What do the planes do?

While we were in PNG it was a real privilege to be able to spend lots of time with people who are the “end users” of so much of what we do. All too often at MMS (or for anyone in any “support” role) we work hard on a project, and then see little or nothing of what happens after the plane flies off. It was great to be able to spend time talking to people who rely heavily on aircraft, so I thought I would share some of this with you.

One of SIL's Kodiaks takes off on a trip into a remote part of PNG

Tommy and Connie Logan have been bible translators in PNG for the last 22 years, and have spent much of that time living in a remote village that might be accessible by foot… if you fancied spending days hacking through dense forest and travelling on tracks and trails that would challenge even the fittest. The only practical way for them to get to their village is by air, and it is fair to say that the Bible translation work they have accomplished over the last 2 and a bit decades, just wouldn’t have even been started if aircraft hadn’t been available to fly them in and out. The task they started out on all those years ago is almost mind-blowing to think about. They didn’t have Rosetta Stone to help them out; they had to learn the language from scratch, documenting everything from the alphabet they use, the grammar system they use, how words are spelt, how sentences are structured; all this before they could even think about translating anything into the Kasua tongue. It was a privilege to hear them talk about their work in such a humble way, and to hear of the deep bond they have with “their village”.

Tommy & Connie Logan, Bible translators with the Kasua tribe in Papua New Guinea.

We were also blessed to be able to go on a short helicopter flight with a Finnish translator who works in a village high in the Finisterre mountains in eastern Papua New Guinea. It only took us around 20 minutes to fly there from Ukarumpa, but as we flew over steep ridges, dense forest and flooded rivers, it was obvious that her work would have some serious obstacles if it weren’t for the helicopters and planes that SIL use to transport their translators around.

A Bible translator is dropped off by helicopter at the start of a 7 week spell in a remote village.

As well as spending time with the SIL missionaries who we were living with at Ukarumpa, it was great for Mark and me to spend time with some of the MAF families who work in PNG. As well as traditional “mission aviation” operations like supporting bible translation and church planting, and providing emergency support to missionaries, MAF have evolved along with the changing situation in PNG over the last few years. More and more churches are becoming self-supporting within their communities, and local people are taking on church leadership roles; this has brought about a shift away from traditional “missionary” roles in many situations. Remote communities and limited access make it very difficult for these communities to support themselves. MAF are heavily involved in providing support in a very holistic way, by helping ferry coffee and other local produce out of these communities to be sold. This help lets villages raise the money needed to provide schooling and care for the next generations. As a coffee drinker it was also great for me to see how much hard work, by so many people, goes into every cup I drink!

Coffee being loaded in MAF's Twin Otter at Appa, PNG.

It was great for us to get such an amazing opportunity to see first-hand how the work we do in aircraft maintenance plays a part in so much varied mission work around the world. Thank you for the support you give us, and the way you play a part in this “big picture”.