Celebrating our staff, including a tribute to Joyce Lin
OCT-DEC 2020
Your hand will hold me Coronavirus restrictions have caused many of us to feel the urge to escape – from our four walls, or just from all this uncertainty ‘If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will... hold me fast.' Psalm 139:9-10 says we can’t escape God’s presence. For that I’m truly grateful – Our heavenly Father knows where we are. Most of our MAF family overseas remain in their programmes, adapting to new working conditions and keeping MAF ready to serve. Our national staff can’t leave their countries, but where in this world can any of us go to escape coronavirus? One family made the difficult decision to return to the UK (page 13), while the stringent safety precautions of some MAF programmes may save entire communities (page 3). But there are moments when the pandemic slips our minds. The shock and sadness of losing Joyce Lin in Papua stopped the MAF family in its tracks (page 4). While investigations continue, we thank God for her witness, passionate service and strong sense of calling to reach people living in isolation. As our worldwide MAF family faces daily challenges, I thank God for each and every member, including you. Your commitment to our mission during such uncertain times will keep our planes in the air and enable us to follow God’s calling – to the ends of the earth. May He continue to bless you with His presence
Ruth Whitaker Chief Executive, MAF UK
2 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
Your Kingdom come No matter how much the world changes, some things will always be true One of those truths is that the foundation of any good charity is its Board of Trustees. And, on page 12, MAF Trustee David West encourages you to join him on the Board for what promises to be a brand new era of adventure for us all. Our trustees have been as crucial to that adventure as the hundreds of MAF pilots, engineers, managers and many other staff who’ve been part of our unique history. That history is now encapsulated in a brilliant new book – Above and Beyond. This publication is both an official celebration of our 75th anniversary and a source of inspiration during a challenging year. Above and Beyond is now available to order in time for Christmas. It’s a vivid tribute to a God who has been our peace, protection and provision from the very start. It’s also a reminder that His Kingdom will come and that MAF will continue to play a crucial part in that. Your annual legacy newsletter also takes its cue from our anniversary – outlining our progress through the decades in bringing God’s transforming love to remote communities. For there is no greater truth than God’s promise to His sons and daughters of eternal life in the Kingdom. Richard Chambers Editor, Flying for Life This issue's front cover is a tribute to our sister Joyce Lin, who lost her life while serving our God
Free from coronavirus Story Claire Gilderson Photos Divyan Ahimaz and Philipp Techand
At the time of writing, a remote wilderness in northern Australia remains infection free, with MAF Arnhem Land working hard to keep it that way
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Main Yolŋu people give thanks for MAF Top Surplus face masks were given to partner organisation Laynhapuy Health Above An MAF flight to the homelands reduces 2 days' road travel to a mere 45 minutes
orth-eastern Arnhem Land is home to around 5,000 Yolŋu people. Some members of this remote Aboriginal community live in Nhulunbuy – its 'neighbouring' city Darwin, is at least two days' drive away! Since 1973, MAF has been flying the Yolŋu across Arnhem Land, connecting them to their extended families who live in the ‘homelands’ scattered throughout the bush. As a means of delivering food, transporting children to school and accessing medical treatment, MAF continues to be a lifeline for Yolŋu communities. Two or three times a week, MAF flies pupils on the school run, and health professionals to the homelands to provide the Yolŋu with essential medical care. MAF Country Director Ruth Jack speaks highly of the Australian government’s pandemic policies. ‘Australia has done a fantastic job of keeping coronavirus at bay. 'The government shut its international borders quickly – the regulations for getting into Australia are very tight, and stricter still to get into Arnhem Land.’ Many Yolŋu people are more vulnerable to coronavirus due to underlying health conditions. If the Yolŋu caught coronavirus, it
could wipe out one of Australia's indigenous nations, which would be a national disaster. Therefore, several new measures have long been in implementation – including the ubiquitous social distancing – to protect both the Yolŋu and MAF staff. For decades, MAF flew entire Yolŋu families to Nhulunbuy’s supermarket. Now, wherever possible, MAF is delivering pre-ordered shopping back to the homelands as the Yolŋu are still urged to stay at home. As for face masks, ‘We only had 17!’ Ruth recalls. However, an impassioned cry for help from MAF Australia in Sydney to its magnificent supporters resulted in the receipt – within days – of 3,000 masks, which were then sent immediately to Ruth in Arnhem Land. Suddenly, MAF had too many masks! Fortunately, our staff were able to give hundreds to Laynhapuy Health – a local partner organisation serving 20 remote homelands – to be used by their doctors, nurses and medical staff whilst treating the Yolŋu.
Please pray for the staff of MAF Arnhem Land and the Yolŋu people. OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 3
Joyce Lin For reasons known only to God, 40-year-old MAF Pilot Joyce was tragically killed in an accident three months ago. In this issue, we celebrate her life
Story Claire Gilderson Photos MAF Papua
‘I can’t explain why I get such a thrill out of flying or computer programming – it seems to be the way my brain is wired. I’m so fortunate to be able to do this. Each day I fly is a gift.’ Joyce Lin Main Joyce at her desk in the MAF Papua office Top right Joyce had been flying MAF operations since March Top far right A floral tribute to our sister Bottom right Serving the people before the coronavirus restrictions
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n 12 May at 06:27, Joyce took off on a solo flight from Sentani Airport in Papua, Indonesia, bound for the remote village of Mamit. Scheduled to deliver coronavirus test kits, she made a distress call only two minutes after take-off. Her plane descended into nearby Lake Sentani. Due to pandemic restrictions, there were no other passengers on board. Joyce was helping to gather soap which she planned to distribute along with test kits, PPE and medication to aid workers and missionaries across 20 villages.
Following God’s calling Raised in Colorado and Maryland by Taiwanese Christian immigrants, Joyce became a believer through a children’s outreach programme run by her local church. She graduated with a degree in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and envisioned her life as a computer programmer. But God had other plans. In an MAF US interview from the archives, Joyce recalled how God changed her life. ‘When I was at college, I went to a summer programme where I got to fly gliders. I’d had no thoughts about becoming a pilot, but I loved gliding and convinced my parents to let me get a pilot’s licence. Then God called me to go to seminary.’
4 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
‘Everything kind of clicked’
Joyce enrolled at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where she would, eventually, discover the existence of MAF. ‘A year in,’ she would later recall, ‘I was on my way to becoming a pastor or a missionary –what one normally goes to seminary for – but I wasn’t really interested in those things. ‘One day, when I walked into my room, I heard the words, “You should Google missionary pilot”. I was so shocked because that was the only time that I’d ever heard a voice like that – and it was so loud, I couldn’t ignore it! ‘The first link to appear on Google was MAF’s website and, when I started reading it, everything kind of clicked. I knew from that moment, this was what God had for me.’
Flying and faith
Listening to God’s prompting, Joyce had finally discovered the perfect vocation that would combine her interest in flying, computer programming skills and her faith. She became an intern with MAF in 2010 and visited Papua that same year to find out what life might be like there as an MAF pilot. Having experienced what MAF had to offer, Joyce had no doubt in her mind. ‘I was convinced that God was calling me to be a missionary pilot and work towards getting different licences to become a flight instructor. I had to pass the technical evaluation, raise
support and go to language school.’ Joyce earned her commercial licence in 2015 and moved to Papua in 2019. In addition to flying villagers, missionaries, and school workers, Joyce also helped set up a computer network for MAF’s partners.
Dedicated and well-loved
Joyce’s colleagues remember her fondly, as Regional Director of MAF Indonesia Brock Larson testifies. ‘Joyce was extremely dedicated. She was committed to being used by God to share His love with others, especially those who were less fortunate. She was also extremely generous, giving of herself and her treasures selflessly.’ David Holsten, Head of MAF US fervently agrees. ‘Joyce embodied so much of what we love to see in MAF staff. She was invested in the local culture, but she maintained a deep connection to her family, friends and supporters around the world. 'Joyce was professional in her work. She was a dedicated teammate and well-loved by those she served.’ She completed her first solo flight for MAF in March. Before her passing, Joyce encapsulated her God-given passions in the single sentence in the box on the opposite page. MAF Pilot Joyce Lin is survived by her parents and two sisters.
OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 5
Thy will be done Between flights responding to coronavirus and individual emergencies, God’s hand can be seen at work in South Sudan
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ntil quite recently, South Sudan faced bigger challenges than a global pandemic. In March, its revitalised peace agreement was finally implemented – ending the six-year civil war. It was a significant milestone. A fresh start for South Sudan. Within days, coronavirus arrived. Thankfully, its initial progress was slow. In the first week of April, I joined a flight to the northern town of Wau for the World Health Organisation (WHO). On Good Friday, the WHO Rapid Response Team joined an MAF flight to carry out contact tracing for only the second confirmed case in the whole country. I chatted with one of the team’s doctors who shared his optimism in the face of crisis. Only 6% of South Sudan’s population are over 60, he pointed out. They have extremely low rates of obesity, diabetes, and other prevalent lifestyle conditions that are claiming lives in Europe.
The wet season
Main Despatch Team member Dominic Ovadia unloads the Grand Caravan Above MAF Pilot Chris Ball
Five days later, an MAF aircraft made an emergency flight for a 17-year-old girl with suspected appendicitis. After surgery, she told me how scary it was to be sick right then. International borders had already closed and, the next day, passenger flights were suspended. If she hadn’t been on our flight, she wouldn’t
6 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
have been able to travel at all. New coronavirus test kits started to arrive in South Sudan on food supply trucks, at the border crossings. On 21 April, another MAF flight brought further supplies to the town of Nimule close to the Uganda border. Our staff remarked on the irony that isolated communities might actually be better off now the wet season’s here. For once, the country’s terrible infrastructure might actually work in its favour – to keep the virus out!
An overwhelming response MAF spouse Sonja Nieuwenhuis works with The Health Pooled Fund. The organisation trained 4,200 health workers for remote communities, and worked with Bible translators SIL to produce posters and training materials in more than half the country’s 60 languages. A few weeks later, MAF flew two long days to deliver the supplies to various locations where our partners then take them by road to remote clinics. Most MAF flights carry wood, cement and food for refugee camps and consignments of drugs for health NGOs. We’re also resupplying humanitarian organisations like Samaritan’s Purse with workers in the field. The majority of these flights also provide vital coronavirus equipment for isolated people.
Story and Photos Jenny Davies
The day travel restrictions are relaxed, we bring a medevac patient into Juba. Three weeks after a fall that left the South Sudanese woman with a nasty leg fracture, she is lifted gently from the plane onto a mattress and into a car. On social media, we ask supporters to pray and get an overwhelming response.
Months behind Europe Our logistics team assists doctors from a hospital in Bor who arrive on an MAF flight – they’re trying to bring coronavirus supplies in through Nairobi. They also want to import oxygen concentrators from the UK which are the next best thing in the absence of ventilators. A missionary joins the return leg of a cargo flight from the north. At his own request, he travels stretched out on the floor and disembarks carefully, protecting his injured back en route to the international terminal to catch his onward flight. As I write this in June, there have been more than 1,300 cases of coronavirus – a figure rising exponentially with every day. Fourteen people have died so far – a figure that must seem tiny to Flying for Life readers, compared to the soaring death rates in the UK. But we’re months behind Europe. After fifteen weeks here, I’m learning to live with the uncertainty – not making impossible comparisons or straining my brain trying to make sense of it all. I’m working my prayer muscles instead, knowing we serve a God who can do anything.
Please pray: • The government will make wise decisions to stop the spread of coronavirus • For the medical workers responding to the pandemic • For God’s peace to reign in communities blighted by intercommunal violence. Right MAF flights help limit the devastating effect of coronavirus Below A pilot's-eye view of flying in the wet season
OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 7
Above and Beyond How much do you think you know about MAF’s history? Our beautiful, new coffee-table book is full of both legendary and little-known stories that even our most ardent supporter will relish Story Pat Finlow Photos MAF archive
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bove and Beyond recalls MAF’s first tentative steps into the unknown, in the years immediately after World War II, and goes on to tell our story throughout the decades up to the present day. It’s a lively account of MAF that honours the past while looking to the future. We believe it will help readers gain an even greater understanding of the reach and diversity of our life-saving work, which has touched so many thousands of lives. So, we invite you to join us in celebrating 75 years of MAF by embarking on a journey of remembrance and discovery. Delve into extraordinary tales of MAF aircraft bringing help, hope and healing to people around the world. Men, women and children living in some of the most inaccessible, impoverished and war-torn places on the planet. Stories of rescue and challenge – sometimes sadness, often great joy – and always of faith in our almighty God! One such story is the following account of a man named Supardika, who was swept along by one of the worst natural disasters of the past 75 years.
Total devastation ‘The river is coming, the river is coming!’ These were the terrifying words Supardika could hear growing louder as he worked near his home. He grabbed his granddaughter and ran for the trees just before other members of his family, including his wife and grandson, were carried away by the rising waters. The 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was the result of an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra’s Aceh province. It killed more than 170,000 people and destroyed 550,000 homes. Emergency relief efforts were severely hampered because the few bridges and roads that remained intact were covered with debris, making ground travel almost impossible.
8 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
Above and Beyond is full of extraordinary tales of MAF aircraft bringing help, hope and healing to people around the world
Pre-order now to reserve your copy! COUNTRY PROFILE:
SOUTH SUDAN
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Main: Lohutok, South Sudan. Above: 5X-MON. Right: Danny Gill. Opposite page: Children playing near 5X-SCO. 36
ith a harsh, tropical climate and million people are in urgent need of help only a handful of passable roads, it including over a million children suffering was the River Nile that pointed Stuart King acute malnutrition . Amidst reports of and Jack Hemmings to widespread looting, sexual land in Sudan – the heart violence and recruitment of of Africa – in 1948. Using child soldiers, it’s thought little more than a flimsy, Since carving out the that at least 400,000 people post-war Miles Gemini first MAF airstrip in have been killed in the aircraft, a map and a ongoing conflict. 1950, MAF planes compass, the pair began Intensive efforts by have been serving to unlock the unseen aid agencies have so far needs of some of Africa’s Sudan’s poorest people prevented hunger from forgotten people. ever since. turning to famine, but in a Since carving out the country awash with weapons first MAF airstrip in 1950, MAF planes from decades of war, these workers are have been serving Sudan’s poorest frequently attacked while trying to deliver communities ever since, with only relief by road. In 2016, South Sudan a few years during the late 1960s was named ‘the most dangerous place and early 70s when operations to be an aid worker’ , with more than 60 were forced out of the country due humanitarian staff killed while responding to civil war. to the crisis after fighting began in 2013. The bloody divide between For many, MAF is the only way to travel the Islamic/Arabic north and in safety. Christian/animist south has MAF multiplies the effectiveness spanned the second half of the of those it flies, Twentieth Century and cost reducing days of millions of lives. In January 2011, overland travel to a peaceful referendum backed full just a few hours. independence. Six months later, NGOs bring aid, South Sudan became the world’s development, basic newest nation. healthcare and a After just two years, ethnic and message of Christian political differences which South compassion to Sudanese tribes put aside in the those in acute need, struggle for independence rapidly benefitting tens of reappeared. Ferocious civil war thousands of people. erupted in 2013, and international For over 70 years, mediation efforts have yet to deliver MAF’s mission a universally acceptable ceasefire that has remains unchanged – seen lasting peace. to reach South Sudan’s A third of the population have been remotest and poorest forced to flee from their homes, many communities with the seeking safety in vast refugee settlements help, hope and healing in neighbouring Uganda. More than seven they need to survive.
COUNTRY STATS POPULATION 10.2m (excluding 2.3 refugees abroad)
CAPITAL Juba
LANGUAGES English, Arabic + 60 indigenous languages
ROADS 4,350 miles – mostly unpaved (245,000 in the UK)
SUDAN
CLIMATE Tropical (hot all year round), rains from May to November
LIFE EXPECTANCY 57 years
SOUTH SUDAN
MAF AIRSTRIPS 57
MAF PARTNERS 200+ organisations
UGANDA
PROGRAMME TIMELINE 1948 First MAF survey flight touches down in Sudan 1950 First regular operations commence from Malakal 1956 Independence from Britain 1964 Expulsion of missionaries and closure of MAF programme 1977 Respite in civil war. Programme restarts 1983 Programme closes again due to government restrictions, operations relocate to Lokichoggio, Kenya 1992 Relief flights into Sudan continue from Kenya MAF is absolutely vital to reach the isolated south-east, an area which is very hard to access by road, especially during the rainy season when roads become impassable. Without MAF, we wouldn’t be able to do our work in South Sudan.”
2003 Relief flights into Sudan from Uganda 2006 New MAF base established in Juba 2008 First pilot family arrives for 25 years 2011 South Sudan becomes the world’s newest nation 2015 Cessna 182 joins the fleet 2019 Two additional Cessna Caravans join the fleet – South Sudan becomes MAF’s busiest African programme
Eva Gerritse PAX for Peace Above and Beyond The 1950s
Daily flights However, MAF had been working in Indonesia since the 1950s and was one of the first responders, carrying out survey flights and delivering urgent food and medical supplies. As MAF Pilot Marco Koffeman recounted at the time, ‘We saw horrific things. Whole towns had been swept away and only debris left.' Several relief organisations asked MAF to lead the coordination of the multiagency response. Immediately, a Cessna Caravan from Papua and a Cessna 206 from Kalimantan were deployed to Sibolga where 40 tonnes of urgent supplies were waiting. The MAF Caravan made daily flights, carrying emergency food and water from Medan to Meulaboh on the west coast of Aceh. From there, the smaller Cessna 206 ferried aid to remote villages, often landing on narrow
‘We saw horrific things. Whole towns had been swept away and only debris left.' Marco Kofferman MAF Pilot
sections of road cleared by villagers. An MAF GA8 Airvan from Australia also flew in to join the relief effort alongside MAF Bangladesh’s amphibious Beaver.
Share your passion for our ministry with the ideal Christmas gift. To reserve your copy, please visit www.maf-uk.org/aboveandbeyond or use the enclosed response form.
‘Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us – to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.’
Main Above and Beyond – the amazing, true story of the MAF family
Ephesians 3:20-21
A human chain Landing in river inlets, or even on the sea, the latter brought emergency food boxes to communities totally cut off from help – locals waded into the water forming a human chain to pass food boxes to the shore. MAF staff also established ‘internet cafés’ in Meulaboh and Banda Aceh. Where much of the communications infrastructure had been destroyed, relief workers could now communicate with their main offices. We also flew into remote villages with pumps to provide clean, life-giving water. And one of the those who benefited directly from such a flight was Supardika.
Juba
DRC
FLEET 2 x Cessna 182 2 x Cessna 208
Left Survivors of the 2004 disaster grateful for the urgent response of an MAF Caravan
OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 9
Time for action! Story Jill Vine Photos Ping Domtta
In May, as heavy rains in Uganda eased up, MAF was given special permission to make its first flight in two long months in response to disastrous floods
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oronavirus reached us back in the spring, grounding MAF Uganda in a matter of days. But, finally, we’ve have been asked to fly cargo to the people of flood-hit Kasese. Since our last flight on 22 March, MAF Uganda’s engineers have been busy maintaining aircraft and repairing the flooded runway at Kajjansi airfield. MAF pilots have been keeping their training up to date on the flight simulator. There hasn’t been heavy rain for five days. The water level in nearby Lake Victoria has decreased, helping our airstrip at Kajjansi to dry out. At last, it’s time for action! MAF Pilot Greg Vine flew to Entebbe International Airport to join two of our aircraft which were already waiting there in readiness. A fourth MAF plane then arrived before the fleet – fully laden with emergency supplies – took off for Kasese. It’s been two weeks since men, women and children in Kasese watched their homes get washed away.
10 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
Around 25,000 buildings have been damaged, displacing more than 170,000 people. Several bridges and roads are now inaccessible. Some schools have been swept away and four health centres have been destroyed. Farms remain submerged and many shops no longer exist. There is a desperate need for shelter, food, water, medicine and blankets. In partnership with the government and the Inter Religious Council of Uganda, MAF has delivered these life-saving supplies to the grateful people of Kasese. Please pray for the floods to dissipate and for restrictions to lift even further so that people can return to their livelihoods. These men, women and children were struggling with hunger on their meagre incomes long before coronavirus became the focus of all our lives. Pray too that the people of Uganda will look to their Father for His mercy and healing – that they would welcome MAF as a partner who can help shoulder the burdens of an entire nation.
'Your strong support at this time is invaluable. Thank you so much for standing with us in faith.' Jill Vine Main Kasese airfield Above Emergency supplies arrive
Protecting the keyworkers Story Gary Clayton Photos Connie Aebischer and Rickson Poki
Thanks to MAF, a boy in a remote mountain community bitten by a snake is still alive, and a lowland district of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the equipment it needs to treat its patients
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ime was running out for Naha, who needed help after being bitten by a death adder. Sadly, the assistance he needed wasn’t available in remote Owena, in PNG’s Highlands. Travelling across rugged landscape for days just wasn’t an option – Naha needed MAF fast! Fortunately, because the snake had only bitten his finger, the poison hadn’t made its way into the boy’s bloodstream by the time our plane arrived. Because of this, MAF Pilot Jason Marsh was able to fly Naha to hospital in time. But Owena isn't the only isolated area to be without anti-venom. For 20 years, the remote lowland district of Morehead had struggled without adequate supplies. Then, when coronavirus took hold, there was a shortage of PPE. Thanks to MAF, however, Morehead’s health workers can now treat patients without fear. When the pandemic hit, morale among the medical professionals was at an all-time low. Unable to provide proper care for their patients, they felt bereaved. 'Because,' they
said, 'we feared treating them without PPE.’ On 10 May, however, an MAF plane – in partnership with Aerial Health Patrol (AHP) – flew health workers, PPE, masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and anti-venom to Morehead. The next day, the healthcare workers returned to work armed with proper PPE; giving their patients the hands-on, personal care they value so much. A grateful nurse said, ‘When you came with masks, you allowed me to work with my patients. When you did the coronavirus awareness training, it cleared up the confusion.’ As part of a recent safety review, MAF staff are assessing the 213 airstrips used to serve communities throughout PNG. ‘One of our priorities,’ concludes MAF PNG Country Director Todd Aebischer, ‘is to ensure that MAF doesn’t transport coronavirus to the communities we serve and love so much! 'We are careful to follow government guidelines which include ensuring that we properly sanitise our aircraft, observe social distancing, wear face masks and monitor passenger health.’
Main The PNG Highlands Top MAF's Joseph Tua sanitises the cockpit Above Morehead's workers now have PPE
OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 11
Join us! Photos Mark Blomberg
MAF Trustee David West (pictured) invites you to join the unique group of people who will shape the future of our mission
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e don’t have to persuade you that MAF does amazing work! When you open a copy of Flying for Life – whether it’s your first time or you fiftieth – you’re reminded why MAF is such a vital organisation. You’ve read the stories, seen the images and watched the videos, so we don’t need to spell out what our fleet means to so many isolated people worldwide. Indeed, the tremendous support you give to our organisation through your prayers, gifts and time spent volunteering is testament to your in-depth knowledge of our mission. What you may not know is that, behind the scenes, a Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance and guidance of MAF UK. The Board is a team of volunteers who serve the organisation by contributing skills and experience gained from a variety of professions and outside interests.
12 Flying for Life OCT-DEC 2020 www.maf-uk.org
The Board sets strategic direction and oversees MAF UK's work of recruitment, fundraising and the galvanisation of prayer support in this country. The MAF family needs its best and brightest members to put themselves forward so that we can increase the funding for operations and the number of staff we send overseas. Growing our influence in the UK will help us meet the increasing demand for our services worldwide. MAF Bangladesh Country Director Mark Blomberg reports that, ‘Many organisations in Bangladesh (pictured) are positioning themselves for a big humanitarian crisis.’ The moment we’re cleared for take-off we want to send more MAF planes to help the men, women and children in physical and spiritual crisis now – and hundreds of thousands of people in the years to come. And, for that to happen, we urgently
need more supporters to add their skills to the MAF Board of Trustees. If you would like to know more about being a trustee, please visit www.maf-uk.org/trustee or contact sharon.moore@maf-uk.org for an information pack. We look forward to hearing from you!
We are recruiting additional trustees with experience in one of the following areas: Communications Fundraising Youth Legal
Crisps for breakfast In March, the sudden arrival of coronavirus in Africa left MAF Pilot and Operations Manager Becki Dillingham stranded from her husband Matt, eight-year-old Bethan and three-year-old Luke Story Jo Lamb Photos Matt Dillingham and Kelly and Mark Hewes
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n 9 March, Becki left MAF Chad for vital flight training in Uganda expecting to be away from her family for only three weeks. However, while lockdown in the UK was being enforced gradually, the first coronavirus restrictions in Africa seemed to come out of nowhere. When Chad suddenly announced its borders would close, Becki was unable to get back to Matt and the children. ‘I never thought things would escalate so quickly,’ reflects Becki. ‘When I left Chad, coronavirus was so far from us.’ Then Uganda entered a state of lockdown, too! The Dillingham family was stranded behind two closed borders. Eventually, with the help of the online community and MAF colleagues, Becki was able to board a flight out of Uganda. On 4 April, she stepped on to British soil. Alone. ‘It felt bizarre,’ she recalls, ‘leaving a country with only 20 coronavirus cases for one where thousands had died. All I could do was pray we’d be together again.’ Four days later, Matt heard about a French military flight due to leave Chad
for Paris, and immediately picked up the phone. At 8am the next morning, Matt, Bethan and Luke donned facemasks before joining a long queue at the military base to have their temperatures checked, luggage weighed and paperwork scanned. ‘The highlight for the kids was watching the sniffer dog,’ he smiles. Some 12 hours later, the old Airbus touched down in Paris where breakfast proved hard to find. There had been no food on the flight. With nowhere open to break a 20-euro note, Matt pleaded with a receptionist for change to feed a vending machine and two hungry mouths. A kind soul overheard the desperate conversation and spared Matt a handful of coins. 'As I waited in arrivals for Matt and the children, I contemplated our reunion,' Becki recalls. 'Everyone was standing two metres apart – how would we be perceived when we enjoyed a longawaited hug?’ Suddenly, Luke and Bethan were sprinting towards her. ‘Mummy, guess what?’ Bethan exclaimed. ‘We had chocolate and crisps for breakfast!’
Main The Dillinghams in Chad Top Becki in flight mode! Bottom Becki, Luke and Bethan reunite, with Matt's camera capturing their relief
OCT-DEC 2020 Flying for Life 13
'Incredibly generous' At the beginning of 2020, excitement was in the air as people arrived for the dedication of the new Redbird advanced flight simulator in Mareeba, Australia The dedication ceremony was also a wonderful opportunity to remember Larry Heintz. Larry served with us for more than 28 years, making a huge impact in aviation safety in MAF and beyond. His celebrated management system led to an Africa region accident rate of zero! In 2015, the UN awarded Larry its Humanitarian Aviation Recognition Award for his outstanding contribution towards aviation safety. Tragically, Larry was diagnosed with a brain tumour that year and sadly passed away in 2018. Larry’s widow Jane (pictured) represented the family at the special dedication ceremony in Australia. ‘It is an honour to represent my husband Larry,’ Jane shared. ‘I feel the simulator would have made him very happy.’ The new simulator will train the next generation of pilots in serving isolated
people. It's an invaluable tool that allows them to practice in a safe environment, and reduces the costs of flight training. A legacy from Larry’s aunt Eva Shaver paid for the simulator. ‘Aunt Eva was not a wealthy lady,’ Jane explained, ‘but she was incredibly generous and left the bulk of her estate to MAF.’
Gifts in Wills make a huge difference to MAF, ensuring we reach remote communities far into the future. A big ‘thank you’ to all our supporters for 75 years of gifts which have kept us flying for life!
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 130 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 OCT-DEC 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 OCT-DEC 2020 ffna It costs us no more than 70p to produce and send you this magazine and prayer diary
MORE TO PRAY FOR... Based in MAF programmes across Africa and South East Asia, our UK overseas staff need your prayers. You can find all their requests on our website and can sign up to receive their prayer letters direct to your inbox, visit www.maf-uk.org/staffprayer
High wire act As MAF supporter Patricia Lewis approached a milestone birthday last year, she was determined to do something memorable for MAF! Patricia settled upon the idea of a zip wire experience – in her words, ‘the nearest thing I could get to flying!’ Thrilled by the enthusiastic response from family, friends and neighbours to her spectacular sponsorship suggestion, Patricia booked a slot on the mile-long zip wire at Blaenau Ffestiniog, Snowdonia National Park. Even ‘less than enthusiastic’ husband John agreed to join in and make the 80th birthday bash complete. ‘The sun was shining,’ Patricia recalls, ‘with just a slight side wind. Kitted out with slings, we went through triple safety checks at the top of the hill before being cleared for take-off. ‘Once the gate was opened, we hurtled through the air over the old slate quarry, towards the Snowdonia mountains on the horizon. It felt marvellous!’ Our sincere thanks go to Patricia and John for defying gravity and raising more than £800 for our work.
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The MAF Advent Adventure returns for its fourth year this Christmas! We would like to invite you to come on a journey around the MAF world with our trusty trio — Mike, Alpha and Foxtrot — discovering fascinating facts and great stories along the way! Pre-order your printed Advent calendar, while stocks last, so your family can enjoy opening a window each day, finding out where Mike lands and what cargo he’s transporting in the MAF plane. Then, simply go online to mafadvent.org to explore that day’s country, find out how MAF helps the people there, watch inspiring videos, download Christmas activity sheets, read a daily kindness challenge for the whole family and — of course — enter the grand competition! Advent calendars will arrive by 20 November — we’re asking for a suggested donation of £3 per calendar to cover postage and packaging.
To pre-order your printed Advent Calendar, visit our website
www.maf-uk.org/orderadventcalendar Alternatively, please call us on 01303 852819
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