Smokey Borneo

In Indonesia it is a common custom to burn off the old crop to get ready for new plantings. Sometimes this doesn't cause a problem. Other times, due to a lack of rain it becomes a huge problem since the burning produces a lot of smoke. That is the situation now. The smoke from all the burning has become a major concern. I'm told that you can even see the smoke from satellite photos. MAF has another base here in Kalimantan located in the town of Palangkaraya. The smoke in that region is so bad that the pilots cannot fly, ash falls from the sky like snowflakes and the smoke-filled air makes breathing hazardous. The two families from that base had to evacuate to Tarakan. Yesterday and today the air around Tarakan has been filled with smoke also. From my little porch I can sometimes see the mountains on the other side of the bay. But because of the smoke, I can't even see the bay. The Tarakan pilots are flying but have only a mile or two of visibility. We are praying for lots of rain and a change in the wind direction.

The MAF team in Palangkaraya has three families. One family is in Canada but have plans to return to Kalimantan next week. Due to the smoke issue, they tried to postpone their trip for a while but weren't able to because of non-refundable airfare rules. So they will be arriving in Tarakan early next week. They have asked if I would be willing to let their second grader come to school while they are here in Tarakan. I said yes thinking this would be a good way to prepare for the addition of my permanent first grade student who doesn't return to Kalimantan until October 3.

I am finding out that a lot of Muslims who become Christians begin their journey toward faith in Christ by having dreams in which Jesus appears to them. Last night I heard another story of MAF team members being instrumental in helping a man move from questioning to accepting Jesus as Savior. And his journey began with dreams. Before this, I would never have imagined that dreams would be a way God would communicate with people. But it seems to be happening amongst many Muslims. Whatever it takes right?