The biggest thing that drew Ian Rojas to MAF was the people, and their heart for the ministry.
“I wanted to be a part of a community that was so committed to bringing the love of Jesus to the ends of the world,” said Rojas, who is preparing to serve as a pilot/mechanic in Papua, Indonesia.
Ian’s aviation journey took a few turns before he applied with MAF last year. It started in high school when a family friend gave him flying lessons. One day, when he stumbled upon MAF’s website, Ian realized this was where God was leading him.
Ian Rojas. Photo by Paul O’Brien.
He spent three years at Moody Bible Institute and then accepted a job at Boeing, which enabled him to earn enough to finish his flight training at Mission Aviation Training Academy in Washington.
God further confirmed Ian’s decision to pursue mission aviation after he spent four weeks as a pilot for a Christian camp in Alaska that serves people living in isolated areas.
“This was really the first time I was able to act as a pilot in a practical sense, particularly in a way that allowed the children of these remote Alaskan villages to experience the love of Christ,” said Ian.
Currently in the fundraising stage of his ministry, Ian is busy building a team of financial and prayer partners before he can leave for the field.
“God has definitely been teaching me through this process—to have a greater reliance on Him, a deeper trust,” explains Ian. “I’ve had to shift my perspective to view God as the one who will provide for my ministry needs. There is just no way I can get through this on my own.”
Ian is eager to start flying in Kalimantan, whether it’s to help the national church grow, to save lives through medical evacuations, or to meet basic needs of isolated people.
“So many of my flight hours up until now have been purely for training. I am really looking forward to being able to not only do some really cool flying, but have it be for a greater purpose.”
If you would like to join Ian’s ministry partnership team and help him get to Indonesia, visit maf.org/rojas.
Read the full edition of FlightWatch 2017, Vol. 2: