real words

Mission Aviation Fellowship – Insurgent Love Air Force

In a previous post I featured the naval branch of Insurgent Love, Mercy Ships.  At the end of the feature I made an offhanded comment about needing an Insurgent Air Force.  Thanks to Brendan, who left a thougtful comment you should all read, we’ve learned there are several out there.

The first to be featured is Mission Aviation Fellowship.  The name just about says it all, but here’s a passage from their website:

http://www.maf.org

“Our passion is to see individuals, communities, and nations transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We promote this transformation by positioning Christ-centered staff in strategic locations worldwide utilizing aviation, communications, learning technologies, other appropriate technologies and related services. In accomplishing our mission, we collaborate with churches, subsidiaries, partners, and networks.”

Mission Aviation Fellowship focuses on five specific areas of activity in reaching out to help those in need:

• Evangelism and Church Support: Connecting missionaries and local pastors with unreached people, transporting national church workers to isolated villages, and theological eduction by extension.
• Community Development: Supplying and transporting Christian staff and supplies for health and community improvement projects, village enhancements such as water wells, and small MAF-built hydroelectric plants.
• Medical Assistance: Providing medical emergency evacuations, transporting medicines and health workers to the sick and injured.
• Crisis Relief: Transporting food for the hungry, and critical relief supplies and agency personnel to disaster areas.
• National Training: Educating pilots, mechanics, avionics technicians, radio and electronics specialists, and administrative and support personnel.

How cool is that?  An Insurgent Air Force.  Who else out there knows of Insurgent Ministries that need to be featured?  Leave me a comment about them.

* The following is copied from the comment below left by Brad Rhoads about the distance learning program of MAF.  This is some innovative thinking:

“Besides all that you listed above, MAF-LT is about doing distance, theological education for pastors in the developing world.

There are about 3 million pastors in the developing world that don’t have any training. Most of them will never be able to leave their village to go to a big city or come to the states to get any training. And turns out that 9/10 that do leave, never go back.

So we’re using computers all kinds of technology to take training to them, right where they live and serve.”

Thanks, Brad.

Mercy Ships – Insurgent Love Navy

Many of you will already be familiar with the work of Mercy Ships.  I was first introduced to them in the early 90s when I had the privilege of installing several PCs on the Anastasis.  Simply put, the premise of this ministry and the effectiveness with which they fulfill it “ROCKS.”

http://www.mercyships.org

Mercy Ships programs promote health and well-being by serving the urgent surgical needs of the forgotten poor and empowering developing communities. Some quick facts about Mercy Ships:

• Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than 1.7 million services valued at over $670 million and impacting more than 1.9 million people as direct beneficiaries.
• Performed more than 32,500 surgeries such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, orthopaedic and facial reconstruction.
• Treated more than 212,000 people in village medical clinics. Performed more than 183,000 dental treatments.
• Taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers, who have in turn trained many others in primary health care.
• Taught 95,000 local people in primary health care.
• Trained local medical professionals in modern health care techniques.
• Delivered more than $60 million worth of medical equipment, hospital supplies and medicines.
• Completed more than 900 community development projects including construction of schools, clinics, orphanages, water wells and agriculture programs.
• Demonstrated the love of God to people in over 550 port visits in 70 different nations.
• More than 850 career crew from over 40 nations serve today.
• More than 1,600 short-term volunteers serve with Mercy Ships each year.

Mission

Mercy Ships, a global charity, has operated a fleet of hospital ships in developing nations since 1978. Following the example of Jesus, Mercy Ships brings hope and healing to the poor, mobilizing people and resources worldwide

Vision

Mercy Ships seeks to become the face of love in action, bringing hope and healing to the poor.

Values

Desiring to follow the example of Jesus, we seek to:

1. Love God
2. Love and serve others
3. Be people of integrity
4. Be people of excellence in all we say and do

Wait…I just thought of something.  If a war of Insurgent Love is being fought then Mercy Ships must be the navy!  Oh, that’s just cool.

Now we need an Air Force!