Off the Grid

A Day in the Life of Missionaries -Nicaragua

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Narrator:Chet Damron

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Series Code: OTG

Program Code: OTG000044A


00:01 Narrator: The life of a missionary in the remote
00:03 rural jungle is not an easy one.
00:06 The Hanley family have lived in Tranquera in the north-eastern
00:09 part of Nicaragua for 10 years.
00:12 During that time, their ministry has evolved into a multi-faceted
00:17 aviation project, that ministers to the indigenous Miskito people
00:23 Aviation humanitarian aid is the majority of the work,
00:27 that this project does.
00:29 Clint is a pilot and offers med-evac flights to all the
00:33 neighboring villages to transport patients to a higher
00:37 level of medical care.
00:39 There are no safe road systems from the thick jungles from
00:43 Puerto Cabezas, where the closest hospital equipped
00:47 to handle critical injuries is located.
00:50 Currently, this project is the only humanitarian aviation
00:53 support in the entire country.
00:56 There are no other aviation projects to help the people
00:59 in Nicaragua.
01:01 Clint: We devote a lot of our attention and time
01:04 to humanitarian aid.
01:05 The right hand arm of the gospel is being able
01:07 to help people medically.
01:09 And being able to offer them this help, and being able to
01:14 give them the hope, that they can have a better medical care
01:20 by transporting them.
01:21 We have the only ambulance for air travel in all of Nicaragua
01:25 that can carry oxygen and a stretcher.
01:28 And we are the only airplane in all of Nicaragua,
01:30 that is able to do this.
01:33 And we are the only airplane, that is based on the whole
01:37 Atlantic coast.
01:38 To be able to offer them help from a remote runway and get
01:42 them to a place where they can have better medical care
01:45 is a big blessing that they have and it saves a lot of lives.
02:34 Narrator: Clint stays very busy flying med-evac flights.
02:37 Often he will fly 5 or more patients a week.
02:41 In spite the demanding flight schedule, the Hanley's are not
02:46 satisfied with offering only aviation service.
02:50 Their ministry in Tranquera includes more than the work
02:55 they do with aviation.
02:57 The family finds new ways to help the local Miskito people.
03:01 Aviation opens the doors of opportunity to minister
03:05 to the people of this region.
03:08 Though years of service, the Miskito people have come to
03:11 accept the Hanley family as one of their own.
03:16 They see the love of Christ displayed in the service
03:19 the Hanley's provide.
03:21 Everyone on this Adventist World Aviation mission base dedicated
03:26 100% of their time to ministry.
03:30 Each day's work differs significantly from the next,
03:34 but no matter the activity, it is guaranteed to be focused
03:39 on ministering to the local people.
03:43 Jud: You know the airplane flying, and you know
03:45 the med-evacs is the most dramatic part of the work,
03:48 that you do here and are involved with, but that doesn't
03:51 happen all day and constantly and so I'm sure that there are
03:54 other things, that you look for, that are needs
03:58 in the communities that you can help.
04:01 Clint: Flying is probably the most fun thing to do.
04:03 It is the most exciting and that's one of the things that
04:06 most people focus on the most.
04:08 But that happens a few times a week and it's not - it doesn't
04:11 cover all of your life.
04:12 There's a lot of mundane, regular work that needs done.
04:15 Maintaining the airplane, building the hangar.
04:18 Narrator: The goal of each Adventist World Aviation
04:20 project is to provide
04:22 logistical and infrastructural support to the area they serve.
04:28 Primarily this is accomplished by the use of aircraft,
04:32 however, there are instances where this includes
04:35 land transportation as well.
04:38 Not far from the aviation base is another Adventist mission
04:43 whose primary work focuses on operating a medical clinic.
04:48 Clint works in close cooperation with this mission and assists
04:53 them whenever he can help.
04:56 Today Clint receives a call over the radio from the other mission
05:00 Hanna: Hey Clint this is Hanna, right now my poorly is
05:03 not really working and I'm wondering if you can come by
05:06 and help me out with it?
05:07 Narrator: Located in Francia, The other mission project is
05:12 over just one hour's drive away.
05:15 The roads in this part of Nicaragua are very rugged
05:18 and often not passable.
05:21 Thankfully today the roads are dry enough for Clint and his son
05:25 Brendell to make the journey to Francia to help
05:29 the other mission with their transportation issues.
05:32 Clint: We are on our way. We are almost to the Romillia Switch
05:34 We got delayed a little. Sorry.
05:38 Hanna: No problem at all. I'm here waiting.
05:41 Clint: Ok talk to you later.
05:42 Narrator: Years ago Clint helped this mission by installing
05:45 a radio communication system and a solar electric system
05:50 to make them more efficient.
05:52 These systems significantly enhanced their work in Francia.
05:58 It also gave them a way to communicate with Clint,
06:01 should they need to call for a medevac from their remote clinic
06:06 Today, Hanna, a student missionary has called Clint for
06:11 help in repairing her only mode of transportation, a 4-wheeler.
06:18 Hanna: Hi my name is Hanna Garva and I'm currently a student
06:21 missionary here in Francia Sirpi.
06:24 This is our TRAM headquarters.
06:28 Tasba Raya Adventist Ministries and I'm working in the clinic
06:33 with Dr Caldara and at our school as well.
06:36 Narrator: Hanna is a student missionary
06:38 working in the local clinic.
06:40 She works alongside a doctor and ministers to the local people.
06:45 The Clinic is not located in the mission compound and this
06:49 4- wheeler is her only mode of transportation
06:52 to and from the clinic.
06:53 Without this vehicle, she is not able to continue her work.
06:58 It's extremely important, especially right now.
07:01 The doctor is actually in Managua and I'm the only,
07:04 the only type of health person here.
07:07 I'm not even a nurse, so just the other day we had a burn
07:11 victim and our 4-wheeler wasn't working and thankfully,
07:17 thank God that Clint was able to come transport him to Waspam
07:22 because his burns were too severe for us, or for me to do anything
07:27 Narrator: Clint assists this Adventist mission in many ways.
07:31 He keeps close communication with the clinic and transport
07:36 all critical patients to the hospital.
07:39 Since this mission compound is so remote, all severely injured
07:43 or ill patients must be taken to the hospital which is hours away
07:48 There is no ambulance system in this part of the world and Clint
07:52 must transport all patients.
07:55 Hanna: The closest hospital is about two hours away.
08:00 But, if you want a better facility that's another,
08:05 that's about five - five or six hours depending on how bad
08:10 the roads are.
08:12 If it's really raining, If here in rainy season it's even worse.
08:16 The roads can get really bad and sometimes you can't even
08:20 cross them.
08:22 Maybe it will take the whole day so if you have an emergency
08:25 situation and you need to transport them,
08:28 it can get really dangerous.
08:31 We try and keep in contact with them because they really help us
08:35 with transportation, with the airplane and it's just
08:40 nice to know another American family around here.
08:44 Narrator: So Clint works on repairing this vehicle for Hanna
08:47 In order for her to continue her work at the clinic,
08:50 she must be able to reach it safely.
08:54 Without the 4-wheeler, it would not be safe
08:57 for her to walk alone.
09:00 Hanna: So there are no transportation options
09:02 in the village.
09:04 You can walk. A lot of the young men have bicycles.
09:09 There is a big truck that comes in from Port every other day,
09:15 but it holds a lot of cargo on top and it's really dangerous
09:18 to ride, so we don't ride on it.
09:23 Narrator: Clint diagnoses the problem with the 4-wheeler,
09:25 that the starter is the problem.
09:28 For him it will be an easy repair.
09:31 Currently, Hanna is the only medical provider at this mission
09:34 The doctor had to do go the capital for business so it vital
09:38 to get this vehicle running, so she can continue her work.
09:42 Clint also enlists his son to help him fix the 4-wheeler.
09:46 Although Brendell is young, he also does his share
09:49 of mission work.
09:51 Today, he can help his dad fix this motor vehicle
09:55 for the neighboring mission.
09:56 Soon the repair is made and they crank up the 4-wheeler.
10:01 The starter issue is resolved, however it seems the battery
10:05 is not holding the charge very well.
10:08 Clint: You should probably charge the battery
10:09 up inside in your system.
10:13 It wouldn't be bad to take it off and we could put it
10:16 in there to charge now.
10:18 Because he said it takes about a minute of cranking to be able to
10:21 get it to start the first time.
10:23 When you first start it. So that's going to take
10:24 quite a bit of cranking.
10:26 But now that it's been running, at least today,
10:28 it'll start a little easier.
10:31 Let's see if it starts right up.
10:39 Narrator: Since he is the one who installed it, Clint is very
10:42 familiar with the solar charging system at the mission.
10:46 He takes the battery from the vehicle and shows Hanna
10:49 how to set it up to charge.
10:52 The solar panels captures the energy from the
10:55 intense Nicaraguan sun.
10:58 The power is converted and stored in car batteries,
11:01 that the mission uses to power all its electronics.
11:05 This solar system keeps the mission up and running.
11:08 Clint: Now the battery is hooked into your power system.
11:12 Narrator: Clint is happy to help other ministries accomplish
11:14 their work.
11:16 This work falls perfectly in line with Adventist World
11:19 Aviation's mission of establishing infrastructural
11:24 and logistical support in remote locations around the world.
11:47 Narrator: Now that his work at the Adventist mission
11:49 is complete, Clint starts his journey back to his own mission
11:53 base, where more mission work awaits him.
11:56 Midway on his journey home, as he drives through the pine
12:00 savannah, he sees a motorcyclists stranded
12:04 on the side of the road.
12:06 It seems that his mechanic duties are not yet finished
12:09 for today.
12:11 So Clint pulls over to see if he can help this stranded motorist.
12:16 Almost everyone in this region knows Clint
12:19 and the AWA mission base.
12:22 He cannot pass by someone in need.
12:25 At first glance it's apparent the motorist has a flat tire.
12:30 Clint retrieves his pump and tools in effort to fix the leak.
12:35 However, despite their efforts to inflate the tire,
12:39 it continues to remain flat.
12:43 There must be a large gash in the tire he thinks.
12:48 Out here in the remote jungle, there're no mechanic shops,
12:52 or tire stores to quickly remedy the situation.
12:56 A flat tire would leave this man stranded with no option, but to
12:59 push his bike for days, until he reached a larger town.
13:05 Clint's base is only an hour's drive away.
13:09 He resolves to load the bike into the truck and fix the
13:12 motorcycle at the mission base.
13:16 The bike just barely fits into the back on the mission truck.
13:20 Thankfully, the men can angle the bike just right
13:24 to get the tailgate closed.
13:27 So with the bike loaded, they resume their trip back
13:30 to the AWA mission base.
13:33 Clint has the supplies they need to fix the bike in his garage.
13:39 The men reach the mission base and quickly begin fixing
13:42 the tire on the stranded motorist's bike.
13:46 Again Brendell is by his dad's side offering to help
13:50 anyway he can.
13:52 They pump up the tire to see if they can locate
13:55 where the air is escaping.
13:57 After a few spins, they find a puncture mark on the tire.
14:02 The roads in this area are in terrible condition,
14:05 so a punctured tire is not an uncommon occurrence.
14:09 In Tranquera, there is no way to buy a new tire
14:13 to replace this one.
14:14 They must patch the hole.
14:17 Clint keeps a tire patch kit in his garage.
14:20 He begins his work repairing this man's tire,
14:23 which is a labor of love for Clint.
14:26 He does not know this man, nor did he have to stop
14:30 and help him.
14:32 Clint expects nothing from him in return.
14:35 Clint and his family always seek to find every opportunity
14:39 they can to help the Miskito people.
14:43 They want the people to see the love of Christ
14:46 shining through them.
14:48 Clint knows that by devoting a few hours to help this man
14:52 repair his tire he is ultimately leaving a meaningful impact
14:56 on this man's life.
14:59 As they work together, Clint talks with him and builds
15:02 a relationship with a new friend.
15:20 While Clint works in the garage, Marilyn spends her day
15:23 helping others.
15:25 This mission base has an open-door policy
15:28 to assist whoever comes seeking help.
15:32 Marilyn is a registered nurse and has a constant stream
15:35 of patients coming to the clinic they've built on the base.
15:41 These patients will walk four or five hours to reach
15:44 the Adventist World Aviation mission base.
15:49 Marilyn examines each patient, gives them supplemental
15:52 medications from the pharmacy.
15:56 Often the patients will bring produce from their plantations
16:00 in appreciation.
16:02 They are so thankful to have Marilyn treat them.
16:05 Marilyn doesn't just treat her patients ailments.
16:09 She also educates each patient she sees.
16:14 She gives each person basic information about nutrition,
16:17 drinking clean water and healthful living.
16:24 Sadly, Marilyn has noticed a trend in many of the patients
16:27 she sees.
16:28 A vast majority of the women come in with respiratory issues.
16:33 This stems from Miskito women cooking in their small
16:37 unventilated huts with charcoal.
16:40 Each day, the native women spend hours cooking in a confined
16:45 space with smoke pouring in their faces.
16:49 Day after day, the women breathe in this harmful smoke,
16:52 which makes them sick.
16:55 This problem is not isolated to just the women of the village.
16:59 The Miskito people are very poor and look for any opportunity
17:02 to make money.
17:04 And one of the ways some villagers have found to make
17:07 their livelihood is to burn wood and make carbon charcoal.
17:15 These people don't understand just how harmful this line
17:19 of work is on their bodies.
17:21 Men and women and even children will spend days making charcoal
17:25 to sell.
17:26 During this time, they inhale the smoke, thus damaging
17:30 their bodies.
17:33 To make the charcoal, they must continually harvest
17:36 trees from the forests.
17:38 They strip acres of land of pine trees and put them
17:41 in a burn pile.
17:44 They control the burn rate by piling dirt on top of the logs
17:48 so the wood smolders for days.
17:51 Then they dig out portions of the pile and pour water
17:56 on the carbon.
17:58 Afterwards they gather the charcoal into bags
18:01 and sell them to others.
18:03 This line of work has many health consequences.
18:08 Marilyn: The people, who are doing carbon right now, maybe
18:11 three, four, five years they're all going to be getting
18:14 really serious lung ailments from the dust, from the carbon.
18:18 And the people in the village, who are making carbon,
18:23 making charcoal, are maybe in three, four, five years
18:27 they're going to be getting sick
18:29 They have children there. They have pregnant women there
18:31 and everyone is going to start getting lung ailments.
18:34 Because of the amount of time they're spending breathing
18:37 the carbon dust from the charcoal camps.
18:40 Narrator: Another consequence of this industry is the erosion
18:43 of land in the village.
18:44 When people cut down whole forests at once, the ground is
18:49 easily washed away by the strong Nicaraguan rain storms.
18:53 The root system of the trees is no longer able to keep
18:57 the ground in place.
19:00 The land is especially ruined.
19:02 Unfortunately this is an issue, that directly impacts
19:06 the mission base here.
19:07 Erosion is threatening the runway that Adventist World
19:11 Aviation uses for their aviation service.
19:15 The Hanley's do what they can to educate the people on how
19:19 harmful this industry is for themselves, and their village.
19:24 Marilyn visits homes and talks to the ladies about alternative
19:27 ways for cooking, that wouldn't be so detrimental
19:31 to their community.
19:33 As she does this, she develops relationships with them and
19:37 reminds them just how much she cares for their wellbeing.
19:46 Every member of the Hanley family helps the Miskito people
19:49 with their ministry.
19:50 The mission is a constant buzz of activity as people walk
19:54 hours for help.
19:56 Even the young Hanley children take a break from their
19:59 home schooling to help.
20:01 This afternoon 2 young boys ride on to the base carrying a bag.
20:08 Marilyn: He's brought some phones, that we're going to
20:11 charge on our solar system.
20:14 Because they don't have standard power in their village.
20:18 Narrator: Brendell offers to be in charge of the cell phones.
20:21 In this part of the world, there's no electricity running
20:25 to the small villages.
20:26 To keep their phones active they ask the mission to charge them.
20:32 Even though they are isolated from the rest of the world,
20:35 it's important for these people to have a cell phone
20:38 in the village.
20:39 Should they need to call for help, or a med-evac,
20:42 it's important to have a way to communicate.
20:46 It's a bright sunny day, so these phones should charge
20:50 pretty quickly.
20:52 Brenedell keeps an eye on each one and makes sure
20:55 they are fully charged before they are returned.
20:59 For the rest of the day, the mission remains a constant
21:02 buzz of activity.
21:04 Marilyn sees another patient, while more men come
21:07 to the Clinic with repairs.
21:09 The missionary children take the opportunity to play
21:12 with other children, while they wait for their parents.
21:16 Narrator: Another way the AWA air base in Nicaragua helps
21:19 spread the gospel, is by supplying transportation
21:22 for local pastors to visit their congregations,
21:26 that are spread out throughout the jungle.
21:29 It is the goal of each Adventist World Aviation airbase
21:33 to establish logistical and transportation support
21:36 in each of the areas they work.
21:39 In Nicaragua, pastors are extremely limited in number,
21:43 yet they cover large areas.
21:45 Adventist World Aviation helps transport pastors by plane
21:50 to help them reach their congregations, which are
21:53 spread out through the jungle.
21:56 Hello, my name is Pastor Manyano Arera.
22:01 For now, I live in Managua the university of,
22:05 Adventist University in Managua.
22:07 Clint don't work only when he was flying.
22:12 Sometime the people say "oh how many hours you have to flying?"
22:16 No. They work very hard even when they work on land
22:21 with the people, with all the community.
22:26 Narrator: The Hanley's have also found another effective way
22:29 to help supply transportation for their local pastor.
22:34 Pastor Samuel is a friend of Clint and Marilyn
22:37 for many years now.
22:39 He is a lay pastor assigned to minister to this area.
22:43 He uses a bicycle to travel between villages.
22:46 Often he rides for 4-5 hours one way just to reach a congregation
22:52 Clint: ok, this is Mr. Samuel. He is our lay pastor,
22:55 who comes from Tasba Pine.
22:57 And let me ask how long it takes him to get here.
23:03 This time, I rode on the bike two hours to get here.
23:06 And that's normal. Two hours is a normal time that it takes him
23:12 to get here on his bike.
23:15 So he comes here to go to church
23:17 And he is, teaches, helps teach Sabbath School and helps
23:22 preach at our little church.
23:24 And that's his bicycle that he takes to church, and I have
23:29 some parts for him, that I just flew in the airplane.
23:35 Narrator: Clint wants to make sure, that the gospel reaches
23:38 as many villages among the Miskito people as possible.
23:42 He made an arrangement with Pastor Samuel to make sure
23:45 he always has transportation.
23:48 Bicycles and parts are not available in this village.
23:56 Clint: His bicycle he rides that at least you know about 4 hours.
24:01 But he also goes other places on his bicycle to other churches
24:04 and stuff, so we keep him supplied with bicycle parts
24:08 for his bicycle all the time as part of his help to us.
24:13 Narrator: Clint flies in the bike parts
24:15 that the pastor needs from Port.
24:17 The poor roads and conditions takes an enormous toll
24:21 on the pastor's bicycle.
24:23 Without the logistical support from this mission, the Pastor's
24:27 bike would breakdown within a short time and there would be no
24:30 way to reach his congregations.
24:32 Not only does the mission fly in the parts he needs, but these
24:36 parts are given as a gift to the pastor to enhance his ministry.
24:41 Joy gleams from the pastor's face as he receives new rims
24:46 and a tire pump.
24:48 The bike items will keep his ministry moving
24:52 into new territories.
24:54 Clint: Because we requested that he does that, and we give him a
24:56 a little stipend every month to come here and with his help
24:59 for his bike too.
25:00 So between both of those that's his motivation for riding
25:04 that far.
25:05 And we don't have other Seventh Day Adventist's, who are able to
25:09 teach and preach at our church that are any closer than that.
25:13 So if we help him out a little bit with his bike and give him
25:18 a little bit every month, he's happy to come help us.
25:19 What we're giving him a month is fifteen dollars.
25:22 So it's not enough to really do much to help him,
25:25 but it's a little bit.
25:27 So he mostly does it because he want to help the church.
25:33 He says he's happy that he has God's work to do.
25:35 And it's nice to be able to help
25:46 He says he's happy to be able to come here and share God's word
25:49 with the people in this area too
25:55 That's the reason that he's happy and wants to thank us.
25:59 Narrator: The Pastor and Clint spend the rest of the day
26:01 together visiting and discussing future plans.
26:04 Developing relationships here among the local people is vital
26:09 to the success of this mission.
26:11 Cultivating this friendship deepens the trust
26:14 of the Miskito people.
26:17 As the day ends, the pastor again thanks Clint
26:20 for helping his ministry.
26:22 He gathers his new bike materials and happily begins
26:25 the 2 hour bike ride to his home
26:28 Ministry isn't an easy task here in the rural jungles
26:32 of Nicaragua, but simple joys like a new bike rim encourages
26:38 Pastor Samuel to keep the faith and continue
26:42 with the great commission.
26:44 Having new bike parts will allow him to reach many more people
26:48 for the kingdom of God. Hallelujah.
26:54 No matter the activity, each member of the family is equally
26:58 showing the love of Christ to those around them.
27:01 Although there was no med-evac flights today, this mission
27:05 stayed busy ministering to the Miskito people.
27:08 Sometimes that love is shown by simple actions of kindness.
27:13 sometimes that love is shown in preforming a medical exam.
27:18 Sometimes it's displayed by playing tag.
27:21 But no matter the activity, the Hanley's dedicate all
27:25 they do to this ministry.
27:29 They feel blessed to be able to do this work for the Lord!
27:32 They know, that they do not do this work alone.
27:41 Clint: In this line of work, when I walk down the street
27:44 in our local little village, people come to me and they say
27:48 "thank you for saving my life, thank you for helping me."
27:51 and we appreciate the fact, that you know they will come up and
27:55 say "you've helped my brother, you flew my brother to town,
27:57 or my sister or me and we want to thank you for that."
28:01 And there is very few lines of work, that you can walk down
28:04 the street and you can look at the people in your local little
28:07 town and know that several of them that you see right then
28:10 are alive because of the work you did.
28:12 So it is very fulfilling.
28:13 But at the same time, the credit all goes to the tools
28:15 that the Lord has given me.
28:17 I don't have any extra expertise or anything that anybody else
28:21 doesn't have.
28:22 All I do is use the tools, that the Lord has given me.
28:24 And I am thankful that He has blessed me with those and that
28:26 I am able to pass on as a channel to help the local people
28:31 What He has given me and what you guys send from the States
28:33 to be able to help them.
28:35 And I am that one who get the benefit of seeing the smiles
28:36 on their faces and hears the thank you from them.
28:38 Each person, who gives to be able to help other people,
28:42 that will someday be a star in their crown.
28:47 They will be able to see what that help did.
28:49 Whether it bought a Bible, or whether it purchased gasoline
28:52 to take an emergency transport that enabled someone to live.
28:55 Someday you will know the complete story behind
28:57 what you gave to help out.


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Revised 2017-05-16