4/8/2015
This little girl and her grandmother live in this one room, plywood
house along with her parents and siblings, no water, no electricity.
To say that a day starts perfectly takes a whole new meaning when it involves great flying weather. “Severe Clear” was the reception we had from that glorious morning. This day was by all definitions perfect: calm wind, clear skies, crisp cool morning and the auspicious promise of a great flight were ours. We had a beautiful takeoff into smooth air to a cruising altitude of 9, 500 ft. with great companions who even had the courtesy of laughing at Dale’s and my tired old jokes, and each and every bounce during Dale’s soft landing.
Our passengers, Brooke(writer) and Ed(photographer) would get a little taste of our passion, our mission, our calling and our motivation for moving forward. Their mission was to witness firsthand what Wings of Faith does, how it operates, and the impact it has on those it serves with such love and compassion.
During the flight, Brooke was directing most of the questions to Dale. Her interest was naturally focused on the history of Wings of Faith, its original vision, its foreseeable future, and its purpose. I offered a couple of my experiences during my considerably short stint with WOF in relation to that of Dale, and it made for a very pleasant two hour and forty minute flight. Ed was taking pictures, over a thousand I understand.
What we saw not only impacted them but surprisingly impacted me as well. It was a poignant reminder of our reason and our calling from God. The extraordinary need festering in our land, on this land! The USA! How is it possible that the most affluent and prosperous nation in the world has its people living in such condition? But I saw it; it was there before my eyes. This perspective of poverty and utter hopelessness ubiquitous in this country’s truest American people was never evident to me at the remote location of the typical airport. I never truly saw this level of need when making a delivery and returning that same day almost immediately after unloading. It is an experience all of us at WOF should live at least once.
Tied to the needs for practical “every day” provisions, is the extraordinary need for evangelism. It is so easy to wave a banner of Christianity within the confines of our comfort zone. So easy to scurry back into our plush hideaways where a mere hiccup of our Internet service can become a crisis. It is so easy to forget that every day is a blessing and with it comes a reminder to spread the Gospel and point Gods Children to Him.
Thank God Wings of Faith is aware that such blessings are to be shared as a testimony of his Grace and compassion. The generosity of our volunteers and that of those whom support us is only a small reflection of the extraordinary love of God. To forget or overlook the spiritual necessity of God’s people would betray his calling, which is to obey his Great Commission.
When we arrived at San Carlos airport Carla Kinney and her daughter Nia picked us up to take us to a portion of the reservation. They are passionate about their heritage, their history, their people, and most importantly the Lord. Their commitment to Gods commission is a true testament of the work of the Holy Spirit in their life. Carla and Nia were gracious enough to point out to us the immense need that some of their tribal members are under and took us to a family that lives in a trash dump (no need to put that adjective in quotation marks). They showed us what is considered the most troubled neighborhood. They took us to their church, introduced us to a local artist; we visited the local museum, which serves as the hunting license facility and then, to top it all off, we were introduced to an Apache burger. I will describe it as “Wow”.
The contrast of the things we experienced highlights an Apache culture that is still alive in the proud hearts of its people. They are resilient, extraordinary, exemplary, proud, and understandably cautious of visitors, and yet, they are hospitable and courteous. Their mores and values do not make it easy for them to seek help or portray defeat. I feel there is much we can learn from them. They are, however, fertile ground for evangelism.
Our departure from San Carlos was again a treat and adventure for those of us who call the sky our home. This time Dale was gracious enough to leave the left seat of the airplane to me, and our passengers were still gracious enough to tolerate our verbal to and fro. We stopped for fuel at Buckeye airport where all three of my bounces on landing where hard and embarrassing. The last leg to Corona was uneventful. It was clear, however, that the people who departed in that airplane earlier that very morning were somehow a little different. We all had a softer heart that evening. I hope that my heart never hardens up again.
Typical of many homes on the San Carlos Reservation
Humberto Acosta, Wings of Faith Board Member
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