MAF Papua

Location:

Wamena, Papua, Indonesia

Main Activities:

Flight ministry utilizing the Cessna TU206G and Kodiak K100 to provide transportation to and from mountain villages and isolated areas with access to medical care, education, good, Biblical ministry training, hospitality in our home for missionaries and ministry partners coming through the Wamena area, encouragement of our fellow team members.

Purpose:

Serving the people of Papua in the Central Mountain Highlands area in Jesus’ name using small aircraft and other appropriate technologies to support and expand the work of evangelical missions and the growing Papuan churches.  As an organization, our vision to see people’s lives physically and spiritually transformed in Christ’s name.

Interesting Facts:
The area of the Central Highlands is hugely diverse and remote villages are extremely isolated due to extreme mountainous terrain – island-wide, over 200 languages are spoken (we serve 18 of those in my little airplane).

The interior people live simple, sustenance-based lifestyles – most eat sweet potato as the main diet staple, pork and pigs are a HUGE part of their tribal economy.

Their backgrounds are mostly animist religious belief w/ local witchdoctors or particular ‘totems’/fetishes having great power in their minds.

Education is minimal interior – in more ‘advanced villages’, maybe up through the 5th grade (if the teacher is still there teaching).

They love their feasts to celebrate any major event in village or family life – this is when pigs are roasted in the ground.

The ministry we do while technical (flying and fixing airplanes) is meeting need to provide connection between villages, as well as access to health care or community beyond their isolated valley/mountain-side. Where there are churches planted, translation work ongoing or the Gospel is being preached for the first time, we are here to help in anyway we can to support those faithful servants God has placed in these difficult, remote language groups.

Challenges:

Frequently changing weather and airstrip conditions make safe flying a very real challenge every day

Keeping our family healthy with so many sicknesses and health challenges this far from any reliable medical care

Finding ways to encourage our coworkers and the nationals doing ministry around us.

Needs:

Financial support.

Prayer Requests:

Pray for wisdom as we seek to be a family that loves the Word and tries to live it out here in Papua as God has called/equipped us for this season of our lives.

Pray for our children, that they may continue seeking after Him and His will for their lives.

Pray for continued good family health and growth.

Contact Info:

Emails:  KLynne@maf.org (kevin) and clapperfam@gmail.com (Beth)
Phone:  +62 812 – 481 – 0218 (kevin) and +62 – 480 – 2218 (Beth)
Blog:  www.flytheplane.wordpress.com
Website: www.maf.org