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Goodbye Panchito

This evening we went to a new-ish restaurant-recreation place, Isla del Sol. The occasion was Panchito's retirement dinner. Panchito has finished twenty-eight years of service with Alas de Socorro, as MAF is known here in Ecuador. Ellyn spent quite a bit of time planning, and paying attention to details. But, as usual, there were the unexpected hiccups. When we arrived Ellyn started to put some floral arrangements on the biggest table. The waiter politely told us that table was for another party. Surprise, because Ellyn had specifically booked the whole place. After some rearranging of tables, we had a seating arrangement worked out that accomodated everyone. But, before long it started raining, and we could hardly hear each other as the rain pelted the tin roof, which was only separated from us by a layer of bamboo. But, despite that, we all had a great time, and the food was delicious. After dinner we had desert, and then a time of sharing stories about Panchito, and presented a few gifts to him. It wasn't until the very end that the second party arrived (noisily, I might add), so the timing was perfect. Panchito was a diligent worker, who did everything, even the most menial tasks, with a smile on his face. His smile is something that everyone notices and remembers. We will miss his laugh echoing through the hangar. Panchito is very short (that's him on the far right), and because of his size he has been ribbed and teased without mercy. Through the years he has pumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel into the planes, and helped buckle in thousands of passengers. Although I've never witnessed it, Dave told us tonight how Panchito would share about the Lord as he helped people in and out of the plane. Panchito will be missed by all of the guys at the hangar.