At the centre of what we do at MAF is a heart to see God’s love spread to those who live in the most isolated places of our world. Watch this inspiring new video about this aspect of MAF’s work.

Around the world MAF partners with hundreds of missions, churches and other faith-based organisations by providing flights that support ministry, evangelism and church growth. 

Jean Theirry and Moise’s story below highlights the need for these Christian ministry flights to connect missionaries to unreached people groups. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), MAF Technologies partners with Bible and Christian literature suppliers to distribute Bibles to youth who would otherwise not have access to God’s Word and to Bible resources.

FRom Burundi to South Sudan: An Adventure in Mission.

Missionaries Jean Thierry Nshimirimana and Moise Nsengiyumva flew into remote Torit to begin a year of challenging learning with Africa Inland Mission’s ‘Inbound’ program.

Story by Jenny Davies

Jean Thierry and Moise caught a bus in Burundi to make the 2-day, 782-mile journey overland, from Bujumbura to Nairobi. From there, transport options narrowed.

Boarding a MAF plane, they flew 2.5 hours to Torit in South Sudan – and began their one-year ‘Inbound’ orientation with Africa Inland Mission.  

Before Jean Thierry arrived, South Sudan was already on his heart. “When I was in the school of mission, I prayed for South Sudan without knowing why,” he said. “Moise and I were praying in the same church, and we did the same school of mission together. We decided to come together as two guys so we can support one another,” Jean Thierry explained.

During their school of mission, Moise was fascinated to learn about ‘unreached people groups’: populations where the church has so few believers, that without outside help, most people would never hear the gospel. A small cluster of unreached people groups are located in rural areas of Eastern Equatoria surrounding Torit.

“In Burundi, I would say 80% of the population have heard the gospel,” Moise added. “They can hear it over the radio. We have heard many things about unreached people groups where the gospel is really needed. I said, ‘Okay, if God can open the door to the place where there is really a need, I will go there to reach those people with the good news.’”

For the next year, the pair – who previously worked in IT and Community Development – will be immersed in full-time learning about the communities they hope to reach.

The mountainous nation of Burundi in East Central Africa has an agricultural economy and population similar to South Sudan, but that’s where the similarities end. Differences include food, language, and the good roads which enable easy travel in the small African nation compared to South Sudan.

As they participate in outreach activities, the trainee missionaries are learning by ‘doing’. 

“Every Friday, I go to Lebalwa village to do Discovery Bible Studies,” said Jean Thierry. “At first, we were only fellowshipping with the kids. The people told us, ‘We won’t have anything  to eat if we don’t go to the garden to cultivate our sorghum. After hearing this, we moved the program because on Friday afternoon, they have time. After starting the Bible studies, I saw that some elders came to join us. More people are also joining for services on Sunday,” Jean Thierry said.

Fellow missionary Moise has connected with some of the youth to understand their hopes and dreams. “It is good to invest in the kids and the youth. If you want a good church in the future, you need to build a good foundation with the youth,” he added. 

As he looks to the future and tries to discern what that might look like, Moise feels challenged.

“This year is about preparing us for the future mission field and to reach the villages which are outside of Torit,” he said. “If there is need 8 km outside Torit, how is it at 11 km? Imagine how it is in 20 km? There are many things to do! The work is bigger than I thought. Here there are many unreached people. I am excited about that!

“Thank you for what MAF is doing. It is making easier the journeys and travel for the work that the missionaries are doing. Thank you for the work you are doing to support the work in the places the missionaries are reaching.”

Two thousand Bibles for PNG’s next generation

Young people from across Papua New Guinea left home from a week-long youth conference carrying bilingual Bibles donated by Bible and Literature Missionary Foundation and MAF Technologies.

Story by Kowara Bell

More than two thousand Bibles were donated by the Bible and Literature Missionary Foundation and distributed with the support of MAF Technologies during a National Youth Conference hosted by the Christian Apostolic Fellowship Church in Goroka, the capital of the Eastern Highlands Province.

The week-long conference was well-attended, welcoming youths from across the twenty provinces of Papua New Guinea. They each left with unique two-in-one English and Tok Pisin Bibles.

“The Bibles we received from the conference have helped us,” said Greg Kanambi, a young attendee from the remote Tangu community, situated in the rugged Bogia district in the nation’s north.

“During the sessions we could better understand the message, as we could refer to the English version on one page and Tok Pisin on the other.

“The message we received from the conference reminds us – the young generation of today – that if we remain in God’s presence and follow His Word to guide us, we will see change and God will bless our province and country,” Greg said.

Another attendee, Roselyn Wangia, 22, also from Tangu, said, “I’ve seen change in my village, many who used to struggle with alcohol and drugs experienced transformation through the Word of God during the conference.”

Senior Pastor Wayman Kati, a pioneer of the Christian Apostolic Fellowship Church, highlighted that the event focused on the increasing vulnerability of youths today.

“Many youths in the country are influenced by the outside world and lack clear direction and values to guide them on a clear path in life,” he said.

Under the theme, ‘Empowered by the Presence of God,’ the church recognised the importance of encouraging and teaching youths through the Word of God, nurturing their inner growth and spiritual foundation.

Pastor Wayman highlighted that the printed Bibles donated arrived at the perfect time.

“We want to raise and discipline them with the Word of God. As Proverbs says, ‘Train a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.’

“The Bibles that were donated are a special gift and a blessing for us to complement the purpose of the youth conference,” he said.

Pastor Wayman thanks MAF Technologies for the continuous collaboration with Christian Apostolic Fellowship Church, faithfully touching the hearts and lives of many Papua New Guineans through the sharing of the Gospel.

MAF Technologies General Manager Bryan Mathews is passionate about sharing God’s Word with the young people of his nation.

“We believe by giving Bibles to youths empowers them to follow the right path, guiding them to become faithful servants of Jesus Christ and good citizens of Papua New Guinea,” he said.

“MAF serves as a platform that connects individuals, organisations, and churches to distribute the Word of God, alongside the other essential services it delivers to isolated communities across Papua New Guinea.”

MAF Technologies thanks Bible and Literature Missionary Foundation ministry for working hand in hand to bring God’s Word to people across Papua New Guinea.

The Bibles are printed in the United States and shipped to Papua New Guinea for distribution.