The Plane....

I woke up early to be at our airstrip before 7:00AM. The truck hauling the container with the Cessna will be there.


It has been a long process to the get the plane here.
After flying the plane from the US to Africa we had engine failure. We were about ten minutes into the flight when the engine blew. We were able to land safely back at the airport in Djibouti.
The plane was parked for some time there as we tried to raise funds to fix the engine. During the delay the military took the aircraft.
I flew to Djibouti and met Don who came from Tyler. We got the plane back and took it apart to be shipped to Uganda in a container.
The engine was sent to the US. The shipping company delayed for months on end. It can be very frustrating to get things done in the third world.
It is finally here! There's the truck coming over the hill.

I think he is stuck at the gate to the airstrip.


The moment of truth is about here. How much damage is there to the plane?


Dick built a ramp for me so we could unload the plane easily.


There were about 20 men who helped unload. (Of course we had to pay them for their help.) The entire village showed up to see what we were doing. The ramp was great and we unloaded the plane easily.
The windshield had been damaged by the fork truck driver in Djibouti.
The plane is finally here!

The engine was supposed to have been shipped from Djibouti six months ago. They did not send it until I bugged them repeatedly. The engine is going through France by ship.
There was some skin damaged on the plane as the straps holding the plane broke loose because they only used one nail!
The rotating beacon and cup was smashed on the tail. The pitot tube was pushed into the wing. The skin underneath where the tail would be was damaged and has a six inch hole in it.
Ok
The plane is here.
Ronald is as excited as I am. We can't wait to be able to use the plane for the ministry. We will have to do a little more fundraising to get the ministry soaring.

With all of the help we were able to get the plane and the parts put in our storage container. We rushed off to church. Ronald went home and put on a suit. "This is a special day! The church has been praying for this day for such a long time!" he said.