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 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.””