As I write this I am back home in Ohio,
watching a few flakes of snow drift down, and lie in a light dusting on the
grass. The weather here just now is getting to that slippery “around-about-freezing”
part of the season that has everything melting during the day, then freezing up
again overnight. In the more temperate
parts of the world the arrival of snow and ice usually means travel chaos, and
everything grinding to a halt. As they say in Glasgow, ‘s naw nice, snaw ‘n ice … (It’s
not nice, snow and ice, if you need the English translation!!) Last weekend
a group of the people we had been working and living with at Northern Youth
Programs in Dryden had set off on a trip that was only happening because of the
arrival of colder weather and snow. The community of Poplar Hill is a
First Nation Reserve 6 hrs drive north of where we were working. During the
winter months this community is more connected with the outside world than any
other time of the year, as the last 2 or 3 hours of the journey to Poplar Hill
are made on an ice road that will have completely disappeared and turned back
into open countryside in the next month or two. Some of the staff at NYP were
making the trip up there to spend the weekend working with kids from that
community. They had a programme prepared including drama sketches, games and
local radio appearances, and they were keen to spend time getting to know the
children in the village and share Jesus’ love with them. There is an air strip where bush planes can get in and out with supplies and medical
help, and between the air strip and the ice road, this makes up all the
transport links that Poplar Hill has with the rest of Canada. This situation is
one that is repeated all over the north of this continent. It really shows how
vitally important aircraft are in accessing the First Nations communities with
practical help, teaching and support for the churches who would otherwise feel
incredibly isolated.
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| Working with "First Nation" kids |
Northern Youth Programs are a mission
organisation with a calling to serve the “First Nation” or aboriginal people
across the northern part of the world. Their ministry is very focused on
counselling and as an organisation they have been able to bring the hope of the
gospel message to many people who might never have heard it before. While we
were in Dryden the founder of the organisation was in Greenland running
training seminars in conjunction with some of the local churches in that area.
They also work right across Canada, although most of their service is in NW
Ontario and eastern Manitoba. As is often the case with indigenous groups
around the world, people in the far north can be vulnerable to alcohol and drug
abuse, domestic troubles and depression. There are very real identity issues
that come from being part of a group of people from a very different cultural
background to that of those living around them. As well as courses, counselling
and summer camps that are run at “Beaver Camp”, in Dryden, they also run summer
camps, training courses and mission trips out into many villages across the
country. To allow this outreach work to continue, the planes are a well-used
tool, spending many hours in the air over the summer months especially.
The plane we were working on while we were
there was a Cessna 206. It is a pretty common work-horse across the mission
aviation world, and is well thought of for flying people and cargo into rough
bush strips around the world (in fact we are currently working on two 206’s in
the hangar here in Ohio). Many years of flying into interesting airstrips takes
it’s toll on a plane, and the one we were working on had developed some cracks
in the skins that make up the wings. Two mechanics had previously been up in
Canada to help repairing the first wing, and completed the work on the left
wing before they had to return south. NYP have only one full time mechanic in
the organisation, and even though he is very capable, it is just physically
impossible to drive and buck the rivets that hold the structure together with
only one pair of hands.
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| Getting ready to rivet the new leading edge skin in place. |
MMS were asked if we could help with some
man power to rebuild the right wing, and so myself and Bob traveled up to help
out. Other work commitments meant that the hangar space was needed by the
weekend of 23rd Feb, so by the time we had organised ourselves, and driven
1200 miles to Dryden we had only 8 or 9 work days to get things put back
together.
We easily managed, with a day to spare, and
on Friday 22nd, we were able to carry the wing over to a storage
hangar and leave the heated hangar ready for the Piper Cheyenne’s 100hr
inspection. Jordan will be able to get both wings scuffed and painted when the
hangar space is free again, and with a couple of days work reattaching the
wings and hooking everything back up, their Cessna 206 will be back in the air
serving those in NW Ontario.
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| Myself, Bob and Jordan behind our completed wing. |
One of the things that I loved about
growing up in Scotland and now living in Ohio is seeing the changing seasons.
Of all the things I might miss when we move on at the end of this year, I think
snow has to rate pretty highly. I have spent lots of time appreciating the
winter this year, (even when trying to get our car back out of a snow covered
ditch!) and am glad that we will be able to spend a couple of months over
Christmas 2013 in one of Scotland’s snowier areas. Being a cold weather
creature, I was excited about this trip to the frozen north! Bob is from northern
Minnesota, and so he is used to having everything buried under lots of snow; it
was good to be able to travel to Canada with him and his family, and have his “insider
knowledge” on living and working in the cold. As well as working hard and finishing
the task we had set out to do, I was able to check off a load of things on my
“bucket list”! I had a great time; I had my first experiences on a snow mobile,
sat in an ice fishing hut, watched my first ice hockey match, and spent quite a
bit of time just being out in the snow! Unfortunately I didn’t get to see any
of the Northern Lights, but standing out on a frozen lake, late at night,
looking up at a clear sky and wall-to-wall stars is a fantastic experience. The heavens declare the glory of God, and
the sky above proclaims his handiwork. It was definitely an extra blessing
for me getting this unexpected little trip up north!
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| Snow mobile fun! |
