Pilot Matt Marples rolls up his sleeves to unload two huge boxes which will help pastors travel by bicycle to villages around Aweil in South Sudan.
Peter Atak from the Sudan Pentecostal Church (SPC) transfers the cargo from a MAF flight into his pick-up truck. A few hours later, the boxes are opened to reveal a jumble of bicycle parts - ready for assembly. Other items in the consignment include water filters and tents.
The new initiative by the church is helping to support pastors in rural parishes. Swedish SPC Missionary Magdalena Waern explains that the purpose is to reach further with the gospel and to get teenagers in Sweden excited about mission.
‘The youths in our church fundraised for a Missionary Kit so that evangelists and local missionaries can transport themselves between villages, have a place to sleep and to be able to drink any water they come across,’ she says.
For me it is a joy to give to something beyond my own context. The thought that my money can help to reach new places with the good news about Jesus feels amazing!
‘MAF helped to fly the kits to Aweil and make sure they were handed over to the right person!’
Peter Atak was delighted to receive the consignment from MAF pilot Matt Marples and share how they will be used around the isolated communities in the north of the country.
‘Glory be to God for the wonderful gifts of bicycles, tents and water filters! We give thanks to the SPC national board for sending eight bicycles, three tents and eight water filters to eight evangelists from Warrap, Nyamiel, Gokmachar, Ariath and Aweil East,’ he says.
‘We thank our SPC friends, especially Swedish missionaries, who have helped with the mentioned materials. It is our prayer for them to continue supporting with more bicycles to reach other areas with the gospel.’
MAF makes it really easy to get things to the right place and to the right person, we never have to worry about things getting lost, but the help gets to where it is supposed to go.
The need for the extra outreach capacity is due to the growth of the church, although Magdalena explains that brings its own challenges.
‘SPC has a lot of newly planted churches in Aweil, but very few of them has a pastor (and if they have one, very often he cannot read or write) so the evangelists and pastors who are more trained often have to pastor several churches at the same time. That is why the kit comes so much in handy, since it helps them move around better,’ she says.
‘We are hoping that this will both help the churches in Aweil reach new areas and new people, but also that it will help strengthen the already-planted churches.
‘Since there are many who cannot read and write it is common that wrong teaching starts to flourish. It is important that people who can read the Bible and who are trained in healthy doctrine can follow up newly planted churches.’
Kits for other locations which will be delivered by road. Others will be flown to Chukudum by MAF.
‘We are very excited for this project, and even more excited that the support comes from young people, who are still in school. Instead of going to buy that new shirt, or going out for pizza or whatever they do with the little money they have, they made the decision to support the building of God’s kingdom here in South Sudan, which I think is awesome!’ Magdalena says.
‘MAF makes it really easy to get things to the right place and to the right person, we never have to worry about things getting lost, but the help gets to where it is supposed to go.’
Martha, who is part of the youth group in Sweden, explains what it means to be supporting the mission.
‘For me it is a joy to give to something beyond my own context,’ she says. ‘The thought that my money can help to reach new places with the good news about Jesus feels amazing. I also appreciate giving something concrete where I can see the difference that it makes.’
Glory be to God for the wonderful gifts of bicycles, tents and water filters! We give thanks to the SPC national board for sending eight bicycles, three tents and eight water filters to eight evangelists!