Some of you may know that Matt was in an accident yesterday with the floatplane. He had flown a pastor to some river communities to minister over the weekend.  They were on their way back and needed to land because a storm was coming. When they were coming in to land the motor quit and they had to land in some trees.  Matt is ok, unfortunately the pastor broke his femur. Prayers are greatly appreciated for that because it is normally a long recuperation.  Genivaldo, the pastor, has been working in these communities for 15 years—please pray also that he would not be discouraged and that this would be used for God’s glory.  (Romans 8:28) I guess Matt’s ok and not too scared to fly because he got back in another ultralight to come back to Santarem 🙂 (he was about 2 hours away by plane so we were thankful that a pilot friend was available to go pick him up)  

*Huge, huge praise that the guys survived the accident, and with just cuts & bruises other than the broken femur—recognizing that that will take a little longer but with time will heal and we pray will not have any permanent effects

*For Pastor Genivaldo—quick, uncomplicated healing and encouragement. We are thankful he was able to be taken to a major city hospital yesterday where he can receive highly skilled care.

*The area around Matt’s right eye is purple and swollen. He was checked out at a small hospital near the crash site yesterday but we are going to have a CT scan done here in Santarem today thanks to a doctor/pilot that Matt knows who arranged it all for him—not a small feat, especially given that it is a Brazilian holiday today and everything is closed.  He also has a sprained ankle.

*Matt is supposed to leave tomorrow morning to travel to Atlanta, GA for his sister Faith’s wedding this weekend.  Prayers appreciated especially for comfort during his long flight.

*As we wade through the details of getting the plane removed from the forest, that things would move forward in an uncomplicated manner.  The plane is more or less destroyed—crushed wing, bent float, etc. –prayers appreciated for deciding the next steps in terms of what is salvageable and/or how do we replace it. 

We want to especially thank all of you who pray for us, whether on a regular basis or once in awhile—we fully believe the outcome was as good as it was thanks to the power of prayer.  I got emotional this morning listening to a message from a fellow Brazilian missionary pilot in another part of the Amazon.  He had prayed for Matt and mission aviation yesterday morning during his mission group’s prayer time—just about the time that Matt and Genivaldo were involved in the accident.

God is so good and we praise Him…and fully recognize that even if the outcome had been worse…He is still good, and worthy of our praise!!

Love to all,

Janelle