Jacophin shares how God used her dream of flying and her heart for mission.
“I always wanted to work in the mission field, and I wanted to fly, but it was obviously impossible to do two things,” says Arnhem Land Quality and Safety Officer Jacophin Dayas Singh, who comes from India.
But nothing was impossible for God, who used Jacophin’s mother to point her to MAF in 2015.
In MAF, Jacophin found the organisation that allowed her to combine her love of aviation with her desire to serve God, and in 2016 she started training with MAF in Mareeba, Australia.
“God has his ways of bringing people from all over the world, in different ways, for different callings,” says Jacophin. “There's a famous saying that says God qualifies the unqualified, and he worked that in me at a very young age.
“He put the desire to fly, to become a pilot, so I left home when I was 17 to start the whole flying journey, and I gained my pilot’s licence in the USA.”
Jacophin started flying in Arnhem Land in 2017, based in the remote community of Ramingining, to bring help, hope and healing to the people in the homelands and communities.
Jacophin flew for four years, and she knows all about the sapping heat and dust and the gruelling conditions of bush flying. She recalls one occasion in Ramingining when she flew one extra journey that made a huge difference in the life of a Yolngu woman.
He'll [God] make ways you cannot fathom, and it'll be amazing.
“I went for one of those flights, did the flight, dropped the person off, and just as I was packing up to go back home, the elder lady stops and she gives a hug and she says that ‘I'm so glad you're here. You just brought me to my family to say goodbye to my sister who passed away. Thank you for doing this for me’,” she says.
“And that left me very emotional at that point, even now. Can you beat that?”
Now, in her current role as Quality and Safety Officer, Jacophin’s environment is a desk instead of the cockpit of a GippsAero GA8 Airvan.
“Transitioning from pilot to Safety Officer has been challenging but rewarding,” Jacophin says. “Back then, as a pilot, my main focus would be operational safety around the plane and people, for that moment.
“But now, as Safety Officer, my role is to ensure high standards of safety across all operations. This includes identifying, mitigating and managing risks – basically, ensuring compliance with our aviation regulations and to foster a culture of safety within the team.”
Jacophin’s change in roles and family life came as an unexpected silver lining from the upheaval of the Covid pandemic, and she is in Arnhem Land now with husband Vivek and daughter Jedidah (1 y.o.).
“Covid has been different for everyone,” she says. “And for me, it's been a blessing from God.
“I went back home during home assignment, got stuck in India, but found my husband, got married, and blessed with a baby girl now. Coming back to Arnhem Land as a family has been very rewarding.”
Jacophin has a word of encouragement for those seeking God’s guidance for a life of mission.
“Continue praying, because He will answer you,” Jacophin says.
“He will lead you in the perfect way. He'll open doors. He'll make ways you cannot fathom, and it'll be amazing.
“So, all of you who desire to do something for God in aviation, here we are.”