When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.”  Psalm 56:3

Click… click… click… You know that slow-building trip to the top of the roller coaster, white knuckles clutching the bar—the anticipation, and then the falling. Life lately has felt like that. I am not a huge fan of roller coasters and the one I am on now has been exhausting. Maybe you feel that way too?

This past year we have walked through a move, a new school and community, then riots in our part of the country with a strong military presence—and now, a worldwide pandemic.

It’s also our furlough year, which has made this time all the more challenging. It is supposed to be a time of planning and excitement as we look forward to a few months at home to rest, reconnect, and replenish. But like the rest of the world, our borders have been shut down and there is no way off this island we live on.

It seems the news changes daily, and I can see my hands clinging to the grab bar not knowing if we will make it home this year. Even if we do make it home, the question of where to quarantine makes me tense. It’s hard to imagine asking for help from folks who are already stretched with their own roller coaster rides. And if we do make it home, will we be able to get back into the country in time for the kids to start school? So many unknown twists and turns, right?

In the meantime, fewer flights mean there is less maintenance work for my husband. Curfews mean there is limited time for me to get my shopping done—and more lines. Virtual schooling and lock down mean my kids are missing their friends. And, the threat of a spreading virus means frightened people all around us who already live in a challenging area.

But God… He’s redeeming this time and showing me that doing this together with the people we came to serve, for now, is making a difference. And, He already knows every corkscrew, every g-force and inversion coming my way; He’s on this ride with me. Instead of white knuckles gripping, I see my hands needing to let go of control. Open hands are much more useful.

How about you? What have you had to loosen your grip on?

Dear reader: The week that MAF was going to post this story, we lost a dear friend and teammate at our base. While feeling stress about whether furlough will happen is still there, in comparison, it just doesn’t seem as big anymore. You can read about my dear friend, Joyce, and the impact she had on so many.

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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”
—Lamentations 3:22-23

I didn’t realize how deep the rut had grown until we started to spread our wings again.

Doing the same thing every day can sometimes be a comfort in a foreign country. At least you can count on your routine to be the one thing that is constant.

Our routine is breakfast, homeschool, clean house, wash dishes, wash clothes, make supper, then fall into bed to do it all over again the next day.

We’ve lived in our isolated little town for over three years now. Though small, it is like any other city in the world, with noise, garbage, and unfriendly or looking-for-trouble kinds of people. It doesn’t always feel safe in town, so the kids haven’t been going shopping with me. It takes extra effort for our whole family to go out, so most often we’ve been choosing to stay on our base.

But lately I’ve begun to realize that what has felt safe and routine has also caused us to miss out. We’ve been in a rut!

We have been back from furlough for six months already, and last week we finally ventured to eat supper in town again. After a successful night out with only one “habis”—something not available on the menu—it felt good to get out and break the cycle of our routine.

This morning we jumped on our motorbikes and headed on a short trip to remember this beautiful country. We left the crowded city behind and encountered the river, the mountains, and friendlier people outside the city limits.

God is faithful to provide us with new beginnings. Every day, in fact. Sometimes we just need to climb out of our rut before we can recognize them. I am grateful He gives us opportunities to fall more in love with Him daily and helps us find joy in the obedience.

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My husband and I had done missions before
But now, yet again, we would walk through that door
Of moving and fundraising, sharing with people
These introverts stretched, but God again faithful

When funds were all raised, we were given the go
We packed up our crates, suitcases in tow
Welcomed with heat and a language unknown
Again all was different, we had to be shown

Year one was spent trying to learn the new ways
While being the object of everyone’s gaze
New driving, new food, and a new way to live
Homesick and tired, we gave all we could give

We learned all we could, then the time came to move
Packing, good-byes, we were now in the groove
Arriving and greetings, for the kids a new school
My husband was glad to be using his tools

Riding the currents of overseas living
We’re grateful to those who are faithful in giving
So we can be Jesus’ hands, and His feet,
Trusting in Him with each challenge we meet

This Christmas again is a great time to think
That God gave us Jesus to be our True link
Now we have a way to our heavenly Father
We belong to His family, and it’s like no other

Be it serving in big ways, or sometimes in small,
Be it seen or in secret, we can give Him our all
So whether you live in your hometown or here,
The goal is His glory all times of the year!

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When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.”  – Isaiah 43:2

Today, I am learning how to use a pressure cooker. I am using it because the beef we get here in Indonesia is tough and chewy. I hear that cooking under pressure will make it tender and juicy. My mouth is already watering at the prospect of having beef. We eat so much chicken here that I believe it is only a matter of time before we start sprouting feathers.

I watch the stove flame and listen to the pressure cooker heat up. The steam begins to make the top rattle. If there’s too much heat for too long, the top will shoot off creating an enormous mess all over the entire kitchen. A picture of beef dripping off the ceiling has me sitting close and watching carefully.

Hmmm. Pressure, heat, steam, a potential mess… I was beginning to see a parallel to my life overseas.

Life here can sometimes feel like that pressure cooker. The heat that makes life boil here sometimes includes difficult relationships with those I work alongside. Disrupting my unity with others seems to be Satan’s favorite tactic to distract me from the task at hand and from my walk with the Lord.

God desires to use the heat of those challenges to tenderize me, to make me dependent on Him and usable for His glory. I am thankful for the truth of His Word, that He walks with me through these times.

What is your “pressure cooker”? His desire is to grow us no matter where in the world we live or how much “heat” we’re experiencing. Let’s keep a watchful eye on our “pressure cookers” and bring them to the Lord so He can keep our hearts tender, toward Him and others.

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The MAF program in Mozambique primarily flies a team of doctors and nurses, MozMed, to remote villages for weeklong clinics; that is, up until MozMed’s vehicle accident temporarily put a halt to their visits. We arrived during this lull in steady mission flying. The pilots shared how when they don’t have missionary or medical flights, they schedule various commercial flights. Naturally, the pilots prefer doing medical and mission flights, as that’s where their passion lies. But in one of our discussions with the program director, Dave LePoidevin, he put things in perspective and shared what it means to be a missionary pilot in Nampula, Mozambique.

Dave has a heart for medical ministry in Mozambique, especially because it is such a powerful tool against the superstitions and animistic beliefs that many tribes adhere to. Diseases brought on by poor diet, bad drinking water, or unhygienic practices are thought to be caused by a curse or a demon. The sufferer invokes the aid of the village witch doctor, who is powerless to provide any real relief. Bringing in a medical team to a remote area means people have access to medicine, health education, and healing—all in the name of Jesus Christ! The power of the witch doctors diminishes, as does preventable diseases and unclean habits, and the Gospel is shared.

During this lull in medical flying, Dave said that he’s come to realize that as a missionary in Nampula, his life is his best ministry. How he treats his family, his neighbors, those working under him, the corrupt traffic police who pulls him over to ask for a bribe, the military personnel in the nearby compound who ask to use the printer, the night guard who comes every evening to his house—if he loves them and is an example of Christ in his everyday life, he is being faithful to his calling. That insight can be applied to the lives of every believer. May we strive to be faithful with whatever the Lord has set before us.

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I have never met such amazingly strong, brave, and resourceful women as the MAF wives—they exude peace and contentment and support for their pilot husbands who are often gone overnight on various flights, or staying late at the hangar. They are a vital part of the work being done through MAF, and I truly see them as heroes of the faith as they serve day in and day out, trusting God through every hurdle.

And there are many. Hurdles, that is. Cooking takes twice as long in a kitchen with no A/C, dishes are hand washed and need sanitizing, laundry is dried on a line, ants and bugs and geckos share your home, power is far from reliable, as is water pressure. Mosquito netting is draped over every bed, and applying bug spray is part of the morning routine. The MAF families live out of necessity in the securest of homes—bars on every entrance, numerous padlocks, high walls around the yard, barbwire, gates, and a night guard. I tagged along on a grocery shopping trip, and the sweet wife I was with was in constant prayer as she navigated the crazy roads and traffic. I watched as she hired a guard to protect from anything being stolen off her vehicle, politely declined numerous vendors who flocked around her, and calmly made her way through the grocery store that had cockroaches and rotten meat.

As we drove to the mission school to pick up her kindergartener, she shared with me that sometimes the struggle of living in an impoverished country and the pain of being separated from loved ones back home almost overwhelms her. But her next words really inspired me: “Natalya, there is nowhere else I would rather be! After the years of support raising and language school, I am so happy to finally be where God has called us.”

The sacrifices she and the other wives have made are worth it in light of the higher calling of obedience to the Lord, and that’s what makes these housewives heroines.

Be sure to check back next week when Natalya writes about the MAF pilots.

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