New to the Tanzania fleet, a Cessna Caravan with increased payload leapt into service, carrying both a medical and an evangelistic team into the remote village of Mahaka on its first flight.
A new chapter in MAF’s story of service in Tanzania officially began when the Cessna Caravan was blessed and dedicated by longstanding partners from the Kilimatinde safari.
Henry and Ruth Kambenga, the organisers of this monthly medical outreach, had requested an opportunity to gather their team of pastors and evangelists at Dodoma airport that sunny morning.
The small crowd of committed followers of Christ gathered around the aircraft to dedicate it to service, singing and praying over the future of possibilities to provide change in isolated communities.
The Caravan gives us the ability to take in larger teams in the future.
Pilot Becki Dillingham was privileged to command the Caravan’s first operational flight in Tanzania, from Dodoma to the village of Mahaka. On board were a team of medical professionals, as well as another team of pastors and evangelists.
“It was great to be able to use the new aircraft to take the whole team in at the same time,” said Becki.
“The Caravan gives us the ability to take in larger teams in the future, offering more services like frequent medical shuttles and flying in dental clinics and eye specialists to perform operations in remote areas.”
Imanuel Swai, a pastor on the flight, was also pleased with the upgraded capacity.
“The bigger aeroplane makes it easier for us do our job,” said Imanuel. “Before, we needed to fly two trips to get both teams to the village. Now we can all make it there with a single flight. We will benefit from this bigger aeroplane.”
This monthly ‘safari’ of outreach to isolated communities provides maternity and child health care clinic services to a cluster of several isolated villages during the week-long safari.
An MAF aircraft picks up medical teams of nurses, doctors and midwives from Dodoma, then flies them to several small airstrips in the bush to provide each with a day-long clinic to offer basic health care services to the communities that live in isolated regions with no easy access to health care.
To reach even this remote clinic, most mothers walk in the bush for some hours, carrying their babies on their backs in the hope of life-saving early childhood vaccines.
The pastors and evangelists fly into the communities to serve spiritual needs and spread the Gospel, discipling the new believers and reaching the next generation during the clinic.
Under the cool shade of the aircraft’s wing, pastors gather children to hear the Good News during the clinic and come alongside believers in the villages to teach them more about the Word of God.
Pastors frequently baptise people by the aircraft with bottled drinking water, as the water sources accessible can be far off from the airstrip.
Some of the young men in Mahaka took great interest in the Caravan, posing for pictures in front of it and curiously peeking inside. A group of men from the village identifying themselves as warriors, marvelled the larger aircraft for a long while, seeing it for the very first time. They identified with the strength and roar of the bigger engine, standing tall and proud next to the aircraft in photos.
“Our team – as well as the people living here in the village – are very happy,” said Reverend Lodom Taxson Mwakyambo upon their return flight to Dodoma.
“May God continue to bless the work of MAF and all who are involved to bless this community.”