Words and photos by Heather Marx

“Ah-EEE!” The Moi believer interrupted his own words with an emotional cry. “All praise to God! You brought this Word to us. We praise You, Father, that we have seen this day before we die!”

The villagers gathered around the MAF plane to receive the first shipment of Bibles my husband, Brian, flew in. As the engine spooled down, the people whooped and then danced around the plane. So much excitement!

As the first box of Moi Bibles came off the plane, I looked around. Tears of joy streamed down the faces of those gathered—the missionary families, the pilots and other support staff, and the Moi believers themselves. Much hard work and sacrifice led to this moment of bringing the translated New Testament and 1,500 verses of the Old Testament to the Moi people.

Brian and I, along with our children Ethan, Jayden, and Elyse, spent four days with the Moi in January, arriving a few days before the dedication ceremony. Brian flew us to the village in a Kodiak, and we stayed in one of the missionary houses built over 20 years ago.

Celebrating with all the missionary families was so special. Brian has been flying for 13 years in support of the work in Moi people group, flying in the missionaries, their children to and from boarding school, medevacs, flights for the Moi school run by Lantern of Hope, and the clinic. We also supported the work when we lived in Nabire, hosting guests and doing the occasional supply errand.

I was so excited to introduce our twins to a Moi mother of twins, a boy and girl, just like ours. This is the first time in Moi history that twins have been kept alive. The Moi used to believe that one twin was an evil spirit impersonating the baby. They would kill one twin, usually the smaller one.  But the gospel changed that!

On the first night we were hosted for dinner in a honai (traditional Papuan house) by a Moi family and enjoyed a meal of root vegetables, sugar cane, and bananas, all roasted in the fire. Sepaiye is the MAF agent who helps when the plane comes to Daboto. His wife, Betani, gave me her necklace and said, “Your husband is my husband’s friend, so you are my friend.” We were so blessed and humbled to be hosted by this family who shared their food and possessions with us.

On the day of the dedication, Brian and another pilot flew in dignitaries, pastors, and VIPs. There was more dancing and whooping around the planes. Boaz, the representative of the Bible society that paid for the printing of the Bibles, was lifted and carried around.

I loved watching the parade of Moi people, missionaries, and dignitaries carrying boxes of Bibles down the airstrip, along the foot paths, through the hamlet, over pig fences, and to the sports gym where the ceremony was held.

During the dedication ceremony, the Moi people sang, chanting in harmony. All involved in the translation work went forward. Speeches were made. A Bible was ceremonially given to each Moi clan, as well as to MAF and other support organizations.  “We couldn’t have done it without you all!” said Steve, a longtime missionary to the Moi people.

One of the Moi believers had this to say: “Regarding this book, it’s in our language. It’s ours. But, even more, the purpose contained in it is for causing us to live well. And for that reason, the joy in my heart is beyond words!”

After the dedication, a video chat was set up so the 35 Moi students who are studying in Jakarta could speak with their parents and hear all about the Bible dedication. The students received their Moi Bibles the same day!

That afternoon while sitting on the porch, Steve translated for me as I asked one of the key church leaders, “How does it feel to have the Bible in Moi?” He answered, “I am thinking about the timing of the printing of it. We are so happy it is a time when we are not old. We now have the Word of God in our hands, and we can start using it for the rest of our lives. We’re very happy about that.”

He continued, “When you first hear God’s talk you’re thinking ‘Is this some kind of legend or fairy tale?’ Now I know this is God’s word, He’s talking to us! It’s the truth!”

Story ran in the Vol. 2 2024 edition of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here:

The post God’s Word Changing Hearts appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

By Natalie Holsten                                                                                                    

Fifteen years ago, Pastor V in coastal Mozambique held up a freshly printed book. The slim volume contained Genesis, Jonah, Luke, and 1 Timothy, translated into the EKoti language.

“Our book has four books,” he exclaimed to a group of believers. “But the full Bible has 66 books. We want them all!”

The Koti believers are moving closer to their goal of having the full Bible in their language, EKoti. It’s a language spoken by 100,000 that borrows heavily from Swahili and Arabic. “Through and through it’s an African language,” said translation consultant Sebastian Floor. “It’s very difficult to learn but sounds very beautiful. It has poetry.”

Sebastian recalled how a linguist couple began studying this poetic language in the mid-1990s and wrote a grammar to begin teaching literacy classes, which continue to this day.

“The language is very much alive. The children speak it, so it’s not a dying language,” Sebastian said.

While linguists labored to master the language and reduce it to written form, short-term evangelistic teams from Japan began visiting the Koti people, and a new group of believers was baptized in 2001.

What happened was nothing short of miraculous. Since that first group of believers, thousands more have put their faith in Jesus and been baptized. Believers, who called themselves ‘Tarikhi ya Haakhi’ (Way of Truth), were transformed by the truth of the gospel, with fewer marital problems and less violence.

“No one could ever imagine what God has done among our people,” one Koti believer said.

As the Koti church grew, the linguistic team translated some parables of Jesus from Luke, then focused on the book of Jonah, which seemed appropriate for a seafaring people like the Koti.

After that, portions of scripture were translated for specific needs of the growing church. To understand who Jesus is, the gospel of Luke was completed. Genesis was translated to help correct a faulty belief about separation from God. The book of 1 Timothy was translated when church leaders needed guidance. A selection of Psalms was translated to help give structure for worship.

Eventually, linguists—including many local Koti translators—focused on the New Testament, which was completed and dedicated in 2021, a huge step towards Pastor V’s desire for the entire Bible.

In 2022, two translation coordinators flew into Koti Land on MAF (known in Mozambique as Ambassador Aviation) to kickstart the Old Testament translation project.

MAF pilot Ryan Koher described their arrival. “The coordinators were joyfully welcomed by members of the local church, which reflects their love for God’s Word and the eagerness and excitement for the Old Testament.”

Later in the fall, Ryan flew Sebastian in to help with the translation for Psalm 117, the shortest psalm.

Sebastian and other consultants make frequent trips into Koti Land, where they are currently working on Psalms in a workshop setting. The consultants help the local translators fully understand and internalize a psalm through oral translation and creative songs, with the work concluding in a written transcription before moving on to the next psalm.

The consultant teams prefer to use MAF to travel into the area. It’s a 45-minute flight to reach the Koti from Nampula, where MAF’s base of operations is located. Last September, a cyclone washed out a major bridge on the one road from Nampula to Koti Land, and torrential rains continue to wreak havoc on road conditions.

“Doing a trip on MAF saves days. It’s an efficient way to travel. When I was in regional administration, I didn’t have time to spend weeks in one country. I have a trip of four or five days to visit three or four projects,” Sebastian said. “So MAF took me from one project to another. It saved me a lot of travel headache.”

Today there are 20,000 believers in the Koti church. “The New Testament is used passionately,” says church planter Graeme, “and they have sent church planting teams to take the gospel to an unreached people group further to the north.”

Safely transporting Bible translators is just one of the ways MAF is helping isolated people in Mozambique be changed by the love of Christ.

“It is a privilege for me to play a small role in making the Word of God accessible to thousands of people,” Ryan says. “I see partnering with translators as one of the most important ways we can minister to the people of Mozambique.

This story ran in the August (Vol. 3) 2023 issue of FlightWatch. Read the full issue here:

The post Way of Truth appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Your support is enabling the light of Christ to reach a dark place on the south coast of Papua

“Can you please come to the south coast?”

This was the request of Pastor Simson, who had gone to great lengths to seek out missionaries interested in serving the swampy south coast of Papua, Indonesia.   

Through a series of providential connections, God led him to Sam and Kari*, a missionary couple living in Sentani at the time.

“He just showed up on our doorstep one day and said, ‘Every single Sunday I preach the gospel from the pulpit and the people go home and worship demons. I want to help my people know who Jesus is. I want to help my people be free from fear of spirits. But I’m failing to do that because we don’t have a Bible that makes sense in the Asmat language,’” said Sam.

God had already placed it in Sam and Kari’s hearts to minister on the south coast. Now they had an official invitation from Simson.

Knowing that MAF flights would support living in such a remote place, Sam and Kari began serving the Asmat area seven years ago. The community warmly welcomed them and helped them build a house, by hand. Sam and Kare are raising their three children here—now twelve, ten, and four years old.

Two Boats

“The only airplane on the island that can bring us in and out to our location is the MAF floatplane. The ground here is so swampy and muddy that essentially an airstrip is not possible,” said Sam.

Sam described the spiritual needs here as “enormous.”

“Church for them is like a shirt. It’s something you put on,” he added. “It’s not a heart change. It’s not a deep understanding of who God is.”

Since the Asmat travel by boat, Sam uses boat illustration to explain God’s redemption versus those who are separated from God and under wrath.

Unfortunately, Sam says the majority of Asmat people are in “Adam’s boat.”

There is a young group of believers who are in “God’s boat,” which is how Sam describes those who’ve been redeemed and hidden with Christ Jesus (Col. 3:3). But it’s hard for them to grow spiritually since they don’t have God’s Word in their southern Asmat dialect. 

Sam and Kari desire to see a mature Asmat church that’s alive and growing, that has the Word of God, that’s discipling its own people for the next generation.

Today, Simson and other church leaders are working alongside Sam and Kari to translate portions of Genesis and Exodus. Then they’ll tackle Mark and Luke. They’re also leading literacy classes, which have just started.

One Airplane

The MAF floatplane is the only one in all of Papua, and it’s critical to Sam and Kari’s mission.

“The fact that the floatplane can land right on the river, pick us up in the case of emergency, and take us directly to a hospital … That is a really key thing,” said Sam.

The other option is a four-hour boat ride on the ocean to the nearest airstrip. And that’s not even possible in certain seasons. When the wind kicks up, massive waves cause boats to capsize.

“When you think about a snakebite or a compound fracture … four hours is a lifetime. We couldn’t be here without the organization flying us in,” added Sam. “It’s almost impossible for us to function and be here.”

MAF medical evacuations have saved Asmat lives. The medevacs are vital, but they’re a last-ditch effort.

A new Siloam Clinic opened here last summer, which will help with day-to-day health and treat minor illnesses and injuries before they become a problem.

“The clinic here is going to allow the entire village to be healthy, to move towards wholeness, to move towards health,” said Sam. Malaria and parasite prevention, vaccination—these are the things that keep people alive and functioning well.”

“The fact that the floatplane can land right on the river, pick us up in case of emergency, and take us directly to a hospital … That is a really key thing,” said Sam.

MAF brought in a generator, a chainsaw, nails, tools, medicines, and other supplies so the new clinic and school could be built and open in time for the school year. Finally, MAF brought in the team of teachers, nurses, and a doctor.

God’s Blessings

When he reflects on the new school and clinic, Jack Gandy, the MAF floatplane pilot who did all of those flights said, “No one in the U.S. knows that the Asmat people even exist. But the Lord knows about them and He cares for them.”

Now, the Asmat children are receiving an education. The people will lead healthier lives. And, most importantly, hearts will change when they come aboard “God’s boat.”

As more missionaries—including families with children—are called to take the light of Christ to the swampy areas of Papua, they too will depend on MAF.

“Without the MAF floatplane, it would just be so impractical that it wouldn’t work,” said Jack. “The floatplane opens up so many more doors that would be closed otherwise. It opens up the whole south coast of Papua to the gospel.”

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*Some of our partners request that identifying information be withheld for security reasons.

Story appeared in FlightWatch Vol. 2 2023. Read the entire issue here:

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In March MAF’s Cessna Caravan 9Q-CMP had the wonderful privilege of flying for two New Testament dedications in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

9Q-CMP spent several days transporting church leaders and other guests to and from the villages of Todro and Isiro for the dedication ceremonies of the Bible being translated into the Logo and Mayogo languages.

The MAF East DRC program has supported the work of the Bible translators for many years—taking them into and out of these very remote places. Some of the MAF staff were able to attend the Logo celebration and said it was a true highlight, “for MAF… for God’s glory and Name!”

Now the Logo and Mayogo people will have God’s Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their heart language. Think of the transformation that will happen in their lives because of this!

Did you know you can adopt 9Q-CMP through a one-time or monthly recurring gift? Your support of this airplane will help make flights like these possible and enable work that is making an eternal impact.

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“We are trying to reach the Koti people, and it is in their own language that they respond to the Gospel,” said the local translator working in Angoche, Mozambique.

Recently John Iseminger, of The Seed Company, was on MAF’s C9-AAL, a Cessna 206. The Seed Company is funding and managing the Bible translation program and John was traveling to Angoche to encourage the team, check on their progress, and make plans for the year ahead.

John has been working in Mozambique, overseeing the Koti translation work, for the last 20 years. While he doesn’t always get to fly with MAF, he appreciates it when he does. “It’s the best way to get around,” he explained. “It’s time efficient. It’s cost efficient.”

There was an unexpected benefit of MAF starting-up in the country shortly after John arrived there. He says trying to do a language survey and mapping out the area was difficult. “One of the questions that the mappers would ask us was, ‘Where’s the border? Where does this language group end and where does the other one start?’

“Well, all we had to do was get up in the air!” said John. “Flying has really helped to get perspective and see what people are living with and dealing with. You can’t see that stuff on the ground.”

John went on to say that the group should be done with the Koti-language New Testament in about two years.

While Bible translation is a long process, C9-AAL is happy to speed things along whenever she has the opportunity. By adopting this airplane you, too, can play a supporting role in flights like this and many others that bring hope to the people of Mozambique. All it takes is a one-time or monthly recurring gift to make C9-AAL part of your family.

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By Jennifer Wolf

One day in 2012, a few men from Bina, a village in the highlands of Papua, Indonesia, started a two-day trek to traverse a huge valley. When they reached the rushing river in the middle, they stepped barefoot and sure-footedly on a narrow vine bridge to cross to the other side.

The bridge had been torn down years before due to tension between their tribe—the Dem—and the Wano people. They had recently rebuilt the bridge because they’d heard a group of missionaries were visiting the Wano people in Mokndoma and they hoped to bring them to Bina.

In Mokndoma that day, four men were helping a fellow missionary with a project. They were all expatriates from the same Christian organization.* As they were working, they got word that some men had come from Bina and wanted to talk with them. They put down their tools and met them at the local meeting area.

Through a translator, the Dem men shared how they felt like forgotten people; all the tribes around them already had missionaries come and translate the Bible in their language.

“We know when Jesus comes back we’re going to die. We are in darkness,” said one of the Dem men, wiping tears from his eyes.

Although missionaries had passed through Bina around 50 years ago, they hadn’t stayed. They were on their way to bring the gospel to another tribe. But they told the Dem that if they were to build an airstrip in Bina, missionaries would be more likely to come. So they did, but no one came. And while a few Dem people had some brief Bible training, it wasn’t in their mother tongue. What little the people knew was mixed in with their animistic beliefs—the belief that spirits lived in inanimate objects. And they continued to live in fear of these spirits.

Dylan, one of the four men helping at the time, and his wife had been asking God to reveal where He wanted them to serve. They had committed to go to a people group who were asking for the gospel, which is how they came to be in Papua, Indonesia. The visit to Mokndoma was an unplanned, last-minute trip.

“I knew right away that this was the answer from God we had been waiting for. It couldn’t have been any clearer,” said Dylan.

Dylan told the Dem men, “If it was up to us we would grab our bags and come to the village to live with you.” But first, they needed to return to the city to finish tasks, check with their organization’s leaders, and talk it over with their families before they could come to Bina.

But they did come. Almost a year later, Dylan returned to build a home so his wife and three young children could come and live there. Near the end of Dylan’s visit, MAF officially opened the Bina airstrip and began serving Dylan’s family and the other three men who were with him that day—and their families—who followed shortly after.

Over the next seven-plus years, MAF airplanes landed in Bina often, bringing the families in and out; transporting zinc roofing for their homes, a literacy building, and a large gathering place; and delivering appliances, food, and other supplies needed to live in the remote village. MAF also did medical evacuation flights for the Dem people.

Together, the missionary families learned the culture and the language of the Dem. They taught literacy classes so the people could one day read God’s Word. And, eventually, they were able to translate and prepare a series of 79 Bible lessons covering Creation to Christ—“God’s Talk.”

The Hamstras’ Path to Papua

Just days after Christmas 2020, Jack Hamstra, an MAF maintenance specialist, his wife, Angie, and their three teen children, along with other teammates, were spending a few days in the village of Bina, to help with a special building project—a large gathering place where the Dem people would soon be hearing about the God who loves them.

Jack had been serving with his family in Papua, Indonesia, for a few months and he was happy to do this work project for the Bina missionaries who were supported by MAF flights. As Jack thought and prayed about what would soon transpire under the shelter they were building, he was amazed at the goodness of God and the path He had brought them on to get to this point—even though that path had included some tough things along the way.

A few years earlier, Jack and Angie had stepped out in faith in their first “mission field”—fostering and adoption. Angie had cared for their four children, including an adopted daughter who had several medical needs. Jack had been working on corporate jet engines for several years but was beginning to feel unsettled at work.

“I  liked my job fixing airplanes and the guys I worked with. I just felt like there was something more.”

His discontentment had gone on for three years while the couple had prayed together every morning for the Lord’s direction. As time went on, their daughter’s health had begun to decline. The family had been through some difficult times before, but when Laila died, it was the most heart-rending trial they’d experienced. They hadn’t known it was coming, but the Lord knew.

Six months later, after they’d taken time to grieve, God finally began to reveal what he had in mind for them next.

In 2017, they sent an inquiry to MAF, trusting that God would open the doors if it was His will. God opened them wide. Three years later, the Hamstras were in Indonesia serving at the MAF base in Sentani, which is how their family came to be in the village of Bina in late 2020.

They had a sweet time of fellowship during that visit with the four missionary families and learned the amazing story of how God had called them to Bina. They also met the Dem people and heard about their culture, their beliefs, and their fears. But now, the Dem were so close to hearing God’s Word in their own language for the first time; it gave Angie pause for thought.

With Laila’s death and other hard things her family had been through, plus the general craziness of the world in 2020, Angie had sometimes found herself thinking, “Jesus, can you just come back?”

But as she stood in the middle of a village of five-hundred people who didn’t know Christ, it gave her a different perspective. “Maybe wait a little bit longer, Jesus. We need these people to have the Word.”

Hope comes to the Dem

In early January 2021, Dem villagers walked across the dewy grass and took a seat on the ground under the new shelter. They may not have realized it at the time, but God was calling them to His heart. He wanted them to know the extravagant love He had for them—the salvation that awaited each and every one.

Among them were Tigitogon, Liut, Nambal and his son, Yanet, the ones who had crossed the bridge several years earlier. Terisi, whom God had saved the year before through an MAF medevac flight, was there with her twin babies. Many others filed in, some who had hiked from over an hour away to hear the teaching, even three people who were crippled and endured difficult, muddy mountain trails.

The teaching began in the Old Testament with the Creation story and continued every weekday for several weeks. By March, they were in the New Testament. In mid-April, the Dem heard of Jesus’ death and resurrection and learned how they could be made right with God. Many tears were shed and confessions of faith were shared that day.

“Jesus did nothing wrong. He took my punishment so that I wouldn’t have to die and be separated from Yagwe,”† said an elderly woman through her tears. “I believe He did that because I couldn’t do it myself; no one can. Jesus did that for me. That Talk is very true.”

One man, after he’d believed in Christ as his Savior, said, “We have always thought Yagwe was white man’s Father.”

God in His sovereign, merciful way called the Dem men to cross the bridge that led to the four missionary families coming to Bina, which led to MAF opening the Bina airstrip. All continue to be obedient to God’s call on their lives: the Dem seek after God, the Bina missionaries teach and disciple, and the MAF missionaries partner with them.

Now the Dem people know that the good news is for all people, even for those who feel like the forgotten ones—even for those who live at the ends of the earth.

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*Some of our partners prefer to be anonymous, particularly when they are in the early stages of working with a new tribe.

†Yagwe – Dem word for Yahweh

This story appeared in the Vol. 1 2022 edition of FlightWatch. Read the full issue here:

The post The Bridge to Hope appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

The hamlet of Mokndoma sits high in the mountains of Papua, the western half of the island of New Guinea in Asia Pacific. With no roads and limited government exposure, there has been little influence from the outside world.

You won’t find Mokndoma in any tourist guidebook, but the topography makes you think this area would be designated a national park if it were in America, with rugged mountain peaks, dense tropical rainforest, and rushing rivers.

Walking through the village is like a step back to another time. The Wano, the people group who populate Mokndoma, are living much the same way their ancestors did before them. They live in simple conical huts called honai. They cultivate sweet potatoes in their gardens and have pig feasts for special occasions. The women wear skirts, the men have their noses pierced, and almost everyone wears a beaded necklace. Anything that needs to be carried goes into a noken, a woven net bag usually worn from the head.

But in other crucial ways, the Wano people are living a new way of life very different from their ancestors. Formerly an animistic tribe, they lived in fear of the evil spirits they believed controlled everything. But after the message of Jesus’ love for them took root in the hearts of a core group of believers, the Wano in Mokndoma are walking a new path, one not of fear, but of following the way of Jesus.

These believers were taught and discipled by the Ingles and Wild families, expatriate missionaries who lived among them. Before the airstrip opened in Mokndoma in 2014, the two families used a helicopter to get in and out. The Wano put in thousands of hours of labor into the construction of the airstrip, which sits high at 7,000 feet above sea level. Since the airstrip opened, MAF has been able to provide transport, bring in medicine and other supplies, and do medevac flights.

Our family lived for a number of years in the town of Sentani, about an hour and a half flight from Mokndoma. We became friends with Mike and Libby Wild and their four boys and as we learned about their ministry, we came to have an affection for the Wano. Eventually, our family had the opportunity to visit Mokndoma in 2017.

When my husband David, who served as regional director for MAF’s operations in Indonesia at the time, flew us in, our first attempt at landing was aborted because of clouds covering the airstrip, a common occurrence at that elevation. On our second attempt, the clouds parted, and the 1,500-foot-long airstrip came into view (by contrast, a typical commercial runway at major airports is between 8,000 and 13,000 feet long).

Shortly after we landed, our Kodiak aircraft was surrounded by our friends and many of the Wano. We were met with the traditional greeting of “Wa, wa, wa!” and a handshake that involves joining knuckles and pulling back hard for a satisfying snap.

We got the grand tour of the village, including the clinic, the church, and the literacy building. I even popped into the honai of Grandma, one of Libby’s close friends, who shared a roasted sweet potato with me. One of her grandchildren handed me a roasted honeybee from a comb that was found in the jungle (if you’re wondering, it tasted like a smoky nut).

I was struck by how friendly the children were. Many times on my trips with David into villages, my attempts at friendly interaction with the village kids sent them screaming and running away. But in Mokndoma, the children came right up to us, slipping their hands into ours as we walked around.

After one of our meals, Libby and I stood at the sink together, washing dishes. The kitchen had a large window that looked out over the village. Below us, we could see a man named Liku and another man squatting on the ground, talking and playing with their children while their wives worked in the garden.

“Before the teaching, you wouldn’t have seen that,” Libby said as she handed me a soapy dish.

The teaching she referred to is the chronological teaching, from creation to Christ, of God’s redemptive plan for mankind. The Ingles and Wild families spent years learning the language and culture of the Wano, putting it into a written form, and translating portions of scripture. They also held literacy classes so the Wano would be able to read the scriptures for themselves. It all culminated in 2010 when they were able to present the teaching, and right away, there were many sincere testimonies of faith.

And then the changes began. Warriors laid down their weapons. As the men began following Jesus, they embraced their roles as husbands and fathers and were learning to help their wives. Men were trained as Bible teachers, and several of them, including Liku, began to have a desire to reach Wano in other areas.

There is much more to this story, which you will be able to watch in the upcoming documentary, Ends of the Earth. I can’t wait for you to “meet” the Wano for yourself and see how God is raising up men like Liku with a heart for evangelism, and how MAF is partnering with them to reach others with the good news of Jesus.

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October 8, 2021

Local Nonprofit Featured in Documentary Coming to Treasure Valley Theaters on October 18 and 21

NAMPA, Idaho – Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a global nonprofit Christian organization based in Nampa, is the subject of an inspirational documentary titled, ENDS OF THE EARTH. The movie will be released in 700 theaters nationwide and will be shown in local theaters on October 18 and 21.

The film shares true stories about the lengths MAF pilots and others go to in serving the most isolated people around the world. The documentary, which explores faith, the passion to help others, and how hope emerges from tragedy, was written to challenge and inspire audiences to consider serving the deepest needs of others, whether it is around the globe or right next door.

ENDS OF THE EARTH will be shown locally at the Village Cinema 15 and Cinemark Majestic Cinemas 18, in Meridian, and the Regal Boise Stadium 22. The film will also be released to churches throughout Idaho on the same day as the theatrical release.

Watch the trailer for ENDS OF THE EARTH here

“We believe that every follower of Christ should have a passion for missions,” said Mission Aviation Fellowship President and CEO David Holsten. “Some will be called to go, others will be called to use their gifts to support, and all are called to pray that people will accept the life-changing salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.”

Chris Burgess, MAF’s creative director, is hoping the movie will inspire people to reach out to others. “Maybe that will mean that some people do go overseas and they give their lives to actual missions work. Maybe that means they’ll be involved in some way here supporting that work, or maybe that means that they will cross the street and show the love of Christ to a neighbor.”

The movie includes inspirational messages from Dr. Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute, and David Platt, church leader and author of Radical.

MAF’s key partners in making and distributing this movie include Fathom Events, Collide Media Group and Change Media.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (www.maf.org) was founded in 1945 by WWII pilots who had a vision for using aviation to spread the gospel. Since that time, MAF has grown to a global family of organizations serving in 37 countries across Africa, Asia, Eurasia, Indonesia, and Latin America, supporting the work of missionaries, Bible translators, and relief and humanitarian agencies around the world. MAF’s U.S. headquarters is in Nampa, Idaho.

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For artwork/photos related to ENDS OF THE EARTH visit the Fathom Events press site.

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My sweet friend, Maggie, lives in the jungle among the Fayu people. Her family relies on the MAF floatplane for medicine and food. After months in the tribe, it was time to resupply. Greg flew four hours from MAF’s Merauke base on the South coast so he could make the 30-minute supply run. I prepared a package of fresh English muffins, candy for the kids, and a note of encouragement to send. I was delighted when Greg said, “Actually, there’s an extra seat! Would you like to deliver the package yourself?” Otodemo is one of our more challenging water strips. I gripped my seat as Greg weaved between the trees and touched down on one float in the river bend. Amazing! We are blessed to be a blessing. It is fun to find creative ways to care for and encourage the missionaries we serve.

Our Nabire patio is serving Bible translation work and strengthening the church. Here, Seth meets with Barnabas and Klaus, his Fayu language helpers. Seth is with one organization. Iwan and Maggie are with another. Seth sometimes travels to Otodemo with Iwan and Maggie. Both are focused on the same people group. Pray for the gospel to take root, for the Church to be established. Last month Seth launched a tour of villages, recruiting Fayu helpers for the next Bible story set.

Significant unrest in the Wolani valley has meant no air service of any kind. Troublemakers have moved on and things are returning to normal. The Sunday school kids in Bugalaga sang these words of Thanksgiving when Brian landed: “Yesus adalah penolong kita, dia setia… Sebab itu mari kita memuji dia.”(Jesus is our help. He is faithful. So, let us praise Him!) It is the first time any plane has landed there in six months!

Kegata village received a monetary blessing from the government. They are using it to build a new sanctuary! Brian has made 20 flights so far with plywood, roofing, tile, cement, and nails. Builders went in several weeks ago. The head pastor was away on an evangelism trip, going from village to village. He finally came by road to Nabire and Brian flew him back to Kegata the next day. Boy, was he excited to see progress on the new building.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these firsthand accounts of how the Marx family is able to bless others in Papua. Please pray for them as well as for Maggie and her family in Otodemo, Seth, Barnabas, and Klaus and the Fayu translation work.

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Peter is an MAF pilot serving with his family in Papua, Indonesia. He wrote this story back in March and we’re sharing it here in hopes that it will encourage you. 

It was another beautiful morning in the mountains of Papua, Indonesia, as fellow pilot Tom Bolser and I started our descent into the village of Silimo. Silimo is about an hour flight from Sentani, to the south side of the awe-inspiring mountain ranges that split the island of Papua almost in half horizontally. On board with us were two long-time Western missionaries (20-plus years in Papua), as well as their two national partner translators. Also on board were about 300 kgs (around 300) of Ngalik New Testament Bibles. This team of translators finished the full New Testament translation several years ago and only lack two books of the Old Testament to finish the work.

This was my first MAF flight since arriving back in Papua in late January, after an “adventurous” travel experience from the States and a five-day hotel quarantine in Jakarta. What a great way for me to start off this year of flying in Papua.

After landing, the local villagers quickly unloaded the New Testament Bibles, and a local church leader led us all in a prayer of thanksgiving.

I talked again with the missionary that I brought in that morning, and he reported that all of the Bibles we flew in that day were sold within a week. The Bibles are subsidized 75 percent but they still require the people to contribute a bit so that they truly value them. It had been several years since their last printing and these new copies were received enthusiastically by the Ngalik people.

In the midst of continued COVID-19 challenges, political strife, disappointments, and uncertainties about the future, please take heart that God’s Word continues to go forth throughout the world; and you are making an impact in the lives of new believers and seekers by supporting the work of MAF in Papua.

Thank you!

The post God’s Word Continues to Go Forth appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.