Missionary Update – Brent Dodd

With a grateful and thankful heart I write this email update.  I trust you had a special Christmas with those you love.  May the year of 2026 be filled with the wonder of God’s love for you, and how blessed you are to be His.  Hollie Mae and I flew back to South Carolina to spend Christmas with our 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and Hollie Mae’s parents.  Our oldest grandchild is 11 and the youngest is not yet a year old. They bring us much joy and happiness.

The Lord has given each of us another year of life to bring Him honor and glory and to make His name known to the ends of the world.  We count it all joy to be co-laboring with you to make Jesus known throughout the world. God blessed us with strength and safety in 2025.  We are grateful.  The year 2025 was the busiest year for flying since I started flying in Mexico in September 2014.  I flew 494.5 hours with 815 landings.  Thank-you for faithfully praying for us, and for sacrificially giving so we can serve the Lord, in Mexico. We thank the Lord for the blessing of you.

One year has 12 months/52 weeks/365 days/8,760 hours/525,600 minutes/31,536,000 seconds.  May we each be found faithful, every second of every day.

Airstrip Inspection:

In the year 2015, Hospital Misión Tarahumara was granted a 15 year registration for the home base airstrip I operate from.  Each year, I have to fly an airstrip inspector out to our home base airstrip to inspect the airstrip.  Before the inspection is conducted, my co-worker, David, and I have to put lime down to show where the centerline of the airstrip is, and we fill in any ruts that were caused by the summer rains.  In December of 2025, the airstrip passed its inspection and the registration was renewed. We have legal permission to use the airstrip for another 12 months.  Praise the Lord with us!

Medical, Dental & CHE Outreach:

This past year, the outreach teams that go out each month have had a huge impact on the remote communities.  They are not just meeting the physical needs of the Tarahumara indigenous people, but are also meeting their spiritual needs.  What a blessing to have a nurse and dentist who are willing to go to the remote areas, where some of the Tarahumara live, to provide medical and dental care.  Pastor Jacob, our dear friend, and the one we consider to be our Mexican pastor, has a real heart for the indigenous people, and is making inroads with them, so he can share the gospel with them.  God is working in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico!  Please pray God will soften hearts, and that the indigenous people will accept what Jesus has done for them.  We know some plant, some water, and God is the One who gives the increase.   We are all a team to get the Gospel to those who have yet to hear.

Increased Paperwork Requirements:

The equivalent of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Mexico is now requiring American (N6329C) registered aircraft to be flown out of Mexico every six months, to renew their entry paperwork. An entry permit costs around $150.00.  The greatest expense, though, is flying the aircraft out of Mexico and back in, again, once the new entry permit is obtained.  The minimum round trip (no headwind) is 6 hours of flight time.  The Carbon Cub FX-3 (the small aircraft that can be flown into the short, unimproved, mountain airstrips) is in the “Experimental Category” of aircraft. It requires additional paperwork. Please pray we will have favor with the officials at each port of entry.  One of the things I look forward to is that in heaven there will be no paperwork. 🙂

Looking Forward to 2026:

The first week of February, all the UIM Aviation pilots and mechanics will be attending a week of annual meetings in El Paso.  Matters of business will be discussed, and decisions will be made for the flight program for the year 2026.  Please pray for wisdom and unity, as decisions are made.  It is also a time for team building and encouragement from the Word. David, Hollie Mae and I plan to drive the 11 hours to El Paso in the Toyota Tundra.  The truck is a huge blessing, and is meeting our road travel needs.

Training a New Pilot in the Carbon Cub FX-3:

Presently, I am the only pilot checked out in the Carbon Cub FX-3.  Lord willing, this year I would like to check out another pilot in that aircraft.  There is a pilot with UIMA who desires to learn.  I am grateful. Please pray for safety as I give instruction and pass on all I know about the aircraft. The tricky part about training someone in the Carbon Cub is that the seats are configured with only one in the front, so I will be giving instruction from the second seat, behind the pilot I am training, which means I have limited forward visibility over the nose of the aircraft, and I cannot see the instrument panel.

Giving Project Opportunities:

#1. New, more efficient LED lights for the hangar.

#2. Funds for windsock poles, windsock rims, and windsocks – the windsocks need replacing every two years, typically, as the winds rip them to shreds.

#3. Laptop computer replacement.  My present laptop was purchased 18 years ago, and is ready to be retired.

#4. New InReach tracker for in the air and on the ground, in Mexico, for safety purposes.

If you would like to contribute towards any of these projects, please email me at [email protected] and I  will give you the details.

Only God knows what will happen in the year 2026.  Each day is a gift from God.  Hollie Mae and I look forward to His return. Surely it is soon. Until His return, let us encourage each other to be about His work, and may we each be a shining light, pointing others to Him.

Blessings in abundance to you, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Your fellow ambassadors for Christ,

Brent & Hollie Mae Dodd