(Wesley is inside of a wing-mounted cargo pod for the Pilatus PC-6 for use in Papua, Indonesia. Dano helped with the preliminary testing of the pod for its FAA approval. The pod was designed by a JAARS missionary. One day, the pod and our family will be serving side by side speeding Bible Translation in Indonesia!)
Where?
We’re moving to Papua, Indonesia to a “city” called Sentani. In case you aren’t sure where that is… I’ve inserted some maps below. The first one shows WHERE in the world it is. The second map has Indonesia in yellow (a nation made up of many islands). Papua is pointed out. It is the left half of the island just north of Australia.
When??
Well that is the tough one. Hopefully this time next year or sooner! There are several factors that will determine our departure. 1) Dano is in Aviation Pre-Field Orientation from March until June. 2) We need to say goodbye to as many as we can… and say goodbye well. We’ll be gone three or four years before our first visit back. 3) We need YOUR help in raising our Outgoing Expenses so we can set up our home in Papua. As of now, this is a long term move.
Why??
That is the easy one. We have felt called to Papua since 2000. God has given us a desire to help the people groups there learn about Him through His Word. Did you know there are still over 600 people groups without any Word of God in their language in this region* of the world? Papua is a land with very few roads. The main form of transportation in this land is aviation. Dano will help keep the planes running in tip top shape so that the translators and other missionaries can reach the people they are working with in a safe and timely manner!
Keep your eyes open… we’ll be sending more information soon!
Thank you for praying for all the details to come together…
For Melinda’s father to be healed from cancer http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/richardmcdonald
God’s timing in all areas
Our outgoing expenses to be raised
For our discipline in getting rid of stuff
For our kids as they will be going through lots of changes over the next year
For us and our family as we face saying goodbye for a long time (of course… they or anyone else can come visit)
For us as we begin learning Indonesian to make our Language School experience easier (pray for miracles here)
We love you… and we are soooooooooooooo excited to share this news with you!! Of course there is sadness as we think about saying goodbye… but there is joy as we see how God is fulfilling a call on our lives that has been there for TEN years! God is faithful!
Love,
Melinda for Dano and the gang
Olivia, Derek, Emma, Wesley, and Virginia
*this region is known as the Indonesia-Pacific Archipelago.
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