From the Manager
June 28 2007
Some weeks ago in May I found myself racing to the airport. My flight from Washington D.C. to Amsterdam was leaving in about four hours, but I was expecting a very important call in the next few minutes. As I drove my rental car into the Dulles Airport, I found a “cell phone waiting area.” Perfect. Pulling into the parking lot, I found a quiet spot and put it in park. Four minutes passed and I answered a call from KLUP, A.M. 930 radio in San Antonio for a cross-country telephone interview about a location halfway around the world–my place of ministry in East Africa.
Part way through the radio show, the host said “Matt, you are married. While you are flying around Africa, what is it like for your wife? How does she handle what you do?” It was a great question and one that often doesn’t get asked. The answer came easily.
Being a missionary pilot with AIM AIR is probably one of the best jobs on the planet. Being a missionary pilot’s wife is possibly one of the toughest. While we are out flying, seeing all that God is doing through the various Christian organizations we serve, our wives (and the wives of most all our staff members) are at home in a chaotic, dirty, crime ridden third-world city. They live behind walls and iron bars and under the watch of security companies.
AIM AIR has about thirty expatriate families living in East Africa. Significant violent crime events have hit about half of us, most involving armed robbers. Living here can be tough duty. While we are out “saving the world,” many of our wives spend the majority of their time within gated compounds, day in and day out, raising children, often alone several nights each week.
The interview ended and a few hours later I was on my way home – home to my wife and children who had remained in Nairobi. Yes, my wife has a difficult job. However, she understands that where she lives and how she lives is for a cause greater than all others. Our wives sacrifice because they understand they are part of the AIM AIR team, bringing the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ to some of the most needy people in the world.
Our spouses often see their role as just one among many different kinds of support to the specific calling of missionary aviation. Truth is, they are the foundation.
~Matt Olson