Christian Aviation Ministries

Dear praying friends,

We received word today that someone broke into the UIMA hangar in Chihuahua early this morning and stole one of our Cessna 206 aircraft. We are thankful that even though the guard was overpowered and tied up, no one was hurt. Being the enterprising folks they were, the thieves took advantage of the space in the airplane by filling it with a number of tools including our gas welding tanks. All the pertinent officials in Mexico and the U.S. have been notified and we are taking precautions to secure the other airplane and remaining tools. We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to work through this situation.

Official Release from UIM:

I am writing to let you all know that one of our 206s, N6303U, was stolen out of our hangar in Chihuahua yesterday morning around 6:30 am. The thieves accosted the lady that lives on the airstrip as she came out of her house, forced her to give them her key to the walk in hangar door and then tied her up. They then opened the hangar doors which were padlocked, got into the locked airplane, removed a cable prop lock, and throttle lock all without keys. They also helped themselves to a number of tools and equipment that were easily portable including our oxy acetylene bottles.

N50901, our 206 that was at AirVenture 2009 was also in the hangar, and quite frankly we are praising the Lord that they took just one airplane. Unfortunately it is not the way we wanted to end the year for the Airmap program.

Still trusting Him…

UIM Aviation

Extreme Poverty…

Dear Friends and Family,
We have been in Mexico for five months now, and already we have seen so much that hurts our hearts and makes the goal of reaching people with the hope of eternal life much clearer. Only three miles from our little colonia is a Tarahumara village where a single missionary lady teaches daily. Kari, and some-times our kids, have had the chance to plug in and show God’s love through simple expressions like giving their time and attention to the mothers and young kids. It has drastically changed Haley’s worldview and she is asking about when she can go back again and help. The contrast between the extreme poverty of this village and the city of Chihuahua is staggering and pictures don’t really do justice to the hopelessness of their situation. The Tarahumara culture is closed and extremely difficult to break through, so pray for them…

In other news UIMA flights have picked up this month, though not nearly to the level that existed before the cartel war escalated and the airstrips were closed. Several works in Central Mexico have saved valua-ble time through the use of our air-plane, and many local works (100 mile radius) have benefitted from it as well. Some of these flights have been medical and dental clinics put on by local doctors, supply flights, and transportation for those checking the progress and accuracy of translations in process. Many missionaries still cannot live full time in their respective villages because of the instability and vio-lence, and need quick transportation into and out of these areas. Pray for these missionaries and their works. Also, flights into Central Mexico continue to be very expensive for UIMA since we subsidize all flights, and we don’t have a Southern flight base yet. This issue, and the issue of so many airstrips being unregis-tered has been very difficult financial-ly for UIMA as an organization. Pray for them. Pray for us…that we will continue to be faithful to learn the language so we can plug into the flight program and support the mis-sionaries here in Mexico.

The Cartel War…

Sunday, September 11th, our family was at the downtown Sam’s Club looking at all the Mexican trinkets being sold for the celebration of Dia de Independen-cia, when suddenly shots rang out across the parking lot. Kari saw the gunman and grabbed the kids and ran into the store…as I ran into the store behind them I saw that their were two men and they were running away from the store. Later we found out one man, a police officer, had been murdered. Four days ago at the time this letter was written, a man was shot
and killed one block from our house while we were away in town. These incidents bring home the desperation and hatred that exists in places here in Mexico. I want to stress that we are not targets, and that Chihuahua re-mains an acceptable environment in which to live. The violence that has struck in the proximity of our family and our home has just reiterated the need we have for your prayers. Pray for safety. In reality we are much more suscep-tible to crimes like auto theft or someone breaking into our house,
and these are enough to keep us vigilant.

Please continue to pray for our health and energy levels, for our kids in their new school, and that we would catch on to the lan-guage quickly. I believe time is short in these days…and much work remains to be finished. Thanks so much to each and every one of you who are part of this team reaching Mexico. You are needed!!

Clif and Kari Huntting

Dear Friends and Family,

It seems the change in diet (and maybe some stress from the move) was finally the last straw for an issue I (Clif) didn’t even know I had.  For the last two weeks I have been having serious bouts of pain high in my chest.  They usually went away in an hour or so, but on Sunday the pain didn’t go away.  I finally checked into one of the local hospitals, and after X-rays and an ultrasound it was determined I had a very sick and inflamed gallbladder.  By this time the only thing that relieved the pain was the medicine they were giving me at the hospital.  I didn’t want to go home with that kind of pain, and the on-call doctor said he could get me into surgery at 5:00 that same night.

So, in short that is what we did.  We decided on doing surgery and having my gallbladder removed here in Chihuahua, and we can now check that off the list of things we have done here in Mexico…after only three weeks. J We found that the hospital was very clean and professional, the doctor was very good, and the staff were very friendly.  We felt very well taken care of, and it was so encouraging to see the way so many of the missionaries here in Chihuahua pulled together to help us out and make sure all our needs were met.  Many of them sacrificed much of their time and energy to “hang” out with us to help translate and make sure we followed the correct steps.

Also, since this came on pretty quick, we weren’t able to inform everyone before the fact, but thanks so much to all of you who prayed for us and remembered us that way.  We really felt like God had gone before us again and paved the way.  Thanks to all of you who continue to pray for my recovery.  I am doing just fine, and seem to be healing well.  We’ll continue to stay in touch with all of you, and we look forward to many more “adventures” to share down here in Mexico.

Serving Mexico with Aviation,

Clif and Kari

Dear Friends and Family,
It seems like this moment has alluded us for some time now, but not anymore. We plan to roll out for Mexico on June 5th, 2011. Mark it on your calendars and remember to pray for us. We will be spending the first night in El Paso, and then will cross the border and head south to Chihuahua City on June 6th. Please pray for safety and that the border crossing will go smoothly. As we leave, we understand and are so thankful for the amazing people we have supporting us and praying for us. Thank you so much to each and every one of you who have played a part in our lives! We look forward to serving Mexico together with you in the future, and know that it takes all of us to reach the unreached with the gospel!
Packing and Loading, and Having Fun…and going crazy??

Clif and Kari Huntting

With a planned departure date of June 4th, time is quickly slipping away and taking us closer to life in a foreign country…

In the meantime, life continues to stay busy…we continue to travel at every opportunity, speaking to people and sharing the opportunity for ministry in Mexico, and the many needs that exist.  We are so excited to be a part of bringing the gospel to people who have never had the opportunity to hear God’s amazing story.

We also continue to pack (slowly it seems), organize, purchase required items (like school supplies, school clothing, clothes in sizes that are unavailable South of the border, as well as things like a freezer, and a washer and dryer).  We plan to buy furniture down there, as well as a refrigerator and other things that seem to be more available.  Along with all of this, there is a bunch of paperwork needed before we can apply for resident visas and this certainly keeps us busy.

In January we were able to attend a missions conference in San Diego, connect with some good friends, and enjoy a couple hours at the beach.  February brought a trip to Lake Havasu City; this month includes a trip to Nebraska, and in April we would like to get back up to Lake Havasu City and maybe Phoenix, and then in May, at least one trip to the Los Angeles area, with another trip to San Diego in there somewhere as well.  With all the traveling, we would appreciate your prayers for safety and health, and that God would bring the right people along with a vision for missions and mission aviation to partner with us financially and prayerfully.

Mission Conference…

Pictures of our display and a look at the Pacific Beach Pier…We were able to share the needs in Mexico with many kids interested in world missions, as well as parents who stopped by.  We also made sure we spent some time at the beach relaxing and eating, of course.  Hodad’s is a little hamburger joint on the beach that was visited by Guy from the Food Network on his Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives show, so we just had to try it.

Dear Friends and Family,

We are excited as the Christmas season is fully upon us to celebrate our Savior’s birth.  Over 2000 years ago, the angel Gabriel came down and spoke these words to the shepherds: “Do not be afraid.  I am bringing you good news that will be a great joy to ALL people.” This baby would change the course of all history…and His death on the cross would be for the sins of the whole world.   Yet, today there are those who have never had the chance to hear this amazing story.

With that thought in mind, we want to thank you all for the great part you have in our lives, and the lives of those whom we are trying to reach.  God has been accomplishing some pretty cool things in the past few months so we can continue going forward with our plans to move to Mexico.  Several months ago we were given a trailer through a dear family in San Diego, and just recently we sold our van, and with help from a church in Oregon and a close friend and missionary family, we were able to buy the GMC Yukon pictured to the left.  God provided it at a price that was amazing considering the things we needed.  It is four wheel drive, has third row seating with seatbelts for eight people, and a towing capacity of 7500 lbs, with a towing package and wiring for trailer brakes included.  These were all things we needed as we prepare for the move south.

As we look back at the list of things needed before we can move, the list is definitely much smaller today than it was even four months ago, and we are so thankful for people like you who have sacrificially given of your finances and your time to keep this ministry moving forward.  We are blessed with an amazing team!  Thank you so much for your prayers and financial commitments.  If you have questions about specific needs you can email or call us directly, or visit our website.  If there is something you would like to know about that is not on our website, feel free to ask us about it or give us feedback and we’ll see about posting that information.

We are continuing forward with our original plan of leaving the first week of June for Chihuahua City, Chihuahua, Mexico.  We are planning on spending at least our first year in language and culture training.  We both are convinced that we need to know Spanish fluently to have an effective ministry to the Mexican people.  We are excited about many things that are happening in Mexico with United Indian Mission, and you can visit the UIMA website for video and news concerning the organization with whom we will be serving.  In the meantime we continue to develop and grow our support base, meet new people, and attend conferences and meetings in an effort to generate excitement for the work that is progressing in Mexico.  We can’t do this without a large number of people committed to bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard, and nothing hits that point home more than this time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Thanks again, and we hope all of you enjoy a wonderful Christmas with your family, and we want to wish all of you a Happy New Year!

Serving in Mission Aviation,

Clif and Kari Huntting

Community Involvement

Most of you know by now that we will be serving in Mexico on special assignment to United Indian Mission. We have a departure date for sometime in May, but in the meantime, what is happening now?

We have many details to finalize (paperwork, packing, vehicle needs, etc…), and we continue to pursue meetings with individuals and churches with whom we can share our ministry .

But we have also had many opportunities this year to get involved in the border community of Douglas, AZ. One such opportunity that happens every year is the local AYSO kids soccer league. Sean and Haley love the game, and judging by the opening ceremonies, this is one of the largest events here in our little valley.
Every opening ceremony involves a lot of fun and formal introductions for the kids’ team, but locally the tradition is to enjoy a very Mexican meal of carne asada and tortillas, with beans, pasta, and a big jalapeno pepper. I am very supportive of local traditions, especially this one.

Just let me say right now, on the record, that the food is not the only reason we decided to go to Mexico, though I can hardly complain.

Another opportunity coming up is an annual Christmas drive to the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona. This involves filling our C-TU206 with clothes, toys, and food, and flying up to Window Rock, AZ to deliver it. Pray with us as we try to finalize the details that would allow this to happen.

Progress Made

We continue to see God provide for our monthly budget, as well as for our outgoing needs. About three months ago we mentioned that we needed a trailer, and a vehicle to tow it, for our move to Mexico. In that time we were given a large cargo trailer by a dear family in the San Diego area. We also recently received a large gift from a small church in Oregon towards purchasing a different vehicle.

We are humbled and amazed at this process because of the lack of control that we feel, and the way that God uses people to supply for our needs. And, as we see God work and provide, our faith is strengthened and our direction is confirmed in our minds.

We are reminded of the many, many people who sacrifice their time and their finances to keep this ministry moving forward, and we want to say thank you. We are so grateful for each of you and you are a huge encouragement to us.

Dear Friends and Family,
In the interest of being transparent and honest about current events in our mission organization, we need to take a moment to write this letter and explain some recent news. For us the news is both emotional and heartbreaking.
During the middle of the 1980’s and into the 1990’s members of New Tribes Mission in Senegal, West Africa committed child abuse in the form of sexual, physical, emotional, and spiritual abuse. The perpetrators were people the missionary kids (MK’s) trusted (dorm parents and teachers). What makes the story much more sad is that several of the leaders that should have been protecting them, in many cases covered up or didn’t follow up on what was happening. The Huntting family was part of the Senegal field in the 1980’s, and it was only by God’s grace that Clif was not affected, since he only spent brief periods of time in the dorms and we left the field in 1985 before most of this abuse happened. We know some of the MK’s who were abused, as well as some of the perpe- trators, and some of those who were involved in handling the abuse.
It hasn’t been until this year that an organization named GRACE was retained by New Tribes Mission at the request of the MK’s to carry out an independent investigation. The full report is now finished and the recommendations are being carried out. Kari and I want to express deep sorrow that this happened…we are angry and heartbroken and confused. Nothing will ever be adequate in dealing with the pain and abuse the MK’s have suffered, but we know our current Executive Board is in a place of humility and brokenness before the Lord, and are doing all they can to account for the past failures of former leaders.
We are, and will remain vigilant against the autocratic leadership philosophies that existed on certain fields; the lack of understanding that existed concerning our children’s place in our ministry, and the lack of child protection policies that created the environment which allowed this to happen. We firmly believe our children are a gift from God, and as such we need to protect them. Please pray with us for healing and grace for the victims, wisdom and humility for our leaders as they carry out the GRACE recommendations, and for God’s direction in all aspects of this.
Serving Mexico with Mission Aviation, Clif and Kari Huntting

Dear Ministry Partners,
For many years we have been in the process of preparing for aviation service in a foreign country, and we are now excited to be a part of the team reaching remote tribal groups in Mexico with the gospel. We again want to send out a sincere “thank you” to the many of you who have been a part of this for so many years through sacrificial giving and by faithfully praying. I hope you are as excited as we are about what God is doing in Mexico, and about the ways that we can support the church planting efforts.

As Kari and I prepare to leave our home country and move our family to Mexico, we are struck by the huge undertaking this has become. Much more than willing hearts are required to make this happen. And that brings me to the purpose of this letter…to give a financial report on our status and what is required to first, get us to Mexico, and second, keep us there. These two issues exist in the form of outgoing costs and a monthly budget.

I have included in this letter some of the things for which our monthly budget will be used, as well as a list of outgoing projects. We will continue to keep you informed on progress made and our financial status since we have all invested so much in this ministry.

The monthly budget will include the basics like rent, utilities, food, necessities, kid’s school, and vehicle insurance premiums, etc. This makes up about one third of our monthly budget. Since our tax status is self-employed, another third goes toward employment benefits, including health insurance, retirement, and social security, federal, state, and Mexican federal and state taxes. The last portion of the budget includes field business expenses, like travel costs, visas and vehicle permits, administration costs, furlough costs, and any team expenses.

I would briefly like to share my heart concerning this team expense. United Indian Mission is able to offer missionaries in Mexico a very low hourly rate for the use of airplane, and this is due largely to the fact that many of the pilots subsidize the program from their own monthly budgets as part of their tithe. This is something that Kari and I desire to be a part of as well. The airplane is a very important tool in the church planting process, by making travel much more efficient and much faster, as well as providing a much greater margin of safety for the missionaries in contingency matters as well as in medical emergency issues that may arise. Our desire is to keep the cost of the airplane low so it is more affordable to the missionaries we are there to support.

With this in mind, we are trusting the Lord for 100% of our budget so we can be more effective in our ministry. This increases our effectiveness in the flight program, as well as other opportunities that God brings our way. And, this is one way your giving has a direct impact on church planting efforts in Mexico. Again, thank you so much for your part in our ministry!
You are a much needed part of the team!

Serving Mexico with Aviation,

Clif and Kari Huntting

Praise and Prayer

• We had safe travel this summer.
• Once again God continues to raise up financial donors and prayer partners.
• We were able to reconnect with our sending church.
• We enjoyed good health.
• We have more travel plans for this Fall and need to continue meeting new contacts.
• There is so much to be done before we leave!
• Continued health.
• We need to sell the van and replace it with an SUV that can pull a large trailer.

Outgoing Costs and Projects

• Chevy Tahoe or GMC Yukon
• Large enclosed trailer
• Flight training bill here at NTMA
• Ministry computer
• Mexico field flight checks
• Setup costs in Mexico (six months advance rent, beds,
• refrigerator, stove, washer/dryer, etc„)
• Visas and Mexican paperwork
• Purchase of items unavailable in Mexico

2010-financial-report