"I being in the way, the Lord led me"

If I (Paul) were you, I would be excited to hear about my trip to Costa Rica. Since I am me, I will tell you my time was very productive. Genesis 24:10-67 is the longest continuous passage in Genesis, and generally speaking, is one of the classic studies on seeking God's will. Like Abraham's servant (we're not given his name) I was on the alert to discover what was going to unfold before me upon arrival (in my case, San Jose, Costa Rica).

 

Hospital Clinica Biblica, the largest private hospital in San Jose, Costa Rica, was started in 1929 by missionaries with Latin America Mission (LAM) to address the needs of orphans. When the hospital outgrew LAM it was turned over to a small group of Christian businessman. It has grown and thrived to the point of being Joint Commission International certified (I've been told this is HUGE). The leadership of the hospital and the board of directors believe the time is right to establish an aviation program, as a means to reach out in a broader way to the nation as a whole. I lack the medical background to appreciate what all the Joint Commission certification means but what I do understand to a greater extent is God's principles being implemented in business and what you are likely to observe as a result. It was very evident that Jesus Christ is priority numero uno in how Hospital Clinica Biblica carry's out their mission. It was a joy meeting with each of the administrators including the CEO, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and the director for Community Development and Outreach. Our wonderful hosts were Dr. Alekcey Murillo-Alfaro and Dr. Judith Dunteman. Alekcey and Judith, married during medical school in San Jose, Costa Rica and then did their residency at the Mayo Clinic (Minnesota) in the U.S. Upon completing residency they returned to Costa Rica to work with indigenous people groups.

Michael, Federico, Dr. Alekcey, Paul

My ministry partner, Michael Stephens, a fellow pilot and retired Navy Search and Rescue Corpsman, did a tremendous job of explaining the needs of a patient in relationship to being transported by helicopter. Was it for such a time as this that God brought Michael and I together? Originally, I had met Michael 30 years ago when he was a teenager and I was a college student at Bible school (this is a really cool story but will save it for another time).

 

Three things were needed in order to establish a program at the hospital 1) a helicopter, 2) a hanger and 3) maintenance support. 

With the 350BA AStar

 

Our first meeting was with the owner of a helicopter company. Federico is somewhat of a pioneer of rotory wing aviation in Costa Rica. As the conversation progressed, we learned of a helicopter that he felt might be suitable for what we needed. We then transitioned to a hanger nearby to inspect this helicopter, a Eurocopter 350BA. I won't bore you with the particulars concerning this aircraft but suffice it to say the 350BA is a very good match for what the hospital needs. The Eurocopter 350 (also known as the AStar) is the helicopter of choice for many medical transport operators here in the United States. Federico also expressed a desire to help arrange for the use of the 350 as well as the maintenance. WOW!!!

 

One of our meetings on the second day was with the architect and engineers involved in constructing a parking garage, adjacent to the hospital, with a helipad on the roof. The timing of our visit was good in that we were able to provide input, from a pilots perspective, before the completion of the project.

 

 

Upon finishing meetings at the hospital on our third day, we changed out of our formal clothes, into our casual gear, checked out of our hotel and headed into the interior to meet and get acquainted with a number of missionaries and their work. It was truly a privilege to be hosted by these families who are involved in a number of things, Bible translation being a key one. All were busily involved in their respective lives but never the less were enthusiastic about our visit, showing us a great deal of hospitality. Three of the missionary men remember an engineer project by the U.S. Army in 1988 to repair roads and bridges in their region when they were teenagers. The project was located in South Eastern Costa Rica and during that time (as an Army Pilot) it was my job to transport crews in and out of the project base camp. In addition, we would visit villages in the region and if needed, transport those with serious physical issues to the port city of Limon to receive medical treatment. During our reminiscing we also discovered that we had attended the same Bible school then known as Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University).

 

The high point of our trip to the interior was the opportunity for Michael and I to share our testimony with a young man about why we were there. With the help of translation by Alekcey and his wife, Judith, Marcelo's question was, "Why would you come here and not get a lot of money". We shared our testimony and what Jesus Christ meant to us, and so later on, just before dinner, Marcelo prayed with Michael and Alexcey to receive Jesus Christ into his life. The missionaries were excited as they had been praying for him quite a while , are now following up with him and have reported that he is joyful and growing in the Lord. If you think of Marcelo please pray for his continued growth in the Lord.

Paul, Marcelo, Lori, Dustin (Lori's son), Michael, Dr. Alekcey, Judith

Some of you may be wondering, "What happened to Helimission sending us to Indonesia?" It appears the Lord is diverting us to Costa Rica for a while to help start this program. My business background has been useful as I have been able to help the hospital with their vision. My conversations with the Helimission Leadership are encouraging as they recognize God's hand at work and so I will be on loan to the hospital in Costa Rica for an indefinite time. It is interesting that the Eurocopter we looked at in Costa Rica is the same used by Helimission.

 

To sum this up, it would be fitting to quote Abraham's servant "...I being in the way, the Lord led me..." (Gen 24:27 KJV) Matthew Henry, in his commentary, says it this way, "The concurrence of providences and their minute circumstances, for the furtherance of our success in any business, ought to be particularly observed, with wonder and thankfulness, to the glory of God".

 

This means a bit of a shift for us. What do we do now?

1) Raise our support to $3000.00 a month. We are currently hovering (excuse the pun) around 17%

2) Begin the Visa process for Costa Rica.

3)Complete a Eurocopter 350 transition at the Eurocopter Training center in Texas. Currently, the cost is $11, 425.00 which provides:

-18 hrs of theory (systems & performance)

-4.5 hrs of simulator

-approx. 1.5 flight hours


We appreciate your prayers and support!,

Paul and Bridget