Flying for Life Winter 2020 by MAF UK

JAN-MAR 2020

Yesterday, today and forever At the beginning of our 75th year, the MAF family gives glory to God for this amazing adventure Yet, as we reflect on the millions of miles flown, we’re also reminded of just how difficult it was to get MAF ‘off the ground’ back in 1945. On page 8, Stuart King reminds us that a few people thought he and his fellow MAF founders were ‘crazy’ to consider the idea of using light aircraft to support missionaries! Thankfully, our supporters have continued to show the utmost faith and commitment to our mission – fuelling help, hope and healing with heartfelt prayers and generous gifts. And it’s obvious that MAF will remain in great demand for the foreseeable future. Whether supporting The HALO Trust in Angola (page 3), education projects in Bangladesh (page 10) or the growth of the Church in arid northern Kenya (page 4), our impact is transformational. The first handful of MAF supporters may have thought there would be no need for our aircraft when 2020 finally dawned. Instead, that handful grew into tens of thousands and God turned one plane into the world’s largest humanitarian airline. This anniversary gives us a wonderful opportunity to thank you for your amazing support as we say, ‘Look what the Lord has done!’ And, going forward, we know there are still many more unreached people whose needs we could meet. We hope you'll join us at our Anniversary Celebration in London on 20 June – please see the back cover for details. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas.

Ruth Whitaker Chief Executive, MAF UK

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Making history In the annals of aviation history, our first 75 years are unique And, whether you’ve been part of the MAF family for decades or – like me – just a few years, you’ve helped write it. You may have never seen an MAF plane or met one of our pilots, yet your part in this intrepid, Christian adventure is every bit as vital. So we want to hear what MAF means to you – in your own words. Please send any memories, anecdotes, Scriptures and words of encouragement you'd be happy for us to publish to me at editor@maf-uk.org A selection of them will appear in our Summer 2020 issue. In a rare ‘Stop Press’ moment, I can report the good news that one of our supporters – The Honourable Company of Air Pilots mentioned on page 6 – has recognised Stuart King for his lifetime contribution to aviation. Needless to say, we are thrilled that our living legend has been given the Award of Honour. It’s a wonderful and fitting way to usher in our 75th anniversary year. And we'd love to celebrate it with you at the event on 20 June! So book your tickets online today at www.maf75.eventbrite.co.uk, or phone us on 01303 852819 Happy Christmas! Richard Chambers Editor, Flying for Life This issue's front cover illustrates our work in South Sudan with Imanya, who now attends school thanks to her new prosthetic legs.

Unearthing the past

Story Anna Rayner Photos Marijn Goud and The HALO Trust

It’s 30 years since our Angola programme began providing essential support for NGOs, missions and churches. One partnership in particular has helped change the world

ur first aircraft took off in 1989 with Angola in the grip of an horrific civil war that lasted until 2002. More than 4 million people were displaced, and 1.5 million lost their lives. During the war, an estimated 10 million landmines were laid. MAF’s partnership with The HALO Trust has been crucial to the success of its tireless campaign to make Angola landmine-free. Over 3 decades, MAF has flown more than 18,000 flights for 84,000 passengers, and transported 3,000 tonnes of cargo for various MAF partners. Its fleet consists of two Cessna 182s and a Cessna 208 Caravan. Caravan Pilot Marijn Goud flew The HALO Trust team last spring and learnt about the painstakingly dangerous process of landmine clearance.

‘The workers are local heroes. Kneeling on the ground, they check up to 300 square feet a day – inch by inch. While we were there, several mines were found and three were detonated safely.’ The impact of landmines on the natural world has also been terrible. The Okavango River (referred to as Rio Cubango by Angolans) once supported a magnificent and diverse range of wildlife, but mines have made it a deathtrap. Reclaiming the land will restore the rich biodiversity of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Economic development through travel and tourism depends greatly upon this beautiful region becoming landmine-free.

Recently, the Angolan government committed approximately £50 million sterling to clear the entire Cuando Cubango Province. ‘This is where most of our medical safaris take place,’ says Marijn. ‘This new funding will have a massive impact on the people there!’ In September, Marijn met HRH The Duke of Sussex while visiting an active minefield near Dirico being cleared by The HALO Trust. Prince Harry remarked, ‘HALO could not do it without you, thanks!’ Please join us in continuing to pray for the safety of everyone involved in landmine clearance. Thank you.

Main A local hero at work Above Prince Harry and Marijn Goud Left Most prosthetic limbs in Angola are basic at best

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A place of honey MAF Communications Officer Jenny Davies reports on how a church in Nairobi is reaching out out to isolated people in arid, northern Kenya Photos Jenny Davies

Main ‘Many us moved away from those bad things when we came to Jesus. Now we are ready to worship together’ Above ‘When they praise in their own tongue, they feel the Holy Spirit more!’ says CITAM missionary Philemon

e take off into brilliant sunshine, queuing on the taxiway behind safari aircraft bound for the Maasai Mara. MAF Pilot Daniel LoewenRudgers tells me our journey will take us to an area to which few Kenyans – let alone tourists – ever venture. Tidy streets give way to a patchwork of fields followed by a rolling expanse of dusty yellow earth. Ninety minutes later, distinctive round dwellings and circular bomas (homesteads) come into view as we approach the town of Kargi in Marsabit County. Tin roofs of more modern structures suggest a changing way of life for the nomadic Rendille pastoralists who live here. Less than a mile from the airstrip, one of the largest roofs indicates our destination – the church. A service is already in progress, with those inside eagerly awaiting the single item of cargo we’ve brought with us – a delicious celebration cake!

Uniting a divided house Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM) has missionaries based in Marsabit County. Many have travelled from other mission stations to attend this event, which marks the final stop on a week-long tour by members of the Nairobi church. Several of them flew with MAF to Kargi, days

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before. The name Kargi means ‘a place of honey’, but relationships weren’t always ‘sweet’ in this town of 2,064 households. CITAM’s Pius Cokumu shares how the Kargi church started. ‘This is our 11th year but, when we first arrived, there was a lot of opposition from the community. ‘There was clan conflict,’ Pius admits, ‘so we had to build two churches! ‘People were saying, “This is the boundary,”’ says Pius, drawing an invisible line with his hand. ‘“They worship here. We worship on the other side.”’ The churches grew as Rendille from both clans responded to the Gospel. Yet still they refused to set foot on one another’s land. ‘Slowly we taught them the Gospel of peace and unity,’ Pius continues. ‘Now we’re ready to worship together. We are happy at what our God is doing.’

Jesus culture The new church building is light and airy, with cream walls and orderly rows of plastic chairs. Simple decorations pick out the black, red and green of the Kenyan flag. ‘One of things you notice about our Kenyan society is that we have a beautiful culture,’ says Senior Pastor Dr David Oginde. ‘We have wonderful traditions, great ideas. These are things we should not leave behind!

S.SUDAN

ETHIOPIA

Kargi

Marsabit

UGANDA K E N Y A Lake Victoria

Nairobi

TANZANIA Indian Ocean 200 miles

Key to maps

— Capital city /

— MAF base — Location

‘But I want to tell you also that some aspects of our culture are very bad. Some of our traditional practices are contrary to God’s Word. Many of us moved away from those bad things when we came to Jesus.’

New wineskins Age and honour are etched into the intricate lines of stunning beadwork worn by older Rendille women. Younger women with babes in arms are similarly adorned, while grey-haired elders wearing colourful shukas (cloth wraps) carry brightly painted ceremonial staffs. Later, many staffs – gifts for the CITAM leaders – will be loaded on to the MAF plane. This mission is first and foremost a partnership of Kenyans in the Body of Christ. The CITAM cake flown in by MAF gets a round of applause as it is presented, cut and shared around. There has been worship throughout the service but, in the final minutes, it is the ladies who truly find their voices. ‘When they sing in their own language, it is an expression of who they are,’ explains Philemon, another CITAM church member. ‘When they praise in their own tongue, they feel the Holy Spirit more!’ Some of the younger CITAM members will make the return journey by road. After an

overnight stop, they will arrive home late the following evening. Two MAF aircraft are ready to fly the rest of the CITAM visitors back home, after a busy week, in just an hour and a half. I share with one passenger, Paul Kamanbugwa, how much the pilots love flying for mission. ‘Well, of course, that’s your mandate – to fly to remote places and help people, especially Christians. You people are doing a good job. We are very happy with the services of MAF!’

Top The distinctive bomas of northern Kenya Below ‘You people are doing a good job!’ says Paul Kamanbugwa, pictured with his daughter Ruth

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Safety first Story Simon Dunsmore and Maarten Temminck Photos Bryan Eygabroad and Dave Waterman

From the jungle-covered mountains of Papua New Guinea to the snowy plains of Mongolia, MAF flies in some of the most challenging environments on earth

Main An MAF medevac in Lesotho may be a world away from an airliner taking passengers on the holiday of a lifetime, but the same standards of safety apply to both aircraft Above A videoscope in action – helping engineers reach the most remote parts of their aircraft!

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he idea of taking to the air in a light aircraft from a dirt airstrip on the side of a mountain may, understandably, cause your pulse to rise! However, in 2018, MAF completed 30,597 flights without accident. The high-tech terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick, with their coffee shops and duty free lounges, are a world away from the tree that shelters an MAF passenger as they await their flight. Yet MAF aircraft are held to the same international standards as those commercial operations. That means each MAF airstrip is regularly inspected, our pilots receive extensive training and every flight is prepared in detail before take-off. But our commitment to safety doesn’t stop there. MAF aircraft are maintained to the highest standard. The aircraft manufacturer supplies each aircraft type with a dedicated maintenance schedule to which MAF adds its own experience. Drawing on knowledge grounded in years of flying aircraft in remote areas, MAF has learned where parts must be checked more often – or need replacement earlier.

And, by inspecting the aircraft regularly, we learn how to improve aircraft maintenance and continue to fly reliably and safely. Lessons learned locally are then applied in MAF programmes around the world. A safety record like this requires a talented and committed team and we’re incredibly proud of the wonderful job that they do. A final, vital element that keeps our aircraft in tip-top condition is the generosity of our supporters. The planes we fly are highly complex machines and consequently require equally complex and specialised equipment in order to maintain them. We would especially like to thank The Honourable Company of Air Pilots who, over the past 15 years, have supported the work of a number of air safety projects. The latest of which is the purchase of a videoscope for our Mongolia programme. The device can be used to locate wear and tear inside the engine and hard to reach parts of the airframe. Thank you for all the prayers and gifts over 75 years which have helped MAF to stay safe.

In praise of precision

Photos Richard Chambers and Rebecca Walker

MAF Youth and Community manager Rebecca Walker recalls her visit to our Uganda base and the passion for detail on display in the Kajjansi hangar

he base at Kajjansi is a hive of activity. Our brilliant team of 15 international and 44 national staff plans and monitors the operations of a very busy programme and ensures the flight-readiness of the 5 aircraft that deliver it. In many ways, this team of many parts and one body mirrors the workings of an MAF plane. Mechanics isn’t my favourite subject but Stores Manager Brian Lubwama has me fascinated from the opening sentence of his ‘guided tour’ of the hangar. His passion for the intricate detail and strict procedures required to get a light aircraft safely and securely airborne is inspirational. Brian shows me the bespoke tools required for all the separate jobs which combine to make an aircraft flight-ready. That much I was ready for – it’s what I didn’t know that astonishes me. I’m told that every nut, bolt and other separate piece of an aircraft has its own batch number. I learn that tyres are kept in a dark room to remain unaffected by light or heat – lest they turn egg-shaped.

And I’m introduced to O rings which keep fluid or air out of places they don’t belong! It’s fair to say that flight itself would be impossible without a constant supply of these little, elastic circles. As in any MAF hangar throughout the world, precision is the watchword but seeing it for myself really brings home the level of professionalism involved. Avionics Engineer Dave Waterman shows me inside the shell of a Cessna 208 Caravan. To my untrained eye, it looks more like a school sixth-form project than something that will – once again – fly for thousands of hours once this full overhaul is completed. My hangar tour ends with a visit to the flight simulator. Instructor Pilot Martin Zimmerman uses this safe, cost-effective training apparatus to pass on to new recruits some of his 13 years’ experience flying for MAF. In this way, a trainee pilot’s confidence and skills can be maximised before they take to the skies in an aircraft built and maintained to world-class standards. Standards that provide peace of mind for pilots and passengers alike!

Main Brian Lubwama Above A Caravan stripped down for a complete overhaul Below Rebecca with Martin Zimmerman in the flight simulator

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What a journey! As 2020 dawns, one of MAF’s founders shares his joy and amazement at the arrival of a very special anniversary

Story Stuart King Photos MAF archive, Phil Henderson and Olly Nunn

y the end of World War II, I’d served in the RAF for six years and – like so many others – I desperately wanted to see lasting peace in the world. Even more than that, I wanted to see people find the peace of God in their hearts. In 1945, this life-changing vision, shared by a handful of Christian ex-airmen, resulted in MAF’s birth.

A steadfast mission

It took another three years of prayer and fundraising before former Squadron Leader Jack Hemmings and I managed to secure a twin-engined Miles Gemini – the famous Pathfinder of MAF legend. Thanks to our magnificent supporters, who bought that slight but sturdy aircraft, we were then able to launch a six-month survey flight across Africa. While the people and planes have inevitably changed over seven decades, the original mission remains steadfast. As you read this magazine, MAF aircraft continue to serve the work of humanitarian missionaries so that isolated people can hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and receive the basic resources any of us need to survive. To this day, I marvel at what God has done.

Crazy or heavenly?

In the beginning, some said that Jack and I were crazy. Others called us ‘the heavenly twins’! But all of those faithful supporters who felt called to offer prayers and gifts for that first survey flight knew we were truly stepping out in

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faith. Even if our course wasn’t always fully plotted out, having God as our compass – and His flight plan to follow – was the ultimate inspiration for us. Today, MAF is the world’s largest humanitarian airline. In 26 countries, our fleet of 131 light aircraft serves a million people through partnerships with more than 2,000 organisations! We take off and land in more destinations than any airline in the history of flight.

Adventure is out there!

This dynamic, innovative and life-saving mission has far outstripped my wildest dreams. But it took a single step of faith to get this vision off the ground. A step that you – our brothers and sisters – in Christ commit to taking with us every time you pray, make a gift or simply talk to a friend about an MAF story that has touched you. It’s been a unique adventure made possible only because everyone plays their part: pilots, engineers, support staff, fundraising staff and – above all – supporters. Just 75 years before MAF was born, the ‘aeroplane’ was an idea straight out of science fiction – practically impossible. Imagine what impossible things our God has in store for MAF over the next 75 years!

Main Chad, 2019 Top left Stuart King, President Emeritus, MAF UK Bottom South Sudan, 1950s

The sky is n ot the limit!

Top right The Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960s Above Kalimantan, 1970s

Dear Friend As we appr opportunity to oach our 75th birthday, I say a heartf family. elt thank-yo would like to take the u to every m ember of the MAF Your prayers , g i f ts and thousands of places – ma service have taken God's when we first n arrived there y of which were not offic love to been part of i . a movement In following the will of ally 'mapped' that has seen G countless liv od, you have Without you es transform look very dif r faithful support over ed. the decades, ferent today th for isolated people in rem e world would Finally, a m ote commun the years ah essage to our younger ities. ead of you, s u p p o r te r s . W I'm he potential. If you allow G very excited by your im n I think of od that He know m s is the very into your life – to bless ense best for you – even the sk it in the way Stuart y is not the l imit! JAN-MAR 2020 Flying for Life 9

Reaching the forgotten

For many of Bangladesh’s children, the fear of drowning has been a huge barrier to education. But hope springs eternal, thanks to two marvellous MAF partnerships

ore than 800 rivers in Bangladesh empty each day into the Bay of Bengal’s nutrient-rich water. The landscape changes constantly due to new river islands – or chars – forming from the silt that washes down. Bhola, one of the largest, is home to nearly 2 million people. And yet its name means ‘forgotten place’. In 1970, the worst environmental catastrophe in history occurred here when a cyclone and 50-foot tidal surge swept away 500,000 lives in a single night. Half a century later, drowning remains the single biggest killer of children in Bangladesh. The annual death rate for under-4s is a horrifying 86.3 per 100,000.

‘High’ schools Main Bruna Colombo-Otten on Bhola Island Above Bhola Garden provides students with both mainstream education and vocational training Right Life is precarious for the thousands of people on Bangladesh’s river islands

10 Flying for Life JAN-MAR 2020 www.maf-uk.org

It is in the midst of this ever-present danger that one of Bangladesh’s oldest education projects continues to show remarkable results. Since 1989, Australian charity Co-operation In Development has built more than 60 schools in Bhola. Each one is an island in itself – built on the ‘high ground’ of mud dug from canals. The schools serve children from the country’s poorest families. Eager pupils trudge through thick mud and thigh-deep high tides to access a precious education.

And they regularly outperform other schools in the region. Tragically, these children are literally dying to get to school – there were three fatalities in the last year alone. ‘We’ve also had some close shaves,’ says the charity’s head of country in Bangladesh, Associate Professor Olav Muurlink. ‘A boy crossing one of the bamboo bridges fell into the water and would have drowned had one of the older boys not seen it happen. One girl slipped into a pond outside the school doors and lost consciousness.’

Bridging the gap An academic at Central Queensland University, Dr Muurlink spends much of his spare time in Bhola where he liaises with charity staff and visits each of the schools. Time is of critical importance, which is where MAF comes into its own. ‘Saving even a day’s travel makes a huge difference,’ says Dr Muurlink. ‘MAF’s floatplane takes us straight from Dhaka Airport to the river. You save us up to ten hours – a working day – each way!’ The charity’s priority is to fill in ponds close to schools and literally build bridges between schools and children. One wood-and-concrete ‘land bridge’ costing less than £500 will enable 100 children to get to and from school safely

Story Divyan Ahimaz Photos Bhola’s Children and Fred Hyde Schools

this coming monsoon season. Once that starts, rainfall will be measured in feet not inches.

Bhola Garden Bruna Colombo-Otten flew with MAF to visit Bhola’s Children – an initiative she helped found to assist the island’s orphans and disabled children. Established in 2007, the charity began with 240 cleft lip and palate operations. The charity’s staff then started teaching sign language to deaf students. The lives of Bhola’s children, and some adults, have been transformed. A pivotal project is Bhola Garden – a children’s home that provides academic lessons and practical learning in areas such as farming and food preparation. It aims to help students enter mainstream education within three years. For those who aren’t suited to academic learning, there is vocational training – woodwork and metalwork for the boys, cooking and dressmaking for the girls. Physiotherapy sessions are also offered, and parents are encouraged to support the children who take part in these activities.

Friendly, fast, efficient and safe MAF’s support for Bhola’s Children dates back many years. ‘I prefer to use MAF flights to get to Bhola because it gives me more time to

stay with the children,’ explains Bruna. Andrew Hogan, a Bhola’s Children trustee, is also a big fan of our amphibious aircraft. ‘Last January, a colleague and I took the MAF flight from Bhola to Dhaka,’ he recalls. ‘I found it to be an excellent service – friendly, fast, efficient and safe. It also allowed me the privilege of seeing some incredibly beautiful scenery as we crossed the Bangladeshi countryside. ‘I would warmly recommend the service to others and will certainly be using it again myself.’

Take the next step Do you want to be part of something bigger? There are many opportunities to work with MAF and change the world. We are praying for more people who can join our teams around the world and keep us flying for life. If you feel called to work in our Africa or Asia-Pacific regions, we want to talk to you today! Our lifelines need mission-hearted men and women for roles in IT, aircraft maintenance, aviation support operations and financial management.

And – always – pilots! For more information, please phone the HR team on 01303 850950 or email hr@maf-uk.org

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New food, feet and smiles in South Sudan! Seventy years on, MAF’s oldest programme continues to bring help, hope and healing to inhabitants of the world’s youngest nation

B Main Every 3 minutes, a baby is born somewhere in the world with a cleft lip or palate – an hour-long operation can transform that child's life for good Above AIM missionary Crystal Echols with a welcome delivery of fresh vegetables

ecause it’s hard for missionaries who are working in remote areas to obtain fresh vegetables, fruit and eggs, MAF planes fly groceries to Africa Inland Mission (AIM) evangelists living in Torit, Kimatong, Nagishot, Lohutok and Ohilang every month.

to receive this kind of surgery. Instead, those suffering from this curable disfigurement experience horrific abuse. Labelled ‘creature’ – the name for those born with a cleft – people with the condition find it almost impossible to marry.

New food

New smiles

‘In April 2017,’ says AIM missionary Ard de Leeuw, ‘our Laarim team was evacuated to Torit.’ Later, while visiting Juba, Ard met MAF spouse Marlies Hobo and talked about the poor quality of food obtained by AIM’s team in Kimatong. ‘So we asked if Marlies could do some veggie shopping for us.’ After a number of airborne deliveries – courtesy of MAF – Ard realised how helpful it would be if we could provide AIM’s other personnel with a healthier diet. ‘We’re very grateful for the support MAF gives us,’ smiles Ard. ‘We now get fresh food instead of tinned, so we’re healthier and less sick.’ Apart from providing fresh fruit and veg, MAF also helps those who find it hard to eat, talk and sometimes hear. Although the condition of those born with a cleft lip or palate is relatively easy to reverse, it’s much harder for people living in isolated places

Fortunately, Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse is changing the lives of those viewed as socially inferior. So, every time the organisation restores someone’s smile, they change a life! Because of political insecurity and the poor state of South Sudan’s roads, the only safe way to transport the patients is by plane. So, in April 2019, 22 MAF flights enabled patients from 12 remote communities to attend a week-long clinic at Juba Teaching Hospital. The 20 international medical volunteers and 2 South Sudanese surgeons examined about 20 cases a day and carried out 130 operations. After surgery, children received a T-shirt, Bible, paracetamol and antibiotics. Absorbable stitches meant they wouldn’t need follow-up care, unless complications occurred. The patients, who were flown in one day and operated on the next, returned home a day later. ‘We have a tremendous team!’ grins Karen

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S O U T H S U D A N Juba Torit

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO

Lohutok

SUDAN

Kimatong Nagishot

50 miles

Story Gary Clayton Photos Thorkild Jørgensen

Daniels, who co-ordinates the cleft programme. ‘It’s a real honour to serve with the fine people who often come back year after year.’ Karen helped set up the yearly clinic in 2011 after a paediatric surgeon highlighted the need to provide operations for people born with clefts. During these 8 years, 600 beaming patients have returned home to play their part in communities that once shunned them. ‘The physical difference between those arriving and those departing was stark,’ explains MAF Pilot Alistair Youren. ‘What really stood out

for me was how happy the kids were going home. They couldn’t stop smiling! Their parents were clearly grateful for what had been done.’ Last year, the very first patient to receive cleft surgery returned to visit the team. Eight years after her successful operation, the nine-year-old schoolgirl is free of deformity and stigma. When she grows up, she wants to be a doctor. By combatting such conditions with a one-hour operation, Samaritan’s Purse continues to produce a steady stream of smiles that are, says Karen, ‘beautiful’.

New feet In Torit, young Imanya also faced abuse and neglect due to traditional attitudes towards those with a disability. Having crawled into an open fire when she was only six months old, the young girl – whom you met in our Winter 2019 issue – received her first prosthetic legs a little over a year ago. Thanks to teacher Gamara Joseph, Imanya eventually learnt how to walk on her new legs. She recently flew back to Juba with MAF – returning to her home in Torit with a pair of replacement prosthetic limbs. Where she was once ostracised by her peers, ‘Imanya has made friends at school,’ says Joseph, ‘and can even climb trees now.’ Thank you so much for all the generous gifts and prayers that make many more happy endings possible throughout this bruised and battered nation.

Above Imanya has made friends at school and can now climb trees! Left MAF aircraft enabled children from 12 remote communities to attend a life-changing week-long clinic at Juba Teaching Hospital

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One mile at a time MAF supporter and keen cyclist Ruth Shackleton explains how – and why – she travelled from Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) this summer

Among many things I learnt from my LEJOG experience, I’d like to leave you with three: Commit every day to the Lord with thanks – it’s a gift. Take that day one mile at a time – He gives you all the strength you need. Be thankful that we are blessed to live in a country with stunning countryside, incredible history and many different, wonderful people.

I was a little nervous at the start. My friend had been forced to drop out, so this had become a great personal challenge. Ultimately, I need not have worried. Having committed the whole enterprise to the Lord, the experience turned out to be truly amazing. Nevertheless, those first few days were hard going! The hills in both Cornwall and Devon are quite staggering – I ascended over 10,000ft in only 2 days. At Shrewsbury, saddle-soreness gave way to actual fitness. After Runcorn, roads seemed less busy and even the weather improved! Over the border, I recorded my longest day – 92 miles from Moffat to Loch Lomond. The scenery in the Highlands was stunning and I couldn’t stop thanking the Lord for keeping me safe, mile after mile. But on the last day, the wind and hills seemed to conspire against me and saddlesoreness returned with a vengeance. Then, as I approached John O’Groats, I saw my parents in the distance. What a wonderful reunion it was as we all celebrated raising more than £3,500 for MAF!

This is Mission Aviation Fellowship Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organisation operating 27 programmes in developing countries to reach the world’s forgotten people – those living out of sight, out of mind and out of hope. With land access denied by inaccessible terrain – due to natural disaster, war or economic crisis – thousands of communities are completely isolated. Operating around 131 light aircraft, MAF’s pilots fly into more than 1,400 remote destinations. Whether landing in deserts or jungles, on lakes, rivers, tracks or roads, MAF planes transport essential medical care, food, water, relief teams and church workers to those in desperate need. Each flight carries practical help, spiritual hope and physical healing to thousands of men, women and children for whom flying is not a luxury but a lifeline. MAF is flying for life.

14 Flying for Life JAN-MAR 2020 www.maf-uk.org

MAF UK Castle House, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone Kent CT20 2TQ 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD FREEPOST ADM4164, PORTRUSH BT56 8ZY Dept AA1818, PO Box 4214, FREEPOST Dublin 2 T 01303 852819 E supporter.relations@maf-uk.org W www.maf-uk.org Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107) ® Registered trademark 3026860, 3026908, 3026915

Flying for Life Editor: Richard Chambers Email: editor@maf-uk.org Copy Editor: Gary Clayton Designer: Oak Creative Printer: Fretwell Print and Design Ltd Printed on sustainable paper produced from a managed forest © MAF UK JAN-MAR 2020 ffmx It costs us no more than 65p to produce and send you this magazine and prayer diary

Rocky road record! During the late May Bank Holiday weekend, MAF broke a Guinness World Record! Between conversations with event goers attending Big Church Day Out, we joined forces with MAF supporter Matt Williams as he created the world’s largest rocky road biscuit-cake

The team of 5 people took 9 hours to construct a 10-foot long ‘snack’ weighing in at over 334kg – or the same as your average grizzly bear! Quite a feat considering Matt’s ‘kitchen’ was situated within a marquee located in the middle of a field. The aim of this project was to bring even more people to our MAF stall and raise funds. Because of the record attempt, we were also able to get on to the main stage and talk about MAF

to 20,000 people. We sold the slices of biscuit-cake to generous event goers and, in just a few hours, generated more than £3,400 to help MAF aircraft overcome rocky roads worldwide. Everyone at MAF would like to say a huge thank-you to Matt and the team for breaking a record set by 16 people in a factory – as opposed to 5 people in a field!

A generous gift Named after her great aunt – who was a missionary in Africa – Mildred Arfield’s support for charitable causes was greatly inspired by her namesake’s example Mildred (pictured right) started her working life at Barclays Bank before responding to the government’s appeal for business people to retrain as schoolteachers. She went on to teach for more than 20 years at South Park Infants School. In her later years, Mildred would meet and marry Don – the love of her life – who famously introduced her to the joys of flat screen televisions and microwave ovens. As Mildred got older, her once beloved garden became her nemesis. This was a difficult thing to admit for a woman described as ‘fiercely independent’ by doctors, bank managers and hospital staff alike! Those closest to her knew that she also possessed a very loving and generous nature. A regular supporter for many years, Mildred also remembered MAF in her Will. Her kind and generous gift will bring help, hope and healing to future generations – a lifeline beyond her lifetime.

If you’d like more information about leaving a gift to MAF in your Will, please phone Miriam Wheeler on 01303 851958 or email miriam.wheeler@maf-uk.org

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