airpass-05-asia-pacific - Mission Aviation Fellowship

MAF Co-Pilot Give

Welcome to Asia Pacific

Your final surprise locations…

Join us in Arnhem Land where your seven-day ‘whistle-stop’ tour begins!

Welcomed in to stay

Here we are in the beautiful and mysterious Homelands. You wouldn’t believe you’re in Australia!

Arnhem Land’s remoteness, humidity and challenging conditions make it an especially difficult place in which to live and thrive.

The area appears relatively small given Australia’s vastness. But, measuring 37,500 square miles (roughly the size of Scotland and Wales combined), the region is home to just 12,000 Aboriginal people.

Your exact location is the north-eastern corner of Australia, a long way from the developed, modern cities of Darwin or Cairns.

The region of Arnhem Land is a legally recognised reserve for the Yolŋu people – an indigenous group of hunter-gatherers who are bonded by a complex kinship system and reverence for creation.

Visitors need a permit to enter, and it’s unlikely you’d be able to access this part of the world without your MAF Discovery Pass. Our team has only been allowed to live here with the permission of the local inhabitants – a rare and respected privilege.

The ten beautiful aircraft in the hangar are helping our partners provide a range of practical and spiritual support for communities that have no other way of receiving healthcare, education or WiFi.

MAF’s work in Arnhem Land represents our most complex relationship with any remote people group, and our flights are the best hope for the love of Christ to grow among them.

Welcomed in by this mysterious, ancient community, our dedicated team is here to stay. It is only through our planes that you can come this close to the Aboriginal way of life.

Population

Life expectancy

Languages

Nutrition

Neglect

Infant mortality

Airstrips

Passengers

Cargo

1 – Watch the Jesus Film

in Yirrkala, where years of outreach have seen many indigenous people baptised and transformed. Awaken Arnhem Land, an event held by Youth for Christ, was facilitated by MAF through flights and technical support – giving 500 people the chance to learn about Jesus in a culturally sensitive way.

2 – Catch fresh fish

with one of our MAF families, who love visiting the beautiful beaches off the north-eastern coast. Arnhem Land is one of the best fishing destinations in the world, but the waters can be very dangerous with salt water crocodiles, sharks, jellyfish and poisonous sea life making swimming almost impossible – especially for young children.

3 – Support a Yolŋu family

by flying with them to South Goulburn Island for the burial ceremony of a loved one. Being reunited with your tribe to bury a body is very significant in Yolŋu culture, but many families can’t make the long and difficult journey without MAF.

4 – Eat Bananas

transported from Gäwa on Elcho Island. MAF helped this remote community recover from a cyclone in 2017 by flying banana suckers – a side shoot which, when planted in fertile soil, will grow into a new banana tree.

Our passengers

Three men in front of a MAF plane with the caption - An evangelist

Carl Musch works for Indigenous Ministry Links Australia, just one of the many Christian organisations that partner MAF to share the Gospel with the Yolŋu.

‘The transformation of a person must be attributed to the work of God’s Spirit. But if I was to identify one organisation that has been used by God to transform these people’s lives and foster growth in the Yolŋu Church, it would be MAF.’

Lady giving dental treatment with the caption - A dental therapist

Caroline Falconer works for Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation owned and directed by the Aboriginal elders. Non-indigenous doctors, nurses and dentists fly with MAF to the remote Homelands and offer culturally sensitive care. This enables the indigenous population to live a traditional lifestyle while still receiving modern healthcare – preserving their dignity and sense of purpose.

‘We love working with MAF as we travel out to the Homelands. MAF staff have the same attitude and care that we do. It’s about caring for the communities in a consistent and practical way.’

A family in front of a plane with the caption "A school site manager"

Devin Lepage works at the Gäwa Christian School on Elcho Island, which provides holistic education to the extremely remote Homelands communities. Working closely with the local elders, teachers can present unfamiliar concepts using the Yolŋu’s traditional knowledge and culture. This is known as ‘both ways learning’.

‘MAF is a huge support to all of us here in the Gäwa community. They do so much more than fly us between remote locations. They encourage us, pray with us, and many have become good friends.’

Children’s Activity Worksheet

Mike, Alpha and Foxtrot have put together some fun children’s activities which you can download and print as a booklet. In your printer settings, just choose the options to print on both sides of the paper and flip on the short edge.

Picture of a family with the caption "As you depart, please pray"

– for Tim and Georgie Vallance-Webb and their four children. The family has moved to Arnhem Land to be part of MAF’s team. Tim is a pilot, and Georgie has a heart to serve the local Yolŋu community.

Continue to your next destination

Day 1

Welcome to Arnhem Land

Day 2

Welcome to Timor–Leste

Day 3

Welcome to Kalimantan

Come fly with me

Meet Max Gove

Days 4 - 7

Welcome to Nepal

Returning home

Before you leave...

We fly to remote places to reach the world’s most isolated people – thank you for joining us in Asia Pacific.

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About MAF UK

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is the world’s largest humanitarian air operator. For over 75 years we have been flying light aircraft over jungles, mountains, swamps and deserts. We enable more than 1,400 aid, development and mission organisations to bring medical care, emergency relief and long-term development. Our pilots and personnel deliver relief workers, doctors, pastors, school books, food, medicines - everything that can only be safely and speedily delivered by air. Our faithful supporters give and pray to make this all possible.