If home is where the heart is, then they made it all the way there.
Though no one heard from them until they reached San Francisco (and by that point I couldn't update here), the brothers made it safely across the Pacific. Around 10:15pm central time in Texas (and at the end of a very long Saturday for the guys)...
They safely returned to their grateful wives and a small hoard of happy little Rodgers.
Both families will be traveling home this week, glad to have our men home.
Pics to follow as soon as possible!
The plan
Thomas and Jonathan Rodgers are preparing for
a 3-week mission trip this August 7-28
a 3-week mission trip this August 7-28
to Papua New Guinea (a small island located north of Australia).
Both Jonathan and Thomas have experience using such heavy equipment; Jonathan owned a large landscaping company for a number of years, before entering the ministry himself in North Carolina. Thomas learned to operate the equipment while working for Jonathan, and has gone on to use bobcats and bulldozers frequently with his own renovation and property maintenance business. While the runway in Aibai has been "started", it needs to be graded, extended, and then topped with soil from another property to encourage a grass surface and prevent washout.
It will take the men all of their 2.5 weeks on the ground to complete the task, and hopefully will allow the Berbins to see the answer to 15 years of work and prayer, when they fly in and land on the new airstrip. For the first time they will be able to avoid the hazardous road trip to the village when they travel back to Aibai early this fall after their current furlough in the US.
The brothers will be working with some heavy equipment the Lord has miraculously provided to finish installing a runway on the side of a mountain at the missionary compound in Aibai, PNG. Aibai is a small village where our friends the Mike Berbin family and a team of other missionaries lead medical, educational, and church ministries.
Both Jonathan and Thomas have experience using such heavy equipment; Jonathan owned a large landscaping company for a number of years, before entering the ministry himself in North Carolina. Thomas learned to operate the equipment while working for Jonathan, and has gone on to use bobcats and bulldozers frequently with his own renovation and property maintenance business. While the runway in Aibai has been "started", it needs to be graded, extended, and then topped with soil from another property to encourage a grass surface and prevent washout.
(the airstrip is located to the left of the Aibai mission compound; note the goats and man standing on the near end of the large airstrip, and the washout lines currently crossing the property)
the current method of reaching the Aibai village:
a hazardous mountain trip over washed-out roads
a hazardous mountain trip over washed-out roads
and precarious bridges, through areas favored by theives;
this trip takes 6-8 hours *on a good day*.
this trip takes 6-8 hours *on a good day*.
The trip is highlighted by the raw beauty of the Papua New Guinea mountains.
How can you help?
Please pray!
-for Thomas and Jonathan to have safety as they travel and work
-for the equipment to work efficiently (no breakdowns!) during the short time alotted for the trip
-for preaching opportunities while the brothers are there - teaching the gospel to some who've never heard
-for safety of their wives and children staying behind in the States
-for financial provision - each brother is raising $4500 to cover trip expenses
Want more information? Email us
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