MAF flights help cover an island in prayer
By Natalie Holsten
The sounds of prayers and praises blended with the hum of the airplane engine.
“We surrender our city into your hands, Lord!” one woman prayed with hands uplifted.
It was not a typical flight for MAF pilot Lance Kanagy. Most flights involve transporting cargo or picking up medevac patients or moving passengers from one village to another. This flight was all about prayer.
As Lance flew around the island of Tarakan in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, his passengers prayed for their city, with its shrimp farms, busy port, and population of nearly 300,000 people.
Praise at 2,500 Feet
The prayer flight was one of three Lance did for the GSJA (Assemblies of God) church in Tarakan as part of their prayer convoy ministry, an annual event MAF has helped with for over a decade.
Each flight was a quick 10 to 20 minutes over the island. “Since this was my first time helping with the prayer convoy, I had no idea what it would be like,” Lance shared. “It was super encouraging to be a part of it.”
Lance said the first two loads of passengers mostly sang songs during the whole flight. “I remember on the second round getting chills down my back as they sang with so much passion and heartfelt strength.”
The third group was exuberant, Lance said, singing loudly on the ramp as they waited for clearance to take off. In fact, he had to ask them to stop for a minute so he could hear air traffic control.
“As I fired up the engine and taxied, they sang a few more songs, then prayed the whole time once we took off.”
In addition to the prayer flights, a group of 20 people prayed as they circled the island in a speed boat. The day concluded with a convoy of vehicles driving around the island, stopping for prayer along the way at the beach and ending at the church with a prayer service.
A Vision for Evangelism
“Our goal in this prayer convoy, our vision, is to win this city for Christ,” said Frans Kansil, head pastor of GSJA Tarakan. “We pray so that the hearts of people will be open, that they will come to the Lord Jesus. We pray for open doors for evangelism.”
Beyond that, they pray for Tarakan, that it will become a blessing to Indonesia, and to the nations. This year’s prayer convoy included pastors from other parts of Indonesia and two pastors from other countries.
Pastor Frans sees opportunities for evangelism in the country growing, compared to how it used to be. His church regularly sends out teams to bless other churches throughout Indonesia, providing training in evangelism, and through youth camps, women’s ministries, and pastors’ groups.
“This year, the door is very open,” he said. “I believe this all started with our prayers in Tarakan, and it’s not just Tarakan that is being blessed, but all of Indonesia. We pray for the fire of evangelism!”
The prayer convoy is a way for their church to unite in prayer, Pastor Frans said, and the MAF flights are a unique experience for many of their church members.
“I heard from those who went on the flights. They were amazed to be in a small plane, and when the plane turned, they were scared and prayed even harder!” Pastor Frans said with a laugh. “It was amazing. We’re so thankful to MAF for helping us facilitate this prayer convoy.”
A Dynamic Ministry
As the last prayer flight for 2024 wrapped up and passengers were unloaded, an urgent call came in from the nearby town of Malinau. Two patients—a man with a brain bleed, and a sick, dehydrated infant—needed to get to the hospital.
“I had a medevac flight shortly after the prayer flights and was just so thankful to be a part of such a dynamic ministry,” Lance said.
Medevac flights like this one are at the heart of MAF’s work in Kalimantan, seeking to meet the needs of isolated people, while also supporting the work of evangelists and local churches, like the GSJA prayer convoy ministry.
“It is truly a very special event to be part of,” MAF program director Jeremy Toews said. “May the Lord indeed light the fire of prayer and evangelism in all of our hearts.”
Story appeared in FlightWatch vol. 3, 2024. Read the entire issue here: