Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) provided non-cost flights over two days to Balimo Pathfinders, a new club under the Balimo Seventh-Day Adventist Church located in the Delta Fly District of Western Province.
MAF and the PNG Department of Community Development assisted the Balimo Pathfinders to travel across the country to Lae recently for a world-wide conference.
With over seven-thousand others joining the conference, Deputy Director of the Balimo Pathfinders, Matilda Sangkol, described the transformation of the young lives.
“I know that in the future they won’t be the same Balimo kids. We’ve seen the changes ourselves, and we know that these kids will be better. The next generation has been improved”,
After the conference, the group drove back to Mt Hagen. They had not been able to raise enough funds for return flights to Balimo and prepared for a long route ahead.
“We had initially planned to take the long but economical route, travelling through Kagua, Erave, and Kikori before finally braving a six-hour banana boat ride back to Balimo,” said Sangkol.
MAF Booking and Flight Programming Team Leader Nancy Ikate had heard their plans and wanted to help, especially considering the potential safety risk of reported killings on the main highway.
“We got a phone call from Nancy that we’re flying to Balimo, four flights on the first day and one on the second day,” said Sangkol with relief as they waited to board in Mt Hagen.
Nancy also recalled specific funding available to MAF that was provided by Rex Hibuye, the Program Coordinator for PNG’s Department of Community Development: Youth and Religion. After explaining the need and potential risk of the Pathfinders’ travel. Hibuye readily agreed that the funds could be used for the return flights.
“MAF assured us that God was in control and offered to fly us home at no cost, saving us from the arduous journey we had planned,” said Sangkol.