Elevation: 790 feet Distance by plane from Vanga: 210 miles Length of flight: 90 minutes Ground travel: Five-day river journey, or one long day by car

Today you are in the jungle town of Vanga, where Vanga Evangelical Hospital is located. You have just arrived with MAF pilot Stephen Hale and national worker Kevin Makaya to transport a patient back to his home in Kinshasa. 

You follow Kevin and Stephen up to the hospital, where Dr. Tim and his wife, Kathy, come out to greet you. This couple serve at the hospital as second-career missionaries, providing leadership and training local medical workers.

You learn from Dr. Tim about the importance of the hospital to the people of Congo, and not just those living in the area around Vanga hospital, but also people living further away. 

The hospital is a 400-bed healthcare center with an emergency room, OB/GYN clinic, malnutrition treatment and education center, pediatric diabetes treatment clinic, trauma surgery center, optometry clinic and many other health services. It’s also a training center for Congolese doctors and nurses, preparing over 50 medical and 300 nursing students this year. 

As a partner with the hospital, MAF is often called to bring patients from all over western Congo to Vanga for medical care. Patients like Jeremy.

Jeremy was in a terrible motorcycle accident in the capital of Kinshasa. His injuries were so severe that he was presumed dead and taken to the morgue.

But then someone noticed Jeremy moving, and he was transferred out of the morgue. Because adequate medical care wasn’t available to him in Kinshasa, MAF flew him to Vanga, where Jeremy had family who could help him. He spent two months receiving the best medical care in the region and is now ready to head home. 

Just then, a porter wheels out Jeremy, who is smiling broadly. He greets you enthusiastically and speaks of his appreciation for MAF flying him to the hospital in Vanga, and now home in Kinshasa.

Kevin steps forward to assist Jeremy on the plane. He easily lifts Jeremy from the wheelchair and gently settles him in a seat and helps with the seat belt.

On the flight to Kinshasa, you sit next to Kevin, who keeps a watchful eye on Jeremy. Speaking through headsets, Kevin tells you he is one of the ground operations team members and has been working for MAF for a few years. Before that, he worked for a company as a load master for a 747. 

“I work for MAF because I strongly believe that in the remote areas of the DR Congo, someone is praying to see by chance MAF landing with hope to better their lives. This is my constant motivation: ‘Bringing a smile to a hopeless face for a better tomorrow.’ Anytime I know that I have been a key part of the puzzle that makes it easier for MAF to move forward, I am so happy. I feel complete in my work with MAF if I do things as if this is my last task before Christ comes.”

Stephen chimes in and tells you how integral Kevin is to the work of MAF. “He’s always quick to jump in and help people in need. We are so blessed to have him as a part of the MAF ministry in Kinshasa!”

Soon you are landing in Kinshasa, and you get to see Kevin in action again. He carefully lifts Jeremy and carries him to the MAF bus that will take him to his waiting family.  

After settling Jeremy, Kevin turns to other tasks, including preparing the load for the next flight. Kevin checks the cargo and directs the load crew while also looking over the manifest. 

After the flight is prepped, all the hangar and office staff pause for a quick time of fellowship with some guests from the U.S. They sing a praise song in Lingala, one of the languages spoken in the DRC.

After they finish singing, Stephen turns to you and says the national staff are an important part of MAF’s operations to make each flight happen. Many of them have been faithfully serving for over 15 years.

“As we bring in a younger generation of Congolese staff, it is really fun to see them coming in with a high level of technical ability, paired with a love for the Lord and a love for the ministry of MAF,” Stephen says. “Many of the younger folks that are coming into MAF are really partnering with us as a ministry. It's not just a job to them, and that's exciting to see.”