Plane Accident

At the end of April, four SIM Sudan missionaries were in an airplane that crashed soon after takeoff from their base in Sudan. Neither the pilot or four missionary ladies sustained life-threatening injuries but were taken by helicopter to Malakal and then flown to a hospital in Nairobi. We have witnessed the recovery and return of two missionaries back to their locations in Sudan and one back to America for her scheduled home assignment. Only the pilot and one lady are still recovering but are doing very well.

Flying by plane is the only way we are able to get to our location in Yabus and it was interesting to experience doubts and fears about flying that I previously hadn’t felt. This crash made me feel suddenly unsafe and nervous. Scheduled to fly only a week after the crash, Bethany and I tightened our seatbelts extra tight and gulped down our fears. As we flew over the clouds, I peered out the window to witness something I’ve never seen before. Our plane’s shadow was cast upon the cloud below and surrounding it was a clear rainbow. The rainbow made a full circle around our plane.

Hmmm, rainbow. Don’t those have some meaning?? Given as a promise to Noah that God would not destroy the world again, it was a promise of protection and preservation. It was as if God was saying, “Hey, just in case you were wondering….I gotcha. Don’t worry.” Has Sudan been easy? No. But has God been with us? Absolutely.