My mom and brother recently visited us. My brother is a computer wiz and came to help us make essential changes to help us with backing up all the crucial work we have on computer that we have done over the last 10 years. Not only that, but he linked us to a network making our communications with the outside world fast and reliable! What a blessing!
On our way back from the city to bring them from the airport, we drove through an area where, without our prior knowledge, there was a major conflict just hours before. A whole town was burned down and evacuated. The houses and shops were still smoldering and it was eerily quiet. There were soldiers of both parties and armed on two sides of the river. Not a very pleasant experience. Nothing of this skirmish was reported on the news and we still have no idea what happened to the people of that town.
We came down from the city in two vehicles, one from our mission, thinking that my brother (who has experience driving in Mozambique ) can drive him and my mom back saving us an 8 hour trip. However, after this experience on the road we had serious reservations about returning that way. We decided that they should take another, longer and rougher road back to circumvent the area of conflict. To make things worse, my mom tore muscles in her back and such a trip would have been excruciatingly painful.
And then the mission vehicle broke down. Could we ask for more confirmation for them NOT to make the trip via road?!
On short notice, MAF was more than ready to help us out! My mom and brother had a airplane to catch! Even though the guys at MAF had to shuffle some flights (and I suspect, lost out on a more financially profitable option), they came through for us!
On July 11, just hours before they were scheduled to fly out from the city the MAF plane landed on the grass airstrip an hour from us to fly them out and had them at the airport in the city in time. What a relief and answer to prayer!
How amazing to see the Lord bringing different parts of his Body together to reach the unreached! Despite conflict and challenges, He blesses and keep us.