Samaritan Air Haiti

Life Guard N3181Q

2010-04-23T16:58:00.001-04:00

Bringing a Smile to Haiti

2010-04-10T13:06:00.001-04:00

Connie's Place - Dental Team Day Two Location

2010-04-05T23:48:00.001-04:00

Before telling the story about the Dental Team Day two I think the background of Connie is important to know...
Many people and organizations in Haiti would like to utilize our helicopter but not all require this type of transportation. How to distinct where to give priority is sometimes difficult. At MAF´s (Mission Aviation Fellowship) hangar at the main airport in Port-au-Prince I met one of the many people who are helping in Haiti. After a while of conversation I understood that this person had bumped into a 60+ year old american lady in Haiti´s mountains. There in Clairie she is taking care of 21 orphans. All of them, between one and seven years of age, cases where the mother died during or shortly after birth. Mike who I spoke to was the very next day going to transport food, baby food, diapers and other household supplies up to the place, 3,000 feet above sea level. The next day one of our flights was unexpectedly cancelled. I went through my little handy red book, where I put immediately into all the multiple contacts and information which flow over us every day) and found Mike´s phone number from yesterday. I called him to ask how the transport had gone. Due to heavy rain they couldn´t drive the steep dirt road to reach Connie´s place with the orphanage. Due to our cancelled flight I offered him transportation by helicopter. The same afternoon we performed successfully the flight. Amazing! Baby bed beside baby bed. I saw a good home for all the kids. Many flights since then have been completed for Connie and her 2 local haitian helpers for the household and 2 for the yard. Those places we really see the helicopter in good use and want to make a decision for.
by Martin Schroder

This is a link to a recent article by Isom Rigell, Great writing!!!

2010-04-04T19:16:00.000-04:00

http://www.examiner.com/x-40526-West-Palm-Religion--Culture-Examiner~y2010m4d2-local-family-takes-to-the-air-to-bring-hope-to-haiti

Samaritan Air Dental Team

2010-03-28T23:17:00.000-04:00

Things have finally slowed down enough to get the information out about our Dental Team. The team is listed below.
Dr Mark Kuhl, wife Pam Kuhl, daughter Rachel, Joanna Waylon, Janie Waters, Wilbur Hobgood, Vicki Rigel, Martin, Hunter, and my wonderful Wife Robin. What a group, everyone fit like a glove. It's so nice when you look back on a trip and see how everyone had their specific purpose.

Day one.
Landed PAP, two of their bags did not show up, well it was one bag and one pitch fork yes I said pitchfork. Martin wanted to bring a pitch fork so the boys could use it to help with the garbage.
And yes you can walk through an airport with a pitchfork.
We unpacked at New Life Children's Home, then set out en-route to Jean's Village, a dear friend of ours Jean has been working at Christ Fellowship Palm Beach Garden's for many many year's.

Mark and the team quickly set up his Dental office next to the church which had been demolished from the earthquake. The dental office we set up was in the open air under a tin roof, my kind of place.

Mark went into action with the assistance of Janie, Pam and Robin. Wilbur worked crowd control and designated who would sit on the dental table at any given time, Vicki ran the pharmacy. Rachel set up the fluoride treatments. Hunter, Daniel and Martin took a tarp we brought and wrapped it on a leaky roof.
Joanna Waylan a dental hygienist cleaned teeth, Joanna was very busy with alot of patient's, she managed to finish everyone and did a great job!!!
Jean and his crew were incharge of the list of names and made sure everyone was seen in the proper order.
And me well...... I just stood around and acted like I knew what I was doing.
We also had a translator, Stanley who's House in PAP had collapsed. Stanley was staying in a tent that he set up along with others in the village.

Brian
Day two to follow

Super Heros

2010-03-22T09:55:00.000-04:00

Pilot \ Mechanic, John Kandel along with Beau Durrua and Travis Parker left Miami at 6:30 for Port Au Prince. They immediately met up with Martin Schroeder and Hunter Parker to complete the helicopter maintenance. As soon as they arrived, they moved the helicopter to the Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) hanger and began maintenance. They were Super Heros because they were in and out and saved the day. Thank you John for taking time off from your job and away from your family to donate your time and expertise to aid us in our mission.

Hunter is Home for a few days.

2010-03-20T23:11:00.000-04:00

Hunter made it home for a few day's. Hunter will leave and go back to PAP with Dr Mark Kuhl's team on Friday the 26th of March.

John Kandel, Beau Durrua and Travis Parker arrived in PAP Haiti to meet up with Martin Schroeder to complete the maintenance which is due on the helicopter.
We are very thankful for John Kandel and his family, Beau Durrua and Travis Parker for flying down to complete the maintenance work.
We are also very grateful to MAF for allowing us to use their hangar facility to accomplish the maintenance on the helicopter.

Martin will fly back to the U.S on Monday to meet up with Hunter and the Kuhls to prepare for the trip back down on the 26th.
We were able to see a few friend's tonight after Hunter's arrival home. The picture is of Hunter and Mrs Leslie (TKA Kindergarten Teacher)

Hello TKA Kindergarten Class!!

Technology is a wonderful thing

2010-03-14T20:54:00.000-04:00

We were able to talk with Martin and Hunter tonight via ichat

What a great thing.

Keep up the good work and Both Martin and Hunter say hello!!!

First Week in March Video

2010-03-11T22:16:00.001-05:00

Special request

2010-03-09T21:35:00.000-05:00

On monday we received a request from Petit Goave clinic to transport pre mature triplets. One of the three babies was in critical condition, the other two appeared stable. When we arrived we loaded the nurse and triplets in the helicopter. The baby in critical condition had a tube to help the baby breath. I'm not sure whether the tube closed off or came out when the doctor jumped in the front seat and began to open the baby's airway. Once the baby was stable we took off and headed back to the University of Miami Hospital in port Au Prince. The baby in critical condition coded during flight about half way back. Martin and the nurses tried to revive the baby. They kept pumping on the baby's little chest until we landed in Port au Prince. Martin called the guys at MAF to get the hospital staff to meet us at the helicopter. When we arrived we unloaded the babies and rushed them to the UM Hospital tent. The baby which coded in flight did not make it. Today we received word that one of the other two babies had passed away. The third baby is stable and doing well. Love y'all.
Martin and I are doing great.

Soccer Fun with Hunter

2010-03-08T06:03:00.000-05:00

A day of Soccer fun with Hunter, special thanks to the TKA Kindergarten

More of Martin and Hunter

2010-03-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

Water

2010-03-07T09:26:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we went to Operation Blessing to pick up a load of food. We delivered part of the load to Jean's Orphanage and the other part to to Terry Fowley's friend Pastor Sentiel.

Pastor Sentiel has a small well on the church property however they cannot drink the water from this well it is not safe. We brought two water filters which produce 15 gallons a day per filter. We will try to bring more filters for other's in his area on our next visit.

The cost for Pastor Sentiel to buy one gallon of safe drinking water is 6 Haitian Dollars. This is about .60 cents U.S

We are doing very well, tell everyone hello for me.

We have a day off today, we will go to Kelico Beach. Look it up on the internet, should be fun!!

I am sending pictures for you to post for the TKA kindergarten classes. Let them know the kids really like the soccer Balls

Martins Email

2010-03-07T05:38:00.000-05:00

Received the water system from Rich who distributes the ones from Lee King. So our base is good with water now. It is really a good system capable for enough water.

Begin receiving from the Air Force estimated 200 beds. Mainly for New Life for their new compound/tent. But since we have the contact we give also to people in need.
Couple of bigger tents are also promised.

One more orphanage up in the mountains asked for helicopter help due to rain. We will help them next week and at the same time begun already to talk about future service.

Attended security meeting today. All went well.

MS

TKA Kindergarten Class Thank You

2010-03-03T22:39:00.000-05:00

We wanted to show you some of the supplies which you made possible for us to deliver.

Great Job Kid's

Thank You!!

2010-03-03T22:38:00.000-05:00

Hunter and Martin

2010-03-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

We made a run to lle a vache this morning. We delivered baby food, medicines, a bunch of first aid kits, one wheel chair, crutches and the food processor.

After this we received a call to fly some Doc's from Lye Cayes to Bonne Fin. Due to the nearly 20 inches of rain the roads had washed out.

Once we were done flying for the day we headed out to Humedica where we picked up more medicine for Dr. Shoering at the orphanage and also a medicine for a clinic in Hinch.

All said we had a Great Day Dad!!

2010-02-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of Volners Village in Poulle, Haiti. My good friend Justin Palmore is on the horse. Justin made his rounds through the village on horse back taking care of the people.

Hunter and Martin

2010-02-27T09:52:00.000-05:00

Hunter and Martin continue to fly support. Keep them in your prayers as they are on the front lines providing a great service.

USS Comfort

2010-02-27T08:55:00.000-05:00

This a picture taken from our helicopter of the USS Comfort ship off the coast of Haiti. After we transport patients from outlying villages to the triage Landing Zone the military helicopters transported them to the ship.

2010-02-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Church service in Poulle Haiti. This was a young man sitting in front of us. He was full of Joy.

I tried to keep a rhythm like he had during the singing(lots of signing) but I found out I will require more practice.

Thank You Pastor Volner Alxendre for allowing us to stay at your place and attend your Church.

TKA

2010-02-23T19:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday our world was rocked by the love and generosity of some little people. Martin, Hunter and myself had the privilege to visit a few of our top supporters.

We made the visit to The King's Academy, Mrs Kim Leslie's and Mrs Lois Sexton's kindergarten classes. They have been hard at work gathering cans of Money for us to further the work our helicopters and Pilots are doing. It was also very nice seeing Mrs. Jennnifer Roberts and Mrs Kim Williams.

The children raised money for Samaritan Air Helicopter Operations in Haiti. Some collected change, some did small jobs around the house, some even asked their parents, Grandparents, family and friends to help.

They decorated cans and collected the money for other children who are about 700 miles away.

As we spoke to the children it was easy to see they had learned alot about Haiti over the last month or so since the earthquake.

It was refreshing to see children at such a young age understand the importance of giving and the desire to be part of this global situation where so many are hurting.

I would like to say a special thank you to all the kid's, Parent's, Grandparent's, Family, Friends and TKA staff for their donation and all the prayers.

Great job!! TKA Kindergarten.

Island Run to IL A Vach

2010-02-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

Roof Drop With James AKA Cheeseburger Man

2010-02-07T23:08:00.000-05:00

James aka Cheeseburger Man Thank you James for all you do for Haiti and Samaritan Air. James has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Thank you Cheeseburger Man for all you do.

Samaritan Air

Feb. 4 Update

2010-02-04T21:09:00.000-05:00

Good Evening,

This morning at 0800 we received a call from Tim Peterson who passed the phone to Dr. Randy Kline.

Dr. Kline asked if we would fly out and pick up a patient who would require a foot to be amputated.

Martin, Zach and Michael flew out to picked up the patient. Hunter and I remained back at the airport with the truck ready to receive the helicopter flight and offload the patient.

The coordinates if you would like to view on Google Earth is N18. 37. 94.0 W72. 11. 49.5

After this we transported two teams, one from YWAM and the other an independent organization who set up a medical clinic.

Martin and Zach have been such a blessing. It is amazing to see these guys in action,even after a hard days work flying they still find the time to go in and talk to the children who are in the hospital which is set up at the New Life Children's home.

You may view Zach and Jane Keller on NTM website.

Heart Attack and Head trauma Air lift

2010-02-01T12:10:00.000-05:00

Your pilots Zach and Martin rocked it! The heart attack patient was in the air by 11:15 this morning. We are blown away by how the Lord coordinated everything! Tell Zack and Martin how thankful and impressed we all are! In addition, they are helping us out with a head trauma patient who needs specialized care.

With much love and gratitude, Ruth Brown

Landing on the roof in Port au Prince

2010-02-01T09:02:00.000-05:00

Samaritan Air Video

2010-01-30T13:54:00.000-05:00

Update From Zack And Martin

2010-01-30T09:35:00.000-05:00

We did a couple of medical flights yesterday, one of them to Petit-a-Gauve’ to get a little boy that had been hit in the head with a pick-ax. Pretty sad, the little guys left side was not working, but at least he should survive.

On behalf of the entire Blumhardt family, Thank you

2010-01-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Durango CO. Several days ago Samaritan Air flew me from Port Au Prince to Cap Haitien and back to rescue my adoptive son Witson. After a long journey we havefinally made it home to Durango.

We will always be very, very grateful to your extraordinary service andmission.

On behalf of the entire Blumhardt family, Thank you.

Haiti Earthquake update from Haiti

2010-01-27T09:45:00.000-05:00

1/27/2010

The days in Haiti after the earthquake would be overwhelming for most. Our team has been working long hard days; they have no time to get off their feet. We have been up and down supplying rice, beans, medical support and supplies to various regions of Haiti.
The pilots have also pulled double duty to assist some of the Doc’s in the UM Hospital.

Today flights were completed again to Bonne Finn to take Medical supplies that we gathered from various places around the camp and local area medical programs. The pilots are becoming quite versed with medical equipment and medical supplies.

We also began transporting children to the New Life Children’s Home who have been discharged from the hospital but still require medical attention. We also transported to the small hospital setup where they will continue to heal from this tragic event.

The organizations that are here are doing great job. It just so happens to be a monumental task. Samaritans Purse working through Missionary Flights International is bringing us 4 drums of AVGAS which Hunter Parker and Bob Erneston purchased and delivered to the Hangar in Ft Pierce, The delivery time will be today at 1:00PM….I want to give a special thank you to them

I kept thinking yesterday that I have never truly felt real hunger. I can only tell you the desperation I see in their faces says it all. The helicopter made numerous rooftop landings to deliver food to the people. I continued to make drops in the area until it became unsafe for the helicopter to land due to the hostile environment caused by the people who would rush the helicopter as we unloaded our cargo.

We continue to do what we are called to do. The helicopters have been very valuable to the Haitian people. Load by load we make a difference. Please pray as the days continue. The people grow more violent when there is a limited food supply.

I cannot begin to tell you the magnitude of this disaster. The bodies piled in the streets the dead who still remain in the rubble are sights and smells we will not soon forget.
Haiti will rebuild, the spirit of the people has been strained but they are resilient.

Thank each and everyone for their continued prayer and support.

Thank You
Brian Parker

Track of the R44

2010-01-26T15:59:00.000-05:00

this is the track of the R44 down in Haiti for the past 4 days

Post From a Radio Listener 01-26-10

2010-01-26T15:51:00.000-05:00

This morning as I listened to WRMB 89.3 radio the woman from the station talked about her journey down to Haiti to see what was REALLY NEEDED right now. The first people she ran into were Brian and Travis. Praise God for knowing whose hands she was in as she described how Brian walked her around and introduced her to several people. As she spoke about Samaritan Air and the helicopters brought down to assist the work, she stated how $ for fuel for Mission Flights International and Samaritan Air was a key right now. She saw the "Mash Unit" set up at the airport, with the children and people set up on cot after cot being treated with what little there was! Joy flooded my heart with prayer and worship of our Sovereign Lord and His mighty hand in all of it. The hands and feet of Christ walking through the lives of those who have trusted Him with their lives, truly are beautiful to behold as they bring the peace of His gospel with them! Praying for His protection, His finances to be used, and HIS Glory to be on the lips of all who are ministering and encountering the very hand of God in the love and selfless acts being done.
Thank You Karen for your post

Words from Simon Tanner, Director of Heli-Mission

2010-01-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we flew food supplies and medical supplies to Christianville in Gressier. This is where we stayed last time we were in Haiti. There is a Christian Centre there, where they teach folks how to do their own gardens and fish, etc. Their School/University collapsed as well as their living house.

Tomorrow we will fly with both helicopters to Pestel, 86 west of Port au Prince. There “Mirjam”, the leader of the orphanage we are staying, has helped in the past 3 decades to develop the area and advance the Gospel. We will fly her in with a medical team and medical supplies.

First Day On the Ground

2010-01-24T11:57:00.000-05:00

Mark and Travis transported medical supplies to Pestel 86 miles to the west of Port au Prince where more supplies are needed tomorow. Zach and Brian dropped in on a 4 story roof top to deliver goods to Pastor Roro an old friend from our last adventures in Haiti. Simon Tanner and Brian secured more medical relief from humaneca to be delivered in the helicopter. We will be delivering supplies to Bone Finn and Christianville tomorrow. Supplies delivered by Mark Schiffindecker to Port au Prince then transported to Christianville by helicopter.

The facts of course do not tell the whole story of what is actually happening in the lives of those serving and the lives of those being served. They start each day with prayer for safety and to open their eyes to the ministry opportunities that are before them.

As always thank you for your prayer and support.

Skids On The Ground In Port Au Prince

2010-01-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

On Thursday Jan 21 we launched the helicopters headed for Haiti. We sent a Bell 206 Long Ranger and Robinson R44. Simon Tanner, the Director of Heli-mission, Travis Parker, Mark Palmieri flew the Bell and the Pilots of the R44 were Martin Schroder and Zach Keller.

The skids touched down in Port au Prince Haiti this afternoon Jan. 22 at about 2:00pm and hit the ground flying. Plans to transport patients to the ship comfort were hampered by communication issues. The small cell towers are unable to facilitate the amount of users who have arrived to help the small island of haiti. Tomorrow they will begin the tasks of moving food, water, medicine, doctors. Doing medevac flights and whatever will fit in side the helicopter that needs to be moved.

I talked to Brian Parker this morning, Jan. 23, he said they are getting ready to launch one of the helicopters to Cape Haitian transporting a doctor and medicine. Along with the doctor is a father going to pick up his adopted child to bring home to the US..

As details come in from down there we will be posting them to the blog daily so keep checking back with us for new updates.

We are so thankful for your prayers and support.

Wheels Up

2010-01-19T18:54:00.000-05:00

After much planning and prayer, Brian left for Haiti. The jet was wheels up from Ft. Pierce at 0900. The crew and supplies made it safely to Port-Au-Prince. One small delay in Provo allowed us to see the generosity of that small town. Jesse from Mother's Pizza donated pizza for the plane. The two people Sandra and Dayana delivered the pizzas. They were so excited to help out, doing what they could with what they had to help their neighbors.

The goal is to secure a safe location for the helicopters and crew and if all goes well two helicopters will leave out on Thursday.

There are three companies that made this trip possible. The owners and pilots of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs racing donated the use of their jets and Palm Beach County Heath Care District Trauma Hawk Division approved Brian's request for an extended leave so that he can coordinate operations from Haiti.

It is inspiring to see everyone doing their part to bring hope to the people of Haiti.

Please pray for all the volunteers helping in Haiti, the safety of the aircraft and crews and for God's name to be glorified as we demonstrate the hands and feet of Jesus.

Haiti Earthquake 7.0

2010-01-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

Dear Friends, Thank you to those of you who have been calling and wondering what you can do to help. Samaritan Air is working closely with our contacts in Haiti.
The information is coming in slowly but we do know the orphanage and ministry center where we stayed on our last mission has been leveled. The children have been moved to the chicken coups and the staff is staying in the only small building that remains standing on the property.
While we wait to confirm the ability to obtain fuel for the helicopter, clearance to enter the country and other technical details, we are coordinating with various ministries both here and in Haiti to determine exactly what will bring the most relief to the devastating situation.
Please pray for the team as they work on logistics. There are SO many needs and we want to make the best possible decision for the resources that become available.
With heavy hearts and yet hopeful hearts - we reopen the blog http://www.samaritanairhaiti.blogspot.com/ .
We are thankful for the network we already have in place there but also saddened because we now personally know them and the extreme hardship they face today and in the months to come.
We hope in some small way we can bring relief. Again, thank you for your prayers for our friends in Haiti and the Samaritan Air team. As updates become avaialble we will email the link to you.

We have been busy...

2008-10-29T18:44:00.001-04:00

The past few weeks have been full and rich with experiences none of those involved will soon forget. There are many of you who were unable to personally go to Haiti but were there feeding the poor and ministering to the sick through your prayers and support. We hope you will get a glimpse of all that God has done and continues to do through you.

Hunter is back with all the information that we need and also the skill to update the blog.

We have a video for those who like the visual interpretation, the numbers for those who prefer the bottom line and the story to fill in the blanks.

Just the facts…

The helicopter has delivered the following supplies to remote unreachable areas
9,350 lbs of rice
4,750 lbs of beans
2,225 lbs of oil
150 lbs of soap

Medical Flight from remote areas to the hospital
1 child’s life was saved with a quick transport to the hospital

The stories just keep coming as we debrief with the pilots and other short-term missionaries that were apart of this relief effort in Haiti. One common thread to all of them is the sovereign hand of God that directed every step of every day.

Our initial purpose was to deliver food to the desperate people cut off from the food supply due to destroyed roads. It seemed that each day brought with it new opportunities to minister. On a routine visit with a local Pastor we had been helping, the need arose to transport the child to the hospital. Looking back, it was not by chance that we were in that exact place at the exact time that the helicopter would be needed.

The helicopter is not only a necessary tool in the air but also on the ground. There are no other private helicopters in Haiti so when one is flying about delivering food it commands attention. Because of this, one by-product, that we feel will prove to be one of the most instrumental things that happened while we were there, was as Matt said “We helped connect the dots”. We were surprised to find how many of the Christian organizations and churches did not know of each other but they all knew about us. Matt began to network them together and they were able to begin to meet the needs of each other. Once again, the sovereign hand of God moving throughout a country so disconnected by terrain and yet so many people connected in purpose.

With the initial relief effort nearly completed, we now begin the process of assessing the long-term needs of Haiti and how the helicopter can best be used to meet those needs.

Please continue to pray with us as we serve God with our time and resources.

"Wow what a Day"!!

2008-10-17T21:07:00.000-04:00

The information from Haiti has slowed down due to Hunter being in Haiti. Hunter is in charge of keeping the blog updated. While in Haiti he has no Internet access to upload the data.

Beau and Hunter will be back on Oct 20th, once they are back they will provide an update on last week's event's.

On October 15th I was able to take a quick trip to Haiti to check on the operation.

Rene Delgado along with his son Daniel accompanied me on the trip. It was exciting to have them along and see firsthand the way God has been using SamaritanAir to fly relief and bring the message of hope to the people of Haiti.

While there we flew to one of the town's we provide helicopter support for. Upon landing at the LZ we were greeted by hundreds of people who had come to the medical clinic which Pastor Roro set up for the day. There we met two young Doctors who volunteer a couple times a year.

As Rene, Matt,Daniel and myself moved through the crowd Pastor Roro came to us with a request. He said the Doctors had a child who required hospitalization. Wow talk about being at the right place at the right time, the helicopter we flew in on surely could transport the sick child to the hospital.

We contacted the Hands and Feet project Administrator Drex, without any hesitation Drex said he would be glad to help in any way he could. So Renee, Pilot Matt, Future Pilot Daniel transported the child to the town of Jacmel where they met Jo who assisted with the hand off.

Thank You Hands and Feet project for making yourselves available.

Great Teamwork!!

Later in the evening we were invited to Franks house for praise and worship and a quick time to share. It was very inspiring to hear Frank speak.

The title of the Blog came from Daniel Delgado as he sat down at the end of the day for dinner Daniel said with a big grin "Wow what a day"

Rescue, Relief and Renewal

2008-10-09T22:24:00.000-04:00

The events of the past few days have confirmed what we have always believed, the helicopter was created for rescue, relief, and renewal.

The place they went today was unreachable by any vehicle. The road is destroyed and there are no airstrips for a plane. The helicopter made several trips delivering rice and beans until the weather set in for the afternoon.

"Thank you for coming - I have starving children"

I knew this fact, I had even see pictures of their desperate faces but until a man made his way over to me, hugged me and said those words, I did not comprehend the true depth of their situation. This is why Samaritan Air came to Haiti, this is why we are here.

Hands and Feet Project

2008-10-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

Today the helicopter was used to assist the Hands and Feet Project. Check them out at http://www.handsandfeetproject.org/ We are privileged to work along side such a quality organization.

Our base of operation is set up at the Christianville Compound in Greisser. Doug and Amy, have been so gracious. The basketball court has been converted into a heli-pad. The crew left the compound and headed towards Jacmel to view the mudslide area and to asses what could be done to restore and possibly prevent reoccurring. Their next mission was a delivery of "essential kits" to a small town that was unreachable by road. They flew a Pastor with them who shared a message of hope to the people of the town.

Tomorrow they will transport over 3000 lbs. of rice, beans and oil to the people of Seguin who have been cut off from all travel since the last storm.

We hoped we could have actual pictures of the mission but communication has been sparse. Their flight as recorded by our tracking system is pictured here.

Thank you for your prayers and your support.

Something So Big

2008-10-05T21:08:00.000-04:00

After waiting for three days for the weather to clear, N3181Q took off for Haiti at 8:29 this morning. Veteran pilot Dan Erneston was on hand to provide valued logistical support to the crew throughout the day.

Through a tracking device we were able to monitor their flight over the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. The song "There is something about the ocean' comes to mind. The first leg was from Jupiter Florida to Nassau Bahamas. They cleared customs, topped off their fuel and headed to Stella Maris, the last leg of their trip from Stella Maris to Provo. Tomorrow the pilots, Matt Holeton and Travis Parker, will fly one more route from Provo in the Turks & Caicos to Port-au-Prince, Haiti and then the real work begins. After they arrive in Haiti, we will track their flights every day and provide flight details.

So many of you have been a part of this ministry through prayer and financial support and now you will be able to virtually experience the actual missions serving the desperate people of Haiti. After watching the news footage today and hearing the message at Christ Fellowship about "Impacting the world with the love AND the message of Jesus Christ", we are even more committed to this endeavor. Thank you for you continued prayers and support and stay tuned!!

Samaritan Air Goes To Haiti

2008-09-30T15:31:00.000-04:00

These pictures cannot fully convey the scope of devastation that the humble country of Haiti is currently experiencing. The last three major storms left in their path washed out roads and destroyed bridges. This along with massive mudslides has all but frozen the transportation of food and medical support and supplies to rural areas. It is a crisis which has brought Haiti, already used to harsh living conditions, to a place that can only be described as catastrophic.

Two days ago Brian and Hunter Parker went on a fact finding trip to assess the damage first hand and to be certain that the necessary fuel and aviation support would be there for the helicopter."Our hearts were broken by the conditions we saw but also encouraged by the many people who have stepped up to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who at this moment in time are 'the least of these' "

Many of the organizations that have descended upon Haiti to assist during this time of recovery are handicapped because of the poor conditions or lack of roads. Even those who usually transport aid by airplane have been hindered because many of their airstrips are destroyed or underwater.

Samaritan Air is sending an R44 Helicopter to Haiti to support the organizations already on the ground there. Our missions will include transport of food and medical personnel and supplies We will also assist government officials as they survey the devastation and plan to rebuild.

The R44 will leave Florida on October 1st. We will update this blog with every detail possible so that you are able to see all that God is doing when His people are His hands and feet.