February 17, 2016
Well it's official, God has allowed me to pass the flight standardization course. I know it's only a small thing, but it is a huge blessing and relief to me. On Monday I fly to Port Moresby in PNG. On Tuesday at 1pm my time (8pm Monday night Alberta time) I write the PNG Air Law exam. Then I join the PNG program in Mt. Hagen on Wednesday.
Here are some pictures from my time at MAF flight standardization:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.430969390422694&type=1
February 22, 2016
Finally landed in Papua New Guinea! All is good.
March 1, 2016
The first week in PNG is almost in the books. It was a good week of starting to get settled here in Mount Hagen. After arriving in Mt. Hagen on February 24th, I jumped right into the orientation process by spending the following weekend on a short road trip to the Enga province with some MAF staff. Although this is not a usual part of the orientation process it was an incredible introduction to PNG. One night we stayed at a lodge in the high mountains where we did some birdwatching and bushwalking. The next day we drove down a very decrepit road to a mission station at a village where we spent the rest of the weekend. We met the missionaries at the station as well as some locals. We had fun on more muddy bushwalks (it rains almost everyday here) and swam in the local river. Although we only drove 80 kms in one direction, the roads are in such disrepair that it took 2 hours to go the 80km. And they only have roads in the most central parts of the country. It was a very good weekend of being introduced to the people and the country I will be serving (see pictures). Now I have started language and culture training. This will be 4 weeks of classes and one week living in a village to better understand the language and culture. Following that I will be starting flight training/orientation here in April. Thank you for your support! I couldn't be here getting ready to serve the people without it!
Here are some pictures from my first weekend in PNG:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.436793956506904&type=1
March 16, 2016
I am continuing with the language and culture classes here. I'm about halfway through the course. It is going well. I've also been continuing with the general orientation and learning about what I will be doing after I finish the language study.
In mid-April I will be transitioning to flight operations. Because the training schedule here has been re-organized, I've been asked to step in as a Twin Otter co-pilot for about 6 months to fill a training gap. With my experience on the Twin Otter I will be able to go through an abbreviated training course so they can have another co-pilot on the roster. Towards the end of the year the plan is to have me fly the GA-8 Airvan to build up more flight experience in country.
This weekend is the annual MAF Papua New Guinea conference for the MAF staff here. It will be held at the SIL base at Ukarumpa. It will be a good time of listening to different speakers and enjoying the fellowship with the whole group.
Here is a link to a nice short story about a flight that two of our pilots did recently. Enjoy!
http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/a-sawmill-for-a-ski-slope/
April 2, 2016
The MAF conference 2 weeks ago went well. It was a good opportunity to meet all the other MAF staff from around PNG. I've finished the language classes and have been studying flight manuals in preparation for the next step. The language classes went well, I can read and write Tok Pisin (the common language) fairly well but speaking it will take some time. My week-long visit to a bush village has been pushed back until the 11th. Before that I will be going to Port Moresby to write an exam for an Instrument Flight Rating on the 6th. I've been settling in more and getting to know more people and have been making some friends.
April 22, 2016
God allowed me to pass the Instrument Flight Rating exam. That's a blessing. The week in the bush village went well. I've started the Twin Otter ground school course and will start flying next week. More in-depth update and pictures to follow...
April 24, 2016
Just came back from an awesome week out in the PNG bush. I had the opportunity to go and live in a remote village for one week as part of my language training and cultural orientation. A MAF volunteer, Sam Haab, also went with me. We were fortunate to be able to spend the week with the people of Kaiam, which is located northwest of Mount Hagen and on the northern edge of the PNG highlands. On April 12th we flew to the Kaiam airstrip and were greeted by the few families that live in the immediate area. Then watched with detached fascination, and a little anxiety, as the plane flew off and left us to manage as best we could with our limited understanding of the Tok Pisin language.
During our week there, Sam and I had the unique opportunity to see a side of PNG that most people never get to see. We toured the village, talked with the people, ate with the people, worshipped God together at their small church and went on walkabouts into the jungle surrounding the village. We saw how they build houses, grow gardens, and how they pan for gold. The most striking aspect that we witnessed was how grateful they are to have the help of MAF and other missionaries.
After fifteen years of work, MAF was able to do the first ever landing on the brand new airstrip of Kaiam just over a year ago. Since then, there have been a few lifesaving Medevacs, medical supplies and other important items flown in and out and thanks to Anton Lutz and his family, Lutheran missionaries, who have been involved for over thirty years in the development of that area, building the airstrip, and bringing in medical supplies. Check out the pictures from the week and also the video from the first landing on February 10, 2015.
Here's a link to a more in-depth MAF article about that first landing:
https://www.maf-uk.org/story/mud-celebration-marks-historic-landing-in-papua-new-guinea
Here is a video from that first landing:
https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cole.90/videos/g.281213732064928/10153462065950264/?type=2&theater
Here are some pictures from the week at Kaiam:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.460639040789062&type=1
Well it's official, God has allowed me to pass the flight standardization course. I know it's only a small thing, but it is a huge blessing and relief to me. On Monday I fly to Port Moresby in PNG. On Tuesday at 1pm my time (8pm Monday night Alberta time) I write the PNG Air Law exam. Then I join the PNG program in Mt. Hagen on Wednesday.
Here are some pictures from my time at MAF flight standardization:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.430969390422694&type=1
February 22, 2016
Finally landed in Papua New Guinea! All is good.
March 1, 2016
The first week in PNG is almost in the books. It was a good week of starting to get settled here in Mount Hagen. After arriving in Mt. Hagen on February 24th, I jumped right into the orientation process by spending the following weekend on a short road trip to the Enga province with some MAF staff. Although this is not a usual part of the orientation process it was an incredible introduction to PNG. One night we stayed at a lodge in the high mountains where we did some birdwatching and bushwalking. The next day we drove down a very decrepit road to a mission station at a village where we spent the rest of the weekend. We met the missionaries at the station as well as some locals. We had fun on more muddy bushwalks (it rains almost everyday here) and swam in the local river. Although we only drove 80 kms in one direction, the roads are in such disrepair that it took 2 hours to go the 80km. And they only have roads in the most central parts of the country. It was a very good weekend of being introduced to the people and the country I will be serving (see pictures). Now I have started language and culture training. This will be 4 weeks of classes and one week living in a village to better understand the language and culture. Following that I will be starting flight training/orientation here in April. Thank you for your support! I couldn't be here getting ready to serve the people without it!
Here are some pictures from my first weekend in PNG:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.436793956506904&type=1
March 16, 2016
I am continuing with the language and culture classes here. I'm about halfway through the course. It is going well. I've also been continuing with the general orientation and learning about what I will be doing after I finish the language study.
In mid-April I will be transitioning to flight operations. Because the training schedule here has been re-organized, I've been asked to step in as a Twin Otter co-pilot for about 6 months to fill a training gap. With my experience on the Twin Otter I will be able to go through an abbreviated training course so they can have another co-pilot on the roster. Towards the end of the year the plan is to have me fly the GA-8 Airvan to build up more flight experience in country.
This weekend is the annual MAF Papua New Guinea conference for the MAF staff here. It will be held at the SIL base at Ukarumpa. It will be a good time of listening to different speakers and enjoying the fellowship with the whole group.
Here is a link to a nice short story about a flight that two of our pilots did recently. Enjoy!
http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/a-sawmill-for-a-ski-slope/
 |
| All the MAF ex-pat staff plus a few other missionaries at the 2016 MAF conference |
The MAF conference 2 weeks ago went well. It was a good opportunity to meet all the other MAF staff from around PNG. I've finished the language classes and have been studying flight manuals in preparation for the next step. The language classes went well, I can read and write Tok Pisin (the common language) fairly well but speaking it will take some time. My week-long visit to a bush village has been pushed back until the 11th. Before that I will be going to Port Moresby to write an exam for an Instrument Flight Rating on the 6th. I've been settling in more and getting to know more people and have been making some friends.
April 22, 2016
God allowed me to pass the Instrument Flight Rating exam. That's a blessing. The week in the bush village went well. I've started the Twin Otter ground school course and will start flying next week. More in-depth update and pictures to follow...
April 24, 2016
Just came back from an awesome week out in the PNG bush. I had the opportunity to go and live in a remote village for one week as part of my language training and cultural orientation. A MAF volunteer, Sam Haab, also went with me. We were fortunate to be able to spend the week with the people of Kaiam, which is located northwest of Mount Hagen and on the northern edge of the PNG highlands. On April 12th we flew to the Kaiam airstrip and were greeted by the few families that live in the immediate area. Then watched with detached fascination, and a little anxiety, as the plane flew off and left us to manage as best we could with our limited understanding of the Tok Pisin language.
During our week there, Sam and I had the unique opportunity to see a side of PNG that most people never get to see. We toured the village, talked with the people, ate with the people, worshipped God together at their small church and went on walkabouts into the jungle surrounding the village. We saw how they build houses, grow gardens, and how they pan for gold. The most striking aspect that we witnessed was how grateful they are to have the help of MAF and other missionaries.
After fifteen years of work, MAF was able to do the first ever landing on the brand new airstrip of Kaiam just over a year ago. Since then, there have been a few lifesaving Medevacs, medical supplies and other important items flown in and out and thanks to Anton Lutz and his family, Lutheran missionaries, who have been involved for over thirty years in the development of that area, building the airstrip, and bringing in medical supplies. Check out the pictures from the week and also the video from the first landing on February 10, 2015.
Here's a link to a more in-depth MAF article about that first landing:
https://www.maf-uk.org/story/mud-celebration-marks-historic-landing-in-papua-new-guinea
Here is a video from that first landing:
https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cole.90/videos/g.281213732064928/10153462065950264/?type=2&theater
Here are some pictures from the week at Kaiam:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.460639040789062&type=1
 |
| Leaving Kaiam and saying goodbye |
Thank you for all your support,
Ryan
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