We praise the Lord for blessing His people with transportation and for speeding His Work to the utmost ends of the earth.
Phil and Elizabeth Maddux have the privilege of working at MMS Aviation, a full-time repair station for missionary aircraft, located in Ohio and serving around the globe.
We not only fix airplanes (charging no labor costs to missions!), but we also prepare people to go into all the world as missionary aircraft mechanics through our apprenticeship program. Here are just a few examples of the incredible usefulness of airplanes in missions today.
Ryan is an MMS alumnus, and he and his family have been serving in Brazil for over 2 decades. Small airplanes are lifelines for missionaries serving in the jungles of Brazil. For some, to reach their destination they could either spend 64 days walking, 34 days canoeing, 4 days riding by powered riverboat taxi, or 1-hour flying.
Aaron H., also an MMS graduate, serves in Bolivia. A 30-minute airplane ride he can provide saves their missionaries a 2-week journey including canoe trips, bus rides, and intense hiking.
Aaron F. tells us that regular 15 – 30 minute flights save hours and hours of dangerous driving time every week for their family in Guatemala. Especially with COVID-19 restrictions, mobs/protests, road mudslides on steep hillsides, and high traffic volume, it is much safer for them to fly.
Each of the above missions are currently operating aircraft that were prepared in Ohio by MMS mechanics. But beyond just saving time and keeping missionaries safer, people are being reached with the Good News of Jesus! Earlier this year, a very remote people group in Indonesia finally got to hear God’s Word proclaimed to them, and they understood that Jesus died to save them. It took 4 families 8 years of work to be able to speak of His love to them in their language, and many hours of missionary aviation flights helped make it possible! (Those planes were also maintained by one of MMS’ graduates.)
We praise the Lord for blessing His people with transportation and for speeding His Work to the utmost ends of the earth. It is an honor to serve in this way; thank you, Christ’s Church of Oronogo, for being such a huge part of advancing the Kingdom of God!
