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Plane crash in Indonesia
Great leaders understand that setbacks may change the route, but they do not have to change the destination.
For several years I worked with an organization serving the remote island of Papua, Irian Jaya, nearly 8,770 kilometres from Toronto and deep within one of the most isolated regions in the world. Our vision was simple to describe but incredibly difficult to accomplish: build a school in the middle of the rainforest where leaders from surrounding villages could receive education and training.
The obstacles were overwhelming. There were no roads, no hardware stores, and no local building suppliers. Every piece of lumber, every nail, and every tool had to be flown into the jungle. We worked across multiple cultures, languages, and time zones. We didn't own the land and had to earn the trust of tribal leaders before construction could even be considered. We had no funding, so every dollar had to be raised. The project would require years of planning and the commitment of both paid staff and volunteers, all while ensuring transportation, food, lodging, and safety for everyone involved.
After years of preparation, our team finally arrived in Papua. We loaded ourselves, construction supplies, food, and even livestock onto a Mission Aviation Fellowship Cessna Caravan bound for a remote mountain village. The flight itself was a reminder of how fragile our plans really were. As we descended toward a narrow gravel runway carved into the side of a mountain, violent winds caught the aircraft. We bounced hard on landing, one wing struck the runway, stones exploded beneath us, and the tail repeatedly slammed into the ground. For several terrifying seconds, I was convinced we would slide off the end of the runway into the jungle below.
By God's grace, we came to a stop.
An hour later, after the shock had begun to wear off, our team faced a far greater challenge than the landing itself. The aircraft was disabled. Our transportation was gone. Our carefully crafted plans had been interrupted before the mission had even begun.
Now came the real leadership question.
Do we abandon the vision? Do we interpret this setback as the end of the journey? Or do we adjust our plan without abandoning our purpose?
After much discussion, we chose the latter. We located another, much smaller aircraft and continued the mission. We met with tribal leaders, secured the land, continued fundraising, and three years later the school was complete. It wasn't an architectural masterpiece. It was something far more significant: a place where lives could be transformed through education.
Leadership is not tested when everything goes according to plan.
It is tested when the plan falls apart.
Vision does not require perfect circumstances;
it requires the courage to adapt without surrendering the mission.
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