June 2012
The quarterly magazine of Mission Aviation Fellowship
South Sudan ‘God has taken my pain away!’ Read Justina’s story on page 9
New airstrip
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Testing aircraft
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: new airstrip
Cutting the sugarcane ribbon Training and Development Officer Godfrey Sim describes a traditional opening ceremony in Papua New Guinea (PNG) Photos Godfrey Sim
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hen Operations Co-ordinator Jenni Bottrell asked me to be the MAF representative at an airstrip opening, I was very excited and grateful for another opportunity to connect with people ‘out in the bush’. The airstrip at Megau where the Hagahai people live has been 14 years in the making. The other two airstrips in this language area – at Mamusi and Mengamanau – are on the north side of the Yuat River. With Megau on the south side of the river, the local people have had to cross rough terrain and a flimsy rope bridge across the dangerous Yuat to get those who are critically ill to a strip. Many of them have not made it. The only alternative is to climb a couple of thousand feet to Yenkis. Over the mountain to the southwest, there is another new airstrip at Pyrulama. Around a mountain to the north is Iropena.
2 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
One-way strip
The Megau airstrip has been carved out of a ridgeline using hand tools, and has an overall gradient of 8.5° with three ‘steps’ along its length. It’s a one-way strip, meaning one way in and the same way out. So after committing to land, that’s it. Our drop-off by pilot Philipp Sutter includes Western Highlands Baptist Union Chairman Peter Yanda and a young family who have been studying at Bible college for a couple of years. The 25-minute flight from Mount Hagen takes us to within about 500 yards of the airstrip, but Philipp pulls out and banks away. A small cloud sitting just off the end of the strip is partially obscuring full vision of the threshold. We circle another half-dozen times as the small cloud is still there. Then, as we fly over again for a closer look, there’s a ‘hole’. Philipp drops the GA8 Airvan into a tight bank to line it up and lands safely.
Main: Godfrey cuts the ‘ribbon’ Left: Mountain airstrip at Megau Below left: Traditional dress Below: Markus and Liisa Melliger
The hunger for this Life-giving Word is incredible Sounds and sights
After greetings and introductions with the team from Wycliffe Bible Translators, we absorb the particular sounds and sights. Pinai-Hagahai dancers in full traditional gear, complete with reflective dark glasses, chant and circle the plane with strange vertical jerking jumps. We walk down to the flat ‘meeting place’, a bare, dirt square with a small, decorated thatch-covered stage and a battery-powered mini PA. As the official party waits in the shade of the ‘stage’, semi-cooked pigs are laid out on a long bed of banana leaves in the middle of the clearing.
Vital partnerships
The speeches from local councillors, the Wycliffe contingent, the Baptist Union representative and me last only three hours. They trace the recent history, honour the translation work and entry of the Gospel, and encourage local people to care for the airstrip so it can care for them. My speech describes MAF’s purpose, and also reinforces the vital partnerships and relationships that keep such services going.
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Symbolic act
I’m also down on the programme to ‘cut the ribbon’. So with a kitchen knife in hand, I make my way through the crowd to the tiny, covered bridge over the airstrip’s metre-wide drainage ditch. After a few more words about the symbolic act of opening and dedicating the airstrip, I hack with great vigour through two long, juicy sticks of sugarcane across the entrance (their version of ribbon), much to the delight of those people to whom this symbolic act means so much. The most powerful moment for me comes as Wycliffe linguists Markus and Liisa Melliger hand out ‘MegaVoice’ units with the Gospels and Acts recorded in the Pinai-Hagahai language. The hunger for this Life-giving Word is incredible, and the generous relationships that the Melligers have made are etched in eternity as a testimony of love. When Philipp arrives back from a long flying programme in the region, we’re soon airborne with local officials coming out to Mount Hagen for meetings. Now it will be up to the MAF pilots, who go in and out, to tell their own stories of a new airstrip and another group of people to serve.
G U I N E A
Admiralty Islands
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SOLOMON SEA
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Mengamanau Iropena Mamusi Yenkis Megau Pyrulama
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June 2012 Flying for Life 3
BANGLADESH: rebuilding lives
A personal journey When Carolyn Flanagan visited Bangladesh with MAF in November last year, she kept a diary of her visit. Here are some of her reflections, which give a very personal perspective on the difference MAF makes Carolyn Flanagan
Photos Richard Hanson
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4 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
so little that, when I buy a sandwich for lunch, I can’t help wondering how many will eat today.
carry the bikes over the gap. All around me, the poverty is extreme. IN D IA
Heading south
MAF has the only amphibious plane in Bangladesh, which allows us to use the network of waterways to reach those who would otherwise be completely isolated. I was given the opportunity to fly south to visit projects run by a partner organisation called Friendship. As we fly, I am struck again by the vast expanse of water below. After landing, I see several motorbikes waiting for us – they are the only way to travel any distance in a relatively short period of time. Even so, this is extremely difficult as the ‘roads’ are basically potholed, dirt tracks. In one place, the road disappears altogether, so we have to
BANGL ADESH Riv
INDIA
raffic is a complete free-for-all in the capital Dhaka, with cars, overladen buses, tuk-tuks and rickshaws all jostling for position. It is very hot and humid. The air is sickly sweet and heavily polluted. I can see why many of the travellers are wearing masks. Away from the business district where the MAF office is located, the streets quickly become dirtier, the pavements filled with rubble and rubbish. There are women in the outside lane of the highway sweeping the road. I have never seen anyone so vulnerable in my life. On the roadside, women and children are begging and there are makeshift living shelters all along the pavements. There are half-finished buildings everywhere. But people live in these empty shells anyway, coping without sanitation or running water. They have
er
Ga
Dhaka ng
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Khulna Patuakhali
50 miles
B ay of Bengal
All around me, the poverty is extreme
Friendship fishing
After the long, bumpy journey, we arrive at a village where Friendship has started some pilot projects. Its fishing scheme has only been running for 8 months and has already enabled 40 fishermen to own their own fishing boats as a collective. So they aren’t beholden to unscrupulous moneylenders anymore. Atwar Rahman, Assistant Director of Friendship, tells me, ‘Travel is stressful but, through MAF, it’s been very easy to monitor the projects.’
Bumpy ride
To show me what it would be like to travel overland without the MAF plane, the team decided to take me by bus from Patuakhali to see projects in Khulna. The vehicle is barely roadworthy and packed full, with people vomiting out of the window. Some of the passengers are carrying live chickens. We cross many rivers and streams, driving over bridges that are prone to being washed away in times of flooding. Every time we stop, beggars climb on board the bus, selling cucumbers, water and peanuts. The journey takes six hours and is long, tiring and extremely bumpy. Rural Bangladesh consists of paddy fields galore interspersed with tin shacks, small villages strewn with litter and water everywhere. I am struck again and again by how vulnerable the country is.
Leaving Khulna
After we’ve visited several projects MAF supports at Khulna, we catch a wooden motorboat to the floatplane. The boat has seen better days and I suspect the river is full of sewage. As we wait on the boat, a silver shape appears out of the cloudless blue sky. It really is an amazing spectacle to watch the MAF plane fly in and land effortlessly on the river. I now have a new appreciation for just what a huge difference the plane makes.
MAF has the only amphibious plane in Bangladesh which allows us to reach those who would otherwise be completely isolated
Final reflections
As I leave Bangladesh, I think about some of the wonderful people I met. Many have suffered the most appalling hardships but, with the help of the projects MAF enables through partner organisations, they have rebuilt their lives for the better. Their friendliness shines through – they all come running when the plane lands!
Main: Extreme poverty Above left: Overland travel can be challenging Above: Amphibious Cessna Caravan Below left/below: Fishing project
June 2012 Flying for Life 5
FLEET MAINTENANCE: testing aircraft
Stress management Kenyan avionics engineer Joseph Woiye explains how he went from blowing things up to helping ensure our planes’ safety Photos LuAnne Cadd
Eddy-current testing
Eddy-current testing uses electromagnetic induction to detect flaws in conductive materials. Variations in the electrical conductivity or magnetic permeability of the test object, or the presence of any flaws, will cause a change in eddy current and a corresponding change in the phase and amplitude of the measured current. Eddy-current testing can detect very small cracks in or near the surface of the material. The testing devices are portable, provide immediate feedback, and cause no damage to the item in question.
I
have always had a real passion for electronics. When I was a boy, I used to destroy my dad’s electronic things by opening them up or making them explode. After destroying several devices in the house as a child, I later Joseph Woiye trained in electronics – which eventually got me into avionics. I worked with Kenya Airways, then joined Aircraft Leasing Services in Kenya. Later, having served the church in a number of different capacities, I decided to move out of aviation and serve God full-time. While I was still thinking about this, I received a call from MAF’s Chief Engineer. Although I’d applied to work there some time before, I told him I was busy and no longer wanted to work in aviation. Despite this, he insisted that I see what MAF was doing and I
6 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
reluctantly went along. Once I understood what MAF was about, I left shocked – I hadn’t realised you could serve God in aviation. This was my opportunity to serve Him full-time, and I’ve worked with MAF for about 7½ years now.
Exams and inspections
I do non-destructive testing (NDT) on MAF aircraft. It’s an analysis technique that checks the structural integrity of various components without causing damage. NDT is also done on ships and atomic power stations. My training lasted a year and it involved travelling to the UK to take my exams. Since qualifying, my work with MAF has enabled me to travel to Uganda, Tanzania, Chad and Madagascar to do inspections on Cessna Caravans and 206s. The NDT technique I use is called eddycurrent inspection. I use a device known as a Nortec 2000i to check for cracks on areas of the aircraft that are fatigued – areas where you’d expect a lot of stress.
Far left: Reference standard used for calibrating equipment Middle left: Using the Nortec 2000i Top left: Checking for cracks Left: In the MAF hangar at Wilson Airport
Looking for cracks
The testing is very sensitive. It checks for cracks you can’t see with your own eyes; you can’t even find them with a microscope. Fortunately, the equipment I use detects them electronically. We use it to look for flaws in the wing attachment areas, where the wing is attached to the rest of the fuselage. Because the wings normally carry the weight of the fuel and the fuselage carrying the cargo and passengers, the area is usually under a lot of stress. So it’s quite normal to find cracks. Other areas where we’d expect to find stress include the landing gear area, which carries the whole of the aircraft’s weight.
Replace or repair
Once we’ve measured the length and depth of the cracks, we can then determine whether it’s something we need to replace or repair. If we didn’t do this kind of inspection, and a crack on the landing gear, wingspan or aircraft skin went undetected, it could result in a disastrous
loss of life. We normally have different inspections depending on the aircraft. We might have an inspection call for a wingspan – maybe just 3 bolts have been requested for inspection, and that will take 30 minutes. But if we have a call for the whole wing plus the landing gear, it will take roughly five days, but sometimes as many as ten.
Saving lives
It’s quite a challenge doing both the NDT and the avionics work, but I’ve had some good training and really love looking at the safety aspects of planes. The work MAF does is really extraordinary. Wherever there’s a need, MAF is there. One of the incidents I’ve witnessed involved one of our pilots rescuing someone in South Sudan. The pilot secured the patient in the aircraft, calmed him down and flew him to Kenya. Unlike the commercial airlines I’ve worked for, MAF does what it does to save lives rather than make money.
June 2012 Flying for Life 7
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SOUTH SUDAN: bringing healing
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‘God has taken S U D A N my pain
le Ni
Khartoum
away!’
Flame International’s first training conference for youth leaders in South Sudan brings hope and healing to hundreds Story and photos Gareth Barton
Rive r
I
Landing safely
’m flying from Kampala to Yambio with a team of six Flame International volunteers in their 20s and 30s. ‘It’s the first time,’ remarks Flame co-founder Jan Ransom, ‘that we’ve been invited to work specifically with youth leaders.’ They are the emerging leaders of a church that has been affected by decades of civil war and years of brutal raids by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the most feared rebel group in Africa.
‘We felt the Lord call us to minister in some of the most difficult situations in the area,’ says Jan, ‘but we couldn’t respond if it wasn’t for MAF. Travel by road is far too risky. We were recently just a few miles from an ambush where shots were fired and vehicles stolen. ‘When you see mine clearance teams at work after people have been killed running over an anti-tank mine, you realise that travelling
N
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ETHIOPIA
Nzara
Main/far top right: Justina Top right: Sporting activities Middle right: Jan Ransom Right: Iris
Yambio
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
SOUTH SUDAN
River Nile JUBA
UGANDA
Kampala
8 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
100 miles
Changed lives
overland to visit rural areas just isn’t an option. Without MAF’s ability to fly us to these remote areas, we couldn’t see the amazing things God is doing.’ We land safely at Yambio, where Bishop Samuel Peni and his team greet us and then drive us to Nzara in the scorching, midday heat. There is an air of anticipation as the delegates arrive from the surrounding parishes and dioceses for the conference. A police guard has been arranged for our security, which shows how fragile things are here.
Making friends
The four-day youth leaders’ conference, which is interspersed with sport and creative activities that are designed to build trust and openness, works well. The 50 delegates quickly establish friendships with the Flame team. They learn about forgiveness, freedom from fear, building godly beliefs, and spiritual and emotional healing. Football, basketball and Frisbee practice lead to teaching about stewardship of the body and working as a team, with prayers taking place in sweaty huddles. Creative workshops encourage vision, prophecy and worship. Their testimonies of healing and restoration are extraordinary.
I meet Iris, who came to the conference to tell her story. Happily married with 11 children, she was caught in an LRA ambush. ‘I escaped with my eldest son,’ she says, ‘but they took my husband and my 12-year-old daughter and killed them. I was so angry I decided I would kill an LRA soldier. I didn’t really want to live, I wanted to die.’ But Bishop Samuel invited her to a healing conference run by Flame International, where an amazing change took place. ‘When they were praying for me, I felt all the bad thoughts I was having vanish – I came to my senses. The teaching on forgiveness changed my life.’ Instead of ‘killing an LRA soldier and cutting him into small pieces to cook,’ Iris says she would now ‘cook for him and feed him.’
Justina’s story Justina, who’s 20, tells me she’d been suffering from stomach pain since she was a small child. ‘After the team prayed for me, I went home and dreamt that a rope was cut away from my back. Now I have no pain, the sickness is gone and I realise God has taken it away.’
‘The teaching on forgiveness changed my life’
June 2012 Flying for Life 9
SOUTH SUDAN: bringing healing
‘The DRC is so unstable and the roads are really bad. So if we’re to be safe, we need to work with MAF in order to show God’s love to these dear ones’
Main: Flame team arrives at Yambio
Evangelists and witchdoctors
Flame International �
Founded in 2003 by Lt Col Jan Ransom, Flame International is a UKbased charity that takes teams of volunteers into war-torn and suffering communities, bringing healing to those damaged by bloodshed, conflict, poverty and oppression
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Since 2004, Flame’s experienced volunteers have travelled across Africa running spiritual and emotional healing conferences and workshops in Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC
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This is the first time a volunteer team has worked with youth leaders in South Sudan.
I also meet a team of pastors who took the Gospel to some witchdoctors. Twelve of them repented and turned to Christ. Two have become evangelists and are sharing their faith with their former associates. After the conference, the Flame team takes its teaching and drama to five local churches. Many people are prayed for and receive healing, more receive Christ. The team then spends two days with soldiers and their families in the local barracks, teaching and delivering the sports and creative programme, and praying for those who are suffering from headaches and stomach complaints. Sergeant Major Pasquale recalls Flame’s visit a year ago: ‘I was struggling with terrible pain in my arm and leg, both of which had been very swollen for two years. Neither the doctors nor the witchdoctors were able to help. ‘When Flame came to the barracks, I was curious about what they had to say. I wanted healing, so I asked for prayer. Over the next few days, the swelling went down and I’ve been fine ever since then. Seven days after I was healed, I surrendered my life to God. I thank Flame for all they’ve done for me – it’s changed my life!’
10 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
‘We have seen your love’
By the end of the trip, 50 youth leaders have been trained and equipped, more than 100 people have taken part in the training, sports and creative activities, and over 1,500 people have benefited from the team’s prayer ministry and teaching. Bishop Samuel thanks Flame International ‘for coming and staying in our huts. It wasn’t easy for you with the power shortages and the bugs, but we have seen your love for us as you shared with us.’
Important partnership
‘Our partnership with MAF,’ says Jan Ransom, ‘is going to be more important than ever. We’ve just been invited by the Anglican Archbishop of the Democratic Republic of Congo to take our ministry into every diocese of what the UN calls the “Rape Capital of the World”. We’ve had a look at the situation there and decided that we have to respond. ‘The country is so unstable and the roads are really bad. So if we’re to be safe, we need to work with MAF in order to show God’s love to these dear ones. As I’ve said before and I’ll say again, we couldn’t do any of this without MAF!’
Karenza’s story
At 20 years old, Karenza Hulse is Flame’s youngest volunteer so far. It’s her first time in Africa, and she is overwhelmed by the people. ‘They’re so beautiful with such spirit, but they carry terrible stories beneath their smiles. It’s amazing that people can carry so much pain on the inside while, at the same time, getting on with their normal lives. ‘The women in our group have such sad stories, but there’s so much joy when God breaks through and brings healing. It’s a real challenge for me not to burst into tears during ministry. ‘The creative workshops have really built relationships that allow us to get alongside the young people and share our lives. They come from different parishes and don’t know each other, but now they’re sharing experiences and beginning to support one another. Every day gets better.
Chatting to God ‘When I was five, I was feeling bored in Sunday School, so I started chatting to God. He told me I’d be going to Africa and, from that point, I started to really, really care about Africa. Every year I asked, “Can I go?” but God said, “No”. ‘It’s been 15 years but now, thanks to Flame and MAF, I’m here for the first time on African soil. The flight helped me deal with my thoughts and feelings. Being able to pray throughout the journey really helped prepare me for my time here in South Sudan. Although I’ve never been here before, it already feels more like home than England. ‘The conditions are a challenge, though. The ants are fun, and the cockroaches that crawl across you in your sleep! Living here can be hard, but it pales into insignificance compared with the things that people have shared about their lives. How can you worry about spiders when so many people say their lives have been changed as a result of the teaching?’
June 2012 Flying for Life 11
ARNHEM LAND: ready for anything
Tackling the ‘to-do’ list For many years, Charles Stockley wanted to be an MAF pilot. But God had a different plan. Utilising his eight years’ experience of property maintenance, Charles now serves in Arnhem Land as our Building Maintenance Supervisor
Replaced
Repaired
3 4 roofs 3 2 kitchens 3 3 bathrooms 3 17 room light fittings 3 13 ceiling fans 3 over 20 internal and external
3 over 25 leaky roofs 3 damage caused by 3 break-ins 3 3 fridges 3 6 cookers 3 10 washing machines tion and 3 11 air-conditioning units His contribu ess speaks ln fu e doo rs rc u so 3 more than a dozen burst pipes re eck out 3 10 faulty locks for itself. Ch achieved 3 26 dripping or seized taps what he has 8 months 3 8 walls damag ed by either heat, 3 5 toilets in the first 1ith MAF damp or termite s w 3 5 hot water tanks in his role 3 4 sewage pipes just the re a se 3 18 other plumbing repairs e th d n …a member! re n ca e 3 h variou s s other electrical faults b jo Fitted 3 retiled 4 floors 3 18 smoke alarms 3 more than 45 new windows Built 3 over 50 window security screens 3 hundreds of feet of bound ary 3 fabricated 4 flights of steel fencing including drive gates
stairways including railings and 3 3 carports and concreted driveways mobile aviation fuel pumps for 3 security wall and sliding door at communities Galiwinku airport 3 one lectern for the annual MAF 3 Demolished a temporary conference home and 3 toilet facilities in the old hangar (soon to be replaced)
On top of that, Charles is the father of four children. His wife Rachel works at Homeland School in Yirrkala and provides opportunities for developing links between Homeland School and their children’s school. They will be on home assignment in the UK this summer.
12 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
EAST TIMOR: fighting hunger
BANDA SEA Pulau Wetar
When crops fail East Timor has one of the most severe malnutrition levels among children, which is why we’re INDONESIA working hard with World Vision Oecussi to provide adequate nutrition
IT STRA R A T WE
Pulau Alor
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EAST TIMOR
Maliana TIMOR SEA
50 miles Story Gary Clayton Photo Courtesy of World Vision
L
ily is seven. She lives on the side of a mountain with her grandmother. Her only toy is a water bottle that she uses to water the vegetables in the garden. The vegetables are important. When they don’t grow, she and her grandmother have almost nothing to eat, only some cassava. Lily’s grandma measures out a small amount each day to make sure there is enough to last. Lily gets sick a lot because she’s malnourished. Poorly nourished children like Lily suffer from wasting and stunted growth, which can permanently harm brain development and the ability to learn. The problem of malnutrition is particularly bad during what the locals refer to as the ‘hunger season’ when, from November to February, the rains invariably fail and the crops wilt in the fields. What little food most East Timorese have doesn’t provide adequate nutrition for a balanced diet. This is why we’re
partnering with organisations like World Vision to ensure that crop yields are improved, the nutrition levels of children under five are boosted and mothers are shown how to feed infants and prevent malaria. To reach the World Vision Timor Leste (WVTL) Bobonaro Area Programme would normally take about five hours from Dili by car on a windy, potholed road. An MAF flight gets the WVTL staff there in just 20 minutes, saving time and money. The strong partnership is mutually beneficial – when the grass on the airstrip at Maliana was too high for our plane to land, WVTL contacted the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, one of their partners, and they cut the grass for us. WVTL is highly appreciative of our flexibility in flying at weekends or changing routes to meet their needs. ‘Without MAF,’ says General Services Manager Antonio Goncalves, ‘we would have been in trouble many times.’ June 2012 Flying for Life 13
MAF UK NEWS
Visiting our Uganda operation recently, I was reminded of the wide range of challenges that the team faces as everyday situations. Intermittent power supplies in homes and in the hangar affect communications and equipment. Unpredictable weather and unforeseen technical hiccups disrupt operational plans and flights. Despite the challenges, our team continues to serve a wide range of ministries – sustainable food programmes, peace and reconciliation workshops, education and evangelism in rural and remote communities to mention just a few. In addition, we often have the privilege to assist precious individuals and organisations amid war, famine or natural disasters. And yet amid the tragedy, we our able to bring a good report. Philippians 4:8 leads us to dwell on truth and give a good report. As I spent time talking with one of our close partners, I was greatly encouraged that aboard every flight was indeed a good report. MAF’s vision remains to reach isolated people – sharing in the word and deed of the Good News of Jesus to those living without help or hope. And although every flight is different, every flight carries God’s love. I trust that you too will be encouraged as you read the good reports of the life-changing flights and the varying missions MAF enables across the developing world. Thank you for your support.
Ruth Whitaker Chief Executive, MAF UK
Coming soon: a new look for MAF All of us recognise organisations, their products, services and values in an instant by their logo and the colours they use. In this global world of the Internet and mobile communications, more organisations look for a clear, simple logo that gives instant recognition. Our logo in the UK showing the Bible and wings has served us well for many years. However, some of the other MAF groups across the world use different logos and colours, which can be confusing – especially on the Internet. We believe one MAF logo should represent our one worldwide mission in print and on the web, as well as on our aircraft and uniforms. MAF will imminently have an exciting new identity for the whole worldwide family. You’ll be pleased to know that we haven’t spent excessive funds on this, and having one logo reduces costs across the MAF world, too. We believe we are being good stewards, and are planning ahead
to use up stocks of existing materials to minimise costs as we introduce our brand new look.
UK
Canada
USA We wanted you to be among the first to hear the news, and all will be revealed this summer.
Putting others first
Dr Eva Drown was born in 1910 and brought up in Ilford, Essex. The sixth of seven children, her skill of standing her ground among her siblings stood her in good stead for the rest of her life! Thanks to the faithful example of her mother, Eva shared an unwavering love for Jesus, using every opportunity to share her faith with everyone she met. She trained as a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in London, and moved to Worthing at the beginning of the Second World War, living there until her death at the grand age of 101.
Asked why she supported MAF, she said we enabled many other missions to achieve more than would otherwise be possible. She loved praying for our work and with the MAF staff she met. Throughout her life, Dr Drown was careful not to waste her God-given resources, and spent little on herself. Always putting others’ needs first, Eva supported our work generously during her lifetime and also chose to remember us in her Will. We thank God for a life well lived and for her faithful partnership over the years, enabling the Gospel to reach many who would not otherwise have been reached.
To learn more about supporting MAF in this way, please contact our Legacy Co-ordinator Miriam Wheeler on 0845 850 9505, or email miriamwheeler@maf-uk.org
This is MAF Mission Aviation Fellowship is a worldwide Christian organisation operating over 135 light aircraft in around 30 countries. Around 270 flights every day transport patients, relief teams, medical supplies and Christian workers in the world’s remotest regions and places of deepest human need. Places where flying is not a luxury but a lifeline. Normally, passengers contribute a highly-subsidised fare towards the true cost. The balance comes from people concerned that others should have a better life spiritually and physically. In the UK, MAF is a registered charity funded by voluntary gifts which help finance MAF’s operational work and support services.
14 Flying for Life June 2012 www.maf-uk.org
Mission Aviation Fellowship Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone CT20 2TN 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD FREEPOST ADM4164, PORTRUSH BT56 8ZY Dept AA1818, PO Box 4214, FREEPOST Dublin 2 Telephone: 0845 850 9505 Email: supporter.relations@maf-uk.org Website: www.maf-uk.org
Flying for Life Editor: Richard Hubbard Email: editor@maf-uk.org Printer: Headley Brothers Ltd Ashford, Kent Printed on sustainable paper produced from a managed forest © MAF UK June 2012 fflk
Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107)
MAF UK NEWS
Shop online Do you prefer to avoid the queues at the supermarket and do your food shopping online? Or buy clothes, CDs and books from the comfort of your own home? Then this is for you! Give as you Live is a great initiative which enables you to shop online and give to MAF at the same time.
Perhaps you do your weekly grocery shopping at Tesco or Sainsbury’s? Now, if you do it online, you can choose MAF as your charity. These stores and many others, including Amazon, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, will give us a percentage of what you spend – at no cost to you. What’s more, when you sign up we’ll get a £5 donation from Give as you Live if you spend £10 or more online. It’s really easy to sign up – just follow the steps online. Then every time you log on and shop at your favourite stores, you will be helping us raise money. To view our personalised MAF page, simply go online and visit www.giveasyoulive.com/maf
MAF on the road If you have visited a Christian conference, airshow or exhibition over the last few years, you may well have come across the MAF Roadshow. You would have seen the large, articulated trailer and possibly had the opportunity to sit in the Cessna aircraft that often accompanies it to these events. We are delighted to have received a gift of a second, slightly smaller vehicle, which is also being used to promote our work across the UK. Our new 7½-ton exhibition truck even has a small cinema inside, enabling us to show exciting DVDs of MAF’s work. There is a walkthrough display area
I want to help MAF bring God’s care and compassion to needy people
where you can discover more about our overseas operations. The truck also contains a three-screen flight simulator that allows you to attempt to fly and land an MAF plane. The new vehicle will be present at events across the UK and is available – diary permitting – for church mission weekends, exhibitions and other local events. With its striking design, it’s a great platform to introduce MAF’s ministry to a new and wider audience. If you can think of any local or church events that might be able to host our exhibition, please contact Serena Crook at serena.crook@maf-uk.org
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Expiry date
The MAF Day of Prayer Sunday 21 October 2012
A day to remember Will your church join us in prayer? To help plan your Day of Prayer, please order a resource pack by phoning 0845 850 9505, or visiting www.maf-uk.org/dayofprayer The pack includes a prayer sheet, DVD, poster, leader’s notes and ideas for children’s activities.