LARNE Road man, Thomas McKelvey has been on long-term service with the Missionary Aviation Fellowship, (M.A.F), since 2003.
For anyone who doesn't know, M.A.F is a worldwide Christian partnership that flies planes into areas where few other organisations are willing to go.
It's purpose is to speed physical and spiritual care to people in places of deepest human need, u
sually in remote areas where flying is not a luxury, but a lifeline.
Currently, MAF operates over 130 aircraft from bases in 30 countries. On average one of the fellowship's planes takes off or lands ever three minutes.
Forty-year-old Thomas is based in the United Republic of Tanzania, (which is found in central east Africa), alongside his New Zealand born wife, Patricia, who is Vice-Principal of the local primary school.
Talking about his job as an Aircraft Engineer, Thomas said: "Right now my work is changing a little bit it used to be simply straight servicing and inspection but now I am involved with technical information, for example, making sure the manuals are up to date."
"I have done quite a few of those as well as making sure the records are complete and applying for various permits and examinations by the Civil Aviation Authority as so on", he continues.
Thomas gets a lot of personal satisfaction from his work, which also enables him to show and tell of Jesus' love in a practical way.
Also, it is fair to say that life in Thomas' line of work is never dull.
He said: "No two days are the same, there is always something cropping up that is going to need you to rise to the occasion."
"I suppose one of the biggest challenges is when you are trying to help people and governments and others are almost out to get you because you are helping them."
The Queens' graduate went on: "Another issue is getting the necessary spare parts to do my job as well as learning how to work with people of so many different nationalities. In our team we have Swedish, French, Dutch, German, English, Irish, Zimbabwean, Sudanese, Kenyan and Tanzanian people."
However, it seems that everyone pulls together to provide a vital and often lifesaving service.
Explaining why, Thomas said: "If you live in a rural village it is true that when the plane comes, the doctor comes, it's as simple as that.
The plane is the only source of medical care, unless you walk for three or four days it is the only thing that keeps you in touch with the outside world."
He further stressed: "People die though child birth, infected cuts, malaria because there is no doctor, it is just open, arid bush.
Because of MAF, you are able to take doctors or the Christian Blind Mission to far more remote places than they wouldn't be able to get to normally. One of our slogans is, 'We multiply Mission."
SCHOOL
While Thomas is working hard, Patricia is kept no less busy at the Holy Trinity School.
This Christian run facility provides Kindergarten and primary level education to children and young people within the three to 15 age bracket. The range in ages of these students can be explained by the fact that in Tanzania, children do not have to start school until they are seven years old.
Relatively speaking, class sizes at Patricia's school are relatively small with only 30 in each group, this compares with 120 per class at the neighbouring school!
Another blessing is that the Tanzanian government has decided that primary education should be free. The downside is that children are given national tests at the end of P4 and P7 and if they fail these, that's the end of their schooling.
In recent years however, every child at Holy Trinity has managed to pass.
Patricia says: "Children out there do tend to be better behaved and appreciate school more because they know that if they don't make the best of the opportunity, they will end up looking after sheep."
"From my point of view, teaching in Tanzania does use a lot of different skills because of the larger class sizes and the fact that you only have two pieces of chalk per lesson," she says.
Both Thomas and Patricia are asking for prayer as they return to Tanzania. At present, they are in the process of moving house. Most importantly however, they as people to pray that they will both be able to continue to make a difference in their respective spheres of service.
