PD
from the
PRESIDENT’S DESK
“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done.”
– Psalm 78:4b
Dear Friend, Do you ever think about your spiritual family tree? For those people who come from Christian families, their spiritual branches are often woven together with their biological ones. For others—like myself—spiritual lineage does not come from one’s biological family but from friends or coworkers. In the places where MAF serves, the seeds of spiritual lineage are often sown by missionaries. It never ceases to amaze me the way the Gospel can transform entire communities. There are many remote places around the world where children and grandchildren live vastly different lives because their parents and grandparents heard the Good News of our Lord! That is why I am so excited about the impact that people like you are having through MAF … not only on those alive today but on the next generations. In this issue of FlightWatch, you will read about how MAF recently launched the Future Generations campaign. This campaign will raise funds for several areas critical to the future of the ministry. It will allow us to invest in airplanes and other infrastructures, and position us to explore new ways to reach out to some of the most difficult parts of the world. The Future Generations campaign has the potential to transform the eternal destinies of isolated people through Christ’s love long into the future. Entire family histories will be altered through the support of people like you! Thank you for being a part of the work MAF is doing. I am thrilled to see what God has in store. For His glory,
John C. Boyd President and CEO
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maf.org
a publication of Mission Aviation Fellowship The stories within FlightWatch are highlights of MAF’s ministry. Some days our missionaries get to see and experience the amazing things our Lord is doing. Other days are spent quietly and diligently serving the Lord through routine flights, maintenance work, and simply living among others in foreign countries. We believe that God works through all areas of service and at times blesses us with extraordinary glimpses of His work.
Managing Editor: Production Manager: Art Director: Graphic Designer: Writers/Resourcing:
Tracey Werre Micki Blair Colby Dees Clayton Borah Chris Burgess Jennifer Wolf
Every gift you send, every prayer you offer for MAF, helps change lives through aviation and technology. We enjoy hearing from you! Please send comments and questions to MAF-US@maf.org. MAF PO Box 47 Nampa, ID 83653-0047 208-498-0800 1-800-FLYS-MAF (359-7623) maf.org MAF maintains the highest standards of financial accountability and public disclosure to donors, the government, and the world at large. MAF is a member of ... Accord™ (formerly AERDO) • CSC Christian Service Charities • ECFA Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability • IAMA International Association of Missionary Aviation • Missio Nexus. All Scripture references, unless otherwise noted, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2010 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
On the Cover: Children in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Photo by Layton Thompson
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THREE WAYS FORWARD HOW YOU CAN JOIN A LASTING LEGACY There are several challenges that stand in the way of MAF being able to fulfill the mission of sharing Christ’s love with future generations of isolated people, but each challenge presents an opportunity for God to show His faithfulness and for supporters like you to become involved. Fleet Optimization For more than 25 years, the Cessna 206 has been the workhorse of the MAF fleet. Unfortunately, the aviation gasoline (avgas) required to fuel its piston engine is increasingly scarce and often expensive in isolated areas where MAF serves. Years ago, plans were made to optimize the fleet by replacing most of its C206s with jet-fueled airplanes, such as Quest KODIAKs and Cessna Caravans. Since 2009, 19 airplanes have been deployed in MAF programs across the world. In the next three years, MAF plans to purchase a Caravan on floats for Papua and a Grand Caravan for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Campus Expansion MAF’s U.S. headquarters is a global hub—not just for supporting our work in several different countries but also for training and sending missionaries across the world. Families in training temporarily live in campus housing, sometimes for months at a time, and there are currently very few facilities where they can socialize or where their children can safely play. Providing these families— especially those with children—the space they need to foster a sense of community is essential for our staff to thrive as they prepare to live and minister cross-culturally.
The expanded campus will provide the space not only for new and furloughing families but for our many volunteers who often stay on campus to serve throughout the summer months. Expanding the campus has always been a part of our overall vision for MAF since the move from California to Idaho in 2006. New Ministries and Initiatives MAF is always attentive to opportunities for new flight, technology, and training programs. But launching a new program is an arduous process for an aviation and technology organization. In order to achieve the end goal of reaching unengaged and unreached people, MAF seeks creative, legitimate ways to be in politically sensitive regions, through ministry models that leverage the aviation and technical skills of our staff. Examples of new ministry initiatives in the most recent years consist of a pilot training school in a politically and religiously closed country, laying the groundwork for a long-term program in Nepal, and navigating regulatory requirements to launch a new aviation program in a Central Asian country that currently has no flight service into remote areas. When a new opportunity presents itself, MAF doesn’t want to miss an open door. That’s why a dedicated fund needs to be in place for new initiatives, so MAF can act quickly to research and develop new ministry thrusts and programs as God leads.
1-800-FLYS-MAF
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AREA MAF pilot Jeremiah Hartin banked the KODIAK aircraft, and his passengers’ hearts began to beat a little faster. Far below them, tucked into the edge of trees near the shore of a lake, was a single grass-roofed hut. This was what they had been been hoping to find! Hartin noted the GPS coordinates and limestone karst topography—alternating peaks and valleys that look like a giant egg carton. It’s here in the rugged Bird’s Neck region of Papua, Indonesia, that MAF is partnering with New Tribes Mission (NTM) to reach an isolated tribe that still needs to hear about Jesus. Before starting out on this aerial survey, Hartin sat down with NTM missionaries, Peter, Josh, and Andy, to map out specific locations. Back in the mid-1990s, MAF worked with several mission groups to survey and identify locations with unreached tribes. This resulted in a map marking specific areas, and assigning them a number. The map is still referred to today. Some locations now have missionaries working there, and tribes are being transformed by the Gospel, like the Korowai and Moi tribes, and the people of Esrotnamba, whose stories have been told in previous FlightWatch issues. NTM has been looking for a gap, a place that has been missed because it’s more difficult to access. “Area 13” is one of those areas, and that’s where the grass-roofed hut was spotted. There’s a tribe there with between 800 and 1,200 people. “The tribe we are pursuing, as well as a few neighboring tribes, had never had foreign missionaries work among them,” said Josh. “On two occasions that we know of in the past 15 years, missionaries had flown into the remotest village by helicopter, but the people had turned them away. We also learned that some Indonesian denominations had tried doing outreach in this area but found it really difficult.”
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From left to right: Peter (NTM), Nathan Fagerlie (MAF), Josh (NTM), Jeremiah Hartin (MAF), Andy and Nathan (NTM). Photo courtesy of New Tribes Mission
The NTM team was praying specifically for the Lord to show them where He wanted them to work. As they began researching and building relations with government and church leaders in the nearest towns, doors began to open—they were well received. “It seems that the Lord is showing us it is finally time for these people to hear His truth,” added Josh. While they had this initial approval, they still needed an invitation from the tribal leaders themselves before the missionaries could come and live among their people. It would seem a tough sell since this people group is particularly isolated and closed to outside influences. “They enjoy the reputation of having strong pride in their traditions,” said Josh. “They’re respected by neighboring tribes, as many believe their languages originated from this people group.”
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With doors opening, and your help, now is the time for an unreached tribe in Indonesia to hear about Jesus.
So the NTM team set out to visit a certain village in the hopes of meeting with the tribe’s leaders, and MAF’s airplane played a crucial role. First, MAF flew them to the nearest town. From there they hired a local guide to take them upriver a few hours to the location they had identified. However, when they got there they discovered they were at the wrong village; they had traveled on the wrong river. On top of that, they arrived during an important ceremony that was taking place for a leader of the tribe who had passed away 100 days earlier. But God works in mysterious ways, and it turns out that everybody they needed to meet with was together in this one place—for the ceremony! Not only did they get to meet with the right people, but they also met with the heads of other tribes who knew about the good work and reputation of other missionaries in Papua. Those people advocated for the NTM missionaries, telling the tribe’s leaders, “These are good people. You should invite them in.” So the Lord had orchestrated the whole thing! They ended up right where they needed to be. Imagine the stories the NTM team had to share after this trip. And share they did, along with the fresh crabs they had gathered from the river. Together with the MAF Nabire families, they enjoyed a New Orleansstyle crab feed. Afterwards, the maps came out, and the excitement grew as the NTM missionaries talked about where they had been and all they had seen.
Peter, Andy, and Josh (left to right, NTM) with Brian Marx (right, MAF) at his home, after the crab feed. Photo by Jeremiah Hartin
Just as you’ve partnered with MAF to bring the Good News to other tribes, you’ll also play a role in the work that will be happening in Area 13. Imagine several years into the future, when NTM has learned the language and translated portions of Scripture. One by one, God’s Word will come to each hut, and entire families will be transformed by His love—from this generation to the next.
“We are grateful not only for MAF’s aerial support, but also value the fellowship and spiritual camaraderie that we share with MAF missionaries,” said Josh. “Even though the village won’t initially have an airstrip, we still will most likely rely on MAF to bring our supplies from Nabire to a location where a helicopter can then make shuttle flights. It is a wonderful picture of God’s people working together to get the job done!”
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MOBILIZING THE WORKERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO FOLLOW THE CALL TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few …” Jesus said to over 70 of His followers as He sent them out to proclaim the coming Kingdom. This was immediately after Jesus addressed a laundry list of excuses that well-intentioned people gave for not following Him. And these “excuses” were not minor—one man wanted to bury his father, another had a family.
missionary pilot. “We need new staff who will be part of reaching current and future generations with the Gospel.”
There are no false pretenses about the nature of following Christ. He never said it would be easy. He warns of suffering, homelessness, and even death. Not much has changed for His followers today—the cost is still great. So even though the field is ripe for the harvest, MAF is challenged to find those who are willing to go. A Different World Today, missionary aviation looks very different from the early days of Nate Saint and Betty Greene. It’s less about pioneering mission work in the jungles and more about supporting indigenous pastors, as well as strategically working in closed countries. So while it may look different, the opportunities for ministry are not less. MAF pilots often find that their passenger is not a western missionary, but a foreign aid worker, government official, local teacher, student, or pastor. In some places MAF staff are the only Christian presence. “Transition is happening. The way we have always done things needs to change in order to meet new opportunities,” said Ron Hilbrands, MAF Mobilization manager and former
Ron Hilbrands. Photo courtesy of Crissie Rask
Ripe Fields MAF’s services—from aviation to technology— allow MAF to be in places where more conventional missionaries can no longer gain access. “Opportunities are opening for MAF to use aviation and technology in closed countries where traditional missions are prohibited,” said Ron. “We are going into Satan’s strongholds as an expeditionary force. We’re going to places where there has been no Christian witness for a long time.” MAF needs people with a background in aviation, technology, or teaching willing to go to places that are in desperate need of the love of Christ. “We are looking for people with skillsets and a passion for reaching hard-to-reach people,” said Ron. “MAF may be where God is calling them, and we can place them where they are needed.”
If you or someone you know wants to reach isolated people with the love of Jesus Christ, contact MAF 6
maf.org
Mobilization at mobilization@maf.org.
A MESSAGE FOR ALL GENERATIONS How you can reach future generations with Christ’s love through MAF
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ull back the curtains of time; before Nate Saint; before the missionary movements of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries; before William Carey, Hudson Taylor, and Adoniram Judson; even before the Apostle Paul’s missionary journeys; and you will find an empty tomb in a remote corner of the Roman Empire—out of which inexplicably rose an obscure wood-working rabbi. Before the Risen Christ ascended into heaven, He spoke to His small band of followers and left them with a mandate: Go out and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them. Show them the Way I have taught you. And I will be with you always—even until the end. And so His followers went out—empowered by the Holy Spirit—to the entire world with a message that would change everything. They have been going for over two thousand years. And they are still going. A PL ENTIF U L HAR VEST Today, the Gospel has been carried to much of the world. But there are still people who have never heard. And some places have become politically or religiously closed— ensuring that current and future generations are just as unreached by the hope of Jesus as those living in isolation. In some ways, not much has changed. There are still corners of the world, like parts of the highlands of Papua, Indonesia, where people wake up and go about their days just like they have for thousands of years—living in fear of tribal warfare and malevolent spirits, and often without the ability to meet their basic needs. But in other ways the world today is a vastly different place than when MAF
first took to the skies. MAF stands at a unique point in history. As the world seems to be increasingly at odds with the Gospel message, MAF is not only being allowed to operate in many places “closed” to the Gospel but are often being invited in by the local governments because of the valuable services we provide. This presents a unique opportunity for future generations of isolated people to be transformed by the power of Christ’s love. “If MAF is going to reach future generations of people living in spiritual darkness, we cannot continue with business as usual. We must accelerate our ministry to bring the Gospel to a changing world.” - John Boyd, MAF President and CEO LOOK I NG TO TH E F U TU RE MAF launched the Future Generations campaign this year so the organization can be in a position to share the transforming love of Jesus with isolated people for many years to come! This campaign seeks to revitalize an aging fleet of airplanes, expand the global headquarters to accommodate and train more missionaries, and allow MAF to launch new ministries in places untouched by the Gospel. The legacy in which MAF missionaries walk goes back further than 1945. These missionaries follow in the footsteps of the early apostles, of brave missionaries setting sail for foreign lands, of those who have given their lives so even people in the hardest-to-reach places would know about the Savior from Galilee. MAF missionaries, and you when you support them, heed the same mandate that Jesus gave to His followers: Go and make disciples. 1-800-FLYS-MAF
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NEWS BRIEFS
Photo courtesy of Dave Jacobsson
JOIN US IN PRAYER ...
Photo courtesy of Atalie Snyder
HAND-IN-HAND WITH THE CONGOLESE CHURCH
WHERE TECHNOLOGY, FAITH, AND MISSIONS INTERSECT
In November, Ron Wismer, MAF’s field advisor for ministry initiatives, spent time in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). MAF has recently strengthened its efforts to provide highly subsidized flights for national churches. Ron met with churches and mission groups in the area to determine where they want to plant churches and how MAF aircraft can help meet their needs. He will also help set up processes to capture information on an ongoing basis so it can be reported back to those who help fund these flights.
MAF headquarters was one of the host sites for a three-day hackathon in early November. It was a great opportunity for tech-savvy young people who desire to create and strategically use technologies to advance the Gospel. The “hackers” had the opportunity to collaborate on one of 14 global mission-focused challenges, including one project specific to MAF. The global event, Indigitous #HACK, drew some 1,300 participants who met in 28 cities around the world, and online—about a dozen of them were at MAF. To find out more, visit indigitous.org.
Reach future generations of isolated people with Christ’s love.
We cannot do it without you. Fleet Optimization Campus Expansion New Ministries & Initiatives
Give today at maf.org/future
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For the Future Generations campaign. May the Lord use this in powerful ways so isolated people around the world can be transformed by His love.
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For the pre-field staff who are visiting churches around the U.S. to build their support teams. May the Lord keep them safe in their travels and bring divine appointments.
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For Restelisitoe Maila, an MAF Lesotho national mechanic who is in Michigan for a year of training. Ask the Lord to strengthen him and his wife as they are apart.
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That two new flying doctor projects starting up in Mozambique would receive funding and see logistics come together.
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For the people of Haiti whose lives have been uprooted by Hurricane Matthew, that they would receive help to rebuild their homes and their livelihoods, and see an end to their suffering.
“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” - Psalm 95: 6-7a