WHATEVER IT TAKES

In November of 2019, we received a call from some missionaries serving in Pei, an hour flight from Wewak. A woman named Maria was suffering from pregnancy complications and both her and her baby’s lives were in serious danger. Luke Hamer and Jacinta, a nurse from Boram Hospital, flew to the village.

As Luke approached the area, there was no patient in sight. While circling overhead, a call came in from our Medical Director, Chris Cooke, with some urgent news. The Boram Hospital operating room had flooded and they could not accept surgical patients, including Maria. They were talking through options as Luke finally spotted Maria in a boat.

Chris and Luke decided that the only option was to fly Maria to Vanimo, a city in the Sandaun province, which had the next nearest hospital. However, Luke wouldn’t have enough fuel to get back to Wewak. As Luke landed on the river and prayed for Maria and her baby, our team in Wewak sprang into action. Pilot Nick Mosca quickly loaded additional fuel cans into the second plane and flew to Vanimo. Chris arranged for an ambulance to meet Luke at the airport in Vanimo.

In a coordinated effort, Maria was rushed to the hospital for an emergency C-section as Nick and Luke refueled Luke’s plane. Then the planes took off together to beat the sunset back to Wewak. The next day, our team received the great news: Maria had delivered a baby boy, Jerod, and they were both doing well!

When Maria and Jerod got back to their village, the missionaries were ecstatic, not only because she and her baby were alive, but because they were just starting to present the Gospel to the village after many years of translation!