House for Mike & Josephine

Not very often does one see a group of aircraft mechanics trade in their wrenches for carpenter tools, but that is exactly what happened recently in Tucson, Arizona. The guys from the UIM hangar spent several days building a new roof for the home of an elderly Tohono O’odham Indian couple. The Tohono O’odham reservation is about an hours’ drive west of Ryan Airfield. Mechanic Tony Harmon met Mike and Josephine by divine appointment several years ago. He has been developing a relationship with them since and all the staff at the hangar have been introduced to them.

About a year ago the Tohono O’odham Tribal leadership council provided funding for Mike and Josephine to build a new room on their very modestly-sized house. This new room is about 360 square feet and doubled the available living space. However, the roof was unfortunately constructed in such a way as to be not quite water tight and Mike and Josephine have never been able to use it. As Tony became aware of this situation and shared it at the hangar, all UIM’s mechanics saw it as a real opportunity to share the love of Christ in a very “hands on” way.

After inspecting the home with its addition, the guys decided the best way to fix the problem was to build a new roof over the entire structure. The Tribal Council provided the materials and UIM Aviation provided the labor. The project turned out to be much bigger than anyone anticipated, yet the guys had a great time working on it and they know Mike and Josephine’s house is in much better shape. However, our mechanics certainly have no plans to go into the construction business as they learned that they are much better airplane mechanics than carpenters!

UIM Aviation – God provides new hangar in Chihuahua!

“Your rent is going up,” said the owner of the eight-plane hangar at Chihuahua International Airport.

For 12 years UIM had rented a space here for $500/month. However, a short while later, this hangar was seized by the airport for unpaid fees. Thanks to a friend, we were informed the night before and removed the airplane, parking it in the more vulnerable out-of-doors. We needed a solution fast. The Lord had obviously prepared us for change.

Nosing about, Dennis Joyner and Wolfgang Grotendiek inquired about space at a private owner’s airstrip, just minutes from the International Airport. The owner, Fernando Amaya, was willing to work with us.
Dennis, UIM’s Chihuahua Area Manager, punched some numbers and realized that over a period of 10 years, UIM could build a hangar at a lower cost than 10 years’ worth of rent. He, Dave Wolf and a Mexican friend went to visit Fernando and see what they could work out. Fernando agreed to the idea of constructing a hangar in lieu of monthly rent.

The project was approved but there was no way to get funding from the budget. Our Chihuahua staff researched possibilities. Dennis shared the dream with his brother in Arkansas. The Lord impressed their church, Freedom Fellowship, to raise enough money for a 60’x60’ slab, which UIM staff plus a few volunteers promptly poured. Later the Lord touched Mountain View Baptist Church in Tucson as well as an interested individual to fund the poles, trusses and roof tin, so the team put up the poles and the roof. What a blessing that the Lord so skilled our staff that they could do this work.

The next phase in the project was to enclose the walls and hang the main doors. Would the Lord still provide?  He did indeed. An Indiana couple and a visitor to the July Oshkosh Air Show donated enough funds for these materials. An unexpected gift from another Indiana man will be used to complete a bathroom. Dennis expects to have enough money left from all the donations to paint the hangar floor and hook up electricity.

The Lord’s people have freely given an astonishing $20,500 for this hangar. We hope to finish the building for around $25,000. How exciting to watch God work! Step by step, He has provided for each phase of the project from totally unexpected sources and construction has proceeded with continuity.

UIM Aviation helps meet need of water wells in Mexico!

Only our Creator God can, in a single act, solve similar problems separated by hundreds of miles.

The situation:

(1) Three vain attempts to hand-dig a well for UIM’s children’s camp in Oaxaca,

(2)Mexico; an airstrip land purchase deal in Durango that includes drilling a well for the current owners and

(3) A new village boarding school that lacks continual water supply.

After some research, UIM Aviation pilot, Wolf-gang Grotendiek,  discovered that with an investment equal to the cost of hiring someone to drill one well, UIM could purchase a portable well-drilling unit themselves. (See photo)

UIM Aviation Mexico Field Director, Don Nellis, began raising funds. In one month and with multiple sets of helping hands, the unit was purchased and brought to Durango, where its full potential awaits discovery.

Praise God for this technology to help these people and allowing us to be His hands!