newsletters
september (1) 2024
So close but so far!
“Can you send me a Christian bible?” That is always a question that we would be happy to answer “Yes” to, because it means a Non-Christian is interested in learning more about who we are, about who Jesus is. And it means they have been following our TV programs whether from satellite or YouTube.
In the middle of August, we flew over the area of Cisolok, West Java. There has never been an Adventist in the area, and hardly any Christian although the distance is only 90 miles from Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, where we have 150,000 active SDA church members, and the church has been in the province for more than a hundred years! One would ask why, and the only explanation we could offer is that the road to get there is narrow, with many turns and heavy traffic. We flew 30 minutes to get there and driving would take six. We did a few low passes to see whether we could land on the old airstrip that had been abandoned for years. It was impossible so we could only pray overhead the coastal villages. People were waving, excited to see an airplane in the uncontrolled airspace, they certainly thought we were going to land but we did not.
“Lord send your Holy Spirit here, and open up their hearts to see Jesus, Amen”, was the prayer we offered while circling the area. The next day a message from a young man named Elfan came in. God answered our prayer and Elfan asked for a bible! He saw us on satellite television and started to develop an interest in what he had watched. We were so excited to get to know him and that flight was a mission accomplished. We wrapped an Indonesian translation bible and sent it with a prayer. He received it and we just pray Elfan will someday come to Christ.
Our mission aviation is to reach places like Pelabuhan Ratu, Pamengpeuk, Tanjung Lesung, and Tambling on the next island, Pangandaran, Tasikmalaya. These places have zero presence of Adventists and are known to dislike Christians. They are all quite a challenge to reach with cars, but very easy with our small airplane. Every time we land we pray that God would send a worker so they can start giving services to the people through barber shops, welding and mechanic shops, or even clinics. We are currently training people to accomplish this mission and we ask that you pray with us. Someday soon all these areas will get to know Jesus, and that is His promise.