By Jeanelle Reider

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COMMISSIONED

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

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

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

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

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

READY FOR SERVICE!

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

FIRST FLIGHTS

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

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

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

MORE TO COME!

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

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

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

By Jeanelle Reider

You wouldn’t know it by Mama Celestine’s face.

As she enters her immaculate 7×10 foot mud hut, an infant strapped to her back, her serene smile warms up the room.

You wouldn’t know it from Papa Mambo either. He follows his wife into their home, ducking under the low tarp roof. His gentle voice fills the space with peace.

Their visitor glances at the bright-colored clothes strung along the wall and thinks, “There’s beauty here.”

You would never guess the ashes from which it rose. 

Violence comes near

In February of 2018, ash filled the skies near the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Violence—fueled by a tangled mix of motivations—had once again visited the people. Scores were driven into the bush as their villages burned.

In the weeks that followed, thousands of people made their way to the city of Bunia, where makeshift camps sprang up overnight.

They arrived heartbroken, destitute, maimed.

As torrential downpours drenched the survivors, they stretched tarps over sticks anchored in oozing mud and wondered where their next bite of food would come from.

In the village of Nyankunde—an eight-minute MAF airplane flight away—staff serving in MAF’s East DRC program began raising funds to purchase and deliver food, firewood, and other essentials for the internally displaced people (IDPs). MAF chaplain Pastor Bisoke oversaw the buying of food and organized local church members to cook meals, while the team visited and brought encouragement.

Much of this was out of their comfort zone. And they questioned how effective MAF’s small efforts could be in the face of such overwhelming need.

But Pastor Bisoke distilled it down to this: “My heart is here with these vulnerable people. I want to suffer with them. I want to cry with them. This is the work God is sending me to do.”

God had brought the need into MAF’s “back yard.” What else could they do?

Still breathing

In the months that followed, town after town in the northeastern regions of Ituri and North Kivu succumbed to the onslaught of brutality.

Tché was one of those towns. Caught up in a wave of local massacres that began in June 2019, its houses were burned. Its health clinic was destroyed. Its people were mercilessly killed in a frenzied torrent of guns, knives, and machetes.

One day, Mama Celestine found herself lying among the dead.

Through a translator, she told her story. “They cut my arm. I collapsed among the dead people. Then when people came to bury the dead bodies, they found out that I was really not dead. They took me to the hospital, and they removed the arm that had been cut.”

Mama Celestine, Papa Mambo, and their five children eventually made it to one of the IDP camps in Bunia.

More than a stopgap

By the time Mama Celestine and her family arrived, a lot had changed in MAF’s ministry to the IDPs.

Pastor Bisoke and his MAF co-workers had hired sewing teachers and started a sewing class for women desperate for hope and a means to support their families. Through the generosity of U.S. churches and compassionate donors, MAF had purchased fabric, supplies, and sewing machines.

Seeing that no one else was addressing the trauma of the IDPs, they had also hired counselors to help minister to the emotional and spiritual needs of those traumatized by unimaginable atrocities. And they had built a wood-and-tin-roof building for the sewing and counseling activities.

Though humanitarian organizations had eventually stepped in to meet basic needs, MAF continued to provide supplemental food for malnourished children and pregnant women as well as simple medications to dispense through some of the counselors.

What had begun as a stopgap measure was starting to grow into a robust ministry in three separate camps in Bunia.

Forcing its way in

In the spring of 2021, the violence that had stormed into MAF’s “back yard” three years earlier now forced its way into the “house.”

On April 16, fighting broke out between the DRC military and local militia near the MAF base in Nyankunde. MAF pilots spent the next three days flying planeloads of expat missionary families and others to safety in Bunia. Then, MAF evacuated its own team as well.

Some of MAF’s Congolese staff—along with most of the 25,000 residents of Nyankunde—had already fled into the bush or to nearby villages.  A few of the men courageously elected to stay in Nyankunde after the evacuation to help protect MAF property and be a presence of hope for the few villagers who remained.

Over the next few weeks, MAF made the difficult decision to relocate indefinitely to Bunia.

The Lord had kept all of our Congolese co-workers safe from physical harm, but many of them grieved the loss of crops and household belongings—besides the emotional trauma of having to process yet another occasion of violence, threats, and uncertainties that had continued since a horrific attack on Nyankunde in 2002.

The stories they could tell

Each displaced person who enters the camps in Bunia brings a story with them.

Some stories whisper God’s power and grace strong and clear above the mayhem of violence from which they’ve emerged:

• Murefu, whose 13-year-old son was shot and killed after an attack on his village, is now a respected leader of one of the smaller communities into which his camp is divided.
• Mama Vive steadfastly continues with the Lord after losing her husband, mother, and children in an attack on her home town. She credits her mental and emotional healing to the ministry of the MAF sewing class.
• Then there’s the ex-militia camp liaison who had a radical conversion to Christ and now, through the mentorship of Pastor Bisoke, is training to become a pastor.

Other stories still await God’s intervention. Desperate women who have turned to prostitution, stuck in a Catch-22 between self-preservation and self-respect. The vengeful who have stopped believing in a just God. The raped and abused cowering in fear.

The power of lament

With little formal education and an abundance of faith, the counselors—many of whom process tragedies of their own—willingly minister to each person God puts before them.

The trauma they seek to address is multilayered and complicated.

Annaliese Jacobsson, daughter-in-law of MAF’s East DRC program director Dave Jacobsson and his wife, Donna, traveled to the DRC in February. While there, she visited all three IDP camps where MAF is serving.

Annaliese has a master’s degree in social work, with a minor in refugee studies. Most of her clients in the U.S. are experiencing either complex trauma or short-term trauma.

She cites research that shows that trauma in IDP and refugee camps is not only past, it’s also current. People are not always welcome in their new community. Ethnic conflicts are still alive and well, even inside the camps. Women and girls who must venture far from their homes to find a bathroom and privacy are at risk for sexual violence.

Then there’s the social reality of family breakdown and domestic violence as people expend monumental effort simply staying alive.

During her visit, Annaliese presented a two-day trauma-focused training for the MAF counselors, sewing teachers, camp liaisons, and others. Her goal was to give them tools both for their work with the IDPs and for their own healing.

Part of the training focused on how to allow oneself to feel the pain while also being anchored in the love of God and in community.

Annaliese explained, “As Christians we have the practice of lament for a reason. The Psalms and Job and Jesus’ story give us really beautiful roadmaps on how to feel these things well, without being consumed by them to the point of despair.”

When asked what she would like readers of FlightWatch to understand, she answered that it can be very difficult for the western culture to sit in pain—it makes us uncomfortable. She hopes that people will “just remember. Remember that the conflict in Congo is not over.”

God of justice

Throughout the crisis, MAF staff have sought ways to creatively and compassionately demonstrate to those in distress, “We see you. We grieve with you. We look to Jesus with you.”

In December, MAF staff member Sheryl Strietzel shared information from Christian psychologist David Riddell’s “Living Wisdom” course during the IDP workers’ monthly retreat.

The group was reminded that, though life may not be fair and just, God is just. He sees, and He will vindicate. They absorbed the truth that cycles of retaliation can only be stopped when we see perpetrators of evil as victims held captive by Satan’s lies, and that only knowing the Truth (Jesus) can set them free.

These are difficult concepts for any wronged person to assimilate. How much more so for those who have experienced violence beyond what most of us can fathom?

Yet those who attended received the teaching with tender hearts. They left deeply encouraged and invited Sheryl to return for future presentations.

Can you see it?

Mama Celestine thanks her visitor, Sheryl, for coming to her home.

She stands up from the bench and, with her good arm, deftly tightens the ties around her baby. With the other, she props him in place.

She walks through the door and out into the sunlight, down the dirt road, past a circle of boys juggling a ball on the backs of their hands. She greets a young woman washing a garment in a metal bucket.

At a building marked “MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP,” she stops. Even before she enters, she hears the happy banter.

Inside, women sit on wooden benches crocheting hunter green trim on white cloth swatches. Others pull bright-colored fabric through hand-cranked sewing machines.

The women make room for her, and Mama Celestine sees it on every face: Beauty, rising from ashes.

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Story appeared in the FlightWatch Vol. 3 (summer) 2022 issue:

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

When John and Joanne* first heard about asset-based giving, they dismissed the idea, thinking, “Well, we don’t have anything.”

For years, God had been growing in them a heart for missions. As a young adult, Joanne had traveled to visit missionary friends in Papua New Guinea. While there, she flew on a tiny airplane to a village in the middle of the jungle. When the missionary pilot announced that they were going to land, she glanced out the window at the handful of huts and thought, ”There’s no place to land!” Then she noticed a small dirt area the size of a toothpick.

Joanne remembers, “Well, we landed on that toothpick and it was just wide enough for the plane.”

Joanne was struck by how much the villagers, and the missionaries who lived with them, relied on that little airplane: “It was their only contact with the outside world.”

Soon after John and Joanne got married, they took a trip to Ecuador to see where MAF pilot Nate Saint and four other missionaries had given their lives to bring the good news to the Waorani people.

For John, it was a turning point. “As soon as I saw that, I was hooked by MAF.”

Later, the two of them had an opportunity to become part of the support team for MAF missionaries Doug and Karin Allrich. They supported them for about 30 years, during which time they also made donations to other MAF funds. Through the years, their appreciation for MAF’s ministry grew.

In Joanne’s words, “It’s just wonderful that MAF is meeting both the spiritual and the physical needs of people—it’s the whole person.”

A step of faith

Over time, John and Joanne became intrigued by the idea of using more of their resources to support MAF, but they couldn’t see a way to do it.

Then God showed them an opportunity.

About 34 years ago, Joanne and her sister inherited a farm from their parents, who had been deeply missions minded and generous in supporting missions. When the time came years later to sell the farm, John and Joanne hoped that somehow they could use their portion of the farm to benefit missions, specifically MAF.

But they hesitated, thinking, “We might run out of money, you know, old age and health problems.” They asked God, “Is this really okay to do?”

John shared, “It was easy to procrastinate, and we finally said, ‘If we’re going to do something with MAF, let’s do it now where we can enjoy knowing that it happened.”

So they reached out to Aaron Bear, MAF Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, who offered them a solution that would benefit both MAF and them. Through prayer, and with the affirmation of their financial planner, they decided to step out in faith.

Working closely with Joanne and John’s attorney and CPA, Aaron walked them through the process of putting their farm into a charitable remainder trust, with MAF serving as the trustee. The property was then sold through the trust, tax free. MAF is the remainder beneficiary of the trust, and John and Joanne will receive income through the trust for the rest of their lives.

Blessed to be a blessing

In September 2021, at the invitation of Aaron Bear, John and Joanne shared their story before a crowd of MAF supporters at the President and Board Summit.

The last thing in the world they wanted to do was draw attention to themselves. Joanne explained, “This is God’s ministry, and God has blessed us to be a blessing. So we don’t want any attention.”

But they knew their story might inspire others who, like them, may not have been aware of the giving opportunities that are available.

They were delighted by the responses they received afterward. As John talked about those conversations, his face lit up. “I’m just glad that some people could say, ‘We can do that!’ That’s what is exciting.”

Joanne and John hope more people join them in bringing help, hope, and healing to isolated people by exploring the many creative asset-based giving opportunities that are available through MAF.

You can find out more here or by contacting MAF at 1-800-261-7280 or plannedgiving@maf.org.

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*Names have been changed.

The post Thinking Outside the Box appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

By Jeanelle Reider

Jake and Ada Breugem had no doubt God had called their daughter and her family to serve with MAF in the South American country of Suriname. But that didn’t make it easy to let them go.

As they thought about the moment when they would have to say goodbye to Miriam and Peter De Winkle and their five children, a sea of emotions crashed up against their bedrock faith. What do we do? We love them so much, and we will miss the grandchildren so much! How can we do this?

Great expectations

At the age of nine, Miriam had told her mom and dad that God had called her to be a missionary overseas. They had been delighted.

But years later, Miriam fell in love with Peter. He, like Miriam, had a strong heart for missions, but he believed God’s plan for him was to marry, have kids, and run a dairy, as his parents, Bert and Tina, had done.

Peter and Miriam got married, and Miriam and her parents concluded that God must be asking them to adjust their understanding of His call on Miriam’s life.

Peter continued to be heavily involved in the operations of his parents’ dairy farm, fully expecting that he would remain a farmer for the rest of his life. But then, in Peter’s words, “God just turned that on its head.”

Through a series of events, God surprised Peter with a new calling: serve with MAF as a pilot/mechanic. Now it was Peter’s parents who were being asked to release a dearly-held hope for one of their children and to trust God for a new direction.

Mixed emotions

On October 25, 2019, Jake, Ada, Bert, and Tina were seated in an auditorium at MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho. They had joined other families and friends who were there to see their loved ones commissioned for service with MAF.

Ada was overcome with a sense of peace. She thought to herself, “It cannot be better.”

It’s likely, however, that there were others in the room who did not share that same peace.

As MAF president David Holsten reminds families and friends during these send-offs, “There can be a sort of heaviness that surrounds it as well. Maybe you’re bringing some anxiety, some fear. I just want you to know if that’s what you’re experiencing, it’s really normal. We’ve all felt that mix of emotions at times.”

Ada herself admits, “We can talk easily about it now. But it was really not easy to bid them farewell.”

Shortly after Peter and Miriam and their five children arrived in Suriname, the entire family came down with Dengue fever. Barely settled in an unfamiliar country, they suffered through high fevers, rashes, and muscle and joint pain—unable, for a while, to even communicate with their parents.

Bert and Tina had learned years earlier, when one of their sons had suffered a severe brain injury, that their children belonged to God, not to them. Now, they had to remind themselves of this truth again.

Because, in spite of the faith that God had built up in them through the years, they—as well as Jake and Ada—felt so far away. So powerless to help.

A special calling?

The struggle is real for those whose loved ones are called to serve overseas. They miss them more than words can express. They worry about their safety and well-being. They hope they will stay in touch. They wonder if their loved ones are giving up too much.

Some wrestle with why their loved ones would travel around the world to serve people they’ve never met. As Peter explained, “It’s not because we want to go over there and have an adventure. It’s because we want to help God’s kingdom grow around the world.”

When asked if sending their daughter and family overseas is a special calling from God, Jake and Ada weren’t sure they would put it quite that way.

“I think a calling from God is your life,” Ada explained. “You only want to do what He wants you to do.”

Jake added, “It should be for every Christian.”

“When you see that your children are obeying God’s call on their life, and you have a peace about letting them go—is that a calling?” Ada asked.

Then she thought for a moment …

“I think it’s a joy.”

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

The post A Journey of Trust appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

By Jeanelle Reider

Jamie Dimon often wonders what Baby Grace’s life is like now.

As is true of many children born in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Baby Grace was thrust into tragic circumstances at birth. Her mother, faced with the prospect of raising a child whose father was not her husband, abandoned Baby Grace the moment she was born.

By God’s mercy, MAF staff found the tiny infant—placenta still attached—lying helpless in a field near their airstrip.

And this is where Baby Grace’s story first intersected with Jamie’s.

Collaborative compassion

Jamie and her pilot husband, Chad, headed to the DRC over five years ago to serve with MAF. They knew it wouldn’t be easy. As Jamie said, “Suffering is common, expected, in Congo.”

There is a mission hospital in Nyankunde, the village where the Dimons were assigned. Many of the patients are newborns whose mothers have died during childbirth. A few infants have been abandoned because of their HIV/AIDS status. More recently, escalating conflicts in the region have caused an influx of newborns whose mothers have been killed in the violence.

Jamie is a registered nurse with a background in pediatric intensive care. She wondered: was God forging a way for her to bring healing and hope into the suffering?

These precious babies have one thing in common: malnutrition. Even if a friend or family member can be found to care for them, infant formula is beyond the means of most Congolese families.

A few months before the Dimons moved to Nyankunde, Anna La Rochelle, a nurse practitioner from another missions group who had started an orphan formula program at the hospital, invited Jamie to assume leadership of the program. Seeing this as a God-given opportunity, Jamie agreed.

With the help of Mama Sunday, a Ugandan nurse who worked in the Nyankunde hospital’s ICU and maternity ward, and Dr. Lindsey Cooper, a pediatrician who ran the malnutrition center at the hospital, the program thrived. Babies were placed with caregivers, and for the first year of their lives, infant formula was purchased and delivered regularly. Homes were visited to ensure the infants were growing and well cared for. Over the years, some 100 babies were given a chance at life.

And, one day, a baby girl was found abandoned near the MAF airstrip.

For the first few weeks, nurses cared for the little girl in the maternity ward. They gave her the name “Grace.” Jamie and fellow MAF missionary Sheryl Strietzel often visited the baby and at times brought her into their homes. Eventually, Baby Grace was placed with her maternal grandmother and sustained through the orphan formula program.

A distressing disruption

In April 2021, the rat-a-tat of guns and the angry shouts of military and militia filled the air. Over 35,000 people in Nyankunde and nearby villages fled into the forest. Mama Sunday, Anna La Rochelle, and Lindsey Cooper also were forced to evacuate. MAF staff—including Chad, Jamie, and their four young children—relocated to nearby towns.

At the time of this writing, no one had been able to return.

Nor did anyone know what had happened to Baby Grace and many of the other infants. Jamie and the others trust that they are still in the care of families who love them, safe from harm. They hold onto hope that one day they may see them again.

In the meantime, MAF continues ministry flights from the town of Bunia. And Mama Sunday and MAF missionary Donna Jacobsson make sure that formula is delivered to the seven babies whose whereabouts are known.

Just being faithful                                                             

Life stories are rarely tied up in neat little bows. The Congolese people know it, MAF staff know it, and chances are you know it too.

Still, the loose ends can be excruciating.

When Jamie tried to describe the suffering, she faltered. “There are just no words … the fact that we’ve been able to make a little bit of a difference—I mean, it’s just a drop in the bucket, but it’s something.”

For such a time as this, Jamie and her co-laborers stepped into their broken world and loved as Jesus would. When you support MAF, you, too, are reaching into the lives of hurting men, women, and children and showing them there is a Father who cares for them.

This story appeared in the summer 2021 edition of FlightWatch. Read the full issue here:

The post STEPPING INTO BROKENNESS appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Eight anxious young passengers gave one last hug to their hopeful parents, took a deep breath as the MAF pilot buckled their seatbelts, and watched their village disappear from view. As the airplane rose higher above the mountains, tears trickled down their cheeks. Each child silently wondered: what will happen to me now?

An hour and a half later, the airplane landed in the coastal city of Sentani and the children stepped into a world they could not have imagined.

What if …

Over a decade earlier, Wally Wiley—then MAF program manager for Papua, Indonesia—had a growing desire to see Papuan children become future MAF pilots/mechanics and leaders in their society. But he faced a major obstacle: these kids, so full of potential, belonged to a marginalized culture with little opportunity for formal education.

Wally’s idea was to form a school where village kids could receive a quality education and be discipled in Christ-like leadership qualities, while retaining their cultural identity and family connections.

Papua Hope School (Sekolah Papua Harapan—SPH) was born a few years later. And eight wide-eyed children from the Moni tribe stepped off an airplane to become the school’s first kindergarten class.

Hearts awakening

Imagine never having seen a car or TV or lived in a home with electricity. When the youngsters first ate ice cream, they were shocked—how could something be cold and seem to have smoke rising from it at the same time?

MAF staff helped the students acclimate to their new surroundings by welcoming the students into their homes, flying them back and forth to their villages, giving them opportunities to learn aviation skills, teaching English, and mentoring them.

Because of the commitment of devoted families in the village, passionate teachers, and faithful missionaries, the students grew in their relationships with Christ.

When they reached ninth grade, the students took an important national exam with a roomful of other students. After the test, the proctor offered everyone a chance to cheat. Tegi, one of the SPH students, refused to change his answers, and the other SPH students followed suit. They all passed the test with their integrity intact.

As the students grew, so did their understanding of God’s plan for them.

Ester discovered the career she was meant to pursue after Willem Jonkers—an MAF pilot and host family dad —took her to visit an air traffic control tower. “Willem is the one who told me to have a plan B and C for my future.”

Erik remembers the moment he knew God was calling him to be an MAF pilot. It was when pilot Alex Ludvicek let him take the controls during a flight as part of an MAF internship. “I felt like, ‘This pilot role fits!’ Praise the Lord—I’m so thankful for MAF’s ongoing support!”

The stage is set

On May 9, 2020, seven beaming young adults in blue caps and gowns stepped onto a stage (the eighth will follow next year). An aspiring doctor, government leader, community developer, health care worker, air traffic controller, MAF pilot, and MAF mechanic.

Erik rose to speak. “When I was a little kid in the village, I had no idea that we would be chosen to be a part of SPH. And now look at us standing here! When we’ve succeeded in our educational journey, let’s invest to make Papua an even better place!”

These graduates are grateful for these life-changing opportunities. They stand on the shoulders of people like you whose prayers and financial gifts helped open their future. Today, they are joined by 1,000 other children who attend seven sister schools in the mountains of Papua. Schools that depend on MAF flights.

This story ran in the Fall 2020 edition of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here:

The post Journey to the Future appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

“Lord, thank You for the opportunity to be involved with MAF in making a difference in the world…. In Christ’s name, Amen.”

In one short prayer, Dr. Gary Coombs—missions pastor at Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California—summed up the symbiotic relationship between churches and MAF. From grand vision to ordinary task, we are in this together.

We, at MAF, could not do our work (nor would we want to) without local bodies of believers standing with us in prayer, financial support, and encouragement. And churches would find it challenging to directly impact the lives of isolated people if they did not partner with frontline organizations like MAF.

Local congregations would also miss out on the beauty of deep friendships with those who live and work among the world’s most isolated. And MAF staff would be all the poorer for it.

Dave and Linda Ringenberg had been supported by Shadow Mountain since joining MAF in 1997. When their five-year-old daughter, Hannah, became sick with a brain tumor in 2002, they returned home to care for her in the church’s missionary apartments. Throughout that excruciating time, up until her death, the church stood by their side.

“Their special care for us during that hard season of our lives was truly a great blessing to our family, as is their continued prayer and financial support,” said Linda.

Chuck and Susan Weatherstone have partnered with Calvary Church of Santa Ana, California, since 1985. Calvary saw them through two evacuations and several violent conflicts as they served with MAF in various countries. Today, Calvary is helping raise up the next generation of MAF missionaries as they support the Weatherstones in their role as mobilizers.

“Through Calvary, we have experienced the love of the body of Christ,” said Susan.

Calvary Church has shown that same love to several generations of MAF missionaries, starting with Francis and George Boggs—one of MAF’s earliest pilots—back in 1956.

Besides staff support, both churches have also contributed to several important MAF funds: Global Ministry, Haiti Disaster, Mali Well projects, Mobilization, and a Kodiak airplane.

What drives churches to partner with MAF, generation after generation? Dr. Coombs summed it up well:

“How do we get the gospel out to the more remote places on this earth? We support MAF because we believe they have a key role in accomplishing the Great Commission.”

This story appeared in the Summer 2020 edition of FlightWatch:

The post A Mutual Blessing appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

It’s May 2010. MAF aircraft have brought visitors and copies of the first Kimyal New Testament to the village of Korupun in Papua, Indonesia. The people have celebrated and given heartfelt praise to God, overjoyed to finally have His Word in their heart language.

A small group of village women crowds into a tiny wooden building. A young woman glances around the room and speaks.

“You look at these older ladies. They will receive the Word of God. They will pass it on to their children and grandchildren. I will pass it on to my children, and it will keep them on the path of righteousness. And once we’re gone, our children will pass it on to their children.”*

Gospel transformation rarely happens in a generational vacuum, and she knows it.

So does MAF. Because this moment has been generations in the making, and God has graciously allowed us to play an ongoing part in it, along with our faithful supporters.

A Fatal Trek

It was September 1968, and missionaries Phil Masters and Stan Dale were hiking to reach certain members of the fierce Yali tribe of Irian Jaya (now Papua, Indonesia) with the gospel.

The two men had begun their journey from the village of Korupun, where Phil and his family served with Regions Beyond Missionary Union (RBMU, now World Team) among the Kimyal people. Stan had joined him in Korupun, leaving the village of Ninia where he and his family served with RBMU among the Yali. A few believers from the Dani tribe accompanied them.

As they traveled, a group of Yali warriors ambushed them with bows and arrows. Scores of arrows found their targets, and Phil and Stan were killed.

Three of the Dani missionaries escaped to a nearby village and reported what had happened. MAF—who had earlier helped locate the Yali tribe and had supported Phil and Stan and their fellow missionaries for years—hired a helicopter to pinpoint the area of the killings. When they found it, all that remained were arrows and debris. The men’s bodies were never recovered.

Phil and Stan left behind five children each. Phil’s wife, Phyliss, was pregnant with their fifth child.

Sorrow and Redemption

In a few short paragraphs it is impossible to communicate the depth of grief and dismay experienced by the families of the two men. The whole community of believers in Papua mourned as well—missionaries from various organizations who had labored together for years; MAF pilots and families who had come alongside them; Dani villagers who had recently experienced a miraculous awakening to the gospel.

But God, who walks with His children through every nuance of their pain, also felt the anguish of those who had never known the light of the gospel. He was lovingly writing their story too.

Phil Masters’ wife, Phyliss, though heartbroken, was convinced God had not revoked His call on her life to be a missionary. She shared the love of Christ among the Dani people for decades. The Dani have sent out their own missionaries since the early years of their conversion, and through their efforts God continues to draw many fellow Papuans to Himself.

“God’s purposes were not stopped by what seemed at the moment a devastating blow to the gospel,” says Crissie Rask, Phyliss’ daughter.

Crissie was in eighth grade when her dad was killed. She went on to marry MAF pilot Dave Rask. In 1983 the two of them began serving with MAF in Papua. Today, Dave is MAF’s director of Aviation Resources Division, and Crissie is manager of Mobilization.

Stan Dale’s family moved back to their native country of Australia, but years later his son Wesley returned to Papua to live in the village of Mamit and serve as a missionary among the Dani people. Wesley and his wife Esther live in Mamit to this day, where Wesley lectures at the Bible college and Esther teaches children of the students.

As for the Yalis, other laborers courageously took up the call to reach them, and through the power of Jesus Christ, this once-fierce tribe traded their violence for God’s peace. The first translation of the entire Bible in the language of the Yali people of Ninia was dedicated in 2000. A complete Bible translation for another Yali group was dedicated in 2018.

Full Circle

In May of 2010, poignantly aware of those dedicated missionaries and local believers in Korupun who had taken up where her husband had left off, Phyliss Masters joined in the celebration of the first Kimyal New Testament. MAF celebrated right alongside her.

We are honored to have come alongside countless faithful followers of Christ in Papua since 1952. Wesley and Esther Dale sum it up like this: “MAF is our lifeline. We really feel part of their team, and they’re an essential part of our ministry.”

You are an essential part of this kingdom work as well. We look forward to many more years of partnership as, together, we reach future generations with the love of Jesus Christ.

*This quote is taken from a World Team video about the Kimyal New Testament dedication.

Story appeared in the May 2020 FlightWatch, a special 75th anniversary edition:

The post Generation by Generation appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

The angry shouts of the men circling her car were drowned out by the frantic crying of baby Otis in the back seat. Their forceful gestures commanded her to open the door.

Nicole de Jongh rolled down the window a fraction of an inch to hear their words. “Get out of the car! Give us your papers!”

Papers?

Through the crack in the window, she tried to reason with them, explaining that she had no papers. Their voices escalated, along with a new, audacious demand: “Make your baby stop crying!”

Wyatt, her toddler, was crying too. The boys were hungry and exhausted from a strenuous morning of shopping in a still-unfamiliar environment. Nicole had taken a wrong road just blocks from her home in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and her last-minute U-turn had triggered the traffic stop.

Deeply shaken, she grabbed her cell phone and called the MAF program manager’s wife, Jocelyn Frey, for help. Then she started praying: “Lord, give me wisdom. And somehow, please bring good from this situation.”

Paying Attention

One thing Nicole and her husband, Jonathan, had learned as MAF missionaries was that life isn’t just about the big stories. It’s about listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in every moment, trusting in His unseen plan.

Long before their arrival in Kinshasa, they had been honing the art of listening.

“We’re not normally the kind of people that are like, ‘God said I need to do this,'” said Jonathan, an MAF pilot/mechanic.

But when God does speak, they pay attention. That’s how they ended up at MAF.

Jonathan grew up as a missionary kid in Belgium. He had no aspirations to follow in his parents’ steps—his sights were set on becoming a commercial pilot. But through a series of events, including the unlikely arrival of an unsealed and unstamped acceptance letter from Moody Aviation, God stoked Jonathan and Nicole’s passion for missions and directed them to MAF.

Since arriving in the DRC, Jonathan and Nicole have been part of a vital MAF ministry team that provides subsidized flights for Congolese churches, international missions groups, and others helping to share Christ’s love in remote parts of this vast African nation.

Cookies and Cold Water

Nicole’s pulse raced as she waited for Jocelyn to show up. “God,” she prayed, “please soften the hearts of these men.”

When Jocelyn arrived, the authorities allowed Nicole to drive her boys home while Jocelyn headed to the police station to meet up with other MAF staff and sort things out.

The next day, seeing the incident as an opportunity to build relationships with neighborhood police, Nicole and a few other MAF staff women brought fresh-baked cookies and cold water to the police station. It was the last thing Nicole felt like doing. Yet a still, small voice nudged her on.

The surprised chief of police welcomed the women, and a friendly conversation followed.

A few days later, he knocked at the de Jonghs’ gate. Nicole and Jonathan invited him in for tea and cookies, and soon they were hearing about his life, his family, his health.

When they parted, he asked, “Will you come to my house sometime to meet my family?”

This was not a decision to be taken lightly. In Kinshasa, relationships with the authorities are often looked upon with suspicion. “Like Jesus and the tax collector,” explains Jonathan.

Nicole and Jonathan spent several months seeking the Lord about whether to accept the invitation. Gradually, a strong inner conviction settled in. It was the right thing to do.

On the appointed day, the chief met them at a gas station, hopped in their car, and they headed out.

“First, we’re going to my brother’s house. Then to my other brother’s house. Then to my house.” A pause. “Oh, and Jonathan, you will be speaking at each place.”

Jonathan had recently given a talk to MAF staff from 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray …” The Lord’s timing was not lost on him.

From house to house, Jonathan shared God’s Word. When they finally arrived at the chief’s house, the chief asked Jonathan to give a blessing. It was clear that internal fears and superstitions drove his request, so after Jonathan prayed, he spoke of Christ’s sacrifice. He explained the freedom everyone can have in Christ.

Still Listening

After that day, Jonathan and Nicole continued to follow God’s lead in reaching out to the officers. Once, Nicole was prompted to buy a Snickers bar at the store to give to the chief on her way home. She had no idea how she would locate him. Suddenly, as she pulled through her last intersection, there he was, standing on the corner. With great joy he accepted her gift.

A small, insignificant moment? Maybe. But Nicole sees it as just one more example of how listening to God has proven fruitful since the traumatic traffic incident.

“The traffic stop was terribly painful, and I cried a lot of tears,” said Nicole. “But Romans 8:28 says God works all things out for good. Now, look at the outcome!”

Listening is what brought Nicole and Jonathan to MAF in the first place. And listening is what allows them to keep showing their neighbors rare glimpses of the heart of Christ … even in the most unexpected moments.

Thanks to your prayers and gifts, MAF missionaries like the de Jonghs can be a presence of His love in neighborhoods around the world.

Story ran in the January 2020 issue of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue here:

The post Unseen Potential in a Traffic Stop appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Tšepo’s pace slowed as he made his way down the street toward the two-room house where he lived with his mom and younger siblings. To his right, a tiny bar teemed with men who had been drinking all day. A few of his peers loitered outside the bar, their stances listless, their eyes dull.

He didn’t blame them. Like so many young men in Lesotho, their dads were either inside the bar or off working at the mines, while their moms pieced together menial jobs or labored in factories in South Africa. The teenage boys had been left to fend for themselves, but they weren’t doing a very good job of it.

Tšepo had challenges of his own. His older brother had died under tragic circumstances, and Tšepo had become the oldest male in the household while barely yet a teenager. He and his family were just scraping by on the meager wages his mom brought home and the support of friends and family.

But he felt lucky. More than lucky. He could have been sliding down the same slippery slope as his peers outside the bar if God hadn’t intervened in his life.

A few years earlier, some local missionaries had started a soccer ministry in his village, and through soccer Tšepo had met the Monsons, a pilot family with MAF. Matthew and Carolyn Monson had been drawn to Tšepo, and when they had heard that he was going to drop out of school because he could not afford the tuition, they had begun paying his school fees. To them, it had seemed a very small investment in the life of this promising young man.

The Monsons had taken Tšepo under their wing, and soon he was attending church with them and their children. It wasn’t long before he had committed his life to Christ.

As Tšepo walked past the bar, he thought to himself, “My friends need a Bible study. I’m going to ask Matthew and Carolyn what they can do about it.” When he approached Matthew and Carolyn a few weeks later, the earnestness in his voice moved them to give some serious thought and prayer to his request.

Matthew remembers, “It’s not like we were looking for this kind of a ministry. We didn’t say, ‘We gotta go find a village, find these boys, do a Bible study.’” Carolyn adds, “We could think of many reasons why not to begin such a ministry, and why it wouldn’t work.”

Yet, as they prayed, they realized it would not be a matter of if, but when. So, with a measure of trepidation, they told Tšepo, “Okay, you bring the boys and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

The Monsons began a Saturday morning Bible study, using a few of the foundational study books they had purchased before coming to Lesotho. Soon, 10 to 20 boys began making the 90-minute trek to their home each week. Sunny skies or torrential downpours, it didn’t matter—the boys showed up.

For the next four years, many boys from the village came to the Monsons’ home for Bible studies, attended church with them, participated in Bible camps in their yard, and just hung out with their family. Through the Monsons’ investment of time and intentionality, a significant number of these boys have given their lives to Jesus.

However, the most striking transformation during these four years took place in the life of Tšepo. Initially he simply brought the boys to the Saturday morning Bible studies, and Matthew did the teaching. But before long, Tšepo began to help with the teaching, and then he assumed more and more of the leadership while Matthew cheered him on. Tšepo brought the Bible study back to his own village, where he now not only teaches groups of up to 70 kids, but he coaches and mentors the village youth as well.

Tšepo’s passion for evangelism and discipleship has not been limited to young people. Today, on a typical weekend, he visits villagers of all ages in their homes, talking with them about the good news of Jesus. He doesn’t do it out of obligation—he does it for the sheer joy of helping others believe in Christ and grow in their faith.

Carolyn describes Tšepo as a shining light. “We invested in him, but now he’s investing in others. Disciples making disciples.”

The little bar on Tšepo’s street still attracts the men and youth of his village. But not all of them. Some of them have embraced the good news of the gospel and are now investing in their community by sharing it with everyone who will listen.

Because a passionate young man cared enough to invest in them.

Because a faithful missionary couple cared enough to invest in him.

This story is one of several in a new MAF women’s prayer journal, Sweet Fragrances: Bringing the Essence of Christ Into Our World. A limited quantity are available for purchase at the MAF gift shop, www.store.maf.org.

Story also appeared in the July 2019 issue of FlightWatch. Read the entire issue below:

The post A Sweet Fragrance of Investment appeared first on Mission Aviation Fellowship.