In the midst of sorrow, MAF is privileged to help fulfil a young woman’s final wish for her body to be returned to remote Wuvulu Island.
Story by Tajs Jespersen
Lynn Babah stood by the casket one last time before it was lifted into the MAF plane, knowing that her community would finally be able to join together and remember her young niece.
“It is hard to get to our home. Some will go on boats, but if the plane is able, that is our hope,” said Lynn.
“We’ve been waiting for a month and been praying that we could get enough money for the flight. Somehow, we managed. The community, church friends – we came together.”
The flight destination is the island of Wuvulu, located in the Bismarck Sea 150 kilometres off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. For this deceased young woman’s body, it will be her last journey, the final flight home.
“It is so important to us, it is our culture. If our bodies aren’t buried in the village, it’s like we are lost,” said Lynn. “Our village is our origin, where we belong. We must go back there.”
Andy Little, the MAF pilot for this flight, has flown many bodies back to their home airstrips and witnessed the impact such flights have on each community.
“When a person dies, it is important for the community to come together,” said Andy. “My impression is that communities really appreciate MAF being able to provide this service. It is a privilege to be alongside them in their grief, and it is part of reaching out Jesus’ hand of love to remote and isolated places in a time of great need.”
To some it might seem foreign to sacrifice time and money to pay for such a flight, but Andy Little sees similar traditions in his home nation, Australia.
“I think you can compare it to times of war, when Australians have fought overseas and passed away,” said Andy. “Families have gone to a great extent to bring the bodies home to bury them in their hometowns.”
For Lynn, it is now a time to honour the memory of her niece, and this flight was the first step in that process.
“Her final wish was to go home, that is why we must do everything we can to honour her wish,” said Lynn. “We checked airlines, but they were busy and finally MAF said, ‘We can help you.’”
She remembers a strong faithful woman, trusting completely in the Lord.
“She was a youth in the church. She was fighting breast cancer for a long time, fighting hard, but God finally decided that she must rest, and we accept that,” Lynn added.
Andy Little is encouraged by the hope that God offers, despite the difficult circumstances.
“Death is something that doesn’t feel right and normal, because God set eternity in our heart,” he added. “It is a time of great grief and mourning, but there’s a message of hope in the gospel for all of us as we look forward to eternity, together.”