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FlightWatch Special Edition KODIAK Indonesia Campaign
Change Lives, Now and Forever
A publication of
MAF’s Kodiak airplane sav Dear Friend in Christ, Just four years ago, Mission Aviation Fellowship celebrated the acquisition of its first Kodiak airplane. More than a decade in development, this amazing aircraft was specially designed for the challenges of missionary aviation. Its arrival in Papua, Indonesia, was a testament to God’s faithfulness and the thousands of friends of MAF who gave sacrificially toward its acquisition, who moved mountains with their prayers. Your faithfulness is bearing much fruit! MAF pilots in Indonesia send reports of mission work expanding as Kodiak airplanes enable the work of Bible translators, missionaries, and Indonesian evangelists reaching isolated communities tucked away in remote corners of this mountainous jungle region. Papuans are hearing about Jesus and seeing His love expressed through the lives of MAF staff. Now, the Lord has given MAF an opportunity to add two more Kodiaks to the fleet in Indonesia, at a cost well below the current market price. After much prayer, we are moving forward in faith to acquire these planes.
T
he sickness struck suddenly, and hard. Kevin Martin was severely ill with an undiagnosed fever. It seemed like malaria, but the malaria medications did not help. A quick trip to the doctor’s office was impossible. Kevin and his wife, Allyson, are World Team missionaries who minister in the remote village of Tokuni in the southern lowlands of Papua, Indonesia. They are 83 miles from the nearest healthcare facility, across rugged peaks and jungles. Thankfully, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is equipped to reach such inhospitable places. With a Kodiak aircraft MAF can land on very short, primitive airstrips carved out of the forest or perched
I am excited about how God is working in Indonesia! As you read this issue of FlightWatch, please join me in praying for the precious people of this country who have yet to hear the Gospel. We still have many mountains to move.
“I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a
mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” ––Matthew 17:20 In His grace,
John C. Boyd President and CEO
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1-800-359-7623
The Kodiak is able to carry more weight and passengers than a Cessna 206, making it especially useful for medical evacuations. Photo by Dave Forney.
ves lives in Indonesia on the side of a mountain … something most others won’t even attempt. Tokuni is a small community of 60 to 75 people who live next to the airstrip. The local people are hunters and gatherers, constantly on the move to find food. MAF delivers supplies and provides vital transportation that allows the Martins to carry out their Great Commission work in this rugged place.
...The smaller Cessna 206 could not have done the job as quickly or as easily... “We have been blessed and encouraged by several of the MAF pilots as well as the Indonesian MAF staff who have often gone above and beyond to help our family get in and out of the village,” said Allyson. For more than 13 years the Martins have lived and worked among the Tokuni people, learning the language, developing relationships, and earning the right to speak into their lives. Slowly, surely, God’s plan for the Tokuni is coming to Kevin Martin of World Team (center, in the red shirt) greets MAF pilot Alan Discoe at the Tokuni airstrip.Photo by Allyson Martin.
fruition. In 2007 the first four villagers came to Christ and were baptized. The very first convert was the chief, who now teaches a weekly Christian lesson to the entire village. Four more people came to faith in 2011. Living in such a remote place, Kevin Martin’s sudden, severe illness was cause for alarm. Some in the village were worried that he might not survive! Thankfully, MAF pilot Alan Discoe stopped at the airstrip with MAF’s new Kodiak aircraft. It was the first time a Kodiak had landed at Tokuni—Alan had flown there to “check out” the plane on this landing strip. Alan was able to fly Kevin to Wamena where he received lifesaving treatment. That 35-minute flight in the Kodiak would have taken several days of travel by foot through rugged territory, a journey Kevin could not make while ill. “God knew our need well before we did,” said Allyson, “and we were able to get Kevin out to medical help that same day. That just helps us to feel like God is confirming his plan for us, when we have pilots working on our behalf to get us where we need to be.” Now, several months later, Kevin is back in Tokuni and deeply involved in Kingdom work. And the Kodiak is playing an important part in that. “World Team has put the Kodiak to the test as we prepare to move into another village,” said Allyson. “We have had fuel drums, building equipment like chain saws and planers, as well as house building supplies flown into Tokuni. With the Kodiak now able to land in Tokuni, this has been a huge help. The smaller Cessna 206 could not have done the job as quickly or as easily. So we definitely see the benefit of this airplane.” end
Special Edition, Kodiak Indonesia Campaign | www.maf.org
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Two for One … Double-Blessed by His Gift Have you ever wondered about the old adage, It’s more blessed to give than to receive? Two years ago, a friend of MAF committed to buy a Kodiak for MAF if someone else would do the same. We caught up with him recently to find out what motivated his gift and what kind of impact it had on him.
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What motivated your Kodiak gift challenge? “MAF is an important ministry to the Kingdom and to me personally. Using the money that God gave me to expand His Kingdom is what gives me the most pleasure, and I wanted someone else who’s been blessed with significant resources to also experience that kind of joy.” What was the experience like for you, especially the dedication ceremony? “Seeing and touching the actual plane I had given in my brother’s memory brought up a whole bunch of emotions. There it was in the MAF hangar, standing next to its twin, and both would be serving God in the same country! I felt so grateful to God that He would allow me to be a part of something so significant. After the ceremony, I took a ride in “my” Kodiak and sat in the copilot’s seat. What a treat that was!” How have you been blessed as a result of your gift? “God blesses me every day, and in so many ways. One of His greatest blessings is for me to follow His leading and then to wait and see what He does afterwards. It’s always amazing, and His blessings to me are a hundred times greater than what I deserve.”
EVERY GIFT YOU SEND, every prayer you offer
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Ready to Move Mountains MAF to Purchase Two Kodiaks for Ministry Work in Indonesia Some four years after MAF’s first Kodiak airplane landed in Indonesia, the ministry is moving forward in faith to purchase two additional Kodiaks—one for service in Papua, Indonesia, and one, a floatplane, to be based at Palangkaraya, in Kalimantan. “The Lord has provided MAF with an exciting chance to purchase two Kodiaks at substantially less than the current market price,” said John Boyd, MAF president and CEO. “We had not budgeted for this expense in 2013, but when such a Godgiven opportunity presents itself, we have to say ‘YES’ and ‘Thank you, Lord!’” These two Kodiaks are part of a long-term strategic initiative to upgrade the aging MAF fleet. The two floatplanes currently serving in Palangkaraya, for example— small Cessna 185s—are 51 and 44 years old. Like many MAF airplanes, they burn aviation gasoline (avgas), which has become expensive and difficult to obtain. The ministry sometimes pays $15 per gallon or more for fuel. The Kodiak burns jet fuel, which is much less costly and more readily available than avgas. This remarkable aircraft was designed specifically to meet the challenges of missionary aviation. It can travel longer distances than a Cessna 185 or 206 and carry more cargo while using the same challenging landing sites. And these two Kodiaks are desperately needed in Indonesia. “Wednesday afternoon we got a call for a double medical evacuation flight from Long Nawang,” said MAF pilot Dave Forney. “A truck went over the edge of the mountain road and rolled about 75 feet to the bottom of the ravine. They were fortunate to be alive.” Two badly injured men and their family members boarded the Kalimantan program’s Kodiak—the patients on blankets, strapped to the floor. A little over an hour later they were receiving life-saving treatment in the city of Tarakan. “This would have been impossible with the Cessna 206,” said Forney, “because the 206 isn’t capable of carrying that much weight from Long Nawang, or that many people. But the Kodiak can handle it.” Airplanes are costly. MAF must now raise $3.5 million to pay for these two Kodiaks and their journeys to Indonesia. Is God speaking to you … calling you to change lives? Please be in prayer about how you might be part of this Kingdombuilding project. “Scripture says that with faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing is impossible— even mountains will move,” said Boyd. “We are relying on the Lord, working through His people, to move this mountain!” To learn how you can help send these two Kodiaks to Indonesia, visit www.maf.org/kodiaks.
Mission Aviation Fellowship • PO Box 47 • Nampa, ID 83653-0047 • 208-498-0800 • 1-800-FLYS-MAF (359-7623) • www.maf.org
Cover photo by Dave Forney.
for MAF, helps change lives through aviation and technology.
Photo by Dave Forney.