Mission Aviation Fellowship flew directors from the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Mali, allowing them to meet together in southern Guinea and strengthen links between management and field missionaries.
Story by Joel Conte
“Thanks to MAF, we can hold our meetings and access areas where we’d normally spend three days driving the round trip,” said Mr Erling Aasen, a Norwegian working with the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In just 2 hours and 15 minutes, MAF flew five members of the board of directors of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission of Mali from Conakry to Nzérékoré, in collaboration with the Free Evangelical Lutheran Church.
“This visit, as part of the meeting of the board of directors, allowed us to see the field of the mission on which two established families will now operate,” said Mr Thomas Magadji, the mission director, who is originally from Cameroon.
“I was still very young when my father was a pastor, and he was already traveling with MAF. They would come to get him to go to the Fulani mountains in the northern region of Cameroon. And since it was difficult to gain access to the mountains, MAF provided the service.
“Later, I also saw how MAF was in service in the northwest of Cameroon, transporting the sick in Bamenda during emergencies,” said Thomas.
The chosen destination for the meetings, Nzérékoré, is located more than 954 km from Conakry, Guinea’s capital.
The mission has placed staff in Nzérékoré to proclaim the gospel and provide continuous follow-up to Fulani believers. While it offered a stable location for the event, bringing the council members overland to this southern Guinean city was a considerable logistical and temporal challenge.
“Thanks to MAF, the board of directors’ trip has been transformed,” said Thomas. “Instead of a gruelling three-day journey, our pilot was able to ensure a direct, fast and safe flight to Nzérékoré. This flight did not only carry people – he has delivered valuable time and energy to our team.
“Without MAF, we would have had to dedicate a whole week to the round trip. Thanks to the plane, we were able to focus on the essentials: our work session and the visit to the mission; being rested and ready to make crucial decisions for the future of our communities.
“By providing this transport, MAF has allowed the mission to maximise its time on site. The session took place in the best conditions and the mission’s visit was deepened, thus strengthening the links between the management and the field,” added Thomas.
Erling expressed the team’s gratitude for MAF’s services.
“We are very grateful for the work done by MAF in Guinea,” he said. “Thanks to MAF, we can operate efficiently and reach isolated populations in hard-to-reach areas.”