FEATURED STORY
New Missionaries Join MAG Team
The crowd gathers around “7AC” and the Wiles family to dedicate them to missionary service in Honduras.
Now 5 years old, MAG is undergoing a major “growth spurt” as it welcomes new missionary staff, new aircraft, and new ministry partners. On May 1, 2010 over 100 people gathered at the Burlington – Alamance Regional Airport, in Burlington, NC to help “celebrate”. Supporters from near and far gathered at the Harvesters International Mission (HIM) hangar to dedicate a Cessna 206 aircraft and the missionary family that will operate it in MAG’s Honduras program.
HIM president Dr. Davis Goodman and MAG president Rev. Sean Donnelly both spoke briefly to highlight the far reaching impact of the newly formed partnership between these two organizations. Westley and Denise Wiles, the MAG missionaries who will be based with the airplane in the Honduran village of Rus Rus, were introduced and everyone was led in a prayer of dedication by Pastor Larry Lamberth of Harvest Baptist Church.
Two new MAG missionary families were also present for the occasion, having been formally accepted into service.
Dr. Davis Goodman introduces the new class of MAG missionaries to the HIM Board of Directors and other guests.
(L to R) Maribel, Ana, and Juan Carlos Hoppert in front of the Cessna 206 that will bring “help and hope” to their native country.
(L to R) Abby and Rimas Miknaitis will head to Honduras for their first term as field missionaries after attending Spanish language school in Mexico.
Juan and Maribel Hoppert, with their daughter Ana, are Honduran nationals who have been living in the U.S. since 2007 while Juan received flight and mechanic training in preparation for full-time service as a missionary pilot. Officially accepted as full-time missionaries, they are excited to join MAG in bringing the love and compassion of Christ to their own culture. They will relocate from Michigan to Burlington, NC in July where they will assist in various MAG projects and programs in Central America. Juan will also receive additional flight training as he pursues his goal of being a “field pilot.”
Rimas and Abby Miknaitis were also welcomed to the MAG team. Rimas is an experienced pilot/mechanic and Abby is a doctor, having just completed her residency in emergency medicine in Toledo, Ohio. Abby will be serving as a physician at a missionary hospital in Balfate, Honduras, while Rimas assists Westley with flying duties, aircraft maintenance and required aircraft inspections. They will begin language school in Mexico in July and plan to be on the field in Honduras by September.
It was also announced that the Burlington headquarters of HIM is soon to become MAG’s headquarters as well as the result of the new partnership that has been forged between the two. MAG will provide operational control of all HIM “field aircraft” and will supply all the missionary pilots and staff as it becomes the “International Field Operations Department” of HIM. This will allow HIM to focus on setting and meeting development goals while MAG is able to focus on putting aircraft and personnel on mission fields that desperately need them.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for a synergy that will make both ministries far more productive than either could ever have dreamt of being individually.” says Sean Donnelly. “The ability to leverage the strengths and experience of each organization means that more lives will be saved. More people will experience the compassion of Jesus Christ in relevant and practical ways – giving power and credibility to this gospel we Christians preach. These are exciting times!"
MAG should complete its relocation to Burlington by August 1, 2010.
