http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org Latest news from Above and Beyons UK - MAF-UK Young MAF en-us http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories A lot of blood 524 kg of blood. That's a lot. That's the amount of life saving blood that MAF flew into the Karamoja region of northern Uganda in 2009.  Taking it from the capital city, Kampala to hospitals at Matany, Kaabong and Kotido.The roads are dangerous in more ways than one.  They are in a shocking condition. It can take two days to drive from Kampala to the Karamoja region.  But insecurity is the major problem. Just a few weeks ago two vehicles on this road were ambushed. The driver of one of the vehicles was shot but able to drive to safety.  Three people in the other vehicle were killed and the car was looted.The MAF plane overcomes these huge obstacles and consistently delivers life saving blood supplies to those in desperate need in the Karamoja region of Uganda. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Haiti disaster response Tuesday 12 January 2010 started like any other ordinary day in Haiti. By the end of it, tens of thousands of people had died and millions were left without homes. Totally devastated. A month on and Haiti is out of the news, but the rebuilding of the nation is only just beginning. It will take a very long time.Do you know what a huge difference a plane can make following disasters like this? Check out this video of an MAF plane landing on the island of La Gonave, Haiti, before the earthquake struck. Vital flights The island of La Gonave receives its food supplies weekly from the capital city Port au Prince. However, because of the chaos there after the quake, no food was getting through, leaving thousands hungry. We were able to deliver vital food supplies to the island. MAF has four planes flying throughout Haiti, taking relief to outlying towns that have been totally cut off and helping evacuate international workers. Without the planes, many of these places would be impossible to reach.Serving others The MAF hangar in Port au Prince has been a hub of activity, helping other agencies with storage and distribution of food, water and medical supplies. We were also able to set up a satellite communication system to help the relief efforts of more organisations. One agency, Instedd, used this system to receive text messages from people in need, and from aid workers on the streets so that they could co-ordinate relief teams and search and rescue efforts. Long-term help MAF has been working in Haiti since 1986. When all the disaster response teams leave Haiti and go back home, MAF will still be there as committed as ever to see this nation rebuilt and restored.Will you stand with us in prayer for Haiti? Click for prayer points http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Beans, beans…Since she was just two years old, Anna had been totally deaf in her right ear.  Living on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya there were no nearby doctors who were able to help. MAF recently flew a medical team there. In five days, the team treated over 1000 patients, including Anna.Seven year old Anna was almost the last patient on the first day and the member of the team who saw her could tell that something was wrong and sent her away to try using ear drops for a couple days. When she came back they removed 2 black seeds from her ear but her hearing was still not right. So they sent her away with more ear drops. She returned again on the last day that the team were there. They tried to flush the ear several times again, but it didn’t seem to be working. They were about to give up, but decided to give it one last try. This time, as they flushed it, a small piece of brown material began to come out. To their amazement it was half a bean! They removed the bean and Anna could hear properly for the first time in five years! She was absolutely delighted and left praising God for the medical team and the plane that brought them. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Giving hope in MongoliaGet out your hats, gloves, scarves, thermal underpants we’re going to Mongolia. How much do you know about this former communist country in Asia? Mongolia is cold. In the winter, temperatures drop as low as -40°C. Freezing. Mongolia is massive. It is bigger than Spain, France and Germany combined. There are enormous mountains and the vast Gobi desert. Mongolia has very few roads. Travelling around Mongolia is incredibly difficult. In Mongolia, the main religions are Buddhism and Shamanism. A lot of people have no religion. Most Mongolians have never heard of Jesus Christ. Despite this, the church in Mongolia is growing amazingly. In 1989, there were four known believers. Today, there are over 40,000.Most of the Christians are based around the capital city Ulaanbaatar (try saying that with a mouth full of marshmallows!). Ulaanbaatar Baptist Church (UBC) has a fantastic vision to plant churches in every province in Mongolia. But because of the lack of roads, the harsh climate, the gigantic mountains reaching people is almost impossible. Operating under the name Blue Sky Aviation, MAF is partnering UBC and other churches and mission groups as they reach people across this vast nation.MAF planes make a huge difference. Pastor Boldbaatar from UBC shares, ‘We learnt about Blue Sky. We are so thankful to God that He opened the door for us to reach different places and in such a short time.’ Recently MAF flew a team from UBC to a place way up in the mountains in western Mongolia. Without the plane, it would have been a long, dangerous drive passing over several mountains. It would have taken between four days and a week. Maybe even longer. The plane journey was under four hours. The team from UBC shared the message of Jesus and 80 people committed their lives to Christ for the first time. One new believer told his story, ‘I did lots of sins in my life. Now I believe God forgave me, crucified on the cross, shed His blood for me.’ The church in Mongolia is growing. People are coming to know Jesus. Praise God! It is a total privilege for MAF to be serving in this way, overcoming barriers, helping to reach isolated people. In fact, it’s the reason MAF exists. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Planes full of porridge in KenyaIt hasn’t rained for a long time in the north of Kenya. This means there’s not much food growing and water is running out.Apparently it’s the worst drought since 2000 and people are struggling to survive. Nearly four million people are now desperately in need of food.They are hoping for some rain soon. If it doesn’t come, Kenya is heading for a disaster.Vast numbers of seriously hungry and thirsty people have been crying out for help. So often God uses MAF flights as the answer to people’s prayers. We can’t make it rain, but we can pack planes full of food and deliver it right to the most needy people.MAF has been busy, working with partners, doing just this over the last few weeks. Packing planes with an enriched, high-energy porridge mix, suitable for malnourished people, and delivering them throughout northern Kenya. It’s only a drop in the ocean, but lives are being saved. Please take a moment to pray for the situation, that those most affected will be helped and that the rains will come soon. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories A week in the life of an MAF pilotAbove & Beyond caught up with MAF pilot Steve Richards to find out what an average week is like working for MAF in Papua… Tuesday: Some crazy storms meant the week’s flight schedule had to be adapted. Steve brought Wednesday’s planned flight forward to deliver a load of church building materials. When Steve landed, a man bounded up to him begging him to help a lady in great pain. Steve responded quickly and flew her out to be treated at hospital. The man beamed, ‘Praise God you came today so this lady could get to the hospital.’ Wednesday: Steve told us, ‘Yesterday’s original plan of flying two pastors for a translation seminar took place today. The two men agreed that God was in control, and praised Him for allowing us to help the woman the previous day.’Thursday:Steve flew to a place called Timika to collect two other pastors who were heading home after a church conference. He also picked up a man and his family, who had just finished Bible school. This guy had graduated the week before and was now returning to his home to serve in the local church. Steve said, ‘It was again a joy to be able to serve this family. I could see the sorrow of having to say goodbye to great friends, but they were ready to go forward and serve where they felt called to serve.’Following this flight and a quick 10-minute turn around, Steve was off again, flying the director of a Christian kindergarten in to oversee the end–of-year ceremony for 19 kids who were finishing the programme. In this remote community, education is an extreme luxury.From there, a medical emergency took Steve to a place called Pagamba. A three-year-old boy had broken his arm when he fell from the house (houses are raised off the ground). Steve collected him and his father to take them to hospital.Friday:More bad weather and another medical emergency flight from Pagamba. A man had fallen from a high scaffold. He had broken his back and was found in a ravine. The family carried him overnight to Pagamba to be brought to hospital. Steve comments, ‘I have seen those trails and I can’t imagine running over them at night without a flashlight, but to do it carrying a stretcher is even more amazing.’Wow, at the end of a busy week, Steve concludes: ‘I guess you can say it was really an amazing week! It was good we could fit in all the church and mission requests with one plane, and fly several emergency cases as well. Despite the weather and several medical emergencies, we were able to fly every flight we had planned at the beginning of the week.’ http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Flying planes, following Jesus When Jesus arrived on planet earth, He announced that part of the reason He came was to ‘proclaim freedom for the prisoners.’ (Luke 4:18) On another occasion, He summed up what He’d been up to like this, ‘The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’ (Matthew 11:5) http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Plastic bottles save lives Have you ever had the water turned off in your house? It makes life extremely difficult. Most of the time getting water is easy – turn on the tap and out it comes. You can drink it, wash with it, brush your teeth with it and use it for cooking. We have even developed technology so that at the touch of a button water is used to wash our clothes, our dirty dishes and even to flush away our waste (ie toilet!). Water is vital to everyday life. For millions of people all over the world, getting their hands on water is extremely difficult. There’s a village in Madagascar called Anjabetrongo where about 1,000 people live, and their only water supply is this big puddle.This is dirty water. It is where the animals have a bath. Still, the local people have no choice, so they use it for washing clothes, swimming and even for drinking. It’s not surprising that most of the people in the village suffer from bad diarrhoea and other diseases. For some people, especially kids, diarrhoea leads to severe dehydration and sometimes death. Did you know that with lots of plastic bottles and some simple education, loads of lives could be saved? MAF partnered with the local church in Anjabetrongo to help save lives, flying in planes full of plastic bottles. The sheer quantities of bottles needed means that, without the plane, transporting them would be practically impossible. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Untitled Page Serving in Madagascar Serving. No, this is not about tennis or how to become a silver service waitress. This is about getting involved, rolling your sleeves up and helping out. Serving. It isn’t particularly cool is it? Helping other people out, being useful, contributing to a cause. Certainly doesn’t sound very glamorous or exciting. But serving is definitely cool and it can be extremely exciting. You see, to serve is to follow the example of Jesus. MAF is an organisation that seeks to follow the example of Jesus by serving others. We serve local churches and mission agencies to reach the most isolated people on the planet with the incredible love of God. MAF serves totally remote communities all over the world. Ampasinambo is a village way off the beaten track in Madagascar. It takes days to reach them overland. But MAF has a burden to serve this community. A team of young people have been working on developing an airstrip, rolling their sleeves up, getting their hands dirty, hacking down bushes, digging up tree stumps and making the ground at least a little bit flat so that a plane can land on it! http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories The airstrip means more and more help can be flown in for these totally cut off people. Even while the team was there, they were able to carry out a medical emergency flight for a man in agony with a double hernia. He was taken to a hospital that he simply could not have got to by any other way in his condition. The planes that fly in will be able to bring everything from medical supplies to mosquito nets and missionaries to serve the community. Whatever the plane carries, our prayer is that God will use it to transform lives in Ampasinambo. Serving, contributing to a cause, making a difference…what part will you play? How are you going to serve today? [For ideas of how you can serve with MAF check out the page]. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories You need to upgrade your Flash Player! This web site makes use of the version 8 or newer. VIDEO PLAYER and . svp_clip_id = "39908"; svp_player_color1 = "#a6a6a6"; svp_player_color = "#a6a6a6"; svp_player_height = "330"; svp_player_width = "440"; svp_transparent = "false"; svp_pause="1"; svp_repeat=""; svp_bg_; svp_fs_mode="2"; svp_no_fullscreen="0"; svp_no_controls=""; svp_skin="0"; svp_use_div="svp_player39908"; svp_brand_new_window="1"; Your browser does not support JavaScript! JavaScript is needed to display this video player from Lost in Sudan Another MAF plane touches down on a remote airstrip in Sudan. Every day, MAF is overcoming huge barriers and working with partners to spread God’s love throughout this devastated country, bringing hope to some of the poorest people in the world. MAF’s work in Sudan is essential. It is the largest country in Africa. Vast deserts, tall mountain ranges, massive swamps, huge rainforests and an infrastructure in tatters means travelling around Sudan is extremely difficult. It’s easy to get lost! Have you ever been lost? Maybe as a toddler in a supermarket, distracted by the exciting array of cuddly toys, you lost sight of your mum…panic-stricken, you sobbed until a helpful member of staff announced to the whole supermarket that you were lost and could your mum kindly come and find you. Being lost is not much fun. It may only be for a split second, but a shudder sears through you as you realise you are all alone, helpless, lost. Maker is a young man from Sudan who, as a boy, got more lost than you or I have ever been. The day started like any other. He woke up early and set about his chores. While he was out looking after the cows with some of his friends, his village was violently attacked. Lots of people were killed. Maker and his friends fled for their lives … as did thousands of others who suffered a similar fate. They became known as the ‘Lost Boys of Sudan’. Without parents or elders, these boys walked across Africa. A short stroll to the local shop is usually enough for me, but these boys walked from Sudan to Ethiopia, back to Sudan and then eventually to a refugee camp in Kenya. Wow. Eventually, loads of these lost boys ended up in the USA as refugees. A charity called Aid Sudan was set up to help them. As they got to know these boys, their vision expanded and now they work in Sudan too, playing their part in rebuilding this nation. They regularly send teams into southern Sudan and are involved in health education, water projects and church planting. Amazing work, eh? They couldn’t do it without MAF. No chance. MAF flies the teams in, wherever they need to go, whatever it takes to get to some of the most isolated villages in Sudan. Aid Sudan’s country director Kerry sums it up, ‘Without MAF, we couldn’t do what we do, because Sudan is logistically so difficult to get in and out of.’ Someone MAF recently flew was that young man called Maker. Having run for his life, he eventually made it to the refugee camp in Kenya, where he completed his education before being granted asylum in the USA. http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Maker is now back in Sudan as a missionary with Aid Sudan, seeking to bring the Good News of Jesus to this desperately needy land. Looking back, Maker knows God had a plan for his life. It was the tragedy in his life that led him to become a follower of Jesus and gave him a desire to pray intensely for his people and his lost nation….that they might know God’s amazing love.  That is MAF’s prayer too…that the people of Sudan will know God’s love. Will you join us in praying for that? Will you do something to help the work of MAF in Sudan and around the world? http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories MAF in Chad What do you know about a place called Chad? Where is it? What’s it like? Who lives there? What would life be like if you lived in Chad? It’s an understatement to say Chad is not the easiest place to live. Located in the centre of Africa, it has a harsh climate and desolate landscape. One in five children do not live to see their fifth birthday. If they do, life will be characterised by a struggle against severe poverty. Chad is currently regarded as the fifth poorest country in the world, with 80% of the population living on less than £1.50 a day. Chadians (that’s people from Chad) lack access to water, food and good medical care. Disease is rampant. And to top things off, Chad teeters on the edge of civil war. Violence threatens to sweep across the country any day. Chad pretty much sounds like one of the worst places in the world. Would you like to live there? http://www.aboveandbeyondmaf.org/Stories Meet Haji Ousman, a 14-year-old boy from Chad…imagine how different his life must be from yours. For Ousman and his family, like most Chadians, everyday is a struggle to survive. On one particular day, Ousman certainly would not have survived if it wasn’t for the work of MAF in Chad. While out caring for his family’s horse, Ousman was attacked by a hippo. He was bitten on the head, arms and stomach, tossed into the bush and left to face almost certain death. Death. With no hospital nearby, Ousman had little hope. But his family raised the alarm and MAF was able to fly in and take Ousman to a hospital in the capital city to receive emergency medical treatment. Today, although severely scarred, Ousman has been given another chance of life. Life. Rescued from death to life. For thousands of people across Chad, MAF flights are providing a lifeline…every flight bringing hope to some of the poorest, most isolated people in the world.