It was early morning on Good Friday of 2010 when I received the call I’ll never forget; it would be the very first life flight in Samaritan Aviation’s history!
Over the phone, a health worker from the remote Sepik River village of Timbunke frantically described a young mother who had been struggling through an obstructed childbirth and was now unconscious. I remember the adrenaline well, the overwhelming awe I felt as I completed the preflight for that very first flight. After navigating around inclement weather, SA Advisor, Bruce Johnson, and I landed on the Sepik River near Timbunke. We carefully loaded Antonia onto the plane and rushed her back to the hospital in Wewak.
Antonia delivered a healthy baby boy after emergency surgery that same day. In the days that followed that Easter weekend, my family and I were able to spend time with her and were even able to meet Antonia’s husband and daughter when they had made their way into Wewak by boat and road some days later. When the time came for them to prepare to journey home, they shared with us that they had named their new baby boy Mark, which has been both a highlight and an honor to me.
Over the years, we have kept in touch with Antonia and recently had the opportunity to see Mark just a few days before his 7th birthday. As I looked at this little boy, I was again overwhelmed and in awe of God’s faithfulness throughout Samaritan Aviation’s history and was filled with gratefulness to Him for the faithfulness of all of you who have partnered with us to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
-Written by Mark Palm, President of Samaritan Aviation
