Flying For Life | Autumn 2023

Staff Spotlight

Renee Brewer begins her MAF adventure

Dimanbil Dreams of a Future with MAF

How a PNG community excavated a runway with sticks

Mission Aviation Fellowship New Zealand

Autumn 2023

A Royal Ascent

Princess Anne flies with MAF in Uganda

www.maf.org.nz

info@maf.org.nz

0800

87 85 88

MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) is a Christian organisation reaching men, women and children in more than 25 countries. Operating more than 120 aircraft, MAF’s pilots overcome terrain that has become inaccessible due to derelict roads, natural disaster, or violent conflict. MAF aircraft fly into more than 1,000 destinationstransporting food, water, health professionals, medical supplies, emergency workers and Christian missionaries where they are needed most. Each flight brings practical help, spiritual hope and physical healing to thousands of isolated people in remote communities for whom flying is a lifeline not a luxury. MAF is flying for life

Front cover

MAF is flying for life in Papua New Guinea

Annelie Edsmyr

Back cover

MAF is flying for life in Haiti

Lacey West

Flying for Life Magazine NZ

Editor: Zoë Davies

Email: comms@maf.org.nz

Copy Editor: Zoë Davies

Designer: Zoë Davies

Printer: Roe Print Services

©MAF NZ Autumn 2023

MAF NZ

www.maf.org.nz

info@maf.org.nz

0800 87 85 88

PO Box 76502

Auckland 2241 New Zealand

Registered charity in New Zealand.

PHOTO

Contents

A Message from our CEO

Recent updates from Mark Fox

A Royal Ascent

Princess Anne flies with MAF in Uganda

Staff Spotlight

Angela Hardings new MAF International role

Turning Up The H.E.A.T.

Hostile Environment Awareness Training held at the Kendon-Strong MAF Centre, NZ

Do You Hear the Call to Serve? MAF recruitment opportunities

Dimanbil Dreams of a Future with MAF

How a PNG community excavated a runway with sticks

Staff Spotlight

Renee Brewer begins her MAF adventure

Living Psalm 23 in the National Hospital, Timor Leste: Two Perspectives

Ruth Hitchins illustrates the work of Closing the Loop

Embarking on a New Engineering Pathway MAF’s new initiative to develop and qualify Engineers

News Brief

Headline news from MAF around the world

Staff Updates

News about MAF NZ Staff

A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

During May, accompanied with my wife Philippa, I had the privilege to visit three MAF programmes where Kiwis serve. We visited PNG and Cairns together, and I visited Timor Leste.

Here at MAF New Zealand we prioritise visiting our staff overseas to see their work and life, hear their stories and challenges, and hopefully be an encouragement to them. As this was my first time to Timor Leste it was an opportunity to get to know the Hitchins family better but also to see first-hand the important work that we do there.

One of the projects MAF NZ gets involved with in Timor Leste is called “Closing the Loop.” Following medical evacs MAF sponsored chaplain, Ruth Hitchins, regularly visits the patients in hospital. She gives supplies, encouragement and prayer, then advocates for their medical care and provides a return ticket for their return home. I was privileged to accompany Ruth on one such visit to a very needy hospital environment.

This is just one example of MAF, not only providing aviation services to remote peoples, but ministering to the poor and needy in the communities where we work. This is what Jesus tells us do Mathew 25:35.

Our staff make huge sacrifices to go and serve where most of us would not choose to go. I applaud and thank the Lord for their service. Let’s ensure we pray and encourage our overseas team.

We pray that you are inspired and encouraged by the stories of what God is doing through MAF included in this edition of our Flying for Life Magazine.

Kendon-Strong MAF Centre

Mark Fox

Kendon-Strong Centre NZ

It has been a two-year journey to establish the new Kendon-Strong MAF Centre at Tauranga Airport. Major renovations began in August 2022, leaving staff working from their homes and the apartment facility temporarily unavailable.

A significant amount of voluntary help was provided by MMM (Mobile Mission Maintenance), enabling the renovation to be completed in a timely manner. Due to current building regulations, the project was significantly larger than first anticipated, especially in regard to fire protection and ventilation.

This newly renovated office and accommodation facility will support MAF NZ for many years to come. The hangar area provides not only space for our Cessna 206 aircraft but three aeroplanes that yield rent which covers the lease on the land and insurance on the building.

Part of the vision of the Centre was to be “open for business” so that people could come and visit to see and hear the MAF story. Already in the two years the Centre has been open, we have had many visiting individuals and groups. This includes the Boys and Girls Rally, a youth group from Auckland and local and out-of-town Life Groups.

We have also made the facility available for aviation industry people to use the boardroom for meetings. Several MAF families on home assignment or in training have already stayed in the apartment. The entire hangar space was used in February 2023 for the HEAT Course (Hostile Environment Awareness Training).

We invite anyone to bring your group to visit the Centre, to view the MAF aeroplane, view a MAF video and hear the MAF story. We love any opportunity to share and engage with you.

Mark Fox

Royal Ascent

STORY / GARY CLAYTON

In October 2022, MAF had the privilege of flying HRH Princess Anne to visit exciting and innovative projects supporting refugees in Uganda.

PHOTO / DAMALIE HIRWA

HRH The Princess Royal is no stranger to MAF, having flown with us in Bangladesh

in 2016 in the wake of Cyclone Roanu. A year later, she attended an MAF event in Edinburgh where people used a virtual reality headset to experience our work.

The four-day Uganda trip enabled Princess Anne and her husband Sir Timothy Laurence to fly from Kajjansi to Mbarara by MAF aircraft , saving them an arduous 7.5 hour trip overland. Sir Timothy described our organisation as ‘very impressive’.

At Nakivale Refugee Camp, the oldest refugee settlement in Africa and home to some 122,000 displaced people, the Princess officially opened a new branch of the first bank ever to operate in a refugee camp.

The financial initiative, which was established by Opportunity International in 2019, has already granted around 1,000 loans to refugees. It’s enabled more than 3,800 people to open a bank account, and provided 6,900 of the camp’s residents with financial training. Opportunity International UK CEO Nana

Francois later commented, ‘We are hugely grateful for MAF’s support as it saved hours of travel time, allowing the Princess Royal to spend more time meeting our clients and seeing the life-changing impact of our work.’

The next day, we again saved the royal party precious hours by transporting them to Maika River Airstrip so they could visit people in Kyangwali Refugee Camp. While there, the Princess attended Save the Children Uganda’s ‘catch-up-club’, which provided a vital educational lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic. She also toured a ‘Child Friendly Space’ run by Save the Children, supporting vulnerable youngsters forced to flee from the devastating conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kate Airey OBE, British High Comissioner to Uganda, who not only flew with us but helped facilitate the royal tour, later said. ’It has been such a help to have MAF’s support on this important visit. They are a lovely organisation doing great work in Uganda.’

“It is encouraging to see the Princess sharing our vision to serve those who have recently fled brutality from Eastern Congo – and MAF hopes to continue being part of the humanitarian response long into the future.”

- Ruth Jack MAF Uganda Country Director

Harding

MAF International People Care Manager NZ Based

Mission Aviation Fellowship has been part of Angela Harding’s life for 30 years

years now, so she knows both the value of MAF’s ministry and the toll this mission service can have on people. That’s hardly surprising. MAF International staff have left their home countries and extended family to serve God in foreign lands facing the challenges like homesickness, language barriers and cultural misunderstandings. In addition, they are often assigned to remote or isolated places which lack access to all but the most basic of foods and consumables, reliable internet, good healthcare and education options for their kids. Added to all this, they often live in places that are less safe, politically volatile and can have extreme weather conditions.

Throughout their MAF service, Angela and her husband Bill have felt wonderfully cared for and supported by God, the MAF family, their sending church, the NZ Christian community, family and friends. Still, they are aware that this is not the case for everyone. A few of our MAF staff haven’t felt that they’ve received the care they needed or that it hasn’t come soon enough.

“Although we are a mission that uses aviation, it’s people, not planes, who are at the heart of everything we do.”

“It’s the skills and passion that our people bring that make MAF who we are. That’s why caring well for our people is so important.“

This is why Angela is excited to head up the new People Care function of MAF International.

“God has prepared me for this role through my experiences caring for people - not just in MAF, but on the streets, prisons, hospitals and the community. I’ve been learning to sit with people where they’re at (sometimes in the gutter) and really sink into their story so that I can truly listen.”

Of course, caring for people is a team effort. The new People Care team is small and spread out - from New Zealand (Angela) and Australia (Liz Jenkins) to Scotland (Pam Wunderli) and the Netherlands (Marlies Van Grol), with more team members coming on board in the next few months.

They are tasked with making sure that staff have the well-being resources they need to be effective and healthy as they serve with MAF. These resources include support from God, self, others (in their home and host countries), MAF International, MAF New Zealand (or other resourcing groups) and their sending church. Also included is access

Bill & Angela Harding

to pastoral care visits, specialist services, and opportunities to receive end-of-term and crisis debriefs.

“As we care for each other, we show the love that God has for his children. Like when the Operations Department sent an aircraft to pick up one of our pilots who was stranded in a remote part of PNG so that he could get back to his wife and children that same day. Or when a MAF family on a MAF base welcomed visitors into their home, giving them a meal and bed for the night. Or when a manager, prioritising family, wrote to a staff member whose father was gravely ill in hospital, “You have a great team, and I know they will keep the wheels turning while you attend to important matters.””

CYCLONE FREDDY RESPONSE

Medair and Doctors Without Borders chartered a MAF plane to fly to the south of the island where Cyclone Freddy, which hit Madagascar with wind gusts reportedly exceeding 130km/h (81mph), caused most damage. Cyclone Freddy lasted five weeks and affected people in Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Freddy was the longest-lasting cyclone ever recorded worldwide.

Representatives of Doctors Without Borders, went to Manakara where the organisation is working on a nutrition project. After last year’s passage of Cyclone Batsirai, as well as Cyclone Freddy, many of the rice fields and livestock in the region were destroyed, worsening the nutritional situation in the south. Doctors Without Borders decided to focus on providing medical care to those suffering from severe acute malnutrition. There are few options to fly to Manakara but the representatives said that MAF, which has flown Doctors Without Borders for many years, was the quickest to respond.

DWB Representatives said of MAF: “I was impressed by your reactivity for our reservation and all the preparations. We even received tickets and all, it’s very professional.”

“It’s always such a pleasure to fly with MAF!”

“It is thanks to our collaboration with MAF and your quick responses, that we can do our humanitarian work and help those in need.”

STORY / ANGELA HARDING

STORY & PHOTOS / IRINA RANDRIAMANDRATO

Timor-Leste Team 2022

PHOTO / DAMALIE HIRWA

“Care is not just one of MAF’s core values, it is also an outworking of the heart of God.”

-Angela Harding

MAF Pilots in Arnhem Land

PHOTO / DIVYAN AHIMAZ

TURNING UP THE H.E.A.T

Hostile Environment Awareness Training is an essential part of preparation for MAF candidates. In February 2023, H.E.A.T training was held at the newly refurbished KendonStrong MAF Centre NZ.

The purpose of the four day Hostile Environment Integrated Security Training course (HEIST) was to teach concepts and techniques to prepare MAF staff members for the increasing risks involved in international travel and operating in developing countries. The course helps improve situational awareness, confidence, and decision making if confronted with emergencies and potentially dangerous security situations.

For the second time, we employed David Long and his team at Hawkeye Dynamics from Christchurch to conduct a specifically designed course for us. In attendance, four NZ participants, Renee Brewer a pilot destined for PNG, Cobus and Tronel van der Merwe and myself; and from International regional Headquarters in Cairns, the Chief Human Resources Officer Carel Bothma, the Asia Pacific Regional Director Sam Okposin, and Deputy Head of Communications Sean Atkins.

Four intense nine hour days learning and practicing a broad range of skills: Travel safety and security, Personal security concepts, Terrorism and armed conflict, Kidnapping and hostage situations, vehicle checkpoints and ambushes, Workplace first aid, Landmines and unexploded ordnance culminating in exercises consisting of a variety of role play scenarios. This was definitely not a course for the faint hearted! The instruction was enlightening, informative, and even though some of the exercises were very realistic, we were constantly reminded we were training in a safe environment.

We can never know what situations our staff may face in the future; however, we can invest in the best preparation for neutralising any potential threats. Congratulations to all of us for surviving the course and a huge thank you to our trainers David Long and his team at Hawkeye, whose sole concern is our safety in the field and being prepared for any eventuality.

STORY / JANE EDDY

DO YOU HEAR THE CALL TO SERVE?

ECUADOR

AVIATION MECHANICS ENGINEERING HUMAN RESOURCE FINANCE

I.T

WE NEED PEOPLE SKILLED IN: PILOTING BUILDING MAINTENANCE SCHOOL TEACHING ADMINISTRATION BUSINESS

Dimanbil Dreams of a Future with MAF

The Dimanbil people have been excavating a runway with sticks for 40+ years with the hope of seeing MAF land in their village.

STORY / LANDEN KELLY

PHOTO / TERRY FAHEY

In September of 2022, Terry Fahey slid his way up and down steep trails that weaved through the mountains of the Saundaun Province. He was following a group of villagers who were guiding him from the remote airstrip at Munbil, on a seven-to-eight-hour hike, through the jungle to a village called Dimanbil.

Terry is a MAF surveyor and engineer working alongside the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA) in PNG. The RAA is a non-profit agency mandated to maintain airstrips in PNG. This is no small task when the country boasts over 600 airstrips that need looking after with more airstrips opening each year. “We don’t do 100% of the work. We try to motivate communities to do the work,” said Terry.

The people of Dimanbil have been cutting an airstrip out of the jungle in their village since 1984. The villagers contacted the RAA with the hope of receiving information about what is needed for the runway to be opened. “We hiked all day up and down the mountains and got to Dimanbil,” said Terry. Upon arriving in the village Terry recalls thinking, “Wow it is going to be a real long time before anyone even considers landing at this place. I don’t like to be the person giving bad news, but I don’t think this is going to be open for a long time.”

Terry gave the villagers a large plan containing extensive work on what needed to be done for the airstrip to be accessible by MAF and other operators.

“The village didn’t have shovels, so they had been using sticks to dig and then loading the dirt on top of mosquito nets with their hands and carrying it like a stretcher just to move the dirt,” said Terry.

It was obvious to Terry that the Dimanbil people were committed to getting the airstrip open considering they had been working on the strip for around 40 years with nothing but primitive tools and their bare hands. The amount of work left to get the strip “MAFable” was no small task even if the villagers had access to proper tools.

“Following that first visit, I had been trying to get them wheelbarrows and shovels to help them as they were previously only using sticks to dig and mosquito nets to transport dirt,” said Terry. “My friends and family helped with the purchase of two wheelbarrows, 10 shovels, 20 heavy-duty bags for transport of stones and dirt, and six hoes.”

Getting all the newly purchased supplies shuttled in across rivers and steep mountains was going to be a major task. Fortunately, Terry was able to work with the Strickland Bosavi Foundation who are involved in remote airstrip development and had an aircraft capable of landing on the portion of the runway that was developed.

“We filled the aircraft with the supplies not knowing what the pilot would find because there is no way to contact them. The pilot circled over

to see if it looked good to land, if not he would default back to Munbil and drop the supplies there,” said Terry. “The area looked great, and the supplies were delivered! The people were dancing, and celebrating all that they had achieved in the four months since I was last there.”

According to Terry, the next step is for the village to purchase a radio through MAF Technologies so that they can contact MAF about flights and airstrip conditions and then finish the rest of the work outlined in the RAA plan. If the people of Dimanbil stay on pace with their current trajectory the airstrip should soon be ready for a final survey, assessment, and service by MAF aircraft.

When the airstrip is finished and the people of Dimanbil can connect their homes via MAF with the rest of PNG, the future for this community will be brighter than ever before. Right now, the village is cut off from access to supplies and many of the villagers suffer from malaria or other illnesses with no immediate access to medications, health services, building supplies, or education.

“They are just completely isolated. A day in one direction, or a day and a half in another direction on foot gets them to a remote airstrip,” said Terry.

MAF hopes to open the airstrip, in May or June of 2023, so that it can begin to provide help, hope, and healing through its aviation for the isolated people of Dimanbil.

RENEE BREWER

Renee Brewer began flight training at the age of 15. While still in school, she heard about the mission of MAF and God planted a dream within her to become a MAF pilot. After 12 years of waiting, training and preparation, in February 2023 Renee’s dream became a reality.

After a long journey of preparation, how did it feel to finally arrive at your first international MAF base?

For many people who work for MAF, the journey usually isn’t quick – it’s not as simple as applying for a new job. The MAF team really care about your well-being and ensuring you are well-equipped for the adventure ahead, so the preparation before you go overseas is essential.

To finally arrive at the MAF base in Uganda was a great feeling. I was so excited to see the work of MAF in action and to get stuck in.

Tell us a bit about the training you have been doing so far.

I’ve just spent my first two months in Uganda, Africa learning how to fly the Cessna Caravan aircraft which I will be flying in Papua New Guinea. This aircraft is quite different to what I have flown previously back home in NZ – it’s a lot bigger and has a different type of engine, so that was a learning curve for me.

The MAF instructors taught me how to fly and think like a MAF pilot and how to interact with locals on the ground. One thing that was new to me, is having 20+ people coming right up to the aircraft after the engine was shut down. I was impressed by how my instructors took the time to chat to the locals whilst also watching the aircraft and loading/unloading goods and passengers. It was a highlight to interact with the locals who were happy to see us and say hello, but also meant a busy time on the ground between legs.

The highlight of my training would have been flying in and out of a safari game park and seeing elephants, giraffes, antelope and buffalo while coming in to land. You don’t see that in NZ!

NEW MAF PILOT / NEW ZEALAND

Renee learning to fly the Cessna Caravan 208B in Uganda.

What has it been like to meet other MAF staff and be a part of the MAF family overseas?

It has been such a highlight meeting other MAF staff from around the world. It’s an incredible experience when you’re working with people who share the same passion and calling you do – it’s very different to my previous job environments. People have been so kind and friendly to me, and I feel like I have already made so many friends that I will keep in contact with. It really is a big family, and I am glad to be a part of it!

How have you seen God move in your MAF journey so far?

I certainly saw God move when I was preparing to move overseas and completing the supportraising element. I was absolutely blown away by people’s generosity and God’s ability to provide. Many people asked me if I thought I would be able to raise the finance required. I always believed God would make it happen if this was where he wanted me to be – and He did.

What has God been teaching you?

At the moment, God has been teaching me about how I am created in His image. While the world will look at my outward appearance, God looks at my heart. In some ways, this job puts me on display, but he has been reminding me that was matters is my heart. This is giving me peace as I go about my day, and shifting my focus towards him.

Why is support from home so important?

Support is super important. I have a fantastic group of people who support me in my work with MAF through prayer and/or financial support. Prayer is essential as it is not easy spiritually or logistically for MAF to operate in the countries that we do. Secondly, MAF is a charity, and without the generous sponsorship of my supporters, I wouldn’t be able to work with MAF and bring hope to isolated people groups around the world.

If you would like to give towards our MAF staff, like Renee, please scan the QR code or go to: www.maf.org.nz/ support-our-staff/

Renee learning how to refuel the aircraft from drums at Moroto airfield.

Landing at a sloped strip in the middle of a tea plantation in Western Uganda - Very challenging!

Moroto airstrip, Northe Eastern Uganda near the border with Kenya.

the National Hospital, Timor-Leste:

WRITTEN BY RUTH HITCHINS

Maski hau lao iha fatin nebee nakukun tebtebes, hau la tauk buat ida tanba Ita Boot hamutuk

In his words / Maun Mario (Mr Mario)

Well, I simply can’t walk. Let alone through this valley. So You’d better be with me, Maromak (God).

Because I’m stuck in this valley with my diabetes causing peripheral neuropathy which has meant my leg has just been amputated, I’ve got no way to get out of this valley. So You’d better come in to this valley with me, Maromak. I’m a subsistence farmer. Even if I manage to get a walking stick from somewhere, I’m not able to move anywhere anymore: my farm is up a rocky mountain. My wife is in tears when the MAF woman asks her what is life going to be like for her when we get discharged from hospital. She glows at the arrival of the care crew - this Malae (foreigner) and Timorese oddly working together - but she knows that everything falls on her shoulders the minute we get back to Oe’Cusse. We have no family nearby to help us work the farm. And I’m a permanent invalid. This diabetes plus malnutrition from a month in hospital is wreaking havoc with my brain.

I can’t help that I’ve gone from being an active farmer to a passive patient. My wife understands far better than I what her life will look like now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to see her smile and laugh at the arrival of much-needed food and water and phone credit these MAF people have brought. She has always masked hardship with such warmth and bravery. Because of me, she will also be stuck in this valley of the brutal death awaiting those in poverty. So You’d better be with her too, if You really are our Bibi Atan (Good Shepherd).

MAF Chaplain

Mana Domingas, Her eyes hold it all: Full comprehension of the death her husband’s amputation already spells for her;

Hidden eyes weeping the horror of what awaits her on her return to Oe’Cusse. She knows she cannot manage their farm single-handedly, And she knows that to work the land is to be able to eat.

She knows she is utterly alone. She knows the stigma awaiting her as an imminent widow, For he will die soon enough. Her grim reality stretches out with no end.

And yet she smiles at me.

There is joy in this visit that I cannot possibly fathom.

We read Psalm 23 together, She cannot get out of this valley of the shadow of death:

Neither Mario nor Domingas are even able to walk through it.

I only hold my tears in because I want them to hear the words my friend so richly and recently translated into everyday Tetun; I want them to know how much He is with them in their horror.

He is especially their Shepherd, their Bibi Atan, And He is with them forever and ever,

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me.

ho hau.

Nafatin ba nafatin.

Nick, Ruth, Benji, Sam, and Eddie Hitchins have been serving with MAF in Timor-Leste for over two years. Nick is Pilot/Country Director, while Ruth, when she’s not supervising the boys’ Distance Education, enjoys providing continuity of care for our medevac patients in her Chaplaincy role.

The majority of MAF Timor-Leste’s flying involves bringing very sick people from the mountainous districts to the National Hospital in Dili. We identified a critical need to support patients and their families after the medevac during their time in Dili, and to complete the circle of care by using our GA8 airvans to bring them safely and easily back home to the districts. This holistic model of showing Christ’s love in action we have called Closing the Loop.

Stay Connected with MAF NZ

Stay up to date with all of the latest MAF NZ news and projects, and find how you can be a part of bringing help, healing and hope to the world’s most isolated communities.

www.maf.org.nz

Instagram: @maf_nz

Facebook: @mafnewzealand

To subscribe to our publications, visit: www.maf.org.nz/subscribe

Leave a Legacy

By remembering MAF in your Will, you will provide a lifeline beyond your lifetime to those who really need it - a promise of a better life for the isolated people MAF serves everyday.

Talk to your solicitor, or if you would like more information or a brochure, visit maf.org.nz/ legacy

PHOTO / LANDEN KELLY

Embarking on a New Engineering Pathway

The quality and safety of our flights is one of the main reasons why MAF has such a fantastic reputation in the aviation industry. Our highly trained engineers play a critical role in upholding our exceptional standards.

Today we face a critical worldwide engineering shortfall. This shortfall has been a concern in the aviation industry for nearly a decade, with Boeing’s most recent engineering forecast predicting a worldwide demand for 769,000 new engineers by 2038. The global aviation engineering workforce will need to add almost 38,000 new engineers each year to meet this projected demand. For MAF, this global situation is reflected in a current shortfall of aircraft maintenance engineers across our organisation. As MAF International seeks to expand the ministry to new countries, this shortfall will hinder new programme growth and create significant organisational stress.

As a direct response to this urgent need, MAF is developing clear engineering pathways to encourage experienced engineers to serve as apprentices to train with the organisation. At our base in Mareeba (near Cairns) we have developed an engineering apprenticeship programme:

STORY / JANE EDDY

YEARS

YEARS

YEARS

Once qualified, you will have the chance to travel the world, immerse yourself in different cultures, traditions, foods, hospitality, and love of some of the world’s most isolated communities. Your faith will grow as God opens your eyes to the difference His love and provision makes.

Remember Psalm 128:2 “You will definitely enjoy what you’ve worked hard for — you’ll be happy; and things will go well for you.”

And Proverbs 8:30 “Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him.”

If you would like to learn more about the programme contact Jane at jeddy@maf.org.nz

2-3

TO LINE MECHANIC

4-5

TO CERTIFYING MECHANIC

8-10

TO CHEIF ENGINEER

Engineering team, Arnhem Land

PHOTO / DIVYAN AHIMAZ

News Brief

UPDATE ON RYAN KOHER

NEW AIRCRAFT IN ARNHEM LAND

A new Cessna 208 Caravan (VHMFD) touched down in Arnhem Land in January 2023. VH-MFD was added to the MAF family of aircraft after the generous support of MAF donors supported the purchase of the aircraft. The team of engineers at the hangar in Mareeba, Far North Queensland, did extensive work and modifications to get the plane ready for service, including repainting it in MAF colours.

“We are grateful to the supporters of MAF who helped fund the purchase of VH-MFD and for the skills of all the people who prepared the plane to enter service with us. We celebrate the arrival of this new aircraft and we know that it will be a great blessing to the people of Arnhem Land that we serve,”

- Matthew Henderson,

MAF Arnhem Land programme director (Pictured)

MAF PARTNERSHIP WITH ROTARIANS AGAINST MALARIA IN PNG

In a partnership with Rotarians against Malaria MAF in PNG transported 20,000 mosquito nets to 7 remote communities accessible only by air between the end of February and Easter 2023. “Malaria is a serious concern. 70% of deaths in PNG are caused by malaria. “Rotarians Against Malaria aims to reduce these unnecessary deaths.” Says Jerry Randel, RAM Officer.

Ryan Koher, MAF Pilot in Mozambique, was wrongly imprisoned on the 4th of November 2022.

Ryan was conducting a routine MAF flight bringing supplies for orphanages in the northern part of the country known as Ambassador Aviation Ltd. Before the airplane was loaded, police conducted a normal scan of the goods and had concerns about some vitamins, over-the-counter medications, and food preservative supplies that were going to staff at the orphanages.

Ryan and two South African volunteers with him were detained that day on an accusation that quickly escalated to “supporting terrorism.” After four months incarcerated in a high-security prison, Ryan was given a provisional release and reunited with his family.

Currently, the legal process is ongoing for Ryan’s full release. Please join us in prayer that all wrongful charges against Ryan will be dropped. Pray for the health and wellbeing of Ryan and his wife, Annabelle and kids. Pray that his passport will be returned so that him and his family can return home for some much needed rest and recovery.

(Update as of May 18, 2023)

Malaria deaths have decreased in PNG in the last few years, but PNG still has the highest rate of malaria infection in the Asia-Pacific region. “On behalf of RAM,” he said, “I would like to thank MAF for transporting the nets. If it wasn’t for MAF, I don’t know what transport system we could have used to get our supplies here as there is no road connection. So, thank you, MAF. Thank you for delivering the nets here to Lapalama!”

MAF PNG serves nearly 200 bush airstrips. For many target areas in RAM ‘s net distribution program, MAF is the cheapest, most reliable, fastest, and safest transport option to reach vulnerable rural communities. MAF and RAM have been working together for over ten years. In 2022, MAF helped distribute nearly 35,000 mosquito nets for RAM to 26 airstrips in Western Province, West Sepik, and Hela Province.

NEW MAF AUSTRALIA CEO DR CHRIS BARNES

Chris comes to MAF after a lifetime career within the corporate world of BOC and Linde, where God has been sharpening his transformational leadership skills and growing his capacity to lead people and process across multiple geographies in ANZ, Asia and Europe to deliver sustainable growth.

He is a people leader who enjoys building, coaching, empowering and developing people at their best, and this investment into people has led to strong organisational performance. Chris is a deeply committed Christian, active in his local church. He is married to Carol, with three adult children, all living in Sydney.

Staff Updates

MAF NZ’s NEW MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

In April, we welcomed Zoë Davies to the MAF NZ team as our new Marketing & Communications Manager. Zoë’s parents were both missionaries with Operation Mobilisation and WEC NZ. She grew up on campus at EastWest College and WEC NZ and from an early age felt God call her to ministry. Before moving back to NZ in December 2022, Zoë was living in Sydney working as the Assisstant Brand Manager for Hillsong College at Hillsong Church. She has also previously worked for Curate Church and GoGenerosity in Communications and Marketing. While working for MAF, she will be continuing to study towards her Bachelor of Theology. Zoë is excited to be a part of seeing MAF step into the future God has ahead; a future built on the faithfulness of many people and carried by a lifeworthy vision and mission.

BILL WOODWARD RETIRING AFTER 22 YEARS ON THE MAF NZ BOARD

On May the 5th 2023 Bill Woodward retired from the MAF New Zealand board. Bill was on the MAF New Zealand board for 22 years with nine of those years spent as chairman. We want to thank Bill for his many years of service to MAF and his love for the organisation. We know this will not be the last we see of Bill within a MAF context.

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF MARTEN HAYWARD

It is with much sadness that we report the death of Marten Hayward on the 29th of April 2023 at the age of 96. Marten was on the MAF New Zealand Board for 16 years with 10 of those years spent as chairman. We praise God for the many years that Marten had and the service he provided.

PHOTO / DAVE FORNEY