Life-changing numbers: MAF in Timor-Leste celebrates a year of impact

In 2025, for the first time since the pre-covid era, we are thankful to God to have exceeded 300 medical evacuations in a single year, completing a total of 321 medevac flights in Timor-Leste.

In addition, through the generosity of donors supporting our Closing the Loop project—which enables patients to return home at a cost similar to a bus fare—we have been able to help over 100 patients and their relatives return safely to their communities.

Each medevac flight usually includes two to three accompanying family members, with many more relatives waiting at the national hospital in Dili. Through our weekly hospital visits, the MAF team had the privilege of offering prayer, practical support, and the love of Christ to more than 1,000 family and community members in 2025.

While it is difficult to see the growing number of patients needing evacuation, we are deeply thankful that God allows us to walk alongside people in their most vulnerable moments—bringing help, hope, and healing through aviation.

During the Christmas break, my wife Mary and I travelled to her hometown of Los Palos—one of the furthest communities from the capital city, Dili. The 221 km journey took us nearly six hours by road. By air, the same journey takes only 50 minutes.

The final 28 km stretch of the road took 1 hour and 40 minutes, driving over rough and challenging roads. As we drove, I reflected deeply on why MAF exists in Timor-Leste. I could not help but think about patients and ambulances travelling these roads during critical moments of life and death. 

From the community hospital to the airstrip, the drive often takes as long as the flight itself from our base to the community.

When every second matters, access to fast and reliable air transport truly saves lives—and offers hope where there would otherwise be none.