With a desire to see even the most remote peoples reached with the Good News of Jesus, Jeremy and Jodie Toews serve with MAF.
Mission Organization
Mission Aviation Fellowship
For more than seventy-five years, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) has been endeavoring to reach isolated peoples throughout the world with the Gospel. From the Waorani people of South America to the Dani people of Papua, Indonesia, missionary pilots have coordinated the demonstration of God's love to the most remote. By eliminating some of the physical barriers of isolation such as jungles, mountains, and deserts, missionaries are given opportunities to enrich communities in the following ways:
Community Development – MAF missionaries often supply remote villages with food, clean water, and other necessities.
Education – From transporting students to schools or teachers to remote areas to begin schools, MAF missionaries ensure that educational opportunities are met and that supplies are delivered.
Church Support – MAF missionaries meet the needs of transportation of Western missionaries, pastors desiring to attend conferences, or even local Christians desiring to share their faith with neighboring people.
Disaster Response – MAF pilots provide disaster relief through delivering supplies and providing communication to isolated villages.
Technology – Assisting villages with technology encourages every facet of missionary work; from theological training to medical consultations, the introduction of technology through MAF's efforts is assisting those serving remote villages with the demonstration of God's love and faithfulness.
Making Disciples – MAF pilots fulfill Jesus' command to make disciples both personally and in assisting others as they reach isolated peoples.
Bible translation – Whether delivering shipments of newly translated Bibles or transporting those with translating experience, MAF pilot missionaries are a integral part of this critical process.
Training – MAF pilots also provide mechanical training to locals, often providing them a reliable source of future employment.
Medical Care – Pilots are often asked to transport patients to the nearest clinic, foregoing long treks over difficult terrain. In addition, MAF pilots will convey other medical supplies, personnel, and medication to otherwise inaccessible locations. 1
Because of the ingenuity of some World War II veterans and the faithful service of God's followers, such as Betty Green and Nate Saint, among others, Mission Aviation Fellowship has been God's hands and feet to people living in the most remote regions of the world. 2
Country Spotlight
Indonesia
Located north of Australia in Oceania, Indonesia demonstrates a critical need for evangelism, discipling, and church planting as approximately eighty-five percent of its 270 million inhabitants adhere to the Islam religion, while the rest of the population is split among Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. As an archipelago of more than 6,000 inhabited islands, alternate forms of transportation (such as aviation and river navigation) are usually necessary to connect various river settlements characteristic of Indonesia.
Due to its location near the equator, the climate of Indonesia supports tropical rainforests, which are found on every island of the archipelago. God has blessed Indonesia with an abundance of kinds of plants and animals for its inhabitants to enjoy. Its unique biodiversity extends far beyond the sample of species seen below.
Testimony
Raised in a Christian home with many opportunities for cross-cultural missions, Jeremy understood his need for Christ at an early age. By age 10, Jeremy's family had relocated to a reservation in Arizona, providing Jeremy with a clear understanding of the challenges facing those in isolated, remote locations. He pursued training at Moody Bible Institute and followed God's leading to become a missionary pilot and mechanic with MAF with the objective of impacting remote peoples for Christ.
His wife, Jodie, was also raised in a dedicated Christian home, and acknowledges the strong spiritual impact her parents had on her. God began preparing Jodie's heart for missions through short-term missions trips and the completion of a degree in American Sign Language.
Jeremy and Jodie began serving in Indonesia with MAF early in their marriage.
Current Ministry Opportunities
Currently, Jeremy is a pilot transporting supplies, providing medical transportation, and assisting local pastors and other missionaries as needed. Jodie ministers to local women as she tends to their home and nourishes their four children. Specifically over the last few months, Jeremy has had opportunities to coordinate the transportation and distribution of supplies, PPE, and medication to various locations to assist those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Jodie has been leading a local Bible study.
Prayer Requests
Please pray for God's protection over Jeremy and Jodie as they continue to serve in an area with much exposure to viruses and diseases. Pray that they are able to minister effectively despite Covid restrictions. Also, please pray for their children as they transition to in-person school. Finally, pray for God's leading and timing through the process of adoption as they seek to add children to their family.
Additional Information
For additional information about the Toews family and their work in Indonesia, please visit Toews, Jeremy and Jodie - Mission Aviation Fellowship (maf.org)
Footnotes
1. What We Do - Mission Aviation Fellowship (maf.org)
2. History - Mission Aviation Fellowship (maf.org)
3.
en:User:Indon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
4.
SofianRafflesia, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
5.
NAPARAZZI, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
6.
Toby Hudson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
7.
Tim Williams, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Admin
.jpg){kind=link}
Join the conversation