When God has other plans
Story by Dallas Patten. Photos by Dallas Patten, Holger Lasi, Michael Duncalfe, Siobhain Dales
Recently some incredible opportunities opened up for me to reach into the lives of some women in our most remote communities, sharing the Good news that God loves them and their value as women in a culture where women don’t seem to be appreciated enough.
My captain Michael Vogel and I were flying out in the Tabubil region of the Highlands. We flew to a remote airstrip called Busilmin, tucked right up at the end of a complex valley system. Weather is always an issue out there but this was first thing in the morning and we had gorgeous clear blue skies. Busilmin is a village that only MAF flies into. The education only goes to grade three, and no one speaks English.
The hunger for God’s word
When we landed at Busilmin to unload passengers and supplies, we decided to bring out our bible boxes. Busilmin is a very poor community but we sold EVERYTHING: 15 small Tok Pisin Bibles, 4 audio bibles, 3 large Tok Pisin Bibles, 1 English NIV, and 1 Bible commentary. This community was so hungry for any resources we could give them.
When we started the engines and lined up at the top of the strip for departure, an unusual fog rolled in right over the top of the strip, meaning we were unable to depart. Michael and I sat there for a while thinking the cloud would disappear, but after ten minutes it got worse, so we got out our coffee thermos and kept waiting. After 15 minutes or so we realised we weren’t going anywhere, so we shut down and hopped out of the aircraft.
The waiting game
Thankfully Michael is much better at breaking the ice than I am. He had a Tok Pisin bible story book and he started reading to the kids, while I wandered around feeling awkward. Then Michael got a strap out of the aeroplane and we played Tug of War. Pilots against all the village kids (we didn’t win!).
By this time we were all starting to warm up to each other and I thought with the education being so limited the kids might like to look in the plane and sit in the cockpit (most had never been in a plane let alone seen the cockpit).
The goldenopportunity
It was during this time one of the ladies plucked the courage to ask me to tell them a story (this really just means tell them about myself). So I sat down with a group of women and in very broken Tok Pisin told them my testimony about how God had brought me here. Of all the things I told them they were more interested in the fact that I am 27 years old and not married!
After several hours of this the ladies were comfortable enough with me to tell me about their husbands and children and houses. They were so ashamed that all they did was look after their houses and families and make sure they had food. It struck me as odd that they wouldn’t think this important or noble, perhaps because they felt they were in the presence of the glamourous lady pilot!
I really felt prompted to share with them Proverbs 31. While most of them had some bible knowledge, none of them had been taught the value of women or been told that their work is valuable and righteous before God. It was so cool to share with them that they are important and their lives are valued by God.
Of course it was just after this that the cloud cleared (nearly five hours after the fog had rolled in) and we were able to depart. We were so far behind schedule that our programme for the day was completely ruined, but I think what God had planned for the day was far more valuable.
