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MAF Pilot Story: Cyclone Paul, North Australia

By on June 28, 2010 in MAF

MAF Pilot Paul Woodington tells a story of a community dealing with Cyclone Paul in Arnhem Land, North Australia.

On Saturday, 27th Mar 2010, the weather forecast predicted Cyclone Paul would hit Elcho Island around 10pm. MAF pilots on Elcho evacuated and flew their aircraft 90 miles to the new MAF hanger at Gove. At 11pm Saturday night, Cyclone Paul hit Gove, not Elcho Island.

Two days ahead of forecast and missing Elcho completely, the category one Cyclone passed overhead sending debris everywhere. Windows rattled, trees came down, and anything loose became an airborne projectile, but no real damage thankfully. The next day, Sunday 28th Mar, Cyclone Paul continued to develop into a category 2, hugging the southerly coastline, and eventually settling for two days over Yilpara, a homeland of 150 Yolngu people, 80 miles south of Gove.

Continue Reading →

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MAF Learning Technologies – Papua New Guinea

By on June 22, 2010 in Faith, MAF, Technologies

Last month I spent two weeks in Papua New Guinea. My time was split with MAF IT tasks, MAF LT tasks and three days as acting Program Manager for MAF.

While in PNG I met with:

  • PNG Bible Society
  • Leaders from the Baptist Union of PNG
  • Staff from the Christian Leaders Training Centre (CLTC)
  • Staff from New Tribes Mission
  • Staff and management committee of CRMF (Christian Radio Missionary Fellowship)
  • MAF Papua New Guinea Board
  • John Kupp, Senior Pastor PNG Christian Centres
  • Staff from MAF Papua New Guinea

The MAF LT component of my visit was to share with various groups of people the ministry of MAF Learning Technologies.   Continue Reading →

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Bible Training in Remote Areas – Papua New Guinea

By on May 28, 2010 in Asia Pacific, Faith, Learning, MAF

CLTC TEE1 Bible Training in Remote Areas – Papua New Guinea

On Friday I visited the Christian Leaders Training College (CLTC) in Banz, Papua New Guinea.

I met with Mr Philip Bungo who is the co-ordinator for the TEE (Theological Education by Extension) program being run by CLTC.
CLTC has designed this program to cater for lay workers, elders, pastors, local Bible school teachers, and church leaders to study towards their “Certificate of Christian Foundations”.

“The need for sound Biblical teaching and training of Christian leadership is one of the most urgent issues in our country and the South Pacific Islands today” says Mr Bungo.  Mr Bungo came to Christ through studying a TEE course when in prison many years ago.

The Certificate of Christian Foundations is a course which is designed to integrate Biblical knowledge to equip and enable a student to become a true disciple of Christ.  The courses also equip a student to minister to their churches and families.  Students are able to learn in their home community and not leave home or travel across PNG to study.  This also allows students to remain active in ministry while they study.

There are three main components of TEE study:

  1. Home Study – a goal set of one unit per week (approx. 4 hours) with students studying at home using learning material provided by CLTC. Workbooks contain learning notes, questions and revision tasks
  2. Practical Assignments – Each unit of study has a project or practical assignment to be done i order to put their learning into practice.
  3. Regular Small Group Seminars – these provide opportunity for students to share together what they have been learning.  Led by a tutor, these groups are occasions of mutual encouragement, fellowship and spiritual growth.

He currently has over 1000 students across the country studying various courses on topics including:

  • Discipleship
  • Worship
  • Marriage and Family Life
  • Life of Christ
  • Childrens Ministry
  • and 11 other topics

cltc students Bible Training in Remote Areas – Papua New GuineaEach of these courses costs less than PGK40 (40 Kina is about AUD$17) and yet despite the low costs many Papua New Guineans in remote areas simply cant afford to take the courses.  If you are prompted to help support the training of isolated PNG church leaders by covering their costs for some or all of their TEE courses contact me.  The courses are made available in both English and Tok Pisin and can be studied in a group of 7 – 12 led by a tutor or in isolated student mode.

As these students grow spiritually, the Church in Papua New Guinea becomes more spiritually mature and better equipped to be used by God to reveal Himself to others.

Pray that all those wanting to study, learn and grow will be able to with the removal of whatever barriers they face.

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New Aussie Aircraft for Papua New Guinea mission

By on May 11, 2010 in MAF
TCH 11 05 2010 PAGE 2 01 pg 2 1105 plane.IMG t325 New Aussie Aircraft for Papua New Guinea mission

MAF Pilot Clint Smith with the GA8 Turbo Airvan in Toowoomba

Toowoomba’s airfield received a special stopover from an aircraft on a mission yesterday.  A newly developed turbo charged airvan or GA8, designed and manufactured in Gippsland, Victoria, was on its way to Papua New Guinea to take on the world’s most difficult flying conditions.

The plane was built for Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to carry out medical and missionary work in developing PNG.  MAF pilot chief Clint Smith said PNG was a country of difficult terrain with few sound roads.

“PNG is a struggling, developing nation hindered by isolating terrain and there are places where there are no roads or where the roads can only be used for a few months each year,” Mr Smith said.

“Some of the airstrips are shocking and weather patterns can be really, really unpredictable.”

The $775,000 plane will take pride of place in MAF’s PNG fleet alongside 15 other aircraft.  The big difference with this latest edition is the addition of a turbo-charger that will allow the plane to soar to greater heights faster.  Mr Smith said a United States military assessment of flying conditions worldwide found the standards required to fly safely in PNG are the highest in the world.

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MAF Pilots Walk, not Fly

By on May 5, 2010 in MAF

MAF pilots Dave Forney and Paul College, both based in Kalimantan, Indonesia, have written about there experiences and adventures doing some jungle trekking between villages that they would usually fly between.  Their experiences really affirm the difficulty that isolated people have when travelling in countries like this, which are identical in parts of Papua New Guinea.

From Dave’s blog:

“You might be intersted to know that even now, a month after initially leaving on the trip, I’m still dealing with weird infections breaking out 3 300x225 MAF Pilots Walk, not Flyhere and there on my body, as well as a continually painful and swollen knee. The shin no longer seems to be infected, but is lumpy and still quite painful. This all underscores the difficulty of travel the “old-fashioned” way out here in the wilds of Borneo, and the reason why MAF serves the national church at the ends of the earth. It is indeed a very valid ministry, and one that I’m honored and humbled to be a part of!”

read more on Dave’s blog

During World War Two there were plenty of amazing stories from this part of the world.  I read “The Airmen and the Headhunters” which tells the events following a US bomber crew escaping Japanese troops with the help of the local Dayak people, an awesome story which would make a great movie one day. 

There is a TV documentary on PBS which can be viewed here:

http://to.pbs.org/2ToXFi

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