The Need for Aircraft in Indonesia

It takes specialized airplanes to keep Bible translators at work in the island chain of Indonesia, a country of immensely varied terrain: steep cliffs, vast swamps, tall mountains with short airstrips carved into the side, narrow gorges, and thick jungles. In this small country—in such remote, hard-to-reach places—the people speak over 700 languages.

The spiritual need of the people of Indonesia is overwhelming. Yet, the light of the Word of God shines brightly in the spiritual darkness. Courageous and committed translators have already brought the Scriptures to life for the speakers of some of the Indonesian languages. Many have come to faith in Christ having read the Scriptures in their own heart language.

There are still more than 300 language groups without a single word of Scripture translated into their heart languages. That represents hundreds of thousands of Indonesian men, women, and children.

And right now, the work of Bible translation in Indonesia is threatened. Threatened by an aging fleet of aircraft.

A dependable airplane is necessary! A new Pilatus PC-6 is needed to replace a 42-year-old, hard-to-maintain aircraft.

This new Pilatus airplane will continue carrying Bible translators to and from far-flung villages, bringing them access to health care, education, and ultimately, God’s Word translated into the heart languages of the people of Indonesia.

In the words of one Bible translator serving in Indonesia, a plane is “like a white-winged angel.”

The Bible translators’ lifeline is an airplane.

You can read more about this project on the JAARS website (link on right of page).