International (MNN) — Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is a name you’ve heard from us before. They partner with ministries to fly into isolated parts of the world with aid and the Gospel.
What you may not know is how dangerous MAF’s work can be.
David Holsten, MAF’s President and CEO says, “Flying airplanes into short, slippery airstrips where there’s rebel activity or there’s something like the Ebola sickness that is present in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, it exposes them to a certain level of risk that is very real.
“Part of the reason that we are willing to do that is we believe that’s what God has called us to do.”
(Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)
MAF team members often reside in or near the regions they serve — including areas with security concerns or harsh living conditions.
“We have staff who are living in cities like Port au Prince in Haiti or Kinshasa in the western Democratic Republic of Congo,” Holsten says. “These are difficult places to live.”
However, every person working with MAF would say the eternal harvest they see is worth it. With their ministry partners, MAF’s aviation services advance Bible translations, church planting, and development work.
Holsten says, “Additionally, we do a lot of disaster response flying when there is a large-scale disaster that takes place in countries where we can position staff or airplanes. It allows us to arrive early-on and provide a helping hand to those who most need it, particularly when it’s an airplane that can make the difference in being able to connect them to the resources they need.”
Support Needed this Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday is coming up next week in America on December 3. It’s a day encouraging people to generously give to nonprofits and ministries they are passionate about.
(Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)
For believers, Giving Tuesday is the perfect opportunity to financially partner with MAF. Holsten says your funds will meet urgent, tangible needs in the ministry with an eternal impact.
“When a person is giving to MAF in our global ministry fund — which is what Giving Tuesday is going to be contributing to — they are literally helping to fuel up our aircraft. They’re helping to provide funds that can be used to maintain our aircraft [and] to help pay the many faithful national staff that help us to accomplish our mission.”
But the act of giving doesn’t have to stop on Wednesday.
In order for MAF to do what they do on a daily basis, committed partners who donate on a regular basis play a profound role in the ministry.
“The sort of ministry that we’re involved in, it’s resource-hungry we would say. It’s not a cheap thing to fly aircraft into the places that we operate. But in many places, it is the only option that exists.”
MAF pilot Jon Cadd laughing with a group of children. (Photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship)
As for prayer, Holsten doesn’t approach that need lightly either. “There’s no doubt that our ministry is literally held up by the prayers of others. The work of MAF is unique in that we’re flying these smaller aircraft into some incredibly challenging airstrips around the world.”
To their prayer partners, Holsten asks, “Pray for…the safety and well-being of our staff who are serving in the places that we live and operate in, and safety in our operations.”
Header photo courtesy of Mission Aviation Fellowship.
