Newspaper Story About the Noll Family - 2008
Sharing Experiences By David R. Newman - Page 2

And by the way, there's another class they've given at Oasis. This one had to do with flights they made as members of the Christain Pilots Association effort to ferry doctors to the Mexican Baja peninsula. For the Nolls, piloting six doctors to provide free health care for the needy was part of their deep religious convictions. But it also had its worries, particularly in crossing borders during a time when stopping drug smuggling is a high priority for U.S. customs officials. Paul Noll's main concern: that flying back into the Unirted States the doctors would not be caught carrying drugs, so he insisted the doctors empty their medical kits before coming home.

And coming up: several more classes that reflect some of the range of the Nolls interests. On July 29, they will present a talk at Oasis. The talk is entitled "Is China becoming a capitalist country?" And on August 6, for example, a class is scheduled at Oasis on a "humorous look at the English language." While many of the Noll's accomplishments, and much of the story of their lives, are given in presentations such as these, a visit to their home in Pleasant Hill is what really brings out he flavor of the Noll family. For the home is really a living treasure of what the Nolls have done and where they have been and the insights that come with all of it.

For example, while looking at the wall at some of the paintings from China, given by their friends, Bernice comments about events a few years ago at Tianamen Square. "It was a language problem," she explains. The problem: There are many dialects in China, and people in one region often have no idea what those in another area are saying. Thus, the Mongolians who made up the bulk of the troops in the square didn't understand what the students were saying, and thus the shooting erupted.