Kid on my Wall

"Ismael: The Comeback Kid"

Yep... I've got a kid on my wall.  He's been there for a couple of years now.

Two years ago, when my Gabon colleagues and I were at our annual Forum gathering, one of them was giving her update regarding her very critical compassion work at Bongolo Hospital.  To make it hit home, she passed out pictures of people that represented some of those she had opportunity to connect with.

My picture was of Ismael.  Here's what she wrote on the back of the picture:

Ismael's pic on my wall, keeping my erasers company.

"Ismael.  2 Year old; HIV +; not yet on treatment.  His mother recently died, an his family members came to take his older siblings, leaving him with a neighbor.  The neighbor brought him for medical care, but upon learning of diagnosis, abandoned him."

So, I took Ismael home and put him on my wall.  Occasionally, I would look at Ismael and pray for him, wondering if he is being cared for.  Is someone going to ever look after him?  Is he still living?

I also take time to pray for my colleagues at Bongolo.  I honestly don't know how they do it.  The pain, the suffering, the death.  There are great stories too, but... I think it'd be so hard not to be overwhelmed by the sad ones.

Actually, I do know how they do it.  It's supernatural.  It honestly is.  The Bible says clearly that, when we serve the least of these, we are serving Him.  Could you imagine anyone more "least" thank Ismael?

In God's Word, it also says that we are a demonstration of Jesus to our world.  When we yield ourselves to a supernatural invasion of the Holy Spirit, we become more Christlike and can have resurrection power to take our "ordinary" and make it "extraordinary".  People notice.  They're drawn to it. 

Now... the story gets really cool...

Today, almost two years after putting Ismael on my wall, I get this email from my colleague, Renee:

"Steve, I’m not sure you’ll remember now, but 2 years ago at Field Forum, I gave you a picture of a little boy named Ismael who has HIV. His mother had died and his family didn’t want him. When the neighbor taking care of him learned his diagnosis, she left him with his dad, who she said was not capable and he never came back. I thought that he would probably be dead in a matter of months. He finally came back! He is doing relatively well and his dad seems committed to getting him treatment. He has started medicines, and I am very happy.  I think God heard and answered prayers for him.   Renee"

So very cool.  Lord thank you! Ismael is our comeback kid!  

Join the Comeback

What's on your wall?  Your fridge?  What are you praying for?  What are your God-size dreams and prayers for situations or people that you think are beyond hope?  

Our God is a comeback God.  When Jesus was on the cross, things looked bad.  When they buried Him, things looked a lot worse!  However... you know the end of that story.  The best comeback story of all time!

God has a comeback story that He's not finished with.  It's still being written and He's giving us a great honor and privilege to play a role.  Don't miss it.

"But God shows His love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us"

Romans 5:8 

YOU Are the Wind Beneath My Wings

Do you enjoy cheesy love songs?  I have to be honest... me- not so much.  The "Wind Beneath My Wings" song has a special place in my heart because, at a wedding, the most off-key version of this song was sung to the groom... BY HIS MOTHER!!! If I had the right equipment at that moment, I would have loved to get a recording sent off to Bette! 

Okay, okay... I digress.

Seriously, I need to let you know how incredibly blessed my family and I are to be YOUR ambassadors in serving cross-culturally to demonstrate God's love to people on the other side of the world from many of you.  We depend upon the generosity of people like YOU for our "paycheck."  We've been able to do what we do since August of 2007 like this.

So, I have to say it... You Are the Wind Beneath Our Wings!!!

At this time, however, we're starting to fly at lower altitudes- the wind beneath our wings is not as strong as it used to be!  So, we're looking for some additional financial support.  Would you be willing to consider joining our funding team?

SPECIFICALLY, we have some open spots on our "sustaining donor" team- those people that make a longer term commitment to invest in our support.  This is the CORE of our support.

Will you please consider being a core supporter?  We encourage our sustaining donors to sponsor one or more "Bongolo Bonds"- a $50 per month (or $600/yr.) level of giving.  We have 15 such "bonds" that need a sponsor at this time.

How can you make your donation?  There are many options!

1. AIR CALVARY WEBSITE:  CLICK HERE for the Air Calvary giving information that includes PayPal.  Please put "Straw Family" in the "description" on the paypal form or in the "note" section of your check.

2. C&MA WEBSITE:  CLICK HERE for online payment.  Type in "Stephen and Alace Straw".  You can set up recurring donations there.

3. AT YOUR LOCAL C&MA CHURCH:  Write a check to your local church and note that it is for the "work of Stephen & Alace Straw- GABON".  This donation is credited to your local church as "Great Commission Fund" giving now!

If you do sign on for a Bongolo Bond, please also send me an email to let me know (Gabon.pilot@gmail.com).  Thanks so much for giving this some thought.  We can't do it without you!

Love,  Steve and Alace

"Hospice" Air Evac

A couple weeks back, a nurse called from Bongolo explaining that they had done all that they could for "L", but the cancer in his leg had advanced too far- his case appears to be terminal, from a medical perspective.  The nurse wanted to know if I could help deliver "L" to the coastal town of Port Gentil, where the only person lived that would take care of him.

You see, "L" had made a decision to become a follower or Jesus and his family, followers of another religion who live in Cameroon, had turned their back on him.  They no longer viewed "L" as ever having existed in their family.

Now, "L's" time on Earth was coming to its final chapter, ushered in by one last voyage- a one and a half hour trip on our aircraft.  He was given some pain medication and slowly driven to the airport in a car belonging to one of the international workers from Bongolo.  Prior to arriving at Bongolo, he had broken his femur, so each movement sent pain shooting through his leg.

At the airport, we grabbed corners of the mat he was on and carefully loaded him into our Cessna 207.  We were blessed to have the presence of Jeff, a flight nurse from Alaska, who could direct the process (in sunglasses in this photo).

On arrival at Port Gentil, we loaded "L" into a waiting ambulance and into the care of the only person, remaining on earth, that was willing to take care of him.  A kind, simply dressed priest, who was demonstrating the love and compassion of Christ to "L".


Please pray for "L" and the priest in these difficult days to come.  After leaving the airport, they were stopping at the pharmacy to get the pain medication that Bongolo had prescribed.  After that, the priest described that they would have a difficult journey over very rough roads to get to his home.  This would be a painful trip for "L".

As the remaining passengers and I loaded back in to the airplane and departed up the coast (from point #4 to point #11 on the map), except for the drone of the engine, it was quiet.  Certainly, we were reflecting upon the challenging journey ahead for "L" and the priest to come.

Additionally, I think we were all reflecting on our own situations and how our family connections are so key in our lives.  However, in the life of "L", facing the final days of his earthly life, his family was not willing to take him in or even respond to his calls.  "L" counted the cost of the decision to follow Jesus- a cost that many of us will never know.

What is the "cost" of my discipleship path?  What losses am I willing to take in following my savior?

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy."

James 1:2

(NOTE:  The Air Evacuation portion of the flight was made possible through a partner church in Tennessee!  Would you or your organization like to sponsor an air evacuation?  Contact me at "Gabon.pilot@gmail.com" or make a donation using PayPal HERE - enter "Gabon Airplane" as "description")

Fuel Drums on the Move... FINALLY!!!

Fueling Progress... MAKING PROGRESS!!!

I am THRILLED to tell you about some recent developments on two different fronts:

IN GABON:  The administrator of Bongolo Hospital, Pastor Serge, suggested that we submit a request to the government for them to consider supporting our program by ordering about $25,000 worth of AvGas.  They would use their contacts with a French oil company (TOTAL) to have the fuel (30 barrels) shipped in to the port.  We have worked hard to get all documents in our dossier and submit it to the government.  Their response was that we should see positive action taken in April! 

IN THE US:  An idea emerged to simply make use of the shipping containers that are regularly coming to Gabon, twice a year, in support of medical mission work.  This was very attractive since it would allow us to not feel a burden to fill an entire shipping container all at once.  We've decided to give a try with an initial shipment of 15 barrels (an estimated 2 months worth of flying). 

Thanks to some friends, we found some "over-run" fuel drums (in KY) that met the specifications we needed for a fraction of the normal cost.  These were taken to our friends at MMS Aviation (Coshocton, OH), who supervised the fueling (one of the lowest prices per gallon in all of the US!), and then the drums were trucked to Cleveland for loading in the container that will soon come to Gabon.  We estimate their arrival in late May or early June.

We appreciate your patience with us on this journey.  As we are all finding, international aviation work advances slowly and typically plan "A" becomes "B" and "C".  We appreciate your prayers and encouragement as we link arm-in-arm in this exciting, important work.

Blessings, Steve 

Lipstick on a Pig

Moving from SUCCESS to SIGNIFICANCE

Didn't a political figure once talk about putting "lipstick on a pig"?  Actually, doing a google search just now, I find that many have used this phrase.

So, I've got a question for you...

In your life... in all that you do, all that you say, all that you think... are you unknowingly putting lipstick on a pig?

Here's what I'm getting at:  How can you be sure, in your everyday life, that you are investing in "matters of consequence"- investing in things that won't ultimately fail and amount to nothing?

Many live by the Boy Scout credo:  leave this world a little better than when you found it.  For sure, people do quite a variety of really amazing things with the goal of leaving the planet better than when they arrived. Not a bad credo at all.  I think we'd find many amazing people doing amazing things out there!  However, what really has lasting significance?  Can what we do, in the here-and-now, really "echo in the halls of eternity"? (Note: Gladiator reference!)

I don't know what is your driving force and how you might make your goals, but I have a sneaky suspicion that, if we're not careful, we're engaging in activities that really amount to putting lipstick on a pig.  (Apologies to those pig-lovers out there!)

Just doing some reflection today (as if you hadn't noticed) and I'm finding a great template that will, hopefully, assit me in moving a bit further away from "swine makeup application" (making "bad things good") to something supernatural ("making dead things live").

Part of the prayer that Jesus helped us to pray is the phrase "Your Kingdom Come".  So this is my submission to you (drum roll please)...

In the Morning:  perhaps one element to your morning time of prayer would be this request- "Lord- may YOUR Kindgom come through me"... through the way that I speak and behave with my family, my neighbors, those serving me at the grocery store, restaurant, my colleagues, etc.  May HIS Kingdom be expressed through my words, actions, and thoughts- not for my glory, but for the glory of the name of Jesus.  That all would see and experience the love of their Creator God in the kind words that I speak and the actions that I execute.

In the Evening:  As part of a time of reflection of the day, ask yourself, "Was God's Kingdom expressed in me today for a world that is dying for evidence of true life?"

In this way, I think that we may be helped from the error of taking the focus off of our loving, Heavenly Father.  It could help us to remove the focus of what makes me feel good or how I can be validated or successful or fulfilled or "self-realized". 

Perhaps it can assist us to put the focus on what we've all been designed for by a creative God- to express Himself in a panoply of ways so that the world directs their attention and worship toward Him and is blessed.  Blessed to be a blessing.

 (NOTE:  I used to say that I was all about "Expanding" Christ's Kingdom.  However, the deal is that His Kingdom is actually already established- whether you acknowledge it or not (Psalm 93).  So, a better way to say it is that we are to "Express" the reality of Christ's Kingdom.  Are you sniffin' what I'm scratchin'?  I thought you were.  Thanks)

Curb Your Enthusiasm

Have you ever been really inspired after a good movie, book, or seminar only to get back in “the grind” of life and have that inspiration squashed?  I think we’ve all been there, done that, bought the t-shirt; right?

Sometimes we’ll even get to the point of making a “to do” list that includes the action steps toward fulfilling a new initiative.  For many of us, that just happened a month and a half ago as we outlined some goals for the new year.  So… I have to ask… how are you doing with that?

I’ll be the first to admit that this phenomena has been all too real in my life.  Initiatives to read a book, change my diet, invest in a particular relationship, equip myself with new education, etc.  It’s a bit of a bummer to have had lofty goals unfulfilled- perhaps it would have been better not to even have had them in the first place.  No doubt, these feelings of regret have the potential to light a fuse ending in an explosion of cynicism, self-doubt, sarcasm, pessimism, and more.

Me- typing away

Alace- sleeping away

As I write this (thanks to Windows Live Writer- a new discovery for me!), Alace and I are on a Kenya Airways flight at 37,000 feet returning home to Gabon from a conference (Alace found an empty row & is conked out!).

The gathering that we attended included reports from over 2 dozen programs, most in Africa, the middle East, or Asia- all doing amazing, redemptive things to express to people the Love of their creator God.  What are they up doing?  Community development, health care and education, marriage counseling, cross-cultural consulting, information technology education, micro finance, veterinary education, business skills training, college professors, orphan care, tree care education, arts education, anthropology, care and education for autistic children, scripture translation, bee-keeping, and more!

The passion was oozing from each participant as they shared how, through the God-given skills and talents, they were able to engage with those around them and display God’s love for them.  Idea sharing and networking ensued.  Visions were born, dreams of new initiatives were hatched, action steps were written down!

Alace and I were no exception- we have come away from the conference with our own set of ideas and plans.  Some are in the form of things we want to do right when we get home.  Others are a bit more long term.

I read recently that, when we set out to accomplish a goal, we are much more likely to attain it if we share it with someone around us.  So, I encourage you to do the same with your goals.  Share them in your community.  Ask for guidance and prayer from your circle of support.  Find one person to coach you a bit and meet with them regularly to discuss the progress of your action steps.

If you don’t, you’re liable to curb your enthusiasm, and light the fuse.

Aircraft Update- Annual Inspection

Our inspection begins with getting to the shop- in our case, we fly the airplane 2 hours to Yaoundé, Cameroon. First we stop at the international airport for the immigration formalities.  From there it’s a 5 minute flight to the SIL hangar at the military base.

 

The team is always super accommodating there- they shuffled around their 3 aircraft and made room in the hangar for me.

 

Beyond the tail of our aircraft are the SIL aircraft- a Cessna 207 (SOLOY), Helio-Courier, and Cessna 206.  Many parts of the C207 and C206 are common.  Since our aircraft is a C207, we are blessed that the SIL parts inventory is there as a resource- one of the reasons we chose this particular aircraft!

 

As part of the inspection, as you might imagine, we’re looking for anomalies, such as cracks.  Those, like the one pictured above (engine baffling), we can “stop-drill” to prevent further cracking.  Other cracks, however….

 

Cracks in some critical areas of the aircraft cannot be tolerated.  If you look really closely, you’ll see a hairline crack coming from the radius of the corner of this bracket.  This bracket must be removed which meant, unfortunately, that we would need to remove both the horizontal and vertical stabilizers and associated control surfaces (elevator/rudder).  UGH!

 

Off they came!

 

The old bracket came off and the new one was riveted in place.

 

Then, everything got put back together again… yes… like Humpty Dumpty.  Instead of the King’s horses and me, I had the great teammates at SIL- Daryl and Dennis.

 

Other items all over the aircraft were given attention and, after a couple more weeks than expected… the aircraft blasted off, back to Gabon, and into service once more!

 

New Year’s Baptism!

 

As the waves from the Atlantic crashed ashore along the estuary in Libreville on the 30th of December 2012, five believers from a new church in the Libreville area obediently followed the example and instruction of Jesus (Gospel of Matthew 3:13-17; 28:16-20).  A beautiful start to 2013!

 

7:30AM!  The shore side was pretty quiet… however, a recent rainstorm had washed some trash out to sea and then back ashore- a typical occurrence in Libreville.

 

 

The Kids were on break from school- Great to have them with us!

 

Our friend and local church pastor, JeanMarc, asked me to assist him with the baptism.  It was a great honor.

 

Some young (and very cute) church attenders!

 

Each candidate for baptism had been through a class and interview regarding this sacrament.  One young man still had an interview to complete, so JeanMarc and I took care of that prior to the service.

 

As the church sang and danced on the beach, each candidate was baptized.

 

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Dead to sin…

 

ALIVE IN CHRIST!!!

 

 

Later, with more singing and dancing back at the church, each baptized believer was given a certificate and welcomed to embrace their roles in the local faith community.  Blessed by their Creator God, through Christ, to be a blessing to others!

 

What a great start to 2013!