New Runway (ACO)

 The W people in MOK received the Gospel less than 10 years ago. They have a new, vibrant, growing church. They have a good understanding of the difference in their lives now that they no longer live under the curse of sin, but are sanctified through the blood of Jesus. They feel a great burden for their own people (the W people) in other villages who have not yet heard the Gospel. So the young W church from MOK is sending out missionaries/evangelists to other W villages to tell their own people of the the saving work of Christ.

 One of the villages they have been reaching is ACO. Currently to reach ACO, the evangelists from MOK fly direct by helicopter (expensive) or fly 20 minutes on an airplane and then hike 10 hours from the nearest village (DAG) to ACO.

 The people in ACO are hungry for God's Word. The people of ACO have been eagerly awaiting someone to come teach them about God and they spent years busily clearing a 1500 ft (500 m) grass runway so that missionaries could come in by airplane. Their runway has been ready for more than 10 years as they awaited missionaries to come teach them about God's Word.

 However the long hikes in and out of ACO or using a helicopter to go in and out of ACO was proving not to be sustainable. The expat workers in MOK approached YAJASI and asked whether we were willing to see if the runway in ACO was good enough for use by airplane. Additionally, the river in ACO had changed course and the new runway was in danger of eroding away, unless some rock boxes could be flown in to help keep the river away from the runway.

 This request came at a difficult time for YAJASI as we were short staffed and one of our most experienced pilots, who needed to be there for the first landings, had not flown in more than 3 months due to administrative duties. YAJASI had to say, "Sorry, we don't think we can help at this time." That week lots of e-mails went back and forth as we tried to arrange for the helicopter to fly rock boxes, plus a team of westerners out to ACO to fix the runway before it washed away. All our plans failed.

 But that week God worked things together as only He can. Our experienced pilot, who hadn't flown in three months, had meetings cancelled and I was able to fly with him to complete the requirements for him to be legal again.

 Three days later we were circling ACO to land an airplane there for the first time. I'll let the pictures share the rest of the story.

ACO from the air (taken from helicopter)

Explaining to the villagers what still needs to be done on the runway

The welcome committee in ACO

We were adorned with red mud to celebrate our arrival

Waiting for the meat of the celebration pig roast "Bakar Batu" to be served

Taking off from ACO

The rock boxes used to reroute the river 

Praise God for how He's shown His love and care for these people!

Solar Power/Electricity

A lot of families who serve interior, live in villages that are off-grid and therefore they have no electricity. Even those of us who live in town and have access to electricity, experience frequent power cuts.

 Those who live interior usually depend on solar power for their electricity. Some villages don't get a lot of sun because of frequent cloudy days, while other villages get many hours of intense sun (of course, these villages also require more power to run a fan to keep cool!)

 Some families have elaborate solar systems and some have very simple systems. Some have more of a grasp of the complexities of their solar system and some know much less.

 Several of our pilots have an interest in solar systems (or backup battery systems) as a hobby but also desire to develop more of an understanding to be able to help families who live interior.   Inevitably electrical things break.  I've had some opportunities in the last few months to fly with a pilot who has a good understanding of solar/battery systems and been able to observe as he has helped several families interior with their solar systems.

 A little time spent by a pilot in the village, combined with a little know-how and a few tools often help reduce the stress level of those who live interior.  This allows them to focus on ministry rather than dealing with things that aren't working properly.

Note the Volt/Amp meter we installed using a green tupperware container.

Helping install a very nice battery system.

Brand new solar panels going up.

Making sure the solar panels are secured to prevent them from blowing away

A simple battery system we installed for a translator in town,
 so she can work on the computer with a fan blowing to keep cool, even when the power is out.

Flying old friends

One of the privileges of serving in the place I grew up, is the fact that I often get to fly old friends.

Sitting beside me is the man who used to be the pastor in our village.

The guy in the white shirt was one of my childhood playmates.