MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3 2021
NEWSPAPER OF MAF SOUTH AFRICA
REACHING THE ISOLATED
WE HAVE GONE DIGITAL You are receiving this e-Magazine because we have redesigned our quarterly newspaper into a digital format! We are so excited about this new venture and the people we will be able to reach because of it. 1
MAF is an international Christian organisation whose mission is to fly light aircraft, and to use other technologies to bring help, hope and healing to people in some of the world’s poorest communities. Every four minutes an MAF plane is taking off or landing somewhere in the world to assist missions, churches, aid and development agencies, and other local groups to transform lives and share the love of God.
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FROM THE CEO In times of crisis, where isolation exists, MAF has strived to be there, flying to bring help and hope to communities that need it most. With the hope that this brings, focusing on our gracious saviour, Jesus Christ, we get a chance to “Celebrate Life” and life in abundance – despite the times of crisis and throughout suffering and challenges.
In this edition, you will read all these stories and more, serving as a testament, that even in suffering, life can be celebrated.
You will also have a chance to read all about how we aim to bring healing through health in Papua New Guinea, and the way in which we love our missionaries, like those in Owena. Finally, you will To keep you up to date with get to read about how we what MAF has been up to in have helped in the crisis in the last few months, we would Mozambique through flying love to share a few stories refugees to safety. about celebrating life, from a testimony of how Christ We trust these stories will bring brought new life to a man’s you some encouragement and circumstances, to bringing hope, despite the challenges people out of dangerous we have faced as a country. situations to preserve their life. And we hope that you know
that we pray for you regularly and consistently – for the safety of our MAF Family, and your families. We are so heartened by each and every one of you who takes the time to read our stories and those who, despite current circumstances, have remained faithful to the mission of MAF. Let us continue to unite for the sake of the Gospel and praise God in all His faithfulness and sovereignty for life and life in abundance with Him. Maxine Holman CEO of MAF SA
FEATURED STORIES
IN TIMES OF CRISIS: MOZAMBIQUE EVACUATIONS
MAF – THE LIFELINE TO MISSIONARIES AT OWENA
HEALTH PATROL TO PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA
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Story Amber Thomson Photos Daniel Juzi, Paul Middleton, Rolland Trempert and Dave LePoidevin.
IN TIMES OF CRISIS: MOZAMBIQUE EVACUATIONS Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been assisting in the evacuation of fleeing residents in northern Mozambique after attacks by militants on the town of Palma. MAF, which operates in Mozambique under the name Ambassador Aviation, has been flying survivors of the attacks to the Cabo Delgado provincial capital of Pemba. Insurgents began their offensive on 24 March on coastal administrative posts and moved on to Palma. Thousands have fled the area, some by boat and others into the surrounding jungle. Extremist attacks in Mozambique began 2017. International aid groups estimate that over 700,000 people in the province have been displaced from their homes since the attacks began.
in Pemba to assist with coordination of evacuations from Afungi. The Afungi peninsula, outside of Palma, has been heavily guarded due to construction of a major liquid natural gas plant by a French company. Private security forces, local police and the Mozambiquan military have been controlling the area that includes an airstrip.
To make matters worse for all residents in the Cabo Delgado region, Tropical Storm Jobo made landfall near the northern border of Mozambique, creating delivery delays. You may recall that Ibo was one location in MAF’s disaster response following Cyclone Kenneth that occurred on 25 April 2019.
On 1 April they made two round-trip flights, approximately 50 minutes oneway, evacuating 13 adults, 12 children and six babies. The International Committee of the Red Cross assisted the refugees once they arrived in Pemba. This began a long journey of many evacuation flights over many days.
Refugees coming to Afungi were screened by police and company security forces to prevent infiltration by insurgents before being accepted as passengers and evacuated by Ambassador Aviation’s Cessna Grand Caravan, other aircraft, ships and boats.
On 31 March, Ambassador Aviation pilots Dave LePoidevin and Dave Holmes arrived 6
In partnership with VAMOZ (Voluntários Anónimos de Moçambique) and Mercy Air, Ambassador Aviation has flown a total of 80 flight legs from 31 March until 28 April. Flying to three unique destinations, they flew 8,615 kg of cargo including food and medicine for the refugees being cared for. In addition, they transported near 560 passengers to safety, including children, elderly, sick, wounded, and even one pregnant woman experiencing distress.
The technicians were even flown over some of the sites (within the safe zone) that they hoped to repair.
One of the evacuated passengers ran a preschool in Palma. He said the attack began right outside of the school and weapons fire shook the building. He fled into the bush and hid out for 15 days. During his attempt to return home, he learnt that insurgents were using his house and school. He was very grateful for the There were several happy reunions in evacuation flight to Pemba after his ordeal. Pemba with the arrival of family members reconnecting with those who were Please continue to pray for the people of previously evacuated. Others were the Cabo Delgado province as they endure hoping to find family members they insecurity, food and medicine shortages, were separated from. Many of these and stormy weather. Mozambican families were not from Palma but worked there and needed to leave due to the volatile situation. For the Photo - p.6: Ambassador Aviation has evacuated children, families, the wounded, wounded, an ambulance awaited their the elderly, and even one pregnant woman in distress. arrival in Pemba. On two of the flights to Afungi, we carried Photo - p.7: Ambassador Aviation, in cell tower technicians, repair equipment, partnership with MAF, fly survivors to safety. cables, and a power supply to restore communications, which had been down since the attack on Palma on 24 March. 77
Families from South Africa are working in third-world countries across the globe, to bring the love of Christ to the isolated.
PRAY FOR OUR MISSIONARIES
BRAD & MICHELLE VENTER | PNG Please pray for planning and success of their home assignment in the last quarter of this year. Pray that they may be blessed and fruitful as they again engage with supporters, prayer partners and family. SUPPORT THIS FAMILY
MARK & LORRAINE LIPRINI | DISASTER RESPONSE | UGANDA Please pray for blessings as Mark moves into operational flying, and his ongoing training role. Pray as well for health for Lorraine as they continue to faithfully serve as a couple. SUPPORT THIS FAMILY
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TOBIAS AND MORIAH MEYER | SOUTH SUDAN Please pray for protection for Tobias and Moriah as they serve in South Sudan, for the Lord to keep them safe and healthy, and for their planned home assignment in August. SUPPORT THIS FAMILY
GRANT & EMILY STRUGNELL | LESOTHO Please pray for a restful and fruitful time as the Strugnells also go on home assignment in the last quarter. Pray for a blessed time as they engage once more with supporters, prayer partners and family. SUPPORT THIS FAMILY
KIRSTEIN & AMELIA COMBRINK | TANZANIA Please pray for their move back to the UK in the third quarter of this year. Praise God for the many wonderful years they have served in Tanzania and pray for the remote work Kirstein will continue to do for the Tanzania programme once they have relocated. SUPPORT THIS FAMILY
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MAF serves in several countries around the world with the vision of taking Christ’s love into the most remote places on earth.
PRAY FOR OUR PROGRAMMES TANZANIA
CHAD
SOUTH SUDAN
UGANDA
Praise God for the flight that carried a box of Chadian Arabic Bibles. Pray that they will be a valuable resource for churches and believers.
MAF South Sudan anticipates being short of pilots in August. Pray that a good solution will present itself and services will continue.
Praise God for the recent day of prayer that they were able to have, bringing together national and international staff in prayer.
LESOTHO
KENYA
EDRC
MADAGASCAR
Pray for ongoing success and provision as the team continues to deliver COVID vaccines throughout the region.
As the Kenya team work on partnership development, pray for fruitful opportunities and strength to keep the momentum going.
Please continue to pray for the MAF team in EDRC, who are living in dynamic and unsettled situations.
Praise God we have been able to transport COVID-19 vaccines in Madagascar. Pray that vaccines will get to the people who need them.
In Tanzania we’re developing three new airstrips. Please pray permission goes ahead for construction to be received.
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Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16–20 DONATE NOW
MAREEBA
Give thanks for the progress being made on the construction of the new hangar in Mareeba.
WORLDWIDE
PNG
Pray for countries across the Africa and Asia Pacific regions that are seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections.
Pray for the health patrols happening throughout PNG for provision of resources.
LIBERIA
Pray for the team who currently only has one fully trained pilot while they train new arrivals. Pray for strength, endurance.
MISSIONARIES
BANGLADESH
TIMOR LESTE
SOUTH AFRICA
As staff go on home assignments, pray for travelling mercies, an effective time gathering support, & fellowshipping.
Pray for the country as they head into their rainy season. For protection against floods and the like.
Praise God for a successful medevac for a mother giving birth to triplets on Mother’s Day. Pray for their health.
Pray for the country’s healing as we face our third wave. Pray for healing for those who have lost loved ones and numbers to lower.
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FINDING MEANING During our Prayer Day in May, MAF Chad Ground Ops and Logistics Officer Togba Serge shared his testimony with the team. Here is the story of how he came to faith.
“What is life worth? Life is not worth anything if we don’t manage to discover who we are, and why we are alive. And I believe I have found all these answers in Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.” During our Prayer Day in May, MAF Chad Ground Ops and Logistics Officer Togba Serge shared his testimony with the team. Here is the story of how he came to faith.
“I would like to testify to the grace I have received from God; to do this I must tell you where I came from and where I am today. “My father was born into a polygamous family; my grandfather was a chief who was married to seven women. Imagine being a child of such a family,
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Your prayer vital. imagine the difficulties of growing up in that is family. This is where my father came from and by the grace of God, he made his own way and established his own home, and I am the fruit of that home. “But my father did not grow up as a Christian and, as he faced the challenges of life, he first became a Muslim, because his mother is a Muslim. At some point he decided that was not right for him and decided to be a Catholic, but he did not stick with that either. Eventually, he chose to be a Baha’i. “And this is the family in which I grew up. The Baha’i believe in many gods: in Mohammed, in Jesus, in Baha’u’llah, in Buddha, and Krishna, to name but a few. They also believe that all paths lead to God. So, what I learnt in my family were moral virtues, the things that should guide us in how to live; but there was no assurance of eternal life. “Yet in spite of this confusion, my father went out of his way to educate us in a noble and respectful way; we grew up respecting society and our elders. When I was a teenager I had the privilege of living for a while with my paternal uncle in his Christian family and, like any other African child, it was vital for me to respect my uncle and do what he asked when I was living there. “This led me to attending church for two years. I ended up taking Bible classes and preparing to be baptised. But I knew deep down that I had done all this just to respect my uncle and really there was no way I could get baptised: I would have gone into the water the way I was, and I would have come out the same way I went in. There would have been no change in me, and so that led me not to do it. “Life continued; I finished high school and after that I had the privilege of going to Nigeria. When I was first there, I was not going to church or to the mosque,
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and it looked from the outside as if I was an animist. That was a critical time because I realised I needed to make a choice, I had to define the view I was going to take. Looking back, I can see that God wanted me to take this time to reflect, to ask myself who I really am, and to ask ’who is this God I am looking for?’
“I took my support from the commandments of the Baha’i faith, which say that the independent search for truth must be personal; I used this phrase to seek God. I felt challenged to read the Bible and I started with the New Testament. Then I read the whole thing and that’s when I understood that if everything that was written there was really true, then I had to make a decision. “So I got on my knees and prayed, I cried out to God, ’help me know who you are, help me to serve you in all sincerity!’ And that was when I gave my life to Jesus. “So this is the testimony of what God has done in my life. To me it seems miraculous, because no one came and preached the Gospel to me. No one approached me to show me the way, but in his grace, God wanted
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to bring me gradually to recognise who he is. And my life from that day to this is a testimony: of grace, of all the things that God has accomplished in my life. “I want to testify that in the nine years I was in Nigeria, I was never sick. I asked myself why, and I realised that it was the grace of God. Those nine years passed like nine days. Why was it so? It was always the grace of God. Did I have many possessions? No, not at all. But did I live very well, was life easy for me? Yes. Why was it so? Always the grace of God. “When I came home, I decided that my goal would be to bring my family to know the true God, to give their lives to Jesus Christ. I knew this was not going to be an easy task, but God’s grace was always there. As I speak, I’m happy to tell you that my mother has recognised that eternal life is only found in Jesus, she is part of the family of Jesus Christ. And I haven’t stopped the fight, I still continue to witness to my family, and I know that in time, my father, my brothers, my half-brothers, everyone will recognise the grace of God and they will believe the gospel. “I have been brief, but I wanted to be clear that after all these journeys, I know for sure that there is no life except the one promised to us by Jesus Christ. Today I am grateful and happy that I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, my Lord and Saviour.”
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Story by Emily Davies, Photos by Lewis and Judy Young
MAF - THE LIFELINE TO MISSIONARIES AT OWENA “MAF is still our main lifeline connection and continues to service the community through medevacs, bringing in medical supplies, taking out coffee etc.” These are the words of Judy Young, a missionary, after her fourth return to Papua New Guinea to serve the people of Owena through a new missionary training school.
Back then there was no airstrip at Owena and the Youngs either hiked six hours over the mountain from the nearest airstrip or, on occasion, came in by helicopter. After being in the United States for four years they came back to PNG for another ten years before they went home in 1996 because of serious health problems in their family.
our place”. Meanwhile, the Lord was working in Lewis’s heart about coming back to PNG to help train those who had a burden for reaching other areas with the gospel.
Judy and Lewis Young returned to Owena in January 2019. It was not until they started settling in that they realised that there were some serious problems within the local church they attended and where they planned to In 2008 they came back a third start the training. Despite the time for another seven years. challenges they continued to “When we returned to the US make preparations for a training near the end of 2015, we did programme while at the same Owena is a village situated believe that we would not return time addressing the problems around a steep airstrip on a to PNG”, she says. in the church. mountain range in the Eastern Highlands of PNG with no road But in 2017 Lewis went back to PRAYERS FOR THE access. The people often walk Owena for a visit to challenge TROUBLED YOUTH between one and one and a the Owena believers to take the half days to the nearest road gospel to other places. He got Education in Owena is also still and catch a minibus from there some positive responses to that a challenge. During Judy and to Goroka, a ride of about four ministry, but the people wanted Lewis’s absence, the community hours. someone to train them for that school had added grades seven and eight, but when the schools work. 50 YEARS OF CALLING closed due to COVID-19 and the TO SERVE IN PNG “When Lewis returned home government measures were put from the meetings, we began in place, teachers left the village The Young family came to PNG to pray together for the Lord to and went back to their own for the first time in January raise up a young couple or family homes since there was nothing 1972 and stayed for ten years. to come and serve in Owena in for them to do there. 16
When school didn’t resume and the teachers did not come back, older students became idle and began to vandalise school property, and many turned to chewing buai, smoking marijuana, gambling, stealing and fighting. “We are deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of these youths and have been asking God to open a door for us to be able to minister to them”, says Judy.
HEALTH CHALLENGES MET WITH HOPE THROUGH MAF Two of Owena’s own young people completed training at nursing schools and are now back in their own village serving their people in the clinic. Owena now has a number of medical workers; but much of the time, there is insufficient supply of medicines and funds for paying the workers.
medevacs and bringing in to pray for us when they meet medical supplies”, says Judy. together for prayer.”
MAF – MORE THAN JUST AN AIR SERVICE PROVIDER
Judy and Lewis had to leave their original local church due to the challenges and today the training programme, “Soldiers When MAF had to shut down of Christ Missionary School”, is several airstrips due to COVID under the authority of Liberty and to re-survey airstrips, the Baptist Church in Owena. Owena airstrip was one of those prioritised for reopening “It is hard to express our thanks because of the long-lasting to MAF for giving us priority relationship with the missionary when they closed all the airstrips couple and to benefit their work. for re-survey; we are grateful for As Owena is one of the more MAF International allowing our challenging airstrips to land at airstrip to remain open for our with a big slope, pilots need benefit.” certain in-country experience and special training to land Photos: Lewis and Judy Young’s there. However, it was on MAF’s ”Welcome home” reception radar to continuously train more in 2019 pilots to be able to land on that challenging airstrip.
“One day when we were under a lot of pressure from the church we just separated from, pilot Brad Venter took time to come down to the house and lend a listening ear and also pray “MAF is the main lifeline with us. We appreciated that so connection and continues to much and also appreciate all the service the community through MAF Goroka staff taking time 17
Story by Mandy Glass. Photos by Dr Simon Ganal
HEALTH PATROL TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA The last week of April 2021 also saw the launch of a renewed partnership with the Lutheran Health Services in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, and with it we are hoping to establish another regular aerial health patrol project out of Wasu. Wasu is the airstrip connecting the Etep Rural Hospital which is nestled uphill from Wasu airstrip and serving a population of 150,000 people in the area.
perspective, Sapmanga is one of the very best locations to start this project to improve primary healthcare in one of the most rural parts of Morobe and PNG.”
Brad Venter, one of the pilots, flew the first of the Morobe clinic patrols on 26 April 2021. He shared, “This has been a Photo: The team waits outide work in progress with Dr Simon the MAF aircraft - ready to go. Ganal and the Lutheran hospital in Etep for over a year. We flew a team of seven health workers, including Simon, to Sapmanga “We are all excited and ‘loaded’ where they will work in the for the first MAF-supported community to deal with medical Health Patrol,” stated Dr Simon cases, do health training and Ganal, Medical Officer at Etep vaccinations.” Rural Hospital. “From my
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“They will also get an idea of the overall medical situation to help with planning for transfers of critical medical cases to the Etep hospital before they become medevacs,” continued Brad. “This is also a great opportunity to share the gospel message in the community!” Dr Simon lead a team consisting of a nursing officer and a midwife, two Health Extension Officers who are trained to deliver medical and administrative healthcare Photo: Preparing the plane for in rural areas, a dentist, and a flight, Brad Venter flies in with Residential Medical Officer. the medical team. The team, in cooperation with five local Community Health Workers were able to do 136 medical consultations, including antenatal care, coughs and other respiratory illnesses, skin diseases, pelvic inflammatory diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. During the clinics, the first COVID-19 case was detected via antigene testing. Dr Simon and his team also did five practical procedures and 23 19
immunisations. Besides that, they gave health awareness on seven different topics: cancer and screening, COVID-19, dental hygiene, family planning, malaria, tuberculosis, general hygiene and lifestyle, and estimate that about 200 people attended the health education. Flying back to Wasu after three days of health clinics and awareness at Sapmanga, two critically ill patients were also airlifted for further treatment at the Etep Hospital.
EXCITEMENT, MOTIVATION AND A VISION TO CONTINUE “After returning to Etep Rural Hospital, we were filled with excitement, motivation and a lot more stories to tell,” summarised Dr Simon. “Outreaches are always special to us health workers,” he continued. “The conditions are raw and difficult, but you can’t find more medically sensible places
to be. It motivates us to keep going after experiencing the needs and struggles at remote communities and at the same time being blessed ourselves by the hospitality and wonderful people out there. “We hope that with this health patrol to Sapmanga we are planting a seed. A seed, that will steadily grow, and bring out an endless amount of fruits, so more seeds will drop down and grow plants on their own. We dream about a comprehensive programme, which allows us to provide frequent access to provide healthcare for remote communities and so to cooperate more frequently and more intentionally with the various aid posts and health centres in our catchment area. By this we can develop a highquality primary healthcare, which leads to a real game changing drift in the health sector.”
MAF’S PART AND PARTNERSHIPS EACH YEAR IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA MAF aircraft bring hope, healing, and physical and
spiritual transformation through compassionate medical evacuation flights that serve the individuals and communities who live around the more than 150 airstrips MAF serves. Accomplishing this vision requires a team and strong partnerships; doctors, nurses, pilots, ground operations, flight operations, finance, IT, engineers, as well as individuals and organisations to help fund such flights. To continue health patrol flights to more remote places in the Morobe Province would support preventive care to reduce the number of “emergency” cases and increase the overall health of communities through regular health surveillance. “This particular patrol to Sapmanga also exemplifies one of our MAF values – Partnership,” explains Satish Moka, MAF PNG’s Operations Director who was part of a team from MAF PNG, which has been working with the Morobe Provincial Government on how best MAF could help the isolated communities in the area and for MAF to return to the province for operations.
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Satish continues, “MAF PNG took this opportunity to seek approval from the Morobe Government to fund this maiden health patrol to Sapmanga, to which they graciously concurred. Looking at the achievement, this is a beautiful illustration of a successful partnership, bringing hope, health and healing to the people living in remote Sapmanga using MAF as the facilitator.”
Photo - p.22: The community was grateful and excited for the services provided.
Photo - p.23: Safety measures and precautions agains COVID19 are taken very seriously by MAF.
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Front cover: Courtesy Dr Simon Ganal Page 3: Courtesy Dr Simon Ganal Page 9: Courtesy Annelie Edsmyr Back cover Courtesy Annelie Edsmyr 22
