Flying for Life (July-September 2021) by MAF UK

JUL-SEP 2021

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Serving together ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord’ (Colossians 3:23) Doing all we do for the Lord is all about serving Him and showing His love in action. In this issue of Flying for Life, a spirit of service is very much in evidence. Our first story tells of an amazing rescue by foot, motorbike and — crucially — MAF aircraft (page 3). The many men and women who played a part in caring for actress and activist Ashley Judd were selfless in their commitment to ensuring her safety; each of them a blessing, by her own heartfelt admission. Fourteen thousand miles east, in Papua New Guinea, MAF Technologies PNG has ensured that the message of God’s love has travelled faster and further for 65 years (page 8). MAF is also playing its part in a concerted effort to defeat cholera in South Sudan — a disease that continues to kill tens of thousands of people every year (page 6). And, in Chad, our long-term partner Mines Advisory Group risks life and limb to rid the ground of explosives planted there in a war that ended more than 30 years ago (page 10). Thank you very much for the prayers and gifts which help us show the MAF family’s wonderful love in action — enabling us to continue serving together.

Our summer front cover illustrates MAF’s work in South Sudan — see page 6 for more news from that programme

Editor’s choice Each month, we receive dozens of wonderful comments from our supporters, for which we are deeply grateful. The following was sent in by Elizabeth: ‘Thank you for all MAF is doing in these difficult times — God bless you all. Your prayer diary is such a blessing and a joy to me. We know exactly how and what to pray for, and there is such encouragement knowing God is transforming lives and bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth through His disciples. I pray for God’s protection, strength and peace for you all.’ Please send your comments to editor@maf-uk.org

Ruth Whitaker Chief Executive, MAF UK 2 Flying for Life JUL-SEP 2021

Richard Chambers Editor, Flying for Life www.maf-uk.org

‘They blessed me’ Story Richard Chambers

Photos Used with the permission of Ashley Judd

Hollywood actress and activist Ashley Judd recently shared with the world’s media the extremely painful experience of shattering her leg in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

shley Judd is a frequent flyer with MAF’s Western DRC programme. Several times a year, she visits the rainforest with a team from Harvard University which conducts research into the bonobo — an endangered great ape, similar in appearance to a chimpanzee. On 16 January, MAF flew the team from Kinshasa to Djolu, planning to pick them up 23 days later. But, when Ashley tripped on a fallen tree in the jungle gloom, Pilot Jonathan de Jongh returned immediately to evacuate her to the capital Kinshasa via a 3-hour, 600-mile flight. Prior to the flight, Ashley had endured a gruelling three hours being carried through the jungle on a makeshift stretcher, followed by a harrowing six-hour motorcycle ride. A stick between her teeth provided the only pain relief. Ashley’s leg — broken in four places — was stabilised at Kinshasa General Hospital before she travelled to a South African intensive care unit. When able to report her ordeal, Ashley said, ‘Without my Congolese brothers and sisters, my internal bleeding would likely have killed me.’ She also emphasised the ‘privilege’ that allowed her to receive medical care unavailable to the impoverished people of the DRC — shining the world’s spotlight on their plight.

Ashley also praised many people, including Dieumerci — whose name means ‘Thanks be to God’. He sat on the rainforest floor without moving for five hours to keep her leg still. During this period of terrible pain — and, by her own admission, much screaming — another man gently manipulated her leg bones into a position that made transportation possible. Another man called Maradona volunteered to support Ashley on the motorbike. ‘He held my leg under the heel,’ she reported on social media, ‘and I held the shattered top part together with my two hands… for six hours on a rutted, dirt road.’ She finished her story of gratitude with the words, ‘The women! My sisters who held me. They blessed me. I thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and support.’ In a recent online post to her many fans and well-wishers, Ashley quoted Psalm 84:5, ‘Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.’ MAIN Ashley’s leg was shattered in four places TOP The beginning of a long, painful ordeal MIDDLE MAF ensured Ashley reached hospital BOTTOM ‘My sisters who held me’ JUL-SEP 2021 Flying for Life 3

National headlines Story Gary Clayton

Photos LuAnne Cadd and Mandy Glass

Papua New Guinea’s top-selling newspaper frequently features the contribution of our staff to national life

ou’re obviously familiar with Flying for Life, but did you know that — apart from our muchloved magazine — MAF is mentioned in UK publications such as The Times, The Guardian, Evangelicals Now, Church Times and Keep The Faith? Articles about MAF also appear in The National — the biggest selling weekday newspaper in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Stories range from MAF personnel sharing the Gospel with female prisoners to MAF’s disaster relief flights, to connecting remote communities with the outside world through the use of HF radio. With MAF now celebrating its 70th year of service in PNG, it’s an excellent time to look at how our staff are featured in the country’s national newspaper.

No turning back One, a heart-warming profile of MAF PNG’s Administration Manager Eric Eribiang, begins by quoting Matthew 16:24: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.’ 4 Flying for Life JUL-SEP 2021

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The article says that family and friends tell Eric, who joined us in 2007, he needs to leave MAF and get another job to better support his wife Linda and their eight children.

thanks to our flights, people in remote areas receive life-saving medicine, school supplies and safe transport. Whatever friends might think, Eric describes his job as ‘a calling by God to serve His people’ — one that God is asking him to continue.

Bringing positive change Like Eric, Siobhain Cole wanted to work for an organisation ‘which was a force for good’. An organisation which, in the words of The National, ‘was making the world a better place’.

‘You don’t earn much,’ they tell the 47-year-old. ‘You can get plenty of money if you find a new job. You can have cars, new houses.’ For Eric, however, serving those who need MAF is priceless. ‘Earning more money or building wealth is meaningless. As Scripture says, I have decided to follow Jesus and there is no turning back.’ The son of missionaries, Eric spent 6½ years at the Post and Telecommunication Corporation before joining MAF. Eric says he gets tremendous satisfaction knowing that,

Having spent six years with the RAF, Siobhain arrived in Mount Hagen in 2013 to serve as MAF’s Ground Operations Manager. She was responsible for local ground staff

MAIN There are more staff in PNG than any other MAF programmea FAR LEFT Eric Eribiang LEFT Siobhan Dales BELOW MAF Technologies PNG’s David Feka installs another crucial HF radio mast

COUNTRY STATISTICS throughout PNG, as well as our flying programme. As a young, single female, she found it challenging, though she soon gained the respect of her male colleagues. Siobhain met Ryan, an MAF pilot, in 2016. They married a year later and returned to PNG. In 2018, they moved to Telefomin because we needed a third pilot there. Siobhain works in the operations department and has helped train local staff on our web-based booking system, updated MAF procedures, and helped plan complex flight requests. Although she misses some UK luxuries — and ‘being able to share in my family’s joys and pains’ — like Eric, she gets her reward from knowing that she’s bringing positive change to PNG’s people. ‘I’m not a pilot but, throughout my seven years in MAF, I’ve always known that when one person’s life is saved through an MAF flight, I’m part of the team that made that happen.’

POPULATION

Glorifying God Members of MAF Technologies PNG also appear in print, thanks to an article outlining MAF’s role in helping to combat the more negative aspects of the internet. The feature explains how Shirley Ted, Grace Ward and Joy Suarkia shot a video warning about cyber bullying and how the web can be used to view — or post — pornographic images. Instead, they encourage young people to be salt and light, showing ways in which the internet can be used to glorify God rather than causing people to sin, waste time, or ‘feel bad about themselves’. The video — and article — concludes with 1 Corinthians 10:31: ‘So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God’ – a verse that spells out the motivation behind Siobhain’s and Eric’s service, as well as our MAF Technologies PNG staff.

7.3 million

CAPITAL

Port Moresby

LANGUAGES

English, Tok Pisin + 830 indigenous languages

ROADS

5,809 miles, mostly unpaved (245,000 in the UK)

CLIMATE

Tropical; monsoon rains December to March

LIFE EXPECTANCY

67.5 years

MAF DESTINATIONS 213

MAF PARTNERS

107 organisations

FLEET

9 x Cessna 208

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Launching a life-saving campaign Story Jenny Davies

Photos Jemina Ebrahim

Following the devastating floods in 2020 that led to the contamination of several water sources, South Sudan began this year facing a potential cholera epidemic

uring the second half of 2020, flooding contaminated 65% of safe water sources, affecting more than half a million people in Jonglei State. NGOs and health services reported a 12% increase in cases of acute diarrhoea, leading to fears of a possible cholera outbreak. Cholera can be deadly. It is a waterborne disease with an extremely short incubation period — two hours to five days — which enables outbreaks to escalate quickly. In addition to diarrhoea, symptoms include vomiting, dehydration, muscle cramps and abdominal pains. In January, MAF Pilot Rafael Flach flew Minister of Health Elizabeth Acuei Yol to Pibor with a team from World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch an oral cholera vaccination campaign. The high-level delegation also visited Pochalla, one of the counties assessed to have a major risk of an outbreak, due — in part — to the fact that it borders Ethiopia, which experienced an epidemic last year. Prior to the MAF flight, tens of thousands of people had fled the internal conflict in Ethiopia and entered

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South Sudan, potentially exacerbating the spread of the disease. According to WHO, South Sudan is particularly vulnerable to outbreaks of cholera. Overcrowding, poor hygiene and contaminated water sources allow the disease to spread quickly. The Minister of Health and the WHO team explained the urgent need for vaccination to government officials, UN agencies, NGOs, communitybased organisations and members of the public. Since gaining its independence in 2011, South Sudan has experienced several cholera outbreaks. However, thanks to vaccination campaigns providing up to three years’ protection, no cases had been registered since December 2017.

This year, the first round of vaccinations is targeting more than 90,000 people. Long-term efforts to reduce the risk of future outbreaks seek to improve access to clean water and sanitation, and promote better hygiene. WHO’s Emergency Co-ordinator Dr Guracha Guyo thanked MAF for transporting the team. ‘I enjoyed my flight to and from Pibor,’ he said. ‘You guys were very professional — thanks for the excellent service!’ MAIN The Minister of Health Hon. Elizabeth Acuei Yol (right) and the team from WHO launch the campaign ABOVE In many countries, cholera has the potential to be more devastating than coronavirus

Peace, protection and provision Story Richard Chambers

Photos MAF archive

MAF UK’s Victoria Fagg reflects on her role as Prayer Communications Leader five years after she was first interviewed for Flying for Life So, Victoria, are you still enjoying the role? What’s changed in five years? It’s a real privilege to serve at MAF in a role that definitely requires me to constantly ‘look up’ and seek God’s lead as we engage with our amazing supporters. The need to pray for peace, protection and provision remains, and how we communicate this is ever-evolving. For instance, News for Prayer has changed, from a text-heavy monthly newsletter into a weekly email — partly in response to the pandemic. We’ve also introduced a monthly online prayer devotion written to inspire and challenge our readers in their walk with the Lord. It’s encouraging to see new supporters join because we’ve made all our resources available online. Another change happened a few years ago when we transitioned the annual Day of Prayer to become a Global Week of Prayer (GWOP). Last year, we included an online prayer calendar for people to reserve their prayer slot and pray from home.

We had people praying in Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Tanzania and the USA — as well as the UK! Tell us more about the recent changes to the Prayer Diary format. Planning begins six months before supporters receive the Prayer Diary. Writing relevant text so far in advance is always a challenge. Doing so in the midst of lockdown — unable to predict what would be happening across the nations, with limited communications coming from the programmes — is especially difficult. The choice was either to reimagine the content — and stay connected to our supporters at this crucial time — or put the Prayer Diary on hold. We decided to provide personal encouragement and prayer guidance to our supporters. We’ve been really encouraged by the increased engagement from our prayer supporters as a result. Obviously, we will continue to monitor the situation, and endeavour to include more specific prayer requests as and when we can.

There’s another significant change to this issue of the Prayer Diary, too! Yes, we’ve increased its size and some font colours in response to several supporters who found the smaller font hard to read. You mentioned GWOP — what can supporters expect in future? In the past, we’ve produced a prayer pack to help supporters share the prayer week locally. Last year, we issued our first special edition prayer diary with the autumn Flying for Life and we’ve decided to do the same this year. Once we’re all able to gather again without restriction, we’ll create a separate prayer pack resource that can be used at any time of the year.

Thank you for your magnificent prayer support!

MAIN People gather to pray and worship in Papua JUL-SEP 2021 Flying for Life 7

The power of radio Story Claire Gilderson

Photos Joy Suarkia and MAF archive

Through the decades, MAF Technologies PNG has saved lives, shared the Gospel and connected the isolated through the power of radio

AF Technologies PNG — originally known as CRMF — launched in 1956, five years after MAF first established its operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Australian World War II veterans Claude D’Evelynes, Syd McLeodJones and Bob Hartnell set up a radio transceiver, which broadcast the Gospel to radio stations and portable short-wave transmitters used by missionaries across Australia and New Zealand. One of the first radio technicians Graham Spendlove takes us back to what it was like before computers, satellites, mobile phones, emails and Wi-Fi came along. ‘If a mission wanted to send a message to Australia, they would call us on their sked time (scheduled contact) and give us their phonetic message. We would relay their message to Telecom in Mount Hagen, which would send a telegram to the Australian Post Office. ‘When a reply came back from Australia, we would forward the message back to the mission in the same way. Sometimes, it would take days before they got a reply.’ It became clear that the people of PNG needed a reliable communications network. I n i t i a l l y, t h e t e a m s e t u p a hydroelectric power station to transmit radio from Rugli in the country’s Western Highlands, establishing PNG’s own high frequency (HF) network.

MAF develops HF radio email For around 40 years, radio was broadcast from Rugli and hundreds of remote people got to hear about Jesus Christ. MAF flew technicians like Graham who installed radios in isolated villages across PNG. In 1993, the team relocated to Goroka in PNG’s Eastern Highlands, where it broadcast from a Salvation Army hall until a purpose-built communications centre was completed in 2001. They were among the first technical providers to develop an HF radio email system for amateur-band radios. It became known as Winlink Global Radio Email, and was used by NGOs and governments to transmit weather bulletins and emergency relief communications across remote locations.

MAF expands operations in PNG The communications centre was extended in 2009 and the Learning Technologies Initiative was launched in 2010 — the year CRMF became part of the MAF family. 8 Flying for Life JUL-SEP 2021

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This project provides Bible training and resources to remote communities through new technology including Wi-Fi, mobile phones and both audio and printed Bibles. The vision has always been to meet the communication and technical needs of the Church and PNG’s remotest communities, so that every tribe can hear the Good News in a language it understands. In 2016, MAF’s David Feka and Joey Redhead installed an HF radio at a primary school in Guasa village, which is about two days’ walk from the nearest road. People like Pastor Jinga — based in the small village of Biaidi in Milne Bay Province — have also benefited greatly from radio technology. Following two years of severely limited communication with people outside his community, his world changed forever in November 2019. When MAF installed an HF radio antenna, Pastor Jinga was finally able to communicate effectively with friends, family and colleagues further afield. ‘Now that the radio is on,’ he exclaims, ‘what can I say? I have an inexplicable happiness from heaven and I’m just overjoyed.’

FAR LEFT An early MAF radio LEFT Dr James Gahare (right) conveys vital coronavirus information to isolated people TOP Claude D’Evelynes, Syd McLeodJones and Bob Hartnell MIDDLE Graham Spendlove BOTTOM Ready to go on air, 1957

Clear communication saves lives In addition to spreading the Gospel, MAF’s technology has proved critical in life-saving emergency situations. When MAF installed an HF radio and alarm system for The Hands of Rescue Foundation last year, Dr Barry Kirby’s work was transformed. Our work enabled him and his team to reduce maternal mortality drastically across Milne Bay Province, which comprises some 600 islands. During the early days of the pandemic, it was also vital for PNG’s cut-off communities to have access to trusted information from a reliable source so they could stay safe and protect their families. Using the HF radio network, MAF was able to broadcast a live coronavirus Q&A with Dr James Gahare — a health promoter from the Eastern Highlands Provincial Health Authority — to some 80 radio stations, reaching hundreds of people. Long may the work of MAF Technologies PNG continue to reach and support the country’s remotest communities — saving lives, sharing the Gospel and connecting the isolated!

PAPUA

Bismarck Sea

Mount Hagen

Rugli Goroka

P A P U A N E W G U I N E A Port Moresby

Coral Sea Indian Ocean

200 miles

Capital

AUSTRALIA

MAF Base Destination

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A high chance of living Story and Photos Katie Machell

Between 1978 and 1987, a brutal war in north-eastern Chad left thousands of unexploded landmines buried in the ground

he Ennedi region was the scene of many battles fought with neighbouring Libya. An area of incredible beauty, it’s hard to imagine it as a battlefield. Since 2004, MAF partner Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has been clearing the land of explosives.

Six months ago, MAF flew government officials to witness MAG’s vital work in conjunction with the National Mine Agency, Humanity & Inclusion and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action. ‘No one has properly marked out the minefield,’ explains Mark, the MAG Operations Director. ‘People have lost a lot of camels. Livestock in Chad is worth more than its weight in gold — it can be catastrophic when an animal dies.

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‘After the rains, the area becomes green with vegetation — perfect for grazing. But, if animals are wounded by an explosion, the shepherd goes to get them back and can also step on a mine.’

Apart from one mine-clearing vehicle in Ennedi, the work is done by hand. This painstaking task is made even harder by the weight of the protective clothing and the relentless heat of the sun. The MAG team spends 45 minutes at a time on the minefield. Rest and rehydration are essential, and mobile phones may not be carried into the danger zone. Loss of concentration could cost a life. ‘Risk education,’ says Mark, ‘is crucial, particularly with children. They’re taught not to touch mines, how to mark those they find, and to tell the local authorities — who then inform us.

‘Our partnership with MAF provides a key element of our Casualty Evacuation Chain — the system we must have in place in case of injury. ‘To be honest, we probably couldn’t achieve what we do without that facility. Transporting an injured person to the nearest hospital takes a day’s drive on very bad roads. In a worst case, the person would probably die from the sheer shock of being bounced around on the journey. ‘Having an aircraft that can come here within four hours means we can get the person to a good hospital in N’Djaména, and they’ve got a high chance of living.’

MAIN Pilot Becki Dillingham checks her aircraft before take-off FAR LEFT Deadly landmines remain in north-eastern Chad LEFT Ennedi from above ABOVE Camels at a watering hole

Planes of peace Story and Photos Jenny Davies

Despite the implementation of last year’s national peace deal, a surge in intercommunal violence in South Sudan saw nearly 300 lives lost in a single attack in May 2020

ix months after that horrific day, an MAF plane lands in Pieri where the violence occurred. Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund (POF) Team Leader Michael Comerford explains what they are here to do. ‘We’re a UK-funded programme – delivered by a consortium of NGOs, engaging communities in dialogue that will create a roadmap to peace.’ ‘This flight, with an armed guard on board, brings government officials to speak with the Murle youths who are driving the violence. ‘I’m meeting with a Nuer prophet — one of their spiritual leaders, also known as the Leopard Skin Chief. These people are central to the peace agreement because they also commission violence.’ Traditionally, rivalries between communities were ’settled’ by cattle raiding, with clans and tribes stealing the wealth needed for marriage, status and prestige. Last year, an estimated 86,000 cattle worth more than £25 million were taken (UN source). Death rates soared when guns replaced traditional spears. ‘The violence is worse since the start of the wars because of the introduction of guns,’ Michael explains.

‘There’s a tradition of peacebuilding in each different tribe. It is a hard process, with penalties for those who break the peace again. But no one signs a piece of paper. They celebrate, they slaughter an animal; they dance and beat the drum and have the women singing.’ ‘Even those who commit the worst atrocities will confess. There will be reparation — often in the form of payment of cattle. Once that’s paid, they’re expected to move on.’ The outcome of the meeting in Pieri is positive. In the following days and weeks, more meetings are arranged and conferences facilitated to get people from different tribes talking before roads dry and the armed youths can move around. Between December 2020 and

March 2021, MAF carried out 57 flights with 177 passengers for POF. One of these flights enabled POF to organise a three-day youth conference in Rumbek. ‘We’re finding our way through this cultural geography to facilitate peace,’ Michael concludes. Please pray that lines of communication will remain open and everyone will listen to each other. Decades of war have divided South Sudan’s ethnic communities, so peace won’t happen overnight.

MAIN Michael Comerford on a mission to bring peace to South Sudan TOP MAF charter flights are essential to the mission ABOVE One of MAF’s planes of peace, helping to find a way through ‘this cultural geography’ JUL-SEP 2021 Flying for Life 11

The eyes have it! Story and Photos Patrick Keller and SALFA

During an ostensibly routine Madagascar Medical Safari, MAF Pilot Ian Purdey encounters his strangest cargo yet

‘I

t was a series of flights for HVM, the mission hospital in Mandritsara,’ Ian explains. ‘I had Country Director and Pilot Patrick Keller with me, as it was my first time flying there and I needed him to show me some local procedures for that airstrip. ‘I was very thankful to have Patrick there,’ Ian continues. ‘His language skills and experience helped make the day run smoothly. ‘Along with many passengers that day, including a medical team, we carried a special cargo. ‘Before the flight from Mandritsara to Mananara, a representative from HVM gave us a small box to pass on to a doctor. Imagine our surprise on opening it to find several rows of glass eyes staring back at us! ‘There was a patient in Mananara who needed one. We never found out whether it was for a new injury, or an old prosthesis that needed replacing. On that leg of the journey,

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we also carried a box of Bibles and some passengers.’ ‘As an MAF pilot, you get to fly some interesting items: cats, dogs, chickens, pigs, water tanks, windows, a quad bike, a rocking horse — even a church bell. But as far as odd loads go,’ Ian jokes, ‘I think the eyes have it.’ Although the journey from Mandritsara to Mananara is a short one for MAF, it takes about four days overland. ‘While this unique cargo was merely unusual for us,’ Ian concludes, ‘I hope that it was life-changing for the person who needed it.

‘Although a glass eye won’t restore a person’s sight, my prayer is that it will make life more manageable for him or her — bringing greater acceptance in their community and an increased quality of life.’ CUTOUT Patrick Keller with a box of eyes! BELOW Another patient has their life changed by an MAF partner BOTTOM A complex eye operation

There’s only enough room in a single issue of Flying for Life for us to bring you a snapshot of MAF’s life-changing impact on the world. However, if you go to www.maf-uk.org, you can instantly catch up with the very latest stories of help, hope and healing (including some spectacular videos!)

Sanctuary for orphans Story Gary Clayton

Photos Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection

Five organisations enable a highly unusual MAF medevac to take place

magine you are enjoying a day in the forest with your mum when suddenly someone shoots her, injuring you in the process. That’s what happened to little Mary Beauty, who found herself unexpectedly orphaned when poachers encroached on Sapo National Park in Greenville, Liberia, the rainforest home of some 1,600 wild chimpanzees. Having shot baby Mary’s mother, the poachers then attempted to take the injured one-week-old chimp — who had fallen out of a tree when they murdered her mum – so they could sell the infant as a pet. Fortunately, a ranger from Liberia’s Forestry Development Authority heard the gunshots, wrapped the helpless chimp in a blanket and drove her by moped to Fauna & Flora International (FFI), the world’s oldest international wildlife conservation organisation. Aware that Mary was barely clinging to life, FFI contacted Jenny Desmond, founder of the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection sanctuary, which looks after more than 40 orphaned chimpanzees. Having coached FFI staff long distance on how to care for the wounded chimp, Jenny sought a way to bring Mary to the safety of her rescue sanctuary, which is near Monrovia.

An overland journey from Greenville to Monrovia normally takes two days. But how, when 6 months of heavy rainfall had turned the 211-mile dirt road to thick mudslides and car-sized potholes, could the distraught chimp make the journey? Providentially, when staff at the Wild Chimpanzee Foundation heard about Mary’s rescue, they told Jenny about MAF. Pilot Andrew Mumford happily flew the chimp to Monrovia so Jenny could care for her. By the time Jenny was united with ‘the youngest, most fragile’ chimp that she’s rescued since arriving in Liberia in 2015, Mary was just two weeks old. ‘We’re so grateful for all the people who made this happen,’ smiles Jenny. ‘Baby Mary is doing really well. We’re just praying for the day when she can go to our Hundred Acre Wood and play in the forest.’

MAIN Mary Beauty, safe at last TOP RIGHT The sanctuary guards more than 40 orphaned chimps BOTTOM RIGHT An MAF medevac unlike any other

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2021 Aviation and Aerospace Awards

75 swims for 75 years!

This is to certify that:

ip UK

Mission Aviation Fellowsh Has Been Named:

itarian Aid NPO - UK Best Aviation-Based Human

CERTIFICATE

Folkestone mum and and writer Jo Lamb braved the winter sea to celebrate MAF’s 75th anniversary

ith large parties cancelled, writer and mother-of-two Jo Lamb decided to mark MAF’s 75th birthday by dipping into the freezing sea 75 times. Entering MAF’s 7&5 campaign — see www.maf-uk.org/7and5 for details — Jo took on the ambitious challenge in November 2020. With just eight weeks to complete her goal, Jo swam at least every day. A beautiful New Year’s Eve sunset marked her final dip and kick-started a sea swimming obsession. To date, she has raised more than £1,500 for MAF and continues to brave the English Channel most days.

Jo says, ‘We’ve all endured so much during the pandemic and I needed a bit of escapism in lockdown. Swimming for MAF really helped me through; it’s hugely beneficial for my physical and mental health — I’m addicted now! ‘There were certainly rough days when I didn’t fancy it, but I’m delighted I pushed myself to complete the challenge. It was a special way to bring MAF’s 75th year to a close, raise some funds and spread the word about MAF’s new book Above and Beyond which I co-wrote during lockdown. ‘It’s a privilege to support this amazing organisation — and live so close to the beautiful Kent coast.’

This is Mission Aviation Fellowship

MAF UK Castle House, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone Kent CT20 2TQ

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organisation operating 26 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 138 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.

29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD

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Awardwinning service! MAF has received an award from Corporate Vision — a monthly publication celebrating business innovation and corporate excellence. Named the Best Aviation-Based Humanitarian NPO of 2021, MAF was acknowledged for both its unique expertise in the aviation industry and for its dedication to worldwide humanitarian service.

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: Ben Dyer Printer: Fretwell Print and Design Ltd Printed on sustainable paper produced from a managed forest © MAF UK JUL-SEP 2021 ffnd It costs us no more than 75p to produce and send you this magazine and prayer diary

Above and beyond Born in Moreton, Merseyside, in August 1922, Winifred Harper lost her father when she was very young

A note from the Editor Coronavirus regulations vary across the world. MAF is committed to safety and adheres to local regulations wherever it serves. The images and people you see in every issue of Flying for Life conform to the rules of the countries in which they were taken.

She and her sister were always at the heart of community life because her mum ran the local grocers. Aged three, ‘Win’ — as she was affectionately known — began attending Sunday School. Joining the Baptist Union in 1938, she was baptised on 17 July that year and eventually taught in the same Sunday School. Win met Nev at their church, where they later married once he returned from the Royal Navy during World War II. The couple continued to contribute to the development of what steadily became a thriving, vibrant church — even helping to plan the construction of a new building as the congregation multiplied. After the war, Win volunteered with the NHS Reserves — devoting her time to caring for premature babies until her own son Geoff was born. In time, she became liaison officer for the Baptist Union and a faithful MAF supporter. Win always wanted to show God’s love to people in practical, tangible ways, and this led her to become a fundraiser by collecting stamps and distributing newsletters. Unfortunately, as she entered her nineties, dementia took its toll. But Win always kept her Bible to hand — the one constant in her life, her faith being a great comfort. Winifred Harper made it her priority in life to go ‘above and beyond’, serving others in whatever way she could. Her legacy will help MAF to continue reaching the most isolated people in remote communities throughout the world.

If you would like to find out more 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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Last year, the MAF family pulled together in spectacular fashion when more money was required to keep bringing help, hope and healing to isolated people in the year of pandemic.

GOD BLESS YOU! If you can make a special gift to help the MAF fleet continue rebuilding its flight operations to pre-pandemic levels, please visit www.maf-uk.org, phone 01303 852819, email supporter.relations@maf-uk.org (or simply return the enclosed response form!)