maf news september - november 2009

SOMALIA pages 4-7 NEW DAWN FOR HIGHLAND PEOPLE pages 12-13

September - November 2009

The magazine of Mission Aviation Fellowship

Water of Life

in Madagascar pages 8-9

What is MAF?

Mission Aviation FellowshipCastle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent UK CT20 2TN

Telephone: 0845 850 9505Email: [email protected]

Registered charity number, England and Wales: 1064598

Scottish OfficeChallenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD

Telephone: 0845 850 9505Email: [email protected]

Registered charity number, Scotland: SC039107

Website: www.maf-uk.org

Chief Executive, MAF UK: Ruth Whitaker

MAF News teamEditor: Andy Prescott

Research: Stephanie Gidney, Shaun Oliver Writers: Stephanie Gidney, David Hall, Liz JenningsPhotographers: Geoff Crawford, Ulrich Doering, Alan Duncan, Richard Hanson, Layton Thompson

Design: Positiv DesignPurchasing: Mark Stanton

Art Direction: Richard BellamyPrinted by John Blackburn Ltd

Bible references are taken from the New International Version unless otherwise stated

© MAF UK September – November 2009 mzrq9

2 MAF News September – November 2009

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organisation whose mission is to fly light

aircraft in developing countries so that people in remote areas can receive the help they need. Since 1946, our planes have been speeding the spread of the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ by word and deed, in places of deepest human need. Isolated places where flying is not a luxury, but a lifeline.

Every three minutes, an MAF plane is taking off or landing somewhere in the world. These flights enable crucial work by many development and aid agencies, missions, local churches and other national groups. Medical care, adequate food, clean water and Christian hope are reaching countless thousands of men, women and children.

Normally, passengers contribute a highly-subsidised fare towards the true cost. The balance that makes flights possible comes as gifts from people concerned that others should have a better life spiritually and physically.

In the UK, MAF is a registered charity funded by voluntary gifts which help finance MAF’s operational work and support services.

Please use the enclosed response form and envelope for your donation to this ministry.

MAF’s work is vital. Lives depend on it.

Chief Executive’s COMMENT

The life of a young woman – deemed of low importance – is rescued, thanks to an American doctor and MAF staff

She was from the remote village of Soani in Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG). She had

never ridden in a car, never seen a hospital, never visited a town.

Young, petite, with faint tribal tattoos on her beautiful face, she was surrounded by strangers amid the urban clutter and bustle of modern-day Mount Hagen.

Desperately sick and trembling with fear, her eyes reflected abject terror at this sudden clash with western culture.

First news of pregnant Maya came in a radio call from Wopasali Aid Post to MAF in Mount Hagen.

Enduring three days in labour without delivery, she had already travelled for five hours by canoe to reach Waposali.

Fear and agonyPilot Geoff Calder together with his mother Jeanette flew there. Maya, who was weak and frail, was helped on board the aircraft by Jeanette. Maya’s brother Gideon came to protect her.

Onboard the flight, Jeanette comforted Maya. She cried out – in fear because she had never been in a plane, and in agony as her small body tried to expel the breach-presented baby, already dead.

When the plane landed, no ambulance was available. It was getting dark, so Geoff went home, got his own car and drove Maya to hospital.

Geoff’s family visited with food, soap and blankets (PNG hospitals don’t normally provide these), keeping an eye on Maya and Gideon during that first week.

By the second week, doctors had still

MAF works around the world in many develop-ing countries. Although the needs of the people are similar, the diversity

between the countries makes each of our operations unique.

We fly in countries where the barriers are geographical – mountains, swamps or jungle; yet the people of Papua New Guinea (PNG) struggle with all three! Over 80% of the population lives in rural areas, causing them to be cut off from the outside world.

Interested only in profit, most of the air operators ignore the needs of these people. However, it is their needs that motivate us to serve in PNG. With no other transport option, the livelihoods of some communities are dependent upon our service.

Much of the healthcare and educa-tional development are carried out by churches and mission groups. So in PNG it is not the large organisations we fly, but numerous small mission groups, churches and individuals who are desper-ately trying to reach their neighbours to deliver a wide range of services and supplies. Flying life-changing cargo puts us at the heart of the community – not just in PNG but throughout our operations.

With the needs of the people being so great and so many, it is indeed the wisdom of God that we need. ‘Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom,’ it says in Proverbs (NKJV). Our teams need wisdom as they make key decisions. Please pray for God’s wisdom and guid-ance for all our teams as we respond to the calls for help.

Your support is greatly appreciated. I hope you are encouraged as you read of the countless lives such as Maya’s that, together, we are able to touch and change in PNG and throughout the developing world.

With heartfelt thanks

Saving Mayanot operated. Maya was getting weaker. Medical staff wanted to remove the baby by Caesarean section, but had no blood for Maya whose blood count was too low to operate.

‘Take her back’That’s when hospital staff gave Gideon this stunning directive: ‘Take her back to the village.’ A virtual death sentence for Maya, by now in the ‘high risk – not expected to live – no treatment given’ category.

Jeanette spoke to pilot Michael Duncalfe who advised seeking a second opinion from the highly-respected Nazarene Mission Hospital at Kudjip. Jo Thomson, wife of MAF avionics engineer Mat, drove Maya and Gideon there.

Dr Bill McCoy discovered that Maya had intrauterine foetal demise, severe anaemia and an enlarged spleen, probably from many bouts of malaria. She was at high risk of infection and renal failure.

It was a miracle she was still alive.Her blood type was

‘O’, which the hospital didn’t have. So the doctor donated two units of his own blood!

The staff transfused Maya that night to stabi-lise and strengthen her so Dr McCoy could induce the baby. She delivered a

macerated premature foetus two days later without complications, but needed treat-ment for an infection.

‘Jesus saved her’On release from hospital, both Maya and Gideon were taken into the care of MAF Operations Assistant ‘Aunty’ Rosa Kepo. To build her up, Maya was given fresh fruit, bread, pork, chicken and sausages. Other staff members bought clothing for Maya to take home.

And so almost a month after reaching Mount Hagen, Maya and Gideon took a few tentative steps to board a flight back to Wopasali.

Maya had experienced a demonstration of the Gospel in action, seeing many people caring for her. She had learnt that her life was important, and worth the attempt to save her.

Many people played a part in saving Maya. But Aunty Rosa declared it was ulti-mately Jesus who saved her. Without Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary, she insists, there would be no MAF, no mission doctors or staff – and no radio call to set off the chain reaction that saved her life.

The last word: Dr McCoy said that the Kudjip medical staff felt privileged to have partnered MAF, so the hospital would cover the costs of Maya’s treatment.

Condensed from an article by Glen Sim and David Henry

September – November 2009 MAF News 3

Dr Bill McCoy

Maya, with Gideon

Ahmed fully recovered

Ahmed malnourished

‘We advise against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland. In the Southern and Central regions, there is ongoing serious violence, dangerous levels of criminal activity and general internal insecurity. Insurgent activity and political tension remain high. We advise any British citizens in Somalia to leave’

Flying for Life into Waajid

So states the travel advisory website of the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

That probably goes some way to explain-ing why I’m sitting alone in the PC12 at 27,000ft over north-eastern Kenya heading into Somali airspace with a tonne of freight and no passengers. This particular flight is for World Vision, taking medical supplies to

address an outbreak of cholera in Waajid, around 560 miles from Nairobi and 100 miles from the Kenyan border.

Air supportIn Waajid, World Vision has set up an inte-grated programme of public healthcare to provide preventative and curative health services for the community. Previously,

Growing mountainSalah Ahmed, from the local World Vision team, meets me, together with a smiling gentleman from the petroleum company who is going to refuel my aircraft. At $450 for a 200-litre drum of jet fuel, it’s easy to understand why he’s so happy. Salah and I unload the aircraft and a mountain of boxes of vaccine and rehydration salts grows next to the aircraft’s freight door. When we had loaded the aircraft at Nairobi, our team removed all the seats in order to maximise the freight volume.

The flight back to Kenya is into the late afternoon sun, so I need dark glasses and the sun visors to battle the glare. From 28,000ft, I watch the sun sink below the horizon ahead while, in darkening skies over my left shoulder, I see a full moon. It’s dark for the final hour of the flight though, with the clear sky, the lights of Nairobi can be seen from nearly 130 miles away.

Today, the PC12 has flown more than 2,200 miles – 2 flights to Waajid and back – carrying nearly 2 tonnes of vitally-needed medical supplies.

Gospel dimensionsWorld Vision, with projects at Waajid and Buale, is one of several organisations work-ing in Somalia that we serve from Nairobi. We regularly fly Christian Blind Mission eye surgery teams to El Dera and Borama in Somaliland. We take World Concern workers supporting water and sanitation projects in the Juba valley – security situa-tion permitting – to Kismayo, a turbulent coastal city.

Additionally, we fly to the border city of Mandera, supporting organisations in the Gedo region of western Somalia such as Norwegian Church Aid in its education and water projects, and Gedo Health Consortium which is setting up hospitals and primary

Waajid had no health facilities to serve its nearly 45,000 people.

‘Somalia doesn’t have a government, so NGOs are taking on the responsibilities that should have been the government’s,’ says Kirsten Engebak. She is East Africa Regional Director of Norwegian Church Aid and her words summarise the situation in much of Somalia: no schools, no health facilities, no infrastructure.

In spite of strict warnings from western governments, MAF in Kenya has developed procedures, in conjunction with the UN and aid agencies, to mitigate the security risks and so enable us to provide vital air support to a number of charities and NGOs working in Somalia. We fly their people into and out of various locations and, as with today’s World Vision flights, we keep the projects supplied with materials they need to carry out their work.

Armed guardFlying out of Nairobi, cultivated highlands soon give way to arid red soil and scrub vegetation. Passing from Kenya to Somalia is marked only by the changing numbers on the aircraft navigation displays as I cross the 41° longitude meridian that defines the border – no features on the ground show the transition.

Visibility is remarkably clear. Having started a descent 80 miles out, I can see the white chalky surface of the Waajid airstrip from more than 30 miles away. The final item on the descent checklist is the ‘passenger briefing’. I guess the freight won’t mind if I give that one a miss!

The airstrip at Waajid is guarded by a local militia – stern-faced men holding AK47 rifles. Hence, unlike most places we visit, there is an absence of children and adults crowding around the aircraft after I land.


SOMAL IA : H O P E F O R T H O S E W H O M L I F E H A S H U R T

by Derek Reeh

Waajid airstrip

healthcare facilities.Christ in His ministry restored sight to

and healed many sick people, as well as educating about the Kingdom of God. MAF’s ministry with its predominantly Christian partner organisations is bringing these important dimensions of the Gospel to the physically and spiritually impover-ished people of Somalia.

World Vision at workServing in Somalia since 1992, today World Vision operates mainly in Bay and Bakool, Middle Juba and Somaliland. Half a million people – youngsters, their families and their communities – are benefiting.

Helping farmers to grow crops more productively, advising mothers in hygiene and healthcare, feeding starving people, healing those who are sick – including tackling TB – installing clean-water pumps and toilets, setting up peace talks, educating chil-dren, encouraging villagers to plot their own futures. All these are part of the action.

Ahmed reached the Buurhakaba feed-ing centre suffering from acute malnu-trition. He was immediately placed on plumpy nut supplement. Within a fort-night, he was on the mend and five weeks later out of danger.

While 17-year-old Hassan declares, ‘I can freely talk about my fears after going through thera-

peutic healing for my childhood trauma, thanks to World Vision’s child protection programme.’

‘All my food baskets are dry. The food that I have received will enable my family to live another day,’ exclaims Aden, a

40-year-old beneficiary of food aid. The needs are truly

colossal.All year round, MAF

aircraft are delivering personnel, food, vital

medical supplies, and other essentials to World Vision centres. Its teams are determined that

nothing must prevent them from delivering

health and healing against the odds.

It is estimated one in ten Somalis have lost their lives, some through fighting between rival warlords, others from

famine and disease. Hundreds of thousands flee the country to escape violence. Those who remain must struggle to find food, stay healthy and educate their children.

Bordered by Ethiopia, with which it is regularly at war, Kenya and the Indian Ocean, UN intervention hasn’t stopped conflict.

The United Republic of Somalia was created in 1960 when the British Somaliland Protectorate and Italian Somaliland merged.

The world is aware of Somali pirates at sea – but what is happening on land?

Trauma causing people to flee their homeland cannot be overestimated. Yet it can lead to a priceless gift – sight

It was led democratically until a military coup in 1969.

The Dictator-president, Major General Muhammad Siad Barre, then ruled until he was overthrown in 1991, since when 14 varied forms of leadership have failed.

Three areas have declared independence – Somaliland Republic, Puntland in the north-east and Jubaland in the south.

In October 2004, a Transitional Federal Parliament of 275 members came into being and in 2006 fighting with Ethiopia began, lasting until January 2009 when Sharif Ahmed was elected President.

Despite the lack of effective national governance, Somalia has maintained a healthy informal economy, largely based on livestock, money transfer companies and telecommunications.

Somalia – the landBlessing away from home

Somalia – today’s factsPopulation: 10 million

Life expectancy at birth: 50 years (UK: 79 years)

Literacy rate: 38% (UK: 99%)

Area: 246,201 square miles (UK: 94,525 square miles)

Roads: 13,732 miles – 1,621 paved (UK: 247,540 miles, all paved)

Airstrips: 59 – 7 paved

Climate: frequent dust storms, recurring droughts, floods during rainy season

Environmental hazards: deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification

Official religion: Islam

SOMAL IA : H O P E F O R T H O S E W H O M L I F E H A S H U R T

Perspiration dripped down from Dr Dan Gradin. This was just one problem facing the eye surgeon visiting a

sprawling camp at Dadaab, Kenya, housing 270,000 refugees from Somalia.

Three camps opened there in 1991. As sporadic fighting continues in Somalia just 50 miles east, hundreds more refugees arrive every day.

Other arrivals are MAF aircraft. Pilot Jane Wambui landed with Dr Gradin and four nurses around 2pm.

‘Nurse Sophia Njenga helped screen the crowd,’ the doctor reports. ‘I cannot begin to describe the pandemonium. Everyone scrambling to see the doctor. But by 6pm, we had examined 295 refugees.’

During two hectic days, the team oper-ated in temperatures soaring to 38°C.

What’s more, when a sterilising boiler and kettle were plugged into the gener-ator, the

voltage dropped – so the lights had to be turned off. Dr Gradin’s microscope light dimmed every single time the kettle was turned on!

‘Operating in a dusty place filled with ants and other insects, it seems a miracle we don’t have high infection rates,’ marvels Dr Gradin.

The team operated on 107 patients with cataracts, 64 of them blind in both eyes.

Each operation took under ten minutes. The eye was opened so that a suture was not necessary, the cataract removed whole, and replaced with a plastic lens.

Omar, a 19-year-old man, had been blind for 8 years, and Ambiyo for 5 years.

Ten-year-old Abdi, treated another time, had been poked with a stick in his right eye. This lacerated his cornea, needing stitches close to the wound. Dr Gradin recounts, ‘We called for an anaesthetist – but nurse Catherine gave him a numbing

injection through his eyelid. Abdi had the 15-minute operation without

moving a muscle. I’m amazed at the fortitude of children here!’

The doctor has worked in Kenya since 1997 with Christian Blind Mission (CBM), seconded to Kikuyu Hospital Eye Unit.

Eye doctor Alain Mbongo-Zindamoyen also visits Dadaab. He tells of a bilaterally blind girl aged 14, who lost her

father during war. CBM operated on both eyes. She was thrilled to go back to school and, as first-born, be

able to help her family. Each time the doctors

depart, they regret leaving many unattended. But knowing

scores can see again is the encour-agement they need to come back.

‘Without MAF’s service, access to Somali people in this remote area would not be possible,’ maintains Dr

Mbongo-Zindamoyen.

A real honour

To have a part in enabling an organisa-tion such as Christian Blind Mission carry out its extraordinary work in some of the world’s poorest countries is a real honour for MAF. It is our privilege to fly skilled professionals to some of the world’s most vulnerable and isolated people.

Think of MAF, and maybe the first image that comes to you is of a small Cessna plane with one pilot, transport-ing passengers and varied cargo. Yet in addition to pilots, there are several other skills that are as important in maintain-ing the highest quality of service.

We currently have vacancies for expe-rienced aircraft maintenance engineers, chief engineers, engineering directors and avionics engineers as well as mana-gerial roles including country directors and deputy operations managers.

From time to time, we have manage-rial vacancies that we need to fill urgently and these are deemed ‘critical vacancies’. In view of the need for immediate appointment, critical vacan-cies are on a fixed-term salaried contract that is outside the support-raising scheme we operate for long-term place-ments. An example of such a vacancy is Finance Manager. Details of critical vacancies will appear on our website as they arise.

In Tanzania and Papua New Guinea, there is a need for several experienced engineers. These positions require an ICAO-based licence and current practi-cal experience.

For further information about the above vacancies and details of our other recruitment needs, please see our website www.maf-uk.org or contact:

Heather GardnerRecruitment Co-ordinatorMission Aviation FellowshipCastle Hill AvenueFOLKESTONECT20 2TNEmail: [email protected]: 0845 850 9505


Omar


Water of Life

It’s difficult to get to know Mikea people. Living deep in forest, Erin describes them as ‘barricading themselves from

the outside world.’ Malagasy missionary Pastor Jonoro has

made great efforts to meet them. First, he moved with his family to live in remote Anjabetrongo five years ago, building an airstrip there with MAF’s help.

Despite opposition from witchdoctors, Jonoro has established a school, a church and a dispensary. But his early attempts to bring clean water by digging a well failed through community resistance.

people became very clear. Children die as a result of diarrhoeal diseases that could be prevented by simple latrine usage, prohib-ited by superstition and ancestor worship.

‘Trusting outsiders is a huge step for Mikea men and women to take. We all must take the risk in trusting Jesus’ prom-ise that He is the source of living water. He has something better for us than the little bit of life from forest roots.’

Sunlight solutionBack in Anjabetrongo itself, two small pools supply 1,000 villagers, and are utilised for washing clothes, bathing animals, swimming – and, for many people, drinking. This gives them worms and diarrhoea, which leads to severe dehydration and often death.

Now, our aircraft have flown equipment for a sustainable method of water purifica- tion called SODIS (Solar Water Disinfection). All that is needed for this is a clear plastic polyethylene terephthalate bottle, water and sunlight. Bottles of water that are left in direct sunlight for at least six hours after filtering makes it safe for drinking – and almost every single day has full sun in Anjabetrongo.

Ultraviolet radiation destroys the micro-organisms in the water and disrupts the genetic processes of bacterial production. Villagers of Anjabetrongo can now begin to make their water safe. Pray that the forest people will also change.

Forget the Madagascar of Hollywood animations. Today’s reality is a country in political confusion. But Erin Lorencz, one of a team of volunteers from the USA, flew into a very different environment around Anjabetrongo

Persistence in reaching deeper into the forest to find Mikea people, Jonoro has built a trust with them that led them to trust his friends, Erin and her colleagues.

This gave the volunteers the chance to share the motivation behind their actions – Christ’s love – as they discussed hygiene and saw patients.

‘While Pastor Jonoro helped our doctor with translation and explaining medications, the rest of us cleaned the eyes of each child, and administered eye drops that would clear up the conjunctivitis,’ Erin reports.

‘Diarrhoea is particularly problematic for the children. But we could not explain the importance of hand-washing because there is no suitable water source.’

Spiritual bondageMikea grate forest roots to obtain water – but this is drastically insufficient to live a healthy life. Yet these special roots, which are becoming scarce, are the reason that the people choose to stay in the forest.

‘So instead of hand-washing, we talked about latrines,’ continues Erin. Currently, Mikea defecate in nearby woods.

‘The chief felt uneasy about the break with tradition that latrines would cause,’ Erin regrets. ‘Burying waste for the Mikea means burying part of the body, and there was concern that it would amount to burying the person before he or she died. The village elders agreed to consult their ancestors for permission before proceeding further.’

Erin summarises the problem. ‘The many ways in which spiritual bondage affects


Politics in MadagascarThe year 2009 has seen violence and confusion in Madagascar’s political situation. Power struggles and military mutiny have led to the deaths of many protestors.

Andry Rajoelina has declared himself in charge of the country. At 34, he is technically too young under the current constitution, but changing that law is one of his first aims.

The deposed leader, Marc Ravalomanana, has declared that it is his intention to return to Madagascar to form an inclusive government. Meanwhile, Ravalomanana’s allies claim they have already formed a new government, a move dismissed by Rajoelina.

Rajoelina accuses Ravalomanana of ‘neo-colonialism’, while Ravalomanana’s supporters accuse Rajoelina of being under the influence of former Marxist President Didier Ratsiraka.

Marc Ravalomanana

n Self-made dairy tycoon, began his career selling home-made yogurt off the back of a bicycle.

n Came to power in 2002 using street demonstrations and military force to defeat Didier Ratsiraka, who had ruled Madagascar for 23 years.

n In his first term, his free-market reforms were welcomed by donors and investors. Aid to the island increased, foreign debt was cancelled. Unfortunately, poverty remained rife and, as prices rose, protests began.

n In his second term, he set out the ‘Madagascan Action Plan’, aiming to cut poverty levels by 50% over five years.

Andry Rajoelina

n Born into a wealthy family, worked as a disc jockey before going on to own a radio station and advertising company.

n In December 2007, he set up the Determined Malagasy Youth opposition movement and won election to Mayor of the capital Antananarivo.

n His dynamic style has earned him the nick-name ‘TGV’ after the French high-speed train, and it’s also the acronym for his political movement.

Pastor Jonoro

Erin Lorencz


The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Galatians 5:6b). Often, our overseas staff are not just serving with MAF. Many are active in additional ways, looking for and finding opportunities to make a difference and to express God’s love

Lives of action

‘Make the most of every opportunity.’ Colossians 4:5b

Our Operations Manager in Uganda Adrian Went and his wife Jacqueline witnessed the impact of a puppet presentation at a UK children’s club.

‘The children – and adults – were so captivated and remembered it so well that we realised this was a brilliant medium through which to teach people about Jesus.’

They contacted Life Givers puppet group, led by Shirley and George Ely, who felt that Jacqueline’s and Adrian’s move to Uganda was an ‘opportunity that couldn’t be missed’,

and created puppets for that purpose.Out of the Blue puppet group consists of

nine adults and young people from MAF departments and families. They have trained and performed for nearly two years, working with churches, orphanages, schools, prisons and other groups, including outreach to the Filipino community.

‘Lord, when did we see you...thirsty and give you something to drink?’ Matthew 25:37

N’gong’onha is a village of 8,000 people 9 miles from Dodoma, Tanzania. Until recently, most villagers dug for water in the riverbed. Each September, this dried up completely, resulting in a six-mile walk to fill a bucket.

MAF Quality Manager Tim Derbyshire and his wife Carol facilitated work to change that situation.

‘Many ladies are very poor. Some have suffered bereavements of children and parents, as well as illness and many other difficulties.

‘My role is not leader, counsellor or even manager. I thoroughly enjoy just being involved, being part of them. I go to visit my friends and try to listen to God for directions on what to do while there.’

They met village elders and arranged a hydrological survey. A Christian agency drilled to a depth of 430ft, the second site proving successful. Then, the borehole lined and capped, a wind pump and storage tanks were installed. The well produces 3,000 litres of drinkable water each hour.

Tim and Carol rejoice: ‘It’s wonderful to see that even at the end of the dry season, the well is still providing clean water. This means that children can attend school and mothers go to church, as they no longer have to walk to fetch water.’

‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.’ Galatians 6:2

‘Kipepeo’ is a small, self-help group of Christian ladies from the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Together, they hand-make paper and greetings cards to earn a small income. Jean Boyd, who is wife of Quality Manager Andrew, spends one day a week with them. Jean shares: ‘I’m not a crafty or arty person, but they ask me to help. Some days I cut out designs, some days I write labels or teach from the Bible. Some days they even let me cook!

‘As we work we talk. Sometimes about children and husbands, sometimes about daily struggles or living as a Christian.

‘Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season.’ 2 Timothy 4:2a

Pierre Casemajor, an aircraft maintenance engineer in Dodoma, Tanzania, watched as another organisation brought a plane for maintenance.

‘The pilot did not look Tanzanian so I asked him where he was from. He was from Iran. I had two Persian Gospels of John at home! The pilot collected another plane and took off.

‘Next day, I put a Persian Gospel in my toolbox. Four weeks later, the same pilot returned to swap planes. I gave him the booklet and he continued his pre-flight inspection. Half an hour later, he came to me saying, “Hey! These are the words of Jesus.” He then took off. I never saw him again, learning later that he had left the company.

‘I have Christian literature in a number of different languages, and had had the Persian booklets many years. Until then, I’d had no opportunity to give them away.’


Pierre Casemajor

Jacqueline and Adrian Went

Tim and Carol Derbyshire

Andrew and Jean Boyd


At 2,300ft, heavy cloud can impede MAF landings. Roads are of dirt, becoming treacherous and often

impassable in the six-month rainy season.Mondolkiri province is home to 40,000

Cambodians, including Bunong people. In the provincial town of Sen Monorom is a small hive of development and missionary activity.

Didi and MiMi Kanjahn, seconded from Wycliffe Bible Translators to Christian Missionary Alliance, work in the Bunong language.

Only 3% of Bunong people are Christian. The first indigenous church was planted in Mondolkiri in 1986, though the people had no Bible nor could they read. Early church leaders had never been to Bible school.

Alphabet createdArriving in 2001, Didi, formerly an analyti-cal chemist from Germany, and MiMi from Australia were among the first missionaries to the province. They brought the vision of providing the Scriptures in the Bunong people’s own language.

The translation task began with prepara-tion for teaching literacy.

First, a unique alphabet for Bunong had to be created, then literacy primers. These books include health-related topics and local stories.

With a small team, Didi and MiMi have produced 100 such books. Classed as development work, this also equips the people with the ability to read by the time the Scriptures are translated.

Actual Bible translation work started

four years ago. Progress includes 299 Old Testament verses approved for printing, and 10% of the New Testament ready for consultant checking, with a further 50% in a very rough draft.

Challenges for the translators include the fact that the Bunong language has no word for ‘love’ or ‘thank you’.

Scriptures releasedThis year, they hope to publish Jonah (as an exercise as it’s short and mostly narrative) and the first 11 chapters of Genesis.

While Didi works on translation, MiMi is predominantly involved in church leader-ship training and literacy work – with some classes in local villages.

Our GA8 Airvan has flown regularly between Mondolkiri and Ratanakiri, which enabled Didi and MiMi to join others who are involved in Bible translation in the north-east. Flying time is 45 minutes – but the overland alternative is a 2-day trip.

The plane also carried important docu-mentation, instructions and mail for them.

Extra cropAlly and Ken Thompson of Church Mission Society (CMS) Australia also live in Sen Monorom. Ken carries out agricultural research. He is growing millet experimen-tally as a possible crop for farmers to fill the long gap between annual rice harvests.

Technical assistant Saveing helps Ken investigate ways to introduce legumes to feed domestic animals without the need to cultivate.

A variety of clay balls, each containing a number of seeds, are dried under Ken’s stilted house. He explains that farmers will only need to throw the balls on to fields to plant the crop!

Also under development is a salt and mineral mix. The soil is highly deficient in trace minerals such as iodine. And domes-tic animals crave salt, even eating drying washing or plastic bags to satisfy that crav-ing. This can cause their death – a costly loss for a subsistence farmer.

In addition, Ken’s experimental orchard grows almost every type of fruit tree. This project includes distribution of seeds and fruit trees within targeted communities.

Citrus fruitsAt Pum Domrei choan (village), Sam Pei was very interested in a delivery of 100 saplings. He enthusiastically selected a pomelo tree, which produces delicious oversized, sweet citrus fruits, and carefully transported it home on his dilapidated motorbike. Another beneficiary of Ken’s work.

Separate from agriculture, Ally sources good quality thread for traditional weaving in which stories are told through patterns.

Following Khmer Rouge rule, the practice had almost died out. Prior to that time, some villagers grew the cotton while others wove it, the craft therefore creating local trade.

Finished productsAlly sells thread at cost price, and wants to establish markets outside the province to generate extra income for the women. As subsistence farming is seasonal, it is some-times months before she gets to see the finished products.

The weaving project has also helped Ally develop relationships, and has opened up opportunities to witness about Jesus. Both are challenging activities in a patron society where people say what they think you want to hear.

But Ally and Ken would not be living in Mondolkiri were it not for MAF. The area is so very isolated that CMS only approved their placement there when they learnt that we flew into the province.

For the rural town of Sen Monorom, which only acquired mains electricity in January and has a small hospital but no doctors, the aircraft has provided a valuable link with the outside world for Didi and MiMi, Ken and Ally, and the few others who are serving the people of these remote highlands.

Rugged, jungle-clad hills dominate the hard-to-reach Cambodian province of Mondolkiri – another corner of the world to have been served by MAF aircraft

New dawn for highland people


NEWS IN BRIEF

Quickly at homeNew MAF pilot Adrian Rose from Aberdeen made his first operational flight in Kenya the day his licensing was completed. It was to Mara Serena to collect a man with a fracture to his lower leg. Adrian’s previous flying was in Scotland for the ambulance service. So he found it absolutely normal to be transporting a patient to hospital in the back of a plane.

Haga’hai hear Tucked away in the high mountains of Papua New Guinea, to reach Mamusi overland from our Mount Hagen base means trekking for a minimum of a week! Baptist pastor Simon and his wife Monane flew there to live among the Haga’hai people, one of the last groups to achieve contact with the outside world. Very few of them speak the national language. Pray that the community will accept Simon and Monane, and that Simon’s ministry will result in many following the Lord.

Tearfund transportSince she was three years old, Agam has suffered a fungal infection in her feet. Easy to get treatment from your local pharmacy – but not so in Sudan. Now ten years old, Agam managed to walk on her painful swollen feet to a Tearfund medical unit, where staff drove her to Panthau clinic. Tearfund is one of the most frequent users of our flights into Sudan.

Kodiak deliveredWe now have our first Kodiak 100 aircraft, which uses jet fuel rather than Avgas which is more expensive and scarce. The plane is booked to enter service in mountainous Papua, Indonesia. Current aircraft there have been busy carrying a patient with a broken back, a teenager with a broken arm and leg, a pregnant woman with an enlarged spleen and liver, and a man whose hand had been severed in machinery. Also, a load of Dani Bibles was flown to Mulia.

Healthier livesDoctors and nurses were aboard our aircraft on the monthly Mbeya Safari in Tanzania when it landed at the reopened airstrip at Madundas. They examined 224 children, 197 of whom received a polio vaccine, 118 diphthe-ria, 40 TB and 8 measles. So the Medical team’s visit doubtless means that more young children will now go on to live healthier lives.


MAF midwifeHaving heard God’s call to be a missionary when 7 years old, it was with great excitement that I read Jungle Pilot at the age of 14. I knew then that God was calling me to be a missionary pilot

So, with my wife Susan, I joined the MAF team in Ethiopia in 1972 flying there for five years followed by seven

in Kenya. We then returned to the UK in December 1984 with our four daughters, where I was based at the MAF office.

After several other roles, I have served as Manager of Research and Development since 1996. Responsible for the surveying, planning and initiation of operations in fresh countries, I have been dubbed ‘the MAF midwife’. But I also work where we already serve, helping ensure our activities have greatest effect.

I really enjoyed flying in Africa. But as I help establish new initiatives, I know my current role has even greater potential for bringing life-changing support to the most disadvantaged and isolated people.

A core MAF objective is to achieve maxi-mum impact with the precious resources

God has given. We could help in many countries, but we need to be selective and sensitive to His leading. So it’s vital to iden-tify the strategic value of what we do.

Our purpose in Mongolia, for example, is to help establish the Church in remote areas. Half of Mongolia’s 2.7 million people live as nomads. However, they are linked linguistically, ethnically and culturally to 17 million people in the surrounding coun-tries, and so are ideally placed to undertake outreach. Look at a map and consider the potential impact!

Another consideration is how best to register MAF in each country. It is impor-tant to gain the widest possible operating permission for greatest flexibility in service.

In Nepal, for example, over the past five years, we researched a legal partnership with three Nepalese stakeholders in order to establish a flight service. Alas, due to new government demands, an operation cannot be initiated in the near future.

One of my joys is developing friendships with local Christians. Sadly though, once an operation is established, I rarely see such friends again. Then there’s the cost to my family. Since 1985, my MAF overseas trips have totalled almost four years away. Susan’s support has been essential.

For the future, our conviction is that, as God called us into MAF, we must continue until we receive an equally clear call to work elsewhere.

Being right in the centre of God’s will is exciting!

diagnosed with diabetes, Sharon’s eyesight deteriorated. Her mother Chris and Yvonne, a lady from church, read MAF News to her.

Listening to tapes, she heard about the Disabled Christians Fellowship (DCF) and had such a wonderful time on her first DCF holiday that she set up a local branch in 2003. Four years later, Sharon arranged for MAF Area Representative Diane Learman to give a presentation.

Sharon went to be with her Lord in January, aged 35 years.

Chris explains why she supported MAF: ‘Sharon was amazed with the pilots and people who live and work in such way-out places, to help those who struggle to get anything or go anywhere.’ Sharon also left a legacy to MAF to help us to continue to care for others.

Despite her many physical challenges, Sharon spent her life helping others locally and worldwide. To find out more about leaving a legacy to MAF, contact our Legacy Co-ordinator Johanna Baxter on 0845 850 9505 or email [email protected]

During the first six months of this year, we received legacies totalling £563,269 which we acknowledge with thankfulness to God.

Every tribe, every tongueDavid Best was delighted to receive his materials for the 2008 MAF Day of Prayer event he planned for Littlehampton United Church. Using the pack, he felt able to lead the entire service. The congregation was very interested in MAF’s work and asked David to take another service in the future.

David says, ‘Prayer is the cornerstone of all Christian ministry. When we pray for His work overseas, then we will see great bene-fit made possible by God’s work through us.’

This year, we invite you to hold a day of prayer for our ministry between 18 October and 1 November. This is your opportunity to join us and pray for our urgent concerns and those of our partner organisations.

We have produced a brand new pack of resources with the theme Every tribe, every

Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Rev, Dr, Christian name and surname

Address

Postcode

I enclose my gift of £ for use where most needed

MY RESPONSE

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS

Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107)

I want to help bring God’s compassion to needy people

Mission Aviation FellowshipCastle Hill Avenue FOLKESTONE CT20 2TN29 Canal Street GLASGOW G4 0AD

FSF mzrq2

Please tell me how I can best give to MAF on a regular basis


A life helping othersBorn in Burton-on-Trent in 1973, Sharon Key was an exceptional young woman.

At six years old, she was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia, a progressive disease that damages the nervous system. She gradually deteriorated, being confined to a wheelchair by the age of ten.

Responding to an MAF leaflet in 1995, Sharon then started to receive our regular updates.

She began attending an Elim Pentecostal Church and was baptised in 1996. Further

tongue, which contains all you need to guide the prayers of your fellowship. In the pack, you will find a themed leaflet with prayer needs from around the MAF world, intercessory prayers, a PowerPoint presen-tation of prayers and images, and ideas for children’s activities, plus leaflets and book-marks for all who attend.

Order your pack by calling our Supporter Relations team on 0845 850 9505, or by visiting www.maf-uk.org/dayofprayer

Renewed partnershipMAF’s connection with Duxford goes back over 60 years. At the end of World War II, our Co-founder Stuart King was Chief Technical Officer at the then active RAF base under the famous Battle of Britain pilot, Wing Commander Alan Deere.

Now there is an exciting new partner-ship. Our Roadshow will be at two air shows at Duxford later this year.

The Duxford Air Show will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 September, and

the Autumn Air Show closes Duxford’s 2009 events season on 11 October. Modern and historic aircraft will be on show as well as aerobatics and stunning displays.

An added bonus on 11 October will be the only opportunity to see our brand new Kodiak 100 aircraft as it pauses en route to Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Set in the Cambridgeshire countryside and open all year round, Imperial War Museum Duxford is also on the site. The ten-acre museum has something for everyone.

Florence Littlefair, Duxford’s Marketing Manager, says: ‘Working together makes perfect sense given MAF’s historic connec-tion with Duxford. Furthermore, we share a passion for aviation and recognise that it has changed the world we live in, both in times of peace and war.’

Our exhibition trailer generates interest wherever it goes. And our team would be delighted to welcome you on board. Why not visit us at Duxford this autumn? For more information about the Roadshow’s busy schedule, please visit www.maf-uk.org

Every tribe,every tongue

Praying together for the worldwide ministry of MAF

Mission Aviation Fellowship

by Max Gove

New Testament, new language Eighteen years after Wycliffe experts

Thomas and Christiane Weber arrived

in the Eastern Star Mountains of

Papua New Guinea, they completed

translation of the New Testament

into Bimin, one of the country’s 860

languages. They were joined in the

celebration by hundreds eager to hear

God speak their own language, and also by their four children and

other Wycliffe staff whom MAF flew there. That was possible as villagers

built an airstrip in record time after a landslide in 2002 destroyed the

previous one. Now, the Swiss couple plans to stay at least another two

years to teach people to read the Scriptures.

SOMALIA pages 4-7 NEW DAWN FOR HIGHLAND PEOPLE pages 12-13

maf news september - november 2009

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