“Joy to the world, the Lord has come!”
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the islands of Micronesia! We have wanted to write for some time, but it just keeps going on the back burner as life fills up with constant events and responsibilities. We want you to know that we are still doing well out here and enjoying serving the people of Yap State and other parts of Micronesia. This August, Amos celebrated 20 years with PMA and was given a certificate of award from the leadership. It has been a joy to serve and we are both grateful to be here.
FAMILY
Our kids are growing. Tommy and Raina are now teenagers and going to the Yap Catholic High School. Tommy (15) is not so enthusiastic about school (takes after his dad) but does well, and Raina (14) kicked off her freshman year with a study ethic that has put her at the top of her class. It’s a tough school with long days and a lot of homework, and they have both risen to the challenge. We are proud of them.
HOMESCHOOL
Honora (12) and Theo (10) are also doing well in homeschool and Owen (4) joins in whenever he feels like it. Heidi continues to teach in our homeschool. This school year, more kids from our local church and neighborhood joined, so now she has a total of 9 students. The kids are from all different islands and ability levels, but they are becoming a cohesive group. They really enjoy doing science experiments and field trips!
MEDICAL
The last 6 months, we have had some new medical issues that could not be taken care of in Yap. First, Honora needed braces, as her teeth were cutting into her palate, causing pain and difficulty eating. We found a good orthodontist in Guam who could do the work, and now Heidi and Honora fly to Guam every 2 months or so to get the braces tightened. Heidi also had a sore on her nose that turned out to be basal cell carcinoma, and was able to have it successfully removed on one of these trips.
AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT
On July 12, our other pilot was taking off from the Woleai runway in our Queen Air, N44MA when he hit a puddle and lost control of the aircraft. The plane swerved to the right and crashed into the brush, breaking off all the landing gear and totaling the aircraft. We praise God that the pilot and – all 9 passengers on board were not injured. I was not able to get them out for almost a week due to the runway still being flooded. Finally, on a day that was already busy with other flights, I saw a window of opportunity and I took it. I flew the 2 hours down and was able to get them all out and safely back to Yap. We plan to salvage the aircraft once all the accident investigations are complete.
HANGAR EXTENSION
On September 20, we had a ribbon cutting for the completion of our hangar extension. This is a project we have been working on for over a year to extend our hangar by one additional bay (20 ft longer). It also involved installing a new bifold door, which would replace our very rickety old door. I always enjoy these kinds of projects, and it was very rewarding to complete this one and get the extra space and a new door installed.
HONORARY CITIZEN OF ULITHI!
On September 23 when I flew out to Ulithi, I was surprised by the chiefs of the island who had gathered the people together to present me with an “Honorary Citizen” award. They thanked me for the service provided over the past 20 years and really made me feel very special.
ENGINE FAILURE & REPAIR
November 19, as I was taking off from Yap on my weekly flight to Palau, the left engine started popping. Flames were coming out of the exhaust, and I quickly had to shut down the engine and return to the airport for a single engine landing (these are times when our training pays off). I spent the following days looking for the problem that would cause what is called a “compressor stall”. Ultimately, a deeper inspection of the second-stage compressor showed that the engine had ingested some foreign object “FOD” and damaged the blades enough to cause the compressor stall. This was not good news as these engines are very costly.
We quickly ordered a crate from our engine shop and were able to remove the engine and send it to Brisbane for repair. Logistics in transporting an engine like this is no simple feat. Since Yap is so isolated, we opted to move the engine to Palau and export it out of there to Australia. Brock had flown to Yap with the BN-2A Islander to help me carry a load of people from Palau to Yap, and it worked out that he was able to carry the engine back to Palau (it just barely fit in the Islander) where we then shipped it to Brisbane, on the Air Nauru weekly flight.
MINISTRY
Honora had expressed an interest in learning to play the ukelele, so Heidi got her one in Guam. She has been very enthusiastic in learning and has gotten good enough to be able to participate in our church music team. Raina helps in singing, and Tommy is picking up the cajon (neither parent has any musical ability, so this is a pleasant surprise). The music team is mostly made up of youth group kids, and we are glad to see our children getting involved in that ministry with their friends.
We continue to have the young people at our house every other Friday night for Youth Group. It’s a good chance for them to get together and hear a message from the Word, play games, and hang out together. We have a really nice bunch of teens, and our own kids have integrated well as they are now in that age group, too.
PMF CHURCH OUTREACH
Our Pastor Petrus and ministry worker Pius have been faithful in leading a small Bible study group on the island of Fais. We were asked to supply some materials to make an extended roof for the group to meet under. But then the group decided to use the materials to make a small shelter for them to have Church in on Sundays. On December 2, we celebrated the completion of the shelter with an “Open House” service.
AVIATION TEAM
Our Aviation team has grown in local staff, but we have shrunk in missionary pilots. I am currently the only pilot based in Yap. I am thankful for my friends and teammates who help me tremendously with all the flight operations. We have a good time working together and are able to accomplish much. Pray for us in the coming months as we are down to only one aircraft (until the other engine comes back from repair) and one pilot, but the demand is still there to support the remote islands and the weekly connecting flight between Yap and Palau. Again, we wish to thank each of you for your partnership in this ministry. We are so blessed that you faithfully give and support us being out here serving in aviation and church ministry. We could not be here without your partnership. Thank you again for all your prayers and support!
Amos & Heidi Collins Tommy, Raina, Honora, Theo, & Owen
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