If a Tou-can ...

Greetings from the jungle. Bridget and I have programmed in a little R and R with friends this weekend so am taking time to write an update while Bridget is out helping to teach English. A Toucan just flew by and being an aviator I am always amazed at how they can fly with so much up front.

The Health Promoters (mentioned in last newsletter - "... and I also learned Spanish" ) have continued to collect more information from the indigenous villages on the reservation. When they return from their hike Bridget gets the information to record in a database and I get the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of potential landing zones. This allows me to record the location on a map for future use in the event there is a need (medical or otherwise) in the reservation. These brave young ladies (Cabecar Health Promoters) hike for miles/kilometers to visit each family and record the respective information. For some of these indigenous this may be the only medical contact they will have. For those who may need more medical attention a follow up trip to a doctor will be advised. Dr. Judith and her team of trainers have accomplished an amazing thing by teaching such a broad spectrum of health care and in return these young Cabecar ladies have embraced this program in a tremendous way with hard work, passion, and a great deal of learning. They really believe in what they are doing! They are also believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and are free to share about Jesus during their visits. Pray for their safety and receptivity by those they come in contact with as they travel throughout the region.

Since our call to the people of Costa Rica two years ago we have been working toward the day where we can finally make a positive difference in the lives of the indigenous people here. This first year has been a process of preparation for us as we attended language school, satisfied the requirements for our residency, obtain our drivers license (we still walk or take the bus/taxi) and for me (Paul) to pass the written commercial exam in Spanish. The next step is to fly more hours to bring my skills up in order to pass the check ride. Some countries recognize the FAA license but Costa Rica does not and requires everyone to go through a process to gain his or her license. Hopefully, my process will be shorter than many as I already have time in helicopters. A “commercial” license is a bit more involved than the “private” license. Being the operations manager of AeroVital also requires me to have a commercial license. 

The ability to land at a location with a helicopter in order to transport a patient to receive advanced medical help faster is the overall goal. It's not overly dramatic to say this will make a big difference to those who will experience a serious medical condition. For example: if the injured or sick can make it to a road after an incident (up to 10 hours on jungle trails) then they will still have at least 1 – 3 hours by vehicle to reach advanced care. With the help of the coordinates provided by the Health Promoters it will be possible to reach an isolated location for a patient pick up within 30-40 minutes. With the doctor and/or flight paramedic on board treatment can begin soon after arrival.

Recently I have gone out to the airport to fly in order to assess where my skills are and I can tell you taking the last year off to study Spanish hasn't done me any favors. The least expensive route is with a flying school located at the airport, which uses the Robinson 22 (R22), a very small helicopter that is hard to fly even without the wind. So far I have flown 2.4 hours. These 2.4 hours have given me a good idea of where my skills are and I’m hoping the old saying about “getting back on the ole’ bicycle…” is very true in my case. Language school and getting our residence was very expensive and along with flying these 2.4 hours has exhausted our savings. The cost to fly the R22 is $365.00 per hour.

After taking this into consideration I would like to fly five more hours before I take the flight exam (5x$365=$1825.00) and the flight exam itself is $450.00 for a total of $2275.00. Please consider helping as I raise funds for this next step of flight time for me as we work to establish this flight program. If you are not already one of our financial supporters then we would welcome you to prayerfully consider joining us in monthly support of this ministry. We are confident of His leading and want to encourage you to help advance the kingdom of God here in our backyard.

Here is a link to our website with information on how to donate: http://theabbotts.webs.com/donate