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OVER THE ATLANTIC – One was called to do it at a young age; one found God later in life.

The two meet equally in the sky, flying with a mission. Capt. Kenny Gumpel and First Officer Wes Norton are first and foremost pilots whose gift of flying allows them to serve others.

Gumpel, a Royal Palm Beach, Fla., father of four, knew at the age of 18 that he wanted to be in missionary aviation and has worked at Missionary Flights for 13 years.

“We count it as a privilege to be a part of this (organization),” said Gumpel, one of nine pilots with Missionary Flights International, a private, nonprofit, Fort Pierce-based aviation ministry to Christian missions serving in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas since 1964.

“People tell us all the time that they could never be as efficient if it wasn’t for what we do,” said Gumpel, 44. “We play a vital role to help them (missionaries) spread the Gospel.”

Missionary Flights represents 250 organizations and assists by delivering humanitarian aid as well as evacuating those in need. They have been crucial in providing relief to Haiti and its catastrophic conditions since the catastrophic earthquake last Tuesday.

Norton, 36, a Fort Pierce, Fla., resident and father of three, has devoted his adult life to spreading the gospel around the globe, having outgrown youthful indiscretion.

“That’s what we feel called to do,” said Norton, who has worked for Missionary Flight for six years. “Putting aside our wants and our desires and putting others first.”

They aren’t trying to be the flashiest pilots. They are experts at flying a plane that was built in World War II. In normal conditions, they fly twice a week transporting 5,000-10,000 people and a million pounds of cargo a year. Missionary Flights don’t pay them a salary; donations provide the sole salary for their families.

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Article courtesy of: scrippsnews.com

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