water purifiers being seized by Customs. We managed to get them out. The story is below on the 9-13-08 report. All things work for the good. Our best information indicated that we could slip in the "back-door" of Gonaives, the hardest hit city, by way of Mirabalais. The info was flawed. Upon arrival, we found the main bridge crossing the river was completely destroyed. Plan B, head back to the main road and get as far as we can. Once on the main highway, we had a blow-out at 50mph (about the maximum speed you can drive in Haiti). The tire was completely destroyed and our spare leaked. We prayed. Within minutes a fine young man pulled over. Brought us to a road-side repair area. He even hand pumped the air in; loaded the tire and brought us back to the truck. Within minutes we were on the road. He would not accept a dime in payment! The mis-information and flat tire prevented us from getting to the main river in Montrouis. We stopped at a nice, but nearly abandoned resort and had a great dinner, caught up our blog and had a good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be a challenging day. Upon arrival in Montrouis, the bridge over the Montrouis river that we have crossed hundreds of times was severely damaged and unpassable. There was a strong effort toward rebuilding, but it will be a major project. This bridge completley cuts the north off from the south, a major problem in getting aid into the areas that so desperately need it. We began hunting for the "way around". A pleasant young man named Gary introduces himself. He immediately brings us down the small path/road to the farm planted with bananas and corn. The passage was treacherous. The river was raging. We saw large trucks and busses partially submered. Yet with a good view and identifying the high spots, it would be possible to navigate across with a 4 wheel drive, diesel truck. Our next obstacle; the 4 wheel drive did not work. We backed out and found a road-side mechanic. We got the shifter to work and "assumed" the 4 wheel function was working. We approached the river, took a couple of deep breaths, popped the clutch, struck the mud and sank like a rock. The 4wheel drive was clearly inop. The owner of the small farm was a bit irate at all the traffic. We prayed, made friends and waited for a way out. The locals tried to push, but to no avail. We were really stuck. Even had a pleasent encounter with young Jordanian UN officer. Still no help. We had a decision to make. Get a pull across the river and go deeper into the destruction without 4 wheel drive or get pulled back and go find repair. The day was getting on. We had life-saving Voyagers on-board. It was not easy, but our team decided to press on. Within minutes, a large front-end loader offered us a pull across the river. We took it. Our new friend, Gary, offered to stay just on the other side and find us a mechanic for our return crossing. He had a cell phone and we were off to Gonaives. The road was rough but did not require 4 wheel drive. As we approached the area known as "Sweaty Palm Pass", our hearts sank. In 2004, a huge new lake formed after Hurricane Jean. An elevated road had been constructed. The road was completley underwater and unpassable. A decent by-pass had been put in place and was easily repaired to allow traffic into Gonaives. We quickly by-passed the new, bigger lake and came back to the main road right at Pastor Michel Morrisett's mission. We know the mission well, as it was our staging area during the last flood. We were shocked to see how much worse Hannah and Ike treated this region. The water covered most of the compound. Over 1500 people had set up residence in a compound barely able to handle 100. I quickly found Pastor Michel and expressed my deep regret at the loss of his father in law. You see, his father-in-law passed away before his eyes during the flood. Also, Pastor Michel was an eye-witness to a number of deaths as the ravaging storm waters rose with rapid ferocity. Then it was right on to the issue of water. Several of our purifiers that we had donated in the past were swamped and covered in mud in houses that were submerged. We had 8 units that we could leave. Then we met Elizabeth. A very bright, capalbe young lady working on her thesis at Pastor Michel's mission. She was rapidly recruited and within minutes, we had 4 Vortex Voyagers pumping clean water on Pastor Michel's front porch. Within an hour, we pumped nearly 80 gallons of near surgically pure water. The lessons were learned and the commission was awarded. Elizabeth would be in charge of the Voyager project. We promised to return soon to strengthen her hand. After a quick documentary shot with Pator Michel and Elizabeth and myself, we packed up and made a mad dash back to the swollen river, a 2.5 hour drive. The truck began to encounter structural problems. The metal cage on the back had broken loose. Our journey was slowed considerably. We knew we would not make the river by dark. We phoned Gary and had a pleasant surprise. The head of the UN force working on the bridge is a Canadian. He promised to help us across whenever we arrived. Praise God, the Lord knows how to deploy His troops. We arrived at the Moulin Sur Mer resort weary and ready for a place to rest. The place was closed. The resident manager knew us and agreed to give us place to rest at a good rate. Thank God! Up early, Tuesday morning Sept. 16th. Meet at the swollen river and await our UN contact. He is delayed due to muliple accidents requiring his attention. At 11:00am he arrives. Quickly gets the river clear of sunken vehicles that had tried to cross on their own. He gave us the signal and we were across. We made a quick dash to Barbara's village. Scooped up our bags and on the airport to catch the afternoon flight. Joe Prussel and I knew we would be headed back to Haiti within 24 hours. It was a great and successful mission. Now, we're on the road, headed back to Haiti to continue that which we began. This time, we have serious team of technicians and experts who will help bring Barbara's village into much better shape. More reports to come. God Bless and THANK YOU for your prayer and love. Will write later, as I am able. Air Mobile Joe September 16, 2008 - Tuesday 10:34pm (Eastern Time) - I-95 Enroute from Miami to Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston We are returning from Haiti after a succesful deployment. We were able to get into the city of Gonaives, the hardest hit area of Haiti. Gonaives is paralyzed and cut off. We were able to cross a swollen river by being pulled across by a large tractor. We praise God giving us the ability and means to get in and bring life-saving water. Though our effort seems like a "drop in the bucket", the drop is going directly into the mouths of thirsty and dying people. We will get a full report out very soon. God Bless!! Air Mobile Joe September 14, 2008 - Sunday 5:27pm - Somewhere in between Port-Au-Prince and Gonaives, Haiti - Report submitted by Air Mobie Joe Just a quick word on a borrowed internet connection. My biggest regret is that I cannot be in two places at once!! My heart breaks for the people of Texas, particularly Galveston and Houston. As I see the destruction, I certainly have some understanding of what folks are going through. For now, the Lord has us here in Haiti. The mission marches on. We have made good progress toward getting into Gonaives. Our information about a "back door" route proved to be inaccurate. We ran into a massive bridge failure in Mirabalais and had to back track. We are hoping to get "towed" by a big tractor across a swollen river tomorrow. For now, this will be a short report. We have photos and much to share, but must keep this short. Again, as always, THANK YOU for your prayer and love! Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) September 13, 2008 - Saturday 7:56pm (Haiti time) - Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) Please remember those in Texas who have sustained such terrible loss - also for the Search and Rescue Teams in the search for survivors! We landed in Port-Au-Prince on schedule at 8:15am from Miami. All of the water purifiers were immediately held by Customs. After 6 hours and much prayer we were able to secure all of the water purifiers. The Haitian officials calculated the duty on the values that I gave them on the units. Even though it was inconvenient and delayed our mission, all was done decently and in order. PRAISE GOD! We hope to launch our relief effort in the morning. We will be heading north out of Port-Au-Prince to assess the hardest hit areas. For security reasons, we will not be giving specific details of the mission. We hope to give a good report tomorrow evening. Again, THANK YOU for your love, prayer and support!! Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS REMARKABLE MISSION HAS BEEN UNFOLDING! September 13, 2008 - Saturday 4:06am (Eastern U.S. Time) - I-95 Southbound to Miami -Enroute to Haiti - Report Submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) (NOTE- As I write this report, Hurricane Ike is striking Galveston Island - please remember those in the path in your prayer!!) An Air Mobile "Scout" team is headed to Haiti with 10 water purification systems. Following 4 devastating hurricanes (Fay, Gustav, Hannah and Ike) Haiti has been pummeled. There is not a district of Haiti that has not been effected. Reports have said that as many as 1,000,000 are homeless. Prior to these terrible storms, Haiti was experiencing extreme hunger due to the rapid and dramatic increase in the cost of rice. Now.....the siutation for many Haitians is grim! Clean water is a major problem in every area. Disease has already begun to break out throughout the country due to water borne diseases. We are so thankful to be carrying these water purifiers in. The portability allows us to penetrate into very hard to reach areas. 1 Voyager provides clean drinking water for 500 people per day! Due to the extreme desperation throughout the country, violence and theft are on the increase. Please pray for our team as we move about the country. We will endeavor to send back reports, however, the storms have damaged many internet connections. We'll do our best. Please remember us in prayer. God Bless!! Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) PLEASE CONTINUE READING DOWN FOR PAST MISSIONS INCLUDING OUR MISSIONS TO MYANMAR (BURMA). THE LORD IS SO GOOD TO ALLOW US TO DO THIS! THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND PRAYER! Joe September 11, 2008 - Thursday 10:40pm (Eastern Time) - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) On 9-11-08 GOD BLESS AMERICA!! In memory of those that lost their loves and their precious families on 9-11-08 - you are in our prayers!! Thank God that we live in a country that we can launch and bring aid and help to those desperately in need. As we prepare to depart for Haiti, we are so thankful for our great country and our many blessings! Air Mobile is getting ready to head to Haiti following devasted flooding from Hurricane Gustav and Tropical Storm Hannah. The situation in many areas is dreadful. Many lives are in jeapordy. Some reports state that 1,000,000 are homeless. Haiti has endured 4 hurricanes in the last month. This is astounding! The hurricanes has have struck the south, the central and the northern regions of Haiti. There is such wide-spread destruction and suffering. It is truly hard to imagine. We have been working in Haiti for 30 years and we have NEVER seen anything like this. As we plan to deploy there, we realize what a huge and complex problem we face. The roads are destroyed. Millions are cut-off from aid. We have amended our strategy and will be flying into Port-Au-Prince and seeking the use of helicopters to move our teams around the country. The problem is that there are only a limited number of choppers in country. Please pray for more to arrive! As the trip develops we'll endedeavor to update our report. God Bless and THANKS again for your prayer and love. Joe (Air Mobile Joe) PLEASE CONTINUE READING - FOLLOWING THIS REPORT ON HAITI IS OUR REPORT ON OUR RECENT DEPLOYMENT TO MYANMAR (BURMA). July 24, 2008 - Thursday - 12:55am (Eastern Time) - Cocoa, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Air Mobile team arrived safely from Myanmar on Sunday evening, July 20th. We praise God for opening so many doors and giving us the privilege to bring clean water and the Good News of Jesus to so many! This journey was marked with many miracles. I'd like to tell you about one. It's about our stuck bus. With just the slightest flick of the wrist, our driver was off the road and in the muck. We were right next to a rice paddy and the bus sunk to the frame. We prayed. Then six of us just pushed. As we pushed the 10 ton bus, it just flew out of the mud. This should not have happened, but it did! The bus came out so fast that Pastor Paul almost fell in the mud, but Steve Baran was there to catch him before he fell. We all knew that some big angels must have been really pushing the bus out of that hole. Now, why would I tell you that story? Well, it seems our whole journey to Myanmar was like that. We sensed the power of God with us the whole way. Doors that had been closed miraculously opened for our team. Believe me, it is not easy to get permission to travel down into the "Delta" of Myanmar. Yet, upon arrival on 15 July, the doors were opening. We gained permission to go. Our host pastors were astounded that we had gained permission. The people of Myanmar are amazing. One village that we visited had been right on the edge of the destruction. We found out that this small village of 150 families had taken care of over 1000 survivors of a neighboring village that had been devastated by Cyclone Nargis. Enroute to the village, we saw evidence of the destruction with grave markers. The love and care for one another was so evident. The village built special homes for the children of the survivors and were caring for them so that they could attend school while their village and school were being rebuilt. Our team was able to provide a Vortex Voyager water purifier and a small generator to this village because of the generosity of World Compassion. Well, I'd better wrap up this portion of the report. It's late (1:12AM). One of the side-effects of traveling half way around the world is jet lag. It's quite real. Upon return, your internal clock is all messed up for a couple of days. Will write more later. God Bless. Air Mobile Joe PS - Continue reading down to see how this remarkable journey unfolded. If you continue reading, you'll see how the first journey to Myanmar unfolded. We traveled there shortly after Cyclone Nargis killed so many! Joe MISSION TO MYANMAR - AIR MOBILE TEAM ENROUTE TO U.S. MYANMAR MISSION ACCOMPLISHED (ALMOST home!) July 20, 2008 - Sunday - 11:03am (Tokyo Time) - Narita International Airport - Report submitted by Joe Hurston (Air Mobile Joe) The Air Mobile Team just spent a remarkable week in Myanmar. We saw incredible miracles and divine connections taking place everywhere and we've been unable to communicate any of them until now due to the internet black-out by the Myanmar government. The Air Mobile Team is currently in a lay-over in Tokyo. We'll have another layover in Chicago and may be able to get a decent report out. All I can say is WOW! The Lord opened many doors that have been previously closed. We were able to reach into some very desperate locations and bring in 25 water purification systems. We trained leaders on the operation of the systems and were able to travel with leaders from our last journey to Myanmar. The fellowship was sweet and the quality of ministry was high. Over the next few entries, we'll put in good photos and reports. God Bless - Air Mobile Joe July 14, 2008 - Monday - 10:10pm (Bangkok time) - Bangkok, Thailand - Report submitted by "Air Mobile Joe" The Air Mobile team just landed in Bangkok, Thailand. All flights have gone well. Our 6 person team consists of: Joe Hurston - Dennis West - Dan Carpenter - Barbara Walker - Steve Baran and Shirley Ferrell. We're a bit road-weary after 22 hours in the air, but will be ready for a full day tomorrow in Myanmar. We're scheduled to land in Yangon at 8:35am. We'll go right into meetings, training and service on the water purification units. We're getting reports of very high arsenic contamination in the water. Our purifier can be modified to deal with large amounts of arsenic. One of our goals will be to asses the situation and plan follow up work. Once on-site, our knowledge of the true situation will increase significantly. Life is slowly returning to normal, but many suffer from mental torment. Many of our teams are addressing this situation. So many are having to start from scratch. The storm has left such destruction in its wake. These precious people really need our prayer and love! We want to thank World Compassion and Feeding the Nations for funding the bulk of the water purifiers that we are deploying. We're so thankful for generous donors. Once in Myanmar, our communications are very limited. Our next major report will come when we pass back through Bangkok on Saturday, July 19th. Once again, you are so important to this mission! Thank you for your love and prayer and support! Sincerely: Joe Hurston "Air Mobile Joe" July 13, 2008 - Sunday - 10:57am (Central Time) - Chicago O'Hare International Airport - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - "Air Mobile Joe" Finally.....headed back to Myanmar. The Air Mobile Team of 6 are enroute to Myanmar. We are currently in Chicago awaiting our next leg of travel to Tokyo. This will be a 13 hour flight. Then to Bangkok, a 6.5 hour flight. We'll overnight in Bangkok and take an early flight to Yangon. We are so thankful to be heading back. We overcame many obstacles getting all the parts and logistics worked out for this mission. We have been in continual touch with many of the leaders whom we trained on our last mission there (May 13 to May 21) immediatley following Cyclone Nargis. Only our Lord knows the true death toll from that deadly storm. We count it such a blessing to return and help these couragous and resilient people. Will write a bit more from Bangkok. God Bless and thanks for your prayer!! Joe PS - Thank you United Airline and Japan Airlines for allowing us to carry extra bags. Your help is saving lives! Joe PPS - Continue reading down to see how these remarkable missions have unfolded. Thanks again for your prayer. Joe July 3, 2008 - Thursday - 1:34am - Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - President - Air Mobile Ministries One thing is for sure, the Myanmar people are tough! Cyclone Nargis ravaged the southern delta region of Myanmar 8 weeks ago and the 2.4 million people affected are slowly rebuilding their lives. The people of Myanmar have shown an amazing ability to survive and get on with their lives! The obstacles that the survivors are facing are daunting. Many water sources have been contaminated with salt water. This has also made the planting of rice very difficult. Air Mobile Ministries traveled to Myanmar very shortly after Nargis hit (departing the U.S. on May 10th). We experienced first-hand the massive and deep destruction. Though our teams found it difficult and often impossible to get to the "ground zero" regions, we got first-hand reports from many surivors. We also had the privilege to train nearly 100 relief workers on the use and operation of the Vortex Voyager water purification system. These teams have been valiantly bringing help and life to the survivors. Now, Air Mobile is heading back to Myanmar. Because of the generosity of many, organizaitons such as World Compassion and Feeding the Nations are funding some of the 24 water purification systems that Air Mobile will be delivering and deploying in Myanmar. In addition to the water purifiers, we will be bringing in water testing instruments to identify water sources not contaminated with salt water. We also hope to bring in extra funding to help to purchase seeds, diesel fuel and plowing machines. Our exact departure date has not been set as we are awaiting certain critical components for the water purifiers. We suspect it will be within 10 days. We have already been in touch with our contacts within Myanmar and our visa process has begun. We are very excited about returning to this country and re-uniting with the brave and capable relief workers and leaders whom we worked with on our last mission there. As details unfold, we will update this blog. If you have any questions, or wish to help in any way, don't hesitate to contact us. Our e-mail address is: joehurston@airmobile.org Phone: 321-567-0332. Thanks again for taking the time to read this report. We truly appreciate your prayer, love and support. Air Mobile Joe PS - Continue reading down for reports on past missions. Joe June 7, 2008 - Saturday - 12:20pm - Haiti - Report submitted by Joe Hurston The Air Mobile team is wrapping up a very successful trip in Haiti. We will give a full report once we are back in the U.S. We don't share details of what we are doing or where we are until our return for security reasons. Be looking for our update soon. God Bless and THANKS for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe PS - Continue reading on down for a full report on our mission to Myanmar May 30, 2008 - Friday - 5:42pm - Titusville, FL (U.S. Eastern) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston Logistics is huge problem in getting help into devastated areas of Myanmar (Irrawaddy region). Reports are coming in from the teams whom we trained and are deploying the water purification systems. The following is from Simon (A National Pastor) sent recently: "Lastly, we visited the biggest camp where over 3000 refugees are staying. We have heard that four of the victims were bitten by cobra and died. They are living in the rice store house and it is very dark and dangerous for them. We took a young man from this camp to give him education in Yangon. He was survived by escaping to the mountain when the highest wave came. He did not eat two days and eventually, the villagers came and rescued him by boat. He said that many victims are dying each day by starving. Many victims are just eating Water Grass (Morning Glory) for a week and survived. SHOWING GOD'S LOVE This is the best time to show God's love to the needy brothers. "We want to be Christian. Christians are very good. They came and rescued us. They feed us. They clothes us. They love us" One group of the victims were telling to our team. INFECTED DYSENTERY As I suggested you all that the foods are not safe, our team got dysentery on the way back. We had to get treatment." We are receiving regular reports like this. Our hearts go out to victims and those fighting so faithfully to save as many as possible. As Simon said, what a wonderful time to show the love of God! We are departing for Haiti next week and will be there for several days. We are looking to return to Myanmar and even go to China. We will advise you as things develop further. Oh, by the way, be sure to check out the newscasts posted on the Air Mobile home page. God Bless and stay tuned for the next report. Air Mobile Joe PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ DOWN TO SEE HOW THIS REMARKABLE MISSION UNFOLDED!! May 27, 2008 - Tuesday - 8:34pm (Eastern U.S.) Titusville, FL - Report submitted by Joe Hurston We are thankful that help is beginning to trickle into the some of the harder hit areas of the delta regions of Myanmar. The logistics is a nightmare with many areas accessible only by inflatable boat. We pray for those on the ground and moving into the region. Since the storm hit, however, many national relief workers have been doing what they can to relieve the suffering from this terrible disaster. We long to return. First, we have a medical mission heading down to Haiti scheduled to depart the first week of June. Exact travel details of this trip will not be published for security reasons. We will give more details in our next report. Please continue reading down to see how the last mission to Myanmar unfolded. The Lord truly opened many doors for us to go. God Bless and thanks again for your prayer and support. Joe May 23, 2008 - Friday - Titusville, FL 6:31PM (Eastern U.S. Time) Report submitted by Joe Hurston "Air Mobile Joe" Been back in the U.S. for about 80 hours and it's hard to keep Myanmar out of my mind. So many images and thoughts about the terrible suffering going on there. My hope and prayer is that we can get these precious people the help they so desperately need. The situation for many is critical! We were so glad to hear from one of our pastors whom we had trained and who journeyed down into the devastated areas with Vortex Voyagers. Here is a direct quote from his report that I recently (5-21-08): "TRAVELLING We loaded all the relief supplies in our big truck and left for Irrawady early morning. It is about 100 miles from Yangon. But we have to take about 6 hours drive as the road is bad. It rained and had a storm on the way, but God is with us and protected us. Afternoon, We arrived Myaung Mya, the main safety area for the victims. There are 30 relief centers and over 50,000 refugees are living there. We bought rice there and distributed with the other relief supplies. It's our pleasure to see that some volunteers of Relief workers are EBI graduated students. We are glad to know their compassion and dedication. We stayed in the poor home as we can not get motel. The next day, early morning we met Dr. Fish and Josiah's team coming back from Relief Mission Trip from Laputha, located on beside ban of Bengal. They have done a great job in medical care and distributed relief supplies to them. They said that there are still many corpses on the way and the drinking water are contaminated. Thank God that they were able to share a water purifier to the victims, Joe, donated by air mobile mission. But the power of batters were gone and there is no place to recharge. They have to travel one hour to the city and wait 6 hours to recharge and come back. We have learned that they need extra battery so that the drinking water will be enough for the villagers. Robert, one of their team leaders went back, taking 22 hopeless victims to Yangon for close care. We are going to build shelters for them in relief center. TWO TEAMS UNITED AND BECOME BIG TEAM We all continue to go Ye Twe Ye Kan Relief centers where 5000 victims are living. As soon as we got there, all the children came to get some food. Our team shared cookies for the kids. Then our medical team gave medical treatment to the serious injured victims. The other team went to bought rice again and distributed to them with blankets, bed nets, and clothes. The Camp leaders chose out the victims who had not got the supplies and sent to us. The Most Effective Way to Help! We, Myanmar National Missionaries and volunteers can go everywhere to help the most needy victims. As you know that all the supplies from abroad must go to authority and they will take care of the relief supplies. That means that all the foreign volunteers are banned and must donated to them. Therefore, helping to the victims through local leaders are the most effective way to do it now. Do you have friends in Myanmar? Please count on them and work together with them by letting them go everywhere of the most devastated area to rescue the dying people." The love and committment of the Myanmar Christians is overwhelming. We are so blessed to have met and worked with and donated supplies and equipment to these faithful believers. I had to privilege to meet the leader who wrote the communication above. At this time, the only effective way to reach the devastated areas is through the local Myanmar church. Praise God for His Church. During our time in Myanmar, we divided our teams up. In this photo, Joe Prussel works with the local Buddhist monks to bring clean water to thirsty people. While writing this report, so many stories flash through my mind. Stories of amazing survival and unspeakable grief and loss by so many. This disaster, though not reported will likely far exceed the death toll of the 2004 tsunami. Again, please pray for the political leaders of Myanmar that they will allow the desperately needed aid to reach those survivors. Also, please remember the Christian leaders who are selflessly laying their lives down to bring help to the people of Myanmar. I'll close out this report for now. God Bless and thanks again for your love and prayer!! Air Mobile Joe (photo - one of our many team deployments in Myanmar) May 19, 2008 - Chicago O'Hare - 7:27pm (Central U.S. Time) - Report submitted by Joe Hurston - President - Air Mobile Ministries The Air Mobile Team just landed and is about to board a flight from Chicago to Orlando. We should arrive around midnight. It's been a long and difficult journey. The disaster is Myanmar will likely far exceed the death-toll from the 2004 Tsunami! First of all, our team was able to deliver all 28 Vortex Voyager water purification systems into the hands of National church and medical leaders who are penetrating the hardest hit areas as I write this report. The church in Myanmar IS ALIVE AND WELL! Over the last week we have had the privilege to work with leaders who have proven to be great men and women of God! Many have lost all and are yet laying their lives down for others! We have stories and testimonies that will bless your heart and tear it with raw emotions, yet the Lord proves so strong through it all. The world must know that the death toll in Myanmar is MUCH MUCH higher than being reported. Also, the death toll is mounting as we speak due to the MILLIONS of survivors who are not getting help. Disease IS breaking out throughout the affected region (that covers thousand of square miles). PLEASE PRAY for the government leaders of Myanmar to accept help that they desperately need! During this last week, the Air Mobile team, in conjunction with World Compassion, Feed the Hungry, In His Image, Full Gospel Church, Eastern Bible Institute and many other ministries have been able to deploy 28 Vortex Voyagers and train nearly 100 leaders on the operation and maintenance of the machine that takes the most contaminated water and makes it very clean. Clean water is the number one need in the affected areas. There is so much more that I want to share. Over the next few days, we'll send out more and more reports. PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR THE LEADERS IN MYANMAR as they tackle this staggering disaster. The final thing I want to say before boarding our aircraft is the dealing with the actual death toll. We interviewed many people who worked first-hand in the "ground zero's" of this disaster. Most say the death toll is over 1 million people. There are another 2.5 million at extreme risk. We must do all that we can to help. We've got to run catch our flight. God Bless You and thanks for your prayer and love!! Air Mobile Joe mpum