2023 MAF Ministry Highlights

MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

To remember something, we might take a photo or jot a note in a journal.

The people of Israel used stones.

After Jacob left his family home, he used a stone as a pillow one night. As he slept, God revealed his plans to bless Jacob’s whole family (Genesis 28). So Jacob set the stone on a pillar as a reminder of God’s presence.

When the people of Israel crossed through the Jordan River into the promised land, they took twelve stones from the riverbed and set them up as an altar (Joshua 4).

Jesus is referred to as our “living stone” (1 Peter 2). We can look to Him and remember God’s plan to rescue humanity from our sin.

Remembering what has been accomplished is important to keeping our faith intact. It’s also an instrument of praise, prompting us to praise God for what He has done.

In this Ministry Highlights brochure, we would like to document how God has worked through the tool of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to reach isolated people with the gospel message. None of this would be possible without faithful partners like you. You are as much a part of this endeavor as the pilots, the ground crew, the accountants, the IT staff, and others.

Your gifts are making a difference in people’s lives around the world. Thank you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PEOPLE

IMPACT

BY THE NUMBERS

4,927,925

Pounds of cargo carried Passengers transported

Days of travel time saved

Flights accomplished

Partner organizations served

Airstrips/water landing sites used

MAF is a family of organizations led by people in countries around the world who have a similar vision of taking Christ’s love into the most remote places on earth. MAF-US collaborates with our sister organizations to meet spiritual and physical needs. In this report, “Mission Aviation Fellowship” or “MAF” refers to MAF-US only, as do all the numbers.

AIRPLANES “

Hangar Expansion

A long-awaited hangar addition at MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, is complete. It includes offices for MAF’s Safety and Quality, Aviation, Operations, and Maintenance personnel. The new space will save MAF money, facilitate better training, and better serve isolated Christians around the globe.

“All of us are excited to begin using it. All the new and adapted spaces will help us directly and indirectly to further our ministry.”

—Dan

Whitehead, VP of Aviation

Kodiak and Caravan Simulators

Part of the hangar expansion included making room for two new state-of-the-art flight simulators—one for a Kodiak aircraft and the other for a Cessna Caravan. The simulators were installed in 2023 and have already been in heavy use. In addition to allowing flight instructors to simulate real-world scenarios for trainees, the simulators allow MAF to do initial turbine transition training in-house, saving the ministry more than $12,000 per pilot. Previously, pilots had to train elsewhere, where the training was not specialized for MAF.

Plane Dedications

This year we had the joy of celebrating three airplane dedications. Three different aircraft for three different needs.

Cessna Caravan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) –Unexpectedly, a generous partner offered to sell MAF this aircraft at a low cost, a million dollars under the appraised value. While the purchase was not originally budgeted, it was definitely needed! Timely donations from other generous friends covered the purchase amount, as well as needed modifications and updates. Today, the Caravan is carrying Sunday school teachers, health care workers, and church planters to their destinations in remote parts of the DRC.

PC-12 for Central Asia – The flying we do in Central Asia is unique. A PC-12 was needed to increase our impact and better support our 50 partners as they meet physical and spiritual needs. The aircraft is pressurized, allowing it to fly over the high mountains reaching more remote areas, and can fly in winter weather. It can fly longer distances at nearly twice the speed, therefore opening new destinations for service.

Kodiak for Papua, Indonesia – In January 2021, an MAF Kodiak was destroyed on the Pagamba airstrip by rebels. In 2023, MAF purchased a replacement airplane using insurance funds and a generous contribution from the family who donated the original airplane. The airplane will be named PK-MAX after the aircraft it is replacing.

“The new simulators are very helpful because they allow me to accomplish emergency training safely. Many scenarios are simply not safe to do in the actual airplane. The risks associated are unacceptably high. The simulator also allows us to quickly reset the scenario and repeat it multiple times. The repetition allows the pilot to build on the previous experience, develop skill in controlling the aircraft in extreme situations and results in confidence.”

—Tim Imbrock, Instructor Pilot

Airplane Maintenance

Airplane maintenance is expensive. But when you consider that a new Cessna Caravan or Kodiak can cost more than $2.5 million, it just makes sense to keep the airplanes flying as long as we safely can. A well-maintained airplane can fly for decades, allowing MAF to be a good steward of the resources God provides through our ministry partners. Last year, as a result of our partners and a matching grant, we raised all the funds we needed to maintain a safe fleet.

Fuel

In some places where MAF serves, the cost of aviation fuel more than quadrupled with the addition of import taxes. And in the remote places where MAF serves, aviation fuel is often not readily available. The fuel might have to be shipped long distances by tanker, truck, or boat. Fuel deliveries can be delayed by weather, rebel activity or government processes. This year, MAF supporters faithfully kept our airplanes filled with fuel so we could continue to serve Bible translators, the sick and injured, teachers, and pastors.

PEOPLE

Ryan Koher

Ryan and two orphanage volunteers were detained on November 4, 2022, when officials confiscated the load of supplies that Ryan was to fly to northern Mozambique. The three were imprisoned for four months before a provisional release was granted in March 2023. In October, their passports were returned, and the men were able to leave Mozambique. The Koher family arrived at the Boise airport on October 4, 2023, to enjoy a time of rest and recovery back in the U.S. They plan to return to Mozambique—their home now—and resume their ministry as soon as possible. The case is ongoing; please continue to pray that it will be dismissed.

Missionary Support

With costs rising around the world, many MAF missionaries had a gap between the amount of financial support they raised versus what is needed to support a missionary family overseas. One donor was moved to meet this need. They gave a $1 million gift to the missionary support pool which helped keep MAF families serving overseas in 2023. Thank you for your role in encouraging and equipping MAF missionaries around the globe to reach isolated people with Christ’s love!

Missionary Housing (Papua, Kalimantan, Mozambique, DRC)

When prudent and possible, MAF believes—and experience has shown—that providing safe and restful MAF-owned housing for overseas staff is a wise investment of our resources financially and practically, for our staff and our ministry.

Papua, Indonesia—Eight new homes are planned for new MAF property near the Sentani airport base. Thus far, the exterior structures and roofs are completed on six houses. Plans for an additional duplex or quadplex are in process.

Kalimantan, Indonesia—Several members of the Kalimantan team have been living in rented housing that is less than ideal. One home was crumbling down around the family, and they had to move out for extensive repairs. Safe, dependable homes will empower the team to do their work well. With funding provided by generous supporters in 2023, MAF plans to build a triplex for additional housing.

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo—MAF plans to purchase a property adjacent to the MAF duplex in Kinshasa for more housing. The existing house can be remodeled into a duplex. Joining the properties will make room for one additional house. All the needed funds have been raised.

Nampula, Mozambique—In Nampula, three new staff houses have been completed. Now infrastructure is needed, such as a road and an electrical system including a transformer and generator.

““Our home is amazing! It is way above and beyond our expectations, and we are so thankful. So many little things have been thought of as our MAF team designed and built our home to help take some of the daily little stressors off our plates. My favorite part is leaving the crumbs on the counter because the ants haven’t found their way inside our house… yet.” —MAF missionary Skyla Brumley, who recently arrived in Mozambique

IMPACT

Jesus cared about the whole person—physical, emotional, and spiritual. As MAF carries out each flight, activity, and interaction, we want to do the same.

With this in mind, we seek to build our ministry around five areas of impact:

Searching for new disciples by bringing gospel awareness so isolated people have an opportunity to hear about Jesus

Supporting existing followers and disciple-makers by coming alongside other believers in their walk with Jesus and in their disciple-making efforts

Serving people’s core needs by helping meet needs that are crucial to the well-being of those we serve

Strengthening the capacity and talent of national staff by taking intentional steps to further the education and development of MAF’s local overseas employees

Stewarding creation as a reflection of God’s love for mankind by supporting projects related to the care of God’s creation.

From Darkness to Light

In Lesotho, MAF supports an evangelism and discipleship ministry called the Lesotho Mountain Discipleship. Pastors from the ministry met a man named Sekoai in 2019 and began to share the gospel with him and his wife. Both of them accepted Jesus as their Savior. Sadly, Sekoai’s wife passed away in 2021. During visits, the pastors realized Sekoai needed surgery for cataracts, as his eyesight was rapidly deteriorating. His family had taken him to the local witch doctors for treatment, but he did not improve. In 2023, the pastors arranged for MAF to transport Sekoai for cataract surgery that restored his sight. Praise God that Sekoai’s life has been transformed by both physical and spiritual sight.

Jesus’ Words in Their Language

Last year, long-time MAF missionaries Dave and Donna Jacobsson attended the dedication of the Budu-Nita language New Testament and book of Genesis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They flew with a Caravan load of SIL missionaries and MAF staff over the rainforest and after landing in Nebobongo, traveled about seven miles by road to Ibambi. Some 4,000 people attended the celebration, which represented over 30 years of work by translators and community members.

Hospital Evangelism

A man who spent more than three months living in MAF’s hospital house in Tarakan, Indonesia, has a passion for evangelism. Pak Amsal was at the hospital house while his daughter, who was injured and left paralyzed from the waist down, received treatment. Pak Amsal did not let his circumstances hold him back. After caring for his daughter, he visited other patients in the hospital so he could share the gospel with them. At one point, a couple who follow another religion was at the hospital. Pak Amsal was especially excited to visit this couple, pray with them, and share what Jesus has done for him.

12 Minutes

On a recent MAF flight in Kalimantan, Indonesia, the pilot told passengers the flight would be 12 minutes. A rough-looking man in the back seat piped up: “There is no way! I’ve walked out of this village to the city where we are going. It is a three-day walk.” The pilot assured him of the time, but the man didn’t believe him. When they landed 12 minutes later, the man got out and sat on the ground. He looked at the plane repeatedly exclaiming, “Wow! Twelve minutes or a three-day walk. Wow!”

““It really puts the need for MAF in these remote communities into perspective. This past year the MAF base in Tarakan flew 217 patients in need of medical flights and transported a little over 500,000 pounds of medical supplies, food, and other essentials to help people in these communities.”

—MAF pilot Lance Kanagy

Bible Prizes

Before MAF paused operations in Haiti due to increasing violence, we had the privilege to deliver Bibles to a remote section of northwestern Haiti. Many people in this region do not have Bibles or have old Bibles that are falling apart. MAF’s partner organization doesn’t simply hand out the Bibles, because they find gifted Bibles are not valued. Instead, recipients participate in a Scripture memorization program. If they complete the program, they earn a Bible. The people who earn Bibles cherish them.

Equipping National Staff

The MAF team in Tarakan, Kalimantan, said goodbye to an MAF employee a few months ago. Indonesian national Stephen Sangian is leaving his job in the MAF hangar to pursue English language skills at the Papua Hope Language Institute. In the fall, Stephen plans to study Airframe and Power Mechanics at the School of Missionary Aviation Technology in the U.S.

Caring for Creation

In a remote Papuan village, several men planted 100 masoi trees and plan to plant more, replenishing trees that take a generation to grow. These trees can grow 80 feet tall, and their bark is sold as a spice (it’s related to the cinnamon tree). Masoi trees are an important cash crop for the people. By planting trees now, they are investing in their children’s future, since that’s when the trees will be ready for harvest. The trees also help the local ecosystem. Previously, the villagers felled trees without regard to the future. But now, transformed by the gospel, they are caring for their environment and thinking ahead for their children.

Lives changed.

People living in darkness saved.

Elders healed and children protected against disease.

Physical environments restored.

Young adults gaining meaningful work.

Tenacious gospel workers saved hours of travel time.

Every good gift is from the Father, and many of these gifts came through you, our faithful partners. You have helped make this happen through your support of MAF, our people and our planes. You have granted us many of the tools to help make Christ’s name known in the most remote places on earth. We are so grateful for you.

Thank you.

For more stories and videos of how God is working, scan here.

THANK YOU!

Cover Photo: Papua, Indonesia by Heather Marx