The MAF Blog: Worldwide Pulse

Posts Tagged ‘africa’

The Kids Talk Africa

Posted on: May 14th, 2012 by Stephanie Fuller  |  3 Comments


We are leaving for the Democratic Republic of Congo in three weeks. Our shipment is completed and our suitcases are mostly packed. My husband and I are getting excited, but today I thought that I would ask my daughters what they thought about Africa. I asked the same questions to each daughter separately. What follows are my children’s thoughts on Africa.

What do you think Africa will look like?
L (age 5): I think it will have lots of trees, not very much grass, lots of kids…I think there’s going to be lots of houses in Africa, too.
G (age 3): Our house. A playground. (pause…incredulous look) Mom, Africa doesn’t look. Africa can’t see!!
M (age 2): Canada.

Why do you think we are going to Africa?
L (age 5): To help people.
G (age 3): So we can see our friends.
M (age 2): Because…(stares)…YES!…(points to the paper I’m writing her responses on) Draw Africa…and an airplane and can you draw me?

What makes you happy about going to Africa?
L (age 5): That I get to see my friends.
G (age 3): You!
M (age 2 ): Paint…and we have new bibs.

What do you want to do in Africa?
L (age 5): I want to play with the kids, play in the rain, and there’s lots of airplanes.
G( age 3): See the elephants and ride on one.
M (age 2): Paint a snake.

How will Africa be different?
L (age 5): There’s an Okapi. There’s not, like, any stores.
G (age 3): Me. (points to leg) I’m white.
M (age 2): Canada.

What will Daddy be doing in Africa?
L (age 5): Working on computers.
G (age 3): I don’t know.
M (age 2): (Stares around room) Talking to a boy about a diamond. (points to my paper again) So, I want you to draw a diamond.

MAF Cessna CaravanWhat is a missionary?
L (age 5): Someone who helps people and tells people about God. They use lots of airplanes.
G (age 3): (Totally distracted, raises a toy bat in the air) STAR WARS!
M (age 2): A missionary walks…A missionary can’t walk because a chicken will cross the road!

Hmmm…if the kids have their way, we are in for a crazy first term in Africa!

World Malaria Day: MAF Mitigating Malaria’s Impact

Posted on: April 25th, 2012 by MAF  |  Leave a comment

While malaria is easily treatable and usually does not result in death for those infected in most of the world, it remains a leading cause of death in Africa to the tune of 1.2 million people in 20101. That’s why Mission Aviation Fellowship’s presence there is so critical in the fight against this killer disease.

MAF pilots prepare an Indonesian man stricken by malaria for an emergency medical flight.

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, MAF works closely with Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières – MSF) to help deliver medical treatment in outbreak areas. MAF also helps distribute bed nets treated with insecticide to those living in the remote mountains of Mozambique. Even MAF missionaries aren’t immune to the ever-present malaria problem.

Outside of Africa, the number of malaria-related deaths is much lower2—but it cannot be ignored.

MAF’s program in Papua, Indonesia, experienced the ill-effects of malaria firsthand with a medical evacuation flight. Pilots Nathan Fagerlie and Tim Smith dropped off a delivery in Kiwi before being asked to take back a man stricken with malaria. Running a high fever, the man began acting crazy and needed to be strapped to the floor of their Kodiak airplane. They flew to Sentani to get the man some much-needed medical attention that would save his life.

On World Malaria Day, let’s not forget how many lives still hang in the balance of whether or not they can receive quick treatment for malaria—and how important MAF’s role is in enabling vaccinations  and other supplies to reach isolated areas in desperate need of aid.

1 Christopher JL Murray, Lisa C Rosenfeld, Stephen S Lim, Kathryn G Andrews, Kyle J Foreman, Diana Haring, Nancy Fullman, Mohsen Naghavi, Rafael Lozano, Alan D Lopez. “Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis”. The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9814, Pages 413 – 431, 4 February 2012 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60034-8

2 Ibid.

Witnessing a Happy Ending

Posted on: April 5th, 2012 by Justin Honaker  | 


When MAF pilots make medical evacuation flights they don’t always get to see the happy endings. But when they do, it’s a satisfying flight.

MAF pilot Justin Honaker was closing the rear cargo door before embarking on his first flight of the day to the village of Methaleneng in Lesotho, Africa, when a vaguely familiar face grinned back at him. The man rattled off something in Sesotho and pointed to his 10-year-old son next to him. Justin realized what the man was asking: “Do you remember us?” And then, Justin recognized them…

Mission Aviation Fellowship Lesotho AirstripFive days earlier, I had been to Methaleneng. The father and son, Motlatsi, were on board. Motlatsi was lethargic, incoherent, and barely conscious, after being hit in the head with a stone. He and his father made the 2.5-hour trek to the clinic. I remember buckling Motlatsi’s nearly limp body into the back seat of the Cessna 206 that day, his spastic movements hampering my efforts. I remember his eyes darting aimlessly about the cabin and wondering if he wouldn’t be better off on a stretcher (that I didn’t have with me). I remember feeling that there was little hope for the boy.

On this day, however, Justin hardly recognized Motlatsi, who was now bright-eyed and grinning, happy and coherent. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!” Justin said. Now, the only remaining hurdle to getting the father and son home was the gusting wind wreaking havoc on the sky over Lesotho. Methaleneng had been unlandable the day before.

From 9,500 feet, Justin pondered the miracle in the back seat of his airplane and prayed that one day Motlatsi would know his Savior as well. As Justin circled overhead at Methaleneng, he saw a limp windsock and marveled again at God’s protective hand over Motlatsi’s life.

God’s Plan for Timeless Congo

Posted on: December 27th, 2011 by Nick Frey  |  1 Comment

It’s interesting the way one day flows into the next. We put limits on them and say “at midnight we shall start to call this a new day.” We dissect the day even further into hours, minutes and seconds. At least, that’s what we do in our North American culture.

In Africa, the sun rises at about 6 a.m. and sets 12 hours later. I knew this fact well in advance of arriving here in September but didn’t think it would significantly affect our lives. Because of this constant, the seasons also don’t change too much. What this does is create an environment in which is it hard to tell one day from the next, or one month from the next, or even one year from the next. And so time just keeps flowing on and on. Not much preparation is required for “winter,” not much attention is put toward creatures coming to life again in “spring,” and not much is recorded in terms of one “summer’s” heat to the next.

Culture here seems to have frozen. Because of the monotonous way time unfolds, it remains, in many ways, very similar to biblical times. The biblical principal of needing to care for the poor, for orphans and widows, is very visible. Oral stories and traditions are extremely valuable. Transportation and traveling is quite difficult.

There have been many Bible passages that have come to mind as we explore this country. I can almost picture Jesus walking down a dirt path and seeing a blind man sitting beside it, begging passersby for money or food. People crying out for justice and truth are everywhere. Then I think of Jesus saying “blessed are those…”

MAF Missionary Family, Nick and Jocelyn FreyI have no doubt in my mind that God has been preparing Jocelyn and me to live here since the day He brought us into this world––weaving the strands of time together so that we learned the lessons we needed and met the people who’d help us along. His majestic symphony has been played out as we chased “our” dreams––of flying, photography, psychology, and others––all to be used for His glory instead of our personal gain.

We see much opportunity here. This place is rich with beautiful people, many of whom love God and serve Him with more faith than I have at times. Abundant in resources and overflowing with gorgeous landscapes, this jungle land shows off the greatness bestowed it by the Lord.

As we follow the way God has put before us, we are eager to serve Him with Mission Aviation Fellowship here in Kinshasa, DRC. It’s almost like being royalty if you belong with MAF, whose history here stretches far and wide. We are proud to be a part of the good reputation MAF has and we hope to continue improving it.

Though it may seem like times don’t change and weather stays the same, we know that God’s plan is being worked out in this land and its people; and we are excited to discover what’s around the next corner!

Top 11 Quotes of 2011

Posted on: December 12th, 2011 by MAF  | 

Here are some of our favorite quotes of the past year, received from the people we serve or gathered from interviews.

 We’re the smallest of the villages in the area, and without MAF, no one else would care for us. As a servant of God ministering here, it would probably be impossible to be here without MAF.”
— Pastor Hendry, working in Data Dian, Kalimantan, Indonesia

 

We have 40,000 students in our schools, and in the last two years 15,000 have professed faith in Christ. It’s just amazing what God is doing. There’s no way we could exist there without the work of MAF and what it does for us.”
— Dr. Sam Vinton, Grace Ministries International, EDRC

 

I think I’ve had the chance to fly every plane in Papua.  But it’s not the flying; it’s what we do with those planes. There are guys who like to talk about this plane and that, but the real bottom line is, what are we doing with this plane? How are we ministering and serving?”
— Phil Nelson, MAF pilot in Papua, Indonesia

 

I’ve worked with MAF for about 13 years, and during that time I have grown personally.  My faith has grown. I’ve gotten a lot of new experience working with MAF.  When I joined MAF, I got direction in my life.”
— Yonatan Karel (an Indonesian MAF staff member in Kalimantan) Assistant to the Chief of Maintenance

 

The VSAT [provided by MAF] has been a big boost for the effective communication of Shalom University with the outside world.  It enables quality research via the Internet essential for a University in the center of Africa, where books are extremely expensive and hard to come by. The connection has been reliable and a blessing.”
— Ted Witmer, Director of Development, Shalom University of Bunia, EDRC

 

I think we could easily say that we depend on MAF for several mission-critical functions, and without them, we could not live here. And I haven’t even mentioned flying yet.”
— Kent Rasmussen, Linguist and Bible translator with Wycliffe in Bunia, EDRC

 

More than once we have stood beside the plane with hearts breaking, buckling our kids in to send them off to school. Always, the pilots have caught our eyes with a reassuring glance that said, ‘We’re praying for you. We’ll get them there as safely as possible. And we’ll look after them for you.’ Such comfort and encouragement as they passed on to us during these times cannot be overstated, and for that, too, we are grateful.”  Steve and Carolyn Crockett, New Tribes missionaries in Papua

 

Before the airstrip was completed, we had air drops from MAF. They supplied us with food … whatever we needed. The secret was MAF. It couldn’t have happened without them.”
— Former missionary to Ethiopia – Harvey Hoekstra, Talking Bibles

 

MAF is such a big support for us. Without MAF it would be impossible by road to go into the villages.”
— Daniel Kasereka, OEIL reconciliation ministry, EDRC

 

MAF has been a big help in bringing in consultants and teams of different sorts. It is much easier to throw people on a 50-minute flight versus an 8-hour car trip to come down here. This allows us to accomplish in a weekend what would otherwise take almost a week with travel time.”
— Phil & Elin Henderson, New Tribes missionaries, Mozambique

 

This is how much God loves Papua. In spite of all that your family has been through, you’re coming back as a new family to continue serving here. God must really love us!”
— A Papuan friend speaking to Beth Lynne upon her return from furlough as the new wife of MAF pilot Kevin Lynne.