Gary Clayton of Mission Aviation Fellowship writes:
In 1 Corinthians 15:32, the apostle Paul refers to fighting wild beasts in Ephesus. Although it’s unclear whether this is a reference to enraged opponents of the gospel or an allusion to a particularly cruel form of Roman punishment, for many MAF passengers the organisation’s light aircraft are the only way they can avoid the peril posed by man and beast.
Kenneth Rwego, founder of Christian NGO Eden Mission, recalls how he was held up at a rebel roadblock in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
‘In 2014, before I knew about MAF, I was with my wife and two girls when rebels pulled me out of the car and dragged me into the bush.
‘They demanded my phone and money. I explained I was doing mission work and pleaded with them to leave my family alone. As I was talking, a large buffalo appeared. It chased a rebel who had a gun.
‘I knew God was protecting us! I ran towards my car – terrified the buffalo was going to kill me – and drove off like a madman. ‘I’d preached about “God interventions” but had never experienced something like this.
When I told my friends, one of them said that MAF flies Christian organisations.’
Today, Kenneth says, MAF enables him to travel safely:‘We’ve been able to reach the whole of Orientale Province because of MAF – flying to locations which would take three days by road. Locations which remain risky because of rebel activity.’
Elisha Moita, lead evangelist at Malambo Bible College, Tanzania – another regular MAF flyer – remembers his encounter with wildlife, many years ago. ‘In the beginning, I walked huge distances sharing the gospel, narrowly avoiding many dangerous animals.
‘Once, I met a gang of elephants which chased me to the mountains. I climbed on a big rock, and they left when they realised they couldn’t get me. I also had to climb a tree to escape an injured buffalo that tried attacking me.’
One day, when Elisha was in Malambo, an MAF plane landed. He spoke to the pilot, who said he’d help Elisha to share the Good News with the Maasai. ‘Flying means I can reach many more places and serve ten times the number of people I reached before. Many have come to Christ since then.’
In 2021, Elisha and his team baptised more than 130 adults who no longer worship idols or created beings but now follow the living God.
