FLIGHTWATCH
BRINGING LIGHT AND HOPE
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
—Psalm 100:5 (ESV)
I remember the first time I flew into a remote village of the Moi people. It sits perched on the side of a mountain, completely surrounded by jungle. I was struck by how isolated this village was, even by Papuan standards, with limited access to outside resources.
It meant a lot to me to begin serving this village, as one of the missionaries there was a friend from language school whom I hadn’t seen in 10 years. The church was in its infancy, and my friend would tell me stories of the young believers’ spiritual growth.
He said one way the new Moi believers demonstrated their newfound freedom in Christ was how they gave up old practices that were rooted in fear. When they started hunting animals that were no longer forbidden by superstitious beliefs, my friend knew the truths of the gospel were taking root.
Over time, a school and medical clinic were established in the Moi village, and last year, MAF flew in the newly completed Moi New Testament.
As you’ll read about in the “Your Prayers at Work” section of this edition of FlightWatch, the maturing of these Moi brothers and sisters in Christ continues. I think back on my experience of first flying there, and I celebrate the growth that is taking place through the power of the gospel to transform lives.
You will also read about our joint work with MAF International in the country of Guinea, where many live in spiritual darkness. I hope you will be inspired to pray for this new program, that through the efforts of MAF and our partners, the light of the gospel will begin to push back the darkness.
I’m so grateful for the role you play through your prayers and support in helping isolated people experience the life-changing love of Christ.
Serving together,
David Holsten President and CEO
Samaritan’s Purse workers board the MAF airplane after visiting Hope Clinic in Guinea.
PUSHING BACK THE DARKNESS
HOW MAF IS BRINGING LIGHT AND HOPE TO GUINEA
BY ANNELIE EDSMYR
There’s a friendly welcome in Guinea that MAF Country Director Lisa Blomberg treasures, but behind the smiles is a nation struggling with serious challenges.
“Here is the secret about Guinea,” Lisa says. “Everywhere you go in West Africa, people will point to Guinea and say that Guineans are the nicest, most hospitable people you will find in West Africa.”
Lisa’s face lights up when she talks about the people and the culture she has gotten to know since she, her husband Jonathan, a pilot for MAF, and their five children, moved to the country two years ago.
The joy-filled population does not reflect the underlying challenges that exist in relation to health, nutrition, education, and poverty.
As a country, Guinea is growing and seeking to improve its infrastructure and economic reality, but currently 55 percent of the population lives on less than two dollars a day. One in four children under the age of five is malnourished, and one in five families lives with food insecurity.
Of Guinea’s 14 million people, less than one percent are evangelical Christians and more than 85 percent are Muslims, with a large percentage of the population practicing animism and dark spirituality.
“There is much that is the opposite of the love of Jesus,” says Lisa. “A lot of greed, corruption, death and destruction because of this spiritual darkness.”
While Guinea has rich deposits of bauxite, aluminium, gold, and diamonds, most of the country’s support resources, including aviation, are used primarily to serve mining businesses.
This means many remote areas are cut off from essential services, especially during the rainy season.
Anja Erickson is a nurse who, together with her husband, started the Hope Clinic in southeastern Guinea 21 years ago. Since then, the hospital has been serving the people of one of the poorest parts of the country, the forest area.
“We started on a very small scale, and we had maybe 30 patients a day. But today we see between 100 and 130 patients a day,” she says.
The hospital also receives patients from surrounding countries, but can’t always treat them on-site. When in need of more advanced medical equipment, patients need to be referred to the capital city of Conakry. Staff and visitors who come to help often need to travel days on terrible roads to reach the hospital.
“We don’t count the distance in kilometres, we count the hours,” says Anja. “Because 900 kilometres (about 560 miles) as it is to the capital, can take two days if it’s at all possible. To now be able to make that journey in 2.5 hours with MAF is much better.”
MAF’s shortest flight in Guinea takes an hour and the longest takes about two hours and fifteen minutes, crossing neighbouring Liberia on the way.
“Currently, there are runways in most major cities, but beyond that, there is not much access to the remote parts of the country,” says Jonathan Blomberg.
Lisa says MAF is strategically looking at how they can work with partners to reach the most remote areas and develop more runways.
Roads in Guinea are impassable in many places for much of the year.
FACT FILEMAF’S JOURNEY TO GUINEA
• 2018 – Investigations begin to see if the people of Guinea would be helped by MAF.
• March 2022 – MAF-US finalized pilot training and flight checks and continues to interface with the FAA and provide operational oversight for the program.
• April 2022 – The first official flight takes place when a couple of missionaries are flown from Nzérékoré to the capital Conakry (2.5 hours by plane, over two days by car if roads allow).
• Fall 2022 – Operations are paused due to challenges obtaining flight permissions.
• January 2023 – The Blomberg family starts their positions as country director and pilot in the program.
• February 2023 – flights resume after the flight permit has been re-granted.
Photo by Jim Egli.
PRIMED FOR GROWTH
Despite the difficulties of starting a new MAF program in a country marked by decades of challenges, Lisa and Jonathan hope that MAF can shine a light in the darkness for Guineans in isolated communities.
“We’re at a point where there are seeds that have been planted, and now we need to get those seeds to start growing. This means that we need to show more and more what we are here to do,” says Lisa.
Anja says the arrival of MAF in Guinea in 2022 has already made a difference to the work of their clinic.
“We really hope that MAF will fly for many, many years to come, because it really helps our work a lot,” she says.
Lisa says the MAF program in Guinea, which is operated jointly by MAF-US and MAF International, has a unique opportunity to help partners go into areas of the country where there are no churches and little to no education.
“To help these partners push back the darkness and serve the people of Guinea—that is the heart of MAF in Guinea.”
MAF IN GUINEA
• 10 staff
• 1 Cessna Caravan; 2 pilots
• Partners: Ministry of Health, local missionaries and churches, hospitals, Bible translators, and organizations focused on education.
Hope Clinic was founded 21 years ago. Photo by Annelie Edsmyr.
Loading cargo on the Caravan for the next flight. Photo by Dave Forney.
YOUR PRAYERS AT WORK
A LOOK BACK AT WHAT GOD HAS DONE
MAF Prayer Connection, February 19
Pray for the staff in Mozambique as they work to expand a medical ministry partnership that will bring medical care to more people.
Answer: MozMed has now expanded to serve six villages in the Niassa Reserve. The MozMed program is now serving nearly double the amount of people they were serving before— helping meet isolated people’s medical needs while being an expression of God’s love.
MAF Prayer Connection, June 29
Pray for the Apo Kayan region in Kalimantan, Indonesia, which experienced heavy flooding. Around 600 people in Long Sule and Long Pipa communities were affected, and MAF delivered aid to Long Sule. Much more aid is needed.
Answer: In August, MAF flew a group from Siloam Tarakan church to Long Sule and Long Pipa to provide holistic care. The group included doctors and nurses who consulted with patients and provided medical care, as well as team members associated with Evangelism Explosion who showed the JESUS film and had conversations with many in the community. The goal was to treat both physical bodies and souls.
MAF Prayer Connection, January 9
MAF Prayer Connection February 26, FlightWatch, May 2023
Praise God for the arrival of the first Moi New Testaments (plus 1,500 verses from the Old Testament) to Papua, Indonesia. A local pastor said, “Praise God who brought this Word to us. Praise God we are alive for this day.”
Answer: The gospel is transforming the hearts of the Moi. Pilot Mike Brown experienced this a couple of months ago. As he addressed an aircraft maintenance issue while in a village, Mike was approached by two Moi believers who asked if they could pray over him and the airplane before he took off. “This is what a community of believers does!” Mike said. “They are sensitive to the Lord’s leading.”
Pray for a new believer in a restricted-access country. His bosses at work are questioning his Christian faith, and he must decide how open he will be because it will affect his unbelieving family. Ask God to give this new believer steadfast faith, courage, and wisdom. Pray that his father would find his faith attractive.
Answer: This believer’s family has noticed the changes in his life and they have softened toward his new faith. His mother has even read some of the Bible. When this believer had to sign a statement of faith at work, instead of choosing the majority religion, he put “Christianity.” When his colleagues have asked questions about his faith, this believer has been able to share what he believes.
FlightWatch, May 2024
Pray for MAF Ecuador as they recruit new pilots and mechanics and as they go through the recertification process for their authorized maintenance shop.
Answer: Pilot Luke Kanagy joined the MAF Ecuador staff in 2024. Praise the Lord that MAF Ecuador was allowed to continue to fly after a recent audit by an aviation authority inspector. “With God’s help, we are committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that all our processes are aligned with the required standards,” an MAF staff member wrote.
MAF Prayer Connection, July 16
Pray for an MAF pilot in Lesotho, Joe Adams, who was injured in a bicycle accident. Praise God that he was recently released from the hospital.
Answer: Joe spent five days in the hospital after breaking his elbow, wrist, and tailbone when he was hit by a taxi while on his bike. His recovery has been excellent, and he has almost full use of his arms again. However, due to suffering a concussion, Joe will hopefully be cleared to fly in January of 2025. Joe is currently serving as interim country director in Lesotho. Pray for his continued recovery and that he will be cleared to fly by the FAA.
FlightWatch and Prayer Connection (multiple over the past year) Praise for the dismissal of the investigation of MAF pilot Ryan Koher in Mozambique.
Answer: After two years of investigation and four months of prison time for Ryan, no charges will be filed. The Kohers have spent the last year in the U.S. The Kohers are eager to return to minister in Mozambique and hope to be back in early 2025.
MAF Prayer Connection, February 16
Pray for Zacharie François, a pilot/mechanic who is currently raising support to serve in Haiti. Pray for Zacharie as he raises support. Pray for peace in his homeland of Haiti.
Answer: Zacharie is at 100 percent of his monthly support goal. In May, he finished his final training to officially become an MAF pilot. A few weeks later he also took on a new role as director of maintenance for the Haiti program. Zacharie will also serve as a pilot for the program, and he will return to Haiti as soon as Cessna 206 HH-FLY at MAF HQ in Idaho is ready to return to service. Zacharie will pilot the plane to Haiti.
FlightWatch and Prayer Connection (multiple over the past year)
FlightWatch, December 2023, MAF Prayer Connection, January 23 Pray for people displaced by the conflicts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Praise God for those who completed a literacy and sewing program in IDP camps near Bunia, DRC.
Answer: MAF dedicated a new community center building in the Kolomani Internally Displaced People camp in Bunia, DRC. MAF uses the building for sewing instruction, literacy training, and to provide counseling.
Continue to pray for MAF’s team in Haiti as they begin the process of reestablishing service in the country. Pray for the move to Pignon, Haiti, from Port-Au-Prince.
Answer: In September, the Haiti program confirmed ownership of the land at the new location in Pignon. They tapped a well on the property, received permission to begin construction of staff housing, and learned that a new portable hangar was en route. Program manager Dave Simon wrote, “We celebrate these milestones while keeping our focus on how our team can bring glory and honor to His name!”
MAF Prayer Connection, June 8 Pray for two children, Ninja and Yeri, who were burned in a hot water accident in one of the homes close to the Emdomen airstrip in Papua, Indonesia. MAF flew them to Sentani for treatment.
Answer: MAF flew one of the boys and his father home to Emdomen in September. After treatment in Sentani, this little guy was healthy again. He was excited to see his mom. At the time of this writing, the other boy is still receiving treatment in Sentani.
NEWS
NEW AND REOPENED AIRSTRIPS IN INDONESIA
MAF pilots Joel Driscoll and Ian Rojas reopened the airstrip of Long Lebusan in Kalimantan after not flying there for two years. Flooding last summer wiped out 150 homes and the villagers worked to rebuild their community. While the airstrip was closed, medevac patients had to be carried to the next village, over rough roads and areas prone to landslides. In Papua, MAF pilots opened the new airstrip of Nipsan Baru. MAF pilot Dave Ringenberg reported the people there are grateful for the service the plane will provide their community.
SCHOOLING FOR THE DEM TRIBE
A new Lantern of Hope (SLH) school has opened in the Papuan village of Bina, where the Dem people group live. Four teachers arrived in September and are starting with 100 children in the school. MAF has served the Dem people for over a decade, flying in missionaries, supplies, and doing medevacs. In 2023, after years of work by missionaries, a church was begun when dozens of Dem put their trust in Jesus. The gospel continues to transform lives as people grow in their understanding and faith in Jesus.
MAF/AMBASSADOR AVIATION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS IN MOZAMBIQUE
In early September, the MAF/Ambassador Aviation team in Mozambique celebrated 25 years of ministry in the country. The program began in 1999 when MAF opened a base in Nampula, with Dave and Gerd LePoidevin serving as the first permanent staff. From this base, MAF can reach remote villages in the less-developed part of the country. Dave and Gerd recently shared: “It would take a book to write about all we have seen God do in, through, and despite us.”
READY FOR SCHOOL IN THE JUNGLE
In September, Alas de Socorro (MAF Ecuador, ADSE) blessed the village of Panintza, Ecuador, by delivering tables, chairs, and a blackboard for the community’s small school. The school serves several nearby villages, with some children walking up to an hour to reach the school. It was a time of great joy and commotion as the excited children helped to unload the items from the plane. They immediately set up the chairs and tables and began pretending that they were in class. Cristina Castillo, ADSE administrative assistant shared, “Thanks to God for giving us His grace, for providing everything we need to accomplish His work in this community so that the children can study and learn a little more every day.”
MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
FROM CONSTRUCTION TO THE COCKPIT: ONE FAMILY’S JOURNEY INTO MISSIONS
Who switches from running a successful construction company to fixing airplanes for missionaries? Meet Jeremy and Darlene Simkins, a couple whose path to Mission Aviation Fellowship is as unique as their story.
Jeremy’s journey from California aircraft mechanic to Montana construction company owner for the past 20 years and now back to aviation reads like a divinely orchestrated flight plan. He and Darlene have successfully navigated life’s twists and turns along with their eight kids, faithfully following the Lord’s leading, regardless of the timing. “I just couldn’t ignore the call,” Jeremy admits. “The idea of combining aviation and mission work together just seemed like a natural way to use the gifts God has given me and the training I already had.”
Jeremy’s fascination with missionary aviation was initially sparked by Nate Saint’s story. In addition to being a pilot, Nate was an innovative mechanic who maintained and repaired the planes he flew. “If the airplanes can’t fly, they can’t reach the people and share the love of Christ,” Jeremy says.
While Jeremy will work at MAF HQ to ensure mission aircraft are ready for service worldwide, Darlene will continue homeschooling their youngest five children and supporting their adult kids from afar. “I’m excited to be here!” Jeremy concludes.
WANT TO BE PART OF THIS AMAZING JOURNEY?
The Simkins aim to serve in Nampa by Fall 2025, but need faithful prayer warriors and financial partners to help them take flight. If you would like to partner with the Simkins family through MAF, please visit www.maf.org/simkins
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None of the stories you have read would be possible without the support of people like you. It is our pleasure to show how you are making it possible for the gospel to transform the lives of isolated people around the world. Your prayers, your gifts, and your time are key to MAF’s ministry. Thank you for sharing the love of Jesus at the ends of the earth! Every gift you send, every prayer you offer for MAF, helps change lives through aviation. We enjoy hearing from you! Please send comments and questions to maf-us@maf.org.
Front Cover: Photo taken by Bridget Ingham in Papua New Guinea