Bakar Batu

Check out this short video MAF put together of how a traditional pig roast feast in Papua ,called a Bakar Batu, is like the Body of Christ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54aoxTuzYBI

We are so blessed to have many of you prayerfully and financially supporting us in our ministry as a missionary pilot family. Thank you! As you can see from the video we can't do this without you. If you would like to join our team, and be a part of what God is doing in Papua please contact us or follow the instructions on the "How to Partner" tab on our blog. 

Update on Relief Work in Nepal

One aspect of MAF that you may not be aware of is our Disaster Response unit. We had mentioned earlier that MAF has been working in Nepal since shortyly after the devastating earthquake on APril 25 and then the second earthquake on May 12 to assist the millions of people that have been impacted. People in remote villages were among those hardest hit-and it has been nearly impossible for aid workers to reach them.

MAF has leased helicopters from Fishtail Air, a Nepali company, and set up an urgently needed helicopter response facility to enable relief workers to reach those in need. Below is a report MAF just receieved from a partnering organization called Inspire International that is a great example of the impact being made there.

"Thank you so much for your partnership in helping us reach Nessing village in the Rasuwa district by helicopter. They had not received any aid prior to our arrival. THe people of Nessing were grateful for us being there since it was inaccessible by car or foot due to the earthquake. It normally takes 10 hours by jeep and then a 5-6 hour hike into Nessing from Kathmandu. But by helicopter it took a mere 25 minutes. Due to our partnership with you they received 1900 pounds of rice, Dahl and tarps. It was so sad to see that 95% of the houses were destroyed. We saw 200+ medical and dental patients with approximately 8 life threatening interventions. We partnered with a local church plant in this village, and His name was truly glorified in it all."

Many of the roads and trails are now covered in landslides and have become unsafe. Last week there was news of a large landslide which killed over 20 people. More such landslides are sadly predicted during the Monsoon season that starts next week, and this could become a substantial secondary crisis.

Please pray for the MAF staff and other aid workers putting in long hours, and that they would be able to reach the more isolated communities and bring hope to the Nepali people who have lost so much.

"Our soul waits for the Lord, he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us even as we hope in you." Psalm 33:20-22

The Month of Ramadan

      We would like to share a little information about Ramadan for those who may not know much about it. Starting on June 18th is the Islamic month of Ramadan. This date can vary by region based on the first sighting of the crescent moon. According to Islam this month is sacred because it was the month that the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Muhammad. During this month a Muslim is required to fast from sunrise to sunset if they are physically able to. Fasting is one of the five pillars in their belief system. Spiritual rewards for fasting during Ramadan are believed to be multiplied, and they will usually spend more time doing their prayers (salat) and practicing self control.

      Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Quran during the month of Ramadan, and many attend a special prayer time at the mosque in the evening where the whole Quran is recited over the months time. Towards the end of Ramadan, most employees receive a one-month bonus.The month ends on July 17th with a celebration breaking the fast called Eid-al-Fitr, where gifts are exchanged and friends and neighbors are invited to share a meal.

Men praying in front of the Blue Mosque in Afghanistan

       In some Muslim countries lanterns have become a special decoration welcoming the month of Ramadan. The tradition of lanterns as a decoration becoming associated with Ramadan is believed to have originated during the Fatmid Caliphate primarily centered in Egypt, where the Caliph was greeted by people holding lanterns to celebrate his ruling. From that time, lanterns were used to light mosques and houses throughout the capital city of Cairo. Shopping malls, places of business, and people's homes can be seen with stars and crescents and various lighting effects, as well.

           Many Indonesians on the island of Java will bathe in holy springs to prepare for fasting. In the capital city of Jakarta firecrackers were set off to wake people up for their early morning prayers until the 19th century. Every evening in Indonesia a special drum called the Bedug is struck to announce that its time to break the fast for the evening meal.

The Bedug drum that is struck every evening in Indonesia to break the fast

MAF celebrates 70 years

Yesterday marked 70 years of service for Mission Aviation Fellowship. We count it such a blessing to be a part of this organization. It is awesome to see how MAF has been able to reach the most isolated people over that time and is striving hard toward the future.

Here is a video to commemorate the 70th anniversary.

Responding in Nepal

 MAF is currently working in Nepal following the earthquakes in the last few weeks. We would like to share with you a great story of how MAF has been serving there, and coordinating relief efforts with other organizations. 

Last week, before MAF began coordinating the highly-subsidized flights for the earthquake relief in Nepal, two men trekked for five days into a region northwest of Kathmandu where one of their villages is located deep in the mountains.

“It was an area hard hit but a little overlooked. For three days we didn’t see one single house that was standing,” they described. “We were absolutely stunned by the devastation. I couldn’t imagine. Nothing left, simply nothing. No rations whatever. The loss of life has not been too bad - hundreds, but if it had been night, I can’t even think what would have happened. No relief items had arrived to that area.”

The two-person team walked from village to village in a long loop, crossing dangerously damaged cable bridges over canyons and rivers, walking on ridges split with deep cracks from the earthquake, visiting a village of less than 100 inhabitants where 37 people died, and another village where the ground had cracked above and below the village, like bookends of warning. When the monsoons begin in mid-June, what will happen?

In one village named Thale with up to 200 people, they said, not only was every house destroyed, the whole slope of the mountain is sliding down. The villagers fled to a grazing ground for their animals on the top of the mountain at about 2500 meters. As of yesterday, they had been there for 19 days. They had one tarp and no supplies. Yesterday that changed - the MAF-coordinated helicopters flew for Himalayan Life to this small, displaced community, bringing desperately needed provisions.

The second flight landed near Yangry, a village of about 600 people and 80 homes that Himalayan Life plans to ‘adopt’. No buildings were left intact following the first earthquake.

“People couldn’t believe that we were actually back. We promised we would come back, and we came bringing relief items. It has meant an unbelievable lot to them."

Here is a short, but very impactful video of how MAF has been a game changer reaching very isolated communities there in Nepal.

 

We are so thankful for MAF's service, and ability to provide logistics and pilots when disasters arise globally. Please pray that there will be no further quakes and that in the coming weeks people can start to rebuild their shattered homes and lives. The frequent aftershocks are really traumatizing for those who have lost so much, and many people are too afraid to sleep inside their damaged homes and are choosing to sleep outside even during heavy rainstorms.

We will try to post more updates on Nepal as we are able to share them.

Oceans

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore." 

This quote has been on my mind lately as I think about some big steps ahead for our family as we prepare to move overseas. It is sometimes scary to think of the family and comforts we will be leaving behind, yet our desire is to follow where the Lord is calling us. In order to do that we have to leave what we know, and go into the unknown. We can't see the whole picture of what God has in store for us in Indonesia, but we know that we have to keep taking steps of faith to see how God is going to work in our lives. Someone once told us, "God can't steer a parked ship" and how that has proven true in our lives.

Psalms 139:9-10 says, "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast."This verse is such an encouragement that no matter where we are God is with us, and keeps us in his hands.

This all probably explains why Hillsongs Oceans song has spoken so much to my heart the past several months. The lyrics beautifully paint a picture of surrender and trust.

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

Is there something you feel God is calling you to step out in faith in and lose sight of the shore? 

While we have been traveling around during the support raising process our family was able to go to Cannon Beach in Oregon for the day. The boys had a wonderful time chasing the waves, and splashing in the water. Here are some pictures from the day.

The Gospel on Wings

 Liku and Dugwiru are Bible teachers from Mokndoma who feel a burden to reach other Wano tribes with the Good News. Two missionary families came to live with their tribe years ago, and brought them the Gospel which they now want to share with others. They are going through a teaching series in a very isolated community called Iratoi.Many of the tribes in Papua, including the people living in Iratoi, have animistic beliefs. This means that they perform very dark and demonic practices in order to appease the spirits.

Typically this would be a treacherous two week hike through the jungle for them to reach this tribe, but instead it is a couple hour flight with MAF. On average a one hour flight saves 5 days of ground travel worldwide, but in Papua the time saved is even greater because of the dynamic landscape there.

Here is a video link showing these men reaching out to their neighboring tribe.
Sharing the Gospel video

Jesus says in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Our prayer is that these people will come out of the darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel as the truth is proclaimed in their land.