Hi friend, 

My name is Jenn, and I collect stories from missionary pilots around the world who serve with Mission Aviation Fellowship. One of those pilots is Stephen Hale, and he delivers life-saving resources and critical supplies to some of the most remote places across the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Here's a story that Stephen shared that I think you'll be encouraged by:

"Power outages are a part of everyday life in Kinshasa where we live, so our house is equipped with a variety of lights to accommodate this. We have lights hooked up to the city grid. We also have lights connected to a battery system for when the power is off. When nothing else is working, we also store solar lanterns to light our house. If you are out at night during a power outage in Kinshasa, it is amazing to see how one small light can illuminate a large area. 

All lights must be connected to a power source. In the same way, we, as followers of Christ, must be connected to our 'power source': our heavenly Father. Without knowing, loving, and walking in obedience to Him, we are unable to 'let our light shine.' But when we stay 'plugged in' to the source of life through prayer and reading, studying, and meditating on Scripture, our light can shine before others and bring glory to God the Father.

So it is with followers of Christ. 

As a pilot, I often get to fly with a young Congolese missionary named Kennedy. Kennedy trains Sunday School teachers in some of the hardest-to-reach places on earth. In these remote towns and villages across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he teaches leaders from five to eight churches at a time. Each of these churches represents 100 to 200 children from their region.

Kennedy may be one person, a seemingly 'small' light. Yet, the light of Jesus shines through him to reach thousands of children in the heart of Congo."

This Advent season, I invite you to read more stories just like this one with the Advent Devotional from Mission Aviation Fellowship. You'll get to hear from missionary pilots and other staff members serving around the world about how God is working in their lives and the people around them.

No matter what you're going through, this free devotional will give you encouraging stories and help you experience the joy of God's presence this Christmas season. You can use this secure link to get your free Advent devotional today: https://takeoff.maf.org/2024-advent-devotional/

Blessings to you this Christmas season,

Jenn Wolf
Writer, Mission Aviation Fellowship