Friday 21 June 2013

JUNE 16th


On Sunday, we follow Michael and Judith to the local church they attend. The congregation of 50 is a mix of South-Sudanese and international NGO staff. Some of the faces are familiar, from the Bible study I attended on the first evening in Juba. The sermon was challenging; hearing it was challenging too – I had taken a seat next to the air-conditioning unit which was working overtime to cool the room. I wasn’t about to turn it down though.
The distance between the MAF compound and the church is short enough to walk, allowing us to experience Juba at street level. Were it not for the masses of discarded plastic water bottles that proliferate every empty space, the city could have a certain charm. The roads are also dominated by vehicles that are either registered as belonging to international NGOs or the United Nations. While these remain the major presence on the streets, they indirectly reflect South Sudan’s underdeveloped status.
In the afternoon, I finally get a chance to justify packing my swimming shorts and take a dip in the pool that has been set-up on the MAF compound. The contrast from the searing heat is extremely welcome. Michael and Judith join me soon after and collectively we reflect on the fact that we are relaxing in a pool in one of the poorest countries of the world. It doesn’t seem right. And yet, it doesn’t seem right that Michael is an experienced pilot whose thousands of hours’ flying time could land him a very well paid job elsewhere, yet he volunteers his services in one of the poorest countries in the world. If an occasional chance to escape the heat by relaxing in a pool means Michael and Judith are willing to stay with the MAF team longer, then countless lives in South Sudan will directly benefit.
In the evening they invite me over to watch a documentary about South Sudan’s ‘Lost Boys’ who fled the country to escape the violence that was engulfing their homes during the war for independence. Scattered around the world, the plight of this group is a powerful reminder that South Sudan is one of the countries in the world most in need of prayer.

JUNE 15th


It’s the weekend! The day begins with meeting Judith (married to Mike who flew me yesterday) for a traditional South Sudanese meal of ‘rolexes’. In a country as visibly poor as South Sudan, it seems a strange idea that we are going to be munching on luxury watches for breakfast. I’ve also conscientiously been watching the food I eat so I don’t get an upset stomach, a goal that is unlikely to be helped by downing a load of metal cogs. Fortunately, the rolexes Judith returns with from a local vendor are actually rolled up chapatis with a fried egg inside. She informs us that she buys these rolexes from a trusted vendor to avoid picking up any fakes.
As we munch away, conversation turns to the subject of food. From what we saw from the skies yesterday, South Sudan is an incredibly lush land, with the potential to be a breadbasket that feeds all of Africa. With virtually no infrastructure in place on the ground, the country remains more of a basketcase.
Today is a big day for the team on the compound; a delivery of furniture for the newly built accommodation units is arriving. It’s a case of all hands on deck, as existing furniture is first moved to make way and then the huge truck is unloaded. The new desks, tables, cupboards and more all need taking to the correct houses and then require assembly. My mind is more than willing for the task, but my body is still weak. The reward for our labour is an evening meal at one of Juba’s up and coming restaurants along the Nile river.

JUNE 14th


It’s before 6am and the sun is yet to rise. We’ve slept in a wooden shack underneath a tin roof, in one of the least developed regions of the world. Despite these conditions, Adrian is up and sporting a clean and completely creaseless pilot’s shirt, ready for our departure back to Juba. He is of course British and I ponder whether any other nationality could maintain such a formal demeanour in this tropical setting.

We’re flying another of the families serving with Cush for Christ out of the country; Natalie, already a mother of two, is heavily pregnant and will be giving birth in Kenya where the medical facilities are much better. As we take-off from Malualkon, she is also hoping for a ‘weather-less’ day.

Adrian informs me that we need to stop off on the journey back to Juba in order to take on some more fuel. If we start running low, he tells me, we’ll have to fly slower. I ask him if running out completely means we’ll be up here all day. We land at the town of Wau, an airstrip that has recently been upgraded and tarmacked and the staff on the ground proudly inform us that the runway is now 300 metres longer than the one at Juba. MAF flights rarely stop at Wau, so we take the opportunity to tell the authorities we meet about the organisation’s work. This friendly approach pays dividends when I am given permission to take pictures of the plane refuelling. My colleagues in MAF Norway run an extensive appeal to raise funds for the fuel that keeps MAF flying and I know they will appreciate some fresh pictures to enhance this.

Taking off from Wau, Adrian and I start playing a little game. It’s not “I-spy”, but counting the number of wrecked aircraft that litter the sides of Wau’s airstrip. We finally agree on three. I discover later in the day that many of these abandoned wrecks carried weapons during the war for independence from north Sudan. The cargo was considered more precious than the aging carriers that flew it in, hence those that hadn’t crashed on landing had been abandoned and left to rust.

In Juba I say farewell to the Faris family and Adrian, and simply lower myself down from one MAF plane and climb on board another. Once again I’m allowed to sit up front as pilot Michael Dupuis prepares to take-off for the settlement of Keew (my third flight of the day and it’s not even noon). We’re taking a group of staff from Christian Mission Aid, an NGO which MAF flies regularly, to this remote location. Space has also been made on board to stash an 80kg freezer unit that will allow medicine to be stored at a temperature necessary to keep it effective.

Plans for this delivery are complicated by the fact that there has been rain in Keew and the runway may be too wet for a landing. There is however another strip close by in Jaibor where we are informed that conditions are dry enough. Two hours’ later, we fly over Keew and the muddy wheel marks of an aircraft that managed to take-off yesterday provide a clear warning that the ground is still wet. Jaibor it is then, a further five minutes’ flight.

The clinics that CMA run in both Jaibor and nearby Keew have been extensively resourced by MAF flights. Building materials, syringes, medical gloves, medicine and more have all been flown in. Simeon, who oversees the clinics, explains that bringing such supplies in overland would require a nine-day boat journey. I furiously scribble down all that he is telling me.

We are invited for a bite to eat and the extra time spent in Jaibor over midday is all valuable minutes for the airstrip at Keew to dry out. The heat is stifling and initially I assume the local villagers are all sheltering inside the ‘tukuls’ (mud huts with cone-thatched roofs) that dominate the view. I am corrected by one of the CMA staff who informs me that the earlier rain has sent people scampering to the fields for harvest preparations.

Potentially the shortest MAF flight in the world, we spend five minutes travelling from Jaibor to Keew (it is however a four-hour walk between the two settlements). The freezer is unloaded and we have to make a swift departure. Juba airport has been known to close abruptly at six o’clock, leaving us minutes to take-off if we are to get there in time. We arrive at six on the dot, the last flight to land at Juba that day.

Back with the MAF team, we share a meal together. This would be an ideal time for me to interview some of the group about the work that God has called them to. The schedule of the last week and today’s five flights has left me shattered though and I head for an early night.

Thursday 20 June 2013

JUNE 13th

The housing facilities at the MAF compound in Juba have recently been upgraded and I’m grateful that there is a little time in the morning to take a tour. Things are so new, that I’m actually being shown round a building site that has signs of work-in-progress everywhere. I’m also introduced to many of the local staff who fill vital support roles in MAF’s operations. With a chance in the next 48 hours to visit two destinations where MAF is supporting missionary activities, Judith reminds me that I have an opportunity to directly experience a side of the work that most of this team will never witness. A sense of humility and ‘standing-upon-the shoulders-of-giants’ descends upon me.

Less than 24 hours after arriving at Juba’s airport, I’m soon back there for a flight with MAF to Malualkon, a remote destination in the country’s north. We’re bringing in the Ward family who serve with Cush for Christ and pilot Adrian Rose prays for a safe journey.

Before departing, Adrian also invites me to sit with him up at the front of the plane. In MAF terms, a seat in the cockpit is considered on par with an upgrade to first class. Strapping myself in, I can’t help but notice the dazzling array of buttons and dials just in front of me. The temptation to start pushing random ones is overwhelming, but I discipline myself. The noise factor of flying with MAF remains though and Adrian passes me a chunky headphone set. Putting it in place, once again I find myself staring at the control panel, wondering if one of them will tune me into Classic FM.

Having not been able to hear anyone else during the earlier MAF flight, suddenly I can hear Adrian, Juba control tower and anyone else who cares to use the local aviation airwaves. The amount of chatter going back and forward between the planes that are coming and going is overwhelming. Fortunately things get quieter as we get airborne.

A short while later, Adrian informs me that we are likely to encounter some “weather” during the two-hour journey. It’s a somewhat strange statement, since his comment also leaves open the possibility that we may not experience any weather. What does a weather-less day involve I wonder? As the plane starts vibrating and shuddering, I soon come to understand that ‘weather’ is pilot-speak for rain and storm clouds. ‘Weather’ at 10,000 feet also has a particularly unpleasant smell about it, until Adrian explains that this has been caused by one of the Ward children vomiting into the black bag that is provided.

The arrival in Malualkon is a welcome one, both for those on board and the community that has come out en masse to greet us. We unload the Wards’ packages and depart the airstrip for Cush for Christ’s base. The half-dozen international staff are involved in a radio ministry there as well as offering discipleship courses for church leaders. They are also living a traditional missionary lifestyle, in shelters they have built themselves using local material (and a few resources flown in by MAF). Night descends as we eat together, and I talk with the team about how God is using their ministry. The tales are inspiring in many ways, but we have to return to Juba at first light, so we call it a night and I fall asleep staring at the incredible amount of stars that God has created.

Tuesday 18 June 2013

JUNE 12th


Knowing that the roads will be chaotic, I wolf down far more chips than I should so we can take an early taxi to the MAF hangar. It’s the same driver who met me two days ago when I first arrived in the country. We probably would have made faster progress through the traffic by borrowing his mountain bike.
Today is a day of two halves. In the morning I train Katie, one of the MAF Kenya team who is helping us gather the reports, stories and photos that MAF UK needs to publicise the ministry. In the afternoon, I’m scheduled to board my fifth flight in three days, heading to Juba in South Sudan where MAF has an extensive operation.
Although MAF does operate shuttle flights between Nairobi and Juba, I’m flying direct with another airline. At least, I am hoping to fly... Upon check-in, I’m told that the flight has been delayed by a couple of hours. Needing to let people know I’ll be arriving later, I scan the walls, the car park and the terminal building for a payphone, to no avail. Eventually I ask a bystander if I can make a call from his mobile and he willingly agrees.

I have been reassured that Juba’s roads don’t yet have enough vehicles on them to do traffic jams and upon arrival that certainly seems to be the case. Driving around the capital of the world’s newest country, I’m also making a mental checklist of what else Juba doesn’t ‘do’ – buildings more than four storeys’ tall for a start.

My main contact on the Juba team is Judith, an extroverted Newfoundlander who I’ve met before at a training conference for MAF staff working in information-gathering roles. She has a Bible study that night at her place and we head straight there. Somehow she’s found out that today is my birthday and a plate of brownies, one including a candle, is produced. A group of mostly South Sudanese friends from the local church she attends perform a wonderful rendition of happy birthday, and the ice is broken for a study on Jeremiah. This is my first visit to South Sudan and within an hour, I am studying God’s Word with my brothers and sisters in Christ. What a privilege to belong to the largest and greatest family on earth!

JUNE 11th


The Methodist Guest House in Nairobi where I’m staying at serves chips for breakfast. My home for the next couple of days is making it possible for me to start the day with chips. I don’t have long to savour them though - I’m off to the MAF hangar at the city’s Wilson Airport, where I’ll be briefed about the organisation’s work in Kenya and South Sudan and then jump on my very first flight!
Along with a group of MAF UK’s trustees, we head off to Marsabit in the country’s north. All of us are flying MAF for the first time and we’re giddy with the excitement of schoolchildren. Our chatter comes to an abrupt halt as soon as the engine starts though – sitting on board a non-pressurised small aircraft has to be one of the best conversation killers going. Brad, our pilot, passes us all some much needed air plugs.

As with yesterday’s taxi, my views from the window are obscured – this time by clouds. With nothing but white fluffy stuff to see and no-one I can hear to talk to, I settle down for some of the sleep I lost en route to Kenya.
We’ve been advised by Brad to save our photos until arriving in Marsabit, because it apparently “looks much more like Africa”. As the plane lands on a remote airstrip, his description proves itself correct; reddish mud tracks snake through small basic units of accommodation, while the lush greenery thrives under the relentless sun.

We’re in Marsabit to see an orphanage that MAF has helped support. We meet Pastor John Arero who oversees the home and we head to his house first for lunch. The walls of his homely abode feature several certificates and photos; the pastor graduating from Bible college; and being presented a certificate by one of Kenya’s former presidents for his work amongst Marsabit’s least fortunate.
The orphanage is surprisingly empty, with most of the 35 children still in classes at the local schools they attend. We do however explore a sturdy chicken coop that MAF donors have provided the funding for. Ultimately this will be home to a hundred chickens and provide the orphanage with some much needed income. With there being no chickens in Marsabit, the animals will be flown in by MAF too. I’m left wondering if Brad also has a stash of chicken-sized earplugs?

Walking back to the airstrip I speak with Gabriel, a former resident at the home who is now a young man. His passion for Christ is overflowing and I’m delighted to hear that MAF is subsiding flights for him to complete a community development course in Nairobi, in order for him to assist the orphans and others in the town.
More clouds and more nod on the way back to Wilson. The four of us from MAF UK are being hosted by Brad and his wife for a meal that evening, but any road between the hangar and his accommodation has seemingly been shut for construction work. We complete the eight kilometre journey in slightly over two hours. Thankfully the trip back to the guesthouse takes a matter of minutes and I’m soon in bed, dreaming of fried potato.

JUNE 10th


My taxi driver tells me he likes mountain biking. Nothing so unusual about that, except I’m in Kenya, and I wasn’t expecting the capital Nairobi to be a global hotspot for those who like to trek on two wheels. Maybe it is? I’m not actually spotting many mountains, but with night having fallen I’m not seeing too much out of the car windows… except the number plate of the car in front. We’re stuck in a traffic jam and after taking two flights with a stopover in the middle of the night, I’m not actually relishing the moment.

I’m not here for the thrills and an African adventure though. As a communications officer serving with Mission Aviation Fellowship, I’m here to experience what God is doing through the teams in Kenya and neighbouring South Sudan. I’m hoping this insight will enable me to better tell others, that they may be inspired to partner with us through prayer and support.