16 YEARS WAITING FOR A PLANE

It is a historic moment. The whole village turned out. They waited 16 years for this. And now the time has finally come. Today the very first plane arrives at the brand new Cavango runway in Angola.

Airstrip With History

This is a course with history. The civil war, which started in 1975 and lasted intermittently until 2002, had destroyed everything in the region. Homes, schools, even hospitals. The Cavango Mission hospital was also completely destroyed on purpose. After the war, Cavango Mission founder Bob Foster returns to the scene of the disaster with Brent Mudde. That’s where the dream arose to breathe new life into the old, destroyed mission post.

Over mountains

First, a small medical clinic is built. An airstrip is then needed to supply the clinic with medicines and equipment and to fly patients and doctors in and out. As soon as the villagers hear about the plan for the airstrip, they pick up their pickaxes. There must be room for the track. Not so hard? Yes! Termites live where this will be located. Tiny creatures that build gigantic structures. A large group of residents, including the pastor and hospital staff, have been working hard for weeks to remove thirteen termite mounds. Some are as big as an entire living room.

By descending MAF is also speeding up the construction of the runway by sending a bulldozer and operator. The work is progressing. But suddenly, a few months before the job is completed, everything shuts down. The correct permits have not been granted. A deep disappointment for everyone involved. Months pass. Months turn into years.

Ready

Ultimately, it will take another seven years before all official documentation is completed. Volunteers, missionaries, MAF – everyone is doing their part to get the runway finished. And then it goes quickly. The job was completed within a few months. When the official document arrives, authorising MAF to use the runway, Brent and Marijn immediately plan their first flight to Cavango for the next day.

Special day

Today is the day. Dozens of Cavango residents wait anxiously and enthusiastically on the warm sand. There’s a rumbling sound. MAF pilots Brent and Marijn consider it a great honour to be able to make the very first flight to Cavango. They inspect the runway from the air. No more holes, no rocks, no more termite mounds. Check. The first landing ever at Cavango airstrip is initiated. A cheer goes up as the wheels hit the ground. It worked!

Wings Of Love

Brent carries out a number of successful takeoff and landing tests. He is full of praise, “It is a beautiful runway; we are very happy with it!” He immediately sends a message to the MAF base inviting the first operational flight. He and Marijn came with an empty plane to test the runway with as little weight as possible. Now that everything is safe, it’s time to fly in urgent supplies. And that happens that same day. The MAF aircraft, registration number D2-WOL, has filled the cargo hold with a large supply of medicines. The aircraft does not simply bear the name D2-WOL, or Wings of Love. This is the newest aircraft in the MAF fleet and has replaced the oldest aircraft in the fleet, named Wings of Hope. Wings of Hope has provided 37 years of loyal service, with more than 17,000 flights. Now, Wings of Love continues the work of its predecessor.

THE PEOPLE’S RUNWAY

“Obrigado, obrigado, obrigado (thank you)!” Words are not enough. Pastor Fermino sings passionately with a group of fifteen adult men and women around the plane. “We thank God! It hasn’t been easy. But He is with us.” Together with his fellow villagers, he lugged, shovelled and dug. Other villagers helped with maintenance on the bulldozer. Still others guarded the items. Each and every one of them worked on their runway. Pilot Marijn: “People are so encouraged that God has brought this all together after all these years. For them. This is not a project of MAF, of the pastor, the doctor or the government. People feel this is our runway, which will support our clinic and our people.”

Since that first landing, several ambulance flights have already departed from the Cavango runway. Doctor Tim Kubacki talks about one of these flights, “One of my patients probably had a perforated appendix. His life was in danger. But luckily, within five minutes he was on the runway, where the plane was waiting to rush him to the hospital. This runway is truly a gift from above for us, in our own backyard.”

By Jennifer Wolf