International Airbase

Herman Teachout Family

We serve with the aviation branch of the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE-AIR).

Herman became interested in missionary aviation after his first year of college. He enrolled in a missionary aviation program and earned his pilot's licenses and A P rating. Through commercial pilot jobs he gained experience in several types of aircraft and diverse topography. He experienced missions with short-term trips to Liberia and Brazil. When we married, we began to seek the Lord's will for serving Him in missions.

We spent 5 weeks in Amazonas, Brazil. Herman helped with the flight ministry and a construction project. Tami prepared materials for home schooling the MKs and worked with Herman in the hangar. A year later, we filled in for 7 months for a furloughing missionary pilot in Mali, West Africa. Herman flew the plane and worked on repairs and construction for the missionary families. Tami took care of Herman and assisted missionary wives.

After adding to the family (Andrea, Brian and Caleb) we spent 17 months in Papua New Guinea, helping ABWE missionaries begin a new flight ministry. In addition to helping get the plane assembled Herman helped train the pilot in mountain flying and short strip operation. He also filled in as maintenance man at the Goroka Baptist Bible College for six months

While in PNG, we received a request to join ABWE's Aviation Ministries full time. Hank and Ruth Scheltema, ABWE's International Aviation Administrator, were looking for someone to work with them and then step into this position once they retired.

We began raising support while still living in Michigan. In 1998, we moved to be near ABWE's airbase in Concord, GA. We are involved in the Aviation Ministry as the Director of Aviation Ministries, working with Dale and Beverly Fogg to enable our pilots around the world.

Some of the ministry responsibilities include acquiring and preparing planes for the mission field, recruiting pilots, conducting flight and maintenance training both in the USA and overseas, reporting to churches, maintaining the facilities at the airbase, obtaining plane parts for the overseas pilots, and assisting them in other ways.