Posts

Posted on

Earthquake in Myanmar March 2025

An earthquake has caused widespread devastation in central Myanmar on Friday, March 28, 2025. To date, it’s been reported that more than 2,900 have died and more than 3,400 have been injured in Myanmar.

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, April 1, 2025

Earthquake in Myanmar,
More Help Urgently Needed

International Ministries has sent an initial grant of $10,000 in One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) emergency relief to partners who are providing humanitarian relief to the victims of the earthquake that caused widespread devastation in central Myanmar on Friday, March 28, 2025.

The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7 struck around 12:50 local time according to the US Geological Survey. A second earthquake struck 12 minutes later, with a magnitude of 6.4. The earthquake’s epicenter was located 10 miles northwest of Myanmar’s city Sagaing. This is also near Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, with a population of about 1.5 million people – and about 62 miles north of the capital Nay Pyi Taw.

To date, it’s been reported that more than 2,900 have died and more than 3,400 have been injured in Myanmar, although it is difficult to obtain accurate information. In Thailand, authorities reported localized incidents that have left at least 13 dead and 77 unaccounted for when a building that was under construction collapsed.

International Ministries (IM) is deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of its global servants, partners in the region, and the communities they serve. All IM personnel have reported they are safe, and we are assessing the needs of our partners in Myanmar and their communities as the situation unfolds.

IM calls for urgent prayer and support for all those affected by the earthquake.

Posted on

Gabhart’s March 2025

View this email in your browserClick here to download a printer friendly version.
March 2025
As Brent retired he said, “As long as MFI continues to have only one flight each day, you should do well as you step into this role.” As we started into January, both Spirit and American Airlines began to cancel flights into Haiti. This led to an increase in passenger demand. So now, we are flying into Haiti with both airplanes on the same day multiple times a month. The pace has been a bit breakneck. God is providing the stamina, but there are many late nights on the day before the flight getting both airplanes ready to go and the paperwork prepared so nothing comes back. I’ve begun to train my assistant who can fill in when we are on deputation or vacation. Please pray for wisdom and good communication on my part in that some of the tasks do not come easily for him but he is willing to fill this role as it is desperately needed.
Rainbow after an afternoon rain
Port-au-Prince is still closed to U.S. aircraft at this time. For those missions located on the northern side of the city, they have started making the journey to cities where we are able to fly in order to still be able to access supplies. This has increased our cargo loads to those locations at the same time that as the increase in passenger demand.  Please continue to pray for Haiti as the gangs control much of Port-au-Prince and are trying new routes to take control of areas that they do not currently control. Please pray for MFI for the staff and the airplanes that we will be able to continue at the pace required to meet the needs of those we serve.
.
Sam taking pictures of the new plane

Sam and the new plane

An exciting development at MFI is that the third DC-3 in our fleet has finally been delivered with its fresh coat of paint. We are so grateful of God’s provision of another airplane to help MFI be able to serve those in the Caribbean. Our maintenance team is now hard at work finishing out the standardization of the aircraft and doing the inspections to be able to bring this into our maintenance program. Please pray for them as they continue to maintain our existing fleet and ready this new plane for beginning its time at MFI. Thank you for your faithfulness in love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI.
James and Sam Gabhart

Save the Date: We are traveling to Spokane for the Moody Missions Conference as a family! We will be in town from May 17th through May 30th. Email, call, or text to set up a time to get together. We are anticipating a great time of updating and sharing what God is doing at Missionary Flights with everyone. We also look forward to getting updates on your families too!If you are not currently receiving our monthly Prayerline with items you can pray for daily for our family and Missionary Flights, please click here to update your preferences to be added to that mailing list.

Family News
When we think about time, it’s amazing to realize just how fleeting it is. The kids have been doing wonderfully with their first year in the new curriculum program we discovered this year.  Each one of them is flourishing.  Some of their courses are year long courses, while other just a few weeks, but it’s so wonderful to see just how well they are thriving with this program.  We greatly appreciate the flexibility that we have with it, as well as the true enjoyment each of them is having with what they are studying.  The gift of the scholarship program for each of them has been the biggest blessing in it all.  We have been able to obtain desks, chairs, bookcases, subscription kits, and even Lego for them all to enjoy in their various areas of interest.

We want to share some incredible moments that have to do with Jon.  He will be 17 in early March, and we have begun  “countdown to adulthood”.  He is working regularly on being clearer with his speech, learning how to cook new things in the kitchen, and even attended his first Night to Shine event in February. Night to Shine is an event put on by the Tim Tebow Foundation around the country for one night a year, a special needs prom.  Sam had the ability to be the photographer for the one in our area. Jon had a wonderful buddy who came up to Sam at several points to praise just how smart, intelligent, and wonderful Jon is.  Jon even invited her to our church, and she came that first Sunday.  He was so proud to introduce his new friend to everyone. 
Jon at Night to Shine
Jon at Night to ShineJon at Night to Shine

As we look forward to this year, there are a lot of changes we hope to have in store for our family.  We are in process of hopefully buying our first home.  While there are still a few steps before we move from paying someone else’s mortgage to our own, we are constantly reminding each other that this is God’s house that we get the honor of living in.  We would welcome your prayers in this as we start to walk down this road.
Praises and Prayer Requests
Praise that Kathy’s knee replacement surgery went well. Prayer for her recovery in rehab. Prayer for wisdom in parenting our growing teenagers and balancing work and home; for clear direction regarding the house purchase. Praise for our faithful supporters, both in prayer and financially. Prayer for God to bless their consistency to support the work He is doing. Prayer for MFI in the needed wisdom in filling open positions, and for God to provide the correct people to fill them. Praise for the special gifts that come through at just the right time if support is short that month
Ministry Update
We are so thankful to all who are following God’s leading in supporting us. The MFI Board
increased our support level to $6,300 monthly. We currently average $5,800 (92%) monthly support. We need an additional $500 to be fully supported each month.Online Giving:
www.missionaryflights.org/gabhartORMail Checks to:
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946 
Memo: Gabharts #2837Click here to download a printer friendly version.Copyright © 2025 Gabharts Flying By Faith, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you requested to receive communications from us.

Our mailing address is:
Gabharts Flying By Faith742 Forster AvenueSebastian, Florida 32958Add us to your address book.

Posted on

Stantons November 2024

This season of Thanksgiving has been full of opportunities to reflect on God’s goodness and the many ways He allows us to share His love with others. From Serbia to Téglás, we’ve been reminded how your support makes all of this possible.

Larry recently returned from Serbia after delivering firewood to families in need. With winter approaching, these deliveries are vital to help keep families safe and warm, and it’s only through your generous donations that we’re able to provide this support. As Larry visited each family to bring firewood, he also brought encouragement and hope, taking time to build relationships with the people he met. Through these connections, he’s learning more about their lives and challenges, including medical and social issues where we can offer additional help.

One of the highlights of his trip was speaking at the local church’s Thanksgiving ceremony. Larry shared a message about the importance of helping others and showing Christ’s love by caring for our neighbors. He encouraged the church members to continue being a light in their community, inspiring them to find joy in serving others.

Meanwhile, back in Téglás, I had the honor of participating in our school’s Thanksgiving program. The teachers asked me to share how Thanksgiving is celebrated in America, so I gave a short speech about its history and some personal anecdotes. Here’s the twist—I delivered my speech in Hungarian! My language skills are far from perfect, but the teachers and students were thrilled that I could share in their language.

The program itself was beautiful. Each class prepared a Thanksgiving table filled with homemade treats and messages of gratitude. It was a joy to see the creativity and thoughtfulness of the students as they expressed what they were thankful for. I was reminded once again how special it is to be part of this community and how much I love sharing these moments with them.

We are so grateful for the prayers and financial support that make all of this possible. Whether it’s Larry distributing firewood in Serbia or me sharing Thanksgiving traditions in Hungary, your generosity is at the heart of everything we do. Thank you for standing with us as we continue to share God’s love across borders and into the lives of those who need it most.

We hope you’ll visit our Facebook page to see more pictures and videos for a deeper dive into Larry’s trips to Serbia and the celebrations here in Téglás. From our family to yours, we wish you a season filled with blessings and gratitude!

Posted on

Gabhart’s Newsletter – December 2024

December 2024. It seems that each newsletter this year starts with how Haiti’s instability and gang activity are impacting how Missionary Flights is operating at the time of publication. In the beginning of November, gangs in Port-au-Prince vowed to make travel difficult until their demands were met. In the course of a couple days, they shot three different airline’s aircraft. This resulted in the Port-au-Prince airport being closed to all civilian aircraft. At this time, Missionary Flights anticipates that it will not be able to fly to Port-au-Prince until some time in the new year. Initially the FAA prohibited all U.S. aircraft from being below 10,000 feet over the country of Haiti. MFI was able to apply for permission to complete two evacuation flights. Once those were completed, the FAA adjusted the boundary for the restriction to be the southeastern part of the country and MFI was able to resume flights into Cap Haitien and Pignon. Please continue to pray for a resolution to this ongoing situation, for safety of the missionaries that we serve, and that God will be glorified.
.
Haitian Artisans proud of the shipment we helped transport to the U.S.
MFI’s DC-3 at the Stuart AirshowWhile on deputation, we got to participate in a cool God story. We were in Elgin for First Baptist’s missions conference. We got the opportunity to share in a Sunday school class along with several other local ministries. The director of the local pregnancy care organization was present and sharing about her organization’s ministry there. When we started sharing about what we do with Missionary Flights, she shared that the clinic had an ultrasound machine that they were trying to get to Haiti. Our first question was to whom she was trying to get it since we only fly for ministries that are connected with us. She named two names and the second one we knew off the bat was one of our regulars. So on Tuesday, James went over to TLC and loaded up the ultrasound machine. God had made sure that he had the tools to disassemble it enough to fit and the space in the vehicle to transport it. After we returned to Florida, we were able to get it loaded on the plane and sent to the doctor in Port-au-Prince that the clinic had been praying for about a year and a half to be able to get this equipment to him.
 Ft Pierce Hangar Banquet
First ultrasound in Port-au-Prince
Now that we are back home from deputation, it has been announced at MFI that our Director of Flight Logistics is retiring at the end of this year. Beginning in January, James will step into this role. On the upside, James has been being groomed for this role. On the downside, this means that finding a new assistant for James is happening much quicker than we anticipated. Please pray that this transition happens seamlessly.Thank you for your faithfulness in love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI
.James and Sam Gabhart
If you are not currently receiving our monthly Prayerline with items you can pray for daily for our family and Missionary Flights, please click here to update your preferences to be added to that mailing list.
Family News
It’s incredible to think that we’re already in the Christmas and advent season. As we look back on this last year, there are so many things to be thankful for. We are so blessed by having three incredible children who have a heart to serve God. We are blessed by Sam’s mom being with us to afford us the ability to be at Missionary Flights as often as we need to be. We are blessed to have an incredible church family that we get to spend time with a couple of times a week. We are thankful for MFI and the trust and encouragement that they give us with the roles that we fulfill. Most importantly, we are grateful for you – our supporters and our prayer warriors.
.Deputation Travel PicturesDeputation Travel Pictures
Thinking about the kids, we are excited to have gotten to see Chris turn 14. This smart, spunky, goofy teenage boy has a beautiful heart to point people back to Christ. There are several times when his encouraging word to us is exactly what we needed at that precise moment. It’s going to be incredible to see how he continues to grow and mature in his faith in the coming years.
Starved Rock

Chris is 14!
Another thing we find ourselves incredibly grateful for is the scholarship the kids have for being homeschoolers with the state. The scholarship has given us the opportunity to try new things, and new curriculums. I know we’ve talked about it in the past, but to see them thrive in ways that we have not seen them thrive, is quite honestly the biggest blessing of them all. To know academically, that they are being challenged without finding major sources of frustration, is a gift. The ability to order them things that they are excited about— that sparks their interests— is just incredible
.Trunk or TreatTrunk or TreatThank you again for your love, support, and prayers this year.
Here’s to 2025!
Praises and Prayer RequestsPraise that MFI has raised our support level to help reflect the higher costs of everything. Prayer that we are able to raise the difference of this new increase. Prayer for wisdom to know the right time for Kathy to have her first knee replacement. Prayer for the ability to recognize boundaries and to hold to them.  Praise for the blessing of our new vehicle and it assisting us with daily life beautifully.< /li>Praise for our faithful supporters, both in prayer and financially. Prayer for God to bless their consistency to support the work He is doing. Prayer for MFI in the needed wisdom in filling open positions, and for God to provide the correct people to fill them
Ministry Update
We are so thankful to all who are following God’s leading in supporting us. The MFI Board increased our support level to $6,300 monthly. We currently receive $5,500 (87%) in monthly commitments. We need an additional $800 to be fully supported.
Online Giving:
www.missionaryflights.org/gabhartORMail Checks to:
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946 
Memo: Gabharts #2837Click here to download a printer friendly version.Copyright © 2024 Gabharts Flying By Faith, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you requested to receive communications from us.

Our mailing address is:
Gabharts Flying By Faith742 Forster AvenueSebastian, Florida 32958Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Posted on

Mylinda Bates October 2024

The Great Spirit walks with us through times of trouble, giving us courage and well-being so that we can give to others the same comfort given to us. We need your prayers, for as you send your voice to the Great Spirit, many will see in our lives the answers to your many prayers and give God thanks. -1 Corinthians 1:4 and 11 First Nations Version 

On my rainy walk this morning, many of my global partners came to mind and I was compelled to not only pray for them but to invite you to join me in those prayers. After all, you make it possible for me to work alongside these folks as I’ve served in my role as Global Consultant for Training with the Restorative Arts with International Ministries. Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Philippines, Thailand, Nepal, Kenya, Lebanon, Ukraine and more places and faces come to mind, making me both smile and sigh.

I smile when Ernesto shares that he’s getting close to finishing his Doctor of Ministry dissertation focused on how he implemented what he learned from our Expressive Arts in Transition training in Cuba to support community youth during the Covid 19 crisis. I smile when my Costa Rican friend Ruth invites me to collaborate with her to offer creative conflict transformation training to women and young girls in Costa Rica.  When Idaliana shares a poem, Eloy sends photos, Leslia and Marybexy write notes of thanks, or Oseth asks me how I need prayer, I smile. Their greetings remind me that together we are God’s answer to our prayers. I’m deeply grateful to them and all of you for the witness, commitment and encouragement that prod me to deeper faith and action.

I sigh as well, because along with everyday graces and gifts, grief and heartache touch us too. I sigh as I listen to Aida, Gabriela, and Elizabeth’s stories of the littles, the elders, the students and professors, the healthcare workers and those who’ve stayed in their home countries when others have left.  I sigh in sacred trust that God sees and strengthens the hundreds of internally displaced folk now staying at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) in Beirut, Lebanon in seminary housing where I stayed when visiting there. I remember the hummus and hospitality I enjoyed, and pray that the abundance of God’s love will bring comfort, courage and well-being to them as it did for me. These are just a few of the many challenges held alongside of the courage I witness.

The resilience and creativity of my friends in the midst of difficulty inspires and motivates me to do all that I can to stand with them. Here’s how I need your prayers and support for the doors God has opened to partner with these wonderful colleagues–

  1. In order to continue offering training and in person support to my colleagues around the world, I need to enlarge my team of monthly supporters who are called to a ministry of financial giving to make this possible. For those of you who like specifics, this would mean 15 new givers at $200 per month or 30 at $100 per month or 60 at $50 per month. Acknowledging that as we enter the Fall and begin to wrap up the year, you will be receiving a number of worthy requests for your solidarity and support; World Mission Offering, charities and political campaigns, and GoFundMe’s galore. It can get overwhelming, and yet, I want you to know that I need your prayers and your support. You can easily sign up to be on my team as a monthly supporter at this link:

https://internationalministries.org/author/m-baits/. If you need help setting this up please reach out to me at mylindabaits.gmail.com

2. We have been invited to expand the reach of our Expressive Arts in Transition pilot project in Cuba. After successfully graduating 8 certified EXIT facilitators, both the University of Holguin and a group in Santiago want to offer our arts-based psychosocial training program in their communities. We thank God for the $4000 already donated towards the $25,000 we need to complete these two new cohorts in 2025. If being a part of making the first ever Expressive Arts in Transition training in all of Latin America possible, will you consider giving a year-end gift? Any gift you can make will be helpful. By giving to this pilot project fund, you will make training and supervision available to those who are closest to the situation at hand. They hear the stories of struggle, they see the lonely elders and comfort the grieving children, sharing love by being the tangible expression of compassionate justice. You can donate directly at this link: https://internationalministries.org/expressive-arts-in-transition-exit/

3. At the end of this month I will be joining a small group of Global Consultants to accompany our colleague Kristy Engle and meet with ministry partners of the Hungarian Baptist Aid Society. We will visit ministry sites and encourage those involved in vital and life transforming ministries of care and comfort to those impacted by the war in Ukraine. I will facilitate an artful healing gathering with some key leaders there. Please pray that this time will be what is needed for the soul care of those gathered.

For those of you who are already part of my team, I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for your ongoing and faithful support. For those of you who, like me, smile and sigh at the beauty and brutality, gifts and griefs, resilience and raw realities of our world and want to DO something to make a difference, you are.

Praying that you will see in our lives the answers to your many prayers and give God thanks.

Mylinda

Posted on

Scott and Tan September 2024

I had been planning for some time to write a newsletter.  But, as you probably know me well, by now I could always find just one more thing to do before getting started on it,  so it gets delayed and delayed.  No I have to send you at least a short update as life has just turned upside down. 

Many of you may have seen or heard by now,  possibly through International Ministries,  that Northern parts of Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand and Eastern Burma all got hit by the tail of a typhoon last week which has caused heavy flooding in all four countries.  Vietnam is reporting over 240 dead,  over half of that number from a landslide that took out one village.  Accurate information on Burma and Laos is not so easy to get,  but we are seeing reports of severe damage in Burma with at least 160 dead and counting.  Even the capital of Burma,  NayPyiTaw,  was flooded badly.  

Our home province of Chiang Rai was also severely damaged.  The flood came into the city and damaged most of the downtown.  Almost all the communities near the river were hit hard. Upstream,  in the hills,  many villages near the river have seen complete destruction.  Our home,  near the river,  was also flooded.  But thanking the Lord that it is just a lot of mud that we have to deal with and no significant damage.  We got most everything up in time before we rushed out at 10 pm on Wednesday night – just as the water rushed in.   At least a dozen other missionary families were flooded out.  Some lost absolutely everything. 

The flood of the century, I would say.  In the nearly 40 years I have been here,  I have never seen this level of flooding. 

International Ministries has put out an appeal, if you would like to donate.  Some of the local ministries I am related to here will be managing those relief funds. 

The Thai people have been amazing.  Volunteers from the entire country have poured in. It is a time of working together and helping each other.  

We are monitoring the news from our neighboring countries, trying to find ways we can help as we know that the needs there will be greater than ours. 

Blessings,

Scott and Tan