Current Mission Focus

Mission Aviation Fellowship

MAF is our mission focus for the quarter April to June. There will be MAF speakers at our church services on 5th May.

Mission Support Group

Mother and baby saved by MAF medevac

After walking for four hours to reach medical help, a pregnant woman from Timor Leste was sped to the island’s only hospital in just 15 minutes, thanks to MAF. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in the capital Dili, and the family claim the MAF aircraft helped save her and her baby’s life.

Marcia Pereira de Sousa, a 31-year-old from Macadadi – a rural mountain community on Atauro Island – was experiencing hypertension (high blood pressure) and was dangerously close to losing her baby. With no access to road infrastructure or electricity, the expectant mother began the four-hour walk to find help at a rural health clinic on the eastern side of Atauro Island. Knowing there was still more than 20 miles of water to cross to reach Dili – a journey that can take three hours – a nurse requested an emergency MAF medevac (medical evacuation).

MAF Pilot Lungpinglak Domtta, who performed the life-saving flight, knew Marcia’s condition was serious. He said, ‘I could see she was in pain. She managed to walk to the aircraft from the ambulance then we laid her on a stretcher. The sea was rough, and it wouldn’t have been a good experience with her medical condition on the boat. It brings me great joy to help people in times of need.’ Marcia’s husband also joined the medevac flight. He said, ‘I’m very grateful to MAF for their extraordinary service to evacuate us and save my wife and baby’s lives during this tough situation.’

Naming her daughter Francelina, Marcia spent a week recovering in Dili before MAF flew the family back to Atauro Island in early February. She said, ‘I’m super proud of the MAF team for making a great service and serving isolated people in this nation.’

Her Future. Her Family

The rural woman is more vulnerable than anyone on earth. She bears the brunt of climate change, risks violence and remains cut off from necessities such as education and medical care. MAF aircraft help thousands of women like Marcia all over the world, but MAF wants to do more. Please get involved in MAF’s latest campaign “Her Future. Her Family” by visiting www.maf-uk.org/her.

Pause for Prayer

It’s a privilege for MAF to be the sole air ambulance service for the entire population of Timor-Leste, where 80% of the population lives in rural, mountainous areas. Please pray for MAF’s small team as they respond to multiple medevac requests every week, flying to and from Dili to save hundreds of lives.