Mission Aviation Fellowship family serves with care and connection in South Sudan

A shared calling to serve has taken Reuben and Emma Vermeulen far from Canada to South Sudan, where they work with Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) to support Cut-off communities facing ongoing challenges.

For Reuben, the interest in aviation and missions began early. Born in Australia and later moving to Canada, he was introduced to MAF as a child and felt drawn to its work. After high school, he attended Prairie Bible College in Alberta to pursue flight training.

Emma, who grew up in southern Alberta, followed a different path initially, enrolling in Prairie Bible College for its nursing program. It was there the couple met, and Emma’s own sense of calling to missions developed over time.

“The Lord worked in my heart a call for missions as well,” she says. “And now here we are.”

Meeting practical needs through care

While Reuben serves as a pilot with MAF, Emma uses her nursing background to meet local needs in Juba, where the family is based. One of her primary involvements is a wound care ministry operating out of their compound.

Healthcare access in South Sudan is limited, with long wait times and high costs. As a result, untreated wounds can quickly become serious.

“Basic wounds and hygiene are just not well taken care of, and it can lead to big problems,” Emma says.

Alongside other women with medical training, she helps provide care and advice for those who might otherwise go without treatment, addressing both immediate needs and preventing more serious complications.

Reuben Vermeulen is a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship (Submitted/Mission Aviation Fellowship)

Reaching remote communities

Reuben’s role with MAF centres on flying to remote and often inaccessible regions, supporting partner organizations like Every Village. The group establishes Christian radio stations that broadcast in local languages, making messages accessible in people’s “heart language.”

“We help them get to these remote areas, which would otherwise be inaccessible or very dangerous,” he says.

The impact is tangible. Reuben recalls visiting villages where families gather around solar-powered radios in the evening to listen together.

“It’s incredible to see people engaging with the message in their own language,” he says.

Responding to crisis

The need for MAF’s work is especially evident amid South Sudan’s ongoing refugee crisis. More than a million people have fled into the country because of civil conflict in neighbouring Sudan, with many settling in remote border regions.

Reuben recently flew 700 kilograms of ready-to-use therapeutic food to a refugee camp in Maban, where he helped address severe malnutrition among children.

“Without the airplane, it would have taken weeks to get there, and it would have been very dangerous,” he says.

In another recent flight, he transported a gunshot wound victim from a remote clinic to Juba for urgent surgery – a journey reduced from 12 hours by road to just one hour in the air.

“It really is the difference between life and death,” he says.

Life in the field

The Vermeulens live on an MAF compound in Juba alongside other families, raising their children in a close-knit, supportive environment. Daily life includes navigating logistical challenges, from traffic to routine errands that can take an entire day.

Even so, the family prioritizes connection with the local community. Weekly visits to nearby villages and an orphanage allow them to build relationships, provide care and share their faith.

“We want to bring help, hope and healing,” Emma says.

Supporting the mission

For the Vermeulens, the value of MAF’s work is clear in the lives they encounter each day.

“We can really see that the work we are doing is needed and making a difference,” Reuben says.

Support for MAF helps sustain these efforts, enabling flights, medical care and partnerships that reach some of the most cut-off communities in the world.

“It’s our hope that we will continue to see hope return to South Sudan,” Emma says.

More information about the Vermeulens, including how to support them, is available on the MAF website. Prospective supporters can also learn more about the organization by visiting its website, and by tuning in to the Mission Aviation Fellowship Radiothon – April 30 on AM 1140.

Source: https://highriveronline.com/articles/mission-aviation-fellowship-family-serves-with-care-and-connection-in-south-sudan