MAF Scottish Special October-December 2020

SCOTTISH Scottish Special SPECIAL Summer 2019 – MAF Scotland news and events

OCT-DEC 2020

Be prepared!

When I was in the Girl Guides our motto was ‘Be Prepared’ and — years later — it remains the same.

This crucial importance of being in a state of readiness is demonstrated vividly in Matthew 25 through the parable of the ten virgins, when only 5 got to meet the bridegroom.

At the turn of the year, nobody could have predicted the events of these last few months.

Like so many, MAF Scotland has since had to ‘get ready’ for a new way of working.

‘Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that build your house,’ says Proverbs 24, reminding us to build what is essential for our subsistence first, making us ready to support others in whatever comes next.

At MAF, we’ve been doing this in two ways.

Firstly, we’ve stewarded our resources wisely to ensure that we’re in the best position to continue providing help, hope and healing for years to come.

More importantly, we have been looking to the One who truly overcomes — the One who can prepare our hearts and minds to serve others in a more sacrificial way.

Together in Christ Heather Malloch Head of MAF in Scotland

Out of sight, out of mind!

Story Andy Martin

‘You look nice.’ ‘It’s great to see you!’ ‘Is that a new hairdo?’

We all exchange various pleasantries when we meet but, this summer, face-to-face meetings all but disappeared.

However, we’ve been blessed with so much technology that we can indeed ‘meet’ virtually.

Platforms such as Zoom and Facebook enable people throughout the UK to pay each other the compliments that lift us emotionally.

MAF uses these platforms to meet with supporters, churches, and groups regularly, through mid-week gatherings, Sunday services or special mission-focused ‘meetings’.

Photos, videos and accounts directly from the mission field bring our stories to life — illustrating our tireless work in the fight against poverty, isolation, spiritual darkness and, of course, coronavirus.

We read in Hebrews 10:25, ‘Don’t give up meeting together — as some are in the habit of doing – but encourage one another.’ So this is an open invitation to invite MAF into your midst — to fellowship, to prayer and to celebrate what God is doing in these unusual times.

I look forward to hearing from you and to seeing you online sometime soon.

www.maf-uk.org/scotland

MAF in Africa Nowhere is immune from coronavirus. However, because of its many fragile health systems, the world’s second most populated continent depends more than most on outside help Story Katie Machell Photos Jenny Davies, Dave Forney and Jarkko Korhonen

As each country navigates the lifting of lockdown, we take a snapshot of how each of our seven programmes are assisting those who live there.

South Sudan (pictured right)

Tanzania (pictured below)

MAF has permission to fly set hours specifically for delivering life-saving coronavirus test kits (pictured right). A flight to Nimule on the Ugandan border takes just 35 minutes — test kits arrive in perfect condition and valuable time is saved.

It’s easy to forget that diseases other than coronavirus still threaten the lives of the most vulnerable people. Recently, MAF flew a nursing safari to the South Maasai area.

Wearing protective equipment donated by MAF, medical administered life-saving vaccinations as well as educating communities about the ‘new’ threat of coronavirus.

In the world’s youngest country, 11 million people were struggling for survival long before the pandemic began.

Now truck drivers bringing essential food and fuel supplies from neighbouring Uganda can be confirmed free from coronavirus.

Kenya Every six months, MAF pilots are required to complete a proficiency check on each type of aircraft they fly.

In Kenya, pilots Ryan Cuthel and Christiaan Haak were due their checks within a week of each other. It made perfect sense to combine the two proficiency checks into one flight, enabling us to be more efficient with time and money.

Ryan took off from the capital Nairobi, flying across the Rift Valley to Lake Magadi, demonstrating multiple manoeuvres and emergency responses along the way. At Magadi, multiple scenarios were simulated and different types of landings and take-offs practiced.

After completing all the necessary tasks, it was Christiaan’s turn to perform similar manoeuvres, ending with an Instrument Approach on the return to Nairobi. It was a beautiful day for flying with crystal clear views of both Mount Kenya and Mount Kilimanjaro — a rare sight from Nairobi.

Ryan and Christian are now fully ready to continue flying for life.

Uganda (pictured above) Flash floods in May which destroyed thousands of homes were an enormous blow to a country already suffering from the effects of coronavirus.

Madagascar (pictured above) People were beginning to recover from December’s tropical cyclone when the even greater problem of coronavirus arrived.

Early in the crisis, MAF offered its services to the government, assisting its Control and Coordination Centre with rapid, targeted interventions across the country.

Pilots Ryan Unger (pictured above) and Ian Purdey flew from the capital Antananarivo, with coronavirus test kits to Tulear in the south. They then flew the resulting samples back to Antananarivo, where the country’s only test centre is located.

More test kits were then flown to Fort Dauphin.

MAF Uganda’s runway at Kajjansi was flooded but — praise God — permission had already been given to fly our aircraft to Entebbe International Airport and use it as an emergency base.

Our Country Director Steve Forsyth continues to work with the government’s Head of Disaster Response Task Force to ensure essential life-saving supplies are brought into Kasese — the district worst affected by flooding.

Chad In order to continue flying, MAF Chad had to pass an assessment by the Chadian Civil Aviation Authority, thereby confirming the correct infection control procedures for airlines.

Officials came to the hangar and approval was granted for

the MAF team to fly just as our maintenance team was finishing its own 200-hour inspection.

Liberia ‘Liberians are a resilient and positive people,’ explains Sarah Newnham, wife of MAF Chief Engineer Mark. ‘You will hear some say, “The Lord brought us through Ebola and He will bring us through this.”’

One unexpected aspect of the pandemic for MAF staff has been a deepening of relationships with friends and supporters back in the UK. ‘We’ve been encouraged by the increase in communication from our supporters,’ Sarah concludes.

‘I feel like we are so much more connected with our support team and our home church through this. Online church services give us a unique way to be with people we don’t usually get to see.’

Make your Will and donate to charity Each September, Will Relief Scotland offers you the chance to have your Will drawn up professionally by a Scottish solicitor who has generously agreed to provide their time and expertise free of charge.

In return for this FREE service, you’ll be asked to make a donation to Will Relief Scotland — a group of four Scottish charities helping to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people.

Your donation can make a world of difference, so why not make an appointment this September by visiting willreliefscotland.org and finding a participating solicitor near you.

The MAF vision

£50 for a codicil — this donation can provide a water filter for a family

£80 for a single Will — this donation can equip 4 households with essential items

Are you ready for the journey of a lifetime?

£120 for a mirror Will

The work of MAF has reached into the lives of many people during the last 75 years.

Believe it or not, though, there are still some people in Scotland who are yet to hear of this amazing ministry! For this to change, we need to recruit additional volunteer speakers who will take the MAF vision to churches and groups around the country.

At present, we have several vacancies in Edinburgh, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeenshire, and Inverness-shire.

If you would like to join the team, please drop me an email at andy.martin@maf-uk.org

— this donation can provide 80 orphans with nourishing meals for 3 months.

You may also like to consider including a gift to MAF in your Will. Legacies make a real, lasting difference in bringing help, hope and healing to isolated communities all over the world.

If you have any questions about leaving a legacy to MAF, please email Miriam Wheeler at miriam.wheeler@maf-uk.org or phone her on 01303 851958

We’ll train and resource you fully for a journey of a lifetime that will see lives around the developing world changed in God’s name.

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