MAF Youth Magazine #21

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A MESSAGE FROM US TO YOU

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WIN A YEARS SUBSCRIPTION TO DISNEY+

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IT

// ION

75 YEARS OF MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

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Dear MAF Youth-er, We’re living in strange times, aren’t we? Before you get stuck into this issue, we wanted to let you know that we are praying for each one of you. There’s no doubt that the coronavirus has affected everything and everyone.

So, whether you’re feeling uneasy, anxious, scared or are grieving the loss of a loved one, we pray that you will know God’s comfort in whatever situation you find yourself in.

For MAF globally, we are still flying where possible, although certainly not as much! Even so, our mission to bring hope, help and healing to isolated people remains the same.

We are still looking for ways to serve remote communities, whether through medevacs (medical emergency flights), distributing coronavirus test kits or other services needed by the local government — doing all this while making sure that our staff and the people they’re serving are safe.

Just so you know, all the articles and material you’ll find in this issue of the MAF Youth magazine date back to before March 2020. However, there’s no way we couldn’t acknowledge the current global situation, so we’ve made the ‘Pray, pray, pray!’ page bigger and with more of a focus on the different areas that the coronavirus has affected.

Join us in praying for our world.

We hope this message finds you well and safe!

Much love

MAF Y utH

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Page 3 // A happy Issa!

Page 4 // Issa leading a session for Tutapona’s new children’s trauma rehabilitation programme – Heroes Journey

A life not

WaSTed

Issa Joseph is a man whose story is hard to wrap your head around. The things he’s endured are hard to stomach, let alone imagine. But the things Issa experienced are now the very things that enable him to help others.

The hardship begins The start of Issa’s hardships go back to 1989 when, as a young boy, he and his family were forced to flee to Uganda as a result of conflict in South Sudan.

All was well in Uganda until things took a turn for the worse in 2003. The terrifying violence caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) was at its peak and Issa ended up being kidnapped and made to join the army.

2-MINUTE READ PHOTOS CANDICE LASSEY OF TUTAPONA

Left for dead Although it seemed as if Issa was now safe, the experience was unfortunately short-lived.

When civil war broke out in 2013, the South Sudanese government suspected that his uncle was secretly working with rebels.

Their house was attacked and ransacked, two bodyguards were killed, and Issa only narrowly escaped with his life. Having received two bullet wounds in his back, Issa was left for dead.

JUBA

Adjumani

Nimule

U G A N D A KAMPALA

Lake Victoria

20 miles

A childhood in tatters As a child soldier in the LRA, Issa was forced to participate in some horrific things. The trauma he experienced wreaked havoc on his mental health, and he eventually returned to South Sudan in a terrible state.

Although haunted by his memories, Issa received basic counselling and moved to Juba, the country’s capital. Issa’s uncle was a general in the army and he agreed to look after Issa and his family.

They fled on foot In 2016, Issa was living in Nimule, three hours south of Juba. That year, the war erupted again and Issa was again forced to flee with his family on foot.

Thankfully, this is where Issa’s traumatic experiences end. Although he struggled mentally, Issa and his family finally managed to escape the violence in their home country and found safety in Adjumani, Uganda.

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Hope lay on the horizon

Proud partners

The Adjumani district of northern Uganda is home to hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees. One of the many organisations working in the camp there is MAF partner Tutapona.

Tutapona staff provide trauma counselling to many of the refugees living in Adjumani. So, when Issa and his family arrived at the camp, things gradually began to change.

Receiving help from Tutapona, Issa finally had the opportunity to sit down, confront his past and tackle its effects.

In a short time, he found the charity’s Empower and Follow Up programmes were helping him greatly.

Hearing stories like this puts things into perspective. MAF is both proud and humbled to be partnering with an organisation that has such a life-changing effect on traumatised people — people just like Issa.

He couldn’t get enough Issa was so impressed with how much Tutapona’s programmes were helping to heal him that he just kept going back.

After that, he volunteered as a translator, then a ‘community mobiliser’ — and is now officially employed by them!

Issa’s life has changed completely.

Before, his life was one horrific event after another, but now those distressing events are being used to serve people who need help working through their own traumatic experiences!

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Please note: Given the current global situation, there may be undetermined delays in announcing the winner of this competition and the distribution of the prize This competition is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Disney, Tik Tok or SnapChat

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Did you know that this year marks MAF’s 75th anniversary?

Check out this timeline and get up to speed with what we’ve been up to since the end of World War II!

1987

1944

MAF Kenya programme starts

1948

MAF Chad programme starts

1977

1950

MAF Sudan flights start

MAF Tanzania programme starts

30 aircraft and 80+ families serving with MAF overseas

MAF office opens in London, UK

1945

2001

1966

Stuart King and Jack Hemmings conduct an aerial survey of Africa

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MAF Uganda programme starts

1993

Murray Kendon propses the idea of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)

1959

MAF Mongolia programme starts

2005

MAF flights aid tsunami relief in Aceh, Indonesia

2016 2013

2011

MAF plays a central role in relief efforts after devastating earthquake in Haiti

MAF provides flights for aid workers to reach famine affected areas in South Sudan and East Africa

2015

MAF’s 70th year (now operating more than 130 aircraft in 25 countries) MAF Liberia programme starts MAF responds to deadly earthquakes in Nepal, working with Nepalese helicopter operators to provide flights to remote areas

MAF flights to northern Uganda transport relief workers and bring aid to nearly one million refugees fleeing ethnic conflict in neighbouring South Sudan

MAF plays a vital role during relief efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan

MAF plays a central role during relief efforts in Haiti following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Matthew

MAF begins constructing a new airstrip in Lailenpi, Myanmar, to bring help and hope to remote mountain villages

2018

MAF flies 300 tonnes of emergency supplies to assist earthquake victims in Papua New Guinea

2020

MAF celebrates its 75th year!

2017

2010

2019

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COUNTRY CHAD N'Djamena

CAPITAL N'DJAMENA MAF BASE N'DJAMENA PROGRAMME EST 1966

Faya, Chad PHOTO DAVE FORNEY

The

1½-MINUTE READ PHOTOS PHIL HENDERSON

unexpected passenger

We’re pretty sure that, when MAF Pilot Phil Henderson first began his career in aviation, he never expected there’d be a time where he’d have a gazelle on board as a passenger!

However, a recent flight for the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) soon changed that.

The beauty of working for an aviation charity that serves the needs of isolated people throughout the developing world is that MAF personnel get to do all sorts of strange things on a daily basis.

Dama drama Although animal conservation isn’t usually the sort of work we assist, one particular task lends itself pretty well to MAF aircraft. The task? To help locate a rarely seen species of gazelle.

Since the dramatic increase in automatic weapons and poaching, there are now fewer than 100 dama gazelle spread across remote areas in Chad and Niger. It’s extremely rare to see them in the wild.

Apart from the continual threat of poaching, more people have started living in the gazelles’ habitat — endangering them even more.

The rescue mission SCF keeps tabs on the few remaining dama gazelles but, on this particular occasion, its staff needed to capture some of the creatures so they could be moved to an area where they can breed safely and stop their numbers from dwindling even more.

In order to do that, SCF needed help, which is where MAF came in! Glad to assist, Pilot Phil Henderson flew his Cessna 182 (our smallest aircraft) to a makeshift desert camp where he spent two days with the hard-working SCF team in western Chad.

The plan was to use our plane to search for the gazelles. Once spotted, the team could then capture and transport them to Base Camp Oryx – a secure area where the animals can safely breed.

Left // MAF pilot Phil Henderson with vet transporting ‘Becki’ to new home Right // Cessna 208 out near the desert camp Cutouts // Dama gazelle in the wild

Becki It was a success! The team safely captured four gazelles and sent them on their way. Much to Phil’s excitement, one of the gazelles ended up being transported by him in the aircraft having only flown two small rabbits before!

To mark the occasion, Phil decided to name his new passenger Becki.

The gazelle was accompanied by a vet who fitted some tubing to its horns to prevent it from damaging the plane seats. Once safely onboard, Becki the gazelle was soon in flight!

A chance to thrive again ‘Everyone was really happy to have the gazelles in the recovery enclosure, looking healthy,’ explains Phil. Grateful for MAF’s assistance, John Newby, SCF’s Senior Adviser, says, ‘It was great working with MAF, and we hope to do so again.’

Not only was this an amazing project, but it was a real privilege playing a small part in ensuring that dama gazelles remain protected and have a real chance to thrive!

Our world is hurting. There probably isn’t a single person who’s not been affected by the coronavirus in some way.

Whether you feel the disease is behind or before you, please join us in praying for our planet.

P R AY P R

A

YP

R AY

Please pray for + Healthcare systems around the world which are currently under serious pressure. Pray that God will give the health workers endurance, courage and peace.

+ Issa and his work with Tutapona in Uganda. Ask God to increase the impact the organisation is having on traumatised people and that their new Heroes Journey programme will go from strength to strength.

+ People feeling overwhelmed and gripped by fear. Pray that they will know God’s love and that He will bring them His peace.

+ Christians living throughout the world. May they be empowered by God to help, comfort and bring peace to hurting people.

+ Those who are finding isolation difficult.

May God calm their anxiety, help them find ways that will help their mental and physical wellbeing, and enable them to stay connected to their loved ones.

+ People who are struggling financially at home and abroad.

Pray that, in this time of huge uncertainty, they will experience God’s peace and find His provision.

+ People who have lost friends and family.

Pray that they will know God’s presence and comfort in their time of grief.

+ Family and friends who you know are at risk. Ask God to enable local communities throughout the world to protect the most vulnerable.

+ MAF’s work worldwide. Pray that, despite the effect coronavirus is having on MAF programmes, remote and isolated communities will remain protected and can receive medical help they may need.

+ MAF Pilot Ping Domtta, as he continues to serve with us in Uganda. Ask God to keep Ping safe in the air – enabling him to use the gifts He has given him.

+ Vulnerable people impacted by coronavirus. Pray that the outbreak will end soon and that God will enable specialists and researchers to find a solution.

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When MAF Youth met//

Ping Domtta 3-MINUTE READ PHOTOS MARK + KELLY HEWES, PING DOMTTA AND REBECCA WALKER

Although Ping is an MAF pilot currently serving in Uganda, the following interview took place before he even knew he’d be flying there!

Read on to find out more about him, and how Ping finally earned his wings

Who are you?

My name is Lungpinglak Domtta. People started calling me Ping after I joined MAF. I'm from Nagaland, in north-eastern India, close to Myanmar

When did you know that you wanted to become a pilot?

I had this dream of becoming a pilot back when I was in fifth grade. As a kid, I used a book to write down my hobbies, likes and dislikes. I always wrote that I wanted to be a pilot.

So, I grew up with this dream, despite not having a clue about civil aviation. I wanted to join the Indian Air Force because I thought that’s what being a pilot was.

What happened to your dream of flying during school?

In my twelfth grade, in college, some pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers from Air India offered career counselling and, for the first time, I was introduced to civil aviation.

In India, you need physics and mathematics to study aviation. But it was really embarrassing for me because, in tenth grade, I scored 80+

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in two mathematics exams but, in the twelfth grade, I couldn't even score 33. I didn’t pass and I couldn’t tell my parents.

So, I started looking abroad because, in some countries, you don't always need maths to fly. I found some schooling options in Australia and New Zealand that gave two years’ airline experience, but at a cost of around $45,000.

I couldn’t put that financial burden on my parents, so I gave up my dream to fly and went back to college to re-sit my exams and become an engineer. The following year, I passed and considered doing civil engineering.

How did your dream eventually unfold?

I was about to sign on to become a civil engineer but one evening, when I was walking past my brother's shop, I asked for a newspaper. Inside, I saw that the government of Nagaland was looking to sponsor someone for a Commercial Pilots Licence.

I had some serious thinking to do as I already had civil engineering secured.

I spoke to some pilots and my family and realised that flying was still what I wanted to do.

So, I decided to go for pilot training, which took two years.

After those two years, I got my licence and started flying in Kolkata for a chartered company.

I was mostly doing medical evacuations (medevacs) around north-eastern India. That’s how I came to be a pilot in civil aviation!

Main // Ping in front of Cessna Grand Caravan in Marsabit, Kenya Below // Ping hanging out with some kids in Kajjansi, Uganda Cutout // Ping joining in with a dance in Bukasa on the Ssesse Islands in Uganda

How did MAF come into the picture?

After starting to fly with a small company, I began to see how much it was helping people out – especially with medevacs. The appreciation I got from passengers gave me a joy and a satisfaction that money just can’t buy.

I’d often fly over Bangladesh and, because of that, I met this Muslim guy at the Bangladeshi airport who handled our permit.

One evening we were chatting on social media and, out of nowhere, he asked if I was a Christian. ‘Yeah, I'm a Christian,’ I replied, and he said, ‘Oh, there's a Christian organisation called MAF in Bangladesh doing similar work to you. Why don't you have a look?’

So I went to the MAF website and thought, ‘I'm doing a similar kind of work, so why not do it for a Christian organisation?’ They were asking for 500 hours experience, but I only had 300 at the time.

I wrote in anyway, expecting that I wouldn’t hear back, but I did! That’s how my journey with MAF started. So, if I hadn’t failed mathematics all those years ago, I wouldn't be here today!

How would you encourage someone to pursue their dreams?

When you go through hard times in life or when things don't go according to plan, you can become disappointed and begin questioning God, asking, ‘Why am I going through all this?’

I've been in this situation a lot now – especially when I kept failing my exams. Even before I came to Nairobi in Kenya, I was asked to do some extra training in Mareeba, Australia.

I was kind of disappointed! However, when I got to Mareeba, I felt like God was blessing me with all the things I wanted to do again.

So, if you're dealing with failure or disappointment, I'd like to encourage you. Trust in God and rely on Him. He knows what’s best for you, and He has even better plans for your life.

ED

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A MESSAGE FROM US TO YOU

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75 YEARS OF MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP

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