The Most Amazing Experience

In a world filled with opportunities for extreme adventure, many of us have become jaded to the thrill of new experiences. But what about something of cosmic proportions?

More than 30 years ago, a small group of missionaries began their “cosmic adventure.” They brought Heaven’s message to the Tugutil people on an isolated island in Asia-Pacific.

It really was an “alien” message in so many ways. The Tugutil people did not know the languages of the Bible nor the language of the missionaries. They didn’t even know the trade language of their own country. Unless the missionaries learned their mother tongue and translated the Bible into something they could grasp, the message would remain a mystery.

Years later, we can look back and see that God’s story did indeed become comprehensible to the Tugutil people. The missionaries labored long and hard through all kinds of obstacles to learn their language, translate Scripture and teach in a way that the people could understand. Hundreds believed it.

Until now, the Tugutil believers only had unbound sections of Scripture, printed book by book as they were translated. The copies became dirtied and worn as they were continually passed around for study and review.

But just a few weeks ago, Ethnos360 Aviation pilots Nomad Nelman and Jared Kresge had the “extreme” privilege of flying into the Tugutil location with bound copies of all the currently translated Scripture – 6,511 OT verses and all 7,958 NT verses, a total of 14,469 Bible verses, plus study helps.

Talk about a remarkable experience! “It was incredible to watch as the printed Word of God was held up for the believers to see,” said Jared. “There was an audible reaction. ... It was beautiful to see and hear a man read to the congregation from this printed book for the first time.” For Jared, this experience was “pure privilege.”

Bob Clark, the main translator (though prevented by travel restrictions from attending the Bible presentation), has felt some of this joy many times as he’s worked through Scriptures with the people over the years. “The high points that come to mind are seeing and hearing the reactions of the native speakers as they hear a particular book or passage of Scripture in their own language for the first time, usually during a consultant check,” he remembers. “They love to hear about God’s love and mercy for all people as revealed in so many different stories in Scripture, and how our Lord was willing to die as a sacrifice in our place so that we could have eternal life with Him.”

Without aviation, and affordable aviation to be sure, the timeline of bringing God’s Word to the Tugutil people would have been set back by years – or more likely, would never have happened. But the Lord is not willing that any should perish, not even one of the 7,500 Tugutil souls in what may seem to be an insignificant people group. He wanted them to hear, and He equipped Ethnos360 Aviation with the tools to transport the right people – translators Keith Miles and Bob Clark and their families – to do the job.

When you give to Missionary Flight Sponsorship, you make flight affordable to reach “the least of these.” Thank you for taking it to heart that God has a message to be proclaimed to the world. Thank you for seeing how aviation reaches places that would be passed over for easier ones. The next time you hold your whole Bible in your hands, take a minute to feel the gratefulness of the Tugutil people. As Carol, Jared’s wife, said, “We are awed at the privilege and pray that this book will be a mighty tool among the Tugutil church!”