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Archive for April, 2011

Between the Verses

Posted on: April 29th, 2011 by Between the Verses  |  1 Comment

Trusting the Spirit

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6:7-8

My high school boys were spread out around my basement classroom like poolside loungers on holiday. Thankful for the cool damp in the warming spring weather, they were engaged in reading despite their demeanor. Spring was doing its work in me and inspired a longing to be somewhere else. The end of a long stretch of work, I eyed my stack of grading that promised less weekend and more workend. Again. I struggled to return my inward attention to the student reading next to me.

Spilling out of his desk with a book propped out in front, a curious student interrupted the focus of the class, “Miss, what is AD and BC?”

“What are you reading about?” I looked up from my clipboard.
“It’s a history of ships.”

Wondering how detailed I should be in our restricted context, I explained that BC was before the birth of Jesus Christ and AD was sometimes known as after his death, but also as the year of our Lord in Latin.

Another student chimed in, “It’s true; I’ve heard that before.”

Seemingly satisfied, my student went back to his book on ships. A few minutes later, it was obvious his mind was not on the ships.

“Miss. What is the name of the place where people are buried?”
“A cemetery? Grave?” My heart jumped at where this was headed.
“Yes. That place. Where is that place for Jesus?”
“Well. That’s a great story. I’ll tell you what followers of Jesus believe.”

Weighing the context against the teachable moment, I trusted the Spirit and went on to share the story of the good news with sixteen Muslim teenagers. It took all of three or four minutes, but they were surprised and intrigued at the news I had to share.

“Wow. I have never heard that before. I didn’t know that story.”
“It’s so interesting.”
“I haven’t heard that before.”

Silence filled the room as this information settled into thoughts and formulated into further questions.

“BRRRIINNNG” The bell drove a wedge into our conversation and I hoped that new ideas weren’t swept away with transition to the next class.

My heart was lifted knowing that God had used me in that place at that time to plant a seed of information on new ground. I said a prayer of protection and for the future of that seed in each of the hearts that heard it.

I scooped up my stack of papers with renewed interest in battling the lure of Spring and armed myself with a promise from God, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9

Sunday Flight

Posted on: April 28th, 2011 by Sean Cannon  |  1 Comment

Overseas living brings with it many unique experiences. However, life doesn’t always seem to be respectful of a typical 8-5, Monday thru Friday schedule. While most of our flying operations take place during the week, it isn’t uncommon for us to receive an urgent call on the weekend requesting a flight.

On any given weekend, I might be completing a neglected project around my house, or attending church services on Sunday. Regardless of what I’m doing, I have received numerous calls on my “days off” asking for a flight to pick up a person in need of urgent medical care.

A recent call reached my teammate’s cell phone asking for a medevac from an isolated village in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The patient, a middle-aged man with apparent lung cancer, was continuing to grow weaker and weaker and the small clinic in his village was unable to provide any long term care.

Indonesia Medical Evacuation

Indonesia Medical Evacuation

After confirming that this patient could not wait until the next day, Monday, we were soon on our way to the hangar to prep the airplane and fly 45 minutes north to pick him up. We had great weather that day and it was a straight line shot to his village. Soon after arriving at his village and taxiing the Cessna 185 floatplane up to the river dock, we saw the man being carried by some villagers, and we promptly helped him into the airplane. He was in poor shape, coughing blood and continually vomiting. His wife and son accompanied him, which I was grateful for.

The return leg home still included nice weather and we landed at our home base in Palangkaraya to find an ambulance already waiting to take him to the nearest hospital. Thankfully for this man, just a few hours after we got the phone call, he was sitting in a hospital receiving medical care that would not have been possible in his home village.

Rising to the Occasion

Posted on: April 25th, 2011 by John Boyd  | 

When I reflect on Easter and what an amazing time it must have been for the disciples to realize that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, I am reminded of our call as Christians to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with everyone. That would be people we interact with daily as well as people living in isolated areas on the other side of the world.

It is such a privilege for MAF to be involved in taking the Gospel to those nearly forgotten nooks and crannies on our planet, those people who may not even have a written language, much less a translated Bible. When a person receives a Bible that has been translated into his or her native tongue, a powerful moment occurs.

While I was serving in Haiti, I once met a pastor from the northern part of the country and asked him what his greatest need was. I expected him to say something like “jobs” or “food and water” or “more education.” Instead he said, “La Sainte Bible” – The Holy Bible.

So you can only imagine what a sheer joy it was for me to present this pastor with his first Creole translation of the Bible. His face is indelibly etched into my memory, in that moment when he looked at the Bible and knew his people could at last understand. The Gospel was about to come alive for them in a new way—and he knew it.

It’s easy to wonder if all the risk MAF and its pilots take is worth it. Flying into perilous airstrips that leave little margin for error is challenging enough, much less trying to build relationships with people from drastically different cultures who have never heard God’s Word. But that’s when I stop myself and ask this question: “If just one soul is saved, is it worth it?” The answer, of course, is “Yes!”

Since His disciples first discovered the truth about Jesus’ resurrection, there has been a tireless effort to take the Good News of His death and resurrection to the farthest parts of the world. It’s why we do what we do. And it is a joy for MAF to continue to participate in these efforts to make His name known.

What’s in a Disaster Response Go-Bag?

Posted on: April 22nd, 2011 by Jason Chatraw  |  4 Comments

This is the final post in a three-part series about MAF and disaster response.

MAF Go-Bags

MAF Go-Bags

John Woodberry’s non-descript gray bag sits in an adjacent office like Pandora’s box, begging for me to open it. Another co-worker told me it is his disaster response “go bag” but there was only one way to be sure. My general curiosity about mysterious things is so strong that I would have used up my nine lives in 10 minutes had I been born a cat.

Rather than risk getting caught and labeled an office snoop, I concocted the cover of writing a blog on disaster response. So, here I am covering myself and writing about how I coerced John into opening his bag to display its innards.

MAF staff media guru man and documentarian Paul O’Brien joined me to capture the mysterious gray bag’s contents with evidentiary photographs.

So, here’s what we found:

The Essentials

Contents of MAF Go-Bags

Contents of MAF Go-Bags

According to John, no disaster response “go bag” is complete without a few things: the ability to get drinking water, stay warm, be fed, and sleep without being dinner for a pack of pestering insects.

John uses a Katadyn water bottle that he claims has such a powerful filter that he could dip it into a disease-infested river and drink the water without fear of getting sick. (I passed on the demonstration offer, thinking it might be some initiation prank.)

Then there’s the bug hut – basically a 100% mesh tent that makes way for the breeze in the warmer regions MAF mostly serves.

Next come the MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) that need only boiling water to miraculously turn into a piping hot meal. And you thought fast food wasn’t healthy? (John quipped, “The only rule to eating healthy in these situations is to ask yourself, ‘Would my grandmother recognize this as food?’ Probably not.” Check please.) Clif Bars, the energy-packed snack bars, are also considered an essential side item for MREs.

Finally, the go bag contains a package of chemical substances that only require water to create fire-like warmth. The only thing left to do is crack open a package of freeze dried marshmallows and pair it with a “chocolate-like” substance on a graham cracker.

The Extras

Some people might consider this an essential, but the mere thought was tough to stomach – Shot Block. It’s like condensed gummy bears that works like coffee, giving you a caffeine jolt. John carries this sticky, chewy substance everywhere, but never showed me his toothbrush. What’s really essential for John? Hmmm.

Then there were body wipes for when there is no access to showers. My experience on the mission field is that after a few days the only thing that you can actually smell is a fresh pot of coffee. Other than that, it’s an olfactory nightmare. So, John insists on pampering himself with luxuries like a wipe-down shower so he can smell fresh for his team members who have long since quit sniffing voluntarily.

John also carries a blow-up pillow with lumbar support and a Cool-Max Travel Sheet, which serves as an ultra-thin sleeping bag. He claims it is to protect against bed bugs and sleeping in unwashed sheets as he never knows where he could be sleeping. I didn’t think John would be afraid of such things. I thought it was rather luxurious and started to anticipate John telling me about his travel assistant who fanned him with a palm tree leaf when he was hot during naptime.

The E-communications

Some people have an obsession with their iPhone; John is obsessed with cell phones and satellite phones in general. He carries his personal cell and three more in his go bag. There are two sat phones and one regular inexpensive cell phone he can use for local calls.

John also carries a standard laptop, a printer to produce official permissions and requests on letterhead when necessary, and a battery-powered “BGAN” remote satellite internet unit that allows him to transmit data such as email and photos anywhere in the world.

There were other odds and ends—all of which weighed next to nothing and served multiple purposes. Last but not least, John has a compartment in his bag that keeps a few sets of dress clothes as wrinkle-free as possible. “You never know when you’re going to have to meet a government dignitary and plead your case for why you should be allowed into a country to serve,” John said.

John assured me he only worked for MAF even though I was quite sure I could see a hidden parachute bulging out of the back of his “go shirt.” Nevertheless, John’s passion about what he does for MAF and the way he prepares is a good sign that the organization’s disaster relief program is in good hands.

Breaking the Ties that Bind

Posted on: April 20th, 2011 by Jennifer Wolf  | 

In 1997, Harry and Willie Berghuis temporarily replaced a furloughed pilot in Boma, Papua. Willie was approached by a man who wanted her to hold on to some money for him. When Willie asked why, the man told her he was saving to buy formula for the baby that was on its way. The man and his wife had one remaining child, a 10-year-old. Six others had died. The man thought it was due to the mother’s milk; thus the reason for his wanting formula.

Willie Berghuis during her weekly ministry to street kids from Wamena, Papua.

Willie Berghuis during her weekly ministry to street kids from Wamena, Papua.


Willie knew that the mother’s milk was really the best thing, and formula would be difficult to get and expensive; and it would be hard to sterilize the bottles because they lived so primitively. Willie says, “I explained to them that I was not going to help them buy formula milk, but I wanted to help them in another way, by helping to keep the mother healthy.”

So Willie provided the mom with peanuts and a glass of milk every morning. She told her to get lots of rest, eat lots of vegetables and not to carry heavy stuff. Even more, she was able to pray with her and tell her she needed to trust God, and He would bless her efforts to keep the baby alive.

After the baby was born, Willie noticed that the mother had tied a string around the baby’s wrist. When she asked her about it, the mother admitted that it was like a fetish, for protection against evil spirits. Willie says, “I challenged her to trust God instead and cut off the string.” She was hesitant, until the older daughter said, “Mom, you need to do this. You need to trust God and cut off the string!” And so she did.

Willie had to leave after a few months, but the next time she returned, the couple came to visit her. The mother was holding a healthy baby girl named Willie.