http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.maf.org.nz en-us Fri, 22 May 2026 06:41:02 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/164678/god-still-loves-me-rozalia-regains-full-independence-after-surgery/ “The pleasure of the world is to see. If you do not see, you have no pleasure,” says 75-year-old Rozalia Masanja Mayunga.For two and a half years, Rozalia lived with blindness that robbed her of all independence and joy. But last year, MAF flew Tanzanian eye surgeon, Dr Erick Msigomba and his team from Njombe to Rozalia’s home region of Tabora. There the team performed surgery that not only restored Rozalia’s eyesight, but also blessed 60 others with their sight and independence once mor... Mon, 18 May 2026 15:09:15 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post164678 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/164348/an-absolute-delight-45-years-of-giving-caring-and-serving/ “We wouldn’t have missed it,” said Grant. “There’s nothing else we would rather have done with our lives than what the Lord’s been doing over these 45 years.”From engineering and quality assurance to recruitment and pastoral care, their journey has been a unique call to serve and equip others to do the same.Originally from New Zealand, the couple spent their first 17 years with MAF in PNG. Grant maintained the aircraft that offered a lifeline to isolated communities, whilst Sharon ... Thu, 07 May 2026 14:45:49 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post164348 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163910/with-maf-what-would-normally-be-difficult-becomes-possible/ An aircraft from Mission Aviation Fellowship flies over the dry landscape of northern Kenya. On the ground, Maasai huts known as manyatta dot the earth. Their rudimentary construction shows just how far these communities are from basic services.Normally, the journey here would have taken something like 20 long hours by road, much of it far from tarmac.Today, by air, the journey is reduced to just two hours.Here in Loyangalani, CURE International is conducting a ‘medical safari’, an initiativ... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:52:42 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163910 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163909/the-flight-that-could-change-everything/ “Yaya was born with a cleft palate and a problem with his lower jaw, which needs to be readjusted,” says Diallo Mariama Bobo, a telecommunications engineer.Chaikou Yaya Diallo has had this issue for two and a half years. But today, he is boarding an MAF flight with his mother.“We are here today for the trip to the N’Zao hospital, for the surgery of my child,” says Mariama. “We were recommended by the Sacré Coeur team who have been monitoring the health of my child since birth.“Whe... Wed, 29 Apr 2026 08:21:42 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163909 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163717/forty-years-of-waiting/ The recovery after surgery is slow and painful, and I am aware of this as I walk over to Ayor’s bed in the hospital in Juba. My translator, Garang, asks if she is willing to share her story. Ayor replies with a quiet yes.Her white hair tells me she is long past the age when women bear children, but her eyes tell a story few other people have heard.“The fistula followed the birth of my fourth child, over forty years ago,” Ayor says.“I have been suffering from this condition ever since. My... Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:40:27 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163717 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163716/premature-death-for-babies-averted--motorcycle-ambulances-bring-new-hope-to-liberian-families/ Francis Forndia, Executive Director of Foya-Borma Hospital, described what could happen on the way to care: “Before they could get to the clinic, the pregnant woman would have lost her foetus. The pregnant mother sitting on the bike would press the baby to its early grave.”With the only large referral hospital from Foya being a one-day drive away, it causes lots of pregnant women or patients to lose their lives. But the arrival of the first two motorcycle ambulances in the region is changing... Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:36:28 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163716 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163714/im-really-grateful-to-maf--burns-survivor-daniel-owes-his-life-to-a-medevac/ Today, there are hardly any scars from the scalding water and white-hot charcoal, when toddler Daniel fell into a fire and knocked over his mother’s cooking pot. But Sentina will never forget her son’s screams on 18 June 2005.‘Daniel got burnt. In our village, we don’t have those modern kitchens. We cook on the floor with firewood,’ explains Sentina.‘He had just started walking and fell into the cooking pot. Unfortunately, his right side got burnt from his hand to his shoulder. All h... Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:28:51 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163714 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163712/guns-to-bibles-how-maf-supports-life-transforming-teaching/ “I am a man who carried a gun and held up boats on the river.”These were the words of a man attending a Scripture Application and Leadership Training (SALT) course who admitted he once carried a pistol and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and had been involved in many crimes.“Some people gave me a SALT book and shared a little bit of the teaching with me,” he said. “It wasn’t long before the Holy Spirit gripped my heart. I told my brother, ‘I am going to hike all the way up to Dundrom... Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:20:47 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163712 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163710/one-maf-flight-almost-1000-patients-treated-by-specialists/ “The sheer number of people who turned up from across the region shows how great the need is in the community,” said Becki Dillingham. She was the MAF pilot who flew  the medical team from the Pamoja Specialised Polyclinic to Malambo in  just 35 minutes – a journey that would have taken  eight hours by road.Over the two days of the mobile clinic, the nine-member team treated almost a thousand  patients, the majority of whom were  suffering from ophthalmologic cond... Fri, 24 Apr 2026 13:03:24 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163710 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/post/163598/rescued-survivors-arrive-safely-in-buka/ The eight men of the rescue team had been sent by sea to extract two fishermen who had been stranded for five days on Ausarara Island in Siwai. With roads cut off and the Ramazon ridge damaged by flooding, the team navigated through the eastern side of Bougainville using two speed boats.Tragically, one of the speed boats encountered heavy waves and sank just next to the island, where the two fishermen were stranded. The four crew members were left stranded at sea before reaching Tuluve Island. T... Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:14:11 +1200 http://www.maf.org.nz/blog/#post163598