Nine babies and their mothers were flown by MAF to hospital in Uganda as they departed South Sudan in the midst of a security crisis.
MAF pilot Matt Marples carefully monitored the security situation on the ground in South Sudan’s capital Juba and the clouds in the sky, but he knew that cancelling his flight would put nine little lives at risk.
‘The flight was scheduled two days after my family evacuated,’ says Matt. ‘As I waited at the plane for the families to stamp out at immigration, I had one eye on the weather and one eye on the clock.
‘The airport was busier than usual as people crowded the entrance trying to leave. If we didn’t get airborne soon, we’d run out of time. A huge weather front was amassing over Uganda which could potentially stop us in our tracks.
‘I began worrying that these babies would miss their chance. Insecurity in Juba meant it was uncertain if the flight would be rescheduled. I battled with the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my pilot career – whether to cancel the flight.
‘Knowing that nine lives potentially relied on my decision, I prayed. Later, I learned that at that exact time my mother-in-law and sister-in-law had been woken up back home in Canada with an urgent prompting to pray for me. Their prayers, and God’s purposes opened a third option. Flying nine mums and babies out of Juba to the safety of Arua in Uganda and continuing the following day.
‘Thanks to our IT guy Kalumba, I didn’t have to wrangle eighteen people including nine sick children on my own.’
I learned how God can order our steps even in a crisis to make sure his purposes prevail. As MAF, we remain committed to using our time and resources to support a programme that has helped over ninety children so far.
Ayen Maker Akech, whose baby Achirin Akech Dau, received surgery a month previously for hydrocephalus, was returning to the CURE Hospital at Mbale in Uganda for a follow-up appointment. Ayen was able to help translate for the other mothers during their overnight stop.
‘The baby’s head started swelling one month after the baby was born. You could see at the top of the head here,’ Ayen says, pointing to the spot.
‘I went to the clinic and the staff there told me to come to a hospital. At the hospital they told me to bring the baby to Usratuna (a centre run by the health organisation OVCI).
Ayen had faith that the surgery would be worth it. Meeting other mothers with children facing similar health issues brought encouragement to Ayen.
‘When the baby was born, I thought that the challenge of this problem, was mine and mine alone,’ she says. ‘But coming here, I discovered all these other mothers. I was thinking that it was me alone – but here we are together. There are other children. May God bless MAF.’
Matt landed in Tororo, Uganda, transferring his small patients from the MAF plane into the care of the team from CURE.
‘During this flight I learned how God can order our steps even in a crisis to make sure his purposes prevail. As MAF, we remain committed to using our time and resources to support a programme that has helped over ninety children so far.’
