A Good Day

In early June, my coworkers and I moved into the Western Sierra Madre Mountains to be settled in our village home before the rains began in mid-June.  We all had one house to share and that was more properly called a shell because it was basically four walls and a roof.  So, into the shell we moved – two single women, a married couple, and their son.  We had planned and packed for five and a half months knowing that the rains would not end until October and more than likely we would get stuck on impassable roads if we tried getting out.  So, as the rains fell, we worked on building relationships with the native people, began to learn their language, and worked in the house to separate rooms with studs and plywood, install the kitchen sink and drain, finish the adobe walls, and build doors.

By the fourth month, I was keenly aware of the isolation and the depleted pantry.  We had counted up our remaining canned meat and, even though we had been careful, we had only enough left for one meat-meal a week.  I only had two teaspoons left of my lactose-free powdered milk.  It had been five months since we had received mail from home.  We had exhausted the magazines and reading materials that we had brought with us.  And, twice, the rain had thwarted plans for friends to visit and bring us fresh supplies and mail.  We all needed a little lift for our spirits.

Our minds wandered as we talked and we wondered if the UIM plane was coming past our village any time soon.  We got a little list together just in case and called our coworkers in the city.  To our surprise they told us that the UIM plane was planning to come through on Sunday and that they had been planning to surprise us with an airdrop.  They cautioned us not to get our hopes up too much because it would depend on the weather. However, there was no room for cautious optimism because already I was EXCITED!

Saturday dawned beautifully with no clouds in the sky.  We wished the flight was coming that day and prayed, “Lord, please let tomorrow be like today.”  On Sunday, we woke up to drizzle.  It was later than I usually wake up because of the dark, overcast day.  I prayed, “Lord, please clear up this rain and clouds.”  We had church together and afterwards I went outside.  The rain had stopped and the clouds were beginning to clear up. Above, the sun was shining in clear blue skies.  We got a call from the city, “The plane is ready to take off and your packages are inside!”

We began the hike to the nearest legal airstrip. Although we have a beautiful airstrip next to our village, we are not able to use it as its registration had previously been revoked by the government. Please pray with us that new registration would be granted!  Once we came to the airstrip, we waited less than 5 minutes before we heard the drone of the airplane.  A few minutes later we saw it!  What a glorious sight.  Friends were inside that plane!  As soon as it was close enough, I began to wave.  Pilot David Wolf and his wife Olivia flew over the village and then lined up to drop our packages.  They made five passes in order to drop four boxes and some candy with a parachute.  I took a few pictures then put my camera down and watched the plane and my friends.  Tears came to my eyes as I waved.  My friends and fellow missionaries were so close that we could look each other in the eyes for a few seconds and wave, but yet so far away that we couldn’t chat or hug.  After the last package, Dave dipped the wings in a sort-of good-bye and they headed south to another town.

We gathered up our boxes and made our way back home.  We saw clouds developing into afternoon thunderstorms and in a few hours it was raining again.  God pushed away the rain and let the sun shine through at the perfect time!  One by one we opened the boxes.  It was like Christmas!  Magazines!  Mail from family and other missionaries!  Milk!  Candy bars!  And canned chicken!  We skipped lunch to read mail, opened a few Cokes to help celebrate, and ate chicken sandwiches for supper.  Thank you Lord and UIM- this was a good day.