The Village The World Forgot

Some places on this earth face the unique phenomenon of having been frozen in time. Whether it be a small collection of huts deep in the Amazon rainforest, a small town on the great plains of North America, a remote village in Africa, a quaint little country village in Europe, or an isolated village in a remote corner of Papua New Guinea. In these places it seems that at some point in time, for no particular reason, the clock stopped moving. You can go to these places and see what life may have been like decades, or even centuries, ago. Of course it may not seem that way to the inhabitants of those places, but from an outsider’s perspective it feels like you found a key to a time machine. That is certainly the way I felt recently.

Kaiam village and airstrip

Having arrived in PNG in March to work as a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship, I had the opportunity to go and live in a remote village for one week as part of my language training and cultural orientation. An MAF volunteer, Samuel Haab, also went with me. We were fortunate to be able to spend the week with the people of Kaiam, which is located northwest of Mount Hagen and on the northern edge of the PNG highlands. On April 12th we flew to the Kaiam airstrip and were greeted by the few families that live in the immediate area. Then we watched with detached fascination, and a little anxiety, as the plane flew off and left us to manage as best we could with our limited understanding of the Tok Pisin language.

Kaiam airstrip during its building phase

The story of Kaiam, its people, and its airstrip is certainly an interesting one. The story of the airstrip, from marking it out to its first landing, had taken 15 years of back-breaking toil for the Lutz family and every member of the community. The late Doctor Steve Lutz, Wapenamanda-based Gutnius Lutheran missionary, marked the centre line with his family back in 2000. He sadly never got to see the finished result, so for his wife Julie and son Anton it was an emotional moment on the 10th of February 2015 when an MAF plane made the first landing at Kaiam. Sebastian Kurz, one of the MAF pilots on that first landing, explains just what the new airstrip means to the community; “I knew that it was special for the people in Kaiam to see a fixed wing aeroplane landing for the first time, but I hadn't any idea how extraordinarily special it was for them. I have been there several times now and only slowly do I get a glimpse of what it means for those people to have access to the outside world through this airstrip. They were totally excited and tried to explain bits and pieces of history. Sebastian continues, “They had to travel down the Kaiam and Karawari Rivers if they wanted to go to the next airstrip at Munduku. This journey took them two days and was very exhausting. It was especially critical in medical emergencies. If they wanted to evacuate somebody they had to charter a chopper, which cost them a fortune.” Along with the airstrip there is a small aid post overseen by Yapis Petro, the local MAF agent, and supplied by the Gutnius Lutheran mission at Wapenamanda.

Yapis Petro in his garden

Even with the airstrip, Kaiam and its people are still very isolated. So much so that they do not have any significant avenues with which to earn income. They are forced into subsistence living and taking what they can from the jungle. Whether it’s saksak, a food made from the sago palm, or bananas, or hunting wild pig, all the food they have is taken from the jungle, and if they can’t get food from the jungle then they go hungry. If they can manage to collect some money to buy supplies from Wewak or Mount Hagen, they must still have it flown in, or else travel three days downriver to the nearest road and bring it by canoe. To earn a little money, each family searches for gold in the Kaiam River using a small improvised sluice made from tree bark. However, they work for hours to only find a fraction of a gram of gold. But that gold only has value if they can sell it, which is almost impossible in the middle of the jungle. And so they live virtually disconnected from the outside world.

Gold panning in the river

During our week in Kaiam, Samuel and I had the unique opportunity to see a side of PNG that most people never get to see. We toured the village, talked with the people, ate with the people, worshipped God together at their small church and went on walkabouts into the jungle surrounding the village. We saw how they build houses, grow gardens, and how they pan for gold. The most striking aspect that we witnessed was how grateful they are to have the help of MAF and other missionaries. But also how desperate they are not to be forgotten by the world.

Sitting and talking with some of the local men

Even being in a remote corner of PNG, Kaiam and its people are in some ways more connected than hundreds, if not thousands, of other villages, simply because they have an airstrip. Many other villages that do not have airstrips are extremely isolated, and in many ways forgotten by the world. Kaiam, and other villages like it, may be forgotten by the world, but they are not forgotten by Jesus and His church!


Thank you for all you support,
Ryan

More Info:
www.mafc.org
http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/281213732064928/

Completion of the Commencement

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack, that there may be equality. As it is written, ‘He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.’”    2 Corinthians 8:9-15

It’s surprising how hard a few verses can hit you when you are not ready for it. These ones in particular threw me for a loop recently and I am still trying to sort it all out in my mind. Through His words God spoke very strongly to me in regards to my time here in PNG as well as MAF’s mission here. But His words also speak to each of us individually, whatever circumstances He has put us in.

The initial few months here in PNG seemed like a very slow buildup to what has become a very busy flight schedule. The last gasp before the plunge. The calm before the storm. Since I wasn’t a part of the flight operations in March and April, I was trying to build a solid foundation for what I hope will be years of effective service here in PNG.

In March I was busy taking classes to learn the Tok Pisin language. I can read and write the language with only a little difficulty, but learning to speak it clearly will take some time. Mostly when I try to speak it I just fumble my way through it and hope I get my point across, usually with lots of animated hand gestures. But all in all the classes were a good learning opportunity.

I was fortunate to arrive here just a few weeks prior to the annual MAF PNG conference weekend. Once a year all the ex-pat MAF staff get together for a time of rest, relaxation, teaching, and to update everyone on the direction that the PNG program is headed in. So at the end of March we all went and spent the weekend at the conference center at the S.I.L. base in Ukarumpa. It was a good weekend of getting to know some of the other staff and socializing in a relaxed atmosphere.

After the conference weekend, my schedule started to get a little busier. I wrapped up the Tok Pisin classes at the beginning of April. Then in preparation for joining the flight operations I began to study the manuals for the Twin Otter and for MAF procedures. But before I could start flying I had to complete the initial orientation.

Arriving at Kaiam

April 12, 2016

One crucial part of the orientation process is learning to comprehend the lifestyle of the people who live in the remote bush. Serving the people in the remote villages is one of the main reasons we are here. So to try and better understand them, since their way of life is so vastly different from those who live in town, every new MAF family goes to a remote village for one week to live with the people. I had that opportunity in the middle of April when I went to the village of Kaiam. A MAF volunteer, Sam Haab, also went with me. Kaiam is located northwest of Mount Hagen and on the northern edge of the PNG highlands. On April 12th we flew to the Kaiam airstrip and were greeted by the few families that live in the immediate area. Then we watched with detached fascination, and a little anxiety, as the plane flew off and left us to manage as best we could with our limited understanding of the Tok Pisin language. During our week there, Sam and I had the unique opportunity to see a side of PNG that most people never get to see. We toured the village, talked with the people, ate with the people, worshipped God together at their small church and went on walkabouts into the jungle surrounding the village. We saw how they build houses, grow gardens, and how they pan for gold. It was strikingly obvious just how grateful they are to have the help of MAF and other missionaries. After fifteen years of work, MAF was able to do the first ever landing on the brand new airstrip at Kaiam just over a year ago. Since then there have been a couple of lifesaving medevacs, and medical supplies and other important items have been flown in and out. Anton Lutz and his family (Lutheran missionaries) have been involved in the development of this area for over thirty years, building the airstrip and bringing in medical supplies. You can read more about that week in the posted story “The Village the World Forgot.”

At a Bush Village During My First Day of Flying

May 2, 2016

After I got back from Kaiam I started flight training in preparation for joining the flight operations. Since I have flown the Twin Otter before in Alberta, I was able to do an abbreviated training course at the end of April. Then on May 2nd I flew my first flights and officially joined the MAF PNG flight program. Because I needed to be trained in the day-to-day operations here, the first two weeks in May were spent flying out of Goroka instead of Mount Hagen so that I could fly with an experienced captain and he could teach me some of the details that allow us to get our work done. Those first two weeks were very busy and intense with my brain working on overload most of the time. So that I would be able to get up to speed as quickly as possible, I only had a few days off the rest of the month. It was very fatiguing, but God sustained me and enabled me to learn what was needed, particularly during those first two weeks. Fortunately, on the last weekend in May I was able to take a break and get some much needed rest. Some friends and I took a road trip to a lodge in the mountains on Lake Kutubu and spent the weekend relaxing and having fun. We had a good time.

Now that the initial month of flying is over, there is only a few more details to take care of before I can settle down into the day-to-day flight routine. In June I will be doing a few flight tests to show that I meet the standards required by MAF. Then on June 17th I will be doing an oral exam about the PNG aviation regulations. I would appreciate your prayers for a successful outcome for all those tests.

Here are a few links to photos so you can see more of what I've been up to. Enjoy!

MAF Flying in May
Building a Health Center in a Remote PNG Village

Thank you for all you support,
Ryan

More Info:
www.mafc.org
http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/281213732064928/

Short Updates #2

February 17, 2016
Well it's official, God has allowed me to pass the flight standardization course. I know it's only a small thing, but it is a huge blessing and relief to me. On Monday I fly to Port Moresby in PNG. On Tuesday at 1pm my time (8pm Monday night Alberta time) I write the PNG Air Law exam. Then I join the PNG program in Mt. Hagen on Wednesday.
Here are some pictures from my time at MAF flight standardization:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.430969390422694&type=1

February 22, 2016
Finally landed in Papua New Guinea! All is good.

March 1, 2016
The first week in PNG is almost in the books. It was a good week of starting to get settled here in Mount Hagen. After arriving in Mt. Hagen on February 24th, I jumped right into the orientation process by spending the following weekend on a short road trip to the Enga province with some MAF staff. Although this is not a usual part of the orientation process it was an incredible introduction to PNG. One night we stayed at a lodge in the high mountains where we did some birdwatching and bushwalking. The next day we drove down a very decrepit road to a mission station at a village where we spent the rest of the weekend. We met the missionaries at the station as well as some locals. We had fun on more muddy bushwalks (it rains almost everyday here) and swam in the local river. Although we only drove 80 kms in one direction, the roads are in such disrepair that it took 2 hours to go the 80km. And they only have roads in the most central parts of the country. It was a very good weekend of being introduced to the people and the country I will be serving (see pictures). Now I have started language and culture training. This will be 4 weeks of classes and one week living in a village to better understand the language and culture. Following that I will be starting flight training/orientation here in April. Thank you for your support! I couldn't be here getting ready to serve the people without it!
Here are some pictures from my first weekend in PNG:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.436793956506904&type=1

March 16, 2016
I am continuing with the language and culture classes here. I'm about halfway through the course. It is going well. I've also been continuing with the general orientation and learning about what I will be doing after I finish the language study.
In mid-April I will be transitioning to flight operations. Because the training schedule here has been re-organized, I've been asked to step in as a Twin Otter co-pilot for about 6 months to fill a training gap. With my experience on the Twin Otter I will be able to go through an abbreviated training course so they can have another co-pilot on the roster. Towards the end of the year the plan is to have me fly the GA-8 Airvan to build up more flight experience in country.
This weekend is the annual MAF Papua New Guinea conference for the MAF staff here. It will be held at the SIL base at Ukarumpa. It will be a good time of listening to different speakers and enjoying the fellowship with the whole group.
Here is a link to a nice short story about a flight that two of our pilots did recently. Enjoy!
http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/a-sawmill-for-a-ski-slope/

All the MAF ex-pat staff plus a few other
missionaries at the 2016 MAF conference

April 2, 2016
The MAF conference 2 weeks ago went well. It was a good opportunity to meet all the other MAF staff from around PNG. I've finished the language classes and have been studying flight manuals in preparation for the next step. The language classes went well, I can read and write Tok Pisin (the common language) fairly well but speaking it will take some time. My week-long visit to a bush village has been pushed back until the 11th. Before that I will be going to Port Moresby to write an exam for an Instrument Flight Rating on the 6th. I've been settling in more and getting to know more people and have been making some friends.

April 22, 2016
God allowed me to pass the Instrument Flight Rating exam. That's a blessing. The week in the bush village went well. I've started the Twin Otter ground school course and will start flying next week. More in-depth update and pictures to follow...

April 24, 2016
Just came back from an awesome week out in the PNG bush. I had the opportunity to go and live in a remote village for one week as part of my language training and cultural orientation. A MAF volunteer, Sam Haab, also went with me. We were fortunate to be able to spend the week with the people of Kaiam, which is located northwest of Mount Hagen and on the northern edge of the PNG highlands. On April 12th we flew to the Kaiam airstrip and were greeted by the few families that live in the immediate area. Then watched with detached fascination, and a little anxiety, as the plane flew off and left us to manage as best we could with our limited understanding of the Tok Pisin language.
During our week there, Sam and I had the unique opportunity to see a side of PNG that most people never get to see. We toured the village, talked with the people, ate with the people, worshipped God together at their small church and went on walkabouts into the jungle surrounding the village. We saw how they build houses, grow gardens, and how they pan for gold. The most striking aspect that we witnessed was how grateful they are to have the help of MAF and other missionaries.
After fifteen years of work, MAF was able to do the first ever landing on the brand new airstrip of Kaiam just over a year ago. Since then, there have been a few lifesaving Medevacs, medical supplies and other important items flown in and out and thanks to Anton Lutz and his family, Lutheran missionaries, who have been involved for over thirty years in the development of that area, building the airstrip, and bringing in medical supplies. Check out the pictures from the week and also the video from the first landing on February 10, 2015.

Here's a link to a more in-depth MAF article about that first landing:
https://www.maf-uk.org/story/mud-celebration-marks-historic-landing-in-papua-new-guinea
Here is a video from that first landing:
https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cole.90/videos/g.281213732064928/10153462065950264/?type=2&theater
Here are some pictures from the week at Kaiam:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.460639040789062&type=1

Leaving Kaiam and saying goodbye

Thank you for all your support,

Ryan

More Info:

www.mafc.org

http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/

The Road Goes Ever On And On

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” Proverbs 16:3

That verse is definitely one that I have had to keep in mind over the past 4 months. With everything that has been happening and all the preparations in progress I would probably go crazy if I was not constantly taking everything back to the Lord through prayer. Looking back now, I can see all the blessings and provisions from God that made the way forward possible and also made it a little easier. And for that I am truly thankful. With all the stops that had to be made, sometimes it felt like I would never get here. But I had faith that God would not take me to the threshold and then close the door, although sometimes He may work that way. Now we get to see the fruit of the faithfulness of your support as we anxiously anticipate what He will do here.

Working in the Arnhem Land hangar
December 12, 2015

As I write this letter I am finally in Papua New Guinea! It has been quite the journey thus far. Back in December I was still in Arnhem Land, working hard and sweating every day. After a month and a half there I was getting a little worn out, not so much from the work but more from the hot and humid climate. Fortunately, the Engineering staff took a week off over Christmas, so I was able to take a nice break and catch my breath. For Christmas I was invited to spend the day with one of the MAF families and a few other of the MAF staff. It was a good time. Then towards the end of January I wrapped up my time in Arnhem Land. After saying farewell to everyone there I flew back to Cairns on the 21st.

After a restful weekend in Cairns, the flight standardization course started that Monday in Mareeba. Mareeba is a small town west of Cairns where MAF has their main training base in Australia. The standardization course was a mix of ground school review and flight exercises. It was a very intense 4 weeks. Because I hadn’t flown an airplane since October, my flying skills were a little unpolished.

Taking a break during flight training in Australia
February 17, 2016

I was also learning to fly a new airplane in a new area, which can be interesting. What you might not know is that each country has their own rules and regulations for conducting a flight, in addition to MAF’s regulations. The rules in Australia are similar to Canada, but there are also some significant differences that I had to learn. At the same time that I was learning all of this I was also studying for the Air Law regulations exam for Papua New Guinea. While also trying to organize the shipping of most of my belongings by air freight to PNG. Needless to say, sometimes I felt like my mind was running in circles and not knowing what to focus on. But it was a beneficial and successful course, and it helped to prepare me for the flying that I’ll be doing here in PNG. Thank you for your prayers and support during the course, I really appreciate it. On the weekends I was able to get out and see the Australian countryside. It was good to have that time to hike and swim and relax for a brief moment. And I hope to have the opportunity to do more of the same in my downtime here in PNG.

Then I continued onward with my journey. I stopped in Cairns again for a weekend to wait for my flight to PNG. Being a poorer country, the internet in PNG is not the greatest. So I was hoping to connect with my home church in Brownfield, Alberta before I left Australia. Their support has been amazing all throughout this ministry and I am so thankful for it. It worked out that I was able to Skype into the church service on February 21st. I was able to update them on my situation and answer some questions in the short time we had together. Although it was a little tricky to organize it due to the time difference. At 11:00am that Sunday it was 4:00am Monday morning in Cairns. But I was able to get a little sleep before my flight to PNG later that morning. 8 hours after that Skype call, I left Australia for the time being.

The countryside in the Enga Province
during my first weekend in PNG
February 27, 2016

After a brief stop in Port Moresby to write the PNG Air Law exam I continued onto Mount Hagen in the Western Highlands province. The exam went well, thank you for your prayers and support in that. MAF has their main PNG base here in Mt. Hagen and I’m currently living in a housing compound a stone’s throw from the airport, so it’s a nice walk to the hangar in the morning. There are 12 other houses on this compound. It is both expat and national families, but all working with MAF. There are a few other compounds around the area that house the rest of the MAF staff. A few weeks before I arrived I was contacted by some of the younger staff and they invited me to join them on a weekend trip that was scheduled for the weekend after I arrived. It was such an unexpected blessing. For me, one of the hardest issues is making new friends and connecting with people wherever I go. So to be invited along on their trip was a good answer to prayer. So after a few days of initial orientation I was able to go with them on a short road trip into the mountains. It was a nice weekend of getting to know some of the other staff that I will be working with.

So looking ahead. At the beginning of March I will be starting language lessons for Tok Pisin, which is the main common language here. At the same time I will be studying different aspects of PNG culture. Those classes will run for approximately 4 weeks. That time will also include a week of living in a village towards the end of March. It will help me to get a better understanding of the culture and language. Although the thought of being in a village with no other “whiteskins” around is incredibly intimidating. After I return from the village orientation I will be wrapping up the language training before turning to flight training.

The flight training will be a long process of learning the specific MAF procedures here in PNG. Once the initial training is taken care of, I will be going along on flights as an observer to become more familiar with the operations. Then I will be able to start flying the charters with another pilot to supervise me until I am checked out on various different airstrips and routes that I will need to be able to fly solo. Perhaps the biggest hurdle in learning to fly here is the weather. Most people would say that flying in the steep terrain is the hardest part to learn, but since I have done some flying in the Rocky Mountains, the terrain flying is not completely new to me. The tropical weather here changes extremely fast and can be quite intense. But on the other hand, it is very localized so you can often fly around the storms without too much difficulty. After the flight training is complete I will possibly be moving to one of the outlying bases for a period of time. I am looking forward to the day when all the training is complete and I will be able to fly full-time.

Thank you for all you support,

Ryan

More Info:

www.mafc.org

http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/281213732064928/

Short Updates

November 26, 2015

My work permit for PNG has been issued, still in the process of getting the visa. I'm filling my days here in Gove by helping out in the MAF hangar. They are a little short staffed at the moment so it's been good to be able to help. I'm slowly getting used to the heat and the humidity (but I'm missing the snow). I will leave Gove on January 21 to fly back to Cairns for the standardization training that starts on January 25. Thank you for your support and your prayers.

December 9, 2015

My visa for PNG has been approved. I will be picking it up at the PNG consulate in Cairns when I go back there in January. Thank you for your prayers and your support!

December 22, 2015

Working on an Airvan in the MAF hangar in Arnhem Land

Work continues here in Arnhem Land. With three full time engineers + one apprentice to maintain over a dozen airplanes there is always another inspection/repair to do. The rains have come, so it is not so hot. But the humidity has skyrocketed. For Christmas I will be spending the day with a MAF family that has invited all the single MAF'ers over to their house. It should be a good time. And to wrap up, here is some pictures of the local creatures here in Arnhem Land.

January 17, 2016

Almost ready to start the next phase of this journey. On Thursday I will be leaving Arnhem Land and flying back to Cairns and Mareeba to start flight standardization. The time here has been beneficial. I've been able to help with the shortage of engineering staff while learning about the mechanical details of the GA-8 Airvan (one of the planes I'll be flying in PNG). Now the coming 4 weeks of intense training and testing will help to better prepare me for the flying in PNG. Check back for pictures and updates.

February 1, 2016

Last week I started flight standardization in Mareeba in Australia. It's good to be flying again. But the training course is very intense. It's a mix of ground school review and flight exercises. Since I haven't flown the GA-8 Airvan before this course, it is also taking a bit of work to be able to fly it smoothly. The course goes until Feb 19th. I would appreciate your prayers for a successful completion of this course. 

Thanks for your support.

Ryan

More Info:

www.mafc.org

http://maf-papuanewguinea.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/281213732064928/