Hoffman Family
Taylor turned nine in March. He decided that instead
of having a party now, he’d like to wait and have one with his
cousins and grandparents when we’re home this summer. Both boys
went on field trips in March. Dustin went on the
grades 5-8 trip to the Youth World hacienda north of Quito. The emphasis
was on team building
and included a climbing wall and ropes course. Taylor’s class
went to a bee farm. He wore a lot of clothing, as he didn’t want
to get stung! Ellyn went to Quito to paint the new MAF apartment, and
she’s
continued to help new missionary families in Shell
as they settle into their homes. Finally, David and a friend climbed
several volcanoes in
January, including Cotopaxi (19,642 ’).
Ministry
There continues to be no such thing as a dull day for
David. Current projects include setting up the
main server with a new distribution of Linux (along with documentation),
installing a content
filter in the Quito office, and setting up a
wireless network connection for a family living a half mile from the
hangar. You
could keep MAF in
your prayers as we are looking for a satellite
internet service provider in Ecuador. As our staff has increased to seventeen
families, we are
in need of a faster connection.
Mission Aviation
Fellowship
Due to ongoing licensing problems, there are
currently only three pilots (out of twelve)
with licenses. At issue is an aviation law which requires companies
to fly with Ecuadorian pilots. It’s
a complex issue, and a resolution seems to
be a long time coming. The long-term solution is to have more
Ecuadorian pilots flying for MAF.
We currently have one Ecuadorian pilot, and
two Ecuadorian mechanics working with MAF. While we are not able
to fly as much, those who will
feel it most are the people in the jungle who
rely on MAF’s
Air Ambulance flights. Pray with us that the
licenses would be granted for all of our MAF pilots in Ecuador,
and that the Lord will
provide more
Christian Ecuadorian pilots with a heart to
serve
with MAF, as well as the funding to train them.
Summer
Travel
We will be in the United States this summer
for a couple months. We are coming back to ‘re-charge our batteries’,
visit family, and touch base with our ministry
partners. Tentatively our schedule is:
May 26 – June 11 Pennsylvania
June 12 – 22 Colorado
June 23 – August 8 California
If you’re interested in visiting with us, let us know now
so we can add you to the schedule.
David, Ellyn, Dustin, and Taylor
