A Publication of Mission Aviation Fellowship 2015 Vol 2, COMMEMORATIVE EDITION
Celebrating the past, embracing the future
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from the
PRESIDENT’S DESK
a publication of
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Our Mission Dear Friends, The world has greatly changed in the 70 years since MAF’s founding. Since 1945, the Berlin Wall rose and fell, humans landed on the moon, Dr. King led the civil rights movement, governments around the world have risen and collapsed, the towers fell in New York City, and the Internet has transformed the way we work and live—yet through it all, our Lord has remained constant. These events, and many others, have reshaped our world since a few Christian aviators came together after World War II with the vision to use airplanes to reach isolated people with the Gospel. Despite a vastly different global landscape, MAF’s ministry is just as vital today as it was when the first flight in a WACO biplane carried Bible translators into the jungles of Mexico. There are still places so remote the only way to get there is an MAF airplane. There are still people who need to experience the love of Jesus Christ. Because of people like you, the Good News of our Savior has been shared with isolated people for 70 years—and you are the reason lives are being transformed today. None of this would be possible without you. We want to give you the opportunity to share Christ’s love with isolated people in the years to come. Will you give so that isolated people will know the hope Jesus brings? In the next five years, new bases will be built in unreached places, updated aircraft will arrive on the field, and new ministries will open doors for the Gospel to transform lives. Extending MAF’s ministry into the future will not come without a cost … and we simply cannot do it without you. Thank you for being a part of this Kingdom work!
Sharing the love of Jesus Christ through aviation and technology so that isolated people may be physically and spiritually transformed. Managing Editor: Tracey Werre Production Manager: Jackie Heilman Art Director: Colby Dees Writers/Resourcing: 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.
In His Grace,
John C. Boyd President and CEO
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On the Cover: MAF delivers supplies to Derapos. Photo by Mark Hewes.
Get Connected:
MAF Lands in Odyssey! Focus on the Family features MAF in beloved radio show If you are like millions of
others, you have likely joined Mr. Whitaker and his friends in Odyssey, for the radio show Adventures in Odyssey. Since 1987, this program from Focus on the Family has imparted biblically centered character lessons to both children and adults. Coinciding with MAF’s 70th anniversary, an Odyssey episode will focus on the ministry’s efforts in Papua. This fictional episode is based on real MAF stories and gives an entertaining and thought-provoking insight into mission aviation work among isolated people.
Nathan Hoobler, the writer behind this episode, gives insight into what it’s like to merge MAF’s real ministry with the fictional world of Odyssey:
As you were writing this episode, was there anything that particularly struck you about MAF?
When I started researching MAF, I was amazed at the diversity of stories. I was most familiar with the organization through the tale of Jim Elliot. But when I started reading about the current activities of MAF, I soon realized that we could easily have written many episodes about [MAF] adventures. The human element was what struck me most about these stories. While other organizations have stories about impacting large groups of people, MAF has many stories about individual lives that were touched, changed, and saved.
Can you give us a glimpse into the process of creating a fictional story based on real events? Since there are so many great stories, I wanted to try to fit as many real-life details into our
fictional story as possible. In fiction and in real life, the little details are what make a story memorable. Whether that was about a tribe handing Bibles from one generation to the next or the recitation of “secret words” to prove the lack of a spiritual power, we wanted to be as genuine as we could.
What do you love about writing for Adventures in Odyssey?
I’ve been working on Adventures in Odyssey and writing episodes since the summer of 2000. Anyone who’s written for very long will tell you that writing doesn’t usually come easily. It’s hard work (like any job). But the rewards of hearing how God has used Adventures in Odyssey in people’s lives make it well worth the effort. This is especially true with stories like MAF’s. We get to pass on the impact that MAF has had to our Odyssey listeners in a way that we hope will impact and inspire them! MAF will be featured in Focus on the Family’s new “Odyssey Adventure Club” during the month of June 2015. To find out more about this episode, visit oaclub.org.
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No Longer Hiding With MAF’s help, a once-primitive tribe shares the Gospel in the Papuan jungle
MAF Cessna 185 preparing to take off from the rocky airstrip of Mulia. Photo by Dick Martin.
“MAF has transported us to our ministry at Mulia for 56 years and counting. We are very grateful to MAF for making the ministry to the Dani people possible.”
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hen the MAF airplane first soared over the small village of Mulia in Papua, Indonesia, back in 1958, only the Dani chief was brave enough to remain outside and watch. “There is a man in the bird!” he exclaimed to the other members of the Dani tribe. The people were amazed at the things the “bird” began to drop from the sky: food, trade items, cowrie shells (which were used as currency), and building supplies
for a young missionary couple. After two months, MAF made its first landing at Mulia while the Dani people hid behind boulders.
“MAF has transported us to our ministry at Mulia for 56 years and counting,” said Lorraine. “We are very grateful to MAF for making the ministry to the Dani people possible.”
Leon and Lorraine Dillinger, missionaries with CrossWorld, remember well these early flights. Through the years, they have witnessed the progression of MAF’s ministry, from Leon’s first flight in a cloth-winged Piper Pacer to Cessna 180s, and now, the KODIAK.
When the airstrip was first opened, MAF brought in supplies once a week. These deliveries included penicillin and other medicines to treat various diseases. Physically, the Dani needed a great deal of medical care. They suffered from tropical ulcers, goiters, and
“iniki yanggonak”—servant’s hearts 4
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other ailments. MAF flew in a team of Dutch doctors and medical experts to treat them. The needs were even greater, spiritually. Animism, evil spirit worship, and wars with neighboring clans mired the Dani in darkness. Just a few short years later, in 1960, the Dani people to whom the Dillingers were ministering burned their idols, a sign that they had renounced the worship of evil spirits to follow Jesus. This movement began to spread in the area from valley to valley. The Dillingers began to teach the young Dani couples about the Bible, literacy, and Bible verses—lessons they took back to their home areas on the weekends. This prepared to share their newfound faith, and the Word continued to spread throughout the tribe.
These early classes were the precursor to what eventually became the Mulia Bible Institute, founded by the Dillingers in 1964 for young Dani couples. Today, over a thousand couples, and some singles in recent years, have gone through the school’s threeyear program. As early as 1970, MAF began flying graduates— Dani teachers, pastors, and missionaries—to evangelize other tribes in Papua.
From Mulia to Derapos
Today, many of those Bible school graduates are utilizing the services of MAF. Daritin and Yogele are a Dani couple who went through the Mulia Bible Institute and were sent by their home church to minister to the Tause people in the lowlands of Papua. Like so many others, these missionaries rely on
Above right: A bird’s-eye view of the area around the village of Mulia. Photo by Mark and Kelly Hewes. Below: Yogele (right front) with Yusak (left) and others posing with tools flown by MAF to aid in extending the airstrip at Derapos. Photo by Pieter Van Dijk.
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MAF to get in and out of the remote village of Derapos, where they’ve ministered for the last 14 years.
MAF’S TIMELIN
In addition to delivering supplies and providing transportation, MAF is their only link to medical care.
1945 Later to become Mission Aviation Fellowship, the Christian Airmen’s Missionary Fellowship (CAMF) is launched.
1946 Betty Greene flies MAF’s new plane on its inaugural flight. She pilots two Wycliffe workers to a remote jungle location in Mexico.
Yogele receives a medevac. Photo by Pieter Van Dijk. Yogele flew with MAF to get treatment after being attacked by a wild boar. The couple’s daughter, Yulince (8), received three separate flights so she could receive blood transfusions at the coast when she suffered from a serious illness. Thank the Lord she is fully recovered today. Today the couple is one of several Dani missionaries in the region. Daritin teaches literacy, brings in medicine from Mulia, and acts as a medical worker when needed. There are a large number of baptized believers in the Tause tribe. There’s a church, as well as a clinic and school that now wait for a medical worker and teacher. They’re also hoping for a Wycliffe translator for the Tause New Testament. While many of the challenges facing this generation of Dani missionaries are similar to those faced by their older counterparts, MAF’s service still addresses the same types of needs in order to bring the transforming love of Jesus Christ to those who have yet to hear, and to encourage and grow new believers in their faith. These Dani missionaries rely on and appreciate MAF just as much as the Dillingers have for decades. Now the MAF plane lands in Derapos three times a week ... and no one is hiding. The people look forward to what the plane brings and to the pilots who have, as Daritin says, “iniki yanggonak”—servant’s hearts.
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1985 The first Cessna Caravans are introduced into the MAF fleet, with three aircraft designated to serve in Africa.
NE 1948 Nate Saint flies a Stinson to Shell, Ecuador, and launches the MAF program there.
1952 UFM and TEAM invite MAF to serve their flight needs in Dutch New Guinea (now Papua).
1956 Nate Saint is martyred by Waorani Indians on “Palm Beach.” Killed along with Nate are Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully. Seven of the nine killers and many others from the tribe eventually come to Christ. Tens of thousands of people around the world hear the story and volunteer to take their place.
2003 MAF-Tech Resources begins providing digital Biblical training resources to isolated pastors and church leaders.
1961 MAF begins flight service in Africa.
2015 MAF continues to explore ways to share Christ’s love with isolated people around the world through aviation, technology, and training.
2009 MAF gets its first KODIAK, a versatile airplane that allows for greater capacity and the use of cheaper fuel.
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Faithfulness Across Generations MAF Staff Share Perspectives About Ministry Through the Years DAVID FRANCIS – DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (with MAF since 2004) An extra headset sat in the passenger seat of MAF pilot David Francis’ airplane. During long flights across the vast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this headset allowed for conversations to take place in the noisy cockpit. On one occasion, the headset was worn by a young British woman traveling to the jungle to study bonobos—smaller relatives of chimpanzees. She and David had a lengthy conversation during the flight. Months later she contacted David, asking him to send her a Bible and Bible studies so she could reconnect with God during her time in the wilderness. “Opportunities like this open the door to go where the Spirit leads while you are doing your technical job,” said David. “You get the headset on and chat—and become salt and light to that person. That is what first-person witness looks like.” In David’s opinion, MAF’s future in the DRC will continue to look more and more like this. As Western missionaries are becoming scarcer in the country, MAF’s ministry includes supporting nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
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CRAIG HOLLANDER – KALIMANTAN (with MAF since 2001)
David Francis works on an MAF airplane. Photo by MAF staff.
Craig Hollander peered into the crates he had just delivered to a remote village in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and was surprised by what he saw—flip-flops and squatty potties. His first flight as an MAF pilot had turned out very differently than he imagined.
that provide services such as medical, environmental, and community development projects—as well as the local church. David and other MAF staff are essential to the spread of the Gospel in a country that is seeing a decline in missionaries.
As a college student at Moody Aviation, he had listened to his professors, former missionary pilots, describe their experiences— tales of flying American missionaries into isolated areas where the Gospel had never been.
“We are professionals in a service industry. We’re pilots and mechanics, and we are trying to do our jobs to international standards,” said David. “But we are also in the ministry and trying to reach people’s hearts and minds. Those two things shouldn’t diverge too much.”
“But that was the mission field 10, 20, or 30 years ago,” said Craig. “Things have changed.”
David’s impressions of what being a missionary pilot would be like before he arrived on the field were mostly shaped by accounts like that of Nate Saint in the book Jungle Pilot. The reality of mission aviation in the DRC today looks different than the early years of MAF’s ministry, but the goal is still the same—to share Christ’s love with isolated people.
Craig Hollander serves as the chief pilot of the MAF base in Tarakan. Photo by Tripp Flythe.
Because of earlier missionaries, the Indonesian church is well established in this part of Kalimantan, and MAF works with local believers to continue sharing the Gospel with the people of this region. In addition to meeting spiritual needs, MAF also opens the doors for medical assistance, community development, and other humanitarian efforts to reach this isolated area. “If people in the interior are going to get soap, MAF brings it in. If they want clothes, MAF brings it in. Shoes? MAF brings it in,” said Craig. Since his first MAF flight 12 years ago with the flip-flops and toilets, Craig now serves as the chief pilot of the MAF base in Tarakan. He recognizes the vital role MAF still plays in isolated regions. “We support the national church and we do medevac flights, and we do community development,” said Craig. “These people wouldn’t have flip-flops and squatty potties unless I brought them in. We are helping brothers and sisters in Christ. We are also helping Muslims and others who have never heard, and doing it in the name of Christ. So I am very happy to be a part of that.” DICK MARTIN – PAPUA (with MAF since 1990) During Dick Martin’s 23 years with MAF in Papua, he has seen quite a few changes: the tiny village they live in has grown into a city, missionaries have come and gone, and remote areas have been connected to the outside world. However, one of the biggest changes has been the airplanes MAF uses to serve the Papuan people. “When we arrived on the field, Cessna 206s were the biggest part of MAF’s ministry in Papua,” said
Dick Martin (left) and Matt Harris examine the accessory gearbox of a PT6 engine. Photo by Isaac Rogers. Dick who is the chief of maintenance at the MAF program in Sentani, Papua. “Recently the last flight with a 206 in Papua happened. Now we have transitioned to KODIAKs and Caravans.” The larger Caravan—and KODIAK—model aircraft enable MAF to more efficiently serve these areas by providing higher payloads and lowering overall operating costs. Dick’s role is to help in the transition training for MAF mechanics so that they are better equipped to work on these new turbine-powered aircraft.
“Our traditional role will continue for many years. We do aviation well, in a complex and hazardous environment.”
“Our traditional role will continue for many years,” he said. “We do aviation well, in a complex and hazardous environment.”
“Because of the topography of Papua, I can’t really envision a time when MAF’s service won’t be needed anymore,” said Dick. “It would be very hard for a commercial airline to have the infrastructure and training that MAF has to operate in those really tiny, remote places that we serve.”
MAF is one of the few reliable air carriers whose focus is on the isolated people of this vast island. MAF’s work here enables missionaries from other organizations—as well as doctors, humanitarian aid workers, and Indonesian churches—to reach the more remote regions.
MAF’s unique and versatile ministry allows the organization and people like Dick Martin to meet needs in a variety of ways—whether by fixing an airplane so it can bring a Bible translation into a village for the first time or working with both local and foreign missionaries to share Christ’s love in isolated places.
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JOHN MILLER – USA – INDONESIA (with MAF since 1971) Decades ago, MAF pilot John Miller was sitting in the back of a hut in Papua (then Irian Jaya), while a missionary with TEAM shared the Gospel. John pulled out his camera to snap a few pictures. The sound of the camera shutter alarmed the villagers so much that they grabbed his arms and held him down. They began forcibly searching John. One of the villagers gave out a startled cry— he had found John’s belly button. “We found out that they thought we were spirits,” said John. “They didn’t think we were real people. When they discovered my belly
button, they realized that I was in fact a human being.” First contact like this was common in the early days of ministry in Indonesia—encountering people who had no exposure to the outside world. Missionaries, using aircraft to reach these people, were often viewed as gods or spirits. “We were on the front line, working with some people who had never been contacted,” said John. There are still times when MAF pilots encounter people who have had little exposure with the outside world—but often the pilots are just as likely to transport local believers, as they are Western missionaries. While the Papuan
churches are still finding their identity and working through the issues of new growth, MAF is working to enable them to reach other areas with the Gospel. John Miller currently serves at the MAF headquarters in Idaho and is watching a new generation of MAF pilots and mechanics head to the field. “I am continually impressed with the kinds of folks I see coming to serve with MAF,” says Miller. “The expectations the world has today about what a normal life in the States is—to leave that and follow God’s leading—I think the commitment is stronger. I see that and applaud these people; they are just amazing.”
John Miller (left) works with volunteer aircraft mechanics like Paul Pfluger to support MAF’s fleet around the world. Photo by Paul O’Brien.
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MATTHEW MONSON— LESOTHO (with MAF since 2012) “I would say our experience has been a lot more challenging than we imagined in many areas,” said MAF pilot Matthew Monson. “Yet through those challenges we have seen God working more in our lives than ever before.” Matthew is serving his first term with MAF in the African country of Lesotho. Lesotho is a small kingdom marked by high mountains. The medical needs of the Basotho (term for people from Lesotho) are among the greatest in the world. HIV is very prevalent, and because of the rugged terrain and sparse population, transportation by MAF airplane is often the only way the Basotho can get help.
would love to see MAF [continue to] be the outlet that allows the local church to start new churches in places that don’t know Christ.” Matthew is one of many young pilots who represent the future of MAF’s global ministry. Though the airplanes and technology they utilize may be different than those used in MAF’s early years, the
pilots still have the same passion— to bring the love of Christ to isolated people. “It is a real pleasure to look back at the past year and a half [that we have been on the field] and see what God has done,” said Matthew.
Matthew Monson and other MAF staff share Christ with the people of Lesotho. Photo by Andy Luksic.
Matthew and others on the MAF team have begun working with a group of Basotho church leaders, the Lesotho Flying Pastors (LFP), to share Jesus throughout the remote areas of Lesotho—areas like the Kuebunyane valley. Matthew landed the small Cessna filled with members of the LFP, in a village in this remote valley—a 27-minute plane ride compared to a daunting trek by foot or car. They unloaded the Bibles and equipment to show the “JESUS” film and began setting up for the worship service and screening of the movie. The time in this village was fruitful; the film was shown, the Basotho pastors preached, and Matthew even led a Gospel song in Sesotho (the language in Lesotho). Roughly 50 people accepted Christ. “It was amazing to see the Lord working in the lives of these mountain people,” said Matthew. “I
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NEWS BRIEFS
Know a teacher who would love serving overseas? MAF has a numberof openings. To find out more, visit maf.org. Teacher Lynn Bontrager and students at the MAF Tarakan school (Kalimantan) show off their silly hairdos on Crazy Hair Day.
Join us in prayer ... • To lift up the students going through MAF’s first flight training school, located in a difficult area of Asia. • For the people of Mozambique who are recovering from massive destruction due to flooding in January.
Avuta of the West DRC team is shown on the ladder as he installs the VSAT. Photo courtesy of MAF staff. MAF Makes the Connection MAF recently installed a VSAT in Gemena, in the upper northwestern corner of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—a region that is impossible to reach by road and has very poor cell phone and Internet capabilities. This VSAT will provide communications for the CECU, the evangelical church in Gemena.
A Piece of MAF History
Have you visited the MAF store lately? We have a number of new items, including wooden crosses made from the Nate Saint house in Shell, Ecuador. They sell for $9.97, and proceeds support a ministry to the Waorani in Ecuador. The impact of the cross was particularly poignant to one donor who said, “All I can say is that it is the most precious gift anyone on this earth has given me.” You can find them at maf.org/crosses.
Share God’s story—set hearts on fire!
StoryFire is MAF’s method of teaching Bible storytelling and discussion, based on the same principles MAF uses to train isolated church leaders around the world. Now you can gain this valuable ministry tool through a six-part audio series—available as a free download! There’s also a step-by-step Leader’s Guide, so you can train others once you’ve been through the series. It’s perfect for leading lively discussions about God’s Word, whether in your small group, family devotion time, or with your short-term missions team. Visit maf.org/storyfire.
• For the Alas de Socorro del Ecuador team to have a smooth transition as they incorporate the newly arrived KODIAK into their flight program. • For open hearts to the Gospel in the village of Kuebunyane, Lesotho, where MAF and a newly formed team of Basotho flying pastors are ministering.
“Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.”
—Hebrews 13:18 (NIV)