 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 Pictures Deputation Travel PicturesThinking 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 Treat Trunk 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. |
Gabhart’s November 2024 Prayerline
Gabhart’s October 2024 Prayer Requests
Gabharts September 2024
Gabhart’s Update – March 2024
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. Revelation 3:7 (ESV) No matter how dark a situation gets, we worship and serve God, who is sovereign over all things and will not be thwarted. Whatever He plans, will be accomplished. It can be hard to watch as it plays out, but we can rest in the knowledge that God is working all things for His glory.  Teams going to the Bahamas on a mission’s trip February has been a hard month in Haiti. National elections were supposed to occur on Wednesday, February 7th. Since the Haitian President was assassinated in July of 2021, the Prime Minister has governed the country. The gang activity has prevented elections. In February, one of the political opponents of the current government called for a revolution. This resulted in violent demonstrations occurring all over the country. MFI had to postpone several flights due to the unrest for the safety of our crew, passengers, and our Haitian workers. At the end of February, gun fire in the vicinity of the airport at Port-au-Prince prevented MFI from being able to complete the flight we had planned to end there. The United Nation’s multi-national force is currently in training to prepare to come in to address the gangs. This latest violence at the airport is designed to prevent the Prime Minster from returning to Port-au-Prince.  Wing pull inspection  Wing pull inspection Something that we have recently learned is that the gangs are preventing the children from attending school. Many of the schools in Haiti are run by Christian missions and the gangs have been threatening to shoot the schools that continue to meet. Please pray for safety for the schools that defy the gangs and that the gangs will have a change of heart towards their fellow countrymen. This is a very hard time for most of Haiti. There are some communities that are isolated from the violence, but they are becoming fewer as the gang activity spreads. Please continue to pray for the safety of the missionaries who have remained. Please pray for wisdom for MFI leadership to know when to go and when to stay so that we can continue to support those doing the vital kingdom work in Haiti.Thank you for your faithfulness in love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI. James and Sam Gabhart |
| FAMILY NEWS |
March is a month of celebration in our house. This month Jonny turns 16! Several of you may be curious, but no, he has no desire to drive at this time. So, instead of a license for his 16th birthday, we are getting him a State ID. He’s reached the age where getting used to carrying identification is a really good thing. Also, for his birthday, our church has an incredible concert series that is coming. We are all going and it will be incredible. One artist, Cliff Preston, was at our church in December for the Christmas Concert, and he is a great up and coming artist. His band, The Band Table will be performing, and Stars Go Dim too. Here’s what is so exciting, our church’s youth group is opening and performing original songs. What an opportunity for them, and for us to be able to support them for Jonny’s birthday. Jonny turns 16! We are so excited for another opportunity with our church coming up this summer. Our youth group is participating in a mission’s outreach camp trip up to Liberty University. The entire camp is focused on missions and service projects. Chris and Abby are looking forward to going. Jonny has chosen to stay home this time because of not wanting to be too far from home for as long as this camp is.  Abby and Chris excited to be going on the summer camp missions trip!  Marriage Date Night With a camp like this comes costs, and fundraisers too. We find out more of what that will look like soon, but our “littles” will be sending out support letters to help be able to fund this trip. This will be Abby’s first trip with the youth, and as of this trip, we will have 3 kids in youth group. It is incredible to think how fast time has flown, and just how blessed we are by having three, incredible kids who love Jesus. Prayer Requests Kathy’s surgery was postponed for now. Pray the items that need addressed can be done quickly, and that she can feel even more confident in having it done.Prayer for our desire to have a home of our own, and the ability to keep saving for itPrayer for MFI, the needed wisdom in filling open positions, and for God to provide the correct people to fill themPraise that our vehicles are still holding on and getting us where we need to goPraise for our faithful supporters, both in prayer and financially. Prayer for God to bless their consistency to support the work He is doingPraise for our church encouraging our youth kids to not be afraid to follow where God is calling themMinistry UpdateWe are so thankful to all who are following God’s leading in supporting us. We currently receive $5,800 (95%) in monthly commitments. We need an additional $300 to be fully supported.Online Giving: www.missionaryflights.org/gabhartORMail Checks to: 3170 Airmans Driv Fort Pierce, FL 34946 Memo: Gabharts #2837 |
February 2024 Prayerline
Gabhart’s December 2023
As we move out of November and into December, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on the things for which we are thankful before we charge into the anticipation of the Advent season. We are so grateful for the opportunity to spend time with those of you in the Midwest this past September. We felt loved and cared for through your hospitality and the opportunities for us to share the work God is doing through Missionary Flights.
We returned to MFI at the end of September and fell right into the Christmas “rush” as several of the mission organizations prepared ahead of time to make sure that their Christmas gifts were in their missionaries’ hands by Christmas. We are thankful that this year looks more like Christmas in years previous. Those missions sending gifts have found ways to safely receive their supplies while Haiti continues to spiral as the gangs over-run the country. We are also thankful that we serve the Sovereign Ruler of the universe who is accomplishing His perfect plan for His glory. It
is easier to serve in these chaotic conditions knowing that there is a plan and God gets the glory – now and in the end.
As we look forward to December, we know that we are entering a busy time. At this point in the hangar, we have about four airplane loads worth of cargo that we need to get to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, plus a host of passengers as well. Please continue to pray for MFI during this season – that the pilots will remain healthy, that the aircraft will remain operating in good order, and that the weather will remain clear so that we can complete these flights.
One additional item of prayer for the beginning of the year is that MFI is entering another
season of transition. We have several staff members leaving at the end of the year to pursue different ministry opportunities and a couple of new staff members looking to start in the new year. Pray that we navigate this transition well and that God will bring additional staff members to cover any gaps from this personnel change. Also, please pray that we continue to serve our missionaries well through all of these changes.
Thank you for your love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI.
James and Sam Gabhart
Family News
December is here and it s hard to believe that another year has passed. It is also hard to believe that we have two teenagers in the house now. That s right, Chris has now joined the ranks of teenager-dom. We often wonder where the little boy has gone that came into our world 13 years
ago, but we also look forward to the young man he is developing into and praise Jesus for him.
On the home school front, the kids have settled into a good rhythm overall since being back from deputation. There s an interesting new layer because Jonny is a high school student, we need to keep grades for him. This new challenge brings about some good points as to how we
want to shape our kids to be ready for the adult world. Setting expectations and following through on them on the grading front has added an interesting dynamic to our little homeschool. While we are uncertain what the future holds for Jonny, setting the precedent of working
hard, in spite of his challenges, is where our focus is. It’s in God’s hands as to if he will attend college or not, but we will be prepared regardless. As we look toward Christmas, we find ourselves being thankful for an amazing church body. We will have many opportunities to gather in December and prepare our hearts for the Christmas season. As usual, James will have his post with the tech team since Christmas Eve services are all-hands-on-deck days. Sam has been serving with the first impressions team and has been asked to assist for Christmas Eve services too. One new addition this year will be Abby and some of our kid’s ministry children performing a special skit for both services. Abby’s role for the skit is one of leadership and direction. Those who know her well can already imagine how fitting this role will be for her.
Praises and Prayer Requests
- Prayer for Haiti and the continued turmoil, kidnappings, and hurting hearts and for wisdom and safety for the missionaries continuing to serve there
- Prayer for transitions at MFI as new people arrive and a few leave for new ministry opportunities
- Prayer for wisdom regarding vehicles and what is the best solution as they have maintenance issues
- Prayer for the ability to find housing and funding to own rather than continue to rent
- Prayer for Sam s mom’s upcoming surgery to be scheduled soon and for its success
- Prayer for God to bless our ministry partners in their consistency to support the work He is doing
Ministry Update
We are so thankful to all who are following God’s leading in supporting us. The Board
increased our support level to $6100 monthly. We currently receive $5,800 (95%)
in monthly commitments. We need an additional $300 to be fully supported.
Online Giving:
www.missionaryflights.org/gabhart
Mail Checks to:
3170 Airmans Drive, Fort Pierce, FL 34946
Memo: Gabharts #2837
Gabharts November 2023 Prayerline
Gabharts June 2023
It feels like we have been away as much as we have been home in the last few months. In mid-April, Sam got the opportunity to travel to Chicagoland and share at the 50-year celebration for an organization that had a huge impact throughout her life. Outreach was the community center in Carol Stream where she spent much of her time in grade school, helped her go to camp where she met Jesus, walked with her through traumatic events in high school, and helped her be able to go to college. It was great to be able to be present for the event and for Sam to be able to talk about how this organization saved her life to people who are supporting this wonderful ministry.
Sam recording her story for future promo videos for Outreach
MFI booth – Moody Aviation’s Missions Week
At Missionary Flights, Haiti continues to be an on-going prayer request. Gang activity is on the rise and people are beginning to be fed up. This is leading to people acting out against the gangs and then the gang members retaliating. Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, that this situation can be resolved, preferably without additional bloodshed. Please also pray for the missionaries to have safety and wisdom as they continue to serve the people of Haiti and point them to Jesus.
James sharing in a breakout session for Moody Aviation’s Missions Week
Sam sharing in a breakout session for Moody Aviation’s Missions Week
At the end of May, Sam and James got the opportunity to spend almost two weeks in Spokane to be able to visit with supporters. It was a wonderful time connecting and updating as we were able. God also orchestrated the trip dates to align with Moody Aviation’s Missions Week. We were able to connect with the Moody students and provide encouragement as they pursue mission aviation as well as share about Missionary Flights. We were blessed by all the opportunities to share while in Spokane and our only regret is that some people were overlooked in our notification that we were coming.
In the interest of improving on that front, we are in the process of finalizing our travel dates for fall. We are planning on being in the Midwest during September and hope to be able to visit with all of those desiring to catch up. Those who receive our newsletter via email, watch your inbox in Mid-August for dates when we will be in your area. We will include the finalized schedule in the September newsletter, but if you want to reach out early and get on the calendar, please let us know.
Thank you for your love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI.
James and Sam Gabhart
Family News
May was a busy month for our family! Two weekends in a row, we had mud runs. The first was with the youth group kids at Teen Missions on Merritt Island. Their Tough Gator 5k was a huge success for our kids. Chris and Abby ran it this year while Sam and Jonny took pictures. In Sam’s words, she wasn’t going to “punish” her body two weekends in a row doing mud runs. The following weekend, Sam and Abby ran in an all-women’s mud run in Tampa with the Mud Girl. They had such a great time doing that this year that they have tickets to do it again next year. These events are such fun and truly show the progress everyone has been making with becoming stronger!
Chris and Abby at Tough Gator
Sam and Abby post run at Mud Girl
Summer is arriving at Growing Minds Academy, the name of our school. This summer brings us the joy of sharing that Jonny is officially moving on to high school work come fall! This feels huge to us, and truly is an achievement for him. For those unfamiliar with Jonny’s challenges, he battles reading disabilities, as well as learning delays, as a byproduct of his primary disorder, Neurofibromatosis type 1. Also, this next year we will officially have two middle school kids – Chris and Abby met their milestones of moving onto 7th and 6th grade work. As their parents, we are so excited about the next steps as we continue to meet them academically, persevere with them, and to challenge them too. We are so proud of them!
Jonny with his 8th grade completion certificate
Chris and Abby at Tough Gator
This summer also has a lot in store for our kids. First up is youth camp for our boys. The first full week in June, they are off to Student Life Camp with our youth group. Shortly after that will be our church’s High Power Sports Camp and then Vacation Bible School. Summer though won’t be all spent at church. We do want to check out some new beaches we haven’t been to yet, as well as focus on, as a family, finding what truly refreshes our souls so we can start the next school year off well.
Prayer Requests
- Prayer for people to fill the open positions at Missionary Flights (Director of Development, Marketing, and Warehouse Assistant)
- Prayer for opening of doors for us to share the ministry opportunity with new people
- Prayer for the full summer schedule – the ability to participate in the activities as well as the margin to rest around them (in short, a balanced summer)
- Prayer for Haiti and the continued turmoil, kidnappings, and hurting hearts and for wisdom and safety for the missionaries continuing to serve there
- Prayer for God to bless our ministry partners in their consistency to support the work He is doing
Ministry Update
We are so thankful to all who are following God’s leading in supporting us. We are currently receiving $5,500 (93%) in monthly commitments. We need an additional $400 monthly to be fully supported.
Online Giving:
www.missionaryflights.org/gabhart
OR
Mail Checks to:
3170 Airmans Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
Memo: Gabharts #2837
Gabhart’s Newsletter March 2023
Definitely an Interesting Time
This is definitely an interesting time to be serving at Missionary Flights. MFI has experienced an increase in both passengers and cargo even while the situation in Haiti has not improved. A few weeks ago, one of the pastors that MFI serves who works in the more rural part of Haiti was kidnapped and is being held for ransom. Missionary Flights is taking as many precautions as possible that each flight can be accomplished without incident, but the situation on the ground is much more dynamic than it has been in the past. Please continue to pray while MFI supports those God has called to serve in an increasingly unstable country.
As I am learning the Load Master position, one of the responsibilities is flight logistics: when do items fly and what else goes on the plane. MFI’s general procedure is first in, first out. Sometimes we get items that work well with that process and other times not. Recently, Go Build Love, an MFI partner organization, acquired 21 pallets, 8 feet tall, of buckets. This is an awesome gift for their ministry. They use the buckets to make home water filtration setups. With the cholera outbreak, clean water is a huge need. This ministry is able to provide each home with a filtration bucket, and as a result, God has blessed them with opportunities to introduce many families to Jesus through filter buckets. Watch this video to hear how the partnership with MFI is changing lives.
 Buckets to change thousands of Haitian lives  Buckets, food, and hygiene kits |
To make the buckets easy to handle, the receiving department processes them in stacks of ten as shown in the picture. The picture contains eight of the pallets that Go Build Love has brought to MFI thus far. The logistical problem is that each stack is 18 pounds. To send them all on one flight will fill the airplane space-wise and barely touch the 6,000 to 8,000 payload that the DC-3 can carry. So we send buckets in batches and offset their “fluffiness” with items that are more dense. I’m very grateful for this time to learn the nuance of flight logistics before it is my daily responsibility. Scheduled engine change  Pre-dawn departure |
| In February, MFI suffered a tragic loss. The MFI Port-au-Prince mailroom leader, Jean Charles, was traveling on his motorcycle and was in an accident. Unfortunately, he died from his injuries. Please pray for his wife and young children as they adjust to their new life without him. Also, please pray for the community to whom he was ministering to have someone step into his place. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support as we serve at MFI. James and Sam Gabhart |