MAF Youth Magazine - Issue #33

4 10

WE NEED YOU! JOIN OUR TEAM

12 WIN 3 MONTHS OF SNACKS!

CELEBRATING 120 YEARS OF AVIATION

MANDA

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER (PRIMARY SCHOOLS)

My role is to inspire primary aged children with the incredible story of MAF and its global impact.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAF?

I grew up flying small planes with my Grandad and I love knowing the difference MAF’s light aircraft are making every day around the world! It’s life-changing stuff!

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE IMPORTANT TO MAF?

It’s impossible to not sound clichéd saying this, but it’s true, young people are the future. They couldn’t be more important.

SUPERHERO POWER IF I COULD HAVE ONE?

To be able to fly like a bird – I have dreamt I can many times and it’s amazing!

RANDOM FACT:

I’m related to Ralph Fiennes, the actor who plays Voldemort!

CAT YOUNG PERSON’S ENGAGEMENT WORKER

I work with young people all over Scotland — particularly those aged between 16 and 30 across the UK — getting them excited about all the amazing things MAF does.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAF?

I love the fact that MAF is there to serve. Its staff serve various organisations by providing them with the means to reach places they wouldn’t normally be able to reach. We serve people and communities that are cut off from normal facilities and tools that we take for granted.

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE IMPORTANT TO MAF?

Young people are the present and the future. They’re creative, innovative, full of energy and fun. We need young people to channel their strengths and talents into MAF’s future so we can continue to serve those who need help the most.

SUPERHERO POWER IF I COULD HAVE ONE?

To fly, obviously! (Do I have to say that because I work for MAF?)

RANDOM FACT:

Probably more of an annoying fact about myself, but I love theme tunes. TV series, movies, you name it. If it’s got a good theme tune or background music, I’ll love it

meet MAF YOUTH team

the MAF YOUTH team

JAMES

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

My job is to tell as many young people as I can about the wonderful work MAF does around the world!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAF?

I love MAF because its heart is to bring the hope and fullness of the Gospel to the world’s most isolated people.

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE IMPORTANT TO MAF?

Young people are so important to MAF because they are the most powerful and energetic generation! Not only are they the future pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers and adventure seekers of tomorrow, but they’re so important right now!

SUPERHERO POWER IF I COULD HAVE ONE?

I would love to be able to move objects with my mind. It would make doing things so much easier. (I also secretly like the idea of being a Jedi.)

RANDOM FACT: I once played football at Wembley stadium!

BECS

MAF YOUTH DEPARTMENT MANAGER

My role is to develop the vision of MAF Youth to ensure that we keep coming up with exciting things to inspire you about MAF! Also keeping up with the banter and planes that get thrown across the Youth department…

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAF?

I love the fact that, no matter who you are, what age you are, or whether you love aircraft or not, you can’t deny that what MAF does with planes is just incredible! MAF is like the donkey in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

WHY ARE YOUNG PEOPLE IMPORTANT TO MAF? Quite simply, they are the future — MAF would not survive without them!

SUPERHERO POWER IF I COULD HAVE ONE?

I would love to be able to speak any language. It would remove any fear I might have of visiting distant countries and remote communities and finding language barriers getting in my way!

RANDOM FACT:

My husband and I love Cadbury chocolate soooo much that we had a Cadbury themed wedding.

WE NEED YOU!

Are you interested in world mission and adventure?

We’re looking for teenagers across the UK to join our online youth panel, to help MAF Youth remain relevant, fresh and inspiring.

The panel will meet every three months, on Zoom, to:

Ensure MAF Youth always puts young people’s thoughts, voices and aspirations first.

Review, discuss and give feedback on any new MAF Youth products, resources and plans.

Share opinions and provide insight into current youth culture and new trends; ensuring that MAF Youth keeps relevant and up-to-date. Bring new ideas for MAF Youth to try out.

What do you get in return?

Skills for your CV.

The satisfaction of making a huge difference to MAF’s work, both locally and globally.

A forum to voice your opinions, feedback and exciting ideas

Exciting post before each meeting – including new resources and sweets to get you through the meeting!

If you’re 13-18 years old and want to join our MAF Youth Panel, email youth@maf-uk.org to tell us you’re interested.

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Please pray

„ For Christians worldwide who are being persecuted for their faith.

„ For our MAF Youth team. May we support MAF with the gifts God has given us to serve Him.

„ For God’s blessing on the work MAF is doing in Timor-Leste.

Any prayer needs?

Snap us your requests — we'd love to pray for you !

Life without a bible app

How many times has your youth worker at church asked you to, ‘Pull out your Bible app’? Amazingly, the Bible app (YouVersion) has been installed on more than 500 million unique devices all over the world!

In the UK, it looks like the Bible has never been more accessible, as we download so many different versions of free Bibles. These include:

360 million Christians persecuted around the world

Sadly, there are still many countries where it’s illegal to download a Bible app or have a Bible in your house. Places where Christians caught carrying a Bible could be arrested, tortured or killed.

YouVersion Bible app — contains many different Bible translations, including The Message, and aims to facilitate easy and enjoyable reading of the Bible:

According to Open Doors, an amazing charity which delivers Bibles and other resources that bring hope, ‘Over 360 million Christians suffer persecution and discrimination. They follow Jesus, no matter the cost.’ The organisation helps Christians in more than 60 countries, trains leaders and raises awareness about global persecution.

No shops. No Wi-Fi. No Bibles.

Streetlights Bible app — aims to engage teens who struggle with reading but connect with music:

The Bible Project app — captures whole Bible stories in accessible and interactive video form.

The Bible, according to Guinness World Records, remains the bestselling book of all time, having sold between 5 to 7 billion copies worldwide.

In countries where thousands of communities don’t have access to the Bible, MAF not only delivers copies of God’s Word to people living in isolation but works with organisations like Wycliffe Bible Translators, whose mission is to bring the Bible to remote communities in the language which speaks to them best.

Bibles by boat, preachers by plane

MAF regularly flies organisations like Open Doors, Wycliffe Bible Translators and many other incredible agencies, helping missionaries who’ve dedicated their lives to making the Bible accessible to the world’s people.

In Timor-Leste, MAF’s planes mainly carry out more than 250 life-saving medical emergency airlifts each year. They also help missions, relief and development workers to serve some of the country’s remotest and most isolated areas.

Kadi, one of the organisations we fly, supports churches across Timor-Leste and provides people with basic needs such as clean drinking water, food security and healthcare.

Pastor Samuel Soares, Kadi’s director, said they’d worked with local churches to prepare books in Tetun, one of Timor-Leste’s widely spoken local languages.

Although MAF has flown thousands of Bibles to some of the world’s most isolated areas, the plane had only enough room for Pastor Soares’ team to either reach some high school teenagers on a remote island or transport the 12 boxes of Bibles they wanted to give them.

So it was decided to send the Bibles ahead on a three-hour boat journey from the capital Dili to Atauro Island. The 15-minute MAF flight, however, prevented Pastor Soares’ team from taking a dangerous and tiring 3-hour boat trip!

MAF Pilot Jan Klassen and the Kadi team distributing Bibles

As Pastor Samuel Soares explained, 'We sent the 12 packages containing a total of 400 translated Bible books by boat the day before, and we're going to distribute them to the students at the high school. We hope the translated Bible books are the way God can communicate to the people of Timor-Leste through their mother language.'

MAF Pilot Jan Klassen was delighted to help the organisation share God’s Word in such a relevant way, saying, 'It's a privilege for me to provide the transportation and to help overcome barriers for the Kadi missionary team.

‘Since MAF shares the same vision with many Christian missionary organisations, I believe it's very important for us pilots to have a good relationship with them and to serve their needs as well as we can. Rather than serve ourselves, we serve isolated people in need, and our God!'

TIMOR–LESTE

DID YOU KNOW?

Timor-Leste has the highest level of malnutrition in south- eastern Asia.

Atauro Island

Ping Domtta

Lobitos Alves

DILI

COUNTRY TIMOR-LESTE CAPITAL DILI POPULATION 1.4 MILLION*

Known for: Beautiful beaches and marine life, delicious coffee

*Source: www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook Ping Domtta

What would your super power be?

I'MBATMAN!

The winner will be picked at random on Friday 30 June 2023, so please send your answers by 9am that day.

CELEBRATING 120 YEARS OF aviation

120 years ago, on 17 December 1903, the Wright brothers flew the world’s first ever motorised plane. Their gas-powered, propeller driven biplane, which they invented and built, took off from North Carolina in the USA and stayed airborne for 12 seconds, covering 120 feet. MAF supporter and fundraiser, Dollar Onwusiribe, is attempting to raise more than £12,000 for MAF this year!

Based in Essex, Dollar is using this year to celebrate 120 years of aviation and the amazing work planes can do, while raising awareness and money for MAF. He hopes to complete 120 landings from one end of the UK to the other, doing his last flight on the anniversary date, the 17 December 2023.

From the age of six, I wanted to fly’

Born in Nigeria, Dollar dreamed of becoming a pilot from a young age but was unable to obtain his Private Pilot Licence in his home country due to lack of funding and specialist education.

After emigrating to the UK in his twenties and becoming a British citizen, Dollar was able to selffund his flight training alongside his job in local government.

No matter how long it took, Dollar never gave up on his dream:

'

From about the age of six, I always wanted to fly, but never really got the chance. Many things happened and, fast forward to 2013, I took my first flight in a Cessna 152 at RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire. Six years later, in April 2019, I finally qualified and became a pilot. I've been flying ever since.'

Dollar’s flying journey has not been as smooth as he had hoped.

'I started learning to fly without really having any money in my bank account. When I did that first flight, I wasn't sure I had enough money to pay for it.

I just cashed a cheque, hoping by the end of the week that I would have the money to do it. I did get paid and that cheque did clear!'

Even rising fuel prices have not dampened Dollar’s passion to fly:

Dollar Onwusiribe

'When I first qualified, I started to rent a plane from North Weald Aviation, but in 2021/2022 the fuel prices really went up. It didn't make financial sense to keep renting, so I started looking into owning a share in an aircraft, which really works out better. Several people in the UK do that and that's what led me to buy a share in my current plane. She's affectionately known as The Cheetah and she's based at Turweston Aerodrome.'

Why support MAF?

Dollar has admired the work of MAF for a long time and thought that his fundraising challenge would be a great way to support some of the most isolated people on earth.

'MAF is an organisation dear to my heart which uses aviation to make a difference in the world. MAF reaches communities that have difficulty accessing medical care, roads and food supplies.

'I hope this challenge raises vital funds for MAF's work and supports forgotten people in more than 25 low-income countries. I hope my flights will raise awareness of how aviation can be used as a force for good in our world.'

British weather –a real flight challenge!

On 20 February, Dollar Onwusiribe took to the skies in his part-owned 1978 Grumman Gulfstream aircraft from Turweston Aerodrome in Northamptonshire.

Subject to weather conditions (we know how changeable British weather can be!), the first phase of this year’s challenge will see flights across England.

Then, from May, Dollar will cover Wales, western England and Northern Ireland. From the summer, he’ll cover the Scottish Highlands and islands – ending the year with flights across the Midlands and the east.

Dollar talks about the challenges of flying across the UK:

'There are some landings that I'm really not looking forward to because of the difficult approach – the patterns of flying to the airfields and the positioning.

'Also, the weather will get in the way 100%! It was quite poor yesterday and today so, if the weather isn't up to it, I'm not going anywhere!

'The freedom you experience when you get airborne is just fantastic. I can get in a plane and fly somewhere a car cannot reach. It also cuts time in a fantastic way.'

Dollar is passionate about motivating young people. He regularly shares his story at Air Cadet squadrons and talks about the history of aviation. He also has his own ‘Flying Missionary’ YouTube channel, which documents his inspirational flying adventures.

'Ten years later, here I am embarking on this MAF challenge! What a privilege, an honour! My message to everyone is that you can follow your dream, you can achieve that thing you've always wanted, despite the challenges. I hope this will inspire young people to follow their dreams.'

Dollar in front of his beloved ‘Cheetah’

Wall

Lucy,aged 16 from our MAF Youth paneltookthis photowhile gliding!

‘Just sharing this beautiful view from flying yesterday evening. It truly shows the wonders of God's creation.’

MAF South Sudan flying board games for Save the Children to encourage Youth to solve problems, develop creativity, encourage fine motor skills, and have fun!

CONGRATULATIONS

Gracie Cox for winning our last competition with your flying selfie!