Dear Family and Friends
As some of you may have already heard. The other pilot in our organization had an accident with his aircraft in Paruima Village. From the reports it sounds like Gary was hoping to get three students out of Paruima Village, but was uncertain whether to take two or three. So he wisely decided to take two in order to assess how the airplane would perform. He took off just fine, but when he turned around and landed down-wind to pick up the third student, the wind caught the airplane at the wrong moment. He tried to stop the plane, but the grass was extremely slick and the aircraft skidded off the end of the runway down an embankment and into some small brush-like trees. All three occupants were able to get out of the airplane with not a scratch on them. By the next day the villagers had pulled the plane which was partially submerged out of the Kamarang river and set it up on the river bank. What does this mean for the GAMAS flight program? Good question. At this point there are many variables in the works and it remains to be seen what the final outcome will be.
Without a doubt, the flight program has experienced a serious setback, and at this moment we're the only remaining GAMAS airplane flying in Guyana. This increases the burden on my shoulders as I seek to cover the entire region with the Cessna 182 the Lord has provided us.
Gary Lewis is tentatively making plans to travel back to the States to prepare another airplane to bring down. How long this will take is also another key variable. Let's hope for the sake of the work that it is quick.
The good news in all of this is that Davis Indian Industrial College has closed early. This last Monday I flew into Paruima to evacuate the remaining four teachers.
For the immediate moment we're not making plans to move anywhere. Shea's new health worker is back in the village, but she's pretty new and will need a lot of training and coaxing to break out of her shell. She's very young and quiet. So the reality is that Joy needs to stay on at Shea longer to effectively wrap up the project.
This is accident reminds me again how quickly a situation can develop. One unguarded moment can spell disaster for the airplane and others lives. That's why I'm moving very cautiously, taking extra precautions. I'm so grateful for the army of people who are standing shoulder to shoulder with us in their prayers. I know that it may seem to you that your petitions disappear into the blue atmosphere, never to be seen again. But a number of times I've felt God's guiding hand reach down and intervene in my behalf. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. James
874 South McDonald SW
McDonald, TN 37353
1 (423) 473-1841 or 1 (423) 473-1842 | 
