1314 Maurice Sonny Clavel Rd
Wauchula, FL 33873

The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace.
 Psalm 29:11 NKJV

A View of Peace River from the Piper Archer

Peace River runs from Punta Gorda through Wauchula and on

One highlight in early February was a visit from my oldest brother and my mother. Mom was very excited to go up in our trainer airplane, as she is actually a licensed pilot. Though my mom has not taken the controls in an airplane for several years, it came back to her pretty quickly, as she took over once we were up in the air. We were fortunate to have exceptional weather, which allowed us to fly two times over the course of their five-day visit. One of my other brothers and his wife also live in the Wauchula area. We kept Mom very busy.

For the last two weeks, I have been busy giving flight instruction to Chad. We have written about Chad and his family in prior updates.  He is preparing to be a missionary pilot, and he already has his aircraft mechanic’s license and private pilot license. He is currently training for his instrument rating, which allows him to fly in the clouds solely by reference to the instruments in the cockpit. It is a difficult rating to obtain. Chad had been studying and training for several months last fall in East Texas at the Missionary Training Center. Chad is now sharpening his skills with me for his check ride in early March.  The Peals are a special family to us as we also tutor three of their children.

Above: Chad with me after a training flight

Right: Chad and Family

In February we met again with Matthew and Jolynn, our pilot apprentice.  They are making contacts with pastors in Ohio now, branching out of Florida to tell their story of how God has led them to the apprenticeship pilot program at Harvest.  We were encouraged to hear the peace and confirmation God has brought them as they make connections and continue to raise support.

Darla and I were also blessed to have our supporters from Deland come to visit us and see the Harvest facilities.  Gordon and Jennifer met staff at Harvest and had the opportunity to climb inside a Chieftain, much like the Harvest Chieftain that will make the trips to support missionaries in Central America. Our dear friends braved the skies with me in the Archer training plane and we explored the Wauchula area from the air. Small plane travel is much different than a commercial jet. Jennifer was fascinated with the cattle ranches in the area, and Gordon was able to see a prominent golf resort from the air. Sharing Harvest with our partners is always a joy for us!

Gordon and Jennifer

on their tour of Harvest

Jennifer and Darla enjoying a back seat view from the air in the Archer

The big news at the hangar is our twin-engine Piper Chieftain was flown to MMS aviation in Coshocton, Ohio at the end of February to be fitted with a rebuilt engine on the right side.  MMS has been rebuilding this engine for us over the last several months, procuring new parts as necessary, and reconditioning components that are serviceable. It is a very precise operation, with many regulations to comply with. We are hopeful that in the coming weeks, the airplane will be back in our hangar, awaiting the FAA to certify the airplane for commercial service.  Personally, our big news is that we are at 96% of our monthly support goal. Our hearts are very grateful to God for His provisions, and for your generosity.

Please Pray for:

• Pray for Chad as he prepares for his flight exam in the coming days

• Pray for Chad and Sarah and family as they wait on God's direction for their next assignment

• Pray for Matthew and JoLynn as they continue to raise full support in order to resume flight training

• Pray for Harvest Aviation’s staff and board to embrace God's peace and strength as we believe in God’s perfect timing to be able to resume flights to Central America

• Pray for Darla and me as we do our best to grandparent from a distance

• Praise God that the rebuilt engine for the Chieftan is finished and the installation process has begun
• Praise God for additional supporters, bringing our support to 96% of our monthly need

If you would like to join our monthly  team of financial supporters, or give a one-time gift, you can click here, use the QR code at the right, or you can send a check to 

Harvest Aviation

1314 Maurice Sonny Clavel Rd
Wauchula, FL 33873

We are thankful for your friendship, and we very humbled by your financial and  prayer support.

Our mailing address:

1123 Bamboo Lane

Bowling Green, FL 33834