Things take longer than they do. This change is subject to plan. Nothing works but everything works
out. If you don't like the weather, wait twenty minutes. These are a few of the sayings used by
missionaries here in Ecuador, and the longer we are here, the more we understand how true they are.

Things take longer to do here because it takes twice as long to find the parts you need, if they are available at all. Getting a vehicle registered, a piece of furniture built, or a piece of equipment repaired will require multiple trips since things are very rarely ready on the date you've been told they will be. No matter how much you work on a plan, you can be sure it will change. Not just once, but several times. On the job or around the house, we find that old and worn equipment and facilities are in constant need of attention. If you can't find the correct part, the material you need, or the proper tool, you can bet that with a little ingenuity and a lot of thought, someone will come up with a way to get the job done.

Meanwhile, the pilots keep on getting the job done, day afterday. One of their biggest obstacles is weather. There is nothing that will tear a plan to shreds faster than bad weather. It often means that the pilots don't get off the ground until after 9:30 AM, their itinerary might change several times during the day, and it occasionally means they unexpectedly spend a night in the jungle. For the pilots, as well as other MAF staff, it's important to be flexible.

Recently we became concerned when fuel started disappearing from our storage tanks. We wondered if it was being taken, but it turned out it was leaking into the ground. Ron Grant tackled the task of replacing 55 meters of old and leaky fuel line (photo right). Along the way he had to search in Quito for saw blades to cut through the concrete apron in front of the hangar using a hand-held circular saw. He also set up a temporary fuel pump (photo above), mounting it in on a small drum. Through it all he had to dodge planes and work around torrential rains. It was a challenge, and as usual, Ron came through to get the job done. No matter how long it took, how many times the plan changed, or how hard it rained, he made sure it worked out!

Information Technology
During the week of August 18 I was blessed to have Jonathan help me. He was here as part of a small work team from a church in Alabama. The two other members of this team volunteered at the Nate Saint Memorial School. It was a huge boost to me and we were able to get quite a bit of repair and upgrade work done on staff members' computers. The other recent piece of Information Technology news is the move to a new e-mail server – again. When I began working as the MAF IT specialist in August 2001, the first thing I did was implement a new e-mail system, as the old system was out of date. That system served us well for two years. But, in the meanwhile, MAF has standardized on different system, and once again it was time to change. The switch went smoothly and I'm very pleased with our new server, especially the way it works so well with our slow connection to the Internet.

On The Beach
At the end of August there was a small group from Redlands, California visiting in Shell and the jungle. Gene Jordan, one of the MAF vice-presidents, along with two teens and a photographer, had come to film for a video. The purpose of the video is to encourage teens to get involved in missions. One day they flew out to Toñempade, where they went on a canoe trip to Palm Beach, the location on the Rio Curaray where Nate Saint and the other four missionaries were killed in '56. On the sand bar the teens played pato pato ganso with some of the Waorani kids. Most of you will know that game as Duck Duck Goose. Whenever I go to Waorani territory, or hear of stories from others who have made a recent trip, it never fails to makes me wonder at God's wonderful plan. Fifty years ago the Waorani wanted nothing to do with outsiders. They were called the auca, which means savage, and were feared by all. Now, because five men were willing to die, the Waorani have the Gospel, and lives have been changed as many Waorani have become God Followers.

Third Culture Kids
After having lived in Shell for three years, Dustin and Taylor are not fully American and they're not fully Ecuadorian. They are somewhere in between, in a place that is often called a Third Culture. The other day Dustin and I were riding the bus home from Quito. After three hours the bus pulled into the Baños bus station for a ten minute stop. Dustin leaned out the window and bought a bowl of papas fritas, or french fries, from a local vendor. He immediately began eating the fries, which were covered in catchup and mayo. A couple minutes later, as the bus was pulling out of the station, he found a dead fly in the fries. He figured it must have been deep fried with the potatoes, so no big deal. Picking up the fly with his plastic fork, he flicked it out the window – and continued right on eating his fries!

Once again, thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Thank you for giving to our ministry support. You make it possible for us to be here, and we are grateful to have you on our team.

David, Ellyn, Dustin, and Taylor

Support Address: Mission Aviation Fellowship – P.O. Box 3202 – Redlands, CA 92373-0998
Field Address: David and Ellyn Hoffman c/o Alas de Socorro – Casilla 17-11-2668 – Quito, Ecuador
dhoffman@maf.org – ehoffman@maf.org – http://www.thehoffmanfamily.com