MAF - An Interview

Recently we got the privledge of a brief interview with Lisa Lind, who is living in Congo with her family as missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship. We invite you to visit their site and blog to learn more about what they do to help the people of DRC and how you can help contribute. In the meantime, here is a fun conversation with Lisa to learn more about their heart for the mission and their every day lives. Enjoy! 

1. Please tell us about your family.
We are Matthew and Lisa Lind. We both grew up in Christian families south of Seattle, WA. After getting married in 2006, we moved to begin our adventure in Fairbanks, Alaska to help a friend plant a church. After five years and some shifts in our friend's focus, we felt the Lord calling us out of Alaska. Matthew had worked a large variety of jobs, and as we began to seek God’s next call, we found a job description on Mission Aviation Fellowship’s website matching each and very one of his previous jobs/skills. We applied and were accepted for a short term position in January of 2011.

We were assigned to Kinshasa, DRC and felt like if the Lord wanted us there, then we would happily go, not knowing anything about Congo more than the news reports. We sold our home and belongings in Alaska, raised support and arrived in Kinshasa in April 2012. After our year there, we decided God was calling us long term both in missions and in Congo. Matthew’s degree in leadership management matched perfectly with the need for management in DRC. We came back to the states to transition to full time career missionaries, raise long term support, and left for France to learn the national language of Congo in August 2014. We have now been living back in Kinshasa since August 2015, settling well into life here.We have three kids, Levi (born in Alaska in 2009), Amelia (born in Washington in 2011), and Axel (born in Idaho in 2013) and are expecting our fourth, with plans to stay in Congo for the birth. 

2. You are missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship. Can you tell me about MAF?

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) began in 1945 when post-war pilots wanted to continue to use their flight skills to serve isolated people. MAF has since grown to over 60 airplanes in 14 countries. MAF serves isolated people with aviation and technology to reach them with the love of Christ. MAF entered DRC in 1961, just after independence, to serve people all over Congo. We presently have MAF staff in four locations, with nine airplanes, and we also offer satellite internet services for villages to serve hospitals, universities, Bible schools, and missionaries.

3. What led your family to join MAF, and specifically in Congo? 

We specifically looked at MAF because of their hands-on approach to missions - giving people services that are desperately needed, and providing technical resources that might be impossible from within their own country. Besides the perfect match of a job description, we were blown away by the ministry and professionalism displayed by MAF from the moment we contacted them.


4.What is your family’s role with MAF in Congo?

Matthew is presently assisting with the management of west DRC’s programs (one in Kinshasa and one in Lubumbashi). This includes managing human resources (9 families and over 20 national staff), finances, and ministry planning. As the wife, my official duties are just to keep the home running and the household happy - but it is a different world doing it in Congo!

5. How long has your family lived in Congo?

We have lived in Kinshasa for one year, from April 2012 to April 2013, then returned in August 2015.


6. What has the adjustment been like for your family?

Initially, it was a huge learning curve, between the language barrier, cultural differences, timing, and the little differences like food availability and limited resources (like power and water not always being on and available). But, with help from more experienced missionaries and the helpers we have working in our home, those little things are now just a natural part of daily life and we take them in stride. Coming back in August was a simple reminder of why we love it here so much.


7. Can you tell me what your daily life is like in Congo?

Matthew heads into work very early to avoid traffic, at 6:15am. If he were to wait until 6:30, it would take twice as long. The kids and I homeschool and take care of our growing animal farm in the mornings, then focus on the house and anything ministry related in the afternoons. We currently have a growing flock of chickens, a goat, a bunny, a pair of guinea fowl, and a kitten. We are getting a small garden going and still working on projects at the house to make it more of our home. As we settle more and find our rhythm, we hope to become more focused on available ministry options outside of the home, though with so many small children, it will probably be limited for a few years.

8. What are some things you love about Congo?

We love the culture and the people who work so hard as a group. We love that while the systems are incredibly different than what we’re used to, they work in their own way most of the time.

9. What is your favorite place to visit in Congo?

We haven’t had the chance to get around much, but we love the tiny village of Kikongo - it is a wonderful respite from the big city of Kinshasa. It is just around 1000 people. We know the missionary couple living there, helping to run a pastoral training school. 

10. What is your interaction like with American adoptive parents traveling to Congo to visit their children?

During our first year here, adoptions were going well, but few families had traveled yet and it was still unfamiliar territory. Each week I took several adopting families out to the local fabric market, souvenir shopping, and sometimes out to eat - just for the chance to get out of the hotels and see a bit of the city.
Obviously, things are quite different now. We do see families coming to visit, though transportation throughout the city is difficult (we do not presently have a personal vehicle). We’ve been able to help with a few families who stay near our house, but mostly we can offer advice or recommendations. And of course we always appreciate when a traveling family has a few spare pounds to bring some supplies or treats that we are unable to get here.

Thank you Lisa!  Please consider supporting the Linds' ministry through prayer and/or financial support.