Ending the Silence
After traversing wild terrain and landing on a grass runway in the middle of nowhere, I get all sorts of responses from passengers.
Sometimes it’s a handshake and smile. Other people have no words for “thank you” in their language, so they don’t even acknowledge me. And that's fine. After all, I'm doing this for Jesus, not praises.
But when an IT guy gives someone good service? Wow. You should see the response.
Remote Consulting
Several years ago, Bible translators Larry and Linda had to leave the remote village where they worked in Indonesia. Larry was called into an administrative role, but they deeply wanted to help the community finish translating the New Testament.
So they kept up with Mandowen, the main local translator. His village didn’t have electricity or phone service, so he traveled all over the country to meet them and review drafts—spending months away from his home and family.
That all changed a year ago. Larry and Linda got a satellite connection for Mandowen, and they began using a special sync program to keep in contact while finishing the New Testament.
It worked great for seven months ... until a deafening silence began: no word from Mandowen.
The Trek to the Village
Larry and Linda—who now live in the United States—asked Sam, our YAJASI* avionics and IT guy, to try to contact the translator. Always eager for an adventure, Sam and I headed off with bit of food, spare clothes and our toothbrushes.
The 300-mile flight to a coastal town took an hour and 15 minutes, but the road trip ahead would take another three hours.
We rented a pickup truck, and at first our driver insisted we sit up front. But in light of the wrecked seat, the stifling heat of the engine, and the countless window stickers blocking our view, we opted for the back. It was a beautiful ride to Mandowen's village, 3,000 feet up in the mountains. The air cooled off, and we caught glimpses of the blue ocean as we snaked our way up the jungle road—thankful we weren't walking.
I haven't tried it, but I hear smoking calms your nerves. Fueling a vehicle must be nerve-wracking business, because our driver lit a cigarette while funneling gas into the truck. (You may be asking, "Why were you still in the back of the truck?" Because that was the best angle for the picture, of course!)
We made one more stop—to scoop up creek water and pour it on the overheated engine—and arrived in Mandowen's village at sunset. They weren't expecting us, so no one had time to make a fuss. Just the way I like it.
A Five-Minute Fix
Sam got right to work on Mandowen's computer. Turns out he just needed a software upgrade. It took me a whole day to deliver Sam to the village, but only five minutes for Sam to complete his work. Talk about efficient! And you should have seen Mandowen’s response.
The anticipation just about killed them as they waited for the sync. Everyone huddled around the computer on a mat on the bark floor, and the tiny satellite dish beamed up through the thatched roof. The little generator hummed away just outside. An occasional chicken ran across the keyboard.
And suddenly, an update of Matthew, Luke and Ephesians filled the screen.
Eruptions of praise and joy followed this first successful sync in three months. Mandowen's skin could barely contain him! He smiled ear to ear with delight and pumped the air with his fists. It was pretty cute. Pretty moving too.
That night we enjoyed the locals’ company, followed by a good night's sleep on our air mattresses. After a breakfast of (what I think was) Chinese cabbage and a quick email to our wives from Mandowen's computer (yep, email from the jungle), we said goodbye.
It had rained most of the night, which made the pickup ride a little interesting. We weren't loaded down with rice, sugar and sago anymore, so the bald tires got little traction on the slippery road.
Have you ever used a bamboo pole as a tow rope? I wouldn't have thought of it, but a little Papuan ingenuity goes a long way. They used a machete to shred the end of the bamboo into long strands, which they tied to the bumper.
With some grunting and huffing and puffing, we made it out—and flew back home to Sentani just before sunset.
* YAJASI is our aviation partner in Indonesia.
—Brad McFarlane, his wife, Susan, and three children have served with YAJASI in Papua, Indonesia, since 1998.
