Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF)

This was reiterated by the Western Highlands Area Supervisor of SDA Mission, Richard Jacob, who worked with MAF to overcome the distance and difficulty of reaching the area. Mamusi is a rural village located near the Yuat River, in a valley bordering Enga, East Sepik, and Madang provinces.

“We’ve been doing a mission trip there. When I started as the area supervisor, they gave me the mandate to put a church there, and so I said let’s go where the aeroplane can”, said Jacob.

MAF’s last price increase was in 2014. MAF chose not to increase prices for several years to assist the remote communities, delaying it even further in response to the economic impact of the pandemic. 

However, with the overall increase in the cost of consumer goods due to inflation, and a substantial increase in fuel prices, as well as changes to foreign exchange rates, the increase to the price of airfares is now needed and is an inevitable step.  

Computer training provided by MAF Technologies has strengthened a local church in Western Province, as pastors use their skills to share the gospel. 

The Local Ministry Coordinator for the Evangelical Church of PNG, Pastor Dacky Wakili is based in Balimo of Western Province. He shared that the month-long training received back in 2021 had fired up the local church and inspired teachers and health workers to want to learn more.

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”,

According to MAF, the system could possibly be the first to be in PNG and is not well-known in the area.

Seventy-two houses as well as hangars and office make up the MAF base, recently a project has begun to provide new housing and event space for future families and conferences. The project presented challenges regarding sewage, as previous septic tank methods became less easy to maintain. 

The young boy was named after Richie Axon and six years later himself and mother Jesslyn met the wife of pilot Richie, Bernadette, at a Christian women’s conference recently.

Also, part of the joyful reunion was Selah, a volunteer ‘was-mama’ who cares for people receiving medical attention, especially supporting women giving birth.

“Not long after we arrived in Telefomin six and a half years ago, Richie did a medevac for Jesslyn who was having trouble in childbirth, and Selah came along as her helper to look after her while she was in hospital,” Bernadette said.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot, Andy Symmonds embarked on the maiden flight to Aiyu and shared his experience.

He was welcomed with a singsing, the participants danced around the aircraft.

All the local dignitaries were in attendance, including local government members, pastors, and newly appointed MAF agents. He gave them some instructions on the care and maintenance of the strip.

The community advised Symmonds that the nearest operational airstrips were at least a full day's walk away, over difficult swampy terrain.

The AHP’s first flight took off from Balimo bound for Wawoi Falls, a rural community in the remote Western Province bordering Hela. This corner of the province has been particularly difficult for health officers to support because of the logistics.

Western Provincial Administrator Robert Kaiyun said: “We are excited and we are confident that this arrangement is going to help improve our health performance indicators in the province.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and its associated ministry, Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship (CRMF), have revealed that the Mt Bosavi eruption rumours in Southern Highlands Province are making people flee.

“This is false information. Scientists have been helicoptered in to view and study the volcano. They have declared that there is no danger from an eruption and have been to speak to people in the villages.