One of the many jobs we have here is getting missionaries to and from the airport. In April we had the privilege of getting to know Evangelical Free Church Pastor Greg Hubbard and his wife Noell. They had been invited by missionary colleagues who work in Central African Republic to train national pastors in spiritual warfare.

Our only contact with the Hubbards was briefly in their coming and going. The evening of their arrival we had them over for supper and hosted them in the little duplex behind our house. The next morning we arranged for a taxi to get them to their mission flight, sending them off to Gamboula, Central African Republic.

According to all reports the trip was a success. God worked through their ministry and lives were touched with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Two weeks later they were scheduled to return to Yaounde on the mission flight but the weather did not cooperate. Due to storms, the pilot would not be able to pick them up in CAR. Some fast arrangements had to be made so that they could make the 10 hour drive to Yaounde in time for their international flight out of Africa that evening. They made it to Yaounde with a couple of hours to spare, so we had them over for dinner again before getting them to the international airport.

It was great to hear about their stay in CAR, how the Lord used them in ministry, their impressions of life in Africa, and their observations of missions. If you have ever been on a mission trip, whether 2 weeks or 2 years, you may be able to relate to the following observations Pastor Greg wrote (posted with his permission):

Observations and Things Learned

I. God never failed to bring people to help us in just the right places at just the right time. He is trustworthy even in the smallest needs.

II. For a missionary to operate as an evangelist on the front line, it takes a large number of other missionaries in support roles: teachers, maintenance people, mechanics, agricultural people, administrators, pilots, and the list goes on. All are vital to the effort.

III. It is impossible for us to understand the conditions and hardships that the missionary faces in remote places. Just traveling relatively short distances is often a major undertaking. We can’t really judge another person’s situation from our own context.

IV. People are people wherever you go. We all have the same problems, bitterness, anger, lying, poor relational skills, hypocrisy, pride, and all the other things that make up sinful human beings.

V. Things that humbled us:
A.> What people there were willing to sacrifice to come to a seminar and Bible training.
B.> How polite and hospitable people were.
C.> The commitment of the missionary families to minister.
D.> How they all are a family on the field and pull together.
E.> How no one complained about the conditions around them.
F.> How poor some people are but who keep going.
G.> How vital and willing the SIL (aviation) ministry is to missionaries and the spread of the Gospel.

VI. Things that shocked us:
A.> That in the culture there, it is almost impossible for people to plan for or even think about tomorrow.
B.> How people have made marriage so unaffordable causing couples to chose to live together.
C.> How the average [national] was not interested in helping anyone else get ahead.
E.> Just how utterly complex ministering across cultural lines can be.
F.> Just how much we Americans have materially and how spoiled we are.

VII. We found ourselves thankful for the fact that God used people like us to do a work for Him.

VIII. How generous the American church is in the amount of funds they were willing to give for this trip, and to others, and to missions in general.

IX. The missionaries hear people say that they will come visit the field but no one ever does. Some of them said that I was the first one they knew of who ever came. (I know there are some who have at times in other situations, but it is rare.)

X. God enables us to do what He has called us to do. I am thankful that He allowed us to go and minister in spiritual matters to people who were eager to listen.

XI. We believe that God used us to help people better deal with the real and problematic world of demonic spirits.
In Christ,
Greg and Noell Hubbard
April 2011