Hello! Sorry it’s been a long time since
you’ve heard from us via a newsletter. We are admittedly pretty awful at
keeping in touch this way, however if you want more than the occasional
“we’re still alive!” newsletter here are two options:
Facebook page.
regularly updated with ministry flight videos. Click the picture.
WhatsApp prayer group:
Messages sent only for requests/info we would not otherwise post
publicly. This group is updated on an as needed basis and will go quiet
for long periods. To be added, send us your WhatsApp number by clicking
the picture.
Just before we went on furlough, I(Ben) was able to take
Isaiah with me on a medevac picking up two patients. After we dropped
off the patients at the hospital Cara joined us on her very first
helicopter ride back to the hanger.
Furlough plans/Corona virus
We left Indonesia on March 6th
for furlough, just as the transit countries around us began closing to
international flights. For the last 3 months, we have been under various
levels of stay home orders at my (Anisha’s) parents’ house in Texas.
While we are very glad to be safe and have a comfortable place to stay,
we are of course disappointed over cancelled plans. We were still hoping
to travel to our sending church in Florida and also to the UK, but at
this time travel and meeting with friends/family is either severely
limited or impossible. So we sit and wait, praying for an end to this
pandemic.
As for Wamena, the town has had seventeen confirmed cases of
the covid-19 virus so far, infections are increasing as time goes on.
While it is not surprising that the virus made it into our mountain
town, it is devastating. As challenging as social distancing is to
achieve in the Western world, it is almost impossible for places like
Papua where community living is the basis of the culture. As a response,
Papua cities have issued curfews and Indonesia as a whole is shut down
to all international and domestic air and sea travel until the earliest
June 19th.
Wamena riots
Thinking back over 2019, one major event jumps to the forefront. On September 23rd,
our town erupted in riots. Motivated by racial tension, hundreds of
shops and vehicles where burned, including the Mayor’s office and many
government buildings. Isaiah and I(Anisha) saw the rioters running down
the street just before police began shooting and the violence began. Ben
immediately left the office and picked Cara up from school, hiding in
the classroom with her until it was safe to leave. Throughout that day,
we listened from home as gunfire resounded around town with the
occasional boom of buildings exploding into flames. Two days later we
were able to evacuate out to the coastal town where we waited until it
was judged safe to return. The riots left a devastating scar of
destruction and death across our town and although rebuilding has begun,
there remains the deeper work of healing and rebuilding hurting people.
Smoke rising from burning buildings behind our home.
Local Indonesian pilots
A highlight this year has been the
recruitment of our local pilots. Prior to leaving for furlough, Ben
spent several weeks training two Indonesian pilots who have joined our
team. Getting to this point took a massive amount of work in securing
funding to send them for training, as well as approval to provide
further type specific training in house on our aircraft. It is exciting
to see Indonesians passionate about reaching people in their own country
and making big sacrifices to do so. Having local pilots means that if
one day Indonesia decides not to renew visas for expat pilots, our work
can continue.
A Surprise
2020 just got a bit crazier for us as we
recently found out that I(Anisha) am pregnant! Yes, that’s right, after
twelve years of unexplained infertility and the honest feeling that
birthing children in our family wasn’t meant to be, heaven decided to
surprise us. The ultrasound shows a healthy wiggly little person with a
strong heartbeat. Hilariously, although this is our third child, it will
be our first infant. Baby is due November 28th.
Thanks so much for supporting and praying for us. It really means a lot!
With love,
Ben, Anisha & Isaiah
HELP THE CAUSE
A big thanks to all who have faithfully supported us over the last 6 years. It's crazy to think its already been that long.
We quite literally couldn't be doing this without the team supporting us.
If you would like to join the team and be a part of the mission, we'd love for you to consider joining us as a monthly sponsor.
Tomorrow we board the first of 3 flights
that will take us home to Wamena over approximately 30 hours of travel.
There’s always a fair bit of uneasiness during transition, but mostly we
are emotionally ready to get back. At the moment, there is only one
pilot in Wamena and we’re especially looking forward to being able to
provide some relief for him.
Getting back will also mean the start of first grade for Isaiah. We’ve
been home schooling up to this point as the school in Wamena doesn’t
begin until first grade. Like most new students he’s a bit nervous (his
parents more so!), but he has a lovely class and teacher eagerly waiting
his arrival.
Furlough Recap
We left Wamena in March, making for 7 months away. The first stop was
England where we celebrated our arrival with copious amounts of
chocolate, curry, and tea.
Ben and I then went to France for a week
long debriefing retreat. Especially over the previous 6 months in
Wamena, we knew something had broken in our emotional health, but
weren’t sure what it was or how to fix it. France provided a much needed
safe place to process everything we’d been through.
Following on from France we headed to
Helimission’s HQ in Switzerland where Isaiah came to join us accompanied
by Grandma and Grandad England. After meeting with leadership we signed
up again! This time for an ‘indefinite’ period of time and look forward
to continuing to serve with Helimission for the foreseeable future. And
of course we also made time to enjoy amazing Switzerland!
Coming back to England we were excited to
share with everyone about the work we do in Papua and made the rounds to
many small groups and speaking in the service at City Church. It was a
great time to reconnect with everyone.
Sharing at City Church St. Albans.
In July we left England for Texas. Anisha’s
brother got married and we enjoyed a family reunion together in Branson,
Missouri.
We spent August in Florida and soaked up the
time reconnecting with our friends and church family, sharing at small
groups, and at Crosswalk.
In September Ben attended pilot and mechanic courses at the Bell and Airbus factories.
We returned to England for our last two
weeks before we head home. The leaves are changing colors and the air is
crisp enough to enjoy a few log fires. Ben did make one last trip to
Switzerland, but we’re all back together again and winding down before
the big trip tomorrow.
The BIG News
Four days ago we were officially matched by China for the adoption of a
beautiful 3 year old little girl! There is still a fair amount of
paperwork to take care of before we can actually travel to China to get
her, but we’re hoping for the new year. In the meantime, you can join us
in oooing and ahhing over all this cuteness.
What’s next?
Right now we’re trying to focus on getting stuck back into work and life
in Wamena. However, this will only be for a few months as we’ll travel
to China soon for the adoption. We’ll need to then return to the States
to process her citizenship, passport, and obtain a visa for her for
Indonesia. We aren’t sure exactly how long this will take, but hope to
minimize the time as much as possible.
Thanks so much for supporting and praying for us. It really means a lot!
With love,
Ben, Anisha & Isaiah
HELP THE CAUSE
Over the next several months we have some
big financial needs, specifically for adoption travel and airfare. We
would love for you to consider donating a special one time gift towards
these expenses.
Also, with the addition of a new family member, our monthly
living costs are increasing. We'd love for you to consider joining us as
a monthly sponsor.