THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES.....AUGUST 2015

9-2-15 Wednesday 6:56AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

1500 NAUTICAL MILES HOME... IN ONE DAY! - A LONG STRETCH FOR THE LITTLE DONKEY

We accomplished our "Mission" of bringing clean water and food to the flood victims in Dominica!  Praise God!!  

And... we made it all the way home in one day!  When we landed at Titusville, Jason and I were just plain tired and tuckered out.

I'm glad we had plenty of Oxygen (thanks to that ground crew in Guadalupe) and also, that I had Jason as my co-pilot in the cockpit with me.  

This was a long stretch for our trusty "Little Donkey"!

BTW, we did make a fuel stop in Provo in the Turks and Caicos.  Didn't want you to think that we flew it all the way "non-stop".

We began the day bright and early....but not too early so as to not get dinged with "Customs Overtime" charges.

All of the Officials were gracious and thankful for the gifts that we brought to the Dominican people.  They even waived our parking and departure taxes.  

I have the distinct feeling that we'll be back to Dominica!!  It's difficult for me to express the joy that I have inside having helped these folks. Again, I'm THANKFUL to you for standing so faithfully with us with your prayer!!

After taking off of the rough, rather short runway at Canefield, we settled down to a nice cruise of 185 knots.  We had a little tailwind. 

I recall our journey to Dominica and fighting the fierce 30 knot headwinds.  Believe me, the 185 knots brought a smile to Jason and I!

We then put on our Oxygen Masks and climbed to 14,500', our final cruising altitude.  We knew, that if all went well, we'd be home by this evening.  

Again, we prayed for our Lord to make the way for us.  We then landed in Provo, in the Turks and Caicos for fuel.  

We checked the weather and could see that a large group of storms were moving across Florida and might "interfere" with our landing at Fort Pierce. Again, we prayed!

We encountered a few build ups along the way, but they were easily "circum-navicable".  Plus, we had plenty of fuel to do a lot of maneuvering.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this rainbow.  And, yes, the Lord did it again and paved the way for us to make it into Fort Pierce with no problem.  We cleared Customs, just before the office closed and made the 25 minute flight home.

Cindy and Ariana met Jason and I at a local BBQ place and we had a delicious meal and celebrated this incredible "Mission to Dominica"!

Ahhhh, it's good to be home.  Maybe, sometime soon, I'll be able to make that trek up to the Tennessee Cabin and work on Book 2.  Thinking about calling it...."Dances with Storms".  Mmmmm, not a bad title.

So, as always, I mean this from the very bottom of my heart....THANK YOU for your precious prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe


9-1-15 Tuesday 5:21AM (Eastern Caribbean Time) - Canefield Airport, Dominica - Air Mobile Relief Mission - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

CLEAN WATER & FOOD DELIVERED TO DOMINICA!!

We had a good nights sleep (much needed) and a delicious breakfast in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  Jason and I headed to the airport for our next leg, in this long journey.

Aviation fuel is very expensive in the Caribbean. I always want to be sure that all 14 tanks are filled to capacity and sealed up properly.  I often do the fueling myself. 

Once the Little Donkey was all "tanked up", my Copilot agreed, it was time to leave Punta Cana and fly to Guadalupe.  

Notice the Cessna 210 behind Jason that didn't make a good landing.

We also knew, according to the weather patterns, that we'd be facing some rain and low visibility, but no large thunderstorms on our flights today.

We took off for Guadalupe into clear skies and still had very strong headwinds.  After a 3 hour flight, we saw the island of Guadalupe and a lot of showers rapidly closing in.  

We raced to the runway to a smooth landing and moments later, the field closed due to very low visibility. Again, our Lord made the way for us.

Along the long journey, we completely emptied our Oxygen supply.  Fortunately, we found an airline that had some and they DONATED a full supply to us.  We're so THANKFUL for folks, who along the way, give us a hand.

After fueling in Guadalupe (BTW, the fuel was $10.00 per gallon!! ouch, that hurt), we were headed for our "Mission Destination", Dominica!!

Now, the main airport on Dominica is closed and will be for quite a while.  The only airport open was Canefield.  It was nice to see the island on our Garmin G-500.  We were close!  

We flew the 56 miles from Guadalupe to Dominica and my GPS said that the airport was dead ahead, 1 mile.  

I just couldn't see it and then....there it was, a very short field right on the edge of the ocean.  We landed!  We made our "mission destination"!!

We had made arrangements to meet a gentleman who had posted a wonderful video showing the plight of the Dominican people.

He wasn't there to meet us.  So, we unloaded the vital Air Mobile Rescuers and food and just waited.  The officials were very gracious and helpful, but still, our contact was  "no where to be found".

I was pleased to see our Little Donkey on the ramp with the few helicopters and occasionally, a small plane would land with limited supplies.  Meanwhile, we waited for our contact.

Jason and I prayed, and we had the Lord's wonderful peace that all would work out. We'd come far to bring help and we knew that He would lead us to the right folks to present these great supplies.

As we waited, a very friendly Taxi driver by the name of Saxon, who was also a Christian, kept us company.  He also made numerous inquiries attempting to reach our contact with no success.

Then, Saxon introduced us to the Minister of Education (Peter St. Jean) and then, moments later, the National Disaster Coordinator (Don Coriette).  Our "new" contacts were being made, thanks to Saxon!!

They told me of villages that were completely shut off and the only way in was by "rope".  They were both extremely busy, but graciously took time to see the Air Mobile Rescuer and learn about the great food.  

We continued to wait for our original contact to show up, and it was becoming increasingly evident that he just wasn't going to make it.  We pray that he is ok.

I knew, in my heart, that our Lord had directed us to the right people.  We would donate the Rescuers and the food directly to the Office of the National Disaster Coordinator, Don.  

Soon, we were training the team of First Responders who were stationed at the airport.  There is still a full-blown Search and Rescue (SAR) operation going on.  50 Dominicans are still unaccounted for.  

I love demonstrating the power of the Rescuer, by finding a very dirty bucket of water and then putting my sweaty foot right in the bucket. This definitely gets people's attention.

Then comes the moment where I drink that water that was extremely dirty and disgusting, and now, is very clean thanks to the Rescuer.  Yes, I love this moment!! 

All, were thoroughly convinced that Dominica was receiving an amazing and powerful gift to help them to recover and reach the folks that so desperately need clean water and food!

With joy, I presented to the Island Nation of Dominica, 4 Air Mobile Rescuers, 2000 meals and vitamins!  Glory be to God!!

As the sun set on this beautiful evening, Jason and I knew that we had come to the right place at the right time and accomplished God's will!!

Don had made arrangements for Jason and I to stay in a local guesthouse not far from the airport.

We stopped at a small grocery store (that was packed with patrons) and bought some fresh hoagie rolls, chopped ham, salami and mustard, along with some chips.  That would be our dinner (the first we'd eaten since breakfast in Punta Cana many hours earlier).  It really tasted good!!  

So, here we are this morning, the sun has not yet risen.  I've already had 2 cups of coffee, thanks to an electric tea pot and 3 in 1 coffee that I bought in Nepal (Mac Coffee).  Ahhh, life is good!

We'll be headed to the airport and we plan to make the first leg of our journey to Provo Island, about 800 nautical miles away and then...hopefully, home by this evening.  Please pray that we have traveling mercy and....TAILWINDS & CLEAR SKIES all the way home!

In reflection on this amazing journey, I find again that...."Surely, our Lord knows how to deploy His troops"!!  

As always, THANK YOU for your precious and invaluable prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe





8-31-15 Monday 5:47AM (Eastern CaribbeanTime) - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - Air Mobile Enroute - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

THE LITTLE DONKEY FIGHTS FIERCE HEADWINDS AND DANCES BETWEEN STORMS

After much prayer and serious analysis, there appeared a perfect path "out of town".  But time was of the essence, because the "window" was closing fast.  There were massive thunderstorms brewing all around.

At 3:15AM, we met Bob of Deliver the Difference, a precious ministry that provides high quality food to the hungry.  He had enough food for over 2000 meals!!

Jason, my co-pilot and I joined Bob and his wife for prayer.  We did the final load and a final check of the weather.  

There was that perfect little path between the storms. If we waited, we'd be here for days.  It was time to go.  Jason and I crawled into the Little Donkey and took off for Dominica!

BTW, Jason went on his first Mission Trip with Air Mobile when he was 16 years old (many years ago!).  Now, he's a major in the Air Force and his son, Garrett, has joined us on several missions, including our most recent mission to Nepal.  It's good to have Jason with me!!

We had to "dance" around a few storms to get away from Florida, but soon, we left all those "wicked" storms behind.

We could hear airliner after airliner making major deviations and several had to actually land at alternate airports.  This was the beginning of Erika's arrival into Florida.  So glad we left when we did!!

However, Erika's influence made our journey across the Caribbean very, very slow.  We fought 25-30 knot headwinds for hour after hour.

I never get tired of the moments just before sunrise in the Caribbean.  The beauty just takes one's breath away.  There are so many glorious colors, it's hard to describe.  What a time to spend with the Lord!

Glancing back at the load we had on-board, I realized again, how our Lord moved so many pieces together for us to launch in just hours.  I never cease to marvel!  We have food and water for literally thousands of folks in the Little Donkey!  Praise God!!

Then, just like clockwork, the sun first peaks over the horizon.  Thank you, Lord for giving another day to serve you!!

For hour after hour we fought those headwinds.  I realized that we would not make our flight planned destination in Puerto Rico.  We had Puerto Plate, Dominican Republic as our alternate.  After 6 long hours of slow flying,  we took it and landed for fuel.

While I walked through the maze of clearing Immigration and filing the Flight Plan, Jason seized the moment and took a snooze under the wing of the Little Donkey.

The weather looked "dicey", but we thought of giving it a shot.  We took off and faced those same serious headwinds.  There were also some afternoon storms brewing. We saw a path though and began toward it.

After over an hour, the storms began to grow and close in our path.  To our right was Punta Cana, a beautiful resort on the extreme east end of the Dominican Republic.  Indeed, "Discretion is the better part of valour".  It was time to just stop flying and rest.  We'd been flying for 7.5 hours.  Time to land and call it a day.

Across from the airport was a beautiful 4 Points Hotel. This morning, having had a beautiful nights sleep, we're ready to head to Dominica. 

The weather looks beautiful this morning and we should have an "uneventful" flight to Guadalupe (for fuel) and then to the Dominica.  Although, if you look in the lower left of this image, you'll see another "Thumper" brewing.  Time to go fly!!

So, the journey continues and I'm so glad you're with us!  THANK YOU for your precious prayer, love and support!

Air Mobile Joe    


8-30-15 Sunday 2:49AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

AIR MOBILE ATTEMPTING TO GO TO DOMINICA

After seeing the devastating flooding on Dominica caused by TS Erika, we knew we had to go.  

Miraculously, all the pieces began falling into place.  Our team got 4 Air Mobile Rescuers ready (yet to be funded).  Food is being delivered this morning (over 2000 meals).  We have vitamins and more. 

The Little Donkey is fueled and ready to go. Now, we're awaiting a clearance with the weather.  

Though Erika has been downgraded, there are still plenty of powerful thunderstorms along the way.  Please PRAY for us to have God's wisdom!!

This blog is very brief this morning.  Again, can't THANK YOU enough for your precious prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe

8-29-15 Saturday 5:49AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

DEATH & DESTRUCTION IN DOMINICA

Awoke early to the news that Dominica was "hammered" by Tropical Storm Erika.  Major flooding has caused landslides, bridges washed out, homes destroyed and a rising death toll.

Here is a gripping video capturing the terror of the flooding.  When I saw this, I knew that we had to make every effort to go and help - VIDEO OF TERRIFYING FLOODING IN DOMINICA  

Take a look at this CNN story for the latest - TROPICAL STORM ERIKA HEADS TO FLORIDA AFTER KILLING 20 IN DOMINICA - INCREDIBLE DEVASTATION

OK, I'll tell you, this did not fit into my plans.  Actually, had planned to head up to the cabin this morning and work on Book 2 this week, but.....Erika really hit Dominica hard.

So...., our Air Mobile Team is putting together some Air Mobile Rescuers and looking to find some food.  We're preparing the Little Donkey, checking the weather and possibly flying to Dominica today.

The main airport on Dominica is currently closed due to flooding and damage, however, they hope to have it opened again by late tonight or early tomorrow morning.

Folks, I ask you to please PRAY with us that we are clearly directed by our Lord on this emergency mission.  Thousands of folks are homeless and many are cut off and there is an immediate need for clean water.

We currently do not have any Air Mobile Rescuers funded, so please PRAY about helping us with this. Also, Erika is still alive (though weakening) and churning westward toward Cuba then Florida.  We need our Lord's wisdom, direction and protection should we decide to launch this mission.

Time to head to the shop and get some Air Mobile Rescuers "Ready for Action" and then the airport to prepare the Little Donkey and above all, will be praying for our Lord's will to be done!!  As always, THANK YOU for your precious prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe

PS - PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS "TRIBUTE TO DOMINICA" AND PRAY FOR THESE PRECIOUS PEOPLE - A TRIBUTE TO DOMINICA IN THE MIDST OF DEVASTATION!!



8-28-15 Friday 7:21AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

LOOKS LIKE WE'RE IN THE "BULLS-EYE"! - REMEMBERING ROMANS 8-28

One of my all time, favorite Scriptures is Romans 8:28 - "All things work together for the good to those that love God..."  Being as today is 8:28, that Scripture surely comes to light. 

Also, there is a Storm coming named Erika.  She may or may not be a full-blown Hurricane when she arrives here in Florida but....we're PRAYING that Erika will bring us some much needed rain and...not be too windy.  

For you see, Florida and many islands in the Caribbean are in a "drought" state.  Erika just may be an answer to prayer for many!  Here's more on Erika - Tropical Storm Erika Soaks Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands; Warnings in the Dominican Republic, Bahamas; Uncertain Threat to Florida, Southeast U.S.

Already, Tropical Storm Danny, from last week, brought in good rain for the islands and now, here comes Erika, hopefully doing the same.  

We, here in Florida, appear to be right in the "Bulls Eye" of Erika and we're hoping and praying that she won't gain too much strength and will just bring in a lot of rain to re-fill our aquifers.

So, you see, there are many ways that we can look at a storm.  We're praying BEFORE it arrives that it will be a blessing and not a curse.

However, we're still PREPARING!  We've got plenty of water and Cindy is at the Dollar Store as I type buying candles, batteries etc.  We have plenty of food and there's a pressure cooker full of home-made Pork & Beans "simmering" on the stove right now.

I like this "Motto"....PRAY - PLAN - PREPARE - PRAY!
May PRAYER be the beginning and the end, the first and the last in our lives.  Believe me, I'm preaching to myself here!!

So, it's time to head out into this day that our Lord has made.  We'll see what lies ahead, and we know that...."ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD..."!

As always, THANK YOU for your precious prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe    

8-27-15 Thursday 7:18AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

MARKETS UP...PRAISE GOD & ERIKA MAKES A LITTLE TURN TO THE EAST & TRAGEDY IN VIRGINIA

Yea!!!  The global stock markets made a pronounced rally yesterday and the futures this morning point to a "continuation" of the upward trend. 


This has definitely been a "wake-up" call as to how quickly things can change.  Here's more - U.S. STOCKS AIM TO EXTEND RALLY

We pray it just keeps going up and things stabilize.  We can certainly breathe a little easier, however....we're continuing to WATCH & PRAY!!

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Erika continues her steady march westward, but looks like the Gulfstream may steer her a bit to the east and maybe...just giving Florida a glancing blow. 

The Leewards and Puerto Rico will get some more good rain and the Bahamas are certainly in Erika's path.  We're monitoring Erika closely.


  

Here's more on Erika - Tropical Storm Erika Approaching the Leeward Islands; Tropical Storm Warnings Issued in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands; Potential Threat to Bahamas, Southeast 

You, undoubtedly, heard about the tragic shooting in Virginia.  We certainly pray for the victims families. 

We continue to pray for Vicki Gardner who was also shot.  She is in stable condition and expected to survive. SHOOTING VICTIM IS HEAD OF LOCAL CHAMBER


What a sad and tragic story that played out before our very eyes.

We're getting ready for Erika by making sure we have plenty of water....have a Rescuer on hand, plenty of food and batteries.  Storms do happen!!

As always, THANK YOU for your greatly appreciated prayer, love and support!

Air Mobile Joe 

8-26-15 Wednesday 6:56AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

A "WARY" EYE ON THE STOCK MARKET - A WILD RIDE FOR SURE - WHAT WILL HAPPEN TODAY? - HERE COMES "ERIKA"

Yesterday began with some measure of "confidence" that Global Markets would stabilize...somewhat.  

Looked like big gains were on the way and then....at the end of the day, all those gains disappeared and what was a 400 point gain turned into a 200 point loss.  A 600 point swing!!  Now, that is NOT stable!

The question is:  what will happen today?   Folks, if these wild rides and swings continue, this will effect EVERYONE, not just rich folks!  That is why we need to WATCH & PRAY!

We pray that things do stabilize so that we can have more time to PREPARE!  I came across this story the other day and thought it good to share it with you today.  Gordon Brown, former UK Prime Minister's Advisor. Damian McBride, has some VERY good advice for us.  

McBride gives some excellent "Crash Advice" :

1)  “Advice on the looming crash, No.1: get hard cash in a safe place now; don't assume banks & cashpoints will be open, or bank cards will work,” he tweeted.

2)  “Crash advice No.2: do you have enough bottled water, tinned goods & other essentials at home to live a month indoors? If not, get shopping.

3)  “Crash advice No.3: agree on a rally point with your loved ones in case transport and communication gets cut off; somewhere you can all head to.” 

Here's more on that story - FORMER GORDON BROWN ADVISOR: "STOCK UP ON CANNED GOODS / WATER / CASH

This morning, Stock Futures indicate that it may be a good day and that big "Gains" are expected.  But, that is exactly what yesterday looked like.  That is why I'm watching things so closely.  

Was speaking to friend yesterday and he was on his way to go BUY more stocks because the prices were great.  Here's more - STOCK MARKET TURMOIL: DOW FUTURES SUGGEST BIG GAIN BUT...WILL IT LAST?? 

Speaking of PREPARING....Tropical Storm Erika is churning across the Caribbean and may be headed right to Florida.  

So...it's not a bad idea to stock up on the essentials.  Here's more on TS Erika - Tropical Storm Erika Approaching the Leeward Islands; Tropical Storm Warnings Issued in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands; Potential Threat to Bahamas, Florida

Whether we are PREPARING for a Hurricane or a crazy Stock Market Crash, the bottom line is:  "It's good to be PREPARED".  Now, I know that some will criticize those who PREPARE as being "Crazy", but...I'd rather be called crazy and be prepared than to be UNPREPARED!! 

Well, it's time to head out into this day and see what our Lord has for us to do.  Will be keeping a close eye on the Stock Market and Tropical Storm Erika (soon to be a Hurricane).  Yes, will be buying a few extra things and just seeking His guidance.

With that, I want to THANK YOU for wandering down this winding and sometimes "wild" road of life with us.  We truly appreciate your precious prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe



8-25-15 Tuesday 6:53AM (Eastern U.S. Time) - Cocoa, FL - Air Mobile Home Base - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

DODGING STORMS

Time had come for the Haiti mission to end.  There were storms all around, but....there appeared to be a nice path through them.

Of course, we PRAYED.  In the meantime, David and Judy from Global Outreach needed a ride back to the U.S. for some medical appointments and....the Little Donkey had a couple of extra seats.  

After prayer, we bid farewell to Haiti and climbed to our cruising altitude of 12,500 feet.  
BTW, David and Judy have been in Haiti for 33 years and have made such an awesome impact on so many lives.  

One of the things they do is drill wells bringing folks clean water.  A ministry after my heart!!

We settled down to a smooth ride and had some very pleasant fellowship along the way.  Had the slightest little tailwinds for most of the journey.

As we approached South Florida, we could hear airliner after airliner deviating around some pretty big buildups.  

Again, our Lord made the most wonderful path right through them and our ride remained smooth as silk.

When we arrived back in the U.S., we put put David and Judy on a flight to their home in Kentucky.

Cindy had prepared a lovely feast to honor Brian with CBN who had spent 10 days with us and was a great team member in Haiti.

Cindy invited her Dad and our Pastor and his family over, along with some other friends. 

We sat around and enjoyed the delicious food and sweet fellowship. Afterwards, we had some precious prayer time.

At the end of the day, I brought Brian to Orlando International where he flew back to his home in Virginia Beach this morning.

It's good to be home.  We're already working on our "next mission".   

As I always share and mean with all my heart, THANK YOU for your invaluable prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe 



8-24-15 Monday 4:49AM (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos - Air Mobile Base Camp - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

WEATHER STATION "DELIVERED" TO MEDOR - DANNY WEAKENS AND STOCKS PLUNGE

It was time to deliver the Weather Station to Medor.  I carried the unit like a baby to the awaiting Haiti Air Ambulance Bell 407.

Our pilot Mike and I secured the WX station on the stretcher in the helo.  We also brought in our own cement, shovel and level.

Now, I want to take a moment here and tell you about Ralph McDaniel, the CEO of Haiti Air Ambulance.  Ralph has a heart to serve others!!

Haiti Air Ambulance has made many "Life Flights" in Haiti and not charged a cent for them!  This service into Medor is a true life saver!!

If we were to "drive" to Medor, it would be 8-10 hour treacherous drive with great risk to life and limb and it would also beat a vehicle up pretty badly.

But....on this day, we're flying!  The actual flight from Port-Au-Prince to Medor....17 minutes!!

Upon arrival at Medor, we were met by literally hundreds.  We were met by Sister Nalta, the head Medical Nurse for Medor.  We found the location, dug the hole, mixed the cement brought out the level and mounted the Weather Station.  Praise God!!

Once the job was complete, we boarded the helo and headed home.  I'm glad that Brian from CBN was able to join us and witness this wonderful transaction for the people of Medor!

When we landed back at the Haiti Air Ambulance base, I noted that the total time from the time we loaded the WX station to the time we touched down, with the mission accomplished was....2 hours 7 minutes!  Wow!!!  By road, this would have taken 2 days!!!!

Well, it looks like Tropical Storm Danny is weakening and....will bring in some much needed rain for the whole region, including Haiti.

However, there are 2 others systems following Danny.  We're keeping a close eye on them.

Have also noted that following the disastrous day on Friday for Global Stocks, today, the early morning trading is indicating the same downward spiral.  

Again, Folks, we need to PRAY about this as it appears that the financial world is shaking!  Here's more on that - STOCK FUTURES "TUMBLE"!!  

My prayer is...."Dear Lord, have your way!!"  With that, it's time for that second cup of coffee and head out into this day that our Lord has made.  Again, THANK YOU for your invaluable and greatly appreciate prayer, love and support!  So glad you're on this journey with us!!

Air Mobile Joe

8-23-15 Sunday 6:57AM (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos - Air Mobile Base Camp - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

WEATHER...."CONNECTED" & DANNY NOW A TROPICAL STORM

What a blessing!!  Air Mobile received this wonderful gift, a weather reporting station for Medor, Haiti from Harvest Electronics.  

Once this jewel is installed, the pilots who will fly into Medor will be able to access actual weather conditions before they fly, thus increasing the overall safety of these life and death rescue missions!!

However, we did have a few complications.  During shipping, the unit received some damage.  

The most serious was a connection to an instrument that gives temperature, pressure and humidity.  We had to repair it.  The plug was indeed like a puzzle, but...with persistence, we got it unlocked.

Had to borrow a soldering iron from my good neighbor, Dave of Global.  With the right tools and some good advice from Peter Munn, President of Harvest Electronics, we got the unit repaired.

Then, we put it out and the satellite picked up the signal and VOILA, full blown weather reporting.  The unit does not require an electrical hookup.  It get its electricity from a small solar panel.

Now, by going online and putting in the link, one can read the weather on the ground in Medor.  Yea!!!

If you'd like to monitor the weather there, just click the link to see the weather in Medor (after we install it there)...which we hope to do later this morning.  Here's the link - WEATHER LINK TO MEDOR, HAITI  

Now, Folks, I've got to tell you....this is very cool stuff!!  Thanks again, Peter with Harvest and Brian who "connected" us!!

Meanwhile, Danny has been downgraded to a Tropical Storm and that can be a great blessing to a number of drought stricken islands along his path, including Haiti!  

It's been extremely dry here in Haiti and several "growing seasons" have been severely damaged by the drought.  Prayerfully, Danny will bring in some much needed rain!!  

But please PRAY that we don't get too much rain and have flooding!

Back to the weather station for a moment, a long-time supporter and friend to Medor, Dr. Sue Carlson made this added point about the benefit of the Harvest Electronics Weather Station..."Thank you so much for all you do for Medor!

There are so many wonderful possibilities that may open up with a weather station there!  It really may help with planning for the agro-forestry program in the community!"

Good call, Dr. Carlson.  Didn't even think of that as the plans for the Weather Station were being considered.  Here's a link to Dr. Sue's Blog - marysusancarlson.tumblr.com

So, this morning, we're checking the weather and if the visibility is good, we just may fly a Haiti Air Ambulance Bell 407 into Medor and install that much needed weather station.  

As always, THANK YOU for joining us on this amazing journey and, for your invaluable prayer, love and support!!!

Air Mobile Joe

8-22-15 Saturday 7:26AM (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos - Air Mobile Base Camp - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

DANNY'S BRINGING MUCH NEEDED RAIN!!  GETTING A WEATHER STATION "ON THE AIR"

As Hurricane Danny slowly marches westward, there is the hope that this storm will bring desperately needed rain to the drought stricken Caribbean.  

It looks like Danny, that grew into a Catagory 3 Hurricane yesterday is beginning to weaken and hopefully and prayerfully, bring the rain that is so needed.

We now have 11 Air Mobile Rescuers ready to go in the event of any extreme flooding that might occur.  Again, we PRAY that is not the case!!

Earlier yesterday, Brian and I went into town and visited the Air Traffic Control Center to be sure that all is working well.  We met some happy Controllers.  The system is performing incredibly well!!

After returning to our mission, we began working diligently on repairing the very cool Weather Station that has been donated to Medor by Harvest Electronics. 

It was like unlocking a delicate puzzle, but....after prayer, we figured out how to disassemble a plug and repair it.  Will be picking up the soldering iron this morning to complete the repair.  Again, THANKS for praying!!

Time to head out the door into this grand adventure. As always, THANK YOU for your faithful prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe

8-21-15 Friday 7:27AM (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos - Air Mobile Base Camp - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

DANNY RUMBLES....AIR MOBILE PREPARES

Danny has gained Hurricane strength (85mph) and will be bringing in plenty of wind and rain wherever he goes.  At this point, looks like Haiti will be right in the bulls-eye.  Glad to be here!!  

Brian and I spent the day in "Joe's Depot" getting all of the Air Mobile Rescuers up and running and ready for "Action" should Danny pay us a visit.

Air Mobile currently has 337 Air Mobile Rescuers spread throughout Haiti.  We maintain a number of units in our depot in the event any of those units malfunction.  The system works!

Recently, an organization in New Zealand, Harvest Electronics, donated a full weather station to Air Mobile for the isolated landing zone in Medor, Haiti.  

We were able to take the unit out and inspect it before "firing it up".  We found a couple of shipping issues and we're in touch with Peter (CEO of Harvest) on how to "work around" those "shipping dings".

BTW, we would have never found Peter, with Harvest Electronics, had another Brian, in New Zealand, not been "surfing" the channels and came across the Little Donkey on the Extreme Makeover show where our family received the home.  

Again...."Surely, our Lord knows how to deploy His troops!!"  THANKS again to Brian and Peter way down under in New Zealand!!

As soon as we get those "ding" issues worked out, Haiti Air Ambulance will fly us to Medor in their beautiful Bell 407 Air Ambulance to help us get that much needed unit set up.  Praise God for Haiti Air Ambulance, who is saving lives everyday!!

Meanwhile, Brian (of CBN) and I kept on bringing Air Mobile Rescuers up to full "refresh" status and we now have 11 Air Mobile Rescuers "Ready to Go"!  So glad we "squeezed" between those 2 storms on Wednesday and came to Haiti!

So, the sun has risen, the roosters have long since welcomed in this new day in Haiti and we go forth preparing for what lies ahead.  

As always, THANK YOU for your precious prayer, love and support!!


Air Mobile Joe  



8-20-15 Thursday 6:46AM (Haiti Time) - Bon Repos - Air Mobile Base Camp - Report submitted by:  Air Mobile Joe

A STORM BEHIND US AND A STORM AHEAD OF US

Brian (CBN) and I had been monitoring the weather quite closely.  There was a significant series of storms coming right behind us in Florida and of course, Tropical Storm Danny is slowly marching westward toward us, so......

It was a good time do a final load, a fuel top-off, a thorough pre-flight, have a word of prayer and head for Haiti.

The Little Donkey had, thanks to so many generous donors, a great load of baby food / formula / diapers / vitamins / pretty dresses for the little orphan girls /  2 critical turbos for the well-drillers / an awesome weather station (more on that later) and literally hundreds of other goodies for the orphans and missionaries in Haiti.

Brian made a very good co-pilot (you can see the good load behind Brian).  We climbed to 15,000 feet and settled down to a smooth 5 hour ride to Haiti.

The sunrises in the Caribbean never get old.  Before the sun actually peaks over the Horizon, the show begins with stunning shades of blue and oranges and reds that just take your breath away.

Then, it happens, the explosion of gold and glory.  Yes, they never get old.

Upon arrival in Port-Au-Prince, we were met by our usual "ground crew" who always marvel at just how much the Little Donkey can carry.  

One of the crew told me that the Little Donkey really loves the people of Haiti.  He marveled that this little plane can carry so much so far.....just like a little donkey.  I smiled.

Meanwhile, to the east of Haiti, the first Tropical Storm of the season, Danny, continues to slowly churn our way.  Here's the latest - TROPICAL STORM DANNY MAY BECOME HURRICANE...THREAT TO LESSER ANTILLES  

I'm glad that we could get into Haiti BEFORE Danny gets here.  Want to make sure we've got a good supply of Air Mobile Rescuers ready for action!  

Brian and I will be in Air Mobile Joe's Depot working on Rescuers.  Will be training Brian on how this remarkable (near miraculous) machine works!  I still marvel at how our Lord directed our paths to cross in Nepal.  It was that 2nd cup of coffee (read on down for the story).

So, the sun has risen and the Rescuer Depot is calling.  Time to get to work.  As always, THANK YOU for your vital and faithful and greatly appreciated prayer, love and support!!

Air Mobile Joe 

PS - IF YOU'RE NEW TO THIS RAMBLING BLOG AND FEEL AS IF YOU'VE JUMPED RIGHT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE STORY....YOU HAVE!  

JUST CLICK ON "OLDER POSTS" BELOW TO SEE HOW WE'VE GOTTEN TO THIS 'JUNCTURE OF THE JOURNEY'.  GOD BLESS YOU & WELCOME ABOARD!!

Joe