Flying home with a message of freedom

Her ministry has taken her to the far reaches of the country to find isolated and marginalised groups.

She has broken down on public transport, made bone-jarring detours on her motorbike, had to overnight on the road more than once and been mired in mud and devoured by mosquitos as she waited six hours for a tow. 

Shannon is grateful whenever she can fly with MAF and not drive. She has only made the journey from Juba once by road – when she brought a new vehicle from the capital last year. 

‘I’ve been in South Sudan for ten years and, last year, I drove to Aweil for the first time. I loved the experience but had to hire a soldier to escort me because sometimes there is insecurity on the road. It took eighteen hours of driving over two days.  It’s so much simpler to fly!’ Shannon says.

‘After three months living out of suitcases, I’m looking forward to getting home!’ 

Nhomlaau International, reaches out to people in the community of Ariath through literacy training, which they have developed, and a Street Kids Ministry that helps vulnerable children with kindness, Bible stories, and nutritious food.  

Second generation mission pilot Matt Marples understands the needs of isolated communities well. Matt grew up in Papua New Guinea where his family served with MAF. He loves flying but in the busyness of a workday he is grateful to be reminded of the mission behind MAF. 

‘I sometimes get so focused on getting the people and cargo where it needs to go. It was great to meet Shannon and her son and be reminded of what MAF is doing here. We are not just transporting stuff for the sake of transporting stuff. Missionaries do such an important job sharing the gospel. They have impactful ministries beyond what we see at the airstrip,’ he says.

Reaching your destination is not always guaranteed in the wet season. The further the location, the more likely that pilots will encounter afternoon storms, as Matt explains. 

‘Aweil is one of the furthest locations we fly to in South Sudan, and about the limit of our planes. Thankfully, the two-and-half-hour flight, covering 787km - went smoothly. There was some weather up there, it had rained the night before, but I found a hole in the cloud and was able to get where I needed to go after a little bit of circling.’ 

After the flight to Aweil, Akol is looking forward to playing football with his friends. They also can’t wait to meet the baby goats that have been born in their compound while they were away. 

Work translating the Bible into the local Dinka Malual dialect has paused temporarily while Shannon has been developing other initiatives with unreached groups which has led her to spend more time on the road in the last 18 months. 

The eight-month long Dinka literacy classes have been ongoing in her absence thanks to the teachers she has trained. Women with little or no education have come together with children to learn to read. She is excited to see the progress they have made. 

Eventually, Shannon hopes, her Dinka community will have a Bible in their dialect – and the literacy to read it. When they can read the Bible, understand the free gift of salvation – which is freedom in Christ, her job will be done. 

For now, Shannon is happy to fly safely back with MAF to begin the next chapter of her ministry.

‘Thank you to MAF South Sudan for getting us home safely, quickly and smoothly. It feels good to be home!’