Tiffany Brame has a thing for languages. She’s taught herself several and is currently learning Indonesian as she prepares to serve with MAF as a maintenance specialist in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Reading the biographies of Nate Saint and Betty Greene in junior high inspired Tiffany in junior high to use her own skills for God’s glory. She loved the idea of flying and wanted to be a missionary pilot. 

Tiffany spent a year getting her A&P certificate right after high school. Then, she landed a maintenance job at the University of Dubuque—working full-time for five-and-a-half years as an aircraft mechanic while taking flight lessons before or after work.

She progressed to become a certified flight instructor, but over time realized more of a pull towards maintenance. And she continued to feel called to be a missionary overseas.

“I saw MAF as a way to use the skills I’ve already had a lot of experience using and thought maintenance would be the best fit for me there,” said Tiffany.

The fact that Tiffany “speaks pilot” gives her a leg-up when it comes to fixing airplanes.

“When pilots would come in with this or that problem or scenario, sometimes the other mechanics would have no idea what they were talking about,” she explained.

But Tiffany knew what questions to ask.

“I just understand what pilots need and look for and what they’re likely to notice,” added Tiffany. “I think it’s really beneficial and makes me a better mechanic.”

In the past, Tiffany has had to deal with pushback as a female mechanic. That’s why she was excited when she considered MAF’s history and how it started.

“Knowing that Betty Greene was their first pilot made me realize that women have always been part of the culture here at MAF. And anybody who is willing to do this kind of work can,” said Tiffany.

COVID-19 put a damper on Tiffany’s efforts to meet with churches and individuals to build her ministry partnership team, which could mean a later departure for Indonesia.

“That’s going to be hard for me, but at the same time, if there’s a delay, I trust God’s perfect timing.”

Would you like to help Tiffany get to the field faster so she can use her mechanical skills to help the love of Christ reach isolated people in Indonesia? To join her team, visit maf.org/brame.

This story appeared in the August 2020 edition of FlightWatch.