Blue noodles and a steep airstrip!

Today I ate blue noodles for the first time in my life, and landed on an airstrip the majority of which is at a 23% incline.

It was a long day, not too unusual when flying in one of the programmes.

The weather delayed us a bit at the beginning. The pilots checked how things stood at the numerous destinations we were heading to, as there’s no point even making a start until they can be fairly sure they can touch down there. Once we received confirmation it was OK the pilot, Dave Forney, and I climbed into a C206 and headed off to collect our first passengers.

Some snippets of info from the day:
• As you take off from Tarakan you immediately fly over a whole load of shrimp ponds along the coast, shrimp being the main export from here. The general effect of the ponds, with the brown rivers snaking between them, is quite artistic from the air. Note to self – must get aerial shot of plane over artistic shrimp ponds!
• Once over the interior the terrain is rugged mountains completely covered in dense jungle which stretches into the distance as far as you can see. Absolutely stunning! As you look down it’s very clear why MAF is flying here – overland travel would take ages (our first passengers flew for just over an hour – it would have taken them 2-3 months overland by foot and boat, a journey which wouldn’t even be considered)
• Landing and taking off from Metun airstrip which is mostly at a 23% incline is pretty cool! You touch down on a short section which is at a 5-6% incline, which then quickly increases to a 23% incline, then there’s another more level bit, and then the final sharp incline before coming over the top of a ridge where the plane parks. The view from the top is stunning – across lush dense green vegetation to blue mountains in the distance….but I’m meant to be talking about planes, rather than getting distracted by scenery! The take off from there was fast, the airstrip being only 365 metres, so Dave gave the plane plenty of kick (not sure if the proper word is throttle, but hopefully you get the idea) before we popped over the top ridge and rushed down the sharp incline. I momentarily had that roller-coaster experience when you hold your breath having not quite expected what you’re experiencing.
• Has anyone seen ‘Airmen and Headhunters’? If so, we flew straight over the place where the airmen had to bail out during World War II – dense jungle of course.

I spoke with Pastor Henry, one of our passengers, who is working in Data Dian. He shared: ‘We’re the smallest of villages in the area and without MAF no one else would care for us. As a servant of God ministering here it would probably be impossible to be here without MAF’ – his enthusiasm was visibly evident.

More flying planned for Thursday.

That’s all for now, except to say that the blue noodles were for lunch – I was advised not to ask why they were blue, so I didn’t!

Stephanie

Stephanie arrives in Kalimantan!

I have arrived in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo, via three different flights and three days of travel. I’m a bit tired now, and jet lag is clouding my head! It’s 7 hours ahead of the UK.

I’ll be here for nearly 2 weeks. I’ll be based in Tarakan, where MAF has a base with 6 planes. One of these is the Kodiak which toured the UK last autumn before it headed into operation. My reason for visiting is to see the plane in action and report on the impact its making. The programme also has two float planes based down in Palangkaraya.

First impressions: it’s very warm and humid and very green. Today there was plenty of cloud cover and it rained heavily early morning. When we headed to the hangar there was a stunning rainbow – had we been only moments earlier it would have been a great photo, arching over the Kodiak sitting on the apron with stormy clouds adding a bit of drama.

Only 2 of the six planes in Tarakan are operational at the moment – the others are down for maintenance, though the grand caravan should be back in operation tomorrow having just had a biannual inspection of the undercarriage completed today (whole under-carriage removed for a thorough check).

While I didn’t join any flights today, the Kodiak did transport the body of a young boy (13-14 years old) and his family to his home village for burial. He had had a heart defect since birth, and previously had heart surgery after which there were no more problems. Then just a few days ago he’d developed problems in his arm and pain in his head. He was brought to the hospital here in Tarakan where he was for three days before he died. It was upsetting to see the coffin be carried out over the apron and carefully loaded into the Kodiak, some of our national staff securing it with straps to one side at the back – you sense just a minute fraction of the pain and heartbreak of the parents. The parents and two others accompanied the coffin on the flight. School children were there to meet the plane when it landed. Here it’s really important for people to be buried in their home villages, so for MAF to assist in the transportation of bodies for funerals is an act of compassion, coming alongside the relatives and communities at a time of pain.

A kind of motto of the programme here is: ‘Serving communities; supporting the church; showing compassion’. Relationships are at the heart of what the team are doing. They intentionally invest in relationships with the village communities they fly to, and with people here in Tarakan. In Tarakan about 80% of the population are Muslim, with animism mixed in, some Buddists and Hindus. In the interior about 90% are Christians.

Had dinner with Brad and Rebecca. Brad shared how on one occasion he had the challenge of checking for a passenger’s pulse while flying the plane. Another time they were having drinks down on the beach here in Tarakan when a man came out of the water carrying a girl (approx 12 years old) by her ankles. She’d been sucked under the water and drowned, and the man was carrying her upside down to try and drain out the water. Having had first aid training Brad went and assisted and the young girl was saved. No one else present knew what to do to save her.

Plan to do some flying tomorrow so hope to let you know more after that.

If you have any questions do send them this way and I can see what I can find out.

Bye for now

Stephanie

First time in Australia - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR.

Week 3 and I am just about to board a plane back to the UK. This last week I have been at Treetops in Cairns. Treetops is a joint guest house run by MAF and Wycliffe. It is often used by missionaries from different organisations who work in countries in this region for short breaks. It is in a beautiful location with access to the beach and other amenities. I have been here for meetings with other members of the MAF International Human Resources track: Gene Jordon (MAF US), Annie Russell (MAF Africa region), Mark Outerbridge (MAF Canada) and Alrena Martis (MAF Asia Pacific). MAF across the world is seeking to work together more closely in a number of ‘tracks’ to enable sharing of resources and to improve efficiencies. We have spent the week looking at a range of issues from the layout of application forms, the content of induction and orientation courses, standardisation of pilot testing, Knowledge Management, pastoral and members care, and the development of staff. It seems like a world away from the excitement of my recent experiences of medical evacuations, or landing vital supplies and church workers in remote locations often in hazardous flying conditions. Yet those of us in the home staff are passionate about raising up an army of supporters who pray and contribute financially where possible. Along with the HR team role in Folkestone and other supporting countries we are recruiting staff who are called by God, have the technical skills and will fit into the various MAF programs around the world. We are the backroom boys – the support staff to all the operational programmes.

My visits to Arnhem Land and Papua New Guinea have reminded me of the importance of what I am engaged in. My part in the MAF vision of bringing physical and spiritual hope to remote communities through aviation. As a supporter you are vital in MAF throughout the world fulfilling this mission. We need your prayers in the MAF supporting offices around the world that we will be faithful in all we seek to do in raising support in prayer, funding and finding the right people to fill the much needed vacancies in operational programmes. Pray for our Boards and leaders, particularly in the international work of MAF, that they will make wise decisions to enable MAF to have an impact for remote communities around the world.

First time in Papua New Guinea - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR

Second week and I am now in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A real contrast to the spiritual darkness of Arnhem Land. In PNG most of the population would call themselves Christians. However the church is described as a mile wide and an inch thick. There are dozens of churches in Mount Hagen which is the main MAF base in PNG. The country is stunningly beautiful with high ranges of hills, lush vegetation where anything will grow. The colours of the flowers by the roads are like your local garden centre. Yet to get from A to B could not more clearly show the need for MAF. On a flight with pilot Michael Bottrell we flew to a remote community to pick up 2 ladies who were having complications in their pregnancy. It took us 6 minutes to take them to Mount Hagen where they could go to hospital. Can you believe that it would have taken them 2 days to walk if they had not gone by air! Made that long as they could not pass through the territory of a neighbouring community as they were at odds with them and may risk attack. Today I flew to a community on Aeu for a medical airlift. A lady had tried to escape from her husband but relatives had caught her and stabbed her with a machete. The result was that her arm was in need of urgent medical attention. We had a doctor on board who was able to check that she was OK to fly.

Pray for the MAF staff here who fly in a breathtaking country that hides deep valleys, unexpected cloud formations that can make flying a challenging ministry. Pray for Michael and Nicki Duncalfe (from UK). Nicki has a key role in inducting new MAF international staff and their families. Michael is the Crew Training Competency Manager and is covering for the role of ATC Manager involving the training of new pilots. I will be flying with him all day on Thursday in a Twin Otter, the largest twin engine plane in the PNG Programme.

Yours
Gary

First time in Australia - thoughts from Gary Colvin Head of HR.

I am currently visiting the MAF Arnhem Land programme of the Asia Pacific Region. Arnhem land is in the Northern Territories and is in a remote location. It can only be reached by 500 miles of dirt road which is cut off during the rainy season or by plane or sea. All supplies for staff and the programme are delivered by sea barge that takes several days to arrive – definitely not next day delivery! The MAF programme is providing flights for many different organisations who are seeking to develop the indigenous Aborigine population. The land mass is huge – about the size of the UK yet the population of the area is numbered in only tens of thousands. The need is tremendous both physical and spiritual. The Aborigine people are animists by tradition and follow a lot of occult practices. It is hard to get to know them as you have to be ’invited to their family first’. Aborigines live in small communities and a few MAF pilots are based with a plane in these communities seeking to be a witness. Some have Aborigines have come to Christ but sadly many place an emphasis on their traditional animist beliefs first when difficulties in life arise. I have been privileged to fly with a number of MAF pilots to deliver vital supplies to outlying districts and to transport teachers to schools. There are huge educational needs in this area. Pray for the 40 plus MAF staff here to know God’s protection in a spiritually oppressive place; To know encouragement in the day to day ministry of flying, servicing the planes and being part of the local churches and various outreach projects; For Doug Miles the Programme Manager who took up the role in April.

-Gary