Resolute

Huddled in the back of our United Nations truck I peered out the openings as our convoy slowly worked its way through the thick jungle of the Central African Republic. The narrow path snaked through the dense green foliage as our armed peace-keeping escort slowly lumbered along. I strained my eyes to see into the hidden jungle, but nothing could be perceived beyond a foot into the dense bush. Suddenly, our truck lurched to a stop. I heard the commander get on the radio and with a flurry of Arabic he ascertained that the truck in front of us was broken down on the gently uprising hill. A nervous laughter entered my thoughts, “This looks like a classic movie ambush scene,” I thought to myself. Dense jungle on all sides, trucks stuck on a hill lined up one by one, and a hostile militia lurking somewhere out there, but where? It would have been funny, if it was not real. Tense minutes went by as we sat in wait for the truck to be repaired. I wondered where the militia was that was now in control of this area. Time passed, but eventually, with the truck repaired, our convoy was on the move again as we made our way to the displaced peoples we were trying to help. 

During Easter time of 2017, many persecuted C.A.R. Christians were driven out from their communities during a frightful scene of gunfire and destruction leaving an untold number dead. Just prior to the attack, I flew in with my fellow AIM AIR pilots and evacuated out the missionary families living in one affected community. We could not take the thousands of local Christians who later fled into the bush, bringing with them only what they could carry on their heads and with their hands. In the days that followed, the mission station, church, homes and the surrounding community were looted and gutted from the attacking militia. Since that time, Voice of the Martyrs has been providing basic life-giving supplies to thousands of Christians who fled their homes as they now eke out an existence in temporary camps constructed of grass roofed huts. As of 2019, there were roughly 33,000 displaced Christians living in these camps.

To aid the displaced people, this whole week I had been flying in approximately 22,000 pounds of supplies including soap, salt, plastic wash basins, and even spoons and cups. These are just basic supplies for people who are trying to survive after not only losing loved ones, but also most of their possessions, homes, and livelihood. Now our convoy was carrying these supplies the final few miles from the UN runway, where I had landed, to reach the displaced people. The UN protection is so very much appreciated and needed to ensure the supplies actually make it to the people and are not looted by the militia before their arrival.