Francoise agreed to come with my to my adopted chapel and enjoy a visiting speaker, Robert Dungey, who is one of the regional co-coordinators for MAF UK ‘Flying for Life’. There were about a dozen of us and Robert gave a wonderful testimony from the heart about this 80 year old institution which started with one plane and now has around 130.
Sunday 2 November 2025 – Talk by Robert Dungey, Mission Aviation Fellowship
Summary:
Robert Dungey spoke with warmth and conviction about his years with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), the Christian organisation that flies aid, medical help, and the Gospel into some of the world’s most remote and troubled regions. Drawing on experiences in Uganda, South Sudan, and Liberia, he described the courage, faith, and compassion that sustain this vital work — from emergency flights and water projects to reconciliation and education.
Robert Dungey – Called to Serve Through Mission Aviation Fellowship
I often begin with a passage that has guided my whole life in mission: Matthew chapter 9, verses 35 to 38. Jesus travelled through towns and villages, teaching, healing, and showing compassion. He looked on the crowds as sheep without a shepherd and said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” That sense of urgency — that call to go where others cannot or will not — has shaped everything I’ve done.
I first went to Uganda in the 1970s with my wife, Liz. At the time I was an extremely green Christian — enthusiastic but uncertain. Still, I felt an unmistakable pull to serve overseas. We prayed about it, placed the need before God, and were told that we’d have to raise twenty people willing to give a pound a month to support the work. Within two weeks of that prayer, the support arrived. Two doctors in Uganda offered to train me, and that began my long relationship with Africa. From the beginning, I learned that when God opens a door, you step through it — even if you don’t know where it leads.
Years later, I became involved with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), an organisation that uses aircraft to reach people in some of the world’s most isolated places. At first, I never imagined becoming a speaker for them. When someone told me that God was calling me to share their work publicly, I resisted. Speaking was the last thing I wanted to do. But God has a way of making His plans clear, and I’ve now been speaking for sixteen years — still learning something new every time I tell their story.
MAF operates more than a hundred aircraft across the world, partnering with over two thousand organisations. Our pilots fly doctors, missionaries, medical supplies, food, and even school materials into areas that would otherwise be unreachable. In South Sudan, for instance, roads are few and often dangerous — prone to ambush or impassable from flooding. One photograph I show when I speak is of the only road between Uganda and Juba, the capital of South Sudan. It’s more a muddy track than a road, yet it’s the country’s main artery. When people or aid must get through, the safest way is by air.
The work often exposes the harshness of life in these regions. In one flood in Kenya, MAF aircraft were asked to conduct surveys for the government. From the air, they spotted an elderly woman trapped up a tree — she’d been there for days, clinging to life above the floodwaters. Because of that flight, help reached her in time. In another instance, a pilot described flying with a dying patient in the back, the person crying out in agony while the pilot could do nothing but pray and keep flying until they reached a hospital. It’s a demanding calling, both technically and emotionally.
When I was in South Sudan, I saw people living in unimaginable poverty. Homes were little more than huts; food and clothing were stored on the floor. During the floods, many lost everything — walking miles through waist-high water to escape. Refugee camps sprang up across the borders, filled with people fleeing violence. Christians were often the first to be attacked. South Sudan is one of the poorest nations on earth, and yet I’ve met people there who possess a joy and faith that put us to shame.
MAF’s work extends beyond flying. We support teams who drill boreholes and teach villagers how to maintain them. I remember back in the 1970s, seeing a broken hand pump in the middle of nowhere — no one around who could fix it. Today, thanks to training and solar power, many villages can maintain their own water supplies. Local men and women are being trained as engineers and technicians, gaining skills that lift whole communities.
Our hangars too are now staffed by trained locals. When I visited last, there were about twenty European staff and around forty South Sudanese trainees. Some move on after gaining experience — that’s part of the cycle — but new ones come, eager to learn. One fellow I recall vividly was awkward and difficult, yet he could scale the highest tower like a monkey to fix something no one else would attempt. Everyone has their gift.
Then there are the reconciliation programmes. I once witnessed a meeting between two groups of armed young men, enemies from opposing militias. They sat on opposite sides of the church aisle, glaring at each other, full of hatred. These were men who had been child soldiers, forced to kill or be killed. But as they listened to the message of forgiveness and peace, something remarkable happened. By the end, they stood, crossed the aisle, and embraced one another. In that moment, enemies became brothers. That’s the gospel at work — healing hearts as well as bodies.
In recent years, MAF has expanded its work to Liberia, a country still rebuilding after years of civil war. Roads there are mostly dirt tracks, turning to deep ruts in the rainy season. Air travel is often the only link between communities. When we first arrived, a government minister wrote to welcome us — a rare gesture in our line of work. One of the highlights was delivering over six thousand Bibles in the local language. Some people had lived their whole lives owning just a single torn page of Scripture. When they received the complete Bible, they knelt and wept for joy.
Across the world, I’ve seen that hunger for God’s word. In some Western countries, churches may be closing, but in places like Africa and Papua New Guinea, the faith is alive and growing. There’s a deep desire to learn, to worship, to build. It’s humbling to witness.
Flying in these conditions is not easy. I once sat in the co-pilot’s seat during a flight through a violent storm. Rain lashed against the windscreen, and lightning flashed all around us. The pilot asked me to check for cattle or obstacles at the end of the strip — not that I could see anything. Yet he remained calm, prayed aloud, and trusted God. We landed safely after two hours of turbulence. His faith under pressure reminded me what it means to rely fully on the Lord.
Every take-off and landing is covered in prayer. Sometimes pilots have to divert mid-flight for emergency evacuations — a mother in labour, a child injured, or someone bitten by a snake. One young boy was shot while guarding cattle; locals carried him on a motorbike to a clinic that could do nothing for him. MAF flew him to hospital — and saved his life. These are daily stories for our crews.
One of the most encouraging recent developments is the arrival of a new floatplane on Lake Victoria, allowing us to reach over a hundred remote islands. The people there live by fishing and have little contact with the outside world. Now, pastors can fly in to teach and bring medical care. The plane was paid for entirely by donations — another example of God’s provision through His people.
MAF also works to combat child marriage and support education for girls. In some places, girls as young as twelve are still sold into marriage by desperate fathers. Through training and schooling, we’re helping these young women become confident, independent, and strong. Many grow into spirited advocates for change, determined to lift others out of poverty and ignorance.
As for our pilots, they come from all walks of life. Some leave commercial airlines, saying that while they earned good money, their work lacked meaning. With MAF, they find purpose — using their skills in service of others. Others have known from childhood that they wanted to be missionary pilots. All are volunteers who raise their own support, living modestly but richly in faith.
Fuel is one of our biggest practical challenges. In some countries, we have to fly across borders to refuel or store barrels in remote strips. Theft can be an issue, and economic instability affects supply. But somehow, we always manage. God provides what’s needed, often just in time.
Funding, too, is an act of faith. We’re supported by individuals and churches, though many churches now focus on their own missions. It can be hard to get a foot in the door, but personal supporters — people who pray, give, or spread the word — keep us going. We handle millions of pounds across many countries, each national branch raising its own resources. It’s truly a global family of faith.
After so many years, I still see MAF as one of the clearest examples of faith in action. It’s about compassion, courage, and obedience — taking God’s love to people who might otherwise never hear of Him. Whether we’re flying medical evacuations, delivering Bibles, drilling wells, or simply offering a helping hand, it all flows from that same verse in Matthew: the harvest is great, but the workers are few.
My hope and prayer are that more workers will answer that call — to go, to give, or to pray — so that every person, no matter how remote, can know they are not forgotten by God.
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