Flight Briefing - 2019 Volume 2
Hospitality Park Update
Missionary Flights International (MFI) will finish the year meeting our $500,000 match for the Hospitality Park! But we still need your financial support.
The Hospitality Park is transforming into an oasis right down the road from our hangar. Construction of the Hospitality Center should be complete in early Spring 2020! Additionally, we hope to begin construction of the “Island Cottages” soon.
The Hospitality Park will allow MFI to expand its service to faithful missionaries in need, enable short term mission teams, and increase our volunteer work force.
Standing in the Gap for Disaster Relief - Bahamas
Hurricane Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on September 1, 2019, in the Northwestern Bahamas. The damage was extensive as the storm slowly dwindled in speed and finally came to a stationary rest overtop Grand Bahama Island. One minute sustained winds of Hurricane Dorian were recorded at 185 miles per hour (mph). Gusts of wind were at times recorded at 220 mph.
“Our first delivery to the Bahamas required collaboration among agencies and time dedicated to paperwork,” commented MFI Vice President, Larry Campbell. Missionary Flights received approval from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the Bahamas, as well as, the ability to fly goods to Grand Bahama and Abacos duty free. “In times of disaster we know that there is a tendency to quickly act, but one is prone to make mistakes when acting in haste. The process that we went through to acquire paperwork and to connect with trusted organizational partners allowed us to know that the supplies we flew were not going to waste.”
Man-O-War Cay and Elbow Cay were the first islands to get hit by the hurricane. Most of the homes were either destroyed or severely damaged. In their recovery, Neil Albury, a resident of Man-O-War Cay, said, ““We have just been so grateful, so thankful for Missionary Flights. I told someone, I said, they are not just a lifeline, but have been our umbilical cord. We’ve had need of so many things; engine parts to get the boats going, food, relief supplies, everything imaginable. God knew what he was doing years ago when he put Joe Karabensh on our island and connected MFI with us here. We are truly blessed and humbled by their support.”
The Story of the Lime Box
In the 2010 Haitian earthquake, a group of guys from the citrus industry realized that they had a unique opportunity to partner with the relief efforts by donating citrus cartons to be used for packing donated relief supplies. As Missionary Flights responded to the disaster of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, Jeff Schorner, Owner of Al’s Family Farms and member of a local church, knew that the need for these lime boxes would once again arise.
“My son, Matt, and I went up to Egan Packing in Fellsmere, FL. Greg Nelson was kind enough to agree for these cartons to be used. They checked with Wonderful Fruit, they said no problem,” said Schorner. “Within the month or so of relief efforts, we’ve been able to deliver over 7,000 boxes, but I had no idea the impact that they were making.”
Over 600,000 pounds of relief supplies were donated for the Bahamas, most of which were repackaged in the lime boxes. Once stacked to a certain height, pallets were set aside until they could be loaded onto planes or shipping containers.
Sam Baguma, a missionary with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in Africa, provided logistical expertise during the disaster relief effort. He had an opportunity to travel to Freeport, Grand Bahama, and saw the unique efficiency of the lime boxes.
Baguma explained, “The beauty of these boxes is that they have a top and an inside that can be completely separated. What the Salvation Army does is spread it all out and then put the bottom on one side and then the top on the other. Once a number of boxes are laid out, they start to fill each portion with goods that will take care of a family.”
1 Peter 4:10 reminds us to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” You have been given a unique situation by God. We want to encourage you to consider how the Lord may be calling you to use your talent, time, treasure, or lime boxes to stand in the gap for Him today.
Partnership Makes it all Possible
Partnerships have allowed us to process the relief supplies and donations that poured into Missionary Flights to assist the people of the Bahamas.
The Missionary Maintenance Services Aviation team assisted MFI’s Director of Maintenance, as they worked on the DC-3 planes. Just as the Bahamas relief effort began, 200MF, one of MFI’s DC-3 planes, was removed from the flight roster for maintenance. They performed two hot section inspections which involves the examination of important engine parts to ensure that they are able to generate acceptable power for efficient and safe performance. Additionally, they removed and installed an engine, removed paint from landing gear components, and assisted with routine maintenance on 500MF, the DC-3 aircraft that was in service.
Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) sent a Disaster Response team to assist with flight logistics. While MFI flies 2-4 flights a week, the Bahamas response required that we fly 2-4 flights a day. These additional flights required more hands on deck. Along with planning flights, the team also assisted in loading planes, acquiring necessary government documents, and connecting MFI with new ministries on the ground in the Bahamas.
Priority Air Charter in Kidron, Ohio, sent a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan to assist MFI in flying cargo and passengers in the Bahamas. Because of its load capacity and size, this was the perfect aircraft to fly in and out of smaller airport runways. During the month that they were here, the team of pilots from Priority Air flew roughly 2 flights a day between Fort Pierce and Scotland Cay.
Among the many partnerships, we would have been absolutely lost without the hundreds of volunteers that joined our disaster relief effort. Men and women of all ages helped to collect, deliver, pack, and ship donated supplies. We were blessed to receive donated goods, monetary donations, and words of encouragement from people throughout the United States, This support has allowed us to send over 600,000 pounds of goods, and we continue to fly relief volunteers to stand in the gap.
What Could Have Been…
Hurricane Dorian stripped much of the Northern Bahamas to what one might call a “war-zone”. Long before this catastrophic event, Missionary Flights was privileged to be engaged with ministries in this area.
One such individual is Pastor Robin Weatherford who lives in Marsh Harbour. Until Hurricane Dorian, he ministered to Haitian immigrants and their descendants that were living on the island.
Robin has been a great friend to Missionary Flights and a strategic partner standing in the gap for the Abaco’s. Post Hurricane, his family was forced to evacuate the island. We would have loved to provide housing for Robin and his family.
Searching for short-term housing has reinforced our need for the cottages at the Hospitality Park. Many island families, some of whom have lived on the Abaco’s for 5 generations or more, were left homeless. If it weren’t for the space allotted to me on the back of this Flightbriefing, I could tell you one story after another.
I will leave you with a challenge. MFI has met our $500,000 match for the Hospitality Park this year, but we will still need to raise additional funding to build all six cottages. It is estimated that each cottage will cost $175,000 to construct and furnish.
Missionary Flights will be naming each of these cottages after an island country where we serve or hope to minister to in the future. One cottage will be called the Bahamas Cottage. Would you make an end of the year contribution to help us construct the cottage that will commemorate the Bahamas? Your contribution will not only be a blessing, but will advance the work of the Gospel throughout the Caribbean region.
To read more about the Hospitality Park or to make an investment in ministry for years to come, click here.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Joe Karabensh
President, MFI
