Airport Closure... the least of our problems...

So last night, after I had blogged, I got a phone call from Richard. He said the travel agent and people from the airlines told him that he needed to go check in at the airport at 5am anyways.

Now, to understand the rest of this story, you must understand that the airlines he is flying with owns one plane.

So at 6am, I am awakened by my phone. It was Richard, so I was hoping he was calling to tell me that they were on their way. Alas. It was not to be. He was just calling to tell me that he was on his way back home from the airport because...

Sometime last evening, that plane got hijacked. It's now sitting in an oasis in a different country whilst the hijackers (whoever they are!) negotiate with authorities.

The only other airline that flies between where Richard is and where we are has two planes, and both of those planes are out of the country for maintenance (which is a good thing, since they have a really, really awful safety record!).

So, that means no one is travelling between our two cities until those hijackers release the plane.

Pray that it all comes to a peaceful end, and that the 100 civilians on board will treated kindly. So far, they have not been allowed to open the plane doors or provide any food or water to those on board. Not a good situation when the plane is sitting in a hot desert.

Meanwhile, on the homefront, we've been tracking the movements of three of our staff on this end - they were traveling to a village to do a workshop and some community checking of the translation of the gospel of John. They vehicle they were in got stuck in the middle of a river, and they couldn't move anywhere. Now, two other vehicles which attempted to pull them out are stuck, too.

But two of them hiked the rest of the 16 miles to the village (in the rain!) and have finally made it there to start their workshop! Pray that they can complete the workshop and still make it back here somehow! I also got an email from the UN which says that the security level on that road has gone up in the last few days, meaning you're not supposed to travel on it without an armed escort...

Honestly, there is never a dull moment around here!