Missionaries in Training

The Grapes of Wrath Called...

2008-07-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

...they want their truck back!
What an adventure! Bryn and I left our home in Spokane a few weeks ago to begin a new chapter of our lives in Long Beach, CA. And we went out with a bang! Luckily only three people I know from Spokane saw this disaster driving down the interstate. The trailer and mattress speed brake combo limited our average cruising speed to 42 mph. We stopped halfway at Bryn's parents to unload--normally a 12-hour drive, we crammed it into 17!

Four days later we resumed our trip with essentials to SoCal. If you don't think God was involved in our trip yet, wait till you hear this. We arrived Monday night, stayed in a hotel and began apartment hunting the next day. On Wednesday afternoon, we submitted applications for a one-bedroom in Long Beach--expecting 24-48hrs for processing. Thursday morning at 9:30, we received a call that we were approved--less than 24 hrs later! And if that wasn't amazing, we signed the lease at 1:00 that day and moved-in to our new home! To God be the glory!
Our prayer was for God to reveal to us where He wanted us. There were plenty of places we would have liked to live, but He made it pretty clear when we found our new home. I am 20 minutes from work, we are 1/2 mile to the beach, and pay less than $1,000/mo. The only thing left is to teach Bryn how to parallel park! God is good! Thanks so much for your prayers during this endeavor!

Zach & Bryn
304 Wisconsin Ave
Long Beach, CA 90814

Z-562-922-9815
B-562-370-5947

Stateside

2008-02-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

Sunrise in Chihuahua

We heard two people speaking in Spanish yesterday and Bryn leans over to say, It's almost refreshing to hear people speaking Spanish." And it's true. We miss Mexico. Since being back, we've gotten some refreshing down time. We never knew how exhausting an internship could be! I also helped out in the hangar on a 100-hr inspection that we cranked out in 3 days (background). Another plane arrived from Durango and we began its inspection the day after (foreground). It picked up a rock on a recent landing so the horizontal stabilizer is in need of a sheet metal repair. Bryn, too, has given a few more haircuts. It's been great to use our skills and talents for God's glory!

This weekend all the families of UIM Aviation have gathered in Tucson for annual meetings. I sat in yesterday to see what's next for the mission. Exciting things are brewing and it's been great to be a part of their progress.

Sunset in Tucson

Living It Up At The...

2008-02-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

Such a lovely place. As the missionaries explained to us, Hotel Yecora is a 5-Star hotel. That's because you can see 5 stars at night through the ceiling! And although that wasn't necessarily true, we did have a few other run-ins: 2 complimentary unwrapped bars of soap in the shower, a toothbrush with hair in it, plenty of spider webs, and a cigarette butt on the shower floor. We were only supposed to have 2 nights there, but due to high winds, we were grounded for another night. God has taught us humility through this experience.

So why are we in Yecora? Every month Ron Hamilton, a missionary from Arizona drives down to Yecora (paved all the way) and picks up a group of about 10 other Mexicans on his way. His purpose is evangelism and discipleship of the natives in several villages. He utilizes UIM to fly them from Yecora to several villages. We spent a day with them in a village that is a 15-min flight away. Doesn't sound very far, but to drive it takes 13-15 hours!!! They walk door-to-door during their time there sharing the Gospel to unbelievers and encouraging the believers. They have great respect amongst the natives. For most, this is the one time each month they receive encouragement. And yes, we crossed this bridge (over 100 meters long) to get to two houses... In rainy season the high waters necessitate the need for this bridge.

We were prepared for a week-long trip in the mountains, with no connection to the outside world. However, on Wednesday we went back to Chihuahua. On our return trip we visited some New Tribes translators for breakfast. The two great things about this visit was to see UIM's most-challenging airstrip, but more importantly the work of the Wingo's. Ted and Sharon Wingo live amongst the Tarahumara Indians and are currently translating the Gospel John. The ultimate highlight came right before departure, when I shook the hand of a converted witch doctor. What a day it will be to stand next to him praising God in heaven! God is at work in Mexico! And when Sharon found out Bryn was a cosmetologist, she went to work on her hair. We also flew by the world's 3rd largest free-falling waterfall in Basaseochic. B-E-A-Utiful!

More Views From Above

2008-02-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

Monday and Tuesday this week were spent working out at the hangar. I hung more lights in preparation for the electricity to be connected. Wouldn't you know it, they expect us to connect the wires to the transformer! This may take longer than we expected... Bryn helped install insulation in the office before they put up the drywall. She was a little itchy, but she really enjoyed the work.

Wednesday we embarked on an overnight trip to Baborigame. This village is a one and a half hour flight south of Chihuahua, or a 13-hour drive--whichever you prefer. The first 6 hours are paved, getting you within 30 miles of the village. Within those 30 miles is one of the largest canyons I have ever seen, and the road is full of steep and endless switchbacks down, then up again. Did I mention it's a dirt road? (Pictured is only a segment of the road.) Baborigame is a small village in the center of a valley. The missionaries live in one of the 6 surrounding villages, where the Tepehuan Indians have been pushed to. Three New Tribes missionaries work with the people out there. We stayed with Irv and Shirley Bauman, 14-year veteran missionaries to the Tepehuans. While there we helped fix a water pump that had been broken since last July. Never in my life did I expect to find myself tooling with an old-fashioned hand pump. What a blessing this was to Irv and the Tepehauns that use it!

Friday, then, we flew to La Mesa, a Tarahumara Indian village. We arrived about 8:30am and heard drums beating in the distance. Two AmeriTribes couples work with the Tarahumaras in La Mesa. One couple graduated from Moody Aviation, moved to Mexico and saw a need for medical work in the area. He then went to medical school in Mexico. Upon graduating, the government requires doctors to work one year in a government run clinic. He chose a clinic in La Mesa--his "in" to the Tarahumaras there. He has since built his own clinic and continues to serve the natives while finding creative ways to minister to them and present the Gospel. Why are these kids looking on (picture)? Not because we're foreigners, but because their dad was taken for an airplane ride. While there our pilot offered a native that had requested a flight before to fly around the pueblita. He wasted no time to accept and had a thrill! Anytime we can build trust in a relationship it goes to help the missionaries there also.

After leaving La Mesa I flew to a nearby (by air) village called Samachique. I was debriefed on how I was to perform the landing. Why was I surprised? It was my first ever upslope landing. The pattern and approach was smooth up until touchdown. Being my first upslope, I was not prepared for the rising terrain as much as I should have been and gave the airplane a bounce. We recovered for a safe landing. I made a few more practice patterns, each improving from the previous, but none as bad as the first.

History Lesson

2008-02-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

Our first Saturday in Chihuahua we visited El Edificio del Gobierno--the capitol building. Inside is a big open-air courtyard area. There are three levels, each with a walkway around the outside. On the lower level is where our history lesson began...

Like every capitol building in Mexico, there are murals painted on the walls depicting Mexican history. These murals are specific to each state's history, also, within Mexican history as a whole. The murals are very detailed and graphical. They begin with the suppresion of the Indians after the Spanish invasion. Mexico was under Spanish rule for almost 400 years. After the Spanish had just been liberated from Moorish rule, Ferdinand & Isabella declared they would never again be a country run by outsiders. Thus, when Christopher Columbus discovered the New World, they suppressed the natives because it was now "their land."

There were many battle between the natives and Spaniards, mostly lost by the natives. In and amongst these battles were wars between the Tarahumara and Apache Indian tribes--the tribes our missionaries now reach out to in the mountains. The murals show the declaration on September 16, 1810 given by Hidalgo, "Viva Mexico!" This marked the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. Hidalgo was captured and killed for treason, but Mexico did not stop fighting. After their 10-year war for independence, Mexico was freed from Spanish rule and set up their democracy. The most recognized and respected president of Mexico is Benito Juarez (pictured below). They say he brought peace and extablished equality amongst all peoples.

Additional murals show the entrance of Catholicism, the signing of their constitution and the Mexican-American War. The famed Pancho Villa is a praised soldier here in Mexico. He was a filthy man, a womanizer with few morals. They praise him, though, because of he made the only successful invasion of America. Essentially, he crossed into a bordertown, robbed a bank and then receded into Mexico. Pretty pathetic victory, but they praise him for it.

So why do I bother to explain all this? Our history lesson (which is quite condensed for you) taught us three major things about the Mexican and Indian people here. First, Mexicans have a tough time telling the truth. For years they had been under foreign rule, dominated by force. When asked a question, it was better for them to give an answer whether right or wrong because to not give an answer at all meant death. And although they're free, this problem still exists.

Second, the missionaries here have had an extremely tough time gaining the trust of the Tarahumara and Apache Indians living in the sierra. Outsiders in the past were in search for gold and would use the natives as slaves to mine it. In the meantime, they would also take their women and rape them freely. The missionaries, now, are faced with these two problems and it takes a few years to convince the natives they are not there to take their land and women and enslave the men.

Lastly, the missionaries are faced with overcoming syncretism. Syncretism is the collecting and mixing of various religious beliefs. The witch doctors in the tribes harness powers from the Sun and Moon, their primary gods, and use it to heal others, yield large harvests, etc. When Catholicism entered, the witch doctors viewed it as more gods to adopt = more power to yield. This creates a huge dilemma to missions. The missionaries cannot simply teach the Gospel and make quick believers. Not because the people wouldn't listen, but because there would be no depth to their relationship with Christ. The missionaries have to show them Christ in such a way that completely breaks down their belief system to allow for a personal, genuine relationship with Jesus.

On the second level were additional murals depicting the major economies in the state of Chihuahua. The first is mining (pictured above). The second is farming (pictured below). This cow wasn't as comfortable as I was expecting...

The Halfway Point

2008-02-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

What a busy week! The hangar has gone through a transformation, my flying skills were honed a little more, 4 others got haircuts, we've taken the taxi, and celebrated my birthday! My first view of the hangar came last Friday (pictured). The hangar has been under construction since May 2007. This past week a work team of 12 adults from Nebraska came down to aid in the construction project. Amongst the work to be done was burying a cistern and septic tank, connect the plumbing and electricity, put plywood along the wall and office, and paint. Amongst the team of workers were a few carpenters, a plumber and an equipment operator (the latter 2 by trade). It was neat to see how God provided specifically skilled people at just the right time to complete what needed to be done. They were a great group to work alongside and as you can see, their goals were accomplished. Bryn helped paint and was even given power tools (!) to remove unnecessary hardware from future shelving. I helped a little bit everywhere, mostly on hard-to-reach areas, but especially enjoyed connecting the ceiling lights.

Monday, January 28th, I celebrated my 23rd birthday. I've always celebrated birthdays with my friends, so it was different when everyone comes up to you and says, "You're only 23?" Being from Iowa, though, I was thrilled when the Busenitz invited us over for steak dinner. There's no better birthday meal than a steak dinner! The next night we re-celebrated with our host family, the Joyners, with another cake. It was a good birthday. (Side note: Happy Birthday, Caleb!)

If we join UIM, Bryn will definitely not be lacking clientèle. When missionaries meet Bryn, usually one of the first things they ask is, "Do you have time for a few haircuts?" We have one week left here in Chihuahua City and about 5 haircuts yet to give. With no car and a dynamic schedule, fitting them all in is tricky. Many of the missionaries cut their own family's hair so Bryn has even been giving tips about wet/dry cutting, techniques, etc. She's enjoyed using her hairstyling skills here in Mexico.

Admittedly, I came to this internship thinking I was pretty good at controlling an airplane. After my first lesson this week, though, I had a few things to work on. The objective was spot landing. UIM instructor pilot Michael Busenitz would set a line of cones on each side of the runway and I was to land as close to the line as possible without touching before. I flew three different days, with each day better than previous. He explained to me some techniques I hadn't really heard before and by the last day I was making touchdown marks no more than 1-foot after the cones (my furthest one being 9 paces). I'm no where ready to turn loose in the mountains, but this week's instruction has greatly improved my flying overall.

Thank you all for your prayers and support leading to this point in our internship. Bryn and I have felt God's leading during our time here and can see him working in and through our lives. One of our biggest desires was to be servants as interns with UIM, not burdens to the missionaries. Please continue to pray that we finish our internship with this mindset. Uphold our health, too, in prayer. Somehow I caught a cold this past week and I'd like to get over it before our trip to the mountains the 11th-15th.

We love you all,
Zach & Bryn

Salon Day #2

2008-01-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

Now the cat's out of the bag in Chihuahua. It didn't take long. Bryn had her first 2 clients early this morning. While Bryn was helping out at school one of the pilots, Michael Busenitz, queried about haircuts for his daughters. Of course, she was happy to offer her service. She loves hairstyling. Missionary communities are pretty close so my guess is Salon Day #3 may be soon to follow.

En Chihuahua

2008-01-26T20:40:00.001-08:00

This past Miercoles (Wednesday) we boarded a bus in Durango and rode 10 hours back to Chihuahua. We stayed on the bus this time to avoid any language mishaps. However, in the two weeks we have spent in Durango, our confidence and Spanish have greatly improved. It was tough to uproot from Durango; we had finally gotten comfortable and built some great relationships with the missionaries there.

Yesterday (Friday) I spent the day at FAC, the airstrip where UIM's hangar is located. Just this past year they began construction on their hangar. Left to do is interior finishing, connecting electricity and plumbing. An electrical inspector is coming Monday, so I helped wire the breaker switch and meter and mount it on the telephone pole. FACT: Things in Mexico aren't as regulated as in the states. Notice in the picture how the switch and meter are mounted to another box, with the pole just up in the air... I saw a few more boxes like this around the city so it should pass. We also welded a lock onto the hangar door to create a way of locking the door.

While I was out at FAC, Bryn and Erin, our other intern, helped out the 1st and 2nd grade teacher at the New Tribes Mission school. The guest house we're staying at until tomorrow is run by New Tribes; across from it is the school. The kids' parents are all missionaries here in Mexico--most of which utilize UIM to fly them into the Sierra. Bryn graded spelling tests, helped 1st graders with their language papers and created a large snowman for the door. Although it rarely snows here in Chihuahua, it's still January and most of the kids dream of snow. She enjoyed helping out and the teacher was very grateful.

Preparing the Strip

2008-01-20T09:48:00.001-08:00

Our latest adventure began Thursday with a flight to La Borranca, a small pueblita in a valley of the Sierra Madres. By air: 45 minutes. By ground: 14 hours. The strip is 1365’ long: 800’ flat, 765’ steep upslope. The touchdown is on the upslope and during the rainy season the dirt runway gets washed out in spots. The community does well to taking care of it, but the runway was still in need of repair. With a wheelbarrow, two shovels, a pick and a rake, 5 of us smoothed out 700’ of rough spots on the slope in about 4.5 hours. The sun was beating, but we shared the work well to maintain the strip in preparation for future flights.

We spent an extra day after working in La Barranca to hike around the area. The village is right on the river which carves through the valley. We hiked up the river and stopped for a swim on our way to the neighboring city—a 3-hour hike away. After 3 hours of hiking up the river, we decided to turn around. The locals have foot trails everywhere in the mountains that lead to other pueblitas. We found one of the foot trails on our way back and cut our 3-hour trip down to 45 minutes! And we thought the river was the quickest way… We had a great time in La Barranca and are glad to have repaired the strip in preparation for upcoming arrivals.

The Real Deal

2008-01-20T09:42:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday we got our first taste of missionary bush flying. We loaded the plane and headed for Las Moras—a flat, 1800’ strip on a plateau in the Sierra Madres. That being the case, I was the left seat pilot about make my first grass landing in a Cessna 206. The terrain here is harsh beyond the foothills of Durango. Tall cliffs and wooded tops leave little room for error in the event of an emergency. The area is beautiful, however, and the approach was fun to fly. The plane touched smoothly (not what I was expecting). My first grass landing was successful!

Wednesday was even more rewarding than the day before. Amigos Sin Frontera, a Mexican medical mission, had dentists and doctors doing a clinic in Milpillas. One of the surgeons arrived late and was not able to travel up with the group by car, so instead we flew him in to the village. The trip by car is nine and a half hours on dirt roads with many rocks and bumps along the way. By plane, the doctor was there in 25 minutes! We stayed at the clinic and assisted any way we could for a few hours. The doctor we brought in even performed a surgery before we had left. Although I didn’t land in Milpillas, it was more rewarding to be part of Amigos Sin Frontera’s ministry by shuttling in a doctor to take care of patients. This one trip has put the true ministry and reason for missionary aviation into perspective for me. Thanks all for you prayers and support! God has really spoken to me through my experience at Milpillas. Maybe one day my dad will be the doctor…

La Basurera

2008-01-20T09:39:00.002-08:00

Monday we went to the basurera (city dump) for an outreach opportunity. There are two kinds of workers at the dump: those hired to handle the trash and those picking through the trash hoping to find enough recyclables to make some money. The Saturday before we went to the market and purchased food to make 100 sack lunches. In the bag we also put Spanish tracts with the gospel message, hoping that they may read it later. As we pulled in to the dump, a few people came to our vehicles hoping to be the first to pick through any trash we may have. After we opened the door and began handing out lunches, swarms of individuals—children, teens, adults, and grandparents—lined up to receive some lunch. We expected to be there most of the afternoon, but within 15 minutes we were driving out. These people tend to keep to themselves, but the missionaries here plan to do it regularly, maybe once every two months. Maybe then some will continually recognize them and begin asking questions about Christ. Although it went quick, we were privileged to be a part of this foundational work.

Salon Day

2008-01-20T09:39:00.001-08:00

The cat’s out of the bag in Durango: Bryn’s a cosmetologist. After church last Sunday, Bryn turned our host couple, Wolfgang and Kelly’s patio into a salon. Wolfgang usually keeps his hair long and was ready for a cut. Once he got into the chair, another UIM couple, Joe and Kristy, called and heard what Bryn was doing. Before long Bryn had four cuts lined up. She was happy to use her skill in hairstyling to benefit those we work and live with.

Prison Flight

2008-01-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

Way back in Tucson, a week and a half ago now, I was able to tag along on a prison flight. This is a weekly commute to Nogales, AZ to pick up Ray, a 78-year-old man who has been ministering to Mexican prisoners for 13 years. We then crossed the border, cleared customs, and headed for Caborca. The prison there houses about 1500 inmates, all in for various crimes—mostly drug-related. The prisoners have much respect for Ray, partly because he’s a regular, but mostly because of the guards. His chapel consists of singing, a message about Christ’s saving grace, and then a handout of goodies for the attendees. A Christian inmate saved through Ray’s ministry leads the singing with his accordion. A guitarist also accompanies him. If the beat is right, the inmates stand a clap and really sing their hearts out. Ray’s message is about forgiveness and how good works cannot save, but only by grace (the pilot told me this afterward because it was in Spanish). He ends with a salvation invitation, and several went forward that day. Then the rowdiness begins as he tosses clothing and shoes into the crowd… And as they leave, he hands out Little Debbie’s for those in attendance. You can tell some go for the treats, but if it keeps them coming, maybe one day they will also listen to what God has done for them.

En Mexico!

2008-01-10T18:09:00.000-08:00

Hola y saludos de Durango! Wednesday morning we awoke in Tucson, AZ and fell asleep in Durango, Mex. Let me walk you through that day: A 206 had been flown up from Chihuahua for a 100-hr inspection on Tuesday and the other 206 was prepped to take its place. It was a great experience for me to load the 206. My training at Moody so far has not involved much more than passenger cargo. I stacked the back with another pilot and the pod, leaving us about 150 lbs. under gross weight. Then our pilot, Michael Busenitz, said the magic words, "Zach, you wanna fly from the left seat?" Didn't take long to answer that one. Pushed by a good tailwind, we cut a 3-hr flight down to 2 hrs 15 mins. Michael is one of the instructor pilots so he helped me with the correct power settings and takeoff and landing techniques used by UIM.

After clearing customs in Chihuahua, we headed for the bus station to embark on an 8-hr journey to Durango. This was the first time we had been without a translator and we paid for it... We made a 20-min stop for the bus driver to eat so we went inside to pick up a snack. Well, I bought a soda and some chips and told the lady, "Es todo." Hoping to see a number displayed on the register, she rambled what Bryn thinks was veinte y uno--21 pesos. I gave her 50 pesos and she returned 23 pesos, and explained something along the lines of not having enough change for us. I said, "Esta bien," and walked out, not sure if I got ripped off or not. But 37 pesos is $3.70 American so I'm not going to fuss about it. All that to say, I understand VERY MUCH why language training is HUGE for missionaries!

My second language run-in was a little better. We were abruptly awaken at our destination and I don't function well in those moments... We got off, took our luggage inside to a huge sign that said "Bienvenidos a Paisano." I was hoping to translate, "Welcome to Durango," not Paisano. I went to a desk where two ladies were sitting and prefaced my question with, "Mi espanol es malo, pero..." meaning, "My Spanish is bad, but..." They laughed and confirmed we were in Durango...whew!

Zach & Bryn

The picture is from a hike we took Thursday. We overlooked some land they are thinking of purchasing for an airstrip.

Also, the internet here has been down so I will post more stories to fill in the gaps soon!

Week One

2008-01-07T15:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and greetings from Tucson, AZ! After a busy holiday season of traveling, we have finally begun our internship with UIM. The first couple days were spent relaxing and becoming accustomed to Tucson. We are staying at UIM's guest house provided by Drexel Heights Baptist Church. It is nice to have our own place to call home until we leave for Mexico on Wednesday.

I have been helping out in the shop installing two rear headphone jacks in UIM's Cessna 182. This aircraft is used weekly to fly a pastor to a Mexican prison to minister to the inmates. I will be riding along on that flight tomorrow. It is a three-hour flight, round-trip. The addition of the jacks will greatly improve passenger comfort by alleviating aircraft noise.

Bryn has been a huge blessing in the office taking care of some administration work. She has sorted supporters and donors in a specialized program to help funnel which money goes into certain accounts, etc. The ministry relies on volunteers to help with admin. work, or take time from their busy tasks to do it themselves, so Bryn has helped out greatly!

Different UIM families have opened up their homes for dinner each night we have been here. It has been a great experience for us to gain different perspectives and insights into this ministry. We hope to share more about this later, but actually have a dinner to catch soon. Tonight we dine with the director.

We appreciate your continued prayers and support. We are excited, and yet intimidated, to live in Mexico for the next six weeks. Please pray for our safety during these two months. I hope to share about the prison flight soon. We have limited internet access, but will try to maintain our blog at least weekly. We love you all!

Zach & Bryn

Welcome

2007-12-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone,
This is where you will be able to view updates that Bryn and I post to follow what God is doing in and through our lives in Mexico this winter. We will try to post many pictures here, too, so that you can "live" our experiences. Thanks for your support and prayers!