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Why Missionary Aviation?
Our past newsletters have focused primarily on how God has been preparing us to serve with MMS, and the things he has been teaching us. In this issue we want to highlight some of the ways that missionary pilots use airplanes to take bring help and hope to isolated people around the world. We follow several blogs of missionary pilots, and their stories remind us of the value of missionary aviation. Here are some needs that have been met by missionary pilots in the past few months:
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An indigenous pastor, who had been in a serious accident, was transported to a hospital where he received life-saving medical care.
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Several Indonesian villagers were transported to a Bible training class.
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Food and building supplies were delivered to interior villages in Indonesia.
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Medical evacuation was provided to a woman who needed emergency care to save her life, following complications with her pregnancy.
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A canoe, to be used by local missionaries, was transported to an interior village.
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A five-year-old girl, who had been in a motor scooter accident, was transported to a hospital where she was treated for head trauma.
We can’t wait to begin serving so we can start sharing stories of our own! Thank you so much for partnering with us in this ministry, and helping this vision become a reality!
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Unloading supplies from a Quest Kodiak
(photo by Dave Forney) |
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Preparing a medivac patient to be transported to a hospital in Tarakan, Indonesia
(photo by Dave Forney) |
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Faith and Hope
If you follow our blog, or are connected with us on Facebook or Twitter, you have heard about the trying events that transpired in the month of June. We have definitely been given opportunities to exercise our faith, and to lean on the hope that we have in Christ!
It started Memorial Day weekend, when we took Ian to the hospital for severe abdominal pain and other symptoms that we had assumed were due to a stomach bug. But it turned out to be a severe case of appendicitis, and Ian underwent an emergency appendectomy on Memorial Day. He was in the hospital for eight days before being discharged.
About ten days later he developed more symptoms, and was admitted to the hospital again—this time due to complications from the appendicitis. He was put on intravenous and oral antibiotics, and after five days he was sent home with a PICC line so we could continue to administer antibiotics at home.
In addition to Ian’s health issues, several unexpected expenses came up in June, and we are losing an income source in July. We definitely felt like we were under attack this month. Was it just coincidence that Ian was admitted to the hospital the week that we had set ambitious goals to help move us toward full-time missionary service with MMS Aviation? Or that Ian’s complications developed on the weekend we were sharing about our ministry at a local church?
We may never know for sure, but 1 Peter 5:6-11 tells us that there is a real enemy, who opposes Jesus Christ and the Church:
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
We are so thankful for the hope and comfort that we have in Christ. There is nothing that can steal that hope away from us. It is this hope that allows those in Christ to face any situation that life (or the enemy) can throw at us.
We know that in our missionary service we will face many difficult times, and perhaps the trials we are experiencing now are a blessing in disguise, preparing us for the situations we will face in the future. It is easy to take matters into our own hands when we feel that everything is under control. But the times of testing drive us to our knees, strengthen our faith, and teach us to fix our eyes on Christ. We have also come to see more clearly that we have a community of family and friends who truly love and care for us, and will be standing with us as we go. We are very blessed!
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