Posts

Ford Flyers, April 2020

Image
The Ford Flyers, April 2020      expanding the reach of the Gospel in Alaska Ministry Highlight The ministry of Missionary Aviation Repair Center partners with many organizations, missionaries, churches, and summer camps in order to continue to expand the reach of the gospel in Alaska. Last month was the Annual Iditarod dog-sled race that traverses the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage all the way up to Nome, some ~930 miles over the course of several days.  This is no doubt an impressive feat for the “mushers” (drivers) as well as for the dogs.  This event was inspired by events in 1925 surrounding a diphtheria epidemic that threatened to take over the western half of Alaska, including Nome, but the villagers were saved by a relay of dog sled teams.  This story has been commemorated by movies such as Balto, recently released Great Alaskan Race, and Togo.  The ministry of Carry the Cure was inspired by these events, now bringing not the hope of a box of medicine as Balto an
Post a Comment
Read more

Stephen Newton, Spring 2020

Image
 our hope in uncertain times... “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13 It was the 5th of February when we received another call to search for another local fisherman... We hoped that our newest pilot, who was on his way from Germany with his family, would not be held up at a transiting airport as they journeyed to Palau. Our last sea search occurred at the beginning of December. It was the 5th of February when we received another call to search for another local fisherman. Oddly, he had gone missing in nearly the same location as the last lost fisherman. This time I flew with only one passenger. His name was Ishmael and he was the Marine Law officer who was sent to assist in the search. Again, the man had been missing for nearly 24 hrs before we were notified. He had been using a raft, which had been found, and was wearing a black shirt. I departed
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rich Family in Brazil, May 2020

Image
In The News They call us haters. They say we are selfish. The world hurls insults at believers, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is simply ignorance and misunderstanding. Disagreeing with a person’s lifestyle is not hateful and taking the hope of Christ to lost people groups is not selfish. Maybe you have seen our organization in the news at some point. The media down here has attacked us for many untrue and easily refutable things. But truth is apparently unimportant, as long as they can spin the story to hurt missionaries. Recently, someone filled out a contact form on our site that illustrates the widespread movement against us. They made up the email address missionariessuck@gmail.com and wrote, “Leave these people alone you selfish [#@%&]s... What if I came to your house and constantly bothered you to follow a different god[?]” Our mission has pointed out in their response to some news articles that we only work in places where the people want us there. A
Post a Comment
Read more

Heather MacKnee, April 2020

Image
Dear Family and Friends,                                 April 5, 2020 Here I am in my upyard, writing an update to you. Spellcheck says upyard isn’t a word; well, it is now. I made it up. My apartment building doesn’t have a back or front yard, but it does have a large flat roof which I have claimed as my “upyard” and I’m so thankful for it. It seems that no one else who lives in the 30 apartments in this building comes up here during this quarantine time, so I get to go for long interrupted walks up here, breathe fresh air and see the beautiful sky. When I was a teenager, I loved to sleep outside in my backyard, in Peeler park with my girlfriends (remember?), on trampolines, at camp… I just loved looking at the sky, and I still do. It could have something to do with growing up in Saskatchewan where there’s lots of sky to see, but I’m sure that many of you feel the same way too, wherever you live. It’s taken me awhile to put my thoughts together to explain what life is like here i
Post a Comment
Read more

The Stewart Family in New Guinea, March 2020

Image
Hi everyone! We have been meaning to write you for a while to let you know how things are going here in Papua New Guinea but our situation was changing almost daily. Now things have finally settled down for a little bit and we have a chance to breathe and check in with you. We have had only one confirmed case of COVID-19 in PNG so far but the PNG government is watching closely as the virus spreads around the world and taking measures now to prepare for it and minimize the impact to this country. This is the public statement from our branch administration about what we are doing here: “SIL-PNG is complying in full with the requirements of the State of Emergency [SoE] announced by Prime Minister James Marape on Sunday 22nd March.  The SoE was initiated on Tuesday, 24th March. The Ukarumpa Centre and all Regional Centres are practicing appropriate self-isolation protocols. Our Ukarumpa Clinic staff remain vigilant and are examining any and all patients who present with COVID-ty
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rich Family in Brazil, March 2020

Image
A "Hairy" Experience "Suddenly, there was a piercing pain like someone jabbed my heel with a needle," Rachel recounts. It was our first night in a local Portuguese-speaking community's church near the village, where Ed was invited to teach. Rachel looked around for the culprit that bit her as she was getting up from kneeling during prayer time. Later, she spotted a large hairy spider and had the lady in the next pew get rid of it. It wasn't until we were getting out of our boat at our village that she told me about her arachnid encounter. When we got home, she had me use our retrofitted stun gun to zap the bite several times. She says it helped with the pain. By the next day, she said the bite wasn't bothering her much anymore. Re-entry We had gotten to the village the week before, and it took some time to clean and organize our house. Most of our villagers were in town, so language learning opportunities were a bit sparse. Ed and I went to the ne
Post a Comment
Read more

The Rich Family in Brazil, February 2020

Image
Opposition When the Enemy is upset, we must be doing something right. Our mission made headlines this month because an anthropologist, who was formerly a member of the mission, was appointed to a high position in the government organization that oversees indigenous affairs. Particularly, he was put over the section that deals with uncontacted tribes. This sparked outrage in the media and digging up all the past garbage they could on the mission: some true, some half true, and some false. The Enemy does not want any infiltration of his strongholds and he doesn't care about truth or fairness.The new mission helicopter, which has begun operating, has also come up in the news. The Past Month In our little corner of Brazil, there are still rumors. Ed just got back from a short time in the village. He talked to A, one of the guys who is reported to oppose us at meetings. Ed explained to him that we got authorization to be there and showed him the document that the village leader
Post a Comment
Read more