Crazy Events

It was an interesting day to say the least –  yesterday.   When I went to check my email at the Roberts house yesterday Jan told me that Susi Air would be flying a helicopter in and out of the air strip later in the morning.   Of course that attracted great attention.   All the kids from the Adventist Aviation campus sat and watched for an hour or so as the helicopter went through various moves.  Evidentially a new Helicopter pilot was being checked off for insurance purposes.

Above are a few of the "thugs" as they were leaving

I noticed while the kids were watching that there was a line of grown men watching from outside the fence that surrounds our campus.    Nothing remotely entered my mind that these men were waiting for their “cue” to break into the campus.   I needed to Go to town to do some banking and shopping so I exited through the gate and by that time there were probably 50 men standing just across the road staring into the campus.   I stood at the usual spot for waiting for the public transportation van so I could ride into town.   It was good that I rode public transportation because I might have had difficulty returning home had I gone in my own car.

Here is what I saw in the middle of the airstrip when I returned from town.

Just as I was getting onto the public transportation I noticed two very large dump trucks and the men began to gather around the dump trucks.   About the time I arrived in town Andrew texted me on Ruth’s phone to say that Adventist Aviation had been shut down by demonstrators who had dumped several large piles of Rock, Sand and dirt onto the run way.   Bob Roberts the chief pilot was out flying and would have to land somewhere else when he returned.   When I returned I was to go through a secret back entrance on a side road where the demonstrators would leave me alone.
It turns out the Helicopter was not the major attraction of the day.   The demonstrators have for years demanded money for the land.   Adventist Aviation through the Seventh-day Adventist Church owns the land free and clear with all the proper paper work but these thugs work for a bigger thug that constantly demands money for our land and holds people in fear until he gets things a least some portion of the money he wants.   No matter what kind of diplomacy the church has tried the crooks haven’t gone away.  
The police were called to “negotiate” with these guys.   By the time the police arrived there were about 10 piles of rubbish strewn across the run way and about 50 beetle nut chewing tribal men working themselves into a frenzy.   They had hired a news man to come and video their story from their perspective and of course the new agency is owned by one of their members.
Turns out that the Adventist School near by is the one this group is really after and from the sounds of things the school is legit in their ownership of their land, too.   I’ve heard rumors that this group will stay put until the Mission president, who is from their tribe, comes to negotiate with them.   The Problem is he is away in Manado until sometime today.

One of the guys even forgot his shoes.   Probably he was so drunk he  can't remember where he last had them.

Through the front gate the 'thugs' left all this junk and a whole lot more.

We turned our fans on like we do every night and our home is in the back of campus so we didn’t hear the guys but they clearly made a mess last night.   Beer bottles and Beatle nut juice stains and card board boxes and lots of trash lie at random angles all over the front grounds just outside the gate.   They even forgot their shoes and a big tarp that they must have brought to keep of the rain incase it came.   Supposedly they stood and shouted most of the night.   Even though I was awake for some of the night evidentially I was too far away to hear.
So my prayer is that the plans of the evil will fall on themselves.   Yes, we’re safe but just have to take precautions.   According to the Roberts this happened 3 or 4 years ago and the group stayed for 3 weeks.   At that point the back secret gate was not there and the group made life uncomfortable for 3 weeks while they camped on the runway.  
We wrestle not against flesh and blood. . . The good news is we know God is about to do wonderful things that’s why the Devil is trying to distract us.  Just pray that these guys plans will be frustrated and that God’s work will prosper despite the Devils plans.