maf news december 2008 - feburary 2009

8/3/2019 MAF News December 2008 - Feburary 2009

1/9

The magazine of Mission Aviation Fellowship

BATTERED HAITI page2 FLYING AGAIN IN CHADpages4-7

December 2008 - February 2009

New house for Henain

Bangladeshpage 8


2/9

What is MAF?

Mission Aviation Fellowship

Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent UK CT20 2TN

Telephone: 0845 850 9505

Email: [email protected]

Registered Charity Number, England and Wales: 1064598

Scottish Ofce

Challenge House, 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0ADTelephone: 0845 850 9505


Registered Charity Number, Scotland: SC039107

Website: www.ma-uk.org

Chie Executive, MAF UK: Ruth Whitaker

MAF News team

Editor: Andy Prescott

Acting Editor: David Longley

Research: Shaun Oliver

Writer: David Hall

Photographers:

Alan Duncan, Richard Hanson,

Robert Kirby-Maynard, Layton Thompson

Design: Positiv Design

Purchasing: Mark Stanton

Art Direction: Richard Bellamy

Printed by John Blackburn LtdBible reerences are taken rom the New International Version

unless otherwise stated

MAF UK December 2008 February 2009 mzrk9

MAF News December 2008 February 2009

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christianorganisation whose mission is to y lightrat in developing countries so that peopleemote areas can receive the help they need.ce 1946, our planes have been speeding theead o the Good News o the Lord Jesusist by word and deed, in places o deepest

man need. Isolated places where ying isa luxury, but a lieline.Every three minutes, an MAF plane isng o or landing somewhere in the world.se ights enable crucial work by manyelopment and aid agencies, missions, localrches and other national groups. Medicale, adequate ood, clean water and Christianpe are reaching countless thousands o men,men and children.Normally, passengers contribute a highly-sidised are towards the true cost. Theance that makes ights possible comes ass rom people concerned that others should

e a better lie spiritually and physically.In the UK, MAF is a registered charityded by voluntary gits which help fnanceFs operational work and support services.Please use the enclosed response orm andelope or your donation to this ministry.MAFs work is vital. Lives depend on it.

seven-hour night trek to the hospital.Our team also co-ordinated logistics or

Air Calvary, a helicopter ministry whichcould access people in areas where planeswere unable to land.

Turning heartsHaiti has the lowest standard o living inthe western hemisphere. The majority othe population lives in poverty, amiliarwith ood shortages, disease, malnutrition,and steep ination, all accompanied by anational 80% unemployment rate.

Although predominantly nominallyChristian, more than hal the people prac-tise voodoo. The country was dedicated tovoodoo in 1791 by slaves, and rededicatedin 1991 by President Aristide.

MAFs work in Haiti began in 1986. Now

these recent events clearly highlight theimportance o our enabling ministry in thecountry.

In an expression o gratitude, GingerMuchmore, parent o a missionary in Haiti,shares, The MAF pilots who serve in Haitihave gone above and beyond. They havepurchased supplies, loaded planes, andown planes. Only God knows how manylives they have touched. Your love or theLord and your servant hearts have made iteasier or us to open more Haitians eyesand turn their hearts rom darkness tolight, and rom the power o Satan to God.

Our role is ar rom over. The uture willinvolve helping to rebuild broken lives andcommunities, and supporting missionarieswho seek to share the light and love oJesus in this needy nation.

Battered Haiti

December 2008 February 2009 MAF News 3

Chie ExecutivesCOMMENTThank you!

May I thank all whohave responded to myletter about our criticaluel situation or your

generosity. As the gits arrived at ourofce, I was thrilled at Gods provisionand goodness through you. Your prayersalong with fnancial giving are making allthe dierence at a time when uel costsare so high in the countries where we y.

We can truly say as the psalmist did inPsalm 75, We give thanks to You, O God,we give thanks! For Your wondrous worksdeclare that Your name is near. (NKJV)

I was recently invited to a birthdayparty. No presents were requested but adonation to charity was suggested. Thebirthday boy (who was 80) thinks he haseverything he needs.

This invitation made me think o thethings I oten take or granted my home,medication, access to a wide selection oood, and clean water. MAF has the privi-lege o working with many organisationsto deliver such things daily to those whoso desperately need them as was the

case so recently in Haiti.I think that it is in looking back that

we see the aithulness o God. We arereminded in Psalm 23, Surely goodnessand mercy shall ollow me all the dayso my lie (NKJV). When we stop andconsider, we see His goodness ollowingus. But the Lord also goes beore us leading us on. So we need not be anxiousabout the uture, whatever it may hold.

As you prepare or Christmas, may Iask you to take a moment to considerthose who do not have the things in liethat we take or granted?

I wish you a wonderul Christmastime and every blessing or the New Year.

Will White (left)

by Stephanie Gidney

In the wake o devastating

storms and hurricanes, MAF

planes ew into action to

assist the disaster response

Tropical stormFaywas frst, hitting Haition 15 August, ollowed by hurricaneGustav, tropical stormHanna and

fnally hurricaneIke on 6 September.Gonaves, which is Haitis second largest

city, took the brunt o the storms. So muchrain ell that the area became a lake, withmuddy oodwaters up to ten eet deep.Nearly two-thirds o the population wereorced to evacuate their homes.

Families huddled together as mud wallsmelted away in the onslaught o torrential

rain and powerul winds. Thousands spentseveral days and nights on rootops.

Years o poor agricultural practices,including partial deorestation, have letlittle vegetation to hold soil in place, whichhas resulted in mudslides adding urthercomplications.

Many organisations and groups werecontributing aid and wanted to help. Withhigh oods, roads destroyed, and thousandscut o, air support was essential.

Flat outOnce weather permitted, our planes werein the air, with the team working at out toassist in the disaster response.

At the outset, Disaster Relie Co-ordinatorand pilot Will White convinced the localauthorities to issue a special permit or him

to y a Red Cross ofcial to Gonaves toassess the damage caused byHanna. Fromthe air, the ofcial sent a text message tothe International Red Cross in Geneva,requesting emergency approval or 20,000inoculations and water purifcation suppliesto oset waterborne diseases. Beore theplane was back on the ground, permissionwas granted.

Partnering with numerous organisations,including Baptist Haiti Mission, SamaritansPurse, Christian Aid Ministries, and the USCoast Guard, we conducted sur vey ights,delivered tons o aid and rescued a numbero people who were trapped.

One request rom a Baptist hospital inPasse Catabois resulted in thousands okilos o supplies, medicines, and intrave-nous solution bags being delivered to thenearest useable airstrip. From there, thecargo was transported by mule train on a


3/9

Chadian team members review recent eventsHonor Deguel Guedna, Planning andFlight Bookings OfcerDifculties in Chad are always to do withood and inrastructure. During unrest, wecant get to the market because it is toodangerous to move around.

My ather was a soldier and he ed toCentral Arican Republic during one o theuprisings. I grew up in Sarh but have beenorced to evacuate three times: in 1982 tomy village, Ber, in 2000 rom Nigeria toNiger because o the Sharia law unrest inKaduna where I was studying, and this yearrom NDjamna to Koudoul.

The unrest in my country has inter-rupted my education. I lost a year in 1987

and again in 1999.

Gague Gebder, Finance OfcerOn Sunday 2 February, my 11 children letor Kelo leaving my wie Sarahtou and mebehind in the capital NDjamna. That veryevening, a bomb hit the roo o my neigh-bours house.

The insecurity led schoolchildren toask: Why should we study when theuture is so uncertain?

I am Treasurer or the NDjamnaregion o my denomination which is EgliseEvanglique au Tchad. Even some o theChristians show some signs o rustration.During the events o February, many metto pray every evening. Then some lettown and a number have not returned.Now, some Christians eel a burden topray but othersdont see the need.

The market wasburnt down duringFebruary whenthere was muchlooting, so neigh-bours are no longertrusted. People eelrustrated, with novoice or any hopeo improving thesituation.

Our church becomes smaller as peoplemove and we dont have enough money tosupport the pastor. It is very difcult tosurvive. But we still continue with ourevangelism. We must give God more time.Without Him, we can do nothing.

Limane Aliouda, Special Projects OfcerThree years ago in my village Kolobo, ateam o people rom dierent denomina-tions started to pray every week or ourcountry. Every Tuesday, my church alsomeets or two hours to pray or the coun-try and or each church amily. Prayer isthe best thing we can do.

I trouble happens, my amily does notwant to stay in NDjamna. Many have

already let and they do not want to comeback. Others havearranged or theirchildren to go toschool outside thearea in case rebelsreturn.

There are land-mines in some partsthat block our evan-gelistic work. Andinsecurity and earare preoccupyingthe minds o many.Gague Gebder Limane Aliouda


British amily returns to

had ater hasty evacuation

Picking up the pieces


F L Y I N G A G A I N I N CHAD A F T E R F E B R U A R Y S T R O U B L E S

Honor Deguel Guedna (left) and pilot Patrick Keller

Greg (pilot) and Jill Vine with theirchildren have settled back into liein NDjamna ollowing the rebel

ack on the city.Inormation Co-ordinator Jill reports:

he whole team was thankul to see eachher ater not being sure we would everurn.We are happy to be back. One reason is

at we eel we have more amily time whenre are here.Their children are also glad. Im enjoy-

g being helpul to those in Arica. It wasfcult to leave England again, recallsther, aged nine. But I love being withy new riends.Six-year-old Ariela likes seeing thetoise that lives in the compound, and

ur-year-old Zoe adds, I like being withy riends and my school.Ater ying a week-long medical saari,eg shared, I eel very good about beingvolved in such work. There is somethingbeing at the coalace about it.Most MAF expatriate sta have comeck ollowing the earlier evacuation, andher young amilies are planning to joine team. Newly appointed as Countryrector is Bert van den Bosch, with hise Janetta and three sons.Tensions and uncertainties continue,d some mission and other expatriaterkers have decided not to return. Theench school has 100 ewer pupils sincee troubles.Yet Jill is convinced the amily is wherehould be. We know we are where Godnts us, and so eel sae in His will.We have to hold our possessions lightly,d we must be ready to leave at any time.t harsh as it can be, NDjamna is our

me as long as we are welcome and Godnts us here.

When they were being evacuated, Jillhad had many anxieties about whetherriends, local people and their own homewould be sae. She kept hearing thepromise, I will take care o that whichconcerns you.

Just beore leaving the UK toreturn, Jill saw two rainbows in aweek and realised that God wasreminding her o His promise.On the frst evening back inChad, ater hearing that every-one we knew was kept saeand ater seeing everythingintact, I went to the ridgeand saw a magnet with apicture o Noahs ark anda rainbow.

The words read,God keeps His prom-ises. I broke into asmile, saying a heart-

elt, Thank You.He is aithul.


4/9

Shortly ater arriving back in Chad,pilot Greg Vine was airborne to helpsome o the countrys most medically-

deprived people.First, a seven-day medical air saari with

Dr Ann Fursdon. That trip gave Greg thechance not only to see medical initiative atits best, but also to work on some o Chadsmost isolated airstrips.

Weaving around rain and storms, theyfrst ew to Kouno clinic where the doctorand her co-worker Jean Pina immediatelybegan work.

Then it was on to Gama where the clinicserves 10,000 people. With no way to warn

in advance o theplanes arrival, Gregew low to assesswhether the airstripwas sae.

While Ann andJean saw patients,with the help ovillage boys Gregcleared the airstripo treacheroustermite nests and

having little contact with senior pastors.The team helped uniy the communitieswith a common vision in their discipleshipand church planting mission.

But ying other pastors to Kouno was asad experience. Extremists rom a nearbyvillage had attacked Kouno one morning,burning and destroying buildings, withpolice heavily outnumbered. Then later onthat week, government troops dealt a heavyblow to the insurgents camp.

There was a terrible atmosphere odeath and aggression, Greg recalls. Theground was laid waste with burnt items,clothing, pots, mats, cartridges and a deadhorse still tethered. Shallow graves were allaround the place.

The pastors encouraged Christians tostand frm in the ace o opposition, as well

as encouraging thelocal governmentrepresentatives.

I Greg was busy,so was Bryan Pill,ulflling his seventhshort-term assign-ment to Chad in ouryears. I have to say Ilove it, he admits.

Bryan immedi-ately spotted signs

F L Y I N G A G A I N I N CHAD A F T E R F E B R U A R Y S T R O U B L E S


Bryan PillGreg Vine

that NDjamna was not completely over theFebruary rebel incursion. Trees that onceprovided welcome shade had been cut downbecause they had sheltered rebel troops.

Landing cautiously at Ati, where birds oprey circling lazily on thermals were a realhazard, Bryan delivered 600kg o medicalequipment and Dr Ray Brown who works atthe local clinic.

We soon had everything unloaded,Bryan comments. But ater fve minutesshiting cargo, I was drenched in sweat.

Endangered elephantsOn board Bryans ight south to Moundouwas a team o Christian Blind Mission eyesurgeons, with operating tables and otherequipment or a ortnight o operations.

Spiritual and physical help is

again reaching rural areas

bushes, frming up soter areas o ground.Gama is an area where many people

preer the local medicine man, but Gregwas encouraged as the male nurse in chargedeclared he was there to do Gods work, nomatter how hard it was.

Exhausted husbandAt both Bembare and Kimr, the doctorworked well into the night, a torch strappedto her orehead as she examined patientsand made notes. At Kimr, Greg helpedsort the medicine stocks, and again didrestorative work on the airstrip. He alsodecided that a return was needed to ellseveral large trees.

Next stop was Koblagu. Once more,the doctor was busy so busy that Greghad to drag her away to ensure landingback at NDjamna beore nightall. Andthat was when Jill Vine ound that herhusband was dirtier, skinnier, redder andexhausted yet happy he had helped makea dierence to people in need.

Encouraged believersGreg also spent three days ying a Chad forChristmission team to Lere, Pala, GounouGaya, Lai, Baibokoum, Moissala, Koumra,Sarh and Kyabe. Strange names to many,but places where churches exist despite

Crucial service resumed

Zakouma National Park in the south-eaststruggled to deend itsel rom poacherswho recently killed a herd o 64 elephantsor ivory. Bryan ew a government ministerand three EU ambassadors or talks aboutEU unding to restore the park.

The VIP visitors were reluctant to leaveuntil it was too late to reach NDjamna,and they had to seek overnight accommo-dation in Sarh. Bryan dined on a carton oPringles something many in todays Chadwould be very grateul to have.

For Bryan, his time in Chad was anotherepisode in the countrys eventul 40-yearrelationship with MAF.

And or Greg, it was a welcome returnto continue the work that he knows is sovital to so many Chadian people.


NEWSIN BRIEF

mbabwe oodth so many people suffering hungerZimbabwe, we have been able toake some contribution by flying tolawayo from South Africa with a tonenriched sorghum-based porridge.ats enough to feed more than 300ults for a month. The food had beennated to a childrens home and anganisation serving AIDS patients. Asu pray for Zimbabwe, praise God fors particular opportunity to help.

tchdoctor turnsth evangelists flying regularly toahaka, Tanzania (see September08MAF News), a week-long evan-listic campaign has been held there.

ore than 1,000 people came to twoents, with many showing interest ine message. Twelve people wereptised, including a witchdoctor.terwards, we flew evangelist

mmanualy to Mahaka to teach thew believers. Pray that they willcome mature disciples of our Lordus Christ.

ew stripot David Pearce carried out MAFsst-ever flight to a new airstrip atpep in the Didinga Mountains ofdan. The mountain-top airstrip isort, sloping and has a bend of 15!e flight carried 800kg of food andpplies for American missionaryuple David and Deborah Miller.ey are building a home to enableem to pioneer a Gospel initiative

mong isolated Didinga people. Prayat some will turn to the Lord soon.

ble enthusiasmhat a joy to help enable Bible teach-g in three secondary schools aroundananara in Madagascar! With nocal teacher, we fly Bible study lead-s there. They provide two hours of

ble study, and follow-up for thoseaking a commitment to Christ. Ine last year, 70 students have beenending, with 14 professing faith.aise the Lord for such interest inripture, and pray that more willme to know the Saviour.

arur reugeesstitute refugees from Darfur livingcamps in Chad have benefited fromveral MAF flights out of Abch.e trips took more than 80 workers

ong with 2 tons of salt, water sani-ion tablets, bottled water, a watermp and 800kg of soap. Pray fords provision for these refugees and

r His hand in resolving the Darfursis swiftly.


5/9

With earsome power,Sidrlashedacross coastal areas, driving inthe Indian Ocean, killing more

an 3,000 people and making 1 millionhers homeless.We have been there in the ront linelping the recovery process.

Habitat or Humanity sta ew withAF two weeks ater the cyclone to seeat needed to be done at the village orzaganj where 3,000 houses were totallyt. Entering partnership with Christian

d Ministries (CAM), Habitat started toild 500 homes.Now, Carolyn Flanagan rom our Publicrtnership team has been to Mirzaganjd seen or hersel. And thats where sheet Hena, an 18-year-old housewie.

ompletely destroyedny Hena lives with her husband o threears Samsunahal and his parents in one obitats new builds.CycloneSidrhad completely destroyedr original home. The oods rose up soghteningly high that Hena could only justep her head above water or three hours.t hers was one o the ortunate amilies

year on rom devastating

yclone Sidr, Hena loves her

ew house in Bangladesh

no one was killed. Today, Hena emphasises,I am so happy to get this house.

And Carolyn marvels, Now, there is noevidence that it ever happened. Althoughdesperately impoverished, everyone wasriendly, happy and extremely resilient.

The new homes are built by hand onplinths to avoid ooding, but the buildingmaterials have to be delivered by boat. Theteams build a rame structure and roo. Butthen, having no supplies or the walls, they

have been encouraging amilies to coverthe rame with either local materials orreclaimed corrugated sheeting or wood.

Crucial assistanceCarolyn looked inside Henas new house.There was a double bed and a single bedpushed together in the ar corner. The onlyroom was surprisingly neat and tidy inside saris were draped around the walls. Thestructure is designed so it can be divided

emergency response to cycloneSidr.Your role in delivering not only aidmaterials but more importantly transport-ing critical sta during the difcult frstweeks and months ollowing the cycloneresulted in the development o inormedand appropriate relie programmes.

And our team is determined to do every-thing possible to continue such activities ina country where vulnerability to regularooding makes lie itsel so very precarious.


Carolyn heads for the shore

Hena in her new home

HRH The Duke of Gloucester (centre)

Desperately impoverished, but resilient

into two rooms i required, and additionalrooms could be added to the back or side.Although Mirzaganj is two miles rom

the river, it was the areas worst-aectedvillage. Roger Bodary, Project Manager withHabitat or Humanity, explains: Habitatwas the frst aid agency to respond to thedisaster. MAFs assistance was crucial andan excellent means o transportation.

And it is because o our ongoing ightsupport that Habitat and CAM are able towork in this remote place.

Child developmentUnderstanding o the importance o theamphibious plane came quickly to Carolyn.

Its just all water! Its quite unbelieva-ble. All you can see as ar as the eye canstretch is a maze o rivers and tributaries,as well as water lying on the ground justso much o the land appears, rom the air,to be under water. We waded through themuddy water to get to the shore.

Another agency that we have supportedollowing the cyclone is Nazarene Mission.Beore setting up low-cost house building,a ood-or-work programme and fve childdevelopment centres inSidr-aected areas,

Nazarene teams distributed 2,500 blankets,and ood to 5,000 amilies.In the midst o intensive ying or the

agency teams themselves, sometimes thereis also a VIP visit. These visits can play animportant part in worldwide advocacytowards securing vital unds or disaster-struck areas.

Thats how, in the wake oSidr, ourplane has carried both His Royal HighnessPrince Richard, Duke o Gloucester, Patrono Habitat or Humanity, and also Shakira.Ater we ew the singer-songwriter toMirzaganj, she exclaimed, I will never beable to orget the aces o mothers who hadlost their children and children who hadlost their parents.

Thanks to that trip, Shakira was able toappeal to the international community tosupport the rebuilding o schools.

Continuing relieSue McIntyre is USAID/OFDA RegionalAdvisor, South Asia. She has written toMAF in Dhaka:

I wish to thank you or the superbsupport and execution o activities romyour ofce in Bangladesh during the recent


6/9

Seeking andsupportingThere has been a recent change to ourPersonnel team. Heather Faulkner, whohas worked with those enquiring aboutoverseas service and those applying tojoin us, has moved on to get married.

We want to thank Heather or every-thing that she has contributed to MAF

during her two periods o service total-ling our years.

Now I am delighted to introduce toyou Heather Gardner who comes romMaidstone and has taken over as ourRecruitment Co-ordinator. Heatherstasks include seeking and supportingthose who eel called to use their skillsand experience to serve God with MAFoverseas.

To maintain a nd develop our ministry,we need to fll a number o vacancies inseveral countries as soon as we can.

We particularly want to hear romthose who already have relevant qualif-cations and experience, whether as anavionics engineer, a pilot or an aircratmaintenance engineer.

On top o that, we are o course stillkeen to hear rom those people who arecurrently working towards our minimumrequirements.

It really helps us in our longer-termplanning to know about people who arenow progressingtowards an applica-tion. And that alsoenables us to giverelevant advice and

support to suchpeople earlier inthe process. So doget in touch.

For urtherinormation aboutserving overseaswith MAF, pleasesee our website www.ma-uk.org orcontact:

Heather GardnerRecruitment Co-ordinatorMission Aviation FellowshipCastle Hill AvenueFOLKESTONECT20 2TN


Telephone: 0845 850 9505

Night fightmergency measures were needed when

urgent call came ater Wilson Airport,irobi, Kenya, had closed or the day.Pilot Derek Reeh and Operations

anager Douglas Kimanthi careullypositioned portablelamps alongside thedark runway.

In the meantime,members o the MAFemergency team weretransorming the cabino a Cessna Caravaninto a mobile intensivecare unit.

Some seats came out to be replaceda stretcher, locked to rails on theor. Medical equipment, including asuscitator and oxygen unit, was thentalled while other MAF sta reuelled

e plane.Derek contacted the radar controllernearby Jomo Kenyatta Airport to getke-o clearance. At 10.40pm, themporary lights slipped out o sightder the aircrats nose. The Caravans airborne over the void o Nairobitional Park, and turning west towardstebbe, Uganda 400 miles away orore Derek wended his way betweenrm clouds.The summons received at 9pm wasa critically-ill middle-aged man with

dney ailure needing urgent treatmentNairobi.Wilson Airport closes at 8.30pm, sothout air trafc control, runway lights,way o fling a ight plan and reuelling

ilities, our team used its own emer-ncy ail-sae plan approved by thethorities.Two hours ater take-o, lights on theanda shoreline became visible. And 40nutes later, Derek landed at Entebbe.The doctor and nurse on board were

ed to Kampala Hospital to collect thetient while Derek paid airport chargesd organised the return ight.Arriving back at Wilson Airport in therly morning, a waiting ambulanceshed the very sick man to Aga Khanspital and Derek got to bed at last.A ew weeks later, the patient wascharged and he returned to Kampalahankul man.By Gods grace, the knowledge andlls o the MAF team a gain proved vitalsaving a lie.

An island that is named ater an Irish

pub The Hairy Lemon providedjust the spot or Derek and Ruth

Hyde to escape to with their three childrenrom the pressures o work.

The amilys our-day camping stay onthe island in the River Nile 50 miles romKampala was an ideal break rom Derekspressures as our Finance Manager in Uganda.

Taxation problems needing his attentionbeore a general revenue amnesty expired,and a theological college in Bunia in the

0 MAF News December 2008 February 2009 December 2008 February 2009 MAF News 11

Serving in Uganda, fve rom

Letchworth know their place

Democratic Republic o Congo (DRC) want-ing an audit were challenges quite apartrom the day-to-day accounts o a busyMAF base.

When Claire, our Cashier and OfceReceptionist, was o work or three months,Derek led a reduced fnance team. Theyhad to continue coping not only withcontrolling the fscal ortunes o MAF inUganda, but also looking ater the fnancialaairs o other missions and missionariesworking in southern Sudan and the DRCwhere there is no eective banking system.

On top o that, Dereks team has takenon responsibility or accounting or oureastern DRC operation.

Hard timesAlthough Ruth has let a teaching role atHeritage International School, she too fndsthat calls on her time are extensive. For theParent Teacher Association o InternationalSchool o Uganda, she organised a charityun run with more than 400 participants.And she is involved, with other MAF sta,in schools and churches with the Out othe Blue puppet ministry led by JacquelineWent, wie o Adrian, our OperationsManager.

Ruth also helped lead an Alpha coursethat ended with three people giving theirlives to Christ.

Despite such hectic liestyles Derekhas occasionally been on call at weekendsand holidays to help process requests oremergency ights the couple still endeav-ours to ensure their children are happy.

A amily aair

uglas Kimanthi

Heather GardnerRecruitment Co-ordinator

Rachel PhippsPersonnel Manager

Theresa (12) enjoys tennis, art and girlsootball at her secondary school, William(8) appreciates tae kwon do and ootball inhis junior school, and Matthew (14) playssaxophone and piano and has perormed atschool awards ceremonies.

The amilys love o music enables themto play together as they occasionally leadworship at church.

Looking more widely in a country wherehard times include ination rising to 16%,they request, Pray or the many Ugandanswho are struggling with the hike in oodprices.

Great expectationsDerek and Ruth let Letchworth fve yearsago to serve in Tanzania. Beore moving onto Uganda in 2006, through a sponsoredclimb o Aricas highest peak, MountKilimanjaro, they helped raise 1,000 orFriends o Mvumi, so supporting a hospitalin the Dodoma region o Tanzania.

The couple, celebrating their twentiethwedding anniversary this year, writes: Theyears seem to y past and yet, looking back,it all seems like only yesterday that we setoot in a oreign land to serve with MAF.

But their vision remains bright. We areexpecting God to do great things with usindividually, as a amily, within the MAFamily and, o course, corporately withinthe church o Christ.

For Derek and Ruth, serving in Arica isa amily aair.


7/9

Privilege and lossMAF Area Representatives Phil and Rosa Stocking and

Mike Fawdrey were in Uganda with Allyson Edwards. Phil

describes one ight:

Shops alongside the road reminded meo old beach huts at Folkestone beorethey were rebuilt, only these had

ults and children outside selling theirres. Most children had no shoes and ewthes, but they still smiled and waved.This road runs 20 miles rom Entebbeport to Kampala, Uganda my frst viewa country I encourage others to help. Att I was seeing it or mysel.Soaring petrol prices were causing as

uch consternation as in the UK althoughnstant hooting announced cars, boda-das (scooters) andmatatus (taxi-vans)erywhere. Food prices, too, have reallycalated. Some amilies have real difcultycuring enough to eat.

A truly warm welcome awaited me romthe MAF Kampala sta. I ound Laurie andEmma Nason were brilliant hosts, and Ispent some time at the MAF guesthouse.Recommended!

As morning dawned, the sweet birdsongthat greeted me contrasted sharply withthe raucous noise o seagulls at my seasidehome. And at once, I was struck by thehuge number o young children walking toschool. Some seemed too young or school.But then I remembered that most Ugandanchildren are smaller than those at home othe same age.

No parents were evident with the chil-dren but most walked in groups. Theirbrightly-coloured uniorms purple, red,blue, green or yellow brought a sense otrue happiness to the day.

Real highlights were mornings sharedwith the ofce sta in their daily pre-workprayer meeting. The Ugandan members othe team were so very thankul or all wedo in the UK that enables them to playtheir part in Uganda. Helping bring physi-cal care and spiritual hope to thousands inoutlying parts o their beautiul country.

I saw more o that beauty on joining anorthbound MAF ight that was piloted byAchim Appel.

Immediately we were airborne, the lushgreen countryside below was breathtaking.But as we ew away rom Lake Victoria,everything became drier.

We stopped at Pader, Kalongo and thenKaabong, where we set down three passen-gers in the middle o nowhere! They wererom the European Commission, travellingto discuss with Medair sta about workingtogether in development or those living atthe northern tip o Uganda.

One lady told me that, i it were not orour morning ight, she would have had tospend an unproductive 12 hours on theunpaved roads in gruelling conditions.MAF aircrat are very much appreciated!

My other ight took me to Kotido. Onapproach, we ollowed what looked like aroad. In reality, it was a dried-up river. Thatdrew my attention to the regular problemo insufcient water.

As we landed, some small children withsticks came running up. Pilot Laurie Nasonexplained that such children are sent outeach day to protect precious goats andsheep hence the sticks.

Then at Moroto, I spotted a group o menapparently weeding and repairing the govern-ment airstrip. They were prisoners, workingin 32C heat without protection but withprison guards behind them with guns!

Heading back to Kampala, we passedbeautiul mountains, wateralls and alsospectacular cloud ormations.

Having experienced so much beauty, somany happy, praising people, and yet somuch need, I came home to throw myselgladly again into the work God has given me.

2 MAF News December 2008 February 2009

Adrian Went

Laurie Nason

Allyson at a school

At last!any MAF Supporters have correspondedith or spoken to Allyson Edwards o ourupporter Relations team. Allysons tasks

ave covered many areas relating to prayer

nd fnancial support. Now she has seen a

ountry or whose people she has worked

r eight years. She writes:

Swiss pilot Simon Wunderli eased our

Cessna Caravan into the air over LakeVictoria.

Far north, 25-year-old Peter had severehead injuries ater a motorcycle accident inKidepo. Despite an eight-hour road journeyto a Gulu hospital, he urgently neededspecialised treatment in Kampala and thatis 70 minutes away by air.

Operations Manager Adrian Went hadco-ordinated medical sta, transport andight plan.

We were accompanied by Nurse Jamesrom the Bugolobi Nursing Home, Kampala,

to care or the patient. It was Jamess frstight. He told me that he elt very privilegedto be called to ace the days challenges.

Like James, I also eel privileged. I livein Olney the home o the hymnwriters

John Newton and William Cowper andI represent MAF in Buckinghamshire.

At Gulu, Peter was carried on board,looking very poorly indeed. Simon placedhim on an inatable stretcher with a venti-lator to help him breathe and a drip bottlealongside. Peters sister came as well shewas very distressed as Peter was her lastremaining brother. I sought to remind herthat Peter was sae in Gods hands.

As we landed, Peter was lited on to awheeled stretcher and put on board anambulance bound or Kampala Hospital.

Sadly, I learnt later that Peter had died

in hospital. But his amily expressed deepgratitude or all MAFs eorts to save him.Please pray or Peters amily, that they

will be sustained in spite o the loss oanother young man.


8/9

church. I was inspired to hear how MAFuses planes to enable missions and otherorganisations go about their business in amuch easier and, oten, saer way. So Istarted supporting the ministry fnanciallyand as a prayer partner.

While making my Will, I decided toleave a legacy to MAF as a practical way ocontinuing my support, as I love its work inserving Christ by serving others.

A git to MAF in your Will is a unique waythrough which you can continue to share inhelping thousands to have a better lie oror some, lie itsel in the uture. We aregrateul or 393,772 received rom lega-cies in the third quarter o 2008. To fndout more about remembering MAF in yourWill, please call 0845 850 9505 or [email protected]

Lifeline beyondyour lifetime

Joans last saleWhen MAF co-ounder Stuart King arrivedat Joan Sampsons house in the village oBarrestone between Canterbury andDover, it was nothing unusual. For the last35 years, Joan has opened her home or anannual November sale in aid o MAF, andStuart is a regular visitor.

But this time, Stuart was delivering abouquet rom all o our sta in Folkestoneto acknowledge the fnal sale held by the90-year-old lady, and the 30,000 her saleshave raised to help keep our aircrat ying.

There was always a long queue o peopledown the lane waiting or the sale to start,reminisces Stuart. Sometimes, 30 cars wereparked in the meadow behind the house.

Joan was also a churchwarden and activewith the local LArche community.

Move this mountain

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

Address

Postcode

I enclose my gift of for use where most needed

MYRESPONSE

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS

Registeredcharityin EnglandandWales(1064598)andinScotland(SC039107)

I want to help bring Godscompassion to needy people

Mission Aviation FellowshipCastle Hill Avenue FOLKESTONE CT20 2TN

29 Canal Street GLASGOW G4 0AD

FSF mzrk2

Please tell me about becoming a local MAFVolunteer

Close riend Tom Frank frst met Joanwhen he was our years old. She was in awelcoming group when he and his parentsarrived rom Budapest in 1940.

I remember Joan teaching me my frstEnglish words, Tom recalls. She was a trueand loyal riend. And that despite the actthat his amily was considered as alienduring the Second World War.

Joans interest in MAF was sparkedwhen Tom spent seven years in Ethiopia asa pilot and then another seven years as UKHome Director.

Toms mother Mogdi helped Joan andothers make most o the items or theannual sale.

Ater Stuarts visit, Joan came to ourFolkestone ofce where he presented herwith a ramed certifcate in recognition oher magnifcent support.


Serving Christ by servingothersby Maurice Webb

I I were but 40 yearsyounger and starting outin lie, I would love to bean avionics engineer withMAF! Instead, my mainoccupation or 23 yearshas been as a TV andvideo engineer.

Ever since I was achild making radios rom kits, Ive beenascinated by electronics. My interest inplanes started when I saw Concorde yover Swindon on its maiden ight romFilton to Fairord, eight miles north owhere I live.

Now, I make and y radio-controlledplanes. Ive also had the privilege o takingthe controls o a Piper PA28 or an hourand had a trial glider ight.

Not long ater I became a Christian in1989, an MAF speaker visited our local

n MAF pilot completed a

ammoth task to boost

edical care in Lesotho

NEWSIN BRIEF

Restoring sightA Christian Blind Mission team flewto Dadaab refugee camp in easternKenya. Many recent arrivals fromSomalia swelled patient numbers.The team performed 135 cataractoperations with 126 patients blind inboth eyes. One was a 14-year-old girl.With one eye treated previously, theteam operated on her other eye. Nowshe sees clearly, so can go to schooland help her family with chores.

Forest ightDeep in the rainforests of easternDemocratic Republic of Congo, anairstrip at Andulu has been disusedsince 1996. Now, the local church hascleared the airstrip, and Joey Lincolnflew there with an Assemblies of Godteam to hold a fortnights evangelisticcampaign and childrens camps. Praythat God will continue to move in thehearts of both children and adults inAndulu.

Food assessmentRyan Cuthel flew a Food for the Hungryteam within Sudan from Chuil to KiechKuon. On an earlier visit, they hadtaught crop growing, so they assessedhow much the people had learnt andwhether their crops were successful.They had also provided fishing equip-ment, so they investigated the yield.

From early morning until late aternoonevery weekday or fve weeks, pilotMark Liprini made up to six return

ps over mountains in Lesotho. MAFset there regularly serves Partners inalth (PiH), but this task required a largercrat rom South Arica.Mark erried cement bricks, rolls o

etal reinorcing mesh, door rames, uel,stic, window rames, bags o cement and

ushed stone, reinorcing bars, tools and aw gas cylinders rom Qachas Nek, on therder with South Arica, up to Lebakeng,lated at 6,000t high.The 100-ton mini-mountain that Markted is enabling PiH to expand a smallo-roomed consulting clinic by adding anay room, two isolation wards one eachTB and other diseases a pharmacy, areroom and a doctors house.Each nine-minute delivery ight would

ve taken a day by land, with goods carriede fnal fve hours over mountain tracks one backs o Basotho ponies. Lebakeng aptlyeans the middle o nowhere.Mark loved the challenge, ying to onethe shortest airstrips on which he haser landed.

It was a tad daunting 545 metres osand and stone with no room or error ateither end, he discloses.

Local women made an important contri-bution, carrying many o the stones neededor the new building or up to a mile.

The clinic one o six run by PiH inlandlocked Lesotho is on the centralplateau where PiH trains doctors, nursesand healthcare workers as well as providingmedicine and ood. Surrounded by moun-tains, the clinic began 30 years ago. Itserves a wide area in southern Lesotho the worlds only independent state entirelyabove 3,250t.

In the capital Maseru, PiH has acilitiesor treating TB and HIV/AIDS patients. Italso trains doctors and nurses in the landwith one o the worlds highest rates oHIV/AIDS inection at over 25%. The UNdescribes more than 40% o the populationas ultra poor.

Thanks to Mark, our operational teamand MAF Supporters, the expanded clinicwill bring comprehensive services to thou-sands more patients each year or whomthere is no other healthcare provision.

Mark reports, There is much joy in theair at Lebakeng.

And Dr Jen Furin rom PiH wrote tohim: You are making a major contributionwhere we will provide compassionate anddignifed care to poor people.


9/9

Saving young livesWhen we ew a doctor to Sahakevo, Madagascar, he examinedtwo young boys, Todisoa and Rakotozafmimahaleo. Both o them

had an exposed hernia, and the doctor starkly declared that both

would die without surgery in the capital Antananarivo. So we

sped them there thats what MAF does. National and expatriate

mission sta bore the hospital costs themselves. Just 20 days

later, pilot Matthew Slaubaugh ew the boys back home, both

having recovered. Jakob Adol, who is our Madagascar Country

Director, insists, Saving these young lives alone made it worth

building the airstrip in Sahakevo. Doubtless, Todisoa and

Rakotozafmimahaleo would agree.

maf news december 2008 - feburary 2009

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