The Army was actually instrumental in my salvation.
– Capt Roger Taneus, Maryland National Guard
Chaplain (Capt) Roger Taneus just became the newest chaplain in the Maryland National Guard. In an Army article, he talked about how he became a Christian while at West Point thanks to a para-church ministry: Read more
A short article at Army.mil details the sermon of a US Army Chaplain to Haitians during his humanitarian deployment. Chaplain (Maj) Brad Baumann was invited to preach in a devastated church in Port-au-Prince. His Chaplain assistant, Spc. Midine Beauvais, grew up in Haiti and was able to translate much of the sermon to Creole.
The most interesting part of the article, though, was the Haitians surprise at the presence of a Christian Chaplain in the military:
The locals don’t expect people in the military to be Christian and take time for God while on a mission…so they appreciated that the soldiers attended the service at their church.
Though there is often an emphasis on the “risks” of associating Christianity with the US military, people often forget that there can be cultural advantages to the mission, as well.
Missionary Aviation Fellowship (see Christian Aviation Links) has dispatched one of its new Kodiak aircraft to assist with its in-place team in Haiti. The Kodiaks are unique aircraft that specifically meet the needs of the MAF to fly into remote and rough fields with a significant cargo. The MAF has four of the aircraft; the three others are already flying in other remote locations.
The MAF has long had a presence in Haiti, and that persistence has paid off in the current relief efforts. The US Air Force, which currently controls the Port-au-Prince airport, has been sending relief aircraft to the MAF hangar, where the MAF has been assisting with cargo offloads and customs clearance.
The Kodiak will join three other missionary aircraft that have already begun flying missions to distribute aid around the devastated country, as well as returning to Port-au-Prince with foreign nationals who want to evacuate through the airport.
While evangelism is one of the goals of the MAF, right now it is aptly serving as the “hands and feet” of service that are required to assist a people in great physical need.