FlightWatch - 2025, Volume 3

F L I G H T WATC H “ T H E E A RT H I S T H E LO R D’ S … ”

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M A F. O R G

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”

—Psalm 24:1-2 (NIV)

God has created an amazing world for us to live in, and one of the best vantage points to see it from is the cockpit of a Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) airplane.

The vast rainforest surrounding the winding Congo River, the vibrant coral reefs off the coast of Haiti, the soaring Star Mountains of Papua—all testify to the glory of God. While there is so much beauty in the places where MAF serves, the effects of sin are also evident in polluted waterways, roadside garbage fires, and indiscriminate deforestation that harms wildlife and destroys livelihoods.

Sadly, all these things are common in impoverished societies as they endure conflict, sustained periods of governmental dysfunctionality, and minimal access to educational resources. When people are struggling simply to survive, properly disposing of garbage or effectively managing their natural resources becomes a much lower priority for them.

Around the world, MAF programs do periodic flights supporting conservation efforts being undertaken by other ministries, NGOs, or local organizations.

This type of flying aligns with one of our areas of impact—stewarding creation as a reflection of God’s love for mankind.

In this issue of FlightWatch, you’ll learn how MAF supports conservation organizations in Mozambique and partners with them to bring medical care to isolated communities in a wildlife reserve. Undergirding this ministry is a gospel-centered worldview seeking to clearly communicate that our ultimate hope is found in Jesus Christ.

Thank you for partnering with MAF as we seek to make both a physical and spiritual impact in the remote communities we serve.

Serving together,

David Holsten President and CEO

Photo by Lemuel Malabuyo

THANK YOU FOR KEEPING MAF PLANES FLYING AND FLYING SAFELY!

This spring, you helped us raise over $1 million to provide the practical things that allow us to continue fulfilling our vision of reaching isolated people.

Here is what your gifts are supporting: Engine overhaul for PK-MEB Airplane inspections and maintenance Critical components for tracking system Structural testing equipment Hot section engine inspections Airplane tires Airplane parts and fluids

WHEN YOU GIVE TO MAF, YOU ENABLE US TO BRING HELP, HOPE, AND HEALING TO PEOPLE IN REMOTE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD.

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CONSERVING, CARING, AND SHARING MAF partners with medical teams and conservation groups in a wildlife reserve, saving lives and stewarding God’s creation

BY JENNIFER WOLF | PHOTOS BY LEMUEL MALABUYO

Early morning at the Nampula airport in Mozambique, a group of passengers forms a circle before they board an MAF plane (known as Ambassador Aviation in Mozambique). Jacinto Joaquim, director of the MozMed healthcare program, prays for their flight.

An initiative supported by MAF staff to meet the needs of remote communities, MozMed currently serves people living in the Niassa Special Reserve, in the northernmost part of the country.

Three MozMed volunteers and returning patients who had received surgeries board the plane for their 90-minute flight to the Reserve. The Christian medical personnel—a nurse, a dentist, and an eye doctor— are on their way to spend the next 24-plus hours in the Reserve, where they will hold three clinics.

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A MozMed team, L to R: Basilio Lionde, ophthalmologist; Sanova Mugabe, medical doctor; and Claudio Argelio Nazare, dentist.

UNIQUE PARTNERSHIPS The Niassa Special Reserve is a protected area that spans 16,000 square miles. It’s home to a large population of elephants, lions, leopards, wild dogs, wildebeest, and more.

“People have been living in Niassa with wildlife for millennia, which is quite unique across the whole continent,” says Agostinho Jorge, director of conservation for the Niassa Carnivore Project (NCP).

“In the same place there are huge levels of poverty,” he adds, noting some 70,000 people live here.

NCP’s mission is to protect large carnivores and their prey while promoting coexistence with the people.

By having a holistic approach, NCP is meeting people’s physical needs and gaining buy-in for their conservation efforts. One way they’re doing this is by funding MozMed visits and providing food and lodging for the pilot, the medical team, and any patients traveling with them. NCP is one of several conservation groups in the Reserve that is partnering with MAF and the MozMed project.

Agostinho Jorge, director of conservation for the Niassa Carnivore Project.

Not only do the doctors see patients in the villages, but in the evening they also treatt conservation staff at the camp that’s hosting them overnight.

In Mbamba, a village that NCP partners with and where MozMed holds a monthly clinic, 378 people were seen by the doctors last year, April through December, and 278 conservation staff were seen in Mariri.

In this remote area, people who need medical care must endure a difficult and expensive overland journey ... or do without.

A local assistant records the names of patients waiting to be treated in Mussoma.

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This regular at the Mariri Education Center and camp pauses in front of a memorial for elephants lost to poaching.

PRESERVATION Several years ago, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which oversees the entire Reserve, was without the airplane they used to patrol for poachers. MAF was glad to help out.

MAF pilot Dave Holmes shared, “We would do patrol flights looking for signs of poaching—vultures circling around carcasses—or illegal mining or logging.”

Dave was patrolling one day when he got a call that a game ranger had been shot by active poachers. He was able to fly the man to a district hospital so he could have surgery.

During Africa’s poaching crisis from 2008 through 2014 the Reserve lost 70 percent of its elephants—leaving about 3,100.

NCP, while focused on carnivores, has also played a role in saving elephants. Today they number around 4,400.

Agostinho credits the increase in part to the communities within the NCP management area that are preventing outsiders from shooting elephants. In particular, he emphasizes, “Mbamba has become a no-go zone for outsiders.”

But before the people could see the value in this, they needed help coexisting with the elephants and buffaloes that were destroying their gardens and mango trees.

Working together, NCP and the Mbamba community came up with a solution.

An NCP conservationist tracks lions in the Niassa Special Reserve.

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What at first seemed impossible—kept elephants out of the village.

This led to an increase in vegetable gardens, improved safety, and regular income for the community.

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RESCUES In 2021, Dave Holmes delivered a team from National Geographic (NG) magazine to the Mariri airstrip, where NCP is based, so they could do a story about the group and Mbamba.

Unfortunately, a few days later, insurgents crossed into the Reserve.

Since 2017, violent extremists have been attacking communities in northern Mozambique, killing over 2,000 and displacing more than a million people (acaps.org). Now they were destroying lives in the Reserve—and getting closer to Mariri.

MAF was called for an evacuation flight.

Two hours later, Dave arrived to pick up the NG team and some of the most vulnerable NCP staff—women and the elderly.

“Knowing that you have a reliable partner like MAF that you can call any time makes us operate with a lot more confidence.”

“Knowing that you have a reliable partner like MAF that you can call any time makes us operate with a lot more confidence in this remote part of Mozambique, where accidents are common,” says Agostinho. “Whether you get shot by poachers, whether it’s insurgents, whether it’s being spit in the eyes by a venomous snake … Many colleagues have been evacuated by MAF.

“Basically, MAF has been saving lives,” concludes Agostinho.

Dave Holmes assists a MozMed patient returning to his village after recovering from surgery in Nampula.

SHARING HOPE Back in Nampula, at the housing complex where MozMed patients recover from surgery and wait for their return flight home, Jacinto says there are many success stories.

People with cataracts regained their sight, a village chief received a full set of dentures, many were healed of goiters and hernias. A young girl had an aggressive facial tumor removed, and her father asked for a Bible because, he said, “I want to know this God that you are serving.”

Through the medical assistance of MozMed, “We talk about Jesus’ love for them,” says Jacinto. “The most important part is the heart, the soul, the spiritual part.”

We are called to this, because the earth, the people, and all creation belong to the Lord and are entrusted to His people.

Jacinto Joaquim, director of MozMed. 7

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PAVING THE WAY FOR THE GOSPEL New and improved airstrips make ministry possible

BY NATALIE HOLSTEN

much-needed repair work.

An MAF plane flies over a newly constructed airstrip, carved out of the mountainside by villagers using only hand tools and wheelbarrows.

A dirt road connects Long Layu to a nearby town, but torrential rains washed out bridges, effectively cutting off the village and complicating airstrip repairs.

The pilot dips his wings to get a better look and sees a crowd gathered, many of them dressed in their traditional best. After landing, villagers surround the plane, whooping and celebrating the culmination of what sometimes takes a decade or more of work.

For three months, MAF could not serve the community.

A seven-year-old boy died from lack of emergency medical care, a Bible translation team missed a JESUS film workshop, and vital supplies were not delivered.

“To make that first landing is pretty special,” said longtime MAF pilot Mike Brown. “They know we’re coming, you can see them when you’re still circling overhead.”

“MAF exists to bring help, hope, and healing through aviation,” said MAF Kalimantan program director Jeremy Toews. “None of that happens without an airstrip.”

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MAF program director Stephen Hale wants to prevent a similar situation in several villages. Once marginal airstrips fall into disrepair, he said, MAF can’t reach remote communities, and they are at risk of falling further into isolation.

The opening of new airstrips and upkeep of current ones is a vital part of serving isolated people.

Last year in Papua, Indonesia, Mike helped open four new airstrips in the highlands, paving the way for new ministry and community development in areas that would otherwise take days or weeks to reach over jungle trails.

A recent gift from an MAF donor is enabling airstrip repairs at four key locations, including Mimia. With tall trees lining the airstrip, a soft and undulating surface, and poor crowd control, it’s a challenging place to operate from.

One new airstrip is Nipsan Baru. It’s a few hours’ walk from another airstrip in an adjacent valley but serves a totally different group of people. The community worked for 17 years to build their airstrip. “They are grateful for the service that the MAF aircraft will provide,” shared MAF pilot Dave Ringenberg upon its opening.

“If these airstrips close, the impact is significant,” Stephen said. “Kids can’t get vaccinated. Ministry and evangelism in the heart of the Congo could grind to a halt. It means the difference between people hearing the gospel or not.”

In another area of Papua, local pastor Petrus asked for years for MAF to serve two villages, Bolakna and Londin, for church outreach and discipleship. Since MAF opened both airstrips, church leaders were flown in and held trainings and conferences.

But work is underway, and MAF has already flown into two recently improved airstrips, delivering critical supplies along with a team of Congolese pastors to teach at a seminary.

Earlier this year, flights resumed in Long Layu, allowing the Bible translation team to continue their work.

MAF airplanes land on short, rugged airstrips, and over time, the elements and frequent use take their toll.

Erosion makes takeoffs and landings not only challenging but also dangerous. When that happens, an airstrip must close for repairs.

Jeremy said, “This situation in Long Layu has emphasized to me the critical nature of the services that MAF provides here in Kalimantan and places like it, and the vital role the airstrip plays in all we do.”

In Kalimantan, Indonesia, the community of Long Layu keenly felt the impact when their airstrip closed for MAF.ORG

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Photo by Jacob O’Brien

Photo by Jacob O’Brien

Photo by Marthen Tandisau

Photo by Dave Ringenberg

(Clockwise from top left) MAF delivers a wheelbarrow and other supplies to Mimia; Local villagers pitch in to work on the Mimia airstrip; Repairs in Long Layu are a group effort; People in Nipsan Baru gather for the opening of their airstrip; MAF pilot Mike Brown receives a warm welcome in Nipsan Baru.

Photo by Dave Ringenberg 9

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NEWS KING CHARLES RECOGNIZES MAF In celebration of MAF’s 80th anniversary, King Charles unveiled a new Cessna Grand Caravan airplane that will serve isolated communities in Papua New Guinea. The king’s visit came shortly after an event at Buckingham Palace in February, where His Majesty recognized MAF alongside other humanitarian organizations for making a positive impact. —Photo courtesy of Andy Aitchison

MAF HELPS FIGHT MALARIA Thanks to the generosity of MAF supporters, 1,133 lifesaving malaria tests and treatments were recently delivered to Vanga Hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The DRC is the second leading country in global malaria deaths, a preventable and treatable disease transmitted through mosquitoes. Now, Vanga Hospital’s shelves will be fully stocked to support patients needing treatment in this isolated region.

—Photo by Jacob O’Brien

HEARING THE GOSPEL IN PAPUA You may recall reading about John Cutts, a secondgeneration missionary to the Moni people in Papua, Indonesia, in our May 2025 issue of FlightWatch.

MAF recently flew John to Pogapa to deliver 50 talking Bibles that will allow the community to hear the New Testament in their native language. Praise God for ensuring pilot Dave Ringenberg could safely land despite frequent closures due to security concerns. —Photo by Dave Ringenberg

The cover photo of the May FlightWatch taken by Dave Hoisington in Papua, Indonesia, was misattributed.

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MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT JASON & CONNIE RISSER Jason and Connie Risser’s 37 years of service to the Lord through MAF began with a single spark. When he was 12, Jason heard a missionary pilot speak at his church, igniting in him a passion for missions. After serving 15 years in Africa, Jason now trains new MAF pilots through his role as a flight instructor in Idaho. He’s maintaining training airstrips and preparing pilots for challenging environments. Connie helps train educational therapists and occasionally travels overseas to assist MAF families in need.

The couple’s faith has been central during challenges, sustaining them through times of uncertainty. They remain future-focused in their call to MAF. “There’s always a need for safe, reliable air transport around the world,” Jason asserts.

“God continues to use MAF to promote His kingdom to the ends of the earth.”

WANT TO BE PART OF THIS AMAZING JOURNEY? The Rissers are actively seeking prayer and financial partners.

Learn how you can be a vital part of their team at www.maf.org/risser.

PRAYER MAF pilot Ryan Koher was wrongfully imprisoned in Mozambique in 2022. This April, Ryan and his family finally were able to return to Mozambique to resume their ministry. Pray for ongoing peace and protection for the country and the MAF team serving there.

In May, MAF proactively evacuated staff from Haiti due to escalating gang violence in the area. Pray for our team as we discern where the evacuated staff can serve within the organization; that Haiti may experience peace and stability again soon; and that MAF will be able to continue delivering help, hope, and healing there when conditions improve.

Please pray for the people in the Niassa Special Reserve in Mozambique (see the story on page 4), where insurgents attacked two conservation outposts in April—including the one in Mariri. Many of the MozMed healthcare visits are on hold until security improves. Pray for peace to return so medical needs can be met in this remote area.

Give thanks to God for a wonderful day celebrating MAF’s 80th anniversary with supporters at our Idaho headquarters in June. We continue to praise Him each day for so many generous partners who help make this ministry possible.

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SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND MAKE DISCIPLES EVERY MONTH. Flight Crew isn’t just a monthly giving program. It’s a global community of passionate Jesus followers making history with MAF. Join Flight Crew as it celebrates five years of changing lives through the gospel, healthcare, education, and disaster relief.

Learn more at maf.org/joinflightcrew.

FLIGHTWATCH MAF’s disciple-making work would be stuck on the runway without the support of people like you. The stories in this magazine show how you are making it possible for the gospel to transform the lives of isolated people around the world. Your prayers, your gifts, and your time are key to MAF’s ministry. Thank you for sharing the love of Jesus at the ends of the earth! Every gift you send, every prayer you offer for MAF, helps change lives through aviation. We enjoy hearing from you! Please send comments and questions to maf-us@maf.org.

Mission Aviation Fellowship PO Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653-0047 1-208-498-0800 1-800-FLYS-MAF (359-7623)

MAF maintains the highest standards of financial accountability and public disclosure to donors and the U.S. government. MAF is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) as well as other organizations. A list of all organizations can be found at maf.org/accountability.

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Front Cover: Photo taken

by Lemuel Malabuyo in Mozambique.