Training Milestones

Nev's training milestones:

- Pilot’s license - USA - 2004
- Instrument license - USA - 2005
- Bible school - England - 2006
- Tailwheel endorsement - USA - 2006
- High-performance endorsement - USA - 2007
- Airframe mechanical license - USA - April 2007
- Complex endorsement - USA - July 2007
- Powerplant mechanical license - USA - Aug 2007
- US commercial pilots license - USA - Sept 2007
- Field experience – Philippines - 2007/2008
- MAF Technical Evaluation - Australia - Nov 2008
- Australian commercial pilots license - Australia - Dec 2008
- Secondment to MAF Australia - Arnhem Land, NT - Jan 2009
- Bacame a 1000+ hr pilot - Arnhem Land, NT - Feb 2010
- Wycliffe/JAARS Technical Evaluation (~Dec 2011)
- Wycliffe/JAARS Full-time field Assignment (~July 2012)


Green - Complete
Red - To do

It's been a long but rewarding journey to date, and one that’s taken me from N.Ireland, to California (twice), to England, Michigan, the Philippines ... and now Australia. Praise God for His strength, guidance and leading in all of the above. I am so grateful to everyone who has and is supporting me in every way imaginable. Without you I would not be able to serve others abroad with Wycliffe Bible Translators and Mission Aviation Fellowship. May you be richly blessed for your sacrafice.

Australian commercial License

Thank you all so much for your prayers. It was a really long and stressful day lasting around 11 hours. By the end of the day I was completely done, but extremely happy that I now had an Australian commercial under my belt to match the US one.

With my license in hand I can now finalise the work visa and then start serving up north in Arnhem Land. Praise the Lord!

The end in sight

Well the final hurdle is approaching. I flew last Monday and the instructor informed me that I was ready for the Australian commercial flight test. The earliest appointment I could get is for this Friday (5th Dec). Please pray for a good nights sleep before hand, strength for this long day, clarity of mind and sound decision making.

Also, the weather forecast at this stage is for borderline weather, please also ask the Lord that He will send blue skies, high clouds and low winds. Thanks, Nev ;-)

MAF Technical Evaluation

Well I have some really wonderful news. Last week I heard that the guy in charge of the MAF Technical Evaluations (TE's) was to leave for the next 3-4 weeks. That's not the good news by the way, read on. My original plan was to do the commercial flight test and then the TE while I was proficient especially as the flying would be in the Cessna 206, a great workhorse of a plane but you must keep ahead of it. Well with the possibility of having to wait around for a few weeks for the return of the MAF guy it was decided that I would give it a try BEFORE he left. And so it was, with just a day's notice I jumped into the 206 for my 5th flight in the high performance Cessna. It was a 'scenario' based test and I had 2 passengers who needed to do a runway inspection at a remote location. We had simulated bad weather with low ceilings causing me to fly low along valleys, cross mountain ridges and do lots of dead reckoning pilotage to try to find an obscure airstrip. I was given simulated engine failures, various maneuvers to do and also a runway inspection a short strip with an up-slope landing. It was really great to put some recent off strip runway analysis into practice doing things like timing runs over the strip and then working out mathematically from the air how long the strip actually is. Up to now I had only ever seen airstrips in video clips that had a one way in and the same way back out. But now I was finally flying this typical mission style ... what a blessing.

Anyway, after a long day of flight planning, testing and debriefing I finally heard the words, "congratulations you have passed the TE". Praise the Lord! Now the only remaining task I have is to finish out the commercial conversion and then head up north to Arnhem Land to begin serving the Aboriginal people. I don't want to rush the training



Coldstream airport (YCEM) where I am based at. Here is a pic coming in on base for runway 17.










Also, we had a local airshow last weekend. Here are a few more pics of some of the stars of the show.








A Yak 52








Galeb G-2 cold war grass runway jet










And for me the best was a beautiful P51 Mustang

Another update from MAF

Hadleigh Remembered

Friday, 24 October 2008

The authorities have changed the search emphasis. Whilst the use of aircraft has diminished, ships with specialised equipment are being deployed in Buckingham Bay to search for the aircraft wreckage. We are hopeful that images of the aircraft fuselage will give information as to its precise location. Please pray that this is the case and it will be recovered. It is probable that Hadleigh's body is still in the wreckage. The family believe that their beloved son is in the presence of their Lord and, as such, have organised a Thanksgiving service at their church on Monday, 27 October. Please pray that this is a wonderful celebration of a life given in service for his Lord and also that all who attend will be challenged to put their trust in God.

I passed!

God is good, thanks for all the prayers. I am so glad that I don't need to sit any more government exams. They are quite different from the US and even getting to a testing centre is difficult. I have one more test to do for my 'radio license' but that can be done internally at the airport hopefully on Monday. Another weekend of study ahead then FINALLY I can get back in the air! Can't wait ;-)

Ready for the big one!

Thanks for praying and also for the emails of encouragement. With the Lord's help I managed to pass the internal exam within 24 hrs! (normally you have to go through a specific course). And so I now have my appropriate sign-off to attend the main CASA exam tomorrow :-)

The books are now closed and I'm praying for a good nights sleep. Will be leaving here at 7am to see what the day holds. Will keep you all posted. Thanks

Exam time

Well there is good news and bad news. The good news is that I am booked in for the big exam on Thursday at the CASA testing centre in Melbourne. The bad news is, we just realised today (Tuesday) that I need to sit an internal exam before I can take it ... and to do that I need to sit 3 practice exams that will prepare me for it! :-(

It's been a very long day of panic and study, but the practice exams are finally finished. Please pray:

• that I will be ready and rested for the test tomorrow (Wed) and that it will go well so I can sit the CASA exam on Thursday.
• for the exam on Thursday - my preparation has been disrupted and I don't feel as ready as I wanted to be for it. The exam is very expensive to take so it will really help to get through first time.

Thanks!

Further update from MAF website

Hopes Fading

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

There has been little change in the situation since the last report. The search has been on-going but nothing further found. Realistically, the further out from the incident the more the realisation comes that there is little chance of finding Hadleigh alive. No May Day call was received and we don't know if he experienced the rapid onset of a medical condition or if there was some catastrophic event with the aircraft. Inspection of the debris located on Friday indicates that the aircraft struck the water with some considerable force. Currents and tides may well be carrying the aircraft some distance from initial point of contact. Murky water is reducing visibility. The aircraft could be lying in one of the deeper channels of Buckingham Bay. The search emphasis is changing to more of a surface vessel focus. Hadleigh's family are realising more each day that there is little chance of him returning to them. Please pray for them as the impact of this comes more sharply in focus.

Latest news of the search

Just a quick update on how the search has been going. The news is not good. It has been more than 3 days now since the accident up in Arnhem Land. The pilot has still not been found. Some debris was discovered washed up on the shore but no sign of the crash site or Hadleigh Smith the pilot as yet. Below is an excerpt from the MAF website. You can goto here for more up-to-date news (www.maf.org.au).


A Call to Prayer

Sunday, 19 October 2008

AUSAR (Australian Search and Rescue) have passed jurisdiction for the search for Hadleigh to the Northern Territory Police. Whilst still involved in planning AUSAR's physical presence has lessened. However, the search is on-going. Aircraft searched all day yesterday. Many local aboriginal community members are out on the water in their own boats looking and some have walked many kilometres of mangrove shoreline in search of Hadleigh. Nothing was sighted yesterday. The main objective we all have is to find Hadleigh. The local MAF community gathered together last night in order to give mutual support and to deal with the reality of what has happened. Today we are asking for people to pray, wherever they are and as they gather for worship, that God's specific presence in all of this will be revealed. Above all else praise God for His sovereignty in all things. Pray for Hadleigh's safety. Pray for the immediate family: that their faith will be strengthened, that God's arms will surround them with His love and even though there are questions of why and how pray that God's peace and abundant grace are sufficient for their needs. Pray that the NT Police and Coroner will have adequate resources available and will use all resources needed to continue searching. Pray for calm weather in the area. Yesterday a strong wind blew up which resulted in choppy water. Please pray for calmness and smoother conditions today. Pray that God will specifically intervene and that His finger will pinpoint the area to search.

Urgent Prayer Request

Yesterday at 14.30 one of the MAF planes failed to return home in Arnhem Land. We still don't have much news apart from knowing that no passengers were on board but the cargo was in the 'dangerous goods' category. All searches yesterday failed to find anything and is continuing again at first light today. Please pray for the pilots safe return, his family as they wait and for the searchers as the Australian Search and Rescue & MAF aircraft scan the area.

Latest news can be found here... www.maf.org.au

Prayer requests updated

My prayer requests have just been updated, check out the 'Prayer Request' link on the left for details :-)

Back online!

Hey all, sorry for the lack of updates over the past few weeks but it has been all go since I left the UK and started to make my way out to Ozzy land. I had a quick stopover for about 6 days in California and spent some quality time with family and friends in Bakersfield and the church there. They were putting the finishing touches onto their new church building and it was a real blessing to see so many working together through many trials with the joy of Christ! I also got to speak at their old premises on their last Sunday there before heading to the new building.

So anyway, I'm now down under, living for the next month or so at a Bible school near Melbourne. I've been having my head in the books for the last week and half and hope to be ready to take my flight conversion exams next week. With that out of the way i will then be able to concentrate on flying and preparing for the Australian flight test. Here are some pics of my new surroundings:







Some of the books I got to study. There seems to be a lot more regulations here in Australia than in the US :-(














My apartment for the next month

The college grounds

The Cessna 206 that I need to fly for the flight test & the Coldstream airport about 15mins drive from the college

Australia .. here I come

Great news! I finished up all the medical work in Dublin yesterday and I'm now in possession of a Class 1 Australian medical ... Praise the Lord!
And so with visa in hand, tickets purchased, the only thing remaining is to pack my bags and go. The plan is to leave here on Tuesday and begin the new chapter of what God has in store for me. Thanks for all the prayers! Hope to see as many of you as possible before I go.

Final hurdle

Well this Thursday will bring the final challenge before heading off to Australia. I must head back down to Dublin to complete the 2nd part of the Australian medical. All has gone well so far and is a real testimony of your prayers and our powerful God. I hope to be on a plane for Australia within a few days of the medical!

Please continue to pray, for:

• a successful medical outcome on Thursday
• no delay in issuing the medical license
• a police clearance check that is long overdue
• travel details to be confirmed and reasonably priced

So far so good

Well last week held the final interview for MAF. It was done over the phone and was reasonably straightforward. Thanks to all who were praying as it definitely helped. In fact, by the end of it I was told that not only had I passed that final interview, but that I had now completed and passed ALL that MAF UK had for me to do ;-) This is a great relief and now the only hurdle that remains is the 2nd part of the medical on the 18th Sept back down in Dublin. If all goes to plan I hope to be heading towards Australia by the following week ... thats only 2 weeks away!! I'll keep you posted.

Final interview with MAF and tests

Just a quick note about the final interview with MAF. It was scheduled for today but had to be put back to tomorrow morning. This is the final interview and will be done over the phone with one of the flight guys in England. After that, I should have the final word from MAF about whether I am accepted ;-) Please pray for this interview.

Also, on Friday I will have the final day of training for the First Aid course I am doing. This will involved a scenario based exam where we have external people come in and test the things I've been learning over the past 4 weeks. Again I would appreciate your prayers. Thanks :-)

A trip to Dublin

Well yesterday was a long day. It began around 5am (middle of the night in my book) and a trip down to Dublin. Thankfully a friend was going down too so I was able to sponge a lift most of the way there. The aim was the dreaded aviation Class 1 medical for Australia.

I arrived with hours to spare and so had a great opportunity to see some of the sights of Dublin. Here the main GPO (general Post Office) in the centre of Dublin including the bullet holes in the columns from the uprising in the early 1900's.

With so much time to spare I was also able to go to Trinity college (pic below) and see the book of Kells (pic right), one of the 1st ever copies of the Scriptures to be bound like a book that we use today. It is over 1000 years old and probably written sometime in the 9th century.

Anyway, eventually the history lesson was over for the day and it was time to go and be poked and prodded by the doctor. Most medicals are done and dusted that day and if successful you walk away with a temporary medical until the full one arrives in the post. Well the good news is that I did pass everything at the medical but the bad news is that as this is my 1st Australian medical the rules are slightly different. Before I can get my certificate, I need to see a few specialists for eyesight and hearing and this takes time to setup. Unfortunately I didn't find this out until the dust was blown off the medical regulations when i got down there and it seems I will have another day in Dublin in about 2 weeks time. Hmmn, yet another delay.

Thanks to all who where praying during this time, your services will be required once again.

Still waiting

Still no news from MAF. It's looking like the final word may not come now until mid-September. As this is when I was hoping to leave then I have a bit of a predicament. You see, some things I need to do take around a month (like going self-employed, first aid course, etc). So I think the only thing to do is go ahead with the courses so that when word does arrive I will be ready to jump on a plane and just go. I guess that's where living by faith comes in ;-)

Some favourite songs

OK so I'm really just looking to test out how to put videos onto the blog site, but why not share as well some of my favourite music. Hope you enjoy!

Word of God speak - Mercy Me


Who am I - Casting Crowns


I can only imagine - Mercy Me

How can you help?

This is a question I often get, and so think it's best to have somewhere on my site an area set up to answer this question properly. Essentially I seek to raise prayer supporters first and foremost, as this is the power behind everything we do. Our God is faithful and during my time either training or serving, He has touched a number of peoples hearts who wish to support in a practical way i.e. financially. I can truly say that God is good and has supplied my every need at just the right moment.

Now as I plan to serve abroad on a more permanent basis, it is becoming increasing important for me to channel all funds through Wycliffe and their finance system. This has some distinct advantages, such as:

• increasing the gift by 28%! (if you are a UK tax payer and have signed a Gift Aid form)
• making your gift easily available wherever I am - any Wycliffe branch can transfer between each other
• allowing me to see who has given and be able to thank you personally - banks often just show me a number and not the name of who has given

So if God has put it on your heart to support and you have obviously prayed about it, then here are some links to help you.

Prayer support:

• Visit my website - prayer support section
• Are you receiving my news letters? If not, email me and ask to be added to the list
• Attending a prayer meeting? Consider emailing me or call me beforehand and ask for specific prayer points (often i can go into more detail this way, rather than a public posting on the web)

Financial support:

There are a few methods you can choose from depending on where you are from and how you feel comfortable partnering. A general rule however, it to ensure that any gifts that are sent via Wycliffe include the following information (gift directed to 'Nevin Urey - Wycliffe UK - 210852')

Within the UK:

1. Send a cheque

- make payable to 'Wycliffe Bible Translators'

- write on the back, for 'Nevin Urey - Wycliffe UK - 210852'.

- send to the following address:

Wycliffe UK
The Wycliffe Centre
Horsleys Green
High Wycombe
HP14 3XL

2. Or you can setup a standing order. It is easy to setup and change at a later stage. Simply open and print the forms below, then send to Wycliffe (address on form).

- Support form

- Gift Aid (increase your gift by 28% for free!)

If you need any help or wish to discuss options further then please contact either myself, or the Wycliffe response centre (01494 682 268). The response centre can also help by posting the standing order forms above. Again, please ensure that you state your gift is to be directed to 'Nevin Urey - Wycliffe UK - 210852'.

Outside the UK:

1. Check the web for a Wycliffe branch in your country (some of the more common sites are below). Most Wycliffe sites will have a giving section on their site with instructions on how to help. As long as you include my details ('Nevin Urey - Wycliffe UK - 210852') then your gift will be transferred to wherever I am serving.
2. If there is no Wycliffe branch in your area, then please email me directly so I can help

Some useful Wycliffe websites:

Wycliffe USA

Wycliffe Australia

Wycliffe Canada

There are many other Wycliffe branches, so if your country is not here then look here on the Wycliffe International website.

Something strange

Ok, so a bit of background. If all these MAF interviews go well then the next step will be for me to head out to Australia. I will initially be based at an airstrip in a remote out of the way town called Coldstream. Apparently it's the sort of place that most people won't have heard off, blink and you've missed it ... that type of town. Anyway, I was sitting having dinner at the Wycliffe centre in England and this Australian girl sits down. She wasn't even there for dinner, but was at a BBQ outside and it was too cold so came in. We got chatting and as she was from Australia we talked about Arnhem Land and the sort of places i could possibly be based. Not only did she know about Arnhem Land in the north but she used to live in that little tiny town of Coldstream where I would have to go for my license conversions! She still has lots of contacts there and can possible arrange some accommodation for me. That just blew me away, and felt like God saying, "stop worry about your exam results - I can cause someone from a tiny Australian town on the other side of the world to sit down beside you ... I AM IN CONTROL".

A visit to MAF England

Well this week has been a bit of a challenge. It began with heading down to the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Operations office in the south of England. I arrived on the Monday to be rested up for the start of a day of exams on the Tuesday. The computer based exams took just under 6 hours and were immediately followed by an interview with an aviation psychologist. It was a very long day. Most of the tests were OK and i think some parts even pretty good. But the only way to describe some would be brutal. It will be 1-2 weeks before i hear back so please continue to remember this in your prayers.

The next day was then another psychological test, this time up in London. I felt this went much better, especially as it wasn't preceded by a day of testing. I hope to hear quite soon the outcome.

Then on Thursday, it was a day of interviews. 3 in total and I have to say i actually really enjoyed the process. The interviews were quite different to anything i had done before and focused more in on the type of person you are rather than the normal achievement/experience style. Again I hope to hear quite soon about this.

And now .. I am still in England, just outside London, at the Wycliffe main HQ. I've managed to avoid a lot of training courses over the years but now I've finally been cornered and playing catch-up ;-) It's actually a lot of fun and it is great meeting lots of new people and gaining information that will be really useful for me in the future. I'll be here until mid next week before I can make good my escape and head for home.

Thanks to all who have been praying for me through this week of tests. I'll let you know the results as they start to come in.

Prayer Letter Updated

Well you should have received an email with a link to my latest prayer/news letter. If not then check your junk folder in case it's hiding in there. Failing that, drop me an email (nevin_urey@wycliffe.org) and I'll add you to the list.

In the meantime, you can still download it by clicking on 'Prayer Letters' which is under the 'Labels' section on the left ;-)

Thanks,
Nev

The next step

Well the clock is ticking and in less than a weeks time it will be off to England for 3 days of testing with MAF. The testing (assuming it's successful) will get me one step closer to going on loan with MAF and flying in their Australian program helping the Aboriginal people. The testing will include 14 exams over 6 hours, and that's just the first day! Then some psychological tests and interviews. Please pray for this time and if it's the Lord's will then a clear successful outcome.

Some useful links

Here are a few of my favourite links that I use all the time and talk to people about. I hope you find it useful:

Sermons Online

Ada Bible Church - These are sermons from a church I used to go to in Michigan. The pastors here have a real gift for teaching in a simplistic but very applicable way. They are the best and most consistently good sermons I have ever heard. All are good but try 'The Story' series if you want to get a taste

Radio & TV

UCB - Online Radio and TV for United Christian Broadcasters
The Jesus Film - Link to watch the Jesus film in loads of languages

Websites

Wycliffe UK - Wycliffe Bible Translators, UK site
Wycliffe Australia - Wycliffe Bible Translators, AU site
Wycliffe USA - Wycliffe Bible Translators, US site
Vision 2025 - Wycliffe's website detailing their vision to begin all translations that need one by the year 2025
JAARS - Jungle Aviation And Radio Service is the technical wing of Wycliffe
Old Nev's News - This is my old blog site and updates
Spiritual Gifts - A good website to find out what your Spiritual gifts are
The Word for Today - Online daily devotional
MAF AU - MAF Australia site

Book sites

ICM Books - Christian bookstore in N.Ireland
Abe Books- Good 2nd hand online bookstore (http://www.abebooks.com/ for US site)
God4Me - Subsidised books in the US. Great price if they have what you are looking for

Home Sweet Home

Well it's great to be back home in N.Ireland for a bit. I had the most wonderful time in the Philippines and learned so much both on and off the airfield. Now its time to catch-up with some friends, family and of course do a little bit of eating whilst home. Oh ... did I miss an Ulster fry!


So now the plans for the next step are progressing and for those that don't know I am trying to go on loan from Wycliffe to MAF Australia so that I can serve with the Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land (Northern Australia) as a pilot.


Please continue to pray for the arrangements for this next step to Australia, there is still lots to organise and prepare. If all goes well I hope to head out in just over a months time and will probably be based in Melbourne until I can complete all license conversions and MAF flight reviews.