Ben and Anna Samuelson

Ben and Anna Samuelson live and serve in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, with Mission Aviation Fellowship as a pilot/mechanic family. As a pilot/mechanic, Ben gets the incredible opportunity to use MAF airplanes to bring help, hope, and healing in a turbulent part of the world. It is a privilege to get to carry Bible translators, pastors, aid workers, missionaries, doctors, and many others, not to mention their supplies, over nearly impassable sections of the country. Hearing their stories and passion for Congo continues to give hope and purpose for the Samuelsons’ lives and work there. Anna invests much of her time in nurturing their sons, Leighton and Jameson, and being supportive to Ben. However, she also finds time to invest in praying with Congolese mothers (through Moms in Prayer International in Bunia). Using her nursing skills and facilitating literacy classes, Anna helps with the thousands of Congolese around Bunia who are displaced from their homes due to tribal warfare.

Eastern Congo has seen more than its share of suffering over the past 25 plus years, but as Ben and Anna grow in their relationships with their Congolese neighbors, they are struck by the resilience and joy that are found in so many. Isaiah 43:2 says “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire, you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Many have suffered, but God has not forsaken these people He loves. Sometimes, it is getting to be an extension of Christ’s love to those passing through the deep waters, and at other times, it is receiving a hand of love from brothers and sisters in Christ as struggles are experienced. It is a privilege and blessing to serve in Congo.

Born in Delavan, Wisconsin, Ben was always enthusiastic about aviation with an airline pilot dad. Though raised in a Christian home, it wasn’t until his freshman year of high school that he came to Christ through experiencing a personal God who cares deeply for each person.

Desiring to share that news, Ben felt God calling him to missions and was excited to discover missionary aviation which joined his passion and calling. He began attending Moody Bible Institute’s aviation program in Spokane, Washington. Ben graduated in 2018 with the requisite mechanic and pilot certifications.

Anna also grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin. At 5, she accepted Christ while attending a Good News Club and was nurtured in her faith by a loving Christian family. When Ben applied to Moody with the intention of going overseas, missions came to the forefront of Anna’s mind. She studied nursing at University of Northwestern, St. Paul, where that desire continued to grow through a medical missions trip. She graduated in 2015 and worked as a nurse while Ben finished the aviation program.

Ben and Anna met and began dating in high school and continued their relationship in college before getting married in 2015. They thank God for His faithfulness in leading them to MAF and the opportunity to serve the Congolese through this ministry.