On the morning of Feb 9th, the air was filled with excitement and anticipation! Why? Because this was the first time in history, that an aeroplane would land on the Mian airstrip that the community has worked so hard on over the years! With no machines available, the community started the back-breaking work on the strip around 20 years ago and have worked away at it using only hand tools!
Jezekiel and Anna Van Der Decker’s expectations were high as along with their team they made plans to have 40 Kodiak flights land on this strip by August so that they can build their houses and move into the village! The communities’ hopes and anticipation were also at their peak!
Sadly, the air strip was too soft! The plane’s tyres dug ruts in the runway and caused too much drag! It was looking like the plane might not be able to get off the ground after all! After a few attempts, one of the pilots stayed behind as well as all the aeroplane seats (which were unloaded to get the aeroplane as light as possible). Praise the Lord that the plane was finally able to get off the ground and return to base! The milling team (who had been milling lumber the past two weeks) along with the chief pilot and seven aeroplane seats loaded up into a motor canoe and made their way down river to be picked up the next morning at another airstrip.
That was quite a roller coaster! The airstrip still has a LOT of work left to be done to strengthen and compact the ground and to disperse water well. This will require the use of a tractor and much manual labour. Because of how much work is left on the airstrip, after much prayer, many meetings, and lots of research… the missionary team decided to buy an aluminium flat bottom utility boat and jet motor designed specifically for use in shallow rivers with ability to haul building supplies. Pray for fast shipping of the boat which will likely take at least three months to arrive!
God has often redirected their steps. At times, it doesn’t make sense why the Lord has allowed delays or setbacks. However, what gives them comfort is that God is working all these things together for His glory and their good. They eagerly await the time that they can live in Mian and share the light of the Gospel in the people’s heart language.
Pray that:
- They would be sensitive to the Lord’s leading and depend on Him daily
- They would continue to grow in unity and confidence in the Lord going forward
- The boat and motor would arrive in a timely manner to enable the team to build their houses and move into Mian
- The Lord would continue preparing the hearts of the Mian for the Gospel
Praise the Lord that:
- They were able to mill most of the lumber for one house
- The Lord provided a boat and motor for the team
- The Lord is using the challenges and setbacks they face to draw them closer in dependence on Him and closer as a team as well