Story by Jennifer Wolf
Photos by Hungry for Life International unless otherwise noted

The prophet Elisha’s servant woke early, went outside, and saw an army of horses and chariots surrounding the city. He cried out to Elisha, “This is hopeless, my master!”

Over two millennia later and more than 6,000 miles away, the people of Haiti feel the same despair.

Gasoline $50 a gallon. A hamburger for $20. An economy paralyzed. Gangs blocking the seaports and the main fuel terminal—no more fuel shipments or food coming in. Hospitals, banks, and stores closing or rationing power. Violent protests. Reports of cholera.

The situation in Haiti is dire.

But, just as God opened the servant’s eyes to see the horses and chariots of fire He had sent to protect them, so God has given MAF and its partners incredible glimpses of the work He has been doing in Haiti.

Zoom out with me, and let’s take a look.

Jehovah-Jireh*

In April 2022, an MAF Caravan carried a group to Anse Rouge, Haiti, a dry, drought-stricken valley sometimes referred to as Platon Gran Dyab (the Devil’s Plateau). On board was a former MAF Haiti pilot, Jason Krul, who now serves with Hungry for Life International (HFLI). He was traveling with a group of donors on a vision trip of sorts to check in on compassion development projects they’d been supporting. It had been two years since they’d been able to visit Haiti, due to COVID and increasing instability within the country.

“I booked these flights quite a long ways in advance because the whole trip hinged on whether I could get an airplane or not,” Jason said. “Being able to rely on a ministry like MAF … that reliability, dependability, but also knowing and trusting the pilots are trained, the airplanes are maintained to a standard … We wouldn’t have done the trip if we didn’t have MAF flights.”

The group was visiting Lemuel Ministries, whose focus is on combatting poverty through holistic development—land and water reclamation, micro business, Christian education, and discipleship training. HFL supports a good portion of Lemuel’s kindergarten and elementary school, and a key donor was among the HFL visitors. 

It was Easter weekend. Every week the church in Anse Rouge prays for rain. It had been six months since they’d had any, and their watering holes were completely empty. Crops were dying, wells were going dry. During the community’s Easter service, the people prayed fervently.

“They prayed like I’ve never seen them pray before for rain,” Jason said.

After lunch, Jason and the HFL team went to tour the micro development project they support. There was a dark, ominous cloud over the mountains, which is common—it rains there but not in the valley. Suddenly the group heard people yelling from the top of the mountain. It had rained so much up there that water was gushing down through natural ravines, following its natural course to the ocean.

Lemuel and community members had built canals to divert water from the ravines to several collection ponds.

“We jumped and ran because we were across where the water would come,” Jason said. “We were able to stand up on a hill and watch water rushing through these canals and filling up massive watering pools. That will provide water for six to eight months again.”

A few minutes later, Jason and his team were talking to Manis and Judy Dilus, the couple behind Lemuel Ministries. Judy commented that the only thing that could possibly be better would be for it to actually rain there, in the valley.

The words were barely out of her mouth when the skies opened up and it started pouring; it rained all night.

These remarkable gifts of water amazed the visitors. “We were genuinely impacted by God’s provision and just the timing of us being there to be able to experience that,” Jason said.

Jehovah-Nissi**

After the HFL team had spent a few days with Lemuel Ministries, MAF picked up the group and flew them from the driest part of the country to the lushest.

To go from Anse Rouge to Jeremie is almost the longest distance you can go across Haiti. But with MAF, it’s just a short flight between the two.

“And when you take the plane, you see it immediately: The ministries that are working there are all different, but they all have the same goal,” Jason added. “It’s an awesome part about partnering with different ministries, like MAF does as well, being able to see the variety of ministry happening.”

Jason had done that flight to Jeremie many times in his former MAF pilot role to serve another long-time MAF partner, and friend, Mark Stockeland, founder of Haiti Bible Mission (HBM).

While in Jeremie, the HFL team saw vivid examples of how God was transforming lives. The group was in a meeting with Mark and some of HBM’s pastors and leaders, when a “prodigal son” returned.

The young man had been part of HBM’s leadership program for 10 years; they’d helped him start a business. Then he began hanging out with the wrong people, squandered everything, and abandoned HBM for a year.

During the meeting, he came knocking on the gate, tearfully begging Mark and his team to take him back and asking for forgiveness. Mark then read the story of the prodigal, and—as he later described it—“we cried and loved on him! Welcomed him back to our family.”

The HFL group also met another young man who’d been helped by Mark’s mission. Houston had been demon possessed and so violent that his family had to chain him to the ground. Mark and his team had prayed over him, and the next day he’d begun to improve. Several days later, Houston had asked for Mark’s team to come and pray for him again so he could ask Jesus into his heart.

“He’s been helping lead a discipleship group and getting involved in the church we helped build,” Mark said.

Jason and the HFL donors had been supporting the new church plant in Houston’s area, and they were excited to meet Houston.

“The guy is 100% normal—complete transformation!” Jason said. “To see a guy that’s gone from complete demon possessed to being on fire for this new church … You just go, wow, God is still working and moving in these communities.”

Arms Lifted

It’s not often that donors get to visit the projects they’ve funded and see the impact of their giving and how lives are being changed. These trips allow them to come alongside the ministries they support, learn what their needs are, and be an encouraging presence.  

Mark Stockeland said, “It’s always a blessing to have teams come and help serve. But it’s even better when it’s a close friend like Jason, who comes and encourages us and helps lift our arms. He knows what it’s like on the mission field, so he gets what we deal with on a daily basis.”

Jason and his team had the unique opportunity to see firsthand how Lemuel Ministries and HBM are striving to meet the needs of the Haitian people while sharing the life-changing love of Christ. Your support for MAF carried them safely to the right place at the right time, so God could show them the wondrous works He was doing.

May you be encouraged by these reports and have eyes to see the “chariots of fire”—God’s provision and protection—in your own life.

*The Lord who provides
**The Lord is my banner 

See page 12 of the “Prayer at Work” section in the full FlightWatch issue below to learn how the Haiti team was affected at the time of this writing.

The post Eyes to See appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

By Natalie Holsten

As the tropical sun beat down on the village of Long Pujungan, young children filed into the church building by ones and twos, freshly bathed and ready to learn.

They gathered at the front of the church, sitting on the floor in a semicircle, little folding desks before them. Their eyes were fixed on Refi, a young man tasked with teaching them the basics of reading and writing.

Refi is one of several young people helping with Hati MAF, or the Heart of MAF ministry, a discipleship initiative started several years ago by MAF and local church leaders in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, to reach remote communities.

Since the early 1970s, MAF has operated in Kalimantan, flying in places that previously took days or weeks to reach by river or overland routes through the mountain rainforest. Through the years, MAF has provided air support for the national church, as well as helping with medevac flights and community development.

Though much has changed in the decades since MAF first began flight service here, one thing remains the same: isolated communities need Jesus.

The need for discipleship

Starting in 2019, several MAF staff began discussing how they could be more strategic in helping the churches interior to be more effective in discipleship.

“The pastors in many of these communities were a bit overwhelmed, not even knowing where to start because of the issues their communities are facing,” said MAF pilot Jeremy Toews. “They specifically requested help from MAF to help bring in teachers, people who can bring in godly Christian teaching and disciple the people.”

Jeremy didn’t know exactly who their partners in a discipleship ministry might be, but as they were praying and discussing how MAF could be involved, one name in particular came up: Esther Adam.

Esther is a longtime friend of MAF, a “frequent flier” who often travels interior in her dual roles as an instructor at a Bible school, and as the head of children and youth for the Indonesian branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) in North Kalimantan.

When MAF staff met with Esther about how MAF might be able to better assist the church’s efforts, she had recently returned from a trip to Long Pujungan, where she met with Pastor Musa, head pastor for the CMA churches in that area.

She knew exactly where MAF could help.

A pastor’s plea

Pastor Musa shared with Esther how burdened he was for his people. Families were hurting, marriages were suffering, children were growing up in church but without discipleship in the home. The family problems he saw were compounded by the presence of drugs in the area, as well as the influence of the internet via smart phones.

In tears, he pleaded with Esther—was there anything she could do to help the people in Pujungan?

Esther was able to bring Pastor Musa’s request to the meeting with MAF, which also included Bob Lopulalang and his wife, Sery, a couple active in children and youth ministry. Bob had recently been part of a team that developed a curriculum specifically for the discipleship of children.

“We decided to focus on three areas: Bob focuses on Sunday school kids and the training for Sunday school teachers, I do the class for parents, and Sery does the class for teens,” Esther said.

With their ministry plan formed, it was decided that the first location would be Long Pujungan, an hour’s flight from the MAF base of Tarakan. MAF’s ability to provide safe and efficient transportation was a key component of the ministry, said Esther, who had experienced the harrowing, days-long river route from Long Pujungan to Tarakan in a long boat. “Without MAF, we for sure couldn’t be here.”

Caring for kids

In the fall of 2019, the new discipleship effort began, with MAF providing flights for six weekend trips into Long Pujungan.

“We asked that Pastor Musa, and the head pastor of the church, and the important people of the village attend the first parenting class we did,” Bob said of the ministry’s early days. “We knew that would have an impact on the others, to have the leaders attend. And they did, they came.”

Bob’s curriculum included not just how to teach children but also focused on how the Bible shows we are to value, nurture, and teach children about Jesus. “We found the parents needed discipleship and encouragement to help their children,” Bob said.

After the first few classes, Bob began to hear stories about how families were impacted, including one family known to be abusive that became more loving to their kids.

“We have heard testimonies from a few families that they shared with others in the village, saying this program really pushed them to care for their kids,” said Bob. “That really encouraged us, we saw the fruit, we saw this program is being used by the Lord.”

Esther was also hearing testimonies from families who were becoming more loving to their kids and less harsh. “Their difficult homes had transformed,” she said. “It’s amazing!”

Unexpected interruptions, new opportunities

The ministry was moving along, until a government runway renovation project shut down the Long Pujungan airstrip for months. Then COVID-19 pandemic restrictions severely limited where MAF could fly.

When restrictions finally lifted and the Long Pujungan airstrip reopened earlier this year, MAF began flying in the ministry teams  again.

As the ministry resumed, it expanded to include early childhood literacy. This was a need the leaders identified early on as they saw that children weren’t reading well, which provided a challenge to Sunday school teachers.

Rindu Siahaan, the office manager for MAF Tarakan, with a background in early childhood literacy, stepped forward and offered his services. He met with leaders in Long Pujungan to make sure they agreed with this new facet of the ministry focused on the children of the village.

“I thought if they don’t have a culture of reading and they don’t know how to read, then how will they know how to read their Bibles well?” Rindu said. “That’s what motivated me to pursue this.”

Rindu provides training to young adults, fresh out of college, like Refi, who volunteer for the program. They are usually sent in pairs for two weeks of intensive teaching with a group of four- to six-year-olds, with the goal of preparing the children for entering elementary school. And they’re seeing results, not just in literacy, but also in the students’ interest in school.

“The second time we met, I asked the teacher, are you seeing a difference in your students? And she said, ‘yes, they have more enthusiasm for learning,’” Rindu shared.

The literacy program has provided a way for other church denominations to be involved in Hati MAF, which has been a desire of the Hati MAF team.

“Rindu’s been very actively recruiting young people from a variety of churches here in Tarakan…that are also very missions-minded,” Jeremy said.

According to Jeremy, having people from different church backgrounds come together united under the banner of discipleship broadens the potential and reach of the ministry. And MAF, with its long history in Kalimantan, is well known and respected in interior communities. Using “MAF” in the Hati MAF name provides a neutral umbrella so that communities know the ministry is something MAF supports and can be trusted.

The word spreads

Word about Hati MAF’s work interior has spread to other villages, and people are asking for the team to bring the ministry to their communities. One such place is Long Belaka, a village two hours upriver from Long Pujungan.

One of the local church leaders, Pastor Sadung, is burdened for the villagers there, and invited members of the Hati MAF team to visit and assess the needs.

“The people there are still tied to their old beliefs,” Pastor Sadung shared. “On one side, they go to church services, on another side, if they have somebody who’s sick, or a child is born, they revert to their ancestral ways to protect themselves from evil spirits.”

On a recent visit to Long Belaka, members of the Hati MAF team saw a deep need for the gospel to impact the village, along with educational and other needs, and will prayerfully consider next steps.

“We have to pray and ask the Lord to lead us in what He wants us to do for this village,” said Esther. “We will wait for what He asks us to do, after that we will move according to what the Lord wants.”

A partnership with donors

Hati MAF is funded through the National Church Subsidy, a funding initiative donors give to that also covers the cost of flights for Bible schools, translation projects, and church conferences.

“For all the people that donate, that support us in prayer as well as financial means, thank you,” said Kalimantan Program Director Tyler Schmidt. “We can’t do this alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

Watch the video of the MAF Hati team’s visit to Long Balaka:

Story ran in the Vol. 3 2022 edition of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here:

The post The Heart of MAF appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

MAF KODIAK PK-MEA is very busy serving the people of Papua, Indonesia. Looking back at one of the MAF pilots’ flight logs shows a variety of ways she has served.

One day she was called for a medevac flight, to pick up a child in Nipsan village who had a piece of wood stuck in his eye. She flew to the village and whisked him away to get medical care. He has healed well after receiving medical treatment in Wamena.

In December she brought a Pioneers missionary couple back to the Nalca area where they had served for so many years before. They spent Christmas with the local churches there and encouraged the people in their Kingdom work.

PK-MEA also helped train one of the new MAF pilots so he could get “checked out” at the remote villages of Sumtamon, Paro, and Kenyam, which means the pilot can now fly by himself and safely land or takeoff at these three villages. The new pilot flew PK-MEA along with the chief pilot and together they tackled each day’s schedule, handling medical evacuations, church flights, or general community flights.

On another day the KODIAK took a load of building materials and food supplies to Soba. From there, she traveled to Obukain where she picked up a missionary family. Then there was a stop to pick up six adults and two babies at Welarek before the airplane continued on to Sentani.

Whew! As you can see, PK-MEA gets a lot done on any given day. From training pilots to helping people stay healthy to transporting missionaries, villagers, and basic necessities.

Did you know you can adopt this KODIAK with a one-time or monthly recurring gift? By doing so you’ll play an important role in sharing Christ’s love with the Papuan people through this airplane.

The post PK-MEA appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

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.

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.

The post Local Nonprofit Featured in Documentary Coming to Treasure Valley Theaters on October 18 and 21 appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

By Natalie Holsten

In the early months of this year, while the world was consumed with the chaos of global events, something amazing was happening in Bina, a small hamlet in the mountains of Papua, Indonesia.

A church was born.

The Dem people, one of many isolated tribes in the range of mountains that traverses the island of New Guinea, were living in spiritual darkness. They did not have the Bible in their own language. They lived in bondage to beliefs about spirits, fearing them and attempting to appease them.

“We have seen the Holy Spirit change the entire demeanor of some of our friends who have lived in fear their whole lives and now have put their faith in Christ and have hope,” shared Jeremiah, one of the expatriate Christian workers serving in Bina.

He, along with his family and three other families, moved as a team into Bina in 2013 to reach the people with the good news of Jesus Christ. Because of the ruggedness of the terrain, the only way in or out of the area is by foot or airplane.

MAF has assisted these families and the Dem people from the beginning of their ministry there, bringing in building supplies, food, and the families themselves.

“It’s been a privilege to be working alongside of the team there in Bina,” MAF Papua program director Mike Brown said. “It has been over eight years getting to this point, and MAF has been part of supporting them all along.”

My husband David made dozens of flights into Bina, and I was always anxious to hear how the families, who had become our friends, were doing as they progressed in learning the language and culture of the Dem.

“I would often fly into Bina following a flight into another village where there was already a gospel understanding. And the contrast was stark,” David said. “There was this pervasive sense of brokenness that was palatable. All of us were united by a sense of faith that in the future God, in his timing, would bring light to that area.”

Our family visited Bina several years ago, after diverting there when our original destination was covered by clouds. I was glad for the chance to visit and see the place I had heard so much about. As I stood with my friends on the grass airstrip, we looked across the valley to where a completely different people group lived. My friend explained how even though geographically it’s not that far, the languages are vastly different.

For the families who moved in to work with the Dem, the process of church planting is a long haul, a “marathon, not a sprint,” one of them related. Step one was to master the language, while also absorbing the culture. As the team learned enough language, they translated portions of scripture, checking them with Dem language helpers for clarity and accuracy. They also held literacy classes to teach the Dem to read and write in their heart language.

This whole process took eight years, until the day arrived when they could begin a chronological teaching of 70 lessons that cover “creation to Christ.” The teaching would take three and a half months, starting in Genesis and concluding with the ascension of Christ and the early church.

In anticipation of the teaching, last December two MAF families, the Hamstras and the Browns, flew to Bina to assist in building a “meeting place” or teaching facility that would become the hub of activity for the team as they shared the story of God’s love and plan for this fallen world.

“It was amazing to see the Dem people so curious about what was going on,” shared Angie Hamstra. “The families had been telling them that this new gathering place was for them. They would be teaching ‘God’s talk’ and that these words are for everyone. These words are for every person, whether they have more than one wife, those who don’t have ‘church clothes,’ those who smoke, those who are poor and those who are rich. The Dem people have had a skewed vision on Christianity and church in the past, so they are not calling this a church. It is a gathering place. It is free and it will tell them about true freedom in Christ.”

The teaching launched mid-January with an estimated 500 in attendance. Many of the Dem tribe live in outlying villages and hiked miles over muddy mountain trails to hear the teaching. Special MP3 recorders were used to record the teachings and were distributed among the people to enable those who couldn’t attend to hear the lessons, and for others to listen again to “God’s talk” in their huts or as they take a break in their gardens.

Several of the lessons brought immediate responses from the Dem, evidence of the light beginning to break through the darkness. The teachings started with the creation of the world, and after the lesson about how God created man and woman, the men responded. The idea of woman being lovingly created by God as a companion for man is totally counter to what Dem culture believes.

The team members report that the men say women are like animals or don’t have brains so it’s ok to beat them if they don’t have food ready for their husbands. “In the past we were lied to,” the Dem men said. But now they were hearing the “true talk.”

Jeremiah shared how the Dem think a certain frog is a “spirit” and they fear it and won’t touch it. “After the teaching…one of these frogs jumped out next to me and they started calling it a spirit again until one tribal guy came up and said, ‘No, It’s not a spirit. Remember what we have been learning? All these things were created by the Creator, and when he created them, He did not create them with a soul or spirit. They are just animals. We do not need to be afraid of them.’ Of course, I was thrilled to hear this, and the man was still afraid to touch it, but baby steps here are very encouraging. Little nuggets of truth planted in their minds, causing them to question what they’ve believed their whole lives is all we are doing, and letting the Holy Spirit do what He does.”

After the lesson on John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus, a Dem man came up and said to team member Dylan, “I don’t speak for the other people here, but I am a bad person. I just do bad things all the time.” He started to cry and then said, “I want Jesus’ blood to wash away my sins!” Dylan was in tears as he put his arm around him and told him to just wait and he’ll see what happened.

Dylan’s wife Angie shared about another Dem, an elderly man named Kayus who has been a ‘pastor’ in the Dem region for decades. “He had attended a school in a different tribe as a young man and learned some things about the Bible, but it was all in a completely different language than his and he has some very skewed ideas about the Bible now,” she said. “We were really praying that he would respond well to the teaching and not be offended by the things he was hearing as they were quite opposite to what he’s been teaching for years. This week he said, ‘A long time ago I went to school and I heard, but I didn’t really understand. Now I am hearing, and I understand!’”

One Dem man, Mese, testified to how the teaching was affecting his everyday life. He told Dylan, “I remember you told us to talk about God wherever we are, not just in the teaching time. The other day I was fixing my fence and it stopped raining and I saw a rainbow and I remembered God’s promise to Noah. And last week I was walking to Sinak with my friends and for the first hour we just talked about random things, but then I said, ‘Let’s talk about God.’ So we spoke about God’s talk for the next four hours.”

Then Mese said, “We Dem people are like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, but God sent you four (families) to us to tell us about Him so we can be saved. You told us that God told you to come to Papua and then you said, ‘Where should we go?’ and God showed you the Dem people so that you could tell us about Him. If you hadn’t told us, we would die like the people back then, but if we believe God’s talk, He saves us.”

After the teaching on Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, Angie said her friend Joragal left after the lesson but showed up at their house several hours later, “just beaming and telling us how she believed Jesus suffered and died for her to save her. She would go from tears over remembering what Jesus suffered to big smiles saying, ‘He led me here to hear this talk and He saved me! I’m just so happy!’”

It’s the prayer of many that the Dem church will continue to grow, and believers will be added and discipled into maturity. MAF will continue to be there for them, providing the necessary flights to continue the work.

“MAF has been an incredible blessing to us families living interior,” Dem team member Melanie said. “From regular flights of supplies, flights in and out of the tribe, to medevacs. We are so very thankful to have a mission organization that backs us up and that we trust for safety for our families’ and tribal friends’ flights.”

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Just before 7 a.m. at his home in Maseru, Lesotho, Matthew Monson pops the hood on his car and sprays the engine with Quick Start so it will turn over. His wife and three young children are barely stirring as he backs out into the street and waits for the iron  gate topped with barbed wire to close behind him. Matthew, an MAF pilot and country director, drives to the MAF hangar to start what will likely be a busy day serving the isolated people and communities of this tiny African kingdom.

Later that morning, MAF chaplain Sefiri Seepheephe walks into the hangar. Skylights in the tin roof illuminate the area as local Basotho teammates maintain four Cessna 206s. Sefiri is hugging a manila envelope. It contains something that he, Matthew, and the rest of the team have been waiting on for a very long time.

Reaching Kuebunyane

Several years ago, Matthew and Sefiri visited Kuebunyane, one of the places MAF serves in the mountains. There, they shared a message from God’s Word with the community, and the village chief liked what he heard. He pointed to a spot next to the airstrip and told them that’s where he wanted them to build a church.

“Our people need this message that you’re bringing,” said the chief. “We have so many issues. We have so much fighting. This Word that you’re bringing is a word of peace and of God, and that’s what we want.”

A melting pot of Christianity, ancestral worship, witchcraft, and cultural traditions resides in the hearts of the people living in these remote mountains. Because MAF is here, the people have an opportunity to hear the gospel

Kuebunyane is one of the most difficult places to reach in Lesotho.

“It’s the isolated of the isolated,” said Matthew. “A full day of driving from Maseru would position you on the opposite side of a river valley. It would require a two-thousand-foot descent on foot, passage across a river, and the grueling ascent to arrive there.”

In contrast, the MAF airplane reaches Kuebunyane in 27 minutes.

Matthew and Sefiri and some local pastors returned several times in 2015. Plans were made for one of those pastors to lead the church once it was built, but that pastor passed away unexpectedly from health complications.

And, come to find out, the chief with whom Matthew and Sefiri had a relationship was not the actual chief—he was a stand-in for another who was not yet old enough.

Things appeared to be falling apart, and Matthew thought the opportunity was gone.

A Long Commitment

While the progress on the church seemed to be at a standstill, MAF kept flying Sefiri to Kuebunyane so he could continue to minister to the new believers there. He also spent time getting to know the up-and-coming chief.

Sefiri grew up in these mountains and he knew this young man’s life was in danger from a possible assassination attempt until he officially became the chief. Sefiri urged him to leave the village.

In the meantime, Matthew received a call from one of his supporters in America who wanted to fundraise for the church building project.

There was still the issue of the paperwork and the final lease, but God was keeping the dream alive.

A couple years went by and the young man returned to Kuebunyane to take his rightful place as chief. He phoned Sefiri and thanked him for saving his life.

A Dream Realized

Sefiri walks over to Matthew in the hangar and hands him the manilla envelope. It’s been three years since the paperwork was submitted for the land in Kuebunyane—six years since Matthew’s first visit there. And now he holds the official lease in his hands.

“From the moment I arrived in Lesotho, this has been a story that God has opened my eyes to—Kuebunyane. That’s where God has drawn my heart,” said Matthew. “And if you would ever ask me, ‘Where do you want to see the gospel go?’ Kuebunyane, that was number one.”

Construction started right away this past December, and Matthew and Sefiri have been interviewing and training two potential pastoral couples to lead the church. It’s been a slow process due to the surge of COVID-19 throughout the country. Yet they press on because supporting this church plant in Kuebunyane aligns perfectly with the entire team’s goal of making disciples and supporting existing believers.

“I’ve seen God endure at this location, said Matthew. “It’s been a battle. But at this point, we’re just about to open the door and let God’s light shine into this valley.

“God’s going to do a big thing.”

##

Update: The church building was completed and an LFP pastoral couple started serving there full-time in 2021. Masheane and his wife, Mats’epang, teach God’s word, disciple new believers, help strengthen marriages and families, and engage in sports ministry. God continues to do a “big thing” there.

This story appeared in the May 2021 issue of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here:

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“My baby’s dying. Can you help?”

Stephen and Carolyn, missionaries among the Moi people in a remote village of Papua, Indonesia, were often awakened at night by desperate cries like the one above. The couple has lived and worked with the Moi people since 2000. They and their own two children were far from any medical center, or any other modern convenience, for that matter.

“We maybe had some trauma from years of being here and going through times where the ‘plague’ or something would go through … we’d have a lot of babies dying, people sick,” said Stephen.

Today, there’s a clinic in the Moi village—and an elementary school. There are Christian nurses, and teachers. An airstrip, completed in 2008, opened the doors for all of this.

“We’ve worked very close with MAF through the years and we’re so thankful, said Stephen. “Everything that’s happened in here is because of what these flight services have offered us. The Moi themselves have benefited, not only from medicine but also physical material things as well.”

And the Moi have benefited from the couple’s presence as well. They’ve learned to read in their tribal language. They’ve learned about “God’s Story” and how the creator of the universe loved them and gave His life for them.

“God’s word has changed everything for them,” said Stephen.

The Moi lived in fear of evil spirits, in fear of death. They’ll tell you, “‘Satan blinded our eyes. He blinded the eyes of our ancestors. We were living in darkness. We had no hope,’“ said Stephen. “A lot of things they believed in their old culture—they were, of course, uneducated—but it’s because Satan blinded their eyes. I think to some degree it incapacitated them. They couldn’t think logically about a lot of things.”

But as soon as the Moi received the gospel, and with the Holy Spirit living inside of them, Stephen says it was almost immediate: they started thinking logically.

“We’ve seen some physical and material things that have taken place because of that too. That kind of leads into the school and medicine as well,” added Stephen. “Once the scriptural foundation was there, these other things fell into place quite naturally and they were ready for that change.”

Increasing Health

The local clinic—called the Siloam Clinic—ensures the health of the students and their families, as well as other Moi in surrounding areas. One key way it’s helping is by providing immunizations.

“As foreigners we’re not able to get these immunizations,” explained Carolyn. “But because they’re national, they’re able to get those from the health department. Their whole program of immunization has been wonderful, for the babies and children.“

The medical staff have been able to address some of the bigger health issues, too, like malaria.

“It’s nearly an epidemic,” said Dr. David, who heads up the clinic here.

The medical team spends time educating the people on how to lead healthier lives. That includes telling them how to avoid getting malaria. One way is to change out the water barrels around their homes every few days to avoid mosquito larva from being able to hatch.

The parents have learned how to provide good, nutritious food for their kids, and all have learned about good hygiene—guarding their health that way.

Without medical help, the population of the Moi people would decline because they wouldn’t be able to address their medical issues. “Without MAF,“ Dr. David says, “we cannot be here. We couldn’t operate the clinic.

“If you have somebody in an emergency situation with medical health needs, the nearest clinic, if we weren’t here, would take three days of hiking and a day-long boat trip to get to. But with MAF, they can get to the nearest medical facility within 30 minutes.

“In order for us to be able to function here, either as the school or the clinic, MAF is playing a key role in that. MAF brings the medicine from the nearby city of Nabire so we can distribute. MAF is not only bringing our food supplies but also mosquito nets that we can give to the people. Everything we need MAF is providing for us in a very, very good, efficient way.”

Growing in Character

“My hope for the children of the school here is that they’ll continue to grow in Christ and will have a good future—a bright future,” said Inai, one of the young teachers at the Moi school, Lantern of Hope (SLH).

“SLH is different. Our focus is not only teaching academics, but we also focus on the character of the children,” added Melani, who teaches 1st grade.

The children have changed quite a bit since classes started in 2016. At first, they had a hard time obeying their teachers, and they had a hard time working together. But the classroom activities have helped the children learn to work together, and they’ve learned to respect and listen to their teachers.

Another big change for the children is that they’ve learned to speak Indonesian—the official trade language of the country. They’re even helping their parents understand Indonesian.

Yume, who also teaches 1st grade, hopes the children will continue to be enthusiastic about learning in school, and always humble. “Because I really believe they will become leaders of Papua in the future. That they’ll be people who fear the Lord, respect the Lord, honor the Lord.”

Filled with Joy

Nineteen years after they arrived to live with the Moi, things have changed for Stephen and Carolyn as well. With the clinic there and the people being healthier in general, those nighttime visits are rare now.

But more importantly, the Moi are absorbing God’s Word and growing in their faith. And that’s evident by the conversations they have with them.

“There’s just a joy that permeates the whole community,” said Stephen. “Anytime we want, we can walk out to our yard, talk to anybody passing through and they’ll just stop and talk about God,” said Stephen.

“The women, especially, often come by the house and share with me what they were reading last night, throughout the night,” said Carolyn. “One of the most important things for them to own is a flashlight. They use the time in their huts at night to be able to read God’s word.”

“It’s been really thrilling for us to see how God’s word has gone forth,” added Carolyn. “And I love that verse that says, people and their beauty will fade away, but God’s word lasts forever. And we’ve really seen that to be true here where it’s really moving people’s lives and changing lives.”

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How one pilot saw it all come together

Every new South African commercial pilot has a rite of passage: to visit Lanseria International Airport to hand a resume to as many companies as possible. Grant Strugnell made this pilgrimage in 2005, when he was ready to switch jobs and itching to fly bigger, cooler planes. As he drove around the airport that day looking for places to drop off his resume, he noticed a sign that said Mission Aviation Fellowship.

It was Grant’s first introduction to MAF, and he was ready to sign up then and there. As a Christian and a commercial pilot, he was sure they would want him right now. Little did he know that it would be 13 years until he would actually be ready. After a few interviews, tests and discussions, MAF South Africa nudged Grant in what he describes as a wise and safer direction: Get some life experience, they said, before you go alone to fly a plane in a far-away land.

A year or so later, Grant had resigned from his job as a flight instructor and was setting out for a non-aviation volunteer position in the mountains of Lesotho. “I’ll do this for a year,” he told himself (without irony). “Then back to MAF, because I’ll be ready.”

Two years later, Grant was still working as an administrator at Semonkong Children’s Centre. He ended up doing almost everything—buying food, fixing things, playing with kids, etc. Every now and again an MAF plane would land, bringing a doctor, and Grant would reset his resolve to be that MAF pilot one day.

Overriding Grant’s time at Semonkong Children’s Centre was his hope to somehow improve just one child’s life through a game, special attention, or a church service. Children’s church in Lesotho is a whole lot of kids, singing, clapping hands, and singing worship songs. One child, the youngest girl in the whole Centre, stood quietly at Grant’s side, gently holding his hand. She was the shyest, so Grant picked her out to make sure she got some attention, which was so often stolen by the cute, loud, extroverted kids.

Fast forward 10 years. After founding an orphanage called Pulane Children’s Centre and flight instructing, Grant and Emily Strugnell join MAF in 2017 and are assigned to Lesotho, where Grant is a pilot and Emily manages Pulane Children’s Centre. Grant is that pilot, like the one he saw flying the MAF plane so many years ago at Semonkong, and now he is the one engaging in the life-saving ministry of MAF in Lesotho.

In July 2020, Grant received a call from the lady who now runs the Semonkong Children’s Centre. She sounded pretty desperate: “Hi, Jill told me I could contact you. We have a child who needs to get to Maseru as fast as possible for a blood transfusion. We can’t drive as the mountain pass has snow and our car might not make it. Can you help?”

Grant was the on-call pilot. He had just arrived home from getting the plane ready for the day. As soon as she hung up, Grant was getting in the car and heading back to the airport. He didn’t know yet if MAF could help, but he knew he should at least start moving in that direction.

This was an unusual call. MAF normally receives calls through the mountain health clinics, with an official go-ahead from the Department of Health, who pays for the flights. Regardless, Grant knew the team could figure out those issues after the child was safe. With permission from the MAF country director to do the flight and figure out the rest later, Grant was on his way.

Semonkong is a short flight, only 25 minutes. MAF aircraft very rarely go to the clinic there because there is a good road between Semonkong and the big hospital in Maseru. This day, with the road covered in snow, was a special situation.

Grant’s plane touched down in Semonkong exactly one hour after receiving the call. The Children’s Centre director arrived soon afterwards, from the clinic, along with the child and a house mother. The child, a girl of about 15 years old, was anemic, and had some complications with her kidneys.

As he was loading them up, Grant asked for the girl’s name. They struggled to remember her English name. Most English names are used just for the sake of Westerners who struggle so much with Sesotho. So, Grant asked for her Sesotho name, and then it all clicked.

“Her English name is Margaret,” Grant exclaimed. This was the shy little girl who had stood by him in that church service! She has been at the Centre all this time. Grant instantly felt a deep connection to this patient. No patient is more important than any other, but Grant felt his eyes opened to how valuable and precious each life is. It is easy to lose that perspective when dealing with dozens of patients. This one reminded Grant that each one has history. Each one was once a small child, shy or extroverted, raised in a village or a Children’s home.

By evening, Margaret had been admitted to the hospital in Maseru and was receiving treatment. Her condition required several blood transfusions. Grant and Emily appealed to the MAF staff for prayer and for blood donations. Three times, MAF staff members gave blood for Margaret. Praise God that because of the treatment, Margaret was discharged from the hospital and returned home to Semonkong the next week.

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Carolyn Monson ran her hands across colorful bolts of fabric, admiring the new designs. As she made a pile of her favorites, her three children scurried about the store, weaving in and out of fabric displays.

At the counter, the owner greeted her warmly and they exchanged a few words in Sesotho. The children moved in behind the counter, expectantly, and he plopped colorful buttons in their outstretched hands. They enjoyed these regular outings as much as Carolyn did—outings that provided a bridge to the people and culture of Lesotho.

Carolyn is a stay-at-home mom to three while her husband, Matt, is an MAF pilot/mechanic and program manager in Maseru, Lesotho. Carolyn says that from the beginning, they’ve had a shared vision to immerse themselves in the culture, to befriend and minister to the Basotho people.

One way that Carolyn has found to do that also happens to tap into one of her passions. Carolyn had earned an art studio degree in mixed media, including textiles, and God has opened doors for her to use her talents to help Basotho women crafters.

An expat missionary friend introduced her to ‘M’e (mother) Puseletso, a woman who loves to sew. Carolyn asked ‘M’e Puseletso to make some items for her out of the bright, patterned Seshoeshoe fabric, which is popular throughout the culture.

Between ‘M’e Puseletso’s skilled hands, Carolyn’s creative designs, and the vibrant colors, something beautiful emerged.

“We started out making bags, and as I wore them around town, people began asking me about them,” explained Carolyn. “Over the years, it’s developed. Now we’re making smaller bags and table runners, aprons, ornaments.”

Today ‘M’e Puseletso’s hand-made items are for sale in the MAF gift shop in the U.S. And a local orphanage in Maseru purchases them for its short-term volunteers. The Monsons and other MAF staff members, and their expat friends, purchase them as gifts for their supporters.

It’s been a huge blessing to ‘M’e Puseletso, who is unable to work outside her home due to health problems. The sewing projects have created sustainable income for her, and she was able to support her son through college. Now he has a good job and is able to give back.

Carolyn recalls one of the verses the Lord gave her before they came to Lesotho, and how it applies to pursuing ministry opportunities. “Commit your way to the Lord. Trust in him. And he will act” (Psalm 37:5).

“We can have an idea of our own and we can step out and pursue it,” said Carolyn. “But without the Lord’s blessing or His direction in enabling that, you’re not going to get anywhere.

“I had this idea and didn’t really know what to do with it. But by being faithful, in pressing in and putting my time into this, He has blessed the path that we’re walking, and then provided people who are interested in buying the product. And so, I see his blessing in that.”

After her latest purchase, Carolyn washed the fabrics and then hung them outside on the line to dry. The next morning she buckled her two daughters into their car booster seats and drove across town to deliver the material to ‘M’e Puseletso.

The girls played together while the two friends strategized about designs and sorted out the order details. Of course, there was time to catch up on each other’s lives as well. ‘M’e Puseletso heard all about the new baby bunnies at the Monsons’ home.

“We’ve become like sisters,” said Carolyn, which is a sentiment echoed by ‘M’e Puseletso.

With Lesotho’s high unemployment and so many people struggling to make ends meet, Carolyn feels this is one way she’s been able to help—by getting behind ‘M’e Puseletso and local other crafters.

Carolyn also discovered a weaving center about forty-five minutes outside of town. It employs several women who weave, and

sew, and make lovely crafts. Carolyn coordinates transport of their products to MAF’s U.S. headquarters, where they’re for sale in the gift shop.

“I just really love to support women that are doing crafts and making a living off the arts,” said Carolyn.

Whenever her parents or others visit, Carolyn enjoys taking them to the weaving center. It not only provides a nice drive out of the city, but it also allows the guests to observe the ladies as they’re weaving and sewing.

When visitors see a woman and hear her story, and know their purchase will directly help, Carolyn says, “People are excited to participate in that.”

Whether she’s partnering with local crafters, providing hospitality in her home, or taking care of her family—which includes homeschooling her oldest now—Carolyn says it comes back to continually asking the Lord: “What do you want? Where do you want me to serve today?”

It’s this pattern of relying on the Lord daily for His strength and guidance that allows her to keep pressing into the culture during the different seasons of motherhood and ministry.

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