On Wednesday, March 7, 2007, MAF staff in Sentani, on the island of Papua, Indonesia, woke at 1:00 a.m. to discover the MAF base inundated with water.  A violent thunder storm had dropped 14 inches of rain in just a few hours, causing landslides, flooding and extensive damage to the town.

“How surprised I was, when I walked out onto our screened porch, to go splish-splash!” recalls Barb Dukes, an MAF missionary based in Sentani.

“As the waters finally receded, my porch was covered in mud.  At 1:30 in the morning I was moving all the furniture off the porch,” said Barb.  “We got in the car to check things out in town, only to find that the bridges to the east and west of us were impassable.”

As the sun came up Wednesday morning, MAF staff waded through water up to their knees in some areas of the MAF compound.  The hangar, terminal, warehouse, aircraft parts room, homes and several offices were flooded.  UPS (uninterruptable power supply) units for the computers were destroyed, along with supplies of rice, noodles, cement and other freight.  Later that morning, however, MAF planes were back in the air, delivering hope and the Gospel message.

The town of Sentani sustained major damage.  The rain-swollen river had raced through the community, demolishing structures, bridges and roads, and depositing several feet of mud and sand in homes.  The municipal water system was destroyed.  Stream beds and drainage ditches were filled with debris, causing the river to reroute itself through town.  Several local families lost members to the fast moving waters.  Actual statistics may never be collected, but estimates put the death toll at anywhere from 11 to 20 souls, with some still missing.

 Two days later, a second storm hit.  This time, however, MAF staff were prepared, and sealed their doors to prevent water from entering their homes.

Seasonal rains are part of life in Indonesia, though truly destructive storms such as these are infrequent.

Long before this disaster, the well at the MAF complex provided clean drinking water to hundreds of people on a weekly basis.  Now, with the destruction of the municipal water system, the MAF well is one of the only sources of safe, clean water. “While local people are able to use rain and river water to bathe and wash clothes, the little part we are playing in providing clean water for drinking and cooking is a blessing to local families,” said Mike Brooks, MAF base manager.

For students of the Hillcrest International School (HIS), the disaster proved an opportunity for service.  For its annual two-week outdoor education project (OE), the Sentani school chose to assist with disaster relief efforts “in its own backyard.”  Many MAF and other missionary children attend HIS, which includes a number of MAF staff among its teachers and administrators.

Eight OE teams were assigned to different neighborhoods.  Students shoveled mud from homes—four feet deep in places. They washed muddy clothes, filled sandbags, and cleaned debris from streets. Each team also conducted evangelistic outreach through “Kids’ Clubs” held in various neighborhoods.

One team focused on rerouting the river that was flowing through streets and houses.  Using sandbags, bamboo, and banana leaves, the students shored up the riverbank, allowing the water to return to its natural course.

In the Jalan Pasir (translated sand road) neighborhood, students purchased household items and supplies for 51 families who lost their homes. Spoons, drinking glasses, woks and laundry detergent were on the list, along with 266 bars of soap—one for each person in the flooded neighborhood.

Reflecting on the OE experience, student Jonathan Taylor said, “We were told that after three days of backbreaking work, attitude and work productivity start to go down.  But today we did the job for God, not ourselves, so it was fun.”

It may be many months before a sense of normalcy returns. Crops were destroyed, and many cows, goats and pigs were lost in the flooding.

According to MAF staff member Dick Martin, “Many local Papuans, who are subsistence farmers, lost the gardens that were their only source of income and food for their families. Most of these folks are destitute and will be for some time until they can plant again and reap a harvest from new gardens.  This is a very real food shortage for a large section of the local population.”

The MAF Sentani team appreciates your faithful prayers for the townspeople and the continuance of the mission work.  To give to the work in Papua, visit our secure Donate page.