A Faithful Doctor

By Linda Ringenberg

Linda is an MAF missionary serving in Papua, Indonesia, who had the chance to fly with her husband, Dave, to visit the remote village of Nalca recently.   

 

As we stepped out of the MAF Kodiak onto the green grass of the Nalca airstrip, nurses from the Siloam Clinic took turns presenting each of us with a colorful piece of Batik cloth that they draped around our necks like a scarf. My husband, Dave, had flown our family, one of our national staff, and a videographer from the States who had traveled halfway around the world to capture the story of Dr. Atik.

MAF’s Dave and Linda Ringenberg, and son Ryan, are greeted by Dr. Atik and Siloam Clinic staff in Nalca. Photo by Sean Sheridan.

The cool air invigorated us as we sauntered down the airstrip, marveling at the rugged mountains that encircled the village. We followed a path that led us to the Siloam Clinic where the nurses and Dr. Atik help the villagers each day with their health needs.

Dr. Atik introduced us to some of the individuals waiting at the clinic. One woman came to say thank you to MAF for flying her out of the village in a medical emergency. The clinic nurses had saved her life by stopping the bleeding after her husband cut off her hand in a failed attempt to kill her. Now her arm had healed, and she was so thankful.

Another woman was pregnant with her sixth child. Unfortunately, her first three babies had died during childbirth. Dr. Atik wondered if the woman was too small for a baby to survive a natural birth, so for her fourth pregnancy, she encouraged the woman to fly on MAF to the city where she had a Caesarean birth ending in a healthy baby! The plan for this sixth baby is to do the same.

A woman in her 6th pregnancy is seen by staff at the Siloam Clinic in Nalca. Photo by Linda Ringenberg.

This clinic is one of seven strategically placed in remote villages by a Christian organization founded by an Indonesian businessman and his family. They fully fund and staff the clinics with graduates from their medical university in Jakarta. The clinic is always placed with a school that is staffed in the same way from their teaching university. MAF has flown in most of the supplies to build these schools and clinics, and regularly transports teachers and nurses in and out on their breaks.

The people’s gratitude for MAF’s services and Dr. Atik and the nurses’ care was clear. I was touched to see, standing in front of me, people who are alive today through the clinic’s intervention and MAF’s assistance.

This fresh example of MAF making a difference in people’s lives reminded me anew that serving here is worth it.

That afternoon I helped translate for the filmed interview with Dr. Atik. I was very moved as she shared her story.

Photo of Dr. Atik in Nalca by Linda Ringenberg.

Dr. Atik strongly desired to come to Papua after finishing medical school in Jakarta, but her parents were against the idea. So, to honor them, she didn’t come, but instead worked in a hospital in Jakarta. She ended up experiencing some hard circumstances that left her very broken. It wasn’t until years later that she once again felt the intense longing to come serve the people of Papua, and this time her family didn’t stand in the way.

When she was 40 years old, Dr. Atik landed in Papua without a job or a contact. Eventually she was invited to join the Siloam Clinic staff as a traveling doctor to provide guidance and expertise at the various locations, which she has done for the past seven years.

One day she asked the Lord, “Why didn’t you let me come do this earlier in my life?” And the Lord told her, “Because, my child, you would have come in your own strength. Now you know you can’t do this on your own and you serve in My strength.”

All the nurses were sad to say goodbye to Dr. Atik the next morning as she flew out of Nalca with us so she could attend the grand opening of the seventh Siloam Clinic in a different village. MAF is blessed to partner with her and all the staff of the Siloam Clinics to reach the least, the last, and the lost for Jesus.

Linda, back right, and Dr. Atik, 2nd from right, front, pose for a photo with the Siloam nurses before departing Nalca. Photo courtesy of Linda Ringenberg.

 

 

10 Comments

  • John Miller says:

    I have added Dr. Atik to my daily prayer list. I praise the Lord that He chose the right time to send her to PNG. May our Heavenly Father keep her healthy and use Dr. Atik for His glory. I praise God for all those who work in the medical field and for MAF (who I also pray for daily) and I thank Him for your service to God and the people of Papua New Guinea. May God be glorified in all you do.

  • Penny Case Moore says:

    I have loved Indonesia and the people of Indonesia for quite some time. I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit some of the islands several times including Papua. The opportunities I am speaking of were with a group of volunteers from a church in Denver, Colorado. We traveled to Indonesia always landing in Bali first then on to other islands/areas during our time there. We exited from Jakarta on the way home. We visited Papua several times for our medical and reading eyeglasses clinics (like the other places) and our team leader would teach and encourage local pastors and Bible students. This team has not been to Indonesia since 2020 due to COVID 19. I really miss being there and serving the people. I am a practicing RN here in Colorado.
    I absolutely loved reading about Dr. Atik and feel like I can relate to her. I remember as a pre-teen writing in my Bible that I would go anywhere God wanted me to go… except to Papua. Oh, boy! Now I know what it is to love the people of Papua and feel the strong pull to go and serve them. I hope someday soon I will be back, with my team or not, to again possess the joy I feel when doing God’s work in Papua, Indonesia.

  • Robin Weston says:

    Praise God for Dr. Atik! God is mightily using you for His glory!

  • worth mcdaniell says:

    What a great story about Dr. Atik. Giving is much more rewarding than receiving. I’ve seen this a number of times in my own life. God Bless.

  • BettyAnn Brock says:

    A truly inspiring account of God’s movement in the lives of those who seek the truth and walk the way of our Lord.

  • Helen Shao says:

    Thank you for an inspiring account of a missionary. I feel the same way about waiting too long to serve in anyway God sees fit, but now I understand that I need to serve in the strength that only the Lord can provide.

  • Jean Runner says:

    We are big supporters of MAF and really enjoy reading these inspiring stories. I personally provided some flight training for a couple of MAF’s pilots including Dave Ringenberg. Always nice to read about them and what they are doing.

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