Opening a new airstrip: Napep, Sudan
April 07 2008
Field Report : Napep,
Sudan
I want to share with you the incredible experience Tim Carpenter
and I had of opening up the Napep airstrip. As many of you know we
have been working toward this event for about two years! Napep is
located on top of the Didinga Hills, at an elevation of about 6,600
feet. The Didinga people are an unreached people group, with the
first church having been planted at Nagashot in 2005. That church
has seen much fruit, and the elders of the village of Napep, which
is a 5 hour hike from Nagashot, came and requested that some
missionaries be sent to tell them about Jesus Christ also. It was
decided to send a TIMO team to Napep in the summer of 2008,
but first an airstrip must be constructed. There is no road to
Napep. The only access is by airplane or road to Nagashot, and then
the hike. Myself, John McNeely and Andy Keller each made the hike
to give advice to the TIMO planners on how to go forward on the
airstrip. Despite having to move the location once, remove a number
of very large trees, negotiate with a defiant land owner, and do
everything after a long walk to get there, the Lord finally opened
the door to see everything finished.
This past weekend Tim and I flew up to Nagashot with a TIMO building team, using both the Caravan and 206. Then we flew over to Napep for the first landing in the 206. The airstrip is on the top of the mountain, with quite a bit of slope going up, and a big dogleg turn in the middle. It had also rained the previous day, and the soil, which had only recently been planted with maize, was quite soft and muddy. But we succeeded in landing, with many of the local people coming to see the first airplane to land on their mountain! Later I was also able to bring over the Caravan for a trial landing, and then move a lot of furniture and supplies from Nagashot to Napep for David and Deborah Miller, the TIMO team leaders.
This is truly a great opportunity that each of us at AIM AIR has had in taking this first step to allowing the Didinga people to hear the gospel! We pray that God will truly use the members of the TIMO team, which will begin in October, to show his love for these people, and that many would respond and join His family.
AIM AIR will play a pivotal role in making this team possible, as most all of their supplies and team movements will have to be by air. So during the next two years as we are supporting this work, I hope that each of you will pray for the Didinga people, that they may be overwhelmed with the grace and mercy of God towards them, and that soon the Didinga Hills would be known as a shining light of Jesus throughout Sudan!
Jon Hildebrandt
Loki Base Manager
This past weekend Tim and I flew up to Nagashot with a TIMO building team, using both the Caravan and 206. Then we flew over to Napep for the first landing in the 206. The airstrip is on the top of the mountain, with quite a bit of slope going up, and a big dogleg turn in the middle. It had also rained the previous day, and the soil, which had only recently been planted with maize, was quite soft and muddy. But we succeeded in landing, with many of the local people coming to see the first airplane to land on their mountain! Later I was also able to bring over the Caravan for a trial landing, and then move a lot of furniture and supplies from Nagashot to Napep for David and Deborah Miller, the TIMO team leaders.
This is truly a great opportunity that each of us at AIM AIR has had in taking this first step to allowing the Didinga people to hear the gospel! We pray that God will truly use the members of the TIMO team, which will begin in October, to show his love for these people, and that many would respond and join His family.
AIM AIR will play a pivotal role in making this team possible, as most all of their supplies and team movements will have to be by air. So during the next two years as we are supporting this work, I hope that each of you will pray for the Didinga people, that they may be overwhelmed with the grace and mercy of God towards them, and that soon the Didinga Hills would be known as a shining light of Jesus throughout Sudan!
Jon Hildebrandt
Loki Base Manager