The MAF Blog: Worldwide Pulse

Posts Tagged ‘missionaries’

The Top 11 Blog Posts of the Year

Posted on: December 16th, 2011 by MAF |

After a successful launch of our blog in March of 2011, we’ve been able to share more our ministry with you. Here’s a look back at our most popular blog posts of the year.

1. The blog post with the most views and shares contains a humorous collection of tips from our pilots who often carry some unusual cargo.: Top 10 Aviation Tips
2. Sometimes the man on a horse who’s blocking the runway is there for a good reason.: The Horse that Wouldn’t Move
3. Staff writer Jason Chatraw gets to experience worst-case scenario flying on a training flight.: White Knuckle Flying
4. Here’s what happens when some of that unusual cargo gets loose mid-flight.: Croc in the Cockpit
5. When a crisis in another country means a quick departure for the Disaster Response manager, he’s all set to go.: What’s in a Disaster Response Go-Bag
6. When you have to adapt to another country, it can really seem like another world.: Opposite World
7. Here’s a trendy tie-in that relates to bringing the Good News to people in remote areas.: Winning as a Christian = Obedience
8. When famine is the cause of too much rain, MAF can help with that.: Food Flights
9. God’s timing is perfect, even when it comes to stopping the rain.: Hand of Providence
10. Often our missionaries have the hard task of saying final goodbyes when moving to another program.: Testimony of Tears
11. Here’s a shout-out to the guys who keep our planes in tip-top shape.: Unsung Heroes

Most likely to make you cry: Natalie Holsten & Rebecca Hopkins
Most likely to respond to your comment: Jim Manley & Rebecca Cannon
Most likely to submit a cool photo: Sean Cannon & Tripp Flythe

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.

A Slice of Americana from the Jungle, Part 2 of 3

Posted on: October 21st, 2011 by Jason Chatraw |

With football season in full swing, we caught up with some MAF missionaries to find out how they follow their teams from the field as part of a three-part series on the subject. In part two of this series, we talked with fans of the collegial variety, Will White (Nebraska) and Tripp Flythe (N.C. State).

Q: There’s the idea when it comes to missions that missionaries have to give up many of the things they love. How hard was it to know that it wouldn’t be so easy to follow your favorite football team each week?

Will: In Haiti, we are fortunate enough to have access to DirecTV. The bad part is Mark Williams was on the same system and lived across the street. He would get the whole NFL package and I had to endure my Sunday naps being interrupted by the Williams family yelling all Sunday afternoon.

Tripp: People may not believe this, but going to football games – the tailgating, seeing college buddies, listening to the call-in show afterwards and sulking or rejoicing with my family and fellow Wolfpackers – this is honestly one of things I miss the most. It’s to the point that as I look at when we’re due for furlough in 2013, I’m going to try really hard to make sure we’re back in the States for most of football season. I love fall in North Carolina, and N.C. State football is a big part of that.

Q: Since you don’t have DirecTV, Tripp, what are some creative ways that you follow your team from the field?

Tripp: These days I mostly just read blogs (usually statefansnation.com) and will occasionally open the ESPN gametracker on my iPhone. I used to listen live on the Internet but I rarely do that anymore since I have three small kids and getting up at 3:30 a.m. to listen to a game isn’t the priority it used to be!

Q: What is one of your most memorable moments following your team from the field?

Will: Probably the most memorable was being able to watch the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. It was an escape from Haiti to have a real American Thanksgiving meal and watch the football game. I love the sounds of a U.S. football game. They are very distinctly different from the soccer games and other sports you hear in developing countries.

Tripp: I was living overseas when Philip Rivers began at N.C. State. He was a true freshman and throwing for like 400 yards a game from day one, and everyone was excited about him. One memorable game was when Georgia Tech visited Carter-Finley in Raleigh and the game went into overtime. Rivers threw a fade to Koren Robinson in the corner of the end zone to win the game. It was like 10:30 a.m. by that point for me, and I was cheering and going crazy, but there was no one there to celebrate with. Times like that are when it can be kind of sad at the same time. That’s when you really miss home. The emotion, excitement, and celebration are all happening 12,000 miles away from you, and you’re sitting there in your pajamas listening to it over dial-up internet. It’s definitely a bittersweet time.

Q: What game are you most looking forward to this year with your team and how do you plan to follow that particular one?

Will: Being on furlough this year, our entire family is looking forward to our small town high school football games in Nebraska. Some nearby towns are so small they have to play 8-man football, which is a lot of fun to watch.

Tripp: Probably the Carolina game, since they are our hated rival. My wife went to UNC, and we’ve beaten them like four years in a row now. To add fuel to the fire, they’re in the middle of a massive NCAA investigation, and State fans in general feel they’re getting their just desserts for the dirty program they’ve been running. There is no love lost there. I’ll probably just follow it on the Game Tracker. College games are almost never shown on TV over here. My brother usually records all the games, puts them on a DVD, and sends them to me to watch later.

Breaking Missionary Stereotypes

Posted on: September 27th, 2011 by John Boyd | 1 Comment

As I try to keep up with fast-moving technology developments, I can’t help but look around and realize just how different today’s world is from the one I grew up in. Being involved in world missions, I recognize that fact more than ever.

After I came to know Christ in my late 30s, my idea of a missionary was a stodgy person – likely a woman – who was a bit awkward socially and somewhat frumpy. I also thought missionaries did boring work, things that no one else would want to do in places no one else wanted to go. But just as longstanding ideas are being turned on their heads in our technology-driven world, so are the concepts of mission work and missionaries.

Today, missionaries can have many roles beyond the teacher, translator and evangelist that seemed most common in the past. They can fly planes, develop communication technology, teach business concepts, dig wells and instruct rural farmers to develop sustainable systems. The roles available to missionaries today are as vast and varied as the personalities and skill sets of the people who fill them.

It excites me to see people from such diverse backgrounds engaging in missions. With their unique gifts and callings, they continue to fulfill the Great Commission and advance the Gospel in powerful and unique ways around the world.

Daily Decisions

Posted on: September 19th, 2011 by Jim Manley | 4 Comments

Jungle flying demands a myriad of decisions. Difficult weather, unexpected detours, and unpredictable people combine to make … another day in the life of an MAF pilot.

5:15am: Amazon rain wakes me. Light, steady drumming predicts a day-long battle. Hard rain passes quickly.

6:35am: Arrive at the airport in time for morning prayer with the team.

7:00am: Morning radio contact with jungle villages starts. Mixed weather, but no emergencies. We preflight our planes.

8:20am: Takeoff from Shell for Copataza. Operable weather is reported, but clumps of dark clouds obscure vision in many directions.

8:55am: Unload passengers and baggage. I have room for two passengers requested for Molino, but three want to go. I wait while they decide who stays.

9:55am: Takeoff from Copataza for Molino.

10:05am: Low clouds close Molino. I change course for Charapacocha. There I also unload the passengers and cargo for Molino because I can’t takeoff from my next stop, Bufeo, with them onboard. I promise to return once the weather clears.

11:00am: Takeoff from Charapacocha for Bufeo

11:45am: Takeoff from Bufeo for Copataza to fulfill promise. Also have two passengers from Bufeo for Shell.

11:55am: Radio call for emergency in Alto Corrientes – a snake bite.

12:10pm: In Alto Corrientes I load the bitten child and her dad. But this one-way strip is muddy. Can I take off with all this weight? Despite the rush, I do the math. The numbers say yes. I decide to believe them and head for Shell.

1:15pm: Low clouds and rain in Shell. I use the instrument procedure to land.

1:45pm: At Shell now, I wait for flyable weather and fix the radio for an airplane we need tomorrow.

2:45pm: Takeoff from Shell for Copataza to move the stranded passengers to Molino. Then I continue to Makuma to fly Bible translators to Cusuimi.

4:45pm: Takeoff from Cusuimi for Numbaimi to pick up missionaries.

4:50pm: Radio call for emergency in Atshuar – a woman with delivery complications. Regulations require I land in Shell by sunset – 6:07pm today. Numbaimi weather is questionable. Can I get everyone and land in time? Doubtful, so I change course for Atshuar. I’ll have to get the missionaries tomorrow.

5:15pm: Land in Atshuar. Wait 20 minutes for woman and husband to get to airplane.

6:05pm: Land in Shell.

6:45pm: Leave the hangar.

7:15pm: Arrive home.