The Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) family is deeply saddened by the loss of their colleague and friend, Joyce Lin. She departed the Sentani, Papua, Indonesia airport early in the morning of May 12, piloting an MAF Kodiak aircraft. Joyce was responding to the needs of the village of Mamit in the Papua highlands and cargo on the plane included COVID-19 rapid test kits for the local clinic. Within minutes of takeoff, she reported an emergency and the aircraft descended into Lake Sentani. Joyce was the only person on the airplane.
Indonesian Search and Rescue divers later confirmed that Joyce did not survive the accident. The MAF staff in Papua and Jakarta are working with authorities on the investigation of the accident.
Joyce is survived by her parents and two sisters. Prayers for her family in this time of sudden loss are appreciated, as well as prayers for the MAF Papua team that worked by her side.
Joyce loved working for MAF in Indonesia, where she served as a pilot and field IT support specialist. Though she was there just two years—one in Central Java for language school and another in Sentani—her impact was significant. Joyce repeatedly shared how joy-filled she was in the weeks before she went to join the Lord.
The final sentence of Joyce’s MAF biography reads, “While Joyce will always be excited to fly planes and work on computers, she is most excited to share the love of Jesus Christ by helping to transform other people’s deep discouragement and mourning into dancing and joy.”
Joyce was a light reflecting Jesus, and she will be deeply missed.
Information about Joyce and her journey to MAF can be found here: https://www.maf.org/lin
A tribute to Joyce and her ministry and life is being developed and will be online in the very near future. Information on her memorial services will be forthcoming.
24 Comments
May you all be comforted in whichever way you need to. The Lord’s work does not stop
Joyce was a colleague of mine while she was in the USAF. I’ve known her for almost 20 years. She was the smartest IT/Cyber person I’ve met and the kindest. This news is a shock to her colleagues in the USAF at the Office of Special Investigations. She is wonderful!! I will truly miss her.
She was an amazing person: very quiet, cheerful, dedicated. She was one of three daughters of our Taiwanese-American friends here in Maryland. An amazing family, who contributed so much to the US, but were also very active in Taiwan’s momentous transition to democracy from the very early days in the 1980s. Joyce had many stories of how she and her sisters as little kids participated in Taiwanese democracy rallies here in downtown DC.
We will miss her!
I pray for all who grieve.
Joyce was an inspiring woman! Will miss seeing her again and the excitement in her voice and emails when she talked about her amazing work. Many prayers to her family, MAF, and friends.
I’ve always been in awe of Joyce, with her spirit and intellect being the strongest I’ve ever known from anyone. I’ve followed Joyce from her days in college to what she was accomplishing since then, and she is a superpower of a woman.
I’m so very sorry for your loss! May God be glorified since He alone can take something so painful and turn it for His kingdom’s progress and our good. I pray for you all.
Praying for the family and friends at MAF, and friends …praying GOD’s strength & comfort in the days to come!🙏With grateful hearts to Joyce for the commitment and willingness to serve the people of Papua Indonesia! We thank the LORD she is in His Presence and experience His Love!
She was truly a great person to know. Her passion for Christ was contagious. We will miss her so much…but are confident she has heard “well done, faithful servant’
So sorry for the family and for MAF. Prayers and my love sent to this wonderful family. She will be remembered here on earth and she will see our Heavenly Father.
We are praying for our MAF colleagues and especially Joyce’s family and extended family.
Terimakasih sudah melayani kami di Papua. Sedih, kehilangan itu yang kami rasakan. Damai bersama Bapa di surga. 😭
A PEARL FROM SENTANI LAKE
– My dearlove Joice Chaisin Lin
I was drink a red wine to remember my hero
Lady With The Lamp Florence Nightingale
When you come with the bird of paradise
You just flying to cross seven skies
I remember the old song of “Black Brothers”
“Stars fall to earth, doomsday”
But today, a starlet has risen
From the bottom of the heart of Papua
You should just live in your sweet house
Go to the movies, play piano, drink milk and honey
No need to come to the end of a remote world
Where mosquitoes lay monster eggs
I dive to 13 metres of Sentani Lake
Your sweet smile like thousand wave
Your air plane grow up as a shell
Then your body and soul grow up as a pearl
I don’t like the sad dramas on TV
Because journalists never see
The rainbow like a bow on Sentani skies
A thousand angels carry you to the heaven
In Eden, angels with curly hair, sweet black skin,
They hit tifa, singing “Yamko Rambe”, dancing “yosim pancar”
You sit on the King’s right, with paradise on your head
Your smile is long, studded with pearls
Ambon, 12 Mei 2020
Does anybody happen to have her Chinese name in Chinese characters? I am writing a Chinese article for a Christian publication. She represented the finest of Americans of Chinese descendants who dedicated their lives in service to their beloved Lord Jesus and others.
Pak Rudi, apakah saya boleh minta puisi ini di-upload lagi ke dalam Bahasa Indonesia. Saya mau baca dan dengar dalam Bahasa aslinya. Pasti sangat terasa. Terima kasih.
Mr. Rudi,
Could you also upload this poem in it’s original Indonesian? I would like very much to read and hear it. Thanks.
Thank you for the beautiful poem written for Missionary JoyceLin. May Lord Jesus continue bless your art work.
May i request for the indonesia version? Thank you🙏
I am deeply saddened to hear of this loss, yet encouraged to know that Joyce’s life left behind the impact of Jesus Christ. Joining in prayers and grieving from a fellow Kodiak operator and neighbor in Papua New Guinea.
May the Lord’s steadfast love give you all peace. May He bring great fruit from this, as only He can.
Thank you for your ministry.
“Well Done, good and faithful servant…. Come and share in your master’s happiness!”
Sorrow, pain and death are not respecters of who they touch. But in Christ Jesus we can place our hope. My prayers and love go out to family and friends.
Prayers and condolences from all MAF supporters in Isle of Man, the Kodiak Aircraft is very well known to us and were are sad at the news of a Pilot ‘Joyce Lin’ and her Aircraft have suffered a fatal accident, from the posts she clearly inspired and worked hard to bring the News of Jesus Christ to remote unreachable locations in a country she loved.
I was encouraged by your unconditional love to people who are in need, you are really an example of Christ’s love. You will be missed my dear angle friend.
Hennie Wattimena
Derwood, Maryland.
May her soul rest in eternal peace…