By Jeanelle Reider

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COMMISSIONED

On July 15, 2022, something happened to transcend tragedy.

More than two years earlier, an MAF Kodiak aircraft, along with its pilot, Joyce Lin, had crashed into Lake Sentani in Papua, Indonesia. No one can know why God, in His loving and perfect plan, allowed such a catastrophe. For MAF and all who knew Joyce, the fatal accident remains a heartbreak and a mystery.

On July 15, PK-MJL—the Kodiak replacement aircraft affectionately nicknamed “Miss Joyce Lin”—was commissioned for service in Sentani. As MAF staff formed a prayerful circle around the Kodiak, they knew the event’s significance extended far beyond the airplane itself. It extended to them.

Joyce was clear-eyed in her purpose with MAF. She said, “While I will always be excited to fly planes and work on computers, I am most excited to share the love of Jesus Christ by helping to transform other people’s discouragement and mourning into dancing and joy.”

Through PK-MJL, her legacy of love will continue.

READY FOR SERVICE!

PK-MJL’s journey to Papua began with generous funding from MAF partners who shared Joyce’s vision and wanted to carry it further. Once purchased, the Kodiak spent two years at MAF’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, getting retrofitted for the field and waiting for import permissions. It was then ferried to Sentani where it cleared customs in record time! The airplane was then prepped with its new PK-MJL registration and some small modifications and stood ready to join the MAF Papua fleet.

FIRST FLIGHTS

PK-MJL’s first passenger flights, conducted on July 18 by MAF pilots Dave Ringenberg and Tom Bolser, carried MAF missionary kids (MKs). Linda Ringenberg, Dave’s wife, said, “We hope that being the first passengers in this plane will inspire them to live a life that’s sold out for God like Joyce did.”

The next day, PK-MJL flew its first mission flight. This flight, and the ones in the weeks that followed, represented a beautiful cross section of the many ways this tool will be used to carry on Joyce’s legacy.

PK-MJL brought a photographer and others to the village of Nalca for the purpose of chronicling the work of Dr. Atik and the Siloam Clinic.

MORE TO COME!

We’re excited to see how God will keep using PK-MJL to speak His love to the people of Papua. You’ll be hearing more as the story unfolds!

And each time you hear of new ways Joyce’s legacy lives on, we hope you know how grateful we are for compassionate partners like you whose prayers and generosity help make it all possible.

The post A Kodiak Named PK-MJL appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Limpho (pronounced Dim po) is a baby girl who was born with a severe cleft lip. It was so extreme that it reached vertically up her right cheek, up to her eye. Her operation would not be a simple one—neither was getting the South African doctors to agree on where to start—Limpho’s lip or eye. Their indecision delayed the process and caused Hlalefang, the mother, to worry about her child even more. She wanted what was best for her daughter, so she could have a chance at a normal life.

The little Cessna 206 was glad she was able to help with some of those doctor visits, by taking Hlalefang and Limpho from their isolated mountain village of Bobete in the Thaba Tseka district of Lesotho to the capital of Maseru. And from there, the pair traveled the rest of the way by ambulance.

Finally, on April 8, 7P-CMH rejoiced to see mother and daughter approaching on the tarmac at Maseru. Ten months old now, Limpho’s face was bandaged and swollen, so CMH knew she had received the long-awaited life-changing surgery. The little airplane rejoiced that she was able to return mother and daughter home, where Limpho could continue to heal.

Every week, 7P-CMH travels into Lesotho’s mountains to retrieve patients and bring them to the capital city for further treatment, oftentimes saving a life—or in Limpho’s case, changing a life.

You can adopt this airplane through a one-time or monthly recurring gift. By partnering with MAF and 7P-CMH you will help change lives, like Limpho’s, and bring hope to Lesotho’s mountain communities.

The post 7P-CMH appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Now, more than 75 years after the start of MAF’s ministry, its aircraft have changed dramatically. But one thing that has not changed is MAF’s mission*—to share the love of Jesus Christ so that isolated people will be physically and spiritually transformed.

The Beginnings (1945 – 1965)

Fabric-covered airplanes like the Piper Cruiser, Piper Pacer, and the Stinson Voyager helped start the earliest programs, in Mexico and Central and South America. These light aircraft served remote jungle outposts where western missionary families were bringing the gospel to remote tribes. MAF pilot Nate Saint was passionate about reaching one tribe in particular—one that was feared as a “tribe of killers.” In 1948, he wrote to his parents that he expected the airplane would play a part in reaching them with the gospel.

His prediction proved true. In January 1956, Saint landed a bright yellow Piper Family Cruiser on a sandbar nicknamed Palm Beach, along the Curaray River. Initially, he and four other missionaries had friendly interactions with members of the feared Waorani. But then, days later, the world learned of the five men’s martyrdom at the hands of the tribe.

Far from slowing down the dream of those early WWII pilots, this incident catapulted the idea of missionary aviation across the globe. As a result, young Christians caught the vision of using airplanes to reach the lost—and MAF grew rapidly.

The Growing Years (1965 – 1990)

As MAF moved from fabric-covered to aluminum aircraft, small Cessna aircraft became the workhorses of the day.

In Indonesia, Cessna 185s and 206s served western missionaries and local evangelists in hard-to-reach areas, and the gospel continued to spread. These new birds nearly doubled the range and load of those earlier aircraft and opened more doors for physical healing, education, community development, and disaster relief to reach isolated people.

A second-generation MAF pilot, Dick Parrott, son of MAF founder/former president Grady Parrott, recalls opening the West Kalimantan, Indonesia, program in 1969 with a brand new C185, PK-MCB, that came to be known as “Charlie Brown.” As the sole pilot/mechanic on the program at the time, Dick was responsible for fixing and flying the airplane.

Of course, other pilots and airplanes followed, and the program expanded to East Kalimantan (now North Kalimantan) and, later, Central Kalimantan. Those small Cessnas brought physical healing to isolated people through a partnership with a Baptist mission hospital, and they enabled the training of 100,000 Dyak Christians through a theological education program. MAF also served a C&MA Bible school there.

A few years ago, when Dick learned that Charlie Brown was going to be removed from service, he was surprised.

“I was amazed that it was still in operation,” said Dick. “You know, MAF does a great job keeping their equipment operational.”

Over in Papua, Indonesia, MAF was continuing to serve western missionaries who were working on Bible translations. Along with the small Cessna airplanes, MAF introduced another aircraft to its fleet in 1976, the helicopter. This new tool helped missionaries survey still-unreached areas and allowed them to live remotely until an airstrip could be built.

Recent Years (1990s – 2020)

In more recent years, MAF introduced larger, more complex turbine-engine aircraft to its fleet—Cessna Caravans, Quest Kodiaks, and a PC-12. These brought another big jump in range and load capabilities, plus advanced technology that increased safety and efficiency. And, they use jet fuel, verses aviation gasoline (Avgas), which is more readily available overseas.

In March 2016, an MAF Caravan landed at the Todro airstrip in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It carried MAF staff, SIL missionaries and local dignitaries who had come to celebrate the completion of the Logoti-language New Testament—a project that moved forward with MAF’s help through years of war and insecurity.

MAF’s service spans multiple decades when it comes to bringing the gospel to a remote people group, serving missionaries working on a translation, delivering completed Bibles, and supporting local churches.

These decades of service typically represent multiple aircraft as well—the right aircraft for the job.

But no matter the airplane make, model, or size, each one serves a kingdom purpose—to reach isolated people with the love of Jesus Christ. And each one is meticulously maintained thanks to the support of people like you who have stood with us through the years; people who still believe that the airplane can play a part in introducing people to the gospel.

*When this story was written, we were still using our old vision and mission statements. In 2021 we rephrased them slightly, though the intent is the same.  You can see them here. 

The post Changing Airplanes, Unchanging Mission appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Story by Matthew and Carolyn Monson

The aircraft 7P-CMC has had a persistent fuel leak since we arrived in Lesotho seven years ago. Despite multiple attempts to fix the issue, the leak remained hidden. We knew that removing the wing was necessary to get to the root of the problem, but we never found the opportunity due to our heavy workload—until now.

As the government continues to struggle with finances in this COVID-19 environment, our flight hours are lower than normal. This season of lockdown has times of frustration and discouragement, as we long for what was and what is missing. Yet, in that struggle, God is near, and He is strengthening and growing us as we walk in faith. Without this slower season, we may have gone another seven years with this fuel problem in the wing. Instead, our maintenance team asked, “What new opportunities has God given us?” In this case it was the gift of time. We were able to address the deeper issues that take time to uncover—in the planes and in our own hearts.

In Isaiah 41 we see God renewing the strength of those who are walking and not fainting. As life has slowed down and we’ve reconnected as a family unit through these 12 months of lockdown, we’ve addressed hidden fears and anxieties and learned to navigate the many challenges of 2020 (and into 2021). Like a tiny rivet, “small” unaddressed issues in our hearts will fester until we deal with them. It has been a season of not fainting, as the Lord speaks truth into the broken places within. It’s fall now (in Lesotho) and we feel a new hope as we walk in our Lord’s strength alone.

At the time of this posting, the Monsons are making their way to the U.S. to begin their long-overdue furlough. Prayers for this are appreciated. 

The post Unexpected challenges bring new opportunities appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Allan Bagge was flying his airplane in northern Idaho in 1987 when he tragically crashed—he did not survive.

Lois, Allan’s wife, was determined to honor her husband and bring closure to his death.

“My mom wanted to fund an MAF airplane,” Ronn Bagge explained recently to a room full of donors, staff, and mission partners at a recent event at MAF headquarters. “MAF was very responsive and gracious to my mom as they met with her and understood what she wanted to do.”

Lois gave a gift to MAF and by 1989, a Cessna U206G had been acquired and was being used in Venezuela.

This first gift was the beginning of the Bagge family’s relationship with MAF–the first generation of supporters from this family. Ronn picked up the baton next, and hopes his own sons and daughter will also catch the vision of partnering with MAF.

Rolland Trempert, MAF’s director of Aviation Safety/Quality, was surprised to hear Ronn speak at MAF. The Bagge family had donated the very plane he flew in Venezuela.

“I remember seeing the plaque on the glove box, with the name “Bagge” on it,” said Rolland. “It was a somewhat unusual name, so, memorable.”

Rolland did field training with four new pilots in that plane who each eventually were able to fly solo and go on to serve at the program.

“Since much of our ministry was direct missions support, we carried LOTS of cargo. The airplane could carry 100Kg more (25%) than the program’s C185s,” said Rolland. “It was a big improvement in the ability to meet the need.”

That airplane was used in Venezuela from 1989-2005 with a total of about 10,000 flight hours. When the program closed at the request of the government, the aircraft was used for recruiting purposes in the Midwest. Then it was sold to an ex-MAF staff member in the Portland/Vancouver area, who makes it available to future mission pilots so they can gain experience flying a C206 before they serve overseas.

God took one gift, born out of tragedy, and used it for good—to bring Christ’s love to isolated people, train pilots, and inspire giving across multiple generations of one family.

The post Giving Through Generations appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

PORT-AU-PRINCE – Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has deployed a fourth airplane and three additional staff to Haiti to join its team conducting relief flights following Hurricane Matthew. The KODIAK airplane, which took off from MAF’s Idaho headquarters on Thursday, carried a GATR satellite communication system that was set up Sunday in the town of Dame Marie to aid disaster communication.

Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on Oct. 5, killing more than 500 people, damaging or destroying some 145,000 homes, and leaving 750,000 people in need of food for the next several months.

In Haiti’s southern peninsula, Hurricane Matthew destroyed roads and bridges, leaving the people cut off from help. Airplanes are the only means of reaching many areas. MAF has been flying doctors and medical supplies, aid workers, food, hygiene kits, and other needed supplies to communities that have experienced massive destruction.

“Even before the hurricane, the poor condition of Haiti’s roads made travel very difficult,” said John Boyd, MAF president and CEO, who previously served as a pilot in Haiti. “Now the people are virtually cut off, at a time when they so desperately need help. In this kind of situation MAF’s services are critical.”

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organization that uses airplanes and other technologies to reach the most remote places in the world.  MAF has been working in Haiti since 1986, and maintains a permanent base in Port-au-Prince with six missionary families, 15 Haitian staff, and three airplanes. Since Hurricane Matthew struck, MAF has deployed 11 additional personnel to Haiti to assist with the relief efforts.

MAF has deployed a GATR satellite communication system to Dame Marie, Haiti, similar to this system used following the 2010 earthquake.

The GATR is a solar-powered VSAT satellite communication system that will supply direly needed high-bandwidth communications to relief workers in Dame Marie. Cell towers have been damaged all across Haiti’s southern peninsula, hampering relief efforts.

John Gorenflo of MAF’s Technology Resources Department explained, “The GATR looks like a giant beach ball but inside is a parabolic reflector that can be accurately pointed to a satellite 22,236 miles away. The GATR sends and receives internet from the satellite and then I create a Wi-Fi hotspot/network with that internet to provide communications for relief efforts.”

Disaster response has been an MAF area of expertise for more than 70 years. In past disaster situations, including the Haiti earthquake of 2010, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013, and the earthquakes which struck Nepal in 2015, MAF has provided critical services that enabled other organizations to reach those in need.

Water-borne disease is on the rise in Haiti’s southern peninsula and MAF’s services are critical, according to Robin Horak, a physician with No Time for Poverty, which operates a pediatric medical clinic in Port Salut, Haiti.

“We’re seeing a large increase in diarrheal diseases, both typhoid and cholera, so we’re bringing IV fluids, supplies to start IVs, antibiotics to treat those conditions,” said Horak. “I got in contact with MAF and asked if we could get a plane to help us move these objects, all the supplies, to Port Salut. The roads right now are both dangerous as well as it’s very difficult to get through. MAF is really one of the only organizations that is consistently in Haiti, and actually is always willing to move supplies and people, not just to Port Salut but to other parts of Haiti. We’re very appreciative that service is available and how quickly they’re willing to respond to needs.”

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Support MAF’s Work in Haiti:

DONATE TODAY

Founded in 1945, Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org) is a family of organizations with a singular mission: to share the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. MAF serves in 37 countries of Africa, Asia, Eurasia, and Latin America with a fleet of 135 aircraft. Its recent work includes coordinating transportation to remote areas of Nepal devastated by earthquakes, helping combat a 2014 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and supporting the work of churches, missionaries, and Bible translators around the world.

The post Haiti Update, October 18 appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

… since Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Peter Fleming, Roger Youderian, and Ed McCully gave their lives so that the Waorani (then Auca) tribe could hear the Gospel. After initial efforts to make contact with this remote tribe in Ecuador were deemed positive, these brave men landed on a river beach deep in the jungle to build relationships with these people. Sadly, they died at the hands of those they were trying to reach.

Yet God wove this tragedy into a beautiful story of redemption, as many members of this tribe—including those in the killing party—eventually accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

The news of this event spread around the world, and organizations like MAF found themselves flooded with applicants who were ready to follow in the footsteps of these men and go to the ends of the earth for the sake of the Gospel.

Even today, many of our staff initially came to MAF because they read Jungle Pilot—the story of Nate Saint’s life.

Today we remember and celebrate the lives of these men and what their sacrifice has meant not only for the Waorani tribe but for isolated people around the world who are still coming to Christ in the wake of their legacy.

View a short video (above) and check out the “Generations” documentary (below) to catch a glimpse of the Waorani tribe today, and learn how they’re passing on their faith in Jesus Christ.

The post It has been 60 years … appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

The theories ranged from absurd to ominous: a lizard bit her lip, her mother looked at a camel while giving birth, an ancestor or evil spirit had been angered, or perhaps this was God’s punishment. No matter the reason, Nzapa Kimbi knew her seven-year-old granddaughter, Lidia, needed help. Even if Lidia’s cleft palate were a curse, Nzapa—whose name means “God doesn’t like me”—would have done anything to give a better life to her granddaughter, even if it meant walking from the Central African Republic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Nearly two millennia ago, when the disciples came across a blind man (John 9), they asked similar questions to the ones asked about Lidia: “Rabbi, who sinned,
this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “Neither … This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

A deformity such as a cleft palate can be much more than
a disfigurement in many parts of the world. In the DRC, people with cleft palates are often viewed as cursed and can be ostracized from society or face harsh persecution.

MAF recently partnered with the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Paul Carlson Partnership—an organization that encourages medical and economic development in the DRC—to bring skilled surgeons into the village of Karawa to meet the needs of people like Lidia.

Karawa is cut off from the rest of the country by the massive Congo River, one of the world’s largest rivers and the deepest—with depths reaching as much as 720 feet! In addition to the river, large forests and swamps mean many of the people living there often have difficulty getting help. MAF’s PC-12 airplane is an ideal tool to open access to Karawa and the surrounding region.

MAF pilot Garth Pederson flew a medical team in the spacious PC-12 from the city of Kinshasa to Karawa— quickly covering the distance of 530 miles! Upon landing at the airstrip, the team was warmly greeted
by over 100 people, many of whom were local nurses excited about the opportunity to meet needs in this area.

For 11 days, the team held medical training seminars on trauma care and performed cleft palate surgeries on 12 children—one of whom was Lidia.

“God has given us a unique opportunity to join Him in what He is doing,” said Garth. “The surgeons could not have done what they did without this flight. There’s no way to get up there without the airplane. And I could not have done the flight without the support of our ministry partners.”

“They had no money and no hope for a change,” said Dr. Linda Lindquist, the surgeon who performed Lidia’s surgery. “Now they can rejoice that something good has come into their lives.”

Contrary to her name, God does care for Nzapa. He loves Lidia, her grandmother, and others around the world who are hurting and scorned. And because of the support of donors like you, MAF is able to reveal His love to people in remote places like Karawa.

“Lidia’s life was physically transformed,” said Garth. “And I believe that her grandmother’s life was spiritually transformed, with the realization that God more than likes her—He loves her.”

This story is a part of FlightWatch, 2015 Vol. 4. You can read the full edition below and/or you can also subscribe to receive FlightWatch in the mail.

The post The Ones God Loves appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

“It’s long enough, but it will never happen,” said MAF pilot John Munsell as he surveyed an area for a possible airstrip.

It seemed unlikely that this patch of land could ever be more than the impossible wall of thorn bushes confronting him. But the people were determined to find a way for MAF to serve their community. Each family took a section and cleared out the thorns, then layered the gravel, dirt, and sand before pounding it down and making it firm. And MAF has been supporting the community of Anse Rouge, Haiti, and Lemuel Ministries ever since.

The area is known as the Plateau, or Grand Diable (Big Devil). Living up to its name, the landscape is barren and depleted, offering little more than thorns. Deforestation has decreased Haiti’s precipitation and created the desert-like Plateau.

Manis Dilus grew up in Anse Rouge with grandparents who, like most in this country, practiced voodoo. In fact, his grandfather was the witch doctor for this area. The practice likely would have passed to Manis were it not for his mother. Someone shared Christ with her when she was a teenager, and she accepted Him as her Savior. Manis, too, decided to follow Christ as a young boy. After college, he founded Lemuel Ministries and returned to Anse Rouge to help his people.

A Landscape of Hope

Manis and his wife, Judy, were committed to share Christ in this small community by providing solutions to overcome poverty through development, education, and spiritual discipleship. They wanted to heal the land and its people.

The couple began by addressing the lack of water, digging a well with a wind-generated pump, and enlisting the community to dig rainwater catchment holes and home cisterns to collect rain runoff from metal roofs.

The Diluses developed food- and cash-for-work programs, where individuals clear the land to make way for new water holes, gardens, and trees. The community also works together to build cement-block homes and latrines for families.

The people have hope as they see the land cleared of the thorns, and they take pride in their work. Today, when visitors fly in to Anse Rouge, they’re surprised to see the green spreading out from the center where Lemuel is based.

“It’s a shocking difference between the desert-like conditions. It’s a visual picture of what Christ does,” explains Judy.

Since Lemuel began ministering in Anse Rouge in 1999, more than the physical landscape has changed. The Diluses recall the earlier days of their ministry when they would hear the chanting and drumming of voodoo ceremonies. But that’s rare now. Two key families that practiced voodoo have come to Christ, and that has had a big impact on the community.

Expanding Grace

Thanks to your prayers and gifts, MAF has been able to support Lemuel since 2000, when the airstrip opened. Flights bring in short-term teams to do medical clinics or work projects for the school and church. In times of crisis, MAF has been there, conducting medical evacuations and delivering food supplies and water filtration systems.

“It’s more than planting trees, providing education, or work.”

Building materials also have arrived by MAF airplane, as well as several work teams to finish construction of Lemuel’s new school building.

“I did not see how we were going to get the school ready for the children to enter for the year,” Judy wrote in a letter to MAF. “We are so grateful to God for His provision, and we are grateful to you and the team for being a part of what He is doing here on the Plateau.”

Gradually, Satan is losing his grip on this land and the people. One Haitian woman nearly died before realizing she’d given her whole life to Satan, and he couldn’t heal or save her. Only God could. That’s when she finally turned to Jesus. She said, “Satan takes everything from us and gives us nothing in return … just these thorns and poverty. But God asks for nothing from us, except ourselves, and He gives us everything.”

The Diluses realize they can’t change the whole country, but they can make a difference in their community. “It’s more than planting trees, providing education or work,” said Judy. “It’s showing them Christ … It’s the personal relationships and being able to impact a small area, and that impact is going to grow out from there.”

Please remember Manis and Judy and all of the Lemuel staff in your prayers, and ask for the Holy Spirit to change hearts in Anse Rouge.

This story is a part of FlightWatch, 2015 Vol. 4. You can read the full edition below and/or you can also subscribe to receive FlightWatch in the mail.

The post Out of the Thorns appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Emergency recurrent training is part of life as a pilot, and we frequently test our skills and memories to make sure we’re ready for the unexpected. As MAF, it is actually our business to handle emergency situations, and people count on us being there when they are in need. That is why we are often the first call when a crisis happens.

The situation that day was major civil unrest in the city of Bangui. Security evacuation flights and logistics were needed near the Central African Republic (CAR) and DR Congo border. We sprang into action with countless phone calls and emails to help coordinate the efforts. We proved yet again that our greatest asset may not be our million dollar aircraft but our vast network of contacts which can bring people together without even turning a propeller.

Sadly, there were local deaths related to the violence, but we are very fortunate that all the people included in the evacuations were able to escape without physical harm. They were thankful for their lives and for MAF being able to play a part in saving them.

When we completed two flights for World Vision, getting a total of nine of their staff to safe locations, the country director messaged me, saying, “Thankful for MAF helping evacuate our CAR team!”

There truly is no reward better than that. Thank you for partnering with us in the vital ministry of Mission Aviation Fellowship.

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