Gratitude

The impact that a single story can have on a child blows me away. 

In the past week, we were able to present to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 about MAF, our part in the work, and about Papua New Guinea. While each presentation was slightly different, it was great to see the interaction and engagement in all of the students. 

In one classroom, we shared a story about one girl's journey to school in Papua New Guinea. Nobody in her village had ever been to school before, since the nearest one was a 7-day trek away through dense jungle and across raging rivers. She made this trek without even knowing if there was room in the school or if she had enough money to pay the school fees. Once she arrived, she discovered that the classes were full; but thankfully, the headmaster would never refuse anyone who had come from so far away. She also had just enough money to pay for one year of school -- her family's life savings. Twelve year old Ruth could never have been more proud to be in school. 

After sharing this story, we discussed some of the differences between life in Canada and life in a remote Papua New Guinean village. What if there were no roads to your town? What if you had to walk to the closest hospital; would you make it in time? What if there were no bridges across the Fraser River; would you be able to be at your school today? What if there was no Bible in your language? We could tell that these questions really hit students and allowed them to imagine what life in remote Papua New Guinea might be like. 

To get a sense of the impact, we asked students to write one thing that they were grateful for about living in Canada on a sticky note, and were touched by their responses. Here are a few:

"I am thankful for an education."

"I am grateful...

...for food."

...that I can get to a hospital."

...for roads and bridges."

...for the Bible."

...for the bridge."

...for religion."

"I am grateful that we do not have to live in isolation."

In another classroom, we gave groups of students a chart with several stats that compared Canada and Papua New Guinea. After they had a chance to discuss what they saw with their classmates, students shared what stood out to them. One thing that struck most students was the fact that only 7% of the population in Papua New Guinea has graduated from high school; once again, we could see this drawing out gratitude as they realized the immense privilege it was that they did not have to worry about whether they were able to get an education. Another number that stood out to students was the amount of doctors. In Canada, there are approximately 270 doctors per 100,000 people; in Papua New Guinea, there are 7. One student asked, "But what would happen if someone was sick and couldn't get to a doctor?" Unfortunately, we had to tell the truth -- they could die from something that was completely preventable with basic medical care. While students were in shock that this was still a problem in many countries around the world, we could see the impact that these numbers had on each of them. 

In a Grade 1 classroom, we took students on a "trip" around the world to various communities to illustrate how MAF helped people in different ways. On one stop, "Pilot Brandon" medevacked a boy who had broken his leg while playing soccer. At another stop, our Captain delivered a box of Bibles to people in South Sudan who had never had a Bible in their language. At the end of our "trip," we asked the students if our community needed MAF. The class collectively shook their heads, and then explained to us that "we don't need MAF because we already have everything." 

While it is our hope that this gratitude that the students demonstrated carries through into adulthood where they can use it to make a change for others, presentations like this have just as great an impact on us. Regardless of where we are at and what might be worrisome or stressful, moments like these rekindle our own gratitude. In the future, difficulties might arise that would be impossible to even predict right now. But in times like those, it is moments like these that will be looked back on to remind us of the many ways in which we are so blessed.

Ministry Partnership

 Meetings, meetings, and even more meetings; welcome to our life! Before we can leave for Papua New Guinea, we have to build a team of "ministry partners," which basically means a group of people committed to support us financially and through prayer. While this is a daunting task, it is also a privilege to share about Mission Aviation Fellowship and the work that we will be doing with family, friends, and acquaintances. 

So, what does this actually look like? We started by brainstorming a list of all the people that we would like to share with or present to. With the size of our community, this list is a long one! At first, we were planning on trying to set up meetings with everyone individually -- and then realized this would take us until at least next Christmas. Since we would like to leave well before then, we had to come up with another plan. Instead of individual meetings, we are now hoping to meet with small groups of families instead, and have already joined in on a few "family nights" of various families to give a presentation. 

Our days are filled with making phone calls, keeping records of the phone calls we make, going to meetings, and spending quality time together as a family. It really has been a privilege to share, and every presentation is always different. Nova is also starting to learn "her part" --  or what she has decided her part is supposed to be, anyways!

We have been blessed with the support that we have received so far. The warm welcomes into homes which we haven't been to before has shown the kind of community we are a part of, and it is something that we are very thankful for. It is also great to see the interest and engagement that people show as we present. Seeing someone's face change as they watch a video which shows the impact of MAF's work, or hearing a child passionately ask about if MAF is spreading the Gospel in all of the countries that don't have it, is very encouraging. It also makes us feel an even greater sense of urgency to complete our support team so that we can begin the preparations needed to move to Papua New Guinea. 

Perspective

     When we hear about tragedies around the world, we are often affected emotionally, but cannot truly relate to what it would be like to experience them. Here in our little bubble of "Beautiful British Columbia" we are typically the givers rather than receivers of aid. It is amazing how quickly the tables can turn. Only a few months ago, we were praying for rain to stop the devastation that monstrous forest fires were causing around the province. Now we are praying for the rain to stop as flooding literally creates rivers where roads should be. In July we had no rain; last week, we had a month's supply of rain in two days. 

    Stores with empty shelves and gas stations with empty pumps is not something we have ever experienced. We are so used to being connected, that as soon as our supplies are cut off for even a brief period of time, panic surfaces. What if this connectedness or easy access was not something we could ever take for granted? 

    As you may know, we recently found out that we will be serving with MAF in Papua New Guinea. Since then, we have been building up a team of supporters by sharing about the work that we will be doing. In Papua New Guinea, there are no roads connecting remote villages to essentials like hospitals and schools. Think of the isolation that we felt here as we were not able to purchase groceries, gas, or drive to a neighbouring city -- and then imagine that being the norm. 

    I don't want to downplay the devastation that this flood has caused for so many here in BC. But as we continue to share about Papua New Guinea, I hope that it can give all of us some perspective. A sense of what it feels like to live in isolation, dependent on airplanes and helicopters for the basic necessities of life. In the remote villages of PNG, where access to a doctor is sometimes impossible, an MAF airplane can and often does make a difference between life and death.

    So as you move on beyond your own short-term experiences of isolation, I encourage you to continue to remember and pray for the people around the world who cannot move on. However, prayers are also necessary for the people that are working to create bridges and offer lifelines that connect isolated individuals with other communities and services. Even though we know it will not be easy, we feel privileged to be able to be a part of this work that aims for transformation of isolated people. 

    

    

    

We are MAFers!

Our journey with Mission Aviation Fellowship is officially beginning! I say officially, since the process up until this point was a relatively long one. We decided, after much prayer and thought, to send in an initial application on the MAF website more than a year ago. At that time, clicking the "Submit Application" button on our laptop was a big step into the unknown. Now, with many meetings, paperwork, discussions, tests, and interviews behind us, it is official. We are MAFers.

    Of course, there are still many unknowns. Despite these, everything continues to become more and more "real" each day. I think the reality check started when we spent a week in Guelph for Candidate Orientation at the end of September. We got a chance to meet the staff that we had been talking to for so many months as well as another family that just completed their application process. In this week, we learned all about MAF and what our journey would look like moving forward -- and to end the week off, we had a special meeting where our calling to serve was confirmed by the staff and we were sent off with their prayers.

    For the next months, our task is to raise a team of prayer and monthly financial supporters (AKA Ministry Partnership). This means we will be connecting with everyone we know to share about our calling to serve with MAF and invite them to partner with us. Yes, we would also love to meet with YOU! While this is a daunting task, we feel the privilege of being able to connect with family, friends, acquaintances, and even people who are currently "strangers" to share about our passion and calling. As many people have already told us, the Ministry Partnership experience is a faith-building one -- and yes, we can already affirm this in so many ways. 

    We invite you to follow along with us on this journey and ask for your support by remembering us in your prayers.