One of the newest additions to the MAF fleet in Papua New Guinea, ‘P2-AFD’ is already busy impacting remote communities. One such place is Telefomin, home to an MAF base and two pilot families – where performing maintenance work on essential base facilities isn’t as easy as a trip to the hardware store.
Story by Michelle Dauth
P2-AFD flew members of the Facilities and Vehicles team to Telefomin – some of MAF’s unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes enabling our bases to run smoothly.
“The pilots fly, but we’re also in the team,” said Felix Kenny, the team’s Senior Carpenter Foreman. “Because we help build and maintain what they need, fixing water systems, power, or whatever is required, so they can live safely and do their work on a daily basis.”
As the team prepares for the journey, Cobus van der Merwe, the MAF Building and Maintenance Deputy Manager, explained that the team is going, “to perform a great deal of maintenance work on the housing and the base.”
There’s no hardware store in Telefomin. It’s very remote, so we have to prepare everything.
In addition to the team, the flight also transported 974 kilograms of material required for this maintenance.
“We usually get all the hardware items from Mount Hagen,” said Felix, referring to the work awaiting them in Telefomin. “There’s no hardware store in Telefomin. It’s very remote, so we have to prepare everything.”
This is why flights like this one are essential – enabling teams like Facilities and Vehicles to carry out critical maintenance in order to keep MAF’s mission moving forward: Bringing help, hope and healing to isolated people in Jesus’ Name.
What’s remarkable is that this visit is by far not an isolated one. These visits are, in fact, part of a regular schedule that takes the team to several remote bases across the country each year.
“We usually visit a particular base about three to four times a year,” Felix added. “For example, this year we’ve already been to Telefomin around five times. Right now, there’s still some ongoing work there, and when the team returns on Friday, we’re scheduled to go back again on Wednesday – it all depends on the workload.”
Each of these visits help ensure that housing and facilities remain functional so that pilots, medical teams, and community workers can continue serving the isolated people.
When asked what his work with MAF means to him – especially as he travels frequently and spends time away from his family to carry out essential repairs and maintenance – Felix’s face lit up.
“I'm always excited and happy when I'm out in the field,” he said. “It's part of the mission, and so it brings joy to my life that I’m doing something greater for the Lord. It’s not only that we are working for the money, but it’s part of serving people in the community as a whole.”