PAMAS News: Making Friends for Eternity

PAMAS

Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services

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Dwayne and Wendy in front of north Luzon hangar complex.

Youngest missionary joins PAMAS with proud Mershalov family!

Youngest missionary joins PAMAS with proud Mershalov family!

A Busy and Blessed Start to the Year!

The new year started with joy and sleepless nights for missionary pilot and nurse Andriy & Tanya, and daughter Anzhela, with the birth of their first son Nazar! The end of January brought much appreciated help from Dwayne’s brother, Eric and wife, Katie who sacrificed a month of vacation time for manual labor and cold showers! We took them to Palawan where Eric visited old friends from his time there 5 years ago. Dwayne finished the annual inspection on the Cessna and Sean, our Palawan pilot, and Dwayne did some supply drops into the mountains. We flew on to Mindanao where we officially began work on the next airbase which will be at the old MVC (Mountain View College) airstrip. After doing all we could in Mindanao, we headed back “home” to north Luzon where the guys built a fuel shed and a “chipper” machine for recycling branches into mulch for the fruit trees and garden. Katie helped Wendy finish a big project preparing 29 nights of crafts for a children’s program. See below for more!

A MONTH OF FUN with brother Eric and sis-in-law Katie!

A MONTH OF FUN with brother Eric and sis-in-law Katie!

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35+ Kids attend church programs RAIN OR SHINE.

Taking supplies to drop to Kamantian missionaries.

Taking supplies to drop to Kamantian missionaries.

BIBLE WORKER in his new post in Sagada (with 109 year old lady).

BIBLE WORKER in his new post in Sagada (with 109 year old lady).

Eric and Katie in beautiful Sagada.

Eric and Katie in beautiful Sagada.

New Missionaries to Neglected Provinces

We took another journey last month to the “Mountain Province” in northern Luzon, which is one of the most beautiful and also least reached with the Seventh-day Adventist last-day message. In this area English is preferred over Tagalog, but many of the tribal groups are isolated with different languages and strange customs. The Ifugao tribes are known worldwide for their hard work and incredible skills in rice-terracing. They are lesser known for their not-so-long ago rituals such as hanging their dead in coffins on the sides of rock cliffs and even cannibalism! Just a few months ago we were praying with our district pastor for more missionaries for these neglected areas. God answered our prayers and helped us place three more missionaries in the field! Though we realize it is a drop in the bucket, we know God specializes in doing much with little! Please pray for these missionaries and the great work God has given them. We also ask for your continued prayers for Heaven’s resources to be opened in providing helicopters to speed this work!

 

Hanging coffins; custom of the Ifugao tribes of Sagada.

Hanging coffins; custom of the Ifugao tribes of Sagada.

Medical Missionaries in their new post in Mayoyao.

Medical Missionaries in their new post in Mayoyao.

 Typical Ifugao houses and rice terraces.

Typical Ifugao houses and rice terraces.

Making Friends for Eternity

Cancer patient in Palawan that accepted Jesus a few months before his death.

Cancer patient in Palawan that accepted Jesus a few months before his death.

Visiting a Palawan church member paralyzed from a recent stroke.

Visiting a Palawan church member paralyzed from a recent stroke.

A broken heart and a heart for missions

The joys and the heart of missions is in the personal friendships made and in seeing lives changed. All around us in this world there are people in crisis – people longing for relief from emotional and physical pain that money cannot fix. These pictures are just a few of the stories of lives we’ve had the privilege of touching recently. Another story not pictured is a young man in his late 30’s that we, our district pastor, and some SDA youth started visiting lately. His wife left him 3 years ago and his health has declined rapidly ever since, seemingly from a broken heart. June lives in a rural village in a small, dark house where he spends most of his time sitting and staring at his wasted, useless legs. In our visits we focus on hope and joy with plenty of songs, smiles, and praises to God. During our last visit we saw the first smile on June’s face, and though it’s hard for him to read, he now spends a few moments a day reading a Bible study guide we gave him. He and his mother thanked us for our visits and pleaded with us to please keep coming!

Friend of Eric & Dwayne’s who almost died with cancer but is now living a healthy lifestyle and sharing with neighbors God’s goodness.

Friend of Eric & Dwayne’s who almost died with cancer but is now living a healthy lifestyle and sharing with neighbors God’s goodness.

Friend and teacher with stage 4 cancer, and a new joy in life; Preparing for baptism!

Friend and teacher with stage 4 cancer, and a new joy in life; Preparing for baptism!

Andriy gives a charcoal demo as part of weekly health lecture in prep for evangelistic meetings.

Andriy gives a charcoal demo as part of weekly health lecture in prep for evangelistic meetings.

MISSION FLIGHTS

Dwayne and Sean (Palawan pilot) get ready for airdrops into mountains.

Dwayne and Sean (Palawan pilot) get ready for airdrops into mountains.

Luzon Hangar view from above.

Luzon Hangar view from above.

Returning onto Palawan airstrip after airdrops.

Returning onto Palawan airstrip after airdrops.

Sean and Pris Knapp: Flying pregnant lady with complications to a more equipped hospital.

Sean and Pris Knapp: Flying pregnant lady with complications to a more equipped hospital.

Praying before flight to take medical missionaries to their new post in Mayoyao.

Praying before flight to take medical missionaries to their new post in Mayoyao.

Flying pastor and sda youth to Palanan.

Flying pastor and sda youth to Palanan.

Medical team from Adventist Hospital flies to remote area of Mindanao for medical mission.

Medical team from Adventist Hospital flies to remote area of Mindanao for medical mission.

A CHILDREN’S CHURCH?

The Banuar Seventh-day Adventist Church (located just in front of the PAMAS airbase in Quirino, Luzon) is becoming a point of interest lately. Though it is a comparatively big church for it’s rural location, it’s attendance has never been high until lately when an interesting phenomenon began to take place. Last year after the usual summer VBS program, children of all ages (5 to 15 years old) began attending the regular church services 3 times a week. The prayer meeting and vespers programs that usually consisted of 4 or 5 people began to grow to 20 plus! We began to tailor the programs more and more for the children, and after some time we saw the need for a more structured program. So we started a child evangelism series two nights a week that included scripture songs and crafts. The children loved it! Before long there were close to 40 children attending every Wednesday, Friday and even Sabbaths. Until now the children outnumber the adults and make up the bulk of the congregation! They love to sing out of the hymnal and take part in the services. On Sabbaths they stay most of the day, joining us for a simple vegetarian lunch. The parents are pleased to have their children doing something safe and uplifting and we invite them to special programs and pray for them often!

It’s an ongoing challenge to keep the children engaged, but it’s amazing how they come early to the church, rain or shine, craft or no craft. We are just finishing the series so please pray for ideas and more help! The future of the church may already be sitting in the pews of the “Banuar Children’s Church!” We cannot let this opportunity pass by!

Children love to take part in the services!

Children love to take part in the services!

Missionary Anzhela (10 years old) gives fun illustrations.

Missionary Anzhela (10 years old) gives fun illustrations.

Children make up 95% of the congregation!

Children make up 95% of the congregation!

Kids attend services 3 times a week.

Kids attend services 3 times a week.

Crafts two nights a week.

Crafts two nights a week.

Learning scripture songs (50+)!

Learning scripture songs (50+)!

Mindanao Airbase Project

Future Airstrip site, view from Mountain View College.

Future Airstrip site, view from Mountain View College.

Dwayne, Neil, and Eric making bamboo stakes (temporary markers).

Dwayne, Neil, and Eric making bamboo stakes (temporary markers).

Making cement posts to mark the airstrip.

Making cement posts to mark the airstrip.

Dwayne, Eric, and Katie on the first day of work on the site.

Dwayne, Eric, and Katie on the first day of work on the site.

Culverts were placed in a low spot in the airstrip.

Culverts were placed in a low spot in the airstrip.

Dwayne and Neil placing the posts.

Dwayne and Neil placing the posts.

Friends volunteer their time and help speed the work!

Friends volunteer their time and help speed the work!

Danny and Andrew placing posts in perfect alignment.

Danny and Andrew placing posts in perfect alignment.

SULADS dug 100 holes for the posts!

SULADS dug 100 holes for the posts!

Dwayne and Wendy enjoying MVC's waterfall.

Dwayne and Wendy enjoying MVC’s waterfall.

We hope this newsletter gives you an idea of how your prayers and support make such a difference! Thank you so much for your part in this mission!

Love,

Dwayne and Wendy Harris

Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS)
pamasmission.org

If you’d like to help,
Make checks payable to: Gospel Ministries International
Send checks to:

GMI (Gospel Ministries International)
P O Box 506, Collegedale, TN 37315

(Be sure to specify donation is for “PAMAS”)

Or call the GMI office: 423-473-1841
Or donate online at our website: pamasmission.org
(be sure to specify donation is for “PAMAS”)

Current Needs:

  • Helicopters
  • Bibles and sharing materials
  • Children’s supplies

Volunteers Needed:

  • Pilots
  • Mechanics
  • Construction/Builders
  • Accountant
  • Medical Missionaries
  • Leaders to start missionary training schools
  • Bible workers
  • Teachers

Prayer Requests:

  • God’s provisions for helicopters for Palawan, Luzon, and Mindanao
  • Need for local missionary volunteers (Medical and Bible workers) and sponsors — Praise God for 3 new workers!
  • Need for volunteers with leadership abilities to start medical missionary training schools
  • Guidance and provisions for next airbase project in Mindanao
  • Healing of Dwayne’s ongoing resistant Malaria case
  • Continued help for Typhoon Haiyan victims

PAMAS is a faith-based, volunteer organization which aids the Seventh-day Adventist church (though is not officially under the General Conference) in it’s mission to carry the Gospel to the world through the use of aviation and medical ministry.


Wendy Harris
Philippine Adventist Medical Aviation Services (PAMAS)