The end of Air Force life and pictures from PNG (with video!)

December 18th, 2024

The long-awaited day has nearly arrived. Brad officially retires from the Air Force at the end of December, with his last day in the office tomorrow, the 19th!

We, as a family, won't have much time to relax, however. Two days later we're driving to Huntsville, AL to celebrate Brad's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. We'll be in Huntsville through Christmas and the new year, then drive to Waxhaw, NC to begin Brad's flight evaluation with JAARS. The evaluation will be over the week of January 6th and will involve about 6 flights in the Robinson R66 helicopter.

After the evaluation, we will return to Florida for about a month. Assuming the evaluation goes well, our goal is to begin formal training with JAARS in their Pre-Field Orientation class which starts in early March. It is a short timeline to get everything lined up to make the quick transition, and there's no room for delays. We've got movers scheduled to pack us up in Florida mid-February so that we will be ready to head up to North Carolina!

The Lord continues to lead us to serve in Papua New Guinea. This past July we travelled to PNG for a vision trip. We were able to meet many of the people we will work with and tour the center where we will live and work.

In PNG the translation work is done by Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), a sister organization to Wycliffe and JAARS. The SIL headquarters in PNG is located in Ukarumpa Center in the mountainous Eastern Highlands region in central Papua New Guinea. It is at an elevation of 5300' which keeps the temperatures moderate. The elevation also virtually eliminates the danger of malaria which is much appreciated.

It took us about 36 hours each way to travel from Nashville, TN to Ukarumpa Center by way of Manila in the Philippines. We arrived in Port Moresby, the capital, then flew on a small SIL airplane up to the center.

At the center, we were able to tour many of the facilities and get a feel for what life will be like there. The center supports approximately 600 people from about 18 different nations around the world. There are many of the comforts we are used to. The houses have running water and collect rainwater for drinking. There are roads on-center and some vehicles, a small store and a twice-weekly market. There's internet and schools for the children. A few years ago, the center began keeping dairy cows, and now there's fresh milk and even ice cream! They also operate a clinic where Cambria could put her medical skills to use.

The two of us were able to ride along on one of the helicopter missions which was amazing. We battled sketchy weather to a village. We also picked up a translator and her family from a village in the southwest part of the county and returned them to the center. We got a first-hand look at how rugged and inaccessible the country is. In many cases, the translators would be completely unable to work without aviation support. Brad says that being a part of that particular helicopter mission nears the top of his life experiences!

In addition to the flight, we were able to tour the primary and secondary schools on the center and see the many workshops and training facilities that keep the center running.

We also were able to walk out from the center to a village close by and meet some of the people living there. A man named J. was one of those we met. Previously J. was a criminal and practitioner of dark magic. He frequently caused trouble on and around Ukarumpa Center. But when folks from the center took his son in and cared for him, J.'s heart began to soften. Now he has ceased his criminal activity and is growing coffee while folks from the center regularly meet with him. It was encouraging to see firsthand how JAARS & SIL are making a positive difference in the lives of the PNG people.

See below for a short montage of our trip to Papua New Guinea.