Watch the Planes!

Two Yajasi pilots left yesterday on a commercial flight to Nepal to begin the journey of ferrying the plane back for service in Papua.

PC-6 in Nepal

The "flight plan".

A pilot is already enroute from Switzerland to Papua in this plane.

PC-6 in Switzerland

To watch the progress on these planes check out these sites:

Nepal to Sentani:
https://app.spidertracks.com/home.mvc/viewuserspiders?sid=r7F2ZSjbtHoRPXFwYZBkZIDD1J8kshfIFKGaxsEpjKV4Q3ywfPuVavbFLezAsM9n
Switzerland to Sentani:
 http://www.danieleicher.com/ Login: User: pc6 / Passwort: ferry

Indescribable!

I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
⁶ The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.

Psalm 135:5,6

Rejoice with us at how great God is! Over the past eight months, Yajasi (the Indonesian aviation organziation Josh serves with) has been in the process of getting two Pilatus Porters to serve the Lord in Papua. One plane was in Switzerland, and the other is from Nepal.

There were many obtstacles that were in the way. The major one was money. (Isn't that the source of most hurdles?) We were pleading with the Lord that He would allow the planes to enter the country tax-free. Just image the tax on an airplane for a second... yeah, now imagine two. After months of praying, we got news that both planes were allowed to enter Indonesia tax free! This looked like a brick wall with no possible way of going over, under, or through. The Lord provided a way, just as He has done in the past. He has provided ways through rivers and caused walls to crumble with the sound of a trumpet. He can do whatever pleases him.

Here's the info on the plane from Switzerland. 

" Another adventure is starting soon. We are going to transfer the Pilatus Porter HB-FMZ (SN:956) during an approximately three week period from Switzerland to Papua (Indonesia)

The first leg starts on Tuesday August 21 08.00lt in Kloten, heading for Iraklion with a fuelstop in Bari (Italy)… the following day with a Fuelstop in Borg El Arab and Nightstop in Luxor (Egypt). Planned arrival after 20 landings, 18 Nightstops and approx. 80 flight hours is Saturday September 8 2012.

To all who are interested in the rest of the legs: daily photographic travelogues and the actual Position in the air can be found at www.danieleicher.com

Login: User: pc6 / Passwort: ferry "

How cool is that?? You can see where the plane is!

Here are the facts about the second plane from Nepal.

Two Yajasi mechanics headed to Nepal for a couple weeks to ensure the plane was ready for the long ferry to her new home. PC-6 SN 962 will be coming from Nepal.  Two Yajasi pilots will be leaving on Sunday, August 26 to fly to Nepal and begin the long flight back to Papua! There are also two pilots on stand by and are also ready to go if needed. This baby is scheduled to arrive in Papua on September 5.

Did you catch the dates? After eight months of praying, anticipating, wondering how the growing needs of the Lord will be met in Papua BOTH planes arrive within THREE days of each other. Amazing! The Lord does whatever pleases Him!

Pray for our colleagues as they ferry the plane back. Pray that the Lord would be honored, glorified, and that His name would be made famous with these tools that He is blessing us with. Anticipate with us the way these planes will meet the needs of the needy and provide the greatest news ever- God loves them, and they are not forgotten!

God loves you, yes, you, who is reading this post from a computer, and you are not forgotten!

Summer Projects

Each summer I set goals that I'd like to see completed before school begins. Last summer we were in the States, so my goal was simple- eat all the foods I've missed and visit with all the faces I've missed. Mission accomplished!

This summer my goals were: try new recipes, make a simple sewing project, and be active (due to being so successful with my goals while we were in America- just kidding.) Josh had some summer projects to do around the house too. His goal was to paint downstairs. Mission accomplished!

The first full month of summer I left the house a total of maybe five times- some by choice and others because there was some tension in town and it was recommended that we stay close to home. It was so refreshing! When we returned in January we returned to our roles as teacher and pilot/mechanic within a week. That was crazy and made me feel like I was barely keeping things together. So I welcomed summer with arms wide open!

Here are some photos of our successful summer projects.



the first cut



sewing the main section 

 A somewhat straight line

Completion! Thanks for finishing it, Elaine!

Notice the wet spots on the front wall? The paint was originally put on before the cement was dry. Any time the weather was rainy the walls would weep just like this. Entire sections of the wall would look depressing and wet. Adding a fresh coat of good paint took away our sad walls!  

 This is view is facing the front door. Originally there was a window in that large square. We had it removed, so air could flow more easily throughout the house. The front room is painted a natural wicker color, so it's a mix of grey and white. 

This is a view from the kitchen looking toward the back of the house. The back room is now a pretty yellowish color. It adds so much cheer to our house! We used the pillars to help break up the colors. 

Here is a view from the corner of the front room. Through the holes you can see color. I like the illusion of an accent wall. Josh painted both the front and the back room in just a couple days. It looks wonderful! No more weepy walls for us!

You should come visit, so you can see it up close :) We have a guest room that'll be ready for you.  

Olympic Fever

Once again I'll begin with an apology. Our internet wasn't working this past week. I was trying to "remain calm" and not letting this get me frustrated. We think it's up and running. So here's a post.

I love the Olympics! Cheering on your country, hoping for world records to be broken, sharing in the victory and the defeats, celebrating the "firsts", and appreciating the accomplishments of others can sum up my view of them.

Indonesia had a total of 22 athletes in badminton, weightlifting, track and field, swimming, shooting, fencing, archery, and judo. I found myself cheering for them and hoping that they would win medals. They won two medals in weightlifting. A badminton team was involved in a scandal, which sparked ignorant sport editorials written by people who haven't experienced the passion of badminton. That's right- passion. When we arrived four years ago, we were asked to play badminton with classmates from language school. My first thought was a memory of playing in the backyard at Aunt Imogene's house and being distracted by the little frog that lived in the tree the net was tied to. I showed up expecting a laid back game, little did I know what I was going to see. Shuttlecocks were flying around and we had to hit it over the net??? When you play badminton in Indonesia, you run. You sweat. There may even been blood and bruises. Thanks to the Olympics I learned names of athletes and can chat with others about those they respect.

The Olympics were shown live daily from 4 pm- 7 am. My sleep schedule was thrown out the door, and I would stay up late and sleep in late! For two weeks straight, we watched. I loved watching the women from conservative Islamic nations competing. I was excited to watch those who were the first women to represent their countries. I cried when those that won gold were overwhelmed with emotion. I winced when runners pulled muscles or when gymnasts fell off the balance beam. I enjoyed going to the swimming pool and seeing little girls inspired by synchronized diving practicing for their future Olympic appearances. I appreciate that the Olympics allow children to dream of great things.

I'm thankful that they were airing on television here.

The Olympics are now finished, but the excitement of the competition is still wearing off.

It's church, y'all.

Sunday morning we went to church.

Get this- it'll blow your mind.

 The fellowship of believers met in a meeting place made out of wood with no pews or chairs. There was no sound equipment, fancy lights, lapel mics, ties, no air conditioning, and no electricity. We sat on the floor (that's right...)- men on one side, and women and children on the other. What's even more amazing is that we worshiped together. There were no hymnals or powerpoints with lyrics on the screen.

There was a guitar, a tambourine, and a group of people clapping whenever they wanted to. There were mothers nursing, men sleeping, children smiling, and the Word of God was opened up. We didn't speak the same language but we worship the same God. That in itself is a common language. 

The church in Bias challenges my thinking of extravagant buildings for meeting together.

God's bride is the church- the global group of believers, not the building we meet in.

Church in Bias challenges my thinking where and how we should invest our money.

The building isn't what is important or eternal- the soul of a person is.

The bride spans from women who wear the perfect dress to kids with snot covered noses, bloated bellies, and orange hair due to malnurishment; from men who wear button up shirts tucked into khaki pants to barefooted pre-teens with radiant smiles and grandmas with tattooed faces and an unspoken strength about them. The bride may support chicken sandwiches or carry a bow and arrow to hunt wild pig or spears to catch fish.The bride is much more than just "dressing up", sitting in a building, singing some songs, or listening to a sermon.

The bride is people...

and she's more beautiful and precious than words can express.