FlightWatch - 2022, Volume 4

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.

—Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIV

Throughout God’s Word we see the importance of partnership. From the creation account in Genesis to the letters written to the seven churches in Revelation, we see that God has designed us to live, serve, and worship in partnership with others.

In this edition of FlightWatch you will read about some key partnerships that MAF is involved in around the world. In Indonesia, our MAF team is working alongside national church leaders to bring much-needed discipleship to some incredibly remote villages on the island of Borneo.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, MAF is partnering with the Kids Action Network to reignite training for Sunday school teachers. It’s something that may seem simple but has the potential to impact generations to come.

As I read about these partnerships and the impact they’re having, I was deeply touched. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to these MAF programs and have met many of those involved in these ministries. They are faithful, committed, and talented servants of God. Their obedience inspires me!

I’ve also seen the isolation that is impacting the lives of those who live on the margins. As I contemplate the difference these ministries can make in their lives I am filled with expectant hope.

Finally, I find myself thinking of the relationship that MAF enjoys with many of you. Your prayers and generosity are an ever-present source of encouragement and make our work possible. In partnership, you have stood with us and that is allowing us to stand with others!

Serving together, David Holsten

President and CEO

FLIGHTWATCH

None of the stories you are about to read would be possible without the support of people like you. It is our pleasure to 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!

Front Cover: After flying in an MAF Kodiak to the village of Long Pujungan, members of the Hati MAF (Heart of MAF) ministry load into boats for the two-hour journey to the village of Long Belaka, a possible future site for ministry. Right: Refi, one of the teachers for the Hati MAF discipleship ministry, guides young children through a literacy lesson. Photos by Lemuel Malabuyo

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.

Tracey Werre, Director of Marketing

Brad Hoaglun, Managing Editor

Micki Blair, Production Manager

Stephanie Greenlee, Designer

Natalie Holsten, Jeanelle Reider and Jennifer Wolf, Writers/ Resourcing

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

Mission Aviation Fellowship PO Box 47, Nampa, ID 83653-0047

1-208-498-0800

1-800-FLYS-MAF (359-7623)

The Heart of MAF

By Natalie Holsten

As the tropical sun beat down on the village of Long Pujungan, young children filed into the church building by ones and twos, freshly bathed and ready to learn.

They gathered at the front of the church, sitting on the floor in a semicircle, little folding desks before them. Their eyes were fixed on Refi, a young man tasked with teaching them the basics of reading and writing.

Refi is one of several young people helping with Hati MAF, or the Heart of MAF ministry, a discipleship initiative started several years ago by MAF and local church

leaders in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, to reach remote communities.

Since the early 1970s, MAF has operated in Kalimantan, flying in places that previously took days or weeks to reach by river or overland routes through the mountain rainforest. Through the years, MAF has provided air support for the national church, as well as helping with medevac flights and community development.

Though much has changed in the decades since MAF first began flight service here, one thing remains the same: isolated communities need Jesus.

MAF helps bring discipleship ministry to a remote community

THE NEED FOR DISCIPLESHIP

Starting in 2019, several MAF staff began discussing how they could be more strategic in helping the churches interior to be more effective in discipleship.

“The pastors in many of these communities were a bit overwhelmed, not even knowing where to start because of the issues their communities are facing,” said MAF pilot Jeremy Toews. “They specifically requested help from MAF to help bring in teachers, people who can bring in godly Christian teaching and disciple the people.”

Jeremy didn’t know exactly who their partners in a discipleship ministry might be, but as they were praying and discussing how MAF could be involved, one name in particular came up: Esther Adam.

Esther is a longtime friend of MAF, a “frequent flier” who often travels interior in her dual roles as an instructor at a Bible school, and as the head of children and youth for the Indonesian branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) in North Kalimantan.

When MAF staff met with Esther about how MAF might be able to better assist the churchs’ efforts, she had recently returned from a trip to Long Pujungan, where she met with Pastor Musa, head pastor for the CMA churches in that area.

She knew exactly where MAF could help.

A PASTOR’S PLEA

Pastor Musa shared with Esther how burdened he was for his people. Families were hurting, marriages were suffering, children were growing up in church but without discipleship in the home. The family problems he saw were compounded by the presence of drugs in the area, as well as the influence of the internet via smart phones.

In tears, he pleaded with Esther—was there anything she could do to help the people in Pujungan?

Esther was able to bring Pastor Musa’s request to the meeting with MAF, which also included Bob Lopulalang and his wife, Sery, a couple active in children and youth ministry. Bob had recently been part of a team that developed a curriculum specifically for the discipleship of children.

“We decided to focus on three areas: Bob focuses on Sunday school kids and the training for Sunday school teachers, I do the class for parents, and Sery does the class for teens,” Esther said.

With their ministry plan formed, it was decided that the first location would be Long Pujungan, an hour’s flight from the MAF base of Tarakan. MAF’s ability to provide safe and efficient transportation was a key component of the ministry, said Esther, who had experienced the harrowing, days-long river route from Long Pujungan to Tarakan in a longboat. “Without MAF, we for sure couldn’t be here.”

CARING FOR KIDS

In the fall of 2019, the new discipleship effort began, with MAF providing flights for six weekend trips into Long Pujungan.

“We asked that Pastor Musa, and the head pastor

Esther Adam, a frequent flier with MAF, has experienced the harrowing river journey from the MAF base on the coast to the village of Long Pujungan, a trip of several days. An MAF Kodiak makes the same trip in just under an hour.

Photo by Lemuel Malabuyo

of the church, and the important people of the village attend the first parenting class we did,” Bob said of the ministry’s early days. “We knew that would have an impact on the others, to have the leaders attend. And they did, they came.”

Bob’s curriculum included not just how to teach children but also focused on how the Bible shows we are to value, nurture, and teach children about Jesus. “We found the parents needed discipleship and encouragement to help their children,” Bob said.

After the first few classes, Bob began to hear stories about how families were impacted, including one family known to be abusive that became more loving to their kids.

“We have heard testimonies from a few families that they shared with others in the village, saying this program really pushed them to care for their kids,” said Bob. “That really encouraged us, we saw the fruit, we saw this program is being used by the Lord.”

Esther was also hearing testimonies from families who were more becoming more loving to their kids and less harsh. “Their difficult homes had transformed,” she said. “It’s amazing!”

UNEXPECTED INTERRUPTIONS, NEW OPPORTUNITIES

The ministry was moving along, until a government runway renovation project shut down the Long Pujungan airstrip for months. Then COVID-19 pandemic restrictions severely limited where MAF could fly.

When restrictions finally lifted and the Long Pujungan airstrip reopened earlier this year, MAF began flying in the ministry teams again.

As the ministry resumed, it expanded to include early childhood literacy. This was a need the leaders identified early on as they saw that children weren’t reading well, which provided a challenge to Sunday school teachers.

Rindu Siahaan, the office manager for MAF Tarakan, with a background in early childhood literacy, stepped forward and offered his services. He met with leaders in Long Pujungan to make sure they agreed with this new facet of the ministry focused on the children of the village.

“I thought if they don’t have a culture of reading and they don’t know how to read, then how will they know how to read their Bibles well?” Rindu said. “That’s what motivated me to pursue this.”

After facing challenges with COVID-19 restrictions and an airstrip project, the Hati MAF (Heart of MAF) discipleship ministry is once again active in Long Pujungan. Photo by Ian Rojas

“If someone receives Jesus in their heart, and they ask Jesus to lead their lives … that is the greatest joy I have gotten from this ministry.”

—Esther

Rindu provides training to young adults fresh out of college, like Refi, who volunteer for the program. They are usually sent in pairs for two weeks of intensive teaching with a group of fourto six-year-olds, with the goal of preparing the children for entering elementary school. And they’re seeing results, not just in literacy, but also in the students’ interest in school.

“The second time we met, I asked the teacher, are you seeing a difference in your students?” And she said, “yes, they have more enthusiasm for learning,” Rindu shared.

The literacy program has provided a way for other church denominations to be involved in Hati MAF, which has been a desire of the Hati MAF team.

“Rindu’s been very actively recruiting young people from a variety of churches here in Tarakan … that are also very missions-minded,” Jeremy said.

According to Jeremy, having people from different church backgrounds come together united under the banner of discipleship broadens the potential and reach of the ministry. And MAF, with its long history in Kalimantan, is well known and respected in interior communities. Using “MAF” in the Hati MAF name provides a neutral umbrella so that communities know the ministry is something MAF supports and can be trusted.

THE WORD SPREADS

Word about Hati MAF’s work interior has spread to other villages, and people are asking for the team to bring the ministry to their communities. One such place is Long Belaka, a village two hours upriver from Long Pujungan.

One of the local church leaders, Pastor Sadung, is burdened for the villagers there, and invited members of the Hati MAF team to visit and assess the needs.

“The people there are still tied to their old beliefs,” Pastor Sadung shared. “On one side, they go to church services, on another side, if they have somebody who’s sick, or a child is born, they revert to their ancestral ways to protect themselves from evil spirits.”

On a recent visit to Long Belaka, members of the Hati MAF team saw a deep need for the gospel to impact the village, along with educational and other needs, and will prayerfully consider next steps.

“We have to pray and ask the Lord to lead us in what He wants us to do for this village,” said Esther. “We will wait for what He asks us to do, after that we will move according to what the Lord wants.”

A PARTNERSHIP WITH DONORS

Hati MAF is funded through MAF’s National Church Subsidy, a funding initiative MAF donors give to that covers the cost of flights for Bible schools, translation projects, and church conferences.

“For all the people that donate, that support us in prayer as well as financial means, thank you,” said Kalimantan program director Tyler Schmidt. “We can’t do this alone. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

“MAF is very involved in wanting to have more impact in the communities through their flights,” Bob Lopulalang

Photos by Lemuel Malabuyo

Pastor Sadung, who oversees churches in the Long Pujungan area, guides a boat upriver to the isolated community of Long Belaka. “We praise the Lord that MAF can serve the isolated people of North Kalimantan, especially the people here in the area of Pujungan.”

Rejoice with the Puluk villagers, the Wano evangelists, the missionaries—and with us!

By Jeanelle Reider

The people refused to return to their gardens. Hunger pangs went unnoticed. What was food, compared to this new nourishment for their souls? They weren’t about to miss a word of it.

When the MAF documentary ENDS OF THE EARTH was released over a year ago, moviegoers watched the very first landing of an MAF airplane in the village of Puluk in Papua, Indonesia. The villagers had labored 15 arduous years building the airstrip by hand so the gospel could reach them.

The smiles and joyful tears of MAF pilot Nathan Fagerlie, Wano evangelist Liku, missionary Tim Ingles, and the Puluk villagers lit up big screens across the country.

Your prayers, support, and encouragement played a big role in the events that led up to that moment. And your partnership continues to play a significant part in helping expand the reach of the gospel to Puluk and other isolated places around the world.

Thank you!

Three weeks after filming was completed, Liku and another Wano evangelist, Anut, were flown to Puluk to teach the gospel. The people had waited a long time for this Living Bread. In those first few months, 78 of them embraced the gospel. Today, the body of Christ in Puluk continues to grow as the people are taught and discipled.

For Nathan, “there is no greater thing than working with national evangelists … because every time I get to fly with them … man, I get to see God move in amazing ways!”

Can those of us who have known Christ for a long time fully grasp what this good news means to those who have never heard it? If we’ve forgotten, this beautiful story can remind us again.

The MAF documentary ENDS OF THE EARTH is now available on DVD!

If you’ve been wanting to gift the movie to a friend or family member— or gift yourself a copy for your movie collection—now you can!

Visit store.maf.org/collections/media and enter code FLIGHTWATCH5 for your special deal.

Top Photo: Wano evangelist Liku shares the story of Jonah with families gathered in the new teaching house in the village of Puluk. Photo by Lemuel Malabuyo. Below photos: Liku, Anut, and their families arrive in Puluk from Mokndoma on an MAF airplane to begin several months of intensive gospel teaching. Photos by Nathan Fagerlie.

FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIPS

By Jennifer Wolf

You are one of many partners whom God is using to make young disciples of Christ in the DR Congo

Sunday school teachers employ new methods in Nioki. Photo by Emily Hochstetler.

In October of 2021, a team of four disembarked the MAF Cessna Caravan at the Mbandaka Airport, in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Their flight from Kinshasa had covered 362 miles and lasted two hours. But it was only the beginning of their journey. Their next stop would be the Congo River. They were on their way to hold a Kids Action Network (KAN) Sunday school teacher training in the Pygmy village of Lotumbe, deep in the Congo rain forest.

A HUGE OPPORTUNITY

“It is currently not possible to do this type of trip without MAF. The alternative would be to reach these areas by canoe, and possibly by road, but this would take several weeks,” said Kennedy Fumba Gagaya, KAN coordinator/ ReachGlobal. He leads these Sunday school teacher workshops in areas that are quite difficult to reach.

Considering that 46 percent of the DRC’s population falls in the zero to 14 age range*, these workshops are sorely needed.

Over the years, with the departure of many western missionaries, there’s been little oversight for children’s ministries—especially in remote areas.

As a result, Kennedy says, “Many children do not come to church, and most communities no longer have a teaching program for children.”

Kennedy has always had a heart for ministering to children, and he believes the transformation of the DRC will start by reaching them. To that end, he and his small team are training and equipping children’s leaders in western DRC to make the gospel accessible to all children. Through the use of games, songs, Bible storytelling, discovery questions, and application, children are taught God’s Word in a fun and memorable way so they can live it and share it.

Stephen Hale, MAF West DRC’s program director, has flown Kennedy a number of times for these workshops. A few years ago, Stephen flew him to Inonga and stayed there through the weekend, so he was able to observe the process.

It started on a Friday afternoon, with 20 kids showing up. “So you’re going to spend the weekend with these kids?” Stephen had asked Kennedy.

“Oh, no. Not just these kids,” Kennedy had responded, his smile beaming. “You’ll see.”

As the children’s leaders were practicing the KAN methods with the local kids, word spread through the village. “By Sunday morning, there were maybe a 100 to 150 kids there,” Stephen said. “The church went from being a few pews full of kids to every pew being full of kids by the end of the weekend.”

*The World Factbook (CIA.gov)

THE REST OF THE WAY

At the banks of the Congo River in Mbandaka, Kennedy and his KAN teammate, Raymond, stepped into a long dug-out canoe. They were joined by Jay and Kathy Shafto, who serve with the International Mission Board (IMB) in the DRC. Each passenger took a seat on a plastic chair, and the driver of the motorized canoe pulled onto the river highway.

During their nearly 12-hour boat ride, they passed people of all ages. Young boys navigated their small canoes to meet the wake of the team’s motorized one. Old women rowed out to check their fish traps. Nine boys in white shirts and blue shorts traveled upriver in a “school canoe” to get to school.

Jay and Kathy had been to Lotumbe multiple times, and they’d discovered that none of the Pygmy churches had any kind of children’s discipleship. So they asked Kennedy if he and Raymond would accompany them to Lotumbe to do a KAN workshop there.

Kennedy had not been familiar with the place or known of the great need until the IMB partners told him about it. “It was God’s love that guided us there.”

God allowed MAF to play a role as well, by providing the air portion of the transportation.

It was to be the first-ever child-focused training in Lotumbe. The KAN workshop lasted three days, then the participants helped run a two-day VBS for the kids. In the end, 13 churches and 37 leaders were chosen to begin Sunday school. And today 1,029 Pygmy children are learning God’s Word.

“I love the partnership that we share between KAN, the IMB, and MAF,” said Kathy. “It’s a wonderful reminder of how we can see the gospel spread farther faster, if we work together as the body of Christ.”

FAR-REACHING CHANGE

At 5:30 in the morning, in the remote village of Nyoki—where KAN workshops have been held—a young boy roused his family for morning prayer time. Since Sunday school had started in his village, he’d taken the initiative to lead his family and share God’s Word by reciting the Bible stories he’s learned.

This is just one example of the impact KAN trainings are having. “Parents are following their children to church,” said Kennedy. “Children themselves take the initiative to evangelize and invite their friends to Sunday school and to club. Bible stories have even reached the Muslim children through their friends that we’ve taught.”

The hearts of children’s leaders have been changed, too. Kennedy explained: “In every place we went, after the training, they would often say, ‘We ask for forgiveness from God for not properly caring for the children by showing them love and care the same way our Lord Jesus did.’”

A recent MAF flight allowed KAN and IMB members to partner together again. They traveled to Djolu, one of MAF’s most remote airstrips. This time, 96 children’s leaders from 28 churches, along with students from a Bible institution, were trained.

In a report to MAF, IMB, the local church, and other partners, Kennedy stated that most churches in this area had not had a Sunday school since 1995. But in February, directly after the training, the pastors decided to restart the Sunday school.

“Soon 9,214 children will be reached by the Word of our Lord!” said Kennedy.

BEARING FRUIT

On that last evening in Lotumbe, Kennedy witnessed the children joyfully sharing the Bible stories they’d learned. “These Pygmy children were the first in history to be able to recite and read the Word of God,” he said.

Kennedy’s hope is for this next generation of children in the DRC to become good servants of the Lord who can change many things in the country, and become missionaries all over the world.

Because of your generous support for MAF, you are one of the partners enabling the gospel to reach the most remote areas of the DRC. Please pray that children here will have the opportunity to hear God’s Word and be changed by the love of Christ.

1. Stephen flies Kennedy in the DRC. Photo by Stephen Hale. 2. Front to back: Raymond, Kathy, Jay, and Kennedy on the Congo River. 3. Children and Sunday school leaders sing praise songs to welcome a Kids Action Network team in Nioki, DRC. Photo by Emily Hochstetler. 4. Teachers receive a KAN certificate of completion in Djolu. Photo by Raymond Kemburiya Oveneke. 5.Children are engaging with God’s Word in Nioki. Photo by Emily Hochstetler

GOD’S TRUTH FOR KIDS

In July MAF missionary Jaclyn Reierson organized and led a weeklong Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the international church in Kinshasa, DRC. About 30 volunteers participated, including fellow MAF wives Valerie Hochstetler, Tara O’Brien, and Ruth Hale. Fifty children learned these truths: God knows us, hears us, comforts us, forgives us, and chooses us. Of course there were crafts and games, including the hilarious Mosquito Tag. This was the first time the church has hosted a VBS program, and there are already requests for more. —Photo by Ruth Hale.

A SPECIAL AIRPLANE FOR PAPUA

“Joyce Lin’s life has made an impact for eternity around the globe. What a special privilege to receive this new Kodiak named in her honor,” said MAF’s Linda Ringenberg on the day of PK-MJL’s (“Miss Joyce Lin”) dedication, July 15, in Sentani, Papua, Indonesia. Joyce loved kids, so it was fitting that the airplane’s first flights were for MAF missionary kids. The following Monday, Linda’s husband, Dave, conducted its first operational flight, carrying Bible translator Filemon and his family to Okhika.

—Photo by Joel Geaslen

OPEN SEAT TO OPEN HEARTS

MAF Lesotho pilot Joe Adams invited a national teammate, Makopoi, to ride along on a flight to Methalaneng for the Ministry of Health. There was space on the plane, and Joe knew he’d be there a few hours. Makopoi, who is part of the Flying Pastors group, accepted. While there, she was able to talk to several groups, including these shepherd boys. Here’s her account of what happened: “Today I was privileged to make new friends. Together we did the good shepherd story from John 10. My friends then asked some questions and, after a long discussion, they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” —Photo by Makopoi Shoaepane

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Please continue to lift up our program in Haiti as our staff serves amidst unrest. Pray for God’s protection over our staff and the Haitian people, and for peace to be restored.

• Lift up the children of the DRC and in other remote areas around the world, that the love of Christ would reach and change their hearts … for His glory.

• Pray for nine MAF-US families currently studying the Indonesian language and culture in Salatiga, Java, Indonesia.

• Pray for the Hati MAF discipleship ministry in North Kalimantan, that the team will be effective in their teaching and have wisdom about involvement in other communities that have requested the ministry.

LUKE AND AMY NELSON

“All of my favorite instructors were from MAF,” said Luke Nelson, describing his flight training at Moody Aviation in Spokane, WA, and one of the reasons he chose to serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship.

Luke and his wife, Amy, had both wanted to be missionaries when they were kids, even though neither was sure what that would look like. But today they know. They’re preparing to serve as a pilot/mechanic family with MAF Lesotho.

Growing up, Luke’s idea of a missionary was someone who lived in a grass hut and ate bugs, or who stood on a street corner, shaking his Bible at people. He saw himself as more of a behind-the-scenes guy and was uncertain which path to take. Then one day, God pointed the way.

“Imagine my excitement when I was reminded that Nate Saint, the MAF pilot who flew Jim Elliot and was with him on that beach, was a missionary, too, and there was a school where you could learn to fly planes just like him,” Luke said.

As a shy, tender-hearted girl, Amy went from

telling her friends about Jesus to teaching in her AWANA club as a teen and serving with AWANA Korea for two months after high school. God used these experiences to transform her into “a bold, outgoing kid” who could talk to large crowds about Jesus.

When she returned from Korea, she moved to Spokane, WA, to pursue a degree in Intercultural Studies at Moody Bible Institute.

This is where Luke and Amy’s lives intersected. After they were married and both had graduated, they continued taking steps toward MAF.

Currently they’re visiting with individuals and churches, searching for the people whom God has selected to join their team of financial and prayer supporters.

“It’s not a transactional thing,” Amy explains. “We want to be partners and share our lives with these folks.”

Luke and Amy are looking forward to getting established in Lesotho and “life finally starting” for which they’ve been preparing for years.

“We’re just excited about the ministry of the Lesotho team and how the church of God is being built.” said Luke, referring to the Lesotho Flying Pastors, whom MAF equips and sends to evangelize in the mountain villages.

With their move overseas delayed by six months, they say it’s forced them to live what they believe.

“We’re putting in effort, of course, but it’s not up to us how the provision will come in,” said Luke. “It’s a constant reminder that He is our provider.”

The Nelsons want to invite you to share in the work God is doing in Lesotho. To learn more and join their team, visit maf.org/lnelson.