Do we fully rely on God?

28, March, 2013

Do we fully rely on God?

How many times do we say that we are trusting in the Lord for things?  I am not so sure we really mean that. 

Just yesterday our faith has been tested in a different way from the average person living in a developed country.  Our airstrip was closed.  So you understand what this airstrip means to us I will explain.  We have no roads coming into Kaintiba other than those that people walk on.  No cars can make it here.  There are no roads to any city or even a town.  The only way our family can get in and out is by airplane or helicopter.  As for the helicopter we know it could be done but have not made connections for that to happen. 

Why did it close?  It is poorly maintained.  We have been trying to work on that but due to lack of money and manpower it is a slow process.  Every time we have gotten problem areas filled in a plane comes in and blows out the work that was just done.  Yesterday two planes came in back to back.  The first one was Matt Allen a missionary pilot.  He is aware of the airstrip and was able to land to the side and not hit the areas being worked.  The 2nd plane was a government charter.  It was bigger and heavier and landed in the weak spot of the airstrip.  He almost got stuck but managed to pull it through and get up to the top of the airstrip.    Taking off you can get off the ground before the problem areas so no worries there. 

Matt had to come back yesterday after that.  He had left some people here to come back for.  He told us he was closing the airstrip for 2 weeks.  My understanding of that is that a pilot can call the head tower in Port Moresby and tell them they want the airstrip closed.  The airstrip is then closed until it is reported that the problem has been taken care of.

Yesterday we  were pretty down hearted about it all.  I kept thinking about full reliance on God.  We trust more in that airplane than God.  God has put us to where we only have Him!

We usually have cell phone service.  That is often interrupted.  The tower is in a remote area so when it has a problem it can take it awhile to get service back.   We can't even call anyone and ask them to pray about this. 

So how will I get this posted?  I will wait a few days then if the network doesn't come back on I (or my husband) will have to climb the mountain about 20- 30 minutes walk and get a different tower from the coast.  Once again we have been put in a position to fully rely on God.

Another thing is that Mark was planning to go out for a supply run either this week Friday or next week when the plane came. Then planning to bring the supplies back in on the 9th of April.  So what are we doing now?   We are asking God to show us what to do.  Many ideas have been discussed.  We have no clear direction at this point so we wait! 

Some verses come to mind: 

Isaiah 40:31  "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;  they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Philippians 4:19  "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

The situation may be resolved before this even gets posted but it is just a little more about life in PNG!

Until Next time,  I'm happy in the service of the King!! Christi Helzerman :)

This is looking down on the airstrip from our house...  We live in a beautiful area.

Bridging the Gap

We are here in PNG to bridge the gap for lost souls to go to heaven. We also have a more physical gap that was recently bridged. The bridges in PNG often decline rapidly. People may decide they need that piece of wood for their fires or to repair their houses. This bridge was recently fixed. It had been in a state of disrepair for 2 years or more. It has been with just the I-beams to cross for at least a year as that is how long we have lived up here. We were pleased to see that recently the local people repaired it! It was nice to be able to walk across it without fear of falling into the water. Now what will we have to show people who come visit? I am sure we can find something in this land of natural beauties and ruggedness. Maybe it will be a stone bridge, or a breathtaking waterfall. Anyone want to rough it? Do you like to hike, camp? Maybe you should plan a trip to this remote area of PNG and have a look for yourself! We'd love to have you come for a visit. We do our best to accommodate with what we can get into this remote place. (friend's comment: I am posting this for Christi since she doesn't get internet long enough to put it up on the net herself. She wrote this March 11. The photos of the bridge before it was repaired are captured from a video that my daughter took on Feb. 17, so the quality is not as good as Christi's phone camera takes. The video was taken as the men left for a three-day hike back into the mountains to visit a remote village. I tried to give you a feel for how hard it was to balance as you crossed. I personally could not walk across it, but had to wade through the water upstream.-JRP)