Do you have things that you greatly dislike about your life? I’m not talking about the little things

that annoy you, but rather your life situation or the way you were made. I have certainly had my

share. However, my transition to Indonesia has turned a lot of those things into advantages.

1. Being short. Don’t laugh, all of you taller people who never grew up being at the end of the

line on class picture day. Ever since I was young, I’ve been among the smallest of my peers, and

it gets old when you can’t reach things, when you are mistaken for a kid, or when you have to

spend extra money to hem all of your pants. Many people are surprised when they find out that

I’ve hated being small for most of my life, but it’s true. That has changed in Indonesia, however.

I’m around the same height as most Indonesians, including the men. When I buy clothes, my

size is XL. Being short has helped me fit in because I don’t tower over people and I can buy

clothes that fit. Additionally, more cargo can fit in the plane with me than with most other pilots.

2. Being a kid of Asian immigrants. I grew up in Colorado, and my class in school was 95% white.

My mom packed lunches that the other kids didn’t recognize. I wasn’t taken to movies or rock

concerts like other kids, because my parents didn’t grow up with those things. I hated that I

wasn’t like everyone else. Now, I am so grateful that I grew up eating Asian food because I don’t

get homesick for American food. I am grateful that I grew up being confused about cultural

differences, because I’m rarely uncomfortable when I’m confused about Indonesian culture.

Oh, and knowing how to play ping pong has come in handy.

3. Moving to Maryland. When I was 13, my world was turned upside down when my family moved

to Maryland. Colorado was all I had ever known. It was cool and dry in Colorado. Maryland can

be horribly hot and humid in comparison, and for a year I refused to exercise unless I was

forced to in gym class because I couldn’t stand sweating like people do on the East Coast. I

prayed every day to move back to Colorado and couldn’t see the move to Maryland in a

positive light. Now, I’m so glad I’ve had years of experience with East Coast summers. When I’m

sitting in a plane with sweat running down my back, it actually feels pretty normal.

There is a famous verse that Christians like to quote from Romans 8:28, which says God is able

to work all things together for the good of those He called according to His purpose. As I’ve

looked back on my life, it has been cool to see the many ways in which this verse has been true

in this calling to serve in Indonesia.

News from Joyce Lin

October 2019

Disadvantages that became Advantages

One-time startup costs

Monthly support

$30,000

$6,800

Mail: P.O. Box 47 Nampa, ID 83653 * Email: jlin [at] maf.org * Phone: (208) 498-0800 * Web: www.maf.org/lin

Tarakan I have greatly enjoyed the process of getting up to

speed in my IT role. My team supports all MAF

bases in Indonesia, not just the ones in Papua. My

orientation to the IT program brought me to

Tarakan for 1.5 weeks in September. Tarakan is on

the island of Kalimantan, in central Indonesia. In

Tarakan I helped put up a wireless antenna for the

first time, monitored the installation of solar panels,

and fixed several computers. I also greatly enjoyed

getting to know the MAF staff in Tarakan (e.g. see

the photo on the first page).

This trip to Tarakan was just the beginning of a busy

fall travel schedule. I would appreciate prayer for

smooth travels and energy to complete the

upcoming trips successfully!

Oct 28 - Nov 1: Spokane, WA (Kodiak simulator)

Nov 4-8: Nampa, ID (Initial lessons in MAF Kodiak)

Nov 11-15: Uganda (Biennual MAF IT conference)

These two antennas beam information between

the MAF hangar and the MAF school in Tarakan.

The process of removing a laptop hard drive can

be compared to treasure hunting: the map is

not easy to read, and the treasure is arguably

buried under layers of misdirection.

This is the hardware that links our solar panels with both

backup batteries and the local power grid. I never thought

I’d actually use those electrical engineering classes that I

was forced to take in college.