Indonesia (MNN) — The alleged U.S. desecration of the Quran has upset Muslims around the world. In Indonesia, there was severe reaction as thousands protested. In light of threats against Americans, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta has been closed and Americans have been discouraged from traveling to Indonesia, even to help with tsunami relief.
Those given more leeway are humanitarian groups who have permission with the Indonesian government to operate in Indonesia. Mission Aviation Fellowship is one of those groups, because they have the status of an Indonesian organization.
MAF’s David Wunsch says there are many who recognize the importance of MAF flights in assistance and rebuilding. “I read a couple letters, one from the minister of welfare in Jakarta, who our folks have actually personally talked to, and this man is very clear that he wants a number of groups to stay around because he knows the value of what they’re doing for the government there and for the people.”
The valuable MAF flights continue, even as many groups are being asked to leave. MAF’s lower profile has helped them be even more effective. And while danger is still present, so are opportunities to share the love of Christ. “The work that we’ve been doing, it might be a little bit lower profile from what some of the larger groups have been doing. But yeah, we haven’t run into any problems at all, and at the ground level, there’s a lot of appreciation for what we’re doing.”
