East Timor

East Timor (or Timor Leste as it is known within the country) is hot and humid, but very beautiful. Formerly a Portuguese colony, later invaded by Indonesia, it is the world’s second youngest country - 10 years old in May. There is a noticeable UN presence, to support this young nation in building government and infrastructure. The UN will withdraw at the end of this year.

The capital, Dili, is located on the northern edge of the country, looking out over calm blue waters that seem to merge with the sky in the absence of any visible horizon. The various islands in the distance seem to just hover in the blue. The city is small and cleaner than many places I’ve been to. Most buildings are one storey high. Amongst the crowds passing along the roadside are individuals carrying a pole over their shoulder, an assortment of produce to sell hanging from either end of the pole, like freshly caught fish strung up with reeds. Elsewhere are market stalls lining the road, with neatly arranged piles of brightly coloured strange shaped vegetables or exotic fruits - purples, reds, greens.

Having landed at about 7am (and only managing an hours sleep while overnight in Darwin airport) the schedule for our time in Timor Leste is packed - we begin interviews with partners at 8:30am. There are numerous NGOs working here, and those who fly with MAF include World Vision, Oxfam, Pradet, and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS).

Friday I flew down to Oecusse, a part of the country which is cut off due to it being surrounded by Indonesia in Western Timor. Options to access Oecusse include: a 12 hour boat trip; a long overland drive that requires a lot of paperwork to cross the Indonesian borders; or by air with MAF (or the UN until they pull out of the country). The MAF flight to bring in a RACS plastic surgery team from Adelaide enabled the team to practically immediately hold the pre-operation clinic to review the cases planned for the week ahead, despite them only having arrived in Dili early that morning. 26 operations were planned, mostly cleft palette in children and two women, but there were a couple of limb deformities for surgery too.

In Oecusse I also met with representatives from Caritas. They took me out to the village of Aos Ero where they had been working on a number of projects with the people, including food sustainability and a microfinance. The villagers had been informed of our visit in advance and were all gathered to greet us and present us with gifts – woven scarves – on our arrival. Their warm and generous welcome was humbling, their poverty clearly evident along with their excitement and smiles over our visit. While the majority of their subsistence crops had already been harvested their maize grew high and close to their palm-roofed huts. Underneath the maize they were growing pumpkins as ground cover and food (including the leaves), some of which they sell at the market in town. There was a real sense of pride over what they had been able to achieve with their microfinance programme, the village having a small cooperative bank from which members have been able to take loans to buy a cow, or for assistance with children’s school fees, or to purchase medicines. It is what I love the most about these research trips – meeting people who ultimately benefit from what MAF does; who have so little but who are so welcoming to strangers. But I was also told that our visit meant a lot to the villagers too – that there are people from far away who care about them.

And so I come to the end of another overseas trip. It has been interesting to visit three separate programmes back-to-back, and as a result see such striking differences between the people and the work that MAF does in each. During my trip I’ve been reading Max Meyers’ book ‘Eyes Turned Skywards’ – a great and thought provoking read – to learn a little more about the work of MAF in this region over the past decades. I work for a Christian mission organisation which is motivated by God’s love to help meet the needs of people in isolated places, most often in a very practical way by providing access. It’s an organisation where hi-tech (aviation) meets poverty and basic human need. The role I have seems very small in the grand scheme of things, and staring out of the plane window enroute to Darwin this morning I was considering this – the privilege of meeting so many isolated people, and those that serve them, and wondering why God had given me task. But Max’s book reminds me of the importance of telling the story – the many stories – to inspire others who cannot visit the places but who ultimately fund the work of MAF, many of whom are inspired to help unseen strangers because of the Gospel – the greatest story of good news. God has a plan, and a love for people that cannot be quenched. I am thankful that I have just a small part to play in telling stories too and sharing God’s love with others.