earlier. After being harassed by terrorists for two days, and narrowly escaping death several times, they managed to flee into the forest. Their newly-completed unused airstrip had been dug up by the terrorists so that rescue — if they could be found — would have to be by helicopter. The colonel in charge of the U.N. rescue planes advised the MAF pilots that they would have to do all the searching. Since the engines in the U. N. aircraft were nearly due for overhaul, they would have to save their efforts for actual rescue work. With missionaries who knew the area aboard, Fair- ley set out for the Eichers’ station. But first they were to check on Miss Clark’s orphanage near Embimi to check on any possible terrorist activities in this area. As they flew overhead Miss Clark came out of her house and watched them circle, her little orphans clustered around her. A note was dropped asking whether she desired rescue. Since they received no clear signal, they dropped another note suggesting that helicopters could come and rescue both herself and her orphans. About this time pilot Fairley noticed some young men in the village across the road from the orphanage running and jumping across the fence. “One fellow ducked under a bamboo thicket and pointed a gun at us. He missed.” Assuming that Miss Clark was under terrorist pressure not to signal, Fairley left the area after spotting a field where the copters could land and radioed the U.N. Command to brief them on the situation. Four helicopters moved out to make the rescue. While three hovered overhead, one copter landed in front of the house with missionary Angus Brower aboard. The house was occupied by terrorists who had four high-powered rifles with plenty of ammunition (they had been there the previous day also, boasting to
tions, the American Embassy, and Lever Brothers.” Several missionaries at Kandala station were sought out and rescued because their MISSAVIA did not oper ate. That was January 23rd—right after terrorist bands massacred three Roman Catholic priests just 10 miles from Mukedi mission station. As the Mukedi mission aries alerted pilot Eisemann of the possible need for evacuation, they asked that he fly over Kandala en- route; they were concerned because Kandala had re ceived its new MISSAVIA several days earlier but had not yet been heard from. Eisemann found Kandala a blackened ruins. But the missionaries were standing unharmed in front of the dispensary which had not
M.A.F. Pilot Wes Eisemann M.A.F. Pilot Gordon Fairley been put to the torch. Since there was no airstrip, he radioed the U.N. Command who dispatched helicopters to evacuate the missionaries. Both MAF pilots, Wes Eisemann and Gordon Fair- ley, spent the rest of that day evacuating missionary personnel from Mukedi. Also rescued: six Roman Catho lic nuns who survived the previous night’s brutal mas sacre of their priests. During the day the situation at Mukedi deteriorated rapidly. As pilot Eisemann approached for one of his landings, he noticed three men coming through the grass toward the plane. “One fellow carried a quiver of arrows, the other two had their bows at the ready. I kept my eye on them on the roll-out, swung the tail of the plane around, took a quick look behind. They still kept coming. So I gave them my prop dust as I took off again and circled until the chief chased the rebels away. The Lord fought for us, using one who was not a professing Christian to help us.” Eisemann was referred to the chief of the area. Earlier in the day, when the local youth were getting out of hand, the chief strode out to the airstrip with his automatic shotgun slung over his shoulder, his 13 sons behind him! He cleared the rebellious youths from the airstrip and kept things under control. Later in the day when pilot Fairley brought his plane to a stop on the airstrip, a young man came up on the opposite side of the plane and aimed an arrow right at him. Again the chief barked an order and chased him away. Eight days later the MAF pilots cabled their head quarters in Fullerton, California: “ SEVENTY-FIVE PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES PLUS CHILDREN EVACUATED. TWO MISSING, ONE KILLED, FOUR STATIONS DESTROYED. U. N. COPTERS REACH ING STATIONS WITHOUT STRIPS.” The next day Gordon Fairley was assigned to make an intensive search for the missing missionaries, Mr. and Mrs. Auguste Eicher — now possibly joined by Miss Bremond. Their station had been attacked a week
In quieter days Mrs. Abel, wife of missionary doctor at Vanga, Kwilu Province, is flown home by M.A.F. plane and is greeted by Congolese friends. Miss Clark of all the planes they had shot down. When pilot Fairley learned this later he commented: “ Sure glad they didn’t use us for target practice!” ). The terrorists pointed their rifles right at the helicopter. The U.N. personnel pointed their automatic weapons at the house. Missionary Brower walked right through
A heroic story o f modern missions
JUNE, 1964
13
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs