This spring, Adventist World Aviation (AWA) staff will fly from Chesterfield, Missouri to northern Ontario, Canada to meet the needs of underserved indigenous peoples living in one of the most remote areas of North America.
They will make the journey in a 43-year-old Cessna Skywagon 185, a gift from the Ontario Conference. Wings of Hope (WOH)—a Chesterfield-based non-profit organization devoted to lifting people in need toward health and self-sufficiency—provided the necessary repairs, free of charge, to make the plane flightworthy.
The Cessna Skywagon is equipped for both water and ground landing, making it ideal for the terrain of northern Canada. It will give residents access to necessary medical care, mental and emotional health support, and community development in partnership with ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency).
“We are grateful to WOH for the immeasurable work done by the airplane mechanics preparing this plane over the past year and a half to serve northern Canada,” said Dr. Mansfield Edwards, president of the Ontario Conference. “Jesus included the excluded in His ministry, and we thank AWA for the pilots and WOH for making the plane flightworthy so we can accomplish His mission.”
A ceremony was recently held to celebrate the plane and pray a blessing over it. In attendance were WOH volunteers and administrators, West County Church pastor Ken Olin, administrators of the Ontario Conference, and AWA vice president Jud Wickwire.
This is the fifth AWA plane serviced by WOH.
