Adventist World : Living God's Love

AMA, AMA!” A faint but urgent call came over Captain Norton’s radio. In a remote jungle village a native man had been bitten by a poisonous snake. “Please, will you come?” the voice pleaded. Robert (Bob) Elwin Norton, mission pilot of Adventist Medical Aviation (AMA) in Venezuela, was winging his way toward Ciudad Bolivar for routine maintenance on the plane when the call came. Other pilots were advising that it was too risky to land at this particular site, but Bob decided to trust God and attempt a rescue. As he approached the airstrip and it came into view, he thought, Wow, it’s worse than I thought.

A peaceful calm settled over Bob, and he landed the plane  safely on the 600-meter (0.37 mile) airstrip. Bob then flew the  man to a medical facility where he received the help he needed.

Because of that flight, word reached many villages that AMA’s plane would come to help anyone in need, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Many of the indigenous people began claiming the plane as their own, calling it their “angel of mercy.”

In 2001 Bob and Neiba Norton heard the call of God: “Will you go and give your lives in service for Me?” They sold their United States-based business and home, stepped out in faith trusting that God would supply their needs, and made their home in the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela. Although they confronted many daily challenges and did not receive a salary, they never questioned their decision. Bob made countless flights in his small plane—a Cessna 182 purchased with donations given for that purpose—providing emergency assistance and saving many lives.

Before Bob began flying into villages many people died who might have survived with medical assistance. But Bob believed that God was the real pilot of his plane, giving him wisdom and skill to maneuver the short, rough airstrips.

As Bob flew his plane in and out of jungle airstrips carrying pregnant mothers in trouble, ill children, accident victims, those needing emergency surgery, and others, the indigenous people learned of a God who loved them. Bob never preached a sermon in words, but He lived as Jesus did, mingling with the people as one who desired their good.

“We want to know more about your Jesus,” they often told Bob. “Please bring us a teacher.” So Bob flew lay workers to these villages to study the Bible with them. Then he flew pastors in to baptize those who committed their lives to Jesus.

I was on a return flight from dropping off a medical team in a village when I received an urgent call from our radio operator: “Can you fly straight to Wonken for a baby ill with pneumonia?”

I quickly changed headings while checking time and fuel, then picked up the mic. “I’ll be to Wonken in 20 minutes. Tell the parents to be waiting for me at the runway.”

Upon landing I found the baby to be worse than I had imagined. When she would quit breathing, her mother would pat her firmly on the back to stimulate her to breathe. I needed oxygen and someone to ventilate her, but I had neither. Quickly I loaded the family into the plane and prayed all the way to Santa Elena for God to spare this baby’s life….

After a 30-minute flight we landed, but the ambulance I’d requested was not at the airport. Jumping out, I went looking for someone willing to transport the desperate family to the hospital in their car.

Over the next few days I upheld this baby girl in prayer, yet I was afraid to ask if she had lived. On Thanksgiving Day [2006] I got a call from our radio operator asking when I could take this family back home.

The next morning the joy on the mother’s face as she thanked me for helping them warmed my heart. I give thanks to God for healing one of His little ones and for giving me the opportunity to help Him.

In 2006 other mission aviation organizations in Venezuela were closed by the government. A number of attempts were made to shut down the AMA program, as well, but in every instance it seemed that God softened the hearts of the government officials who came to investigate, because they always ended up endorsing the aviation work. When people asked Bob how he was still able to keep flying, he would tell them, “It’s because this is God’s program, not mine. As long as He wants it to keep going, no one can stop it.”

On February 16, 2009, Bob made his final flight. Those on board with him were his wife and companion in service, Neiba; a friend of the couple, Gladys; a child and his mother returning home; and a young girl in need of emergency surgery for appendicitis, and her mother. Tragically, however, it seems that the jungle just swallowed them up—plane, pilot, and passengers. A prolonged search has been in vain. The last radio transmission from Bob to the flight coordinator and radio operator was not understood. All that is known is that they are missing, but mechanical failure is suspected. A joint effort between Civil Protection in Venezuela and a volunteer search team to find the wreckage continues.

Only God knows what happened. Many times God performed miracles for Bob—my brother—opening a path in the clouds, stopping the rain, providing resources, and protecting him. But this time He didn’t. Nevertheless, I trust God is in control.

My heart goes out to the people in the jungles of Venezuela, who again have no one to help them. I mourn for the loss where the need is so great. Nothing, however, can stop the advancement of God’s work. The gospel seeds of love that Bob and Neiba have sown are bearing fruit among the indigenous people there.

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…. They will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them” (Rev. 14:13, NIV). Our family is clinging to the blessed hope.

Barbara Ann Norton Kay, the sister of Robert Norton, enjoys resting on Sabbath from her farming and greenhouse work and finds renewal in nature and communion with God. She writes from Bryant, Alabama, U.S.A.