Yesterday we had some special visitors just drop in (pun) at Kikongo. A Mission Aviation Fellowship plane was on its way to Vanga mission about 45 minutes by air from Kikongo. However, the plane was not permitted to land due to a huge storm front blocking it from Vanga. The pilot, who was a friend of ours and also had his wife on board, was running out of fuel and daylight, and desperately needed a place to put down his plane.

At this point his only option was to change course and try to reach our grass airstrip here at Kikongo. It was questionable if he could reach us before nightfall and the advancing storm. On approaching Kikongo, the pilot had limited visibility and almost no fuel. All was quiet in the plane as the passengers were busy saying their prayers that God would protect and guide them. As they dropped below the clouds, the pilot maneuvered over the airstrip and landed just as the storm hit Kikongo. We moved quickly to tie down the plane in the rain and to rush for cover and protection from lightening. Jill radioed that the plane was on the ground in Kikongo, which was a great relief to those in Vanga. On exiting the plane, one of the passengers said, "You don't know how good it feels to be on the ground."

It was a real blessing for us to welcome the pilot and his wife in our home for the night. We were able to catch up on old times and talk about plans for the future. We were even able to talk to their children on the radio. We really had a wonderful visit. God turned something that could have been very bad into an unexpected blessing for us.

This morning, in better weather, the pilot loaded his passengers and took off again for Vanga. When the pilot left he said, "I really hope that I don't see you again today." An hour or so later he made a safe landing in Vanga and is now laughing with his children about how he "dropped in" on the missionaries in Kikongo. I guess, in this case, I'm happy too that we won't be seeing him again today.