MAF missionaries raise support for a pooled fund out of which MAF covers salary, housing, benefits, and staff-related ministry expenses. MAF exercises discretion over the use of missionary support in the exercise of its mission and care of its staff.
Larry and Linda Whiting are career missionaries with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Most of their 35 years of service have been in Indonesia. Currently, they are home staff at MAF’s US headquarters in Nampa, Idaho. Larry is an aircraft maintenance specialist and prepares planes for overseas service. Linda is the MAF Donor Relations Coordinator, connecting with field staff and donors on a daily basis. They are thrilled to be a vital part of the technical support team for MAF’s global ministries. They also readily mentor new missionaries in preparation for work and ministry overseas.
Larry and Linda met in Friday Harbor, WA, where Larry got his private pilot’s license. With hearts tender to the Lord’s calling to missions, the newlywed Whitings moved to Texas where Larry continued his aviation training at LeTourneau College, got his CFII rating, and completed his A&P mechanic’s rating.
After becoming part of the MAF family in February 1988, God was faithful in helping the Whitings find their support team of churches and individuals. In December 1988, the Whiting family moved to Java where they studied the Indonesian language and culture. At the end of 1989, the Whitings started their first field assignment in Tarakan, Kalimantan, Indonesia
Larry thoroughly enjoyed his role as jungle pilot and mechanic for the next 17 years on the large, rugged island of Borneo. “Sharing Christ with our Indonesian friends and neighbors was the highlight of our time in Indonesia,” Larry says. Larry and Linda regularly met with a group of Indonesian young professionals seeking to brush up on their English fluency. “Through this we had the delight of leading a young man to Christ from the unreached Tidung tribe. His name means ‘the first legitimate ray of light.’ His coworkers asked what kind of new soap he was using because his face shone so much… that’s Jesus!”
For several years, Larry and Linda also served with a humanitarian organization involved in flight training. Now they are back in the USA, plugged into their vital roles at MAF headquarters, serving in a more global way.
The Whitings’ four children were mainly raised in Indonesia and attended boarding school in Malaysia. Since then, all four attended excellent colleges (Westmont, LeTourneau, and Northwest Nazarene), found good jobs, married wonderful spouses, and adjusted well to life in the USA.
God calls the men and women of MAF to serve Him in unique ways. He may also be calling you to a special role in Larry and Linda’s ministry. Would you prayerfully consider becoming a Ministry Partner with them through prayer and/or financial support?
The U.S. offices of MAF serve as a hub for MAF services worldwide. A day in the life here includes specialized flight training, staff mobilization and counseling, purchasing and shipping of aircraft parts, finance and accounting, administration of an Internet gateway for worldwide email, fund raising, printing and mailing of various materials, and many, many more activities. Some staff serve around the country; training future pilots and mobilizing potential candidates to serve with MAF.