Mission Aviation Day

Go into all the world and make disciples is a mandate to all believers from the Lord Himself. This takes people with many different skill sets working together to do it. Missionary aviation is just one of those skill sets necessary to accomplish the “going” part. Many, many others collaborate to do the “making disciples” part.

Two missionary aviation agencies are headquartered In southern Arizona, but not many local Christians know that. UIM Aviation (the aviation arm of United Indian Missions, Inc.) and NTM Aviation (part of New Tribes Mission) along with Wycliffe Bible Translators (also based in the region) began in 1996 hosting an event at the general aviation airport in Tucson for the express purpose of informing local Christians of the work that God is doing using missionary aviation.

The event, which took place this year on Saturday, March 19, has morphed into a big and anticipated family event every two years. Each visitor has a chance to chat with representatives from about twenty different missionary groups. As a highlight they are given rides in mission aircraft. Throughout the day, 10 airplanes made 95 flights carrying 403 visitors. This year Flying Under the Son brought their new Kodiak from California for a static display. At 10:00 and 3:00 they gave flights in it, the seats awarded by drawings to visitors and volunteers. Five hangars were opened onto the roped-off tarmac, each housing a distinct activity such as children’s crafts, special speaker, music for teens, mission displays and concessions stands run by church youth groups as fund-raisers. It was a beautiful day, fun for everyone, and a day of many significant conversations. That’s what it’s all about.

Plans for the next Mission Aviation Day and Ministry Fair are already underway. MAD 2013 will probably be geared more around teens and their enthusiasm for missions as a career choice.

The Quest Kodiak was the most popular display of the day. Here Bill Burr of Flying Under the Son tells visitors about its capabilities and flights.

John Weber, representing LeTourneau University, chats with visitors about missionary aviation training.

UIM Banquet 2010

On November 6, 2010, UIM Aviation held its fourth annual fundraising banquet at the Westward Look Resort in Tucson, Arizona. We have these events for several reasons. First is our obvious need for operational funds to maintain our aircraft and keep the lights on at the hangar. Secondly, we seek to continue building prayer support as we inform people about our ministry. Thirdly is discipleship. A fundraising banquet is a tool to help disciple donors and encourage people to not only participate with us in ministry but to also have a sense of ownership in it. Finally, the bottom line of everything we do is to glorify Christ. As people invest in our ministry, it enables us to reach into remote areas of Mexico where we can impact people for Christ. Our airplanes and pilots can take a 20-hour trip and reduce it to a 30-minute flight. This translates into more people being reached for Christ in a shorter amount of time and with a lot less effort. Keep in mind that each day missionaries cannot visit these remote areas, due to poor roads or even no roads at all, people slip into a Christless eternity. God uses people and a tool like the airplane to accomplish His purposes. Fundraising banquets like the one we held in Tucson help make it possible for missionaries to go to where the people are. This year we hosted 260 people. Gracia Burnham was our guest speaker for the event. She did a wonderful job of communicating not only stories from her year-long captivity but also the reasons why her and her husband Martin went to the Philippines as missionaries with New Tribes Mission Aviation. For the second year in a row, Michael and Kimberly Chaffin provided special music for the evening and did a fabulous job. Our chief pilot Dave Wolf provided an update of our ministry, sharing how God is using UIM Aviation to accomplish His purposes. We praise the Lord that through the event we were able to raise $25,000 for the ministry of UIM Aviation.

Misionera Aventura Infantil ~ Children’s Missionary Adventure

Children everywhere! Hundreds of them, in all shapes and sizes, and they kept coming. This was sure to be an adventure, a missionary adventure.

For one day, the sights, sounds, and smells of world missions came alive for Mexican children aged 6 to 13. Participants were divided into traveling groups of about 35, plus guides, and spent the day rotating throughout the grounds learning about world missions in different countries as well as different types of ministries.

The UIM Aviation team welcomed each traveling group into a mock airplane. Kids took their seats, buckled in, and received pre-flight briefing. Via video on a large screen, our passengers experienced a missionary flight into some of the most remote parts of Mexico. They learned how God uses the airplane as a tool to reach the lost. We challenged them to develop their God-given gifts and abilities for His service.

This annual event is vital in exposing Mexico’s future missionaries to world missions. We give all praise and glory to God for the chance to be a part of His kingdom work. Pray for these children who have now returned to their homes. Pray that God is working in their hearts and minds to open their lives to missionary service.

UIM Aviation at EAA Airventure 2009

UIM Aviation was privileged to participate in the annual AirVenture air show this July at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. One of their main themes was Fly4Life, which highlighted mission aviation as well as  humanitarian aid. Our airplane that had been confiscated by the Mexican government for some months was displayed in the central show area.

Our staff also gave a seminar to the public on Cessna modifications for short take-offs and landings. It was a blessing to be able to share what God is doing in Mexico and how He’s using aviation. Many who visited the Fly4Life tent were believers already, but many more were not. We are praying that God uses the memory of our conversations to bring people to Jesus. Even after shaking so many hands, we were amazed to learn that 578,000 people attended the week-long event this year!