Imagine you are a missionary working in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, translating the Bible into the language of a people group that has never read one. The closest village is about a three-day hike through the jungle, and the nearest “modern” city is about six days of hiking and canoeing. The jungle is dense, and terrain is nothing short of treacherous. The risk of losing your way is high, so you rely heavily on local guides when these trips must be made, and of course you try to get as much done in one trip as you can.
You have been working on this translation project for three years (following six years of language study and other preparations), and you are about half finished with the New Testament. Of all the missionaries that have worked on this project, you are the most fluent in the local language, so you are the lead translator and a critical link to the completion of this Bible.
- Vast jungles cover the rugged mountains of Papua New Guinea, making overland travel very difficult
One chilly morning, you wake up to find your leg numb and swollen, victim of the feared “death adder”. When the village people find out, they begin making funeral preparations! They know that this snake’s bite is extremely lethal, often causing total respiratory paralysis within only six hours. As you lay in the dirt, you think of your hometown hospital, and its local rescue squad, and the emergency room facilities sparkling clean and white. You might begin to think that the only sparkling white you’re ever going to see are the Pearly Gates, and that’s not going to be long!
This story, though, takes a different turn if I tell you that your mountain has an airstrip carved out of it. And the mission base in the city has a pilot that is planning to deliver a load of chickens today. The destination village is happy to defer their fowl shipment so you can have priority, and the clinic has plenty of anti-venom treatment.
The report from the dispatcher is good: the mechanic worked through the night last night replacing a failed fuel pump. For some unexplained reason, he had a strong feeling the night before that the chicken shipment could not be delayed. He didn’t understand why, but he knew he had to have the airplane ready to fly today, so he went back to the hanger after dinner and made the repairs. Now, the airplane is on the ramp, ready to fly. Within about 90 minutes, you hear the most beautiful-sounding drone a Lycoming engine has ever made, and you know everything is going to be okay.
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