We often see God’s guiding hand not in the plans that succeed, but in the ones that fall apart.
Aerial Recovery co-founders Britnie Turner and Jeremy Locke had been preparing to speak at Pioneering Greatness 2025 in Jamaica on November 1st. The event, founded by David D. Archer Jr., Deputy Governor of the Virgin Islands, was poised to make history, marking the first time the movement would expand beyond the British Virgin Islands to reach a wider Caribbean audience.
Then, Hurricane Melissa began its devastating march toward Jamaica, a Category 5 force of nature. The conference was postponed, but the mission was not. Instead of taking the stage, Aerial Recovery and Pioneering Greatness found themselves called to a different kind of work: search and rescue, aid distribution, and recovery in the very place they had already planned to be.
The partnership between Aerial Recovery and Pioneering Greatness runs deeper than most. It is rooted in shared trauma, shared faith, and shared resolve, a bond born from disaster and strengthened by hope.
Aerial Recovery itself emerged from the wreckage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, which ravaged the British Virgin Islands. In that chaos, Britnie saw a desperate need for tactical expertise in crisis zones, and found it in Jeremy and the veteran and first responder community. Together, they transformed those combat-honed skills into a global mission to “Save Lives and Stop Evil.”
David D. Archer Jr. understood that mission intimately. Having lived through the same storms, he had seen the destruction firsthand and shared the determination to rebuild stronger. His Pioneering Greatness movement, dedicated to “building people, businesses, governments, and nations,” aligned perfectly with Aerial Recovery’s belief that courage and compassion can transform crisis into hope.
The November 1st event was meant to be a gathering of inspiration and empowerment. Instead, Britnie, Jeremy and David now find themselves doing what they do best: showing up when it matters most.
“This feels like more than coincidence,” Britnie reflected. “We were already coming to Jamaica. We were packed, committed, connected with leaders through David and Pioneering Greatness. When the hurricane hit, it became clear we weren’t meant to speak at a conference. We were meant to bring hope in a crisis.”
There’s a divine pattern in Aerial Recovery’s story, a readiness to meet needs before they’re even visible. Their global operations didn’t appear overnight; they were built through years of trust, relationships, and strategic preparation. When crisis strikes, they are already embedded and ready to act, seamlessly pivoting from inspiration to action.
The Pioneering Greatness Success Conference will still take place, but now as the Pioneering Greatness Benefit Conference, a gathering dedicated to Jamaica’s recovery. What was once about inspiration in theory will now be about inspiration in action, a testament to resilience, recovery, and the power of faith in the face of adversity.
Meanwhile, Aerial Recovery’s swift pivot from conference guests to crisis responders embodies their mission at its core. “Save Lives and Stop Evil” isn’t a slogan. It’s a promise that transcends plans, borders, and circumstances.
The postponed conference wasn’t a setback. It was a divine redirect.
Even as the storm passes, the Pioneering Greatness team is coordinating with local partners and laying the groundwork for long-term recovery. Their efforts provide the intelligence and connections that allow Aerial Recovery’s tactical teams to deploy quickly and effectively.
Jamaica didn’t ask for Hurricane Melissa. But in its aftermath, it will experience what the British Virgin Islands once did and what countless communities around the world have discovered when Aerial Recovery arrives:
You are not alone. Hold onto faith, hope and the knowledge that you can be stronger on the other side of what you feel is the worst days of your life.
