This was a video we made a while ago, and are digging it up as many have asked about it. Enjoy!
A lot has happened with Dale during the last couple of months. Enough funds were raised to get them on the transplant list. A liver became available 6 days after being placed on the list. The operation was a success and Dale is gaining strength every day. Here is the latest update from Katie Shaylor since Dale’s liver transplant was completed:
It is hard to believe it has already been 8 weeks since Dale’s transplant! We have seen a lot of improvement in just the last week. Dale has been able to do more and more physical activities. He has been able to focus on and do business and work on the computer and things around the house. His stomach hasn’t been bothering him like before.. so he just feels so much better and stronger! We have bought tickets to head back to Venezuela on the 14th of September!! We talked with our post transplant coordinator and she didn’t see any reason why we couldn’t go, since things are going so well for Dale. Of course we will have every thing in place with our Dr there, so Dale will still be getting the attention he needs. We know Dale will NOT be able to just jump in and put himself into his work like before.. however, there are things he can work at in developing the national missionary flight program.. that won’t require too much physically, till he is ready and stronger yet. We are excited to be able to get back and work at a comfortable pace.. and at least be able to do what we can! We thank God for this incredible miracle!! We are so grateful for all the support and love you all have given us, that have made this impossibility become a reality so quickly! Praise God!
Missionary Pilot Dale Shaylor in Desperate need of a liver transplant
Dale and Katie Shaylor
Both Dale and Katie are MKs from Venezuela. Dale flew for us here in Amazonas, Venezuela. He is in desperate need of a liver transplant. Before he can get on the registry for this transplant, he has to raise $425,000 toward the operation. As of 3/25/11 they have raised $110,765.58.We are trying to help. For the next two months, all profits from the sell of Growing up Yanomamö, I Can See the Shore and the DVD, The Enemy God, purchased through our website will go to Dale’s transplant fund.
UPDATE: A Hospital in Tennessee is willing to place Dale on the Transplant List for $250,000 (instead of $425,000). The whole amount would still need to be raised. But they will get him on the list with 1/2 the money (if raised by JUNE!) Please prayerfully consider buying a copy of Michael Dawson’s books which proceeds will help raise this money!
4.4.11 Update: The official total raised has now reached $129,233.68! Let’s help them reach their goal!
I Can See The Shore
Growing Up Yanomamö
All The Day Long (while supplies last)
The Enemy God (DVD) (while supplies last)
Last night, while coming back up river, well, it was actually three am, so it was not really night, but it was dark, so as far as I was concerned, it was still night. Well, I had taken the position at the front of theboat to make sure we stayed in the channel at about 11, so by 3 am the sounds of the water rushing past the prow had about put me to sleep. I kept shaking my head to wake up and wished I had a cup of coffee, but even with all my head shaking, I was barely staying awake. I knew the guy back driving the motor was depending on me to keep him in the channel and was probably more asleep than I was and the last thing we needed was to ground our tank boat on some lousy sandbar or worse yet, some sharp rock, but anyway, it was awfully hard to stay awake.
We had started our trip the day before at 2 am when we loaded our barrels and headed down into the night hoping it was not just a rumor that the people in Tama Tama were selling 2000 liters of diesel fuel. Our tank for our village generator was getting dangerously low and we had no idea when the gove tanks in Las Esmeralda were going to be getting any fuel up, so if we could get this fuel, it would really help. We were hoping that by leaving early, we could get down there and back in the same day. We knew with the bote tanque, our fuel barge, it would take us about 10 hours to get down there and about 14 or 15 hours to get home.
We made it to TamaTama about 12 noon and found the guys that were selling the fuel and Praise the Lord! they did have it to sell. We ran the hose down to our barge and started the fuel flowing. I kept my eyes on the skies to the east as there seemed to be a huge storm brewing. We finally finished fueling and we shoved out about 5 PM heading back up river and into the teeth of the storm. I stoically refused to even worry about it as i have found out a long time ago, it does no good to worry about the weather. It will get you or not, regardless of how much you worry or don’t. Sure enough, a wall of rain came sweeping down the river barely giving me time to get my hammock down and into it’s water proof bag. In seconds we were all drenched and shivering in the cold rain and high humidity of the Amazon evening. Gone and barely a memory was the sun that had beat us all day. At noon, i had longed for some coolness, and now that I had it, how I wished for the sun. Such is my fickle life. Seems I am always longing for something I don’t have…anyway…the rain quit and we all stood there like half drowned rats…it was going to be a long night.
Well, the moon finally came up after 11 and life was pretty good. I would have loved a cup of coffee, but I was actually pretty comfortable. I had dried out by this time, i had my headset on and was listening to my ipod and just thinking about all that had happened this last week. And now it was 3 am and I was still thinking about Dad and what all he must be seeing and wishing I could have hidden a camera on him so we could be sharing his joy. You just wonder what it must really be like…Who met him? I knew Mikeila loved her grandpa, and Dad had told Mikeila at her funeral, “watch for me honey,” he had said, I won’t be far behind you.” Like I said, i was just setting there, half asleep, guiding the boat and making sure we stayed in the channel, wondering about heaven and Dad and missing Mikeila.
All of a sudden, with barely a ripple, so great was it’s speed, a silvery object left the water in front of the boat. It hung suspended in the moonlight and it did not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the trajectory of this object was going to make contact with me in less time than it took to register that there was “Incoming!” With a thud it smashed me in the chest, my arms flung involuntarily inward to try and protect myself only to find out I was now hugging what ever it was against my chest. Since most jungle fish or what ever it was bite or sting, hugging it against my chest was the last place i wanted this thing, but the way I was sitting, I was almost trapped in place, if I moved to much, I might find myself swimming…It seemed like an eternity, but I am sure micro seconds had only gone by when I finally flung off whatever it was to the floor of the boat. My friend, Esteban, seeing my gyrations jumped to his feet, by this time, I had found my light and was shinning around. Another friend, who had been driving until just a little bit ago, upon being relieved had come up to the quiet of the prow and had just fallen asleep. At the commotion, he jumped up yelling… “Watch out!” Well, Esteban got a hold on the fish, by this time we had figured out it was a Payara, sometimes called the saber toothed fish because of it’s huge teeth, anyway, Esteban was having a hard time holding him, because he was afraid of being bit. Now that I was no longer in any danger, I was offering him all kinds of advice which he choose to ignore, and to his sorrow, he watched this beautiful two foot or more fish slide over the side of the boat and was gone.
We started laughing, my jacket was covered in fish scales, Davie was trying to explain what he had been yelling about. Come to find out, he was dreaming he was still driving and thought all the commotion was because he had run us up on a rock, Esteban kept looking over the side of the boat where the fish had disappeared as if it might make another appearance, but that was it, the highlight of our night, gone as soon as it happened. At 3:45 I was once again fighting sleep, so I woke Gary up and told him to watch the rest of the night and I went back and went to sleep. I love sleeping in a moving boat.
We finished our seminar with a simple observance of our Lord’s supper last night. The fact that we had watched the “Passion of the Christ” movie in Yanomamö the night before made it all the more solemn as we each contemplated what Christ had suffered for us to purchase our salvation.
Then this morning, we began preparing everything to take them home. As I mentioned earlier, this is a very long trip for the guys. From here, they will travel about 2 1/2 days by boat, then they have three days by trail to get home. We were all down at the port and I was thinking we were all ready to push the boats out, when, Gonzalo asked Gary and I if he might be able to go up and say goodbye to my Dad before he left. Leaving the rest of them setting in the boats, we headed up to Dad’s house with Gonzalo and two of the other older men who had traveled out with him and with some of the believers from here.
Dad is no longer able to talk, but he seemed to understand that Gonzalo had come up to say goodbye. Gonzalo took his hand and told him he would see him in heaven. Dad nodded his head. Gonzalo then began to pray, with all of us standing around, he prayed thanking God for dad and his willingness to come down. He began to weep, but regained control and continued on, “God, this man came down as a young man, He made an offering of his life to the Yanomamö and now, YOU are getting ready to take him home. We thank YOU for his offering and we know we will be reunited in heaven one day. Many Yanomamö will be in heaven because of my friend’s offering.”
Well, by that time, Gary and myself and the other guys who were with us in the house were all crying. Each of the other Yanomamö guys prayed in turn. As I listened to each one pray, in spite of the tears, I found myself encouraged in the Lord by their words. Because of how weak Dad is and how uncertain we are to how much time he has left, we had debated whether or not it was a good time to be trying to do a seminar, but we decided to go ahead with it. We praise the Lord for the way HE used our brothers from Parima and surrounding villages to encourage us.
We had a great time with the guys and pray we can somehow continue getting the needed fuel to begin doing this with our friends from the different sectors of Yanomamö land. Please continue to pray for our guys on their long trip home. Also, pray the teaching they received will continue to encourage them during their times alone. We were encouraged with the spiritual commitment that they all demonstrated.
Thanks for your participation in prayer with us in this teaching session.
Just a note to let you know our guys got in late yesterday with the people of Parima. Wow, it was a long hard 6 day trip for those guys to get out. It took them longer than anticipated by boat because there were more of them then we had anticipated and they had to do three shuttles from where the trail is down to the rapids where they had left the bigger boat. Anyway, they made it here safe and sound. We are allowing them to rest and the Bible classes will start tomorrow. Pray their hearts are prepared to hear and retain God’s word before they have to embark on their long way home.
Also, a note of praise, a few days ago, two new guards arrived, Yesterday, when Keila and her Mom were having a Bible study with the two lady doctors, the guys asked if they could sit in on it, and the one who had not yet made a profession, prayed the sinners prayer asking Christ to forgive him of his sins. Praise the Lord! So for the first time since they have been stationed here, the base is 100% Christian! Pray for these young men and the two doctors stationed here…All things work together for good…Romans 8:28 If we only could understand this verse…!
And I will make thee unto this people a fenced brasen wall: and they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee: for I am with thee to save thee and to deliver thee, saith the LORD. And I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.
Jeremiah 15: 20, 21
These have been trying days here and yet at the same time, days to recognize again, that this is the Lord’s work and HIS will be done. Here is how these last days have been.
As I wrote earlier in Feb., that after a harsh investigating commission had been here, one of the guards stationed here, a young sergeant, came up to our house with his own questions. Keila and her mom sat at the kitchen table with him answering his questions. To make a very long afternoon short, he accepted the Lord as his personal Savior.
This young sergeant, started witnessing to his fellow guards and the joy of his salvation was real. This was on a Sunday. The following friday, four guards from his command went swimming and one of them drowned. What a sad time! We spent all that afternoon looking for him and then all the following day. His body was found on Sunday morning around 7:30 AM. I had thought we would take the body directly on down to Las Esmeralda but the captain who had come up to help in the search, assured me he had already called for a helicopter so we returned to Cosh and waited for them to show up. Finally around 2 pm that capt asked me if I would take the body on down as it did not look like the copter was coming. By this time, the days in the water and the hot sun had taken it’s toll and it was not a pleasant trip down.
The young guard who had accepted the Lord had to go down with the body to be there for the autopsy and investigation. He was very concerned, but we assured him we were all praying for him. He told us he had spent all morning long witnessing to the boy who had drowned and how he wished he had accepted the Lord before they went swimming. Our prayer is that before he breathed his last, he had called out to the Lord for his salvation, but we of course have no way of knowing. After we had left with the body, Keila and her mom had an opportunity to talk to the guards who were left here and Praise the Lord, 2 more of them accepted the Lord, then yesterday, 4 more of them got saved! So of the group of 9 young men stationed here, 7 got saved, one drowned and one other one went out with the sergeant and has not come back yet. Please remember these young men in your prayers, we don’t really consider ourselves to be missionaries to the armed forces, but God knows!
As I am writing this, we have about 20 guys walking 3 days out from Parima to come here for a week of Bible teaching. The day after they left to start walking, Abraham and Nando left from here with a boat to meet them. They will be traveling for two days to get up to where the trail starts for Parima. So in all, it is a 5 day trip for the guys to get here and a five day trip to get home. Pray for safety for all the ones traveling and that the teaching they get here might encourage and sustain them after they get home.
Our fuel situation continues to keep us on our knees, which is not a bad place to be, actually, but to be honest, it is getting worse every time we go down. I spent two days down there only to be told all fuel purchases were canceled until next Monday. To be honest, we never know one day to the next what is going to happen. We have had many “visitors” with many questions and also, many preconceived ideas, so please be praying for us in this.
Dear praying friends,
, giving books helps the Yanomamö, helps you, the gift giver give a good gift, helps the recipient get a great read, helps me get rid of books and cleans out my friend’s basement! So, see what a great deal?!Here is the latest update on the fuel barge from Michael Dawson:
In spite of many problems and setbacks, God continues to show HIMSELF strong in our behalf!
Last week, we were very disappointed to get the word that our fuel barge had sunk losing all materials and fuel on board. Our biggest worry was the fuel, which up here, is almost impossible to get as it is, then to lose it before we got it up here, was just very frustrating.
At first we despaired of even getting the barge back, but as soon as we did, we went down to LEZ to talk with the authorities about being able to get the fuel replaced, not that we had much hope of that happening. God once again showed us that many times our own sights are too low. HE delights in providing for HIS own! We spoke with the authorities and they told us to come on back down and they would allow us to purchase the exact amount of fuel that had been lost. They even allowed us to purchase the fuel that I had used in the week of working to get the barge back.
Praise the Lord with us!
Today was a day to Praise HIM as the barge that last week was flipped up side down, and we despaired of recovering it, without a huge investment of more time and money, come back up river with our load of diesel fuel for the month! It has been unloaded and we are very thankful. Thanks for your prayers for us.
Your partners in reaching the Yanomamö,
Michael and Keila Dawson
