Flying for Life Spring 2019

Flying for Life Spring 2019

The quarterly magazine of MAF

3 Mongolia Wonderful love!

8 Uganda

A town in exile

UK news

Paper plane This issue of Flying for Life arrived in a paper envelope – please accept my apologies for the surprise!

Be the change Hello and welcome to the changing face of Flying for Life!

‘Be the change’ is the theme for this quarter’s Prayer Diary and we’re putting it into practice.

As you can see, my column has moved to the front of the magazine so that I can welcome you to each new issue. You’ll also read on this page why Flying for Life now arrives in a paper envelope.

However, regardless of changes large or small, our mission remains the same. Whether flying Bible translators in Madagascar (page 4) or responding to catastrophe in south-eastern Asia (page 10), MAF aircraft continue to bring help, hope and healing to isolated people The front cover illustrates MAF’s work with partner organisation Food for the Hungry and their long-term commitment to end severe poverty in Kenya (page 13).

Thank you so much for continuing to support our staff in 27 developing countries engaged in live-giving projects such as this.

Hopefully, the fact that we printed the MAF logo on the envelope and described what was inside made it plain what you could expect once you’d opened it.

The need to reduce the impact of non-recyclable materials on the environment grows ever more serious.

Towards the end of 2018, we undertook extensive research in order to discover the best alternative to the thin, shrinkwrap plastic in which your Flying for Life pack has arrived for many years.

In short, while a biodegradable plastic shrink-wrap made from corn starch is being trialled by some charities, its environmental impact will remain significantly high. After all, corn – like paper – still has to be grown in the first place and corn or potato starch shrinkwrap has only a single use before it degrades.

However, the recycled paper envelopes we’ve been using on other MAF mailings for many years are much cheaper to produce and can be recycled for further use again and again.

As always, your comments will be gratefully received. Rest assured, Flying for Life will remain the inspirational magazine and diary combination you’ve come to know and love.

Richard Chambers Editor, Flying for Life

Ruth Whitaker Chief Executive, MAF UK

2 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

MONGOLIA: pray for singers

Wonderful love!

Photos Roy Rissanen

In August last year, MAF Pilot Roy Rissanen enjoyed an evening’s entertainment courtesy of the passengers on his long-haul flight

O

Main Oronchimeg arrives in Altai Top Roy awaits the start of the concert Above More than 2,000 people heard the Word of God

n this particular weekend, I was flying a group of Mongolian Christian singers more than 1,000 miles from the capital Ulaanbaatar to Altai.

They were scheduled to perform three concerts as part of a project called Gaihamshigt Khair ('Wonderful Love').

The project team works with local churches to create worship events such as these – travelling to a different county each year.

At noon on the Friday, we landed in Altai – six hours before the first concert was due to start.

The MAF crew was given tickets and invited to join the throng making its way to the town’s sports hall. The concert was free to all, but numbered tickets were issued so that prizes could be presented at the end of the evening.

By my rough calculation, at least 400 people attended. A cursory glance at people’s clothes told us that both town and countryside were well represented in the audience.

The programme of events included folk dancing, traditional Mongolian singing and contemporary songs.

Oronchimeg, the lead singer, will turn 60 next year. She has been a celebrity in Mongolia for more than three decades.

In between songs, singers shared what Jesus had done in their lives. Oronchimeg and her husband both gave powerful testimonies.

Then, a local pastor delivered a short sermon before inviting people to give their lives to Jesus and – praise the Lord – a few people came forward!

The final songs were Christian, either in the local dialect or – in the case of ‘Amazing Grace’ – translated into Mongolian. Afterwards, 20 ‘winners’ were called to the front and left the concert with bags full of Christian books and other gifts.

By Sunday, with all 3 concerts over, approximately 2,000 people had heard the Word of God. So it was time for the singers to get on board the plane for a three-hour return flight over the Gobi Desert and Khangai Mountains.

Next year, the Wonderful Love team will plan similar events. And – thanks to MAF supporters – our aircraft will be ready to take them wherever the team needs to go.

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 3

MADAGASCAR: pray for Bible translators

The good seed Thanks to MAF, Bible translators in Madagascar no longer need to face a fraught and footsore four-day journey

Story Gary Clayton Photos Kelly and Mark Hewes

'W

e were sitting with a group of people,' says Bev Erasmus from The Seed Company, 'and one of the ladies there had been absolutely against Christianity.

But as we were reading a translation of the book of Exodus in Masikoro, she said, 'If this is what it’s about, I’m becoming a Christian!” And she did!'

The woman has now been baptised and is part of her local church.

MAF flights for The Seed Company, an affiliate of Wycliffe Bible Translators, are helping Christians to translate Scripture into ten of Madagascar’s main languages.

The Masikoro language team, which began in 2001, has completed Matthew, Luke, the book of Acts and the Jesus film, and is now translating parts of the Old Testament that point to Jesus.

Slow going

'Most people,' Bev explains, 'don’t understand Malagasy, the official language, and we believe that’s a big reason why there are so few Christians in this region.

4 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

'In north-eastern Madagascar – and I’m really guessing – maybe 10-20% of the people are Christian.

'In the capital Antananarivo, it's possibly 80%. There are three Bibles in the official language, and nothing in any other language.'

As part of the translation process, the teams spend time with ordinary villagers – young, old, literate and non-literate.

'Having the Bible in their own language,' continues Bev, 'is powerful. It really speaks to people. I’d love to get a complete translation in any of the languages, but it’s slow.'

'MAF has changed things'

Transport to the remote regions that the teams need to reach is difficult and the terrain is notoriously hard to traverse.

To reach Betsimisaraka South would take a four-day walk – and that’s when the paths are in a decent condition!

One team, which took four days to reach Antsirabe for a language workshop, not only arrived tired, but their feet were a mess and needed medical attention.

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Mananara Toamasina Antananarivo

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M A D A G A S C A R

IQ

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TANZANIA

Antsirabe

Androy

Indian Ocean

200 miles

Key to maps

— Capital city /

— MAF base — Location

'Fortunately,' Bev smiles, 'MAF has changed things completely. Thanks to MAF flights, teams are able to walk just half a day to where the plane can land.

Then MAF flies them out. It’s completely changed the way they work and can make progress.'

Bev suspects that a lot of translators would have dropped out because of the four-day trek. There was one time, she recalls, when the rivers had risen before the walk home, and one of the guys was washed away. 'He didn’t die, but he could have! It happens.'

The same four-day, gruelling ride also faces those travelling to Mananara or Betsimisaraka North. The road from Mananara to Toamasina, Bev says, was described on TV as one of the worst roads in the world!

Positive impact

The motto for The Seed Company is, 'Bible translation. Life transformation'. And that, praise God, is what Seed Company staff are beginning to see.

In places where the Bible has really

taken root, people are becoming Christians and communities are being transformed. 'Women,' says Bev, 'have a voice. There’s honesty. There’s justice. It impacts their whole lives.

'We met one little group in Androy, where they’d really got hold of the Gospel. We could see it in the way they treated each other and the way they treated guests. The impact of the Bible and the Gospel is life-changing!'

'I really appreciate MAF!' Thanks to MAF flights, teams of researchers and translators can now reach remote and isolated areas, changing lives and transforming communities. Every precious day of travel saved brings the time nearer when Madagascar’s people can have the Bible in their heart language.

'MAF,' concludes Bev, 'has been an absolute blessing to The Seed Company. They’ve gone out of their way, in all sorts of ways, to work hand-in-hand with us. I really appreciate MAF!'

Main MAF flights have accelerated the Gospel's progress in Madagascar Above Bev with Pastor Clovis Rembohony, one of The Seed Company's many local partners Top left Having the Bible in their own language really speaks to people Bottom left Bev Erasmus leads a translation group

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 5

UK news: pray for speakers

Bring MAF to your town!

Head of MAF in the Community Kevin Crook urges you to take advantage of MAF’s finest resource – its volunteers!

Story Kevin Crook Photos Kevin Crook and Rebecca Walker

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Main Kevin Crook takes his audience on a mission journey like no other to see how MAF is playing its part in building God's Kingdom Above Would your church like to hear how MAF is helping to transform the lives of isolated people physically and spiritually?

here is nothing quite like hearing stories of how God is changing lives around the world.

Across the UK and Ireland, more than 100 speakers are ready and willing to come to your town and share the good news of MAF’s work in developing countries.

Combining words and images, they make for a live experience that your church, group, youth club or special meeting will never forget.

You’ll be inspired by our speakers’ stories of how MAF and its partners have brought peace, joy and love to isolated people throughout 27 countries. You’ll see and hear how our light aircraft are reaching remote communities within minutes where other forms of travel take hours or days.

And you’ll connect with the lives of people thousands of miles away who are experiencing physical and spiritual transformation because of our Gospel mission.

We also want to hear from you if your group already supports MAF – especially if there are other ways in which we can encourage you in your journey with us.

There is no cost involved – we just want you to welcome an MAF speaker to attend whatever

6 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

meeting or event is most appropriate. And – with so many speakers available – we can say with great confidence they're eagerly awaiting your call!

We are always very happy to share our amazing Gospel stories. So please don’t worry about how big or small your group is – we welcome every opportunity to meet new people and tell them the latest inspiring news from around the world.

In this issue of Flying for Life, there is a flyer providing the contact details of your nearest speaker. Why not take it to your group leader or church minister this week and see if they feel the time is right to welcome MAF to your village, town or city?

If for some reason you do not have your flyer or you need further information about booking an MAF speaker, please phone Allyson Edwards on 01303 851955.

If you're in Scotland, please phone Andy Martin on 0141 332 5222.

TIMOR-LESTE: pray for health

The speed of change Story Richard Chambers Photos Catalpa and Balz Kubli

Often described as the poorest country in Asia, Timor-Leste is a nation that faces many challenges. MAF's programme there is now crucial to its future

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any of its people live on or below the poverty line, struggling to grow enough food or earn enough money to feed and shelter their families.

Catalpa International aims to change this. Since 2010, it has been bringing together teams of designers, engineers, and other sector specialists. Their common aim is to ‘craft unique solutions to old problems.’

One such project is Hamutuk. Meaning 'together' in the Tetun language, Hamutuk unites more than 20 separate organisations with one goal: to prevent growth stunting in children under 2 years of age. Ministry of Health research suggests up to 50% of children experience growth stunting.

Increasingly, Catalpa has used MAF aircraft to transport staff from its Dili office to remote regions.

Its projects include a mobile phone app that enables the national hospital, ambulance service and MAF pilots to record and track patient data.

MAF has spent years flying sick and injured people into the capital Dili.

Sharing vital information at high speed

greatly improves patient care, as medical staff can be instantly aware of what medical condition to expect.

Another training project educates and inspires families to keep girls in school for longer, partly to delay the age of their first pregnancy. This simple measure can improve both their health and that of their future children.

‘Flying with MAF is fast, smooth and easy for our staff,’ says Tanushree Rao, a communications professional with Catalpa. ‘It’s also exciting – these plane journeys are stunning! When driving from Dili to Same, the trip can take more than five hours on bumpy roads.’

MAF Timor-Leste loves being able to assist the likes of Catalpa International, and the many other organisations involved in the Hamutuk project.

We feel blessed that our aircraft play an essential part in the huge effort to improve the health of the Timorese people. By combining technology, education and flight, we believe lives will be transformed in this nation and throughout the world.

Main Flying with MAF is 'fast, smooth and easy' Above Many in Timor-Leste live below the poverty line Left Tanushree Rao (left) and her colleagues Spring 2019 Flying for Life 7

UGANDA: pray for refugees

A town in exile

Just before Christmas, Flying for Life Editor Richard Chambers left the MAF UK office to see first hand how your support is helping refugees rebuild their lives

T Main Many people from the town of Yei are now living in Uganda Above Richard (left), MAF Pilot Mark Liprini, Rebecca and Astrid Top right CRESS is helping women rebuild their families' lives through medicine, education and microfinance Bottom right Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees depend upon aid to survive

he 500-mile flight from the MAF Uganda base in Kajjansi to the northern town of Arua takes approximately 90 minutes, saving its passengers 8 hours of road travel.

Shortly after take-off, the ‘red earth’ of towns and roads more than 10,000 feet below us gives way to mile after mile of dense green forests.

And, after three years' editing Flying for Life, I’ve left my desk in Folkestone to see ‘the pearl of Africa’. MAF Uganda’s Jill Vine is here to guide me, MAF Youth Manager Rebecca Walker and MAF Denmark Communications Officer Astrid Rahbek around the Imvepi refugee settlement.

Why we fly We're met at the Arua airstrip by Rev Alex Kenyi of partner organisation Christian Relief and Education for South Sudan (CRESS).

CRESS takes an holistic approach to helping the immense number of refugees from wartorn countries living in Uganda.

Its teams teach women to manage general hygiene and reproductive health. They also provide a medical clinic, basic education, help

8 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

with microfinance and agricultural training.

We spend the next two hours in CRESS’s all-terrain vehicle, bumping incessantly along the rutted, earth roads of rural Uganda. This 50-mile car journey is the perfect reminder as to why MAF is the preferred method of transport for 2,000 partner organisations worldwide!

A warm welcome More than 1 million South Sudanese refugees live in Uganda. UNHCR opened Imvepi camp in February 2017 when the Palorinya settlement reached its 135,000 capacity.

Inside the settlement, Alex escorts us to a building with baked mud walls and a thatched roof. The welcome we receive from the ladies inside is heartfelt, colourful and loud!

The singing, shouting and clapping is eventually punctuated by Rev Jacob Karaba, the local CRESS representative in Imvepi. ‘I give thanks to God for bringing the visitors to where we are today!’ he says. The ladies shout or murmur their agreement.

We are introduced to the team who are crucial to the rebuilding of so many lives from the ground up.

Photos Rebecca Walker

The two men, Edward and Noel, are responsible for the clinic and microfinance respectively. Poni is the team facilitator, Yanya the health trainer and Rev Kiden Cicila is the Mothers’ Union representative.

Less than five pounds Like most of the people we meet here, Christine is a refugee from Yei – a town served by MAF’s weekly shuttle flights.

‘The war meant we had nothing left in South Sudan,’ she tells us. ‘God brought us here so our children could get an education. But it’s one lesson a day and we need more teachers.’

A typical Imvepi ‘classroom’ contains more than 600 children.

Joyce fled her homeland after her husband was shot. She arrived in Imvepi with her four children Bosco, Eber, Aate and Sara.

‘My friends from church are here,’ she says, ‘and they look after us. Their children go to school, but mine cannot as I only have money for clothes.’

School fees in Imvepi are 20,000 Ugandan shillings per child, per term. Less than a fiver.

need of prayer and counselling.

CRESS also trains women to grow a wide variety of vegetables that will improve the aid ‘diet’ of rice and beans, while also providing discipleship lessons alongside this vital agricultural teaching.

Each refugee receives 15kg of food per month from UNHCR. Therefore, it is a godsend for those able to supplement such meagre rations by growing aubergines, courgettes, onions, peppers, tomatoes and sorghum.

Rev Jacob turns to our video camera to make a final plea. ‘We pray God will help the people who are suffering. We pray the partnership with MAF continues until these people can go back to their own country.’

First signs of growth ‘Yei was a town of kind people,’ Rev Jacob recalls sadly. ‘They sent their surplus food to the capital Juba. But now it’s a battlefield.’

CRESS is working tirelessly to help with the trauma and pain suffered by practically everyone in the settlement. Churches within Imvepi have been mobilised to support those in

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 9

WORLDWIDE: pray for disaster victims

Ground Zero When a 7.5-magnitude earthquake and 6-metre tsunami struck the island of Sulawesi, 4,438 people sustained major injuries and 2,087 lost their lives Story Jenny Davies Photos Ervin Pratama

I Main When natural disaster struck Sulawesi, the people of Palu suffered terribly Above MAF's Rick Emenaker helps to unload vital food supplies

n the early evening of Friday 28 September 2018, natural disaster befell Indonesia. The city of Palu suffered terribly – more than 68,000 homes were damaged.

MAF mobilised its Disaster Response Team quickly with the help of mission partners Ethnos360 Aviation and Helivida.

‘We put together a team operating two Kodiak planes and one helicopter,’ says John Woodberry, MAF's Global Manager of Disaster Response. ‘This gave us the ability to reach the towns as well as the more remote areas.’

‘Our personnel knew the local language and culture. This is a great help in a disaster situation, allowing us to work more effectively so help reaches those who need it sooner,’ John explains.

10 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

The team included MAF Papua logistics staff Stanley Lepar and Alfa Kawengian. Both men had family living in the earthquake zone which brought the disaster even closer to home.

Operation Blessing From the air, the team had a bird’s eye view of crumbled houses and huge boats stranded on land by the tsunami. Areas near the shore were wiped clean of any structures.

Heading south to more remote areas, MAF’s Rick Emenaker was shocked to see that a half-mile section of the main road had disappeared into the liquefied earth.

Multiple landslides blocked the main road in this mountainous region, cutting off numerous smaller roads and the communities they connect.

'The ground opened up and Nur fell in. It closed around her and then opened up again!'

Petobo – a town only a few miles from Palu.

A major effect of the disaster in Petobo was the ground turning to a muddy quicksand that swallowed people and homes.

‘The ground opened up and Nur fell in. It closed around her and then opened up again!’

Mark recalls. ‘People were actually stacked on top of her and that created gaps so she could still breathe. Her rescue took several hours – her mother actually thought she was dead.

‘Then somebody who was pulled up said, “There’s still somebody below me!” so they went down even further and dug a lady out.

She had a baby in her arms the whole time – a piece of metal had gone through her arm. The little baby she was carrying didn’t survive.’

Below right MAF and local helicopter company Helivida co-ordinated a rapid response Bottom right Rick among the grateful villagers

Buried in the rubble

Gulf of Tomini Molucca Sea

Palu Makassar Straight

S U L A W E S I ( I N D O N E S I A )

Gulf of Boni

Banda Sea

Alfa Kawengian’s parents-in-law, Maryam and Laurens, were in their house in Palu when the ground began to shake.

Escaping through the crumbling building, Maryam reached for a dangling electric power cable knowing it might be live.

For a split second the faithful Christian woman thought, ‘If I’m going to die, no problem,’ then grabbed the cable to drag herself out. A friend’s hand reached for her, pulling her the rest of the way.

Sadly, her husband Laurens lost his life. His body was discovered in the rubble eight days later. His family buried him with a small cross to mark the grave.

Makassar 20 miles

The first flights evacuated frightened Palu schoolchildren and brought relief workers into the broken city, even as people desperate to leave crowded its airport.

By this time, Palu had been cut off for several days and was experiencing frequent aftershocks. There was no electricity, no telecommunications and supplies of food and water were dwindling fast.

MAF flew in an urgent consignment of medicines just in time for doctors from Operation Blessing to treat 1,500 wounded people.

Swallowed by mud Operation Blessing’s Mark McClendon shared how, on the third day after the earthquake, they treated a young woman called Nur from

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 11

WORLDWIDE: pray for disaster victims

Take the next step Do you want to be part of something bigger?

As Alfa describes his heartbreak at what a good man his father-in-law was and how his mother-in-law’s heart is ‘destroyed’, he begins to cry. He couldn’t help them.

‘But I went there not for my family only,’ he says. ‘I went there, maybe, to help another family,’ referring to MAF’s work flying food and doctors to remote disaster-struck areas beyond the ravaged city of Palu.

What MAF does best ‘We had an opportunity here to do what we do best – reach isolated people,’ says pilot John Gorenflo at the end of a busy day flying to outlying areas. That day they reached a village of 5,000 people who were a 4-day hike away from the outside world, with maybe a week’s worth of food left.

Knowing MAF would be able to help these desperate communities made the scenes of devastation easier for John. A few days later, he returned to the village with the Helivida helicopter to deliver doctors and more than 400kg of food provided by a local church.

12 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

All the while, donations continued to flood into the hangar in Palu. ‘People showed up here with boxes of medicine, carloads of rice and noodles – just wanting to get it to needy people.

'We were able to respond quickly by flying these donations to hungry and injured men, women and children,’ concludes Rick.

During the six weeks which followed, MAF flew medical workers and nearly 45 tonnes of food, shelters and medical supplies to 53 devastated communities.

Every flight was funded in full by generous MAF supporters and several institutional donors.

Much of the aid was donated by Indonesian organisations or churches who just wanted to help by giving whatever they could spare.

Top Assistant Flight Operations Manager Alfa Kawengian (right) and fellow national staff member Stanley Lepar (left) Bottom Please keep praying for Sulawesi

There are many opportunities to work with MAF and change the world. We are praying for more people who can take up a role similar to John Woodberry’s – specifically that of Country Director.

If you feel called to lead an MAF programme in our Africa or Asia-Pacific regions, we want to talk to you today! However, we also need mission hearted men and women for roles in IT, aircraft maintenance, aviation support operations, financial management and communications.

And – always – pilots!

For more information, please phone the HR team on 01303 850950 or email hr@maf-uk.org Thank you.

KENYA: pray for pastoralists

Water from the rock

Story Gary Clayton Photos Food for the Hungry Kenya

MAF partner Food for the Hungry Kenya (FHK) operates primarily in Marsabit County, where the population faces frequent and recurrent drought

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hen food becomes scarce during the dry season, women, children and the elderly can go hungry for days. Enter Christian relief and development organisation FHK. The goal of our partner, which serves the pastoralist people of Marsabit and Buuri who move from place to place in search of water and pasture, is to end severe poverty.

To achieve this, FHK promotes access to education. Its child sponsorship programme provides school fees, uniforms, desks and teaching materials. It builds classrooms and renovates school facilities and toilets, provides continuous training for teachers, and promotes the importance of reading and writing among parents and caregivers.

The NGO also provides clean water for humans and livestock by constructing boreholes, storage tanks and pipeline extensions in hard-to-reach areas.

FHK also teaches community members about sanitation, hygiene and toilets to improve health and prevent sickness, and explains how to conserve areas that can be used for grazing during periods of drought.

Vulnerable people are vaccinated against disease, malnourished children given the food necessary to survive, and pastoralists taught how to plan their finances so they can save money and offer each other loans.

In the space of just a few years, groups of 15-20 people have saved the equivalent of ÂŁ3,890 by investing their savings in small businesses and increasing the original amount through any profits generated. The money helps provide the members with money for food and education.

FHK personnel Abudo Boru and Leon Odhambio say, ‘FHK has used MAF for years and years. The road from Marsabit to Nairobi takes nine hours, so it makes a big difference to use MAF to facilitate staff movements, donor visits and move light cargo. We also depend on MAF when somebody needs to go to Nairobi for emergency medical treatment.’ Main Thanks to MAF and FHK, the end to severe poverty is in sight Top During the dry season, women and children can go hungry for days Above Out of the drought springs the miracle of water!

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 13

UK news

Birthday boys Two big-hearted supporters became fundraisers on their ‘big days’ so that MAF can continue flying for life MAF supporter David Skitt wrote to us in November to tell us how he celebrated his 80th birthday in style.

‘We had a lovely evening,’ says David, ‘with all my family present and about 50 friends. There was an excellent singer, a quiz and some silly games – a good time was had by all!’

Rather than buying him presents, David asked everyone to make a donation to MAF. His friends’ stunning generosity amounted to a cheque for £480. This represented half the total amount raised – the other charity benefiting was Birmingham Children’s Hospital which saved the life of David’s grandson.

‘Thank you for sending the publicity material,’ David concludes. ‘It helped me to tell all my friends about the wonderful work MAF does in so many places.’

Peter Whitaker – father of our Chief Executive, Ruth – also decided that his birthday would be the perfect opportunity to do something extra special for MAF. Peter told Flying for Life, ‘I have always been fascinated by aircraft and began supporting MAF many years ago.

Now, it is my joy that my daughter works for MAF, as you know!

‘My 90th birthday was a great opportunity for my family and friends to learn more about MAF’s work. I was very pleased that over £500 was given – hopefully it will buy something useful like some aviation fuel!’

We send our most sincere thanks to David, Peter and their birthday guests.

'I was very pleased that over £500 was given!'

If you’d like more information on how to give up your birthday for MAF, please phone Marc Giles on 01303 851955

This is Mission Aviation Fellowship is a Christian organisation serving 27 developing countries to reach the world’s forgotten people – those living out of sight, out of mind and out of hope. With land access denied by inaccessible terrain – due to natural disaster, war or economic crisis – thousands of communities are completely isolated.

Operating around 128 light aircraft, MAF’s pilots fly into some 1,400 remote destinations.

Whether landing in deserts or jungles, on lakes, rivers, tracks or roads, MAF planes transport essential medical care, food, water, relief teams and church workers to those in desperate need. Each flight carries practical help, spiritual hope and physical healing to thousands of men, women and children for whom flying is not a luxury but a lifeline.

MAF is flying for life.

14 Flying for Life Spring 2019 www.maf-uk.org

MAF UK Castle House, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone Kent CT20 2TQ 29 Canal Street, Glasgow G4 0AD FREEPOST ADM4164, Portrush BT56 8ZY Dept AA1818, PO Box 4214, FREEPOST Dublin 2 T 01303 852819 E supporter.relations@maf-uk.org W www.maf-uk.org Registered charity in England and Wales (1064598) and in Scotland (SC039107) ® Registered trademark 3026860, 3026908, 3026915

Flying for Life Editor: Richard Chambers Email: editor@maf-uk.org Copy Editor: Gary Clayton Designer: Oak Creative Printer: Fretwell Print and Design Ltd Printed on sustainable paper produced from a managed forest © MAF UK Spring 2019 ffmt It costs us no more than 65p to produce and send you this magazine and prayer diary

Healing in their wings Having married a former pilot in the late 1970s, Elizabeth Lowden was used to first-class air travel

My husband Eric was born in Belfast in 1917. He joined the RAF in 1940 and continued to serve his country throughout the World War II. During this time, Eric married Muriel Hopkins – who was then my English teacher – in Bangor, County Down.

In 1947, Eric joined British European Airways (BEA) and ceased active flying duties 24 years later, having flown approximately 10,000 hours.

Awarded the OBE for services to civil aviation, Eric retired in 1977 when BEA merged with BOAC to form British Airways.

Tragically, after a decade-long battle with cancer, Muriel died in 1978. The following year Eric and I were married.

In our youth, Eric and I had been Sunday School teachers – he in a Presbyterian church, me in the Church of Ireland. As undergraduates, we’d also belonged to various Christian groups.

As young children, Eric’s sons hadn't taken the stories of his aerial

exploits seriously, so he wrote a memoir dedicated to them.

In October 2003 – the week before he died – we proofread it together, and I promised to type it as his final Christmas gift for the boys.

I first heard of MAF in my local church St Mary's, Beaconsfield.

I was attracted to the idea of MAF's planes rising 'with healing in their wings' and saving so many lives through their emergency medical evacuations and Gospel flights.

I've decided to include a gift to MAF in my Will.

I remain committed to MAF – I like the idea that a gift in my Will will provide a lifeline beyond my lifetime for remote communities.

Eric and I enjoyed the privilege of flying first class. We were given champagne, but MAF gives so much more – God's blessing to people in more destinations than even British Airways reaches. And that's why I support MAF. I like to put my money where my faith is.

If you would like to know more about leaving a gift to MAF in your Will, please phone Miriam Wheeler on 01303 851958 or email miriam.wheeler@maf-uk.org

Help share what God is doing around the world We are looking for passionate people to join us at some of the biggest Christian festivals, across the UK. This year, we’ll be heading to BCDO, The Gathering, Creation Fest and more!

FESTIVALS FOR FREE BUILD YOUR CV GOOD DEAL – AGREE?

Volunteers will have the opportunity to meet and work with new people, and will receive a free festival pass with plenty of time to enjoy the event too. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to add some excellent voluntary experience to your CV!

Know a young person who might be interested?

Get them to sign up at www.maf-uk.org/cabincrew

*Volunteers must be aged 18 years or over

Spring 2019 Flying for Life 15

er h t o n a t s u j Not

! y a d h t Bir

Ever feel like you don’t need any more presents? Why not share your birthday with us and put a gift for MAF on your present wish list instead!

This year, your birthday can save and transform the lives of some of the most isolated people on earth.

Celebrate your special day by bringing God’s love to vulnerable people in remote communities throughout the world.

For more information please visit www.maf-uk.org/birthday or phone 01303 852819

Happy birthday! www.maf-uk.org/birthday