Twenty-Two Years of Faithfulness
By Hannah Braly
It took MyoSook and her fellow translators fifteen years to translate the New Testament. Day after day, in the thick heat of an Indonesian swamp, she worked faithfully.
MyoSook Sohn grew up in South Korea in a nonbelieving home, but she chose to follow Christ as a young girl. Despite her family’s protests, she attended Wycliffe Bible Translators training in England and in 2000 moved to Papua, Indonesia, to begin her work.
“God led me to Indonesia,” said MyoSook. “When I arrived, I joined a language survey team. When I surveyed in Nohon, near Kotiak, the head of the village asked me to come and translate the Bible into the Central Auyu language.”
MyoSook learning the Central Auyu Language in the early 2000s
A calling far from home
For the last twenty-two years, MyoSook has lived in Kotiak, where she built her own home. MAF supports her by delivering critical supplies, like food and solar panels.
“Kotiak is cut off because it is completely surrounded by rivers,” explained MAF pilot Jack Gandy. “To get to the nearest town, at best it’s a two-hour speedboat ride that costs roughly $120 one-way. But there’s a local plant called ‘swamp cane’ that often clogs up the river channels. When it does, it can take hours to hack through it. So, depending on the conditions, it could take an entire day to get there by boat.”
MyoSook’s supporting church in South Korea, So-Mang Presbyterian Church, has partnered with her since the beginning of her translation work by sending short-term missions teams to help. Recently, MyoSook sent a specific request for a future trip: please send doctors.
And they did.
The global church at work
Six doctors, two dentists, one pharmacist, one pastor, and four volunteers soon made the journey to Kotiak in February 2026.
“MAF flew us to and from Kotiak, including all of the medicines and medical equipment,” said Dr. Koang Hum Bak, one of the volunteers.
It took six hours and three round-trip flights to get the entire team to Kotiak. According to Jack, each planeload of passengers clapped after landing—even for the flights he felt didn’t deserve it.
In just a few days, the team treated 800 patients. Still, there were others they weren’t able to see.
“Most of them told us that it was the first time they had seen a doctor,” said Dr. Bak. “I think there are thousands of people out there who still need treatment.”
Pilot Jack Gandy with some of the volunteers after arriving
More than just medical work
The medical work inspired Jack, but nothing struck him more than seeing MyoSook’s excitement over the new supplies the group brought.
“The thing she seemed most over the moon about was a fan,” said Jack. “I went into the room expecting something large, but it was just a tiny little fan anchored to the ceiling.”
Later, it hit him—MyoSook has been sitting in that room translating the Bible for two decades without any relief.
“It can be really unpleasant in Kotiak—it’s very hot and humid—but just a little fan can take the edge off. I’m so glad she has one now!”
The team brought more than just a fan, though. They also repaired and expanded her office space—adding guest rooms, a kitchen, a shower room, and bathrooms.
“With these improvements and larger solar panels, I have enough power to use a refrigerator and my computer for 24 hours a day,” said MyoSook. “Praise the Lord!”
Unfinished work
MyoSook’s twenty-two years in Kotiak have made a difference, according to MAF pilot Benjamin Porch.
“There is a sense of ‘difference’ there that I attribute to the gospel being proclaimed through the long-serving faithfulness of MyoSook,” said Benjamin. “There are several men who help us with the aircraft when we park who always have a smile to share and a willing spirit. That attitude is not always evident where we serve. Many people in Papua are just trying to survive in these hard places—but these men have a joy that flows from knowing and trusting Jesus.”
MyoSook’s work isn’t done, though, despite this noticeable difference.
She’s already begun translating the Old Testament, and a literacy team started working in the area, so more people in the community will soon be able to read and understand the Word. And Dr. Bak is planning another visit in early 2027.
“We cannot carry on this ministry without MAF,” said MyoSook. “And for the future of the Kotiak people, I hope that their faith will continue to grow.”
This story appeared in the August 2026 edition of FlightWatch.
