The moment I stepped off the plane in Buka, humid air hit my face, and I knew: this is where God wants me. But getting here? That’s a story that started years ago.
From day one at MAF, I’ve watched the MAF Tech team do incredible work across Papua New Guinea. Bryan (head of MAF Technologies) became a wonderful friend and mentor. While I loved my IT management role, my heart was always pulled toward MAF Tech’s direct impact—using technology skills to transform lives. When whispers started about MAF returning to Bougainville, something jumped in my soul. Bryan would tell me about the people there, the opportunities to serve isolated communities. I couldn’t shake it.
As plans shifted from ideas to actions, one question consumed me, could I really be part of this? Then John and Corine Woodberry came through the Cairns office early this year, and my excitement kicked into overdrive. This power couple, passionate, skilled and fired up for the Lord, had been called to launch MAF’s operations in Bougainville. Within months, they accomplished what seemed impossible, establishing MAF’s presence, making contacts, finding housing. Watching them work was nothing short of miraculous.
Shortly after John and Corine landed in Buka and set up initial operations, I got the call: “Come help set up our IT infrastructure.” I packed every inch of my luggage allowance with IT equipment, routers, cables, laptops and network gear. Then I packed more! There was no room to forget anything, no backup plan, no “I’ll order that online.” Everything we’d need had to fit in those suitcases.
The moment I stepped off the aircraft, I was hooked. The humid, stormy air, which I love. The impossibly green landscape. And the ocean, oh, that ocean. Walking towards the Airport with my travel companion Steve we spotted John waving joyfully at our arrival. We packed ourselves in the tiny terminal and waited for what seemed like a lifetime, packed in like sardines. I was a bit nervous as Air Niugini has a habit of ‘missing’ your luggage, and I had a lot of it. Waiting and waiting, the room slowly thinned but still nothing of my precious IT cargo. Finally, on the last tractor driven trolley were our bags and boxes, success, we made it!
Every day was an adventure in problem-solving. Simple tasks became mission impossible. Need a cable? Walk every store in Buka searching for what would be an everyday item back home. Installing equipment? Try working in sweltering ceiling spaces—I won’t forget that anytime soon. Mounting the satellite dish? Dodge tropical storms and pray the crumbling wooden walls hold. And every piece of equipment I’d packed? I prayed none of it was damaged on the flight because there was no Plan B, no Amazon next-day delivery. I loved every second of it.
I left Buka feeling bittersweet. I knew this was where God wanted me, but how could I leave my current role? My IT team? We’ve been through so much together. With all the pressure the department faces, the guilt was crushing. But God had prepared me for this moment. Years ago, He taught me a hard truth: “You are not that important, Karlos.” Those words still resonate. Not because God doesn’t love me, but because His mission is bigger than me. If I don’t go, He’ll send someone else. If I leave my team, God will provide and most likely with someone who does even greater things than I could. The question isn’t whether my team can survive without me. It’s whether I’ll say yes when God opens the door.
This is my new journey. God has been preparing me for it for years I just didn’t know it yet. From grandad’s shed building planes, to the struggles that led me to faith, to landing at MAF, to every skill I’ve learned, it was all pointing here. To Bougainville. To Buka. To using technology to bring light to communities living in darkness. The seed God planted years ago? I can see how it all comes together now.