Mission Aviation Fellowship
In 1946, pilot Betty Greene flew the first MAF aircraft on its inaugural flight, transporting two missionaries of Wycliffe Bible Translators to a remote jungle location in Mexico.
[3] In addition to Truxton and Greene, other early members of the fellowship included Charlie Mellis, Nate Saint, Larry Montgomery, Grady Parrott, George Fisk, Clarence Soderberg, and Jim Buyers.
In later years, MAF agencies were established in other countries, including New Zealand, South Africa, Suriname, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Canada.
MAF missionaries perform tasks as diverse as digging wells in Mali, providing disaster relief services in Sumatra, installing jungle communications and internet wifi networks in Papua New Guinea and Ecuador, operating computer centers in rural African villages, providing air ambulance services in East Timor and Haiti, and showing the movie Jesus in remote villages.
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, MAF provided air and communications support in Sumatra to humanitarian agencies responding to the crisis.
[11] In 2007, MAF provided aid following Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh[12] and Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua,[13] and worked with the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to halt an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
[15] That same year, MAF airdropped food and medical supplies to villagers stranded by flooding in the wake of four deadly storms in Haiti,[16] and served refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo following clashes between government and rebel forces.
Since these services involve flying into steep, short, or otherwise difficult runways, Mission Aviation Fellowship provides its personnel with training in STOL and other specialised techniques.
Information from: Mission Aviation Fellowship Arnhem Land, Australian, Bangladesh, Canada, East Timor, Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, UK & US websites and Airliners.net
